April 8th

Today I want to talk about something that sneaks into my posts quite often, television shows. As I’m sure it’s become obvious to you in the last week, I rather like watching TV. I’ve found that because of my love for TV and movies, I have almost a sixth sense when it comes to them. I can often foresee endings, figure out twists, and predict romances, long before they happen. It’s always been a bit of a game when I watch stuff with my father to make a guess out loud so he can award points of make fun of me depending on the outcome of the show. More often then not I walk away with bragging rights. My ability to predict where things were headed is what first made me think I would enjoy writing for movies and TV.

This ability also means that I’m incredibly excited when movies or shows come around that surprise me. It’s why year after year, even though I know from experience the shows will drive me crazy, I’m drawn to anything by JJ Abrams. His shows are always twisted and involved, but often far from formulaic, making them less predictable. I enjoy the suspense, and it becomes even more fun when I can figure out where something is going (even if it’s something very small). I also enjoy some of the current teen dramas, which are unpredictable in a different way. They don’t have the same thought behind them, or the intense stories, but they keep you guessing. The main difference is that often there are no clues, the shows aren’t planned to leave a trail of breadcrumbs you could piece together if you thought about it enough, they just keep everything hidden till they’re ready to reveal it.

Then there are the shows like Scandal, the one I started watching today. It’s not a procedural crime drama, but it is a “different case every week” sort of show. Those are the ones I find it the most fun to predict. They always have the clues lying out there, and if you’re paying enough attention you should be able to figure it out. The characters never know much more than you, and often, if you pay attention, you actually know more than them. One of the episodes I watched today involved a young man who was suspected of killing his girlfriend. By the language and they way that the story was being told, I was sure by 20 minutes in that the guy was gay. I called my dad to tell him my prediction, so that I could get my points, and sure enough I was right. The wonderful thing about shows like this is that the clues that lead the characters to their conclusions can lead you there just as easily. It’s like being Sherlock Holmes.

Of course there’s a little bit of luck and imagination involved as well. You have to have a gut instinct for these kinds of things and it doesn’t hurt that I’m a writer who likes to think up twists. You get a feel of the things to look out for, the way a movie is shot, the music they play, the scenes that it seems strange that they’d show, the scenes that are left out, and the language that the characters use. They can all point to a potential twist. Then it’s all about going with your gut and deciding whether or not any of these twists will come to pass. Then make sure someone knows what you’ve predicted. It’s a lot more fun when there’s a witness to attest that you indeed have the bragging rights for predicting the end of The Tourist, or whatever else you happen to be watching at the time.

In the world of TV I don’t really predict, I’ve been obsessed with the show Community (watch it if you don’t already). One of the characters on the show also watches a lot of TV, although more of the comedy and drama genres than I do. The funny thing is that there was one episode where this character was making short films about the people in his study group (basically making Community, the show is very meta). The best part was that he was making these episodes before the actual episodes happened, basically predicting what would occur in the show. The idea was that he’d watched enough TV that he knew the formulas and what would potentially happen in those situations. I found myself really relating to that (although sadly my real life isn’t actually a TV show…I don’t think), and it’s what really got me hooked into the show.

The basic moral of this post is, if you pay enough attention to anything, you can become well versed enough to predict things. I assume the same goes for books, sports events, and the stock market. I’m not saying that I’m always right, but I have a much better chance than the average Joe.