Dramatictator...

Drama is an interesting phenomenon. Why do some dramatic elements move us and others don't? I was watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6 finale the other day, and it is ridiculously emotionally wrenching to me. The evil blossoming from the goodest of the do-gooders, the unexpected twists and the blindsiding turns, and of course, the large amounts of ocular saline flowing. But then I watch the Angel season 3 finale, which is a direct contemporary, done by the same production team, and intertwined thoroughly with Buffy. And the emotional content is way, way, way down for me. I mean, it tries, but it just doesn't get there you know? And there is a nauseating symbolic sequence right at the end, showing how the two main characters, who have been getting closer and closer over the episodes, are wrenched apart farther than anyone could imagine, he to the depths of the ocean and she to an angelic higher plane of reality. Ugh.

But my question is, why does one work and the other fail? What is the secret ingredient to make a compelling drama souffle? And how can we prevent the dramatic webs we spin from getting blown away by the pitiless wind of apathy?

Jason

P.S. Why would a woodchuck want to chuck wood exactly? And why is everyone obsessed with measuring its chucking capacity? }:)