by Janis Patterson
While
The Husband loved the TV show Seinfeld and still occasionally watches DVDs of
it, I found it stultifyingly boring and even more uninteresting. It was
heralded as a show about nothing, and as far as I am concerned it definitely
succeeded. However, it was undeniably popular. (Does that say something about
me, or about everyone else?) I much prefer shows in which the actors are
attractive, shows in which there is something going on – explosions, genuine
humor, dead bodies, passionate kisses on a sunset beach... something!
Still,
I have to admit that the show did something right to be so popular and on the
air for so long, so I've decided to explore its particular trope and find out
what made it so successful. Except I can't find what it is. All I can find is
that it is regarded as a show about nothing. (Perhaps a metaphor for the
supposed emptiness of modern urban life?)
Okay,
I can run with that. Most of our lives are filled with nothing. Oh, we're busy
all the time, usually with things that seem important at the time but have
little cosmic impact. Things like deciding what to serve for dinner tonight.
(Always a biggie for me, as The Husband is a very picky eater and I am a rather
indifferent cook.) Shopping for same. Making lunches in the morning. Laundry –
what gets tumble dried and what gets line dried and if any of it gets bleach.
Deciding if I really want that cute pair of shoes we saw at the mall. Trying to
switch the appointment for a much-needed oil change because that's the only day
I can take an elderly neighbor to a much-more needed dental appointment.
See?
All important at that minute, all demanding your immediate attention, but in
the grand scheme of things generally dismissed as the minutiae of life. Six
months – heck, six weeks – afterward, are you going to remember if you had that
oil change on Wednesday or Friday, or if those shoes were the red ones or the
blue ones?
So
what does this digression have to do with murder? Because everything in a
murder is important. How many times does the detective (professional or
amateur) bring the miscreant to justice by reason of a single fact uttered some
time before? Jessica Fletcher was a master of this – a throwaway line uttered
perhaps days ago in the storyline, perhaps at the very beginning of the show,
and she remembers it. Worse, I can't remember it at all. Of course, now that I
write mysteries my 'sleuth' instinct is honed to dangerous acuity, watching
every line and usually being able to figure out what is a clue. That, however,
is a reader/viewer trick, trained by far too many hours spent absorbing other
people's stories.
Real
detectives, however, don't have that luxury. They can't automatically know that
the fact so-and-so wore red shoes on Tuesday is important. They have to give
every bit of information weight. They don't have editors and beta readers and
directors and cinematographers giving focus to every necessary nuance. I think
that's the main reason most real-life cases are not wound up in 20 chapters or
47 minutes. There is too much everything to deal with and that unfortunately
translates to nothing to deal with.
So –
I am getting too close to saying something instead of sticking with my intended
policy of blogging today on nothing. That's perhaps fortunate, as I have
nothing else to say.
Stay
cool this during this hot July, write well, read widely and don't get
overwhelmed by nothing.
6 comments:
Susan,
I think Seinfeld is more meaningful to people to live in NYC. There's so much of
New Yorkers here. I think it appeals more strongly to people living in big
cities in general. I enjoyed the series and still catch reruns now and then. Larry David captured something unique. It reminds me that setting is very important and regionalism has appeal.
At least you watched Seinfeld once or twice. I've never seen an episode. I swear, I live under a rock. No Jessica Fletcher here, either. In fact, my own personal fictional sleuths are more like me than they are Jessica. We never notice anything. Makes it tough to plot sometimes. Enjoyed the blog!
The things I remember from Seinfeld (not a big TV person) are the bits that became touchstone lines - No soup for you! or explaining "shrinkage."
As for the rest? {Shrug} Moments, event, places people can relate to? Clearly the show resonated for a reason. In a way, isn't that what most of us try to do? Make a connection with a story/character?
This reminds me of a talk I heard recently about crime scene investigations. I can't imagine how you process a scene, especially since most of them don't involve a closed off, small room. You never know which little bit of info or piece of whatever could be important. I would love to take a class on it sometime!
And I love those books where some seemingly unimportant fact mentioned in the initial chapters is important later. I try to do that with my books when I can. I love when things come full circle. ;)
I never "got" Seinfeld. Even today, that show baffles me. As for the seemingly unimportant throw-away line... I'd be a lousy investigator, as I'd never remember the clue. God knows how I write mysteries.
I'll be the spoiler here. I loved Seinfeld for its wit. But, then, I'm married to an Irishman and live with wit daily. Maybe I'm addicted.
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