Well, I think it would have been improved if Emma had been given a chance to react to things. It wasn't clear what she was feeling at all: jealous, bitter, anger, sadness? She was just kind of going through the motions and I never felt I got to know her as a character, whereas Sutton is clearly headstrong and spoiled and in over her head and she was only on screen for a few minutes.
The overall goals and intent needed to be more clearly defined. I know that the questions are: why were they given up for adoption? Why was only Sutton adopted? Where are their birth parents? Why were they never told the truth? But those were never presented very well and they sort of stumbled into them clumsily.
And with a few simple changes, the premise would have a lot more tension to start. If Emma and Sutton actually planned on meeting after Sutton got back from Paris, Emma showed up and Sutton wasn't there, it would put a big mystery in by the second act. Have everyone just assume Emma is Sutton so no one knows Sutton is missing and Emma going along with it because she has no where else to go but at the same time feel guilty because she knows something must be wrong with Sutton. Inner conflict and motivation right there that gives Emma some depth.
But that might be what they're doing with Sarah Michelle Gellar's new show and who knows what the writers of Lying Game knew about that before they started production on the pilot.
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2011-08-17 02:39 am (UTC)The overall goals and intent needed to be more clearly defined. I know that the questions are: why were they given up for adoption? Why was only Sutton adopted? Where are their birth parents? Why were they never told the truth? But those were never presented very well and they sort of stumbled into them clumsily.
And with a few simple changes, the premise would have a lot more tension to start. If Emma and Sutton actually planned on meeting after Sutton got back from Paris, Emma showed up and Sutton wasn't there, it would put a big mystery in by the second act. Have everyone just assume Emma is Sutton so no one knows Sutton is missing and Emma going along with it because she has no where else to go but at the same time feel guilty because she knows something must be wrong with Sutton. Inner conflict and motivation right there that gives Emma some depth.
But that might be what they're doing with Sarah Michelle Gellar's new show and who knows what the writers of Lying Game knew about that before they started production on the pilot.