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Movie and TV Dialogue Shouldn’t Be a Series of Speeches
So…why is this a thing?
I’ve been catching up on last season’s shows, and I noticed something strange: a certain long-running medical drama contains very few exchanges of realistic dialogue. This popular show seems to consist of a series of dramatic speeches, during which all other actions and conversation stops. Everyone steps back to silently listen to all of these dramatic speeches — and I don’t know how this became an accepted approach to a medical drama, or any other type of drama.
Real life doesn’t work that way. In moments of heightened drama, even well-adjusted adults will often shout at each other simultaneously. One does not wait politely for the other person to finish, unless you’re sitting in a session with a professional mediator. Where are all the truncated bits, the “but…,” “wait, what?” and similar attempts in which characters want to have their say, too?
When they aren’t making long, dramatic speeches, the characters in this popular medical drama often abruptly segue into reminiscing about the past. Why is this a thing? Unless you’re both living in a retirement center, normal conversation doesn’t involve a lot of, “that reminds me. Did I ever tell you about the time…” If it did, we’d all be bored to tears.
