“There is no such thing as an interesting character, only interesting character relationships.”
—HOWARD SUBERPROFESSOR EMERITUSUCLA SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND TELEVISION
Chapter 9
The Wild Card Character
Power Dynamics and Motivations
The “wild card” is the element of our pilot, usually embodied in a character, who is an unexpected addition to the audience’s expectation of where the plot and story are going. The wild card throws everything off kilter. What’s significant is that this unpredictable character tends to destabilize and throw the protagonist off his or her game, more than anyone or anything else. In this chapter we’ll analyze wild card examples from several of the best comedy and drama series in this new TV era.
In a world of savvy ...
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