What Could Happen in the Next Hour?

Let's talk about something fun for Friday. While on tour with Dealership, we watched a lot of DVDs to pass the time during those 12-hour-drives across this vast nation. We discovered that movies are slightly less desirable for road trips, because they require sustained focus. TV shows, however - bitesized, snappily written bits fo fluff - are, like trail mix, perfect fodder for consuming on the go. "Freaks and Geeks" was awesome, and "The Simple Life" was painfully hilarious, but the one that we got really addicted to was "24".

You probably know the premise of the show: events take place in real time, over the course of twenty-four hours of a single day. Sounds somewhat unsustainable - after all, the show takes place in LA, and wouldn't you waste at least half an episode every time a character had to drive somewhere?

But this is fantasy LA, and besides, something bad always happens before the character reaches the destination, in part because the action can never slow down. Which leads to a very interesting type of show - a show that must be open-ended and flexible, that must maintain pacing, that must weave together several threads in a way that makes sense at the end - in short, a modular show, put together in blocks of well-balanced plot-bits.

It's probable that the writers had some idea of story arc when they drafted the concept of the show, but it's clear that they often worked out details on the fly as the show progressed. The modular nature of the construction allows a great deal of play, ---- Some plot threads get de-emphasized; some get dropped; some lead nowhere, while others take satisfyingly surprising turns. Many long-running television shows are written this way - with somewhat open-ended character developments - but the compressed action in "24" makes the construction of the plots much more obvious. But obvious or not, the end result is absolutely mesmerizing.

I hesitate to assign 24 the same status as Run Lola Run or Groundhog Day as a true example of a show or film that speaks the procedural language of multiple possibilities common to many video games. Nevertheless, watching the show is like playing a game in that you really believe that anything can happen Characters can die. Plots can be overturned. And unlike other dramas, or even other action shows, the pace simply never lets up. It's always rushing, running, catching up to the story, keeping your adrenaline pumping. I think that's what we got addicted to, that constant motion. The hours just flew by and before we knew it, we were wishing we'd have just one more hour to drive so we could see the end... but the end is ever-elusive; like all those times I've played a game and thought, "just one more level, and then I'll stop; one more item to get, and then I'll stop; just finish exploring this area, and then I'll stop..." But there's no stopping until the game stops, is there?

Comments

[jane]

just checking to see if the comments work now.

[bowler]

The comments were broken? I jut thought everyone stopped coming here...

[Origence]

I wasn't allowed to put comments. I'm not sure which where the reasons. After realising nobody else was posting either I thought it was a problem of the site.
I'm glad to see it works again.
About the topic... I haven't seen that show. Sorry for this spam :P

[nick]

jane's back posting!
and sippey had a relevant comment about the nature of watching taped shows i read yesterday.
i'm watching 1st&2nd season buffy, catching up on missed. and jeeves&wooster, old favourite from english childhood.

[ryan]

i tend to think that all great television shows are constructed in this manner; something exciting needs to happen every ten minutes or so to keep viewers' attention poised. when that next commercial hits, they want to know that you're not gonna change the channel. more recently, i'd wager that the fact that television shows naturally and eventually end up having a second (and probably at least as valuable) life as a dvd box set, that method of construction is just as important.

great television, like great games, never slow down... the action moves fast, just as you mention. this is true regardless of genre. "sports night," for example, is a comedy show, yes, but the speed at which its witty dialogue is delivered and thus how quickly different plot points can be hit keeps the "action" entertaining throughout... when i throw in a disc from the box set and start watching, i'm lucky if a whole weekend doesn't pass.

i guess i'm still waiting for the perfect non-action gaming equivalent to these comic drama telvision shows. i often envision a game set in an office environment played from the standard FPS perspective that's concerned simply with the relationships people make in those everyday mundane environments. don't get me wrong, i like action too... i just wish that instead of blowing off someone's head everyday, i could pick up a piece of paper, crumple it into a ball, and toss it into the back of a "co-workers" head. too much like real-life for you? maybe. but i think if the narrative was well constructed, players would sing a different tune.