In discussion, they've realised their unease is over their own manipulation. There were/was other ways it could pan out, and Davies locking it down to one, wrong choice - setting up Story A and then switching to Story B. That he set up a world where there was always an option on hope, and shut it down, by changing the world view. And they know that feels wrong on many levels.
Some are muddling the feelings of horror at Steven's death, with the feeling that the story was 'wrong'. Some of those are then defending it as "Yes, I know it made me feel bad, but kids do die and that's *real* and it proves he's a great writer." And they are then going outside the story, outside the diagetic world, to 'prove' that this was a realistic situation. To shore up his massive blowing up the narrative pathway with "But it does happen in the real world..."
Which is pants. There was nothing realistic about the Vomit Monsters from Planet McGuffin. You can't work with a McGuffin, no matter how much you try and put emotional weight on it, by making the 'units' of McGuffiness 'children'. There is no reality to that death, as it only serves a totally ballsed up narrative path. And so when we say "But it was wrong" they hear "It's wrong to kill kids" when what we're saying is "It's wrong to manipulate the audience this way, and then torture a child for entertainment on the pathway." And they say "But kids do die... he had to die..."
ARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!
We see so many different things, when we watch movies and tv, and when we read books and stories.
So many of us are seeing this, and looking at the shit writing, the terrible audience manipulation and the utter void of meaning. Others are seeing flash bang whizz and inserting their own meaning into the structure in front of them...
Years ago, I had a conversation with Harlan Ellison, about Chris Carter's Millennium. He said he despised what Chris was doing with the audience, playing with them, and treating them like schmucks. And you don't do that to your audience. Millennium was still running, and I really liked it, so I couldn't quite get there.
I understand it now. When 'high concept' is the death and torture of innocents... just for shock value. And that's before we get to setting up story A and delivering story B in the final reel...
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Some are muddling the feelings of horror at Steven's death, with the feeling that the story was 'wrong'. Some of those are then defending it as "Yes, I know it made me feel bad, but kids do die and that's *real* and it proves he's a great writer." And they are then going outside the story, outside the diagetic world, to 'prove' that this was a realistic situation. To shore up his massive blowing up the narrative pathway with "But it does happen in the real world..."
Which is pants. There was nothing realistic about the Vomit Monsters from Planet McGuffin. You can't work with a McGuffin, no matter how much you try and put emotional weight on it, by making the 'units' of McGuffiness 'children'. There is no reality to that death, as it only serves a totally ballsed up narrative path. And so when we say "But it was wrong" they hear "It's wrong to kill kids" when what we're saying is "It's wrong to manipulate the audience this way, and then torture a child for entertainment on the pathway." And they say "But kids do die... he had to die..."
ARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!
We see so many different things, when we watch movies and tv, and when we read books and stories.
So many of us are seeing this, and looking at the shit writing, the terrible audience manipulation and the utter void of meaning. Others are seeing flash bang whizz and inserting their own meaning into the structure in front of them...
Years ago, I had a conversation with Harlan Ellison, about Chris Carter's Millennium. He said he despised what Chris was doing with the audience, playing with them, and treating them like schmucks. And you don't do that to your audience. Millennium was still running, and I really liked it, so I couldn't quite get there.
I understand it now. When 'high concept' is the death and torture of innocents... just for shock value. And that's before we get to setting up story A and delivering story B in the final reel...