Yes to everything you state above. That's exactly why I'm still watching the series. (Although as an aside, I still think the writers goofed big time in killing off Baelfire - a lot of good story potential disappeared with that character.)
You don't take away a character's free will in fiction. It just defeats the whole purpose
Exactly. Which is what Snow and Charming, and the author through them, with Lilith and Emma. How can a character be good or evil, if they have no choice? Which is an interesting concept actually - or exploration of the one-dimensional character. Or characters written as "heroes" and as "villains" with no shades of grey. The black and white world of children's stories. (The evil queen is well "evil" and dies because she's "evil" or the pure hearted snow white lives happily ever after because she is good. Reminds me of Jessica Rabbit in Roger Rabbit, who tells the detective, I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.)
That said, there has always been an unspoken question on this show, if all these people from other realms are story book characters in the Earthverse, did the people we think of as the authors of these stories (Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm, Mary Shelley, etc) simply record the story of their lives and choices, or were they authors in the true sense we've always assumed?
It's an interesting question. The difference between a story that is driven by characters or where the characters are pawns of the plot or theme, ie plot-driven. I've certainly read both.
And it's interesting that the author started out as a "newspaperman" or "journalist" - someone who doesn't control events, but records them. Storytelling did start out as a method of retelling events or keeping an oral history or record.
Also, writers when they create characters - write a story based on what those characters would choose. If they go against what that character would choose, the story feels off somehow.
Example? It makes no sense that Snow and Charming would do what they did with Mal's egg --- and we're told that both along with the Socerer were manipulated into doing it by the "author". So in effect, they didn't choose to do it. Someone made them do it?
Unfortunately, Atp-omn is right, the Zelena/Marian story bit makes no sense. Nor does Emma's action on the cliff turning her evil make any sense.
Some great ideas, but the execution is unfortunately off. However, like you, I'm hoping they can turn it around. Because I find the ideas really interesting.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2015-04-20 11:00 pm (UTC)You don't take away a character's free will in fiction. It just defeats the whole purpose
Exactly. Which is what Snow and Charming, and the author through them, with Lilith and Emma. How can a character be good or evil, if they have no choice?
Which is an interesting concept actually - or exploration of the one-dimensional character. Or characters written as "heroes" and as "villains" with no shades of grey.
The black and white world of children's stories. (The evil queen is well "evil" and dies because she's "evil" or the pure hearted snow white lives happily ever after because she is good. Reminds me of Jessica Rabbit in Roger Rabbit, who tells the detective, I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.)
That said, there has always been an unspoken question on this show, if all these people from other realms are story book characters in the Earthverse, did the people we think of as the authors of these stories (Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm, Mary Shelley, etc) simply record the story of their lives and choices, or were they authors in the true sense we've always assumed?
It's an interesting question. The difference between a story that is driven by characters or where the characters are pawns of the plot or theme, ie plot-driven.
I've certainly read both.
And it's interesting that the author started out as a "newspaperman" or "journalist" - someone who doesn't control events, but records them. Storytelling did start out as a method of retelling events or keeping an oral history or record.
Also, writers when they create characters - write a story based on what those characters would choose. If they go against what that character would choose, the story feels off somehow.
Example? It makes no sense that Snow and Charming would do what they did with Mal's egg --- and we're told that both along with the Socerer were manipulated into doing it by the "author". So in effect, they didn't choose to do it. Someone made them do it?
Unfortunately, Atp-omn is right, the Zelena/Marian story bit makes no sense.
Nor does Emma's action on the cliff turning her evil make any sense.
Some great ideas, but the execution is unfortunately off. However, like you, I'm hoping they can turn it around. Because I find the ideas really interesting.