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Day 4 Assignment – LOST
Provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.
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8 Replies
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My insight is that I don’t think these are great characters because they are all cliches.
Jack is the caring, sensitive “good” guy while Sawyer is the devious, charming, dangerous “bad” guy.
Kate is the “bad girl”. She is the “Eve” character–devious, charming, a woman who lets Sawyer think he has tricked her into telling her secret when she did it only because she was ready to give the secret up. If she had not been ready, it would not have happened. The other part of her ”bad girl” persona, are her tomboy traits. She is strong, determined, resourceful, and dangerous. That, too, has become cliché. It is seen in multiple movies and in many TV shows.
As you might guess, I wouldn’t spend time watching these characters unless they were saved by a great plot.
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WATCH 1st TIME FOR:
How is Kate’s secret set up?
– A dying marshal has Jack get a wanted poster on Kate, saying she’s dangerous
What causes demand to know what the secret is?
– Kate plays a game with Sawyer that makes her admit she killed a man (he also admits he did too)
How is Kate’s secret revealed?
– in a flashback – she explodes a house with the man in it. It seems she may have some reason for that action — the man has really hurt her in some way, and she’s unable to solve it with outside help.
– the audience knows this secret, but the characters don’t know
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WATCH 2nd TIME FOR:
What drama was this scene built around?
– there’s been a plane crash on an island, a man is dying, Jack, a surgeon, is attending him.
– he has some important info to get across and has Jack get the wanted poster on Kate and warns him about her
– they are trying to salvage what they can. Sawyer has gotten the liquor bottles. Jack probably wanted those to use as antiseptics.
– they have flashbacks to reveal backstories on them
What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
– Jack is a conscientious surgeon, hates to have people die; he’s brave
– Kate seems to be an okay person, but there’s a wanted poster on her; she seems to have issues and cause for murdering that man, but also her crime has perhaps hardened her in some way, she may think herself a criminal. She’s never been to college, is into having a good time with Sawyer, and is not put off by his sleeziness. She seems to get involved with the wrong man again. Low self-esteem.
– Sawyer appears to be a “bad boy” type, sleezy. He pretends he’s been to college, uses “ain’t” and also “fancy words” like “carte blanche.” He appears intelligent, selfish, and perhaps dangerous.
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What makes these characters great from a writing perspective?
– Jack from his traits appears to be the hero of the program, the “good guy.”
– Kate seems to be between Jack and Sawyer — somewhat good (which make the wanted poster a real shocker) and perhaps fell into bad due to circumstances, so we don’t know whether she’ll be on Jack’s side or Sawyer’s side. That creates suspense and mystery.
– Sawyer appears to be an antagonist, even though they are in the same situation and will need to cooperate to survive. But he’s also handsome and engaging, though a “bad boy.”
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Bob Kerr
WATCH 1st TIME:
How is Kate’s secret set-up?
In a dramatic scene the doctor (Jack), filled with empathy, wants to sooth his dying patient (the Marshal) so he looks in his jacket to pull out a wanted poster of Kate. The Marshall’s last words are ” She’s dangerous”
What causes demand to know what the secret is?
Sawyer appeals to Kate’s sense of being isolated by suggesting she and he might be the only people on the island that really doesn’t belong here. Creates a sense of common ground and perhaps common purpose. Now, to uncover what is beneath the surface, Sawyer gets her to play a drinking game.
How is Kate’s secret revealed?
Sawyer methodically walks through a series of questions to get to the key question that he suspects Kate shares with him. With each question, Kate slowly loosens up and the alcohol provides the vehicle to lower her defenses.
WATCH 2nd TIME
What drama was the scene built around?
The dynamics of interpersonal relationships that know only part of the whole story. Through flashbacks and dialogue we see the intersection of pain, loss, betrayal and ruthlessness with lots of questions still to be answered.
What traits showed up in these characters words and actions?
Jack:
Empathy, uncompromising, diligent and curious
Kate:
Observant, cunning, ruthless and independent
Sawyer:
Devious, arrogant, ruthless and opportunistic
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Week 1 Day 4: Secrets and Reveals – LOST
1st viewing:
• How is Kate’s secret set up?
The injured man has handcuffs and mug shots of Kate. She has been arrested for some crime.
When she and the other man play “I Never’, she reveals that she has killed a man.
As she helps the drunkard to bed, he grabs her and says she is beautiful. She pulls away and is obviously disgusted with him. As she drives off, the house explodes. I assume she set the explosion to kill the drunk.
• What causes demand to know what the secret is?
The handcuffs and mug shots make us wonder what she committed. When she admits to having killed a man, we wonder who and why.
• How is Kate’s secret revealed?
At first it is hinted at, then she implies that she killed a man, and finally in a flashback it is revealed she blew a house up killing a man.
2nd viewing
• What drama was this scene built around?
It is built around intrigue. Each scene hints at a secret. When the house explodes, we are intrigued to know was Kate responsible for the explosion and if so why.
• What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
Jack: dutiful, curious
Sawyer: playful, self-assured, controlling
Kate: easy going, self-assured, reasonable
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First Watch:
How is Kate’s secret set up? She is first classified as dangerous enough for a dying man to stress the point so forcefully.
What causes the demand to know what the secret is? We are intrigued. We want to know what the
How is Kate’s secret revealed? The reveal comes by way of admission during a fun and sexy game. Brilliant. Then we get a crafty reveal of the actual deed in the third clip.
Second Watch:
What drama was this scene built around? Instead of a whodunit, we have a what have they done?
What traits showed up in these characters’ words and actions?
Kate is crafty, worldly, and much more of an open book than one would think.
Sawyer seems to just be a slick smooth talker.
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What makes the character of Kate great from a writing perspective:
On the surface, Kate appears to be a normal, attractive young woman, but she’s described as ‘dangerous’, someone who must be stopped. Why? Her past reveals a dark secret, which has come to the surface, she has killed a man. What makes this great as a character is that it offers dramatic depth, intrigue to a character, through providing a mysterious reason for killing a man, as an audience we are naturally curious as to what drove this young woman to kill a man she helped into a house (we can guess but don’t yet know), so we are invested in her past – we are also invested in her future, as she has two love interests, one who is a very upright person who’s job is to save lives, so when he discovers the woman he loves has taken a life, what consequences will this have for their future – so this character has created in us, the audience, and interest in knowing both her past and her future, we are emotionally invested in what happens to her. that’s what makes her a great character, in my opinion.
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What I learned: It’s a good exercise to analyze clips of shows one hasn’t seen…
How is Kate’s secret set up: I’ve not watched Lost. I’m guessing Kate has not told anyone what she did or that she’d been arrested. But apparently she’s acted in ways (and/or others have said things) that made Jack and Sawyer suspicious. Based on the game Sawyer seduces Kate to play, Sawyer thinks she’s murdered someone.
What causes demand to know what the secret is? Marshall is severely agitated, dying and his delirium makes it difficult for him to him clearly articulate something he seems to think Jack desperately needs to know. Presumably Marshall is the only one who knows that Kate poses a danger to those on the island.
How is Kate’s secret revealed? During a drinking game Sawyer has enticed Kate into. What I’m wondering is why Kate is willing to share this with Sawyer. She hasn’t consumed enough alcohol to have lost agency.
Dramas the secret reveal are built around: a dying man needing to warn others of a risk only he is aware of; a sexually-charged drinking game where honesty is part of the ‘fun.’ A flashback of the actual murder.
Traits (best I can guess from these scenes)
Jack: diligent/responsible; medically-trained/smart (sewing a wound, commenting on his patient’s sensorium); ethical (facial reaction to the flyer—repulsion); feels things deeply (his reactions to the flyer, and his patient)
Kate: empathically-challenged/cold (seen in her interactions with the drunk man, the action—and obvious premeditation—of the murder, her callous driving away and also in her coy/coldness as she interacts with Sawyer); strong-willed (if she’s “dangerous” and the men have sensed she’s hiding something, she must be acting from a center of volition—also, of course, she decided to commit murder—and then did). Calculating (the explosion reveals complex premeditation).
I don’t know about the plots & themes—and how they are developed—to comment much on how the characters are ‘good’ for this show. Apparently Lost involves survival on an island in a science-fiction/fantasy world and pits science against mythology/religion. So obviously a doctor comes in handy. The other characters seem a bit ‘stock’ from the minuscule view I’ve so far had.
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Haven’t watched the show so here are my deductions from the clips:
1st watch:
– How is Kate’s secret set up? The first scene opens with the marshall, deeply wounded but being taken care of when he says “She’s dangerous”. We immediately want to know who (if there’s any other revealing scene in previous episodes) and why? Then we discover Kate’s wanted picture.<div>
Did she cause all these wounds to the marshall? => many questions need to be answered to the audience.
– What causes demand to know what the secret is?
Each scene rises the suspense and we as audience are definitely curious to know more about what she did and who she really is. The 1st scene with the marshall saying she’s dangerous and sharing the Wanted pictures lights up our curiosity but we don’t know why she is considered as dangerous yet => we want to know more.
– How is Kate’s secret revealed?
In the 2nd scene, Sawyer plays the “I never…” game and pushes her out of her comfort zone by forcing her to confirm (by drinking) that she killed a man => That’s why she’s dangerous.
Then the 3rd scene reveals what she did: she killed her alcoholic husband by blowing their house up => we learn what she did and in which conditions.
Watch 2nd watch:
– What drama was this scene built around?
1st scene is about the marshall being deeply wounded, having fever and Jack giving him care. The marshall is very insisting on the fact that “she’s dangerous” and really wants Jack to believe him and to be careful. At first, Jack doesn’t really believe what the marshall says until he sees the wanted picture in the jacket’s pocket => Revealing an extremely important information about Kate.
2nd scene is about Kate and Sawyer sitting in front of a firecamp, Sawyer is drinking alcohol from a little bottle. Kate also wants to drink but Sawyer agrees to share only if she plays the “I never…” game. First Sawyer is playful and seductive. Step by step, he confronts her with “I never killed a man” => She fell into the trap! And we also learn that actually both characters did => our curiosity rises at a higher level, we can’t wait to know more about it.
3rd scene is a flashback when Kate was waiting for her alcoholic husband to come back home, put him in bed (totally disgusted by him and upset) then she left on her motorcycle after a short hesitation. Suddenly, their house blows up => we understand she set that up.
– What traits showed up in these character’s words and actions?
- 1st scene: The marshall is a strong fighter, he wants to make sure that Jack gets warned about Kate even if he’s wounded, he’s caring, professional, fights for justice. Jack is caring, conscientious, tries to calm the marshall down by saying he’s talking no sense because of his fever.
- 2nd scene: Kate and Sawyer are playful. Kate is smart (she understands right away that Sawyer didn’t go to college), she’s secretive (keeps to the minimum of information), she first tries to lie when Sawyer says “I never killed a man” but ends up confirming she did as Sawyer looks at her with a knowing look. Sawyer is seductive and smart as well, likes to drink.
- 3rd scene: Kate has been going through a lot, she’s been patiently waiting for her husband, she’s strong and she’s had enough, she’s smart, she planned everything. Her husband is an alcoholic, we understand it’s not the first time that he comes back home drunk and he might not always be respectful towards her.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Mi Lock.
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