Characters who say what the audience is thinking.
IO9 takes on those characters that break the meta-barrier between audience and show.
They first note, "Joss Whedon, in particular, has a great talent for lacing his shows and movies with smart-aleck rebels who provide a running commentary."
July 14 2009
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NikkiSixx | July 14, 10:55 CET
-Ohh Angel
-Ohh Buffy
- Kiss me
- Bite me
lol I love Buffy/Angel love.
Sla | July 14, 11:57 CET
Still always nice to feel the Whedon love.
strangeaction | July 14, 12:00 CET
I sometimes pop in the DVD just to watch that scene. Me, too, NikkiSixx. Only now I can make it a favorite and watch it on youtube any time!
Also, Gaius Baltar Syndrome is now my favorite phrase ever.
Lirazel | July 14, 12:44 CET
But another great Firefly meta moment would be the "That's like something out of science fiction” “Honey, we live on a spaceship” Wash/Zoe exchange, and of course the AtS "Spin the Bottle" episode with Lorne narrating.
Edited because that time the scene played for me.
[ edited by barboo on 2009-07-14 22:16 ]
barboo | July 14, 13:13 CET
As one of the commenters points out, this is actually a "thing" in screenwriting whereby the writer kind of has their cake and eats it too by highlighting something that might seem too big a stretch in order to help us accept it (from what I gather it's called "hanging a lantern" on the apparent absurdity in question, not heard the "lampshade hanging" version before). It's great when it's done well (and in moderation) but there's an element of "cheating" to it too IMO and it needs the sort of leeway you give a writer that's already proven themselves to be great without the "cheats".
Kind of goes hand in hand with another very Jossian trait where characters edit themselves within their own dialogue and critique what they're saying as they say it. He's pretty careful not to explicitly break the fourth wall though (IIRC it never happens in any Whedon show) which i'm glad of personally (it's kind of a one-off trick and very risky in drama, even drama with a lot of humour in it).
Saje | July 14, 13:40 CET
Sunfire | July 14, 14:09 CET
That reminded me (somehow) of:
"Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday".
Subtle lantern hanging, meta-joke and one of the times they come closest to breaking the fourth wall without explicitly doing it. Clever chap that Whedon fellow/whoever wrote the line.
Saje | July 14, 14:27 CET
barboo | July 14, 14:41 CET
Here.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Clicking on the above link will probably result in this. You've been warned.
[ edited by brinderwalt on 2009-07-14 23:52 ]
brinderwalt | July 14, 14:47 CET
Of course, now odds are even that I'll spend the afternoon reading through xkcd instead, but whichever...
kishi | July 14, 15:36 CET
Full afternoons? Hell, I'm lucky I passed my classes last semester. ;)
Self-reflexivity is one of my favorite tools in fiction. You really connect to the work more than you would have otherwise, and shows are just better when they keep their sense of humor.
deepgirl187 | July 14, 16:09 CET
What's interesting to me, though, is that you can definitely overdo these moments to the point where the drama no longer has any weight (i.e. the characters are so obviously meta that we don't care what happens to them).
In the published draft of the Serenity script, there are several such moments in the 3rd act that were cut from the finished film, most likely because the peril should feel the most real late in the story, and the lantern-hanging would undercut the tension.
For instance, there's a moment where Jayne notices the Reavers, who have only ever used blades to fight, have switched to guns for the final showdown. This is one of those things that doesn't really make sense for their characters, but is needed for the plot, as it's hard to have a last stand against a bunch of characters trying to break in and stab you. In the original script, Jayne "hung a lantern" on it by saying something like "They're using guns now! Cheaters!" It was a funny bit, but I think it would have drawn too much attention to the plot contrivance if it was used. But, more importantly, it wasn't needed. When I first saw the film, I was so wrapped up in the story by that point, that I didn't even bother to think "why are the Reavers using guns now?"
bonzob | July 14, 16:40 CET
In short, it can be brilliant. But when every show does it, it loses appeal and leaves you actually thinking about how much of a "strech" something was rather than letting it slide while enjoying yourself. It's like having the annoying Star Trek plot-hole police over to watch every show on television. I actually don't hang out with those guys while watching TV on purpose ;)
azzers | July 14, 18:23 CET
And let's not forget the breaking of the ninth wall during "Commentary!"
geekiskhan | July 14, 19:12 CET
That is all.
ThorpeWithoutShrimp | July 14, 20:24 CET
Now, Joss has this down to an art, the way he builds his characters is phenomenal. Following Buffy and Willow through seven seasons often took my breath away. And "Firefly". Sigh.
Sorry, I know I'm rambling again. I just miss interesting characters in my stories and Joss seems to have the nack.
Madhatter | July 14, 22:26 CET
wiesengrund | July 14, 23:37 CET
Shep | July 15, 03:43 CET
The one that went way too far IMO was the Hurley scene from Lost. Perfect illustration of why Lost doesn't work for me, the way Joss's shows do.
Shey | July 15, 04:04 CET
Anyway, I agree with the majority of you, I love love love the Spike narration. Bloody amazing.
Jaymii | July 15, 09:23 CET
In that episode, he actually says, after the fight in the beginning: "I'm good. We're fine. Just a little bit dirty. Good show, everyone. Just great. I think we have a hit."
And if you listen to him throughout the series, he's often making comments of that nature. I think Joss indulges himself in meta all the time, but yes, he's subtle and masterful about it. He's great at sewing it all together so that you can't see the seams.
sari | July 15, 16:29 CET