Sunday, May 23, 2010

Layering. We layer our clothing and we layer our cakes. Are we ourselves layered?
Several years ago I watched a movie called Layer Cake. Daniel Craig spent the better part of two hours trying to maneuver through the layers of a plot that was almost Hitchcock-ian in its multi-layered plotting.

More recently, I have become a fanatic for LOST, which comes to an end this weekend after six years. The show, and its complexity, have given me a basis for some self examination.

I adore books and shows with complex plots. I have never thought of myself as a particularly complex person, yet if friends and relatives were queried, I suspect they would laugh at me and reveal me to be one of the most complex individuals on earth.

A simple plot is boy meets girl, they fall in love, they live happily ever after. Or Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, fell off, and died. (For those of you who follow the theatrical thread of my thoughts, that would be a Shakespearean tragedy). Now while we all love a happy ending or a truly dark tragedy, the fact is that such simplicity is, from a dramatic point of view, not entertaining enough to keep us reading or watching or even listening (books on tape).

My life is simple enough (somedays I'm the girl with the happy ending, somedays I feel a bit like HD). But for entertainment purposes only, I'll take the complex plot everytime.

Consider just about any story by Charles Dickens. What a monumental knot of duplicity, secrets, surprises, love-lost, and treasures revealed. Sprinkle in a little tragedy, madness, and a smidge of true love, and there is enough to entertain everyone. The same is true of Diana Gabaldon's books. Layers, hurdles, mysteries.

And don't even get me started on Twin Peaks.

Years ago someone did a survey and discovered that young urban professionals with high-stress jobs loved Telly Tubbies at the end of the work day because it was simple, mindless, comforting. They could let their brains and bodies rest and just absorb the simplicity of childish play, bold colors, soft sounds. No pressure. No conflict. No stress over characters' tribulations.

For me, Lost (which could have turned out to be a dramatic cross between Gilligan's Island and Knot's Landing), epitomized the concept of plot layering. The simplicity of people trying to survive the plane crash morphed into Milton's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, retold with a modern twist. My brain spins with the concepts condensed into the few short minutes that the writers feed the audience each week. Alternate realities, good vs. evil, morality, mayhem, Mythology, espionage, and the classic love triangle.

Complex plots challenge us. Like crossword puzzles, chess, Jeopardy, or Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me (NPR), complexities generate our brains to use grey matter that I suspect doesn't get used on the daily drive to work.

So, as Lost comes to an end, and Law and Order fades into the sunset, give me some feed back. Do you like your stories simple and soothing? Or, do you live vicariously by suspense, multiple plot lines, and the one who got away...



5 comments:

  1. I love the mystery of the unknown.

    Great blog today.

    Druantia

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Lori,
    Great post, I loved Lost and sad to see it go. Lost told the story of life to me, with the side steps and forward steps and back steps...they used one group of people in different experances on the "Steps" showing all the different path one could take in one's life/or lives lived...say past lives (for those who believe in this)and the out come of that action in the choice they made.
    Take Sawyer,no...because that boy can leave his shoes under my bed but I need to go to Ceciles to talk about him...LOL Loved the show. It was deep for those who understood it, interesting for those who saw it as entertainment and the rest missed a great show.
    My youngest son and I watched it together right from the start and we watched the end together as well. That show let he and I share
    special time together...we would laugh and plot what might be...question each other on the could be's...we had a great time together with Lost.
    Blessed Be
    Jes

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry I was away from the computer for so several days~work, work, work.

    I was so pleased with the segues they used as they moved to commercials. Did anyone notice how they would show a flash of one of the characters clicking on a screen, or opening a book, and then the message would be a text or an email that fans had sent to the show, saying their own goodbyes? I thought that was a poignant and brilliant touch.

    We watched, we cried, and hubby and I both dreamt of the show that night. Sigh... In August the entire show should come out on DVD.
    For a teacher or a writer, I think the show is a terrific device because of its backstory, plot development, and use of popular and classical themes, as well as its concept of the tangible and intangible.

    Positively a classic!
    Thank you all for the posts.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, Lori, I so agree. I want substance with my story. (Which probably explains why I don't care for "Reality TV" but that's a whole nother rant. ;)) But you're right; just a simple plod-along point a to point b doesn't do it for me, either. I like a little surprise with my stories, be they romantic comedy, RS, thriller or what. I like to come away feeling like I've maybe learned something too. Sad to say that's not often found in a lot of mass market anything these days. Kudos for the L4YER CAKʐ mention. It's been awhile since I've seen it, but wasn't that an awesome film? :)Reminds me of Usual Suspects; that was a twisty little story too, that I love.

    Have a good one.
    Julianne

    ReplyDelete