Signaling vs Foreshadowing, or how I knew Lights Leary was going to win

************ warning, possible spoilers**************
In January, F/X premiered their new series, Lights Out. It's the story of a fighter who has been retired for five years, after having his belt stolen from him in a title match with Richard "Death Row" Reynolds. He has a lovely family - a wife and three daughters - a huge home, a gym where his father, played by veteran actor Stacy Keach, trains fighters, and a good life. But of course if it were that simple, why would there be a show, right? The economy is rough for everyone. Patrick's wife is in medical school. When she's done, she can do her part at supporting the family, and she's getting there. Patrick's brother Johnny is his manager. But Johnny is, let us say, less than honest. A former (so he says) drug user, who ruined his own marriage, and did some shady investing wit Patrick's money - and lost it. Times are so hard, that Patrick is appearing in commercials, and hiring himself out for cage fights and to strong arm people who don't pay their debts. As if this wasn't bad enough, he's been diagnosed with pugilistic dementia, a fact which only he and his snoopy daughter Danielle know.

The solution to their money problems seems simple - Lights has to go back in the ring. But faced with his diagnosis, and the fact that he's going on 40, this isn't an easy decision to make. Johnny arranges for him to fight against JoJo. It would have been a good match, too - if only someone hadn't hit JoJo's hand with a cinder block. The law is on Patrick's tail, and things are getting desperate. So he does what he has to do, thanks to Johnny putting him in bed with the devil - ie fight promoter Barry Word, and he agrees to a match - not with Reynolds, not yet, but with Javier 'El Diablo' Morales. The trouble is that Morales is an animal in the ring. The situation is further compounded when, during a sparring session, Lights gets a thumb in the eye, and now his vision isn't what it should be, and he's skating on thin ice here. But he forces himself to learn to compensate for that, cause he doesn't have a whole lot of options here.

By the way, isn't Lights hot?

Okay, so now we come to the fight itself, which was in this week's episode. How did I know, without reading the script or any spoilers (which I didn't do) that Lights was going to win?  Elementary, I tell you, elementary. I read the signs.  One: the season isn't over. If Lights lost to Morales, there would go his chance at a title fight, not without a long road. I didn't see that happening. Two: When the fight started, Lights was losing and things were looking bad. I really knew then he was going to win, cause it would be a comeback victory and therefore dramatic.  And he won.  It was still exciting, even though I called it (that would have meant more if I hadn't been watching it by myself).  Although that doesn't mean the bad times are over, so of course we have to wait and see what's coming up this season.

Okay, I figured it out, but was it because they signaled it, or was it foreshadowing?  Is there a difference? And if you're smart enough to figure out the signals, is that a bad thing?

I love foreshadowing. Especially when it's unconscious.  Yes, it's easy to go back and plant something at the beginning of your story so that it looks like you foreshadowed, but it's even better when it flows naturally, in my opinion. Foreshadowing is more subtle than signaling, in my opinion, though signals don't always have to be blatant, just because you figure them out. Some are just givens, things you can assume and take pretty much for granted.

For example - you start out a show, book or movie with a guy and a girl. Or two guys, two girls, whatever. They have this automatic mutual antipathy to one another. Chances are they're gonna get together at some point and be a couple.

If you want a change-up on that particular stereotype, how about you start with a couple that's already together, and supposedly happy, and introduce the third wheel/newcomer aka the other main protagonist. You make the replaceable member of the couple a nice person, not the expected shrew/harpy/bastard, and now you have moral dilemma and sexual tension and drama.

In a horror film such as the ones that involve alien mutant creatures including but not limited to zombies, giant gators, and rabid dogs, you know without being told that good will prevail.  Somehow. Good vs evil, good triumphs. However, in some recent films, that trope has been expanded a bit, so that the lines between good and evil are not as clearcut. In fact they're downright blurry. Hannibal Lecter, for instance - serial killer, psychopath (or is that sociopath) and cannibal. And yet he makes us like him, and root for his escape. Even the FBI agent, Clarice Starling, although she works to capture him, deep down I think she'd like nothing better than to let him go free. She respects him, at the very least. And if you read the book Hannibal, you'll see there's more to it than that, which the filmmakers for some reason chose not to go into, but which was a better ending, and very sexy.

Signaling is expected in certain books and movies, but when it becomes too obvious it can also be boring, cause if you've got the plot figured out from the beginning, why are you reading? If it's foreshadowing, you can figure it out, but you won't know if you're right unless you keep your eyes glued to the page. Did I mind that I knew Lights was going to win?  Hell no, it was fun to see if I was right or not. It's all in how you make that journey - are you taking the dull train to Sameville, or the fast and exciting train to What's Gonna Happen Town?

I know that I foreshadow in some of my stories, but I hope that I don't signal. One reason that I think that I don't is because I am a pantser, not a plotter, so often I don't know what's going to happen until it does. Sure, I know broad things, but not necessarily specifics. So I feel that I can't signal what I don't know, which hopefully leads readers to want to know and keep reading. In Dark Love, it was totally accidental. I was at the end of the book, writing that up when I realized that I had foreshadowed something major, without being aware of it. Maybe it was a subconscious thing, I don't know. But it blew my mind when I realized it.

So I knew Lights was gonna win against Morales, do I see him fighting Reynolds again in the future?  Of course, that's a given.  Will he win?  That I don't know yet, and that is what I can't wait to find out, not to mention there are bound to be other bumps in the road which will make this exciting to watch.

Signaling vs Foreshadowing - do  you see a difference? Do you use either in your writing? As a reader, do you look for it in what  you read? Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear it!

Welcome back, Raylan Givens - we missed you!

Last night was the season premiere of Justified on F/X, and it began where the last season left off, with Raylan, Boyd and Ava hunkered down in a small cabin, under fire from two drug dealers from Miami.

****Warning- may be spoilers ahead, proceed at own risk****

As those who watched the first part of this know, Boyd took off after the woman in the SUV, and Raylan went after him. From there the action returns to Miami, and into the lap of the man who'd like to see Raylan done harm to because of the whole Tommy Bucks affair (see season one). So once this all got squared away, Raylan returns to Harlan County, and goes out with another deputy to see about a complaint about a child molester.  And here we meet the family that I figure will take the place of the Crowders as arch enemies this season - the Bennetts, at the head of which there is a matriarch who can go from sympathetic to cold-blooded at the drop of a hat.  And don't underestimate her cause she appears so motherly - she can and does kill without hesitation.

What can I say about this series?  I can't say enough about it. The season premiere was fantastic, and I look forward to a whole lot of hot hunky Raylan Givens action this season too.  I'm still wondering what's going on between him and Winona - if you'll recall, last season she come to see him, removed her wedding ring and ended up in bed with him.  Well, rinse and repeat. But I've yet to hear her say why.  I have to assume she's re-evaluated her new marriage to realtor Gary (last heard from, he moved out of the familial home) and is contemplating some sort of relationship with Raylan.  A new relationship, that is.  But what?  And will the problems that came between them the first time around raise their ugly heads this time, or have things truly changed?  Also, what about Ava - is she really down for the count and out of the picture?  Or is she laying low and licking her wounds before she steps back into the ring?

I'm currently reading Riding the Rap, which is a Raylan Givens story by Elmore Leonard, creator of said Raylan, and it certainly has his touch all over it - typical goofy unpredictable and somewhat likeable baddies, Floridian setting - and Raylan.  If you go to check this one out, be aware that a lot of the action centers around the bad guys, so it isn't an all Raylan show or anything.  And if you go to the beginning, to Fire in the Hole, don't be surprised that there are differences.  For one thing, Elmore killed off Raylan's daddy from black lung disease and we never see him.  If you've watched the show, though, you know that Arlo Givens is alive and annoying the bejesus out of his son at every turn.

What makes Raylan Givens so damn fascinating?  I mean, outside of that whole hot hunky Timothy Olyphant thing?  That part's a no-brainer.  But what else is there that makes us turn to him every Wednesday night? Maybe it's his impeccable manners, the way he treats people, even the ones that don't deserve it.  And his own special code of justice and honor.  He believes in doing things honorably - you know his shooting of Tommy Bucks was justified.  He gave him twenty-four hours to get out of town, and even then he waited for the other man to draw first.  In Riding the Rap, he's in a situation where he believes that a man is being held hostage inside a mansion, but he won't go in without a warrant, and he knows he can't obtain one on the flimsy evidence he has, so he looks for a legal way to do it, which exasperates the heck out of his female friend, who still doesn't understand how he can shoot someone in cold blood (although justified) and yet not rush in to save a man he's sure is in trouble.  Knowing Raylan, he'll find the legitmate way to do it, and save the day.

Raylan has a way with women, although his track record isn't the best. You can see he cares for Ava, and he'd protect her with his life, but she just isn't the one.  He's been holding a torch for Winona ever since we first met him, and I'm sure that whole thing will be addressed this season.  I can't say I'm sorry Bo Crowder is dead - that is one damn mean family, and he was a very mean man. Boyd, on the other hand, is a bit of an enigma.  He found Jesus in the first season, and assembled a group of homeless men, formed his own church, and lived with them in a camp comprised of tents.  His daddy put an end to that - and I have to wonder what it's done to Boyd.  I believe he was sincere in his beliefs, and his desire to do the right thing. But just maybe Daddy did something to him when he killed his men - it remains to be seen where he ends up.  Will he take over his late father's empire and be the new drug kingpin in Harlan County?  Or will he embrace a higher cause?  Such as fighting injustice?  Last seen, he seemed to be blowing up a mine.  Wonder what that portends?  Both my daughters find Boyd strangely attractive - they can have him, I'll take Raylan, thankee kindly. Although I will make a confession - in the first season, Bo Crowder had a guy working for him, a child molester, that I found to be strangely attractive - I think it was the long wavy hair. He's gone now, though.  Oh well.

Anybody else think Boyd is cute?  Maybe it's realtor Gary you like?  Or Raylan's boss Art?  Or maybe it's one of the ladies - Winona or Ava?  Tell me what you think, I'd love to hear it!

Have an awesome day and live every day to the max!

Julie

TV Rambling - in anticipation of the return of Justified and a chance to win

Check this guy out.

For those of you have haven't been privileged to meet him yet, that's Raylan Givens, federal marshal relocated to Kentucky from Florida after he shot a man there (the shooting was justified, but nonetheless Raylan was sent back home for it).  Raylan comes from Kentucky, and knows a lot of people there, including his ex-wife Winona, and Boyd Crowder, criminal turned evangelist whose daddy Bo is still a crimelord in those parts.  This is the background against which Justified is set.  Justified has completed its first season, which is now out on DVD (my copy of which is even now on its way to me), and the new season begins on February 9th.  I am way excited for this for many reasons.  I almost didn't give Justified a chance, as I am very selective in my TV viewing, which is close to non-existent.  But I saw some promos for this at the theater (and it's impossible to fastforward through those, so you either watch and listen, or tune them out).  First I tuned out, but then I began to watch and listen and I became interested, and now I'm hooked.

Having watched the first season, I was unaware until recently that Raylan began with a short story.  His creator is none other than Elmore Leonard.  You may know him for many reasons, among them being Get Shorty and Be Cool.  The original story is called Fire in the Hole, and I recently read it.  You can read it before you watch the series, or after, bearing in mind that transferrence from one medium to another generally involves change, and this one is no exception.  Justified is full of humor, action, and plain good ol' fashioned fun.  The characters will hold your attention, and Raylan is definitely my favorite, although Boyd is an interesting case study, and Dewey Crowe - well, there are not adequate words to describe that boy.  Do yourself a favor, check it out when it returns February 9th, and then catch up on the first season.  If you like what you see, find more of Timothy Olyphant.  I did - Hit Man (which I reviewed here), Die Hard 4 and Catch and Release.

Moving on.

A new show premiered on F/X a couple of weeks ago.  Being pleased with Justified, I checked it out, and I'm glad that I did.  Lights Out is about a boxer who left the ring five years before, after a title fight which he, and a lot of other people, think he was robbed in.  Since that time, things have gotten rough for him, and he's been reduced to such things as calling bingo games and appearing in cheesy ads to make money.  He has a large home to maintain, a wife and daughters to support, but times are tough, and a real estate investment he sunk a lot into isn't materializing quite the way that he'd hoped.  His brother is his business manager, and he does what he can, while his dad (former Papa Titus Stacy Keach) helps out at Lights' gym.  But when he is compelled to help with collection of a debt, and resorts to violence, and then ends up wailing on a loudmouth at a bar - well, he's sinking fast and it looks like his only way out is the rematch of that title fight which the winner is clamoring for, cause he's tired of hearing that he robbed Lights.  To complicate things, Lights has been diagnosed with pugilistic dementia.

I like this already, after only two episodes.  It's character driven, and well written and acted, and I think it has potential.  F/X is doing good.  I would be happier with them if they hadn't let Terriers get canceled.  I understand that it was a bad time slot, but it could have been moved to a different one.  I recorded it anyway, so it didn't matter to me when it aired, but it was good, and its cancellation is our loss.

So what else is going on in my TV land?  Hawaii 5-0.  I watched it for Alex O'Loughlin, but there is more to it than him (though if you only watch for him, you won't feel shortchanged, I assure you). If you'll recall, he was vampire Mick St. John in Moonlight, which died far too soon, after only one season.  Blame the writer's strike.  I do - for that and for the demise of Deadwood, but that's another story.  Hawaii 5-0 is beautifully shot, the acting and the writing are first rate, the scenery is magnificent, and it's a refreshing update of the old series.  The stories are all good, the last one, which actually aired last night, after the football game, was about a killer tsunami hitting the island.  If you haven't seen it, check it out, you'll be glad you did.

******potential spoilers ahead******
A few weeks ago, Californication returned for its fourth season, starring that sexy sex-addicted bad boy Hank Moody (David Duchovny).  I have liked this show from the start, never missed a one.  It's still got the kick it had when it began, and it never disappoints.  If you'll recall from the first season, Hank had sex with a girl he picked up at a book signing, who punched him during their coitus, and who turned out to be only 16, but he didn't know.  Later, after a dry slum of non writing, he wrote the story of what happened, under the guise of a novel, called it Fucking and Punching.  The girl in question, whose name is Mia (Madeline Zima, also of Heroes) found the manuscript, stole it, and published it under her own name.  Ye gods!  It gets worse.  She's a sudden instant hit, feted and touted for her writing, to Hank's chagrin.  But how can he reclaim his own material without his long time girlfriend discovering the truth of what happened (it's a very complicated situation). Well, last season she found out and the shit hit the fan, and now this season - the fallout.  Hank is still Hank, and he's still got his sleazy but cute manager Charlie Runkle, as well as the regulars.  This season's guests so far include Rob Lowe and Matt LeBlanc.  If you haven't seen it, you should.  Be warned that there is a nude or semi-nude David Duchovny in almost every episode, not to mention a great deal of language and sexual situations.  Not everyone's cuppa tea, but definitely mine.

Enough about my shows - let's hear about yours.  Ever watch something, get totally hooked and have the network yank the rug out from under you by cancelling it?  I think we've all been there done that.  Ever written a letter of protest?  I'm not sure if those even help, but I hear they do.  The one time I tried was years ago when they canceled Matt Frewer's show Doctor, Doctor (pre Max Headroom).  It didn't help.  I also wrote last year to the writers of Vampire Diaries telling them their stories were horrible and the writing had slid downhill by the end of the first season.  It's gotten better this season, but that could be a coincidence.  They never replied, so who knows if they even read my letter.

Who are your deepest regrets from the TV graveyard?  What shows did you love that died without being allowed to properly wrap up their storylines?  Do you regret that they left the castaways on Gilligan's Island and only came back to them in movies years after the fact?

I'll be giving out a gift from my virtual gift basket to one of my new followers.  Follow and leave a comment which includes your email addy!

That's all for now!

Julie