Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azurelunatic) wrote2012-11-28 06:18 am
azurelunatic) wrote2012-11-28 06:18 am
Why this worked for me: Neil Patrick Harris's Puppet Dreams: The Lullabye
Here, have some tropes that I ordinarily don't like, but done well:
http://youtu.be/q3bSbnAXrM4
This worked for me. I don't think that this is at all an unpopular view, going by the like:dislike ratio on the video, but given some of the tropes used, I want to talk about why it worked for me, despite the use of tropes that would ordinarily make me side-eye.
1: It Was All A Dream: This works for me because first off it looks like that's the premise of the episodes, so I'm expecting it, plus there was the introduction, and then there was a lampshade hung on it. Second, and the major reason it works for me, is that the usual bad use of "but it was a dream" is when incredible, awesome, and fantastic things happen with no proper resolution. Here, it mitigates the gruesome death of the main character instead of diminishing an awesome thing. It is the premise for why usual rules don't apply. And it's well-introduced, rather than coming as a surprise.
2: Non-escape from "death-defying" setup: This works for me because it was the punchline, rather than a sad resolution to suspense. I don't do suspense very well, and I don't do tragedy very well, but I can do funny character death.
3: The protagonist dies: This works for me because unlike some situations where a character is killed because the author thinks it is a good idea, NPH is in this situation both the character and the creator, so he's basically doing it to himself.
4: The punchline is mean: Cruel humor aimed downward is mean. Doing it to yourself, and having it just be a dream? Not so mean.
There were a lot of other things that worked for me, but I wanted this to be about the things that usually don't.
http://youtu.be/q3bSbnAXrM4
This worked for me. I don't think that this is at all an unpopular view, going by the like:dislike ratio on the video, but given some of the tropes used, I want to talk about why it worked for me, despite the use of tropes that would ordinarily make me side-eye.
1: It Was All A Dream: This works for me because first off it looks like that's the premise of the episodes, so I'm expecting it, plus there was the introduction, and then there was a lampshade hung on it. Second, and the major reason it works for me, is that the usual bad use of "but it was a dream" is when incredible, awesome, and fantastic things happen with no proper resolution. Here, it mitigates the gruesome death of the main character instead of diminishing an awesome thing. It is the premise for why usual rules don't apply. And it's well-introduced, rather than coming as a surprise.
2: Non-escape from "death-defying" setup: This works for me because it was the punchline, rather than a sad resolution to suspense. I don't do suspense very well, and I don't do tragedy very well, but I can do funny character death.
3: The protagonist dies: This works for me because unlike some situations where a character is killed because the author thinks it is a good idea, NPH is in this situation both the character and the creator, so he's basically doing it to himself.
4: The punchline is mean: Cruel humor aimed downward is mean. Doing it to yourself, and having it just be a dream? Not so mean.
There were a lot of other things that worked for me, but I wanted this to be about the things that usually don't.