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Killing characters on LOST and BUFFY!
An "Ask Matt"-column with a question...no, with an opinion concerning the body count on shows like "Lost", "Buffy", "24" or "Alias"! |
 Question:
I was surprised and a little disturbed by the recent letter you printed from the fan who finds Lost to be not as intriguing anymore because the body count is too low for his taste. As you rightly pointed out, he's missing the point if he feels we are all tuning in to see who's getting offed on a weekly basis. I could make a case for all the reasons I am watching Lost at this point, along with Alias, but that's not the point of my letter. I would like to make the case that randomly killing off key members of any cast, while making for great drama, does not give viewers the chance to bond with the show and its characters, therefore not giving them much reason to stick with it. 24 is most likely an exception to this rule, but do you ever see them killing off Jack? His face is "branded" to the show, so to speak. Logically, they won't do it. Take Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an example. It was always good at creating emotional impact with the sheer shock of seeing a relatively major character die (Tara, Jenny, Joyce), but it always kept its core group of characters intact because the show would not have been the same without Willow, Xander or Giles (Buffy not dying permanently was a given). We would not have seen the great March 30 episode of Alias if they had decided last season that Marshall was expendable, nor would we have had the great humor on Lost the same night if Sawyer had been deemed a nonentity and been killed earlier. My point is that while I admit that having key characters in dangerous situations and knowing they won't be killed lessens the drama somewhat, knowing these characters will be on screen week after week is a key element in ensuring I will come back. — Beth
Matt:
All excellent points. There's a certain predictability to be had in almost any weekly series, if only for continuity and, as Beth notes, viewer loyalty. In most cases, and Buffy is an excellent example (and the better episodes of Alias as well), what we hope for is to see and experience character growth through these perilous and exhilarating adventures. Knowing most everyone will survive from week to week doesn't mean we can't enjoy a story well told. As for Jack Bauer's expendability on 24, read on.
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