Noodling about Ngoziâs story structure and pacing in Check Please
[Crossposted from Dreamwidth]Â
I love this comic; itâs warm and funny and doggedly optimistic, and just what I needed this year. This post is critical, though, and contains whining about missed opportunities. Monkey see, monkey overanalyze.
Iâve been frustrated with Year Threeâs paucity of story, the story-to-panel ratio, and how frequently Ngozi misses chances to use her supporting cast to help tell Bittyâs story. Itâs not that I need B-plots about the underclassmen for their own sake per se, even though I love them and would read novels about them. Itâs that well-executed B-plots exist for a vital reason: to help tell A-plots, and give them depth and consequence via thematic parallels and contrasts.
So, Joss Whedon is a schmuck (disclaim, disclaim), but thereâs one ancient interview quote of his that I still think about all the time. He said the most common note he gave to his writing staff on Buffy was, âGreat Xander B-plot! Now go rewrite it so itâs relevant to Buffyâs story.â Everything that happens must tell us something about the protagonist. Everything in OMGCP must reveal something about BittyâŠwhich is a much less restrictive order than it might seem at first, because it can reveal roads not taken, or foreshadow future problems, without even directly involving Bitty at all.
But because OMGCP barely has B-plots, Ngozi cannot use them for fun and profit! And, ironically, this makes her A-plot drag, because she just doesnât have enough to talk about. Take 3x21, the eight-page farewell to the graduating seniors. Itâs sweet and touching and, in concept, absolutely necessary to give these beloved characters a proper send-off. But in execution, itâs boring.
Stuff she absolutely had room for:
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