“The fake-ally opponent is valuable because he is inherently complex. This character often goes under a fascinating change in the course of the story. By pretending to be an ally of the hero, the fake-ally opponent starts to feel like an ally. So he becomes torn by a dilemma.”
– John Truby, ANATOMY OF STORY p 285
Let’s face it, no professional writer should be using cliches, unless it’s for good reason, like a character trait or dialogue tic, especially when you’re writing for a Showtime hit like DEXTER.
So why, 2 minutes into the episode is true crime writer and Deb’s new love interest Sal Price saying the age-old maxim:
‘Old habits die hard’ ?
Because it’s brilliant foreshadowing, in 2 ways –
a) the habit he’s referring to is going to be the poisonous chalice he sips from later
and
b) he literally does ‘die hard’
Without spoiling too much, watch the episode and see this ingenious set-up.
Season 7 Episode 7. Scene breakdown available here.
To find the best inciting event for your story, keep in mind the catchphrase “from the frying pan into the fire.”
– John Truby, ANATOMY of STORY p278
1. WEAKNESS
2. DESIRE
3. OPPONENT
4. PLAN
5. BATTLE
6. SELF-REVELATION
7. NEW-EQUILIBRIUM
“The seven steps are not arbitrarily imposed from without the way three-act structure is. They exist in the story. These seven steps are the nucleus – the DNA – of your story and the foundation of your success as a storyteller because they are based on human action.They are the steps that any human being must work through to solve a life problem.”
(p40)
“What, if anything, does your hero learn morally at the end of the story? Be sure that this insight is about how to act properly towards others.”
– John Truby, ANATOMY of STORY, p141.
“What is your hero’s main weakness when it comes to acting towards others?”
– John Truby, ANATOMY OF STORY, p140 (Moral Argument)
Scott Meyers @GointotheStory tweeted a vulture interview with Chris Terrio on the toughest scene he had to write in ARGO.
In the interview Terrio references Paddy Chayefsky, whose wiki page states:
Chayefsky was considered one of the most renowned dramatists of the so-called Golden Age of Television. His intimate, realistic scripts provided a naturalistic style of television drama for the 1950s, and he was regarded as the central figure in the “kitchen sink realism” movement of American television. He was a successful writer, the most successful graduate of television’s slice of life school of naturalism.”
Slice of Life made me automatically think of Dexter’s boat.
Could this be coincidence ? Clicking on the wiki link to this school of naturalism we find a further definition:
Slice of life is a phrase describing the use of mundane realism depicting everyday experiences in art and entertainment.
During the 1950s, the phrase had common critical usage in reviews of live television dramas, notably teleplays by Paddy Chayefsky.
The literary term refers to a storytelling technique that presents a seemingly arbitrary sample of a character’s life, which often lacks a coherent plot, conflict, or ending.
In anime and manga, “slice of life” is a genre that often parallels teen melodrama in addition to using slice-of-life narrative techniques.
Oh the irony!
So, the answer to the question ‘What do Dexter and Chayefsky have in common?’ is:
A Slice of Life !
Remember we’re studying Season 7 Episode 7.
The episode is called CHEMISTRY.
In Dexter’s opening lines of dialogue – an internal thought – he tells us:
DEXTER (V.O.)
Chemistry, I've heard some people have it, an attraction that can't be quantified or explained. Is that the reason behind this? Loss of control? Maybe the desire to get Hannah on my table was just a way to deny the affect she has on me.
But what is the affect Hannah has on him? Why did Dexter choose to fuck her instead of kill her?
Perhaps because Hannah is beautiful, but also deadly, just like the flowers she uses to kill, the flowers she is constantly surrounded by – the symbol of her beauty as well as the source of her evil – the perfect rose and its thorn.
The writer takes great care in selecting Hannah’s toxin of choice – from the plant aconitum – also known as aconite (from a Greek word meaning ‘without struggle’). Aconite has been nicknamed ‘the queen of poisons’. Isn’t Hannah Dexter’s queen of poisons ?
The writer not only contrasts chemistry with botany but also compares the healing and destructive potential of both with the healing and destructive potential of Dexter’s relationship with Hannah.
Chemicals and plants can be both medicinal or poisonous – healers or killers.
In Season 7’s main plot which will Dexter and Hannah’s relationship turn out to be – poisonous or medicinal?
And when the entire series’ main plot is tied up in Season 8 which will Dexter eventually be – healed or killed ?
I’ll be looking in greater detail at the dialogue in this opening scene soon.
Read it here: Dexter Season 7 Episode 7: scene 1
The episode scene by scene breakdown can be found here.
Comments welcome.
In one episode, out of 50 scenes, how many are Dexter in?
Exactly half. 25 out of 50.
Exactly 23.06 minutes of screen time – just less than half of the 50 minutes episode.
Read the full scene breakdown here: DEXTER – Season 7 Episode 7
“Never give your opponent an obviously weak argument. Give him the best, most compelling argument you can.”
– John Truby, ANATOMY OF STORY, p139
Screenwrite.org 