So last night we watched Castle, which I just love. But what irked me was that for the umpteenth time (and not just on Castle), the moment I saw the face of the guilty party, I knew who it was. Not because of anything the character said or did; it was just a feeling. But that feeling has like a 90%+ success rate.
Since I'm not psychic, I figure the actors are telegraphing it. They know they're the bad guy, and it just becomes part of who they think they're playing. And it comes out in their body language, facial expressions, etc.
Has anyone else had this experience?
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
I'm not sure it's the actors telegraphing it as, well, even a rare TV viewer has seen plenty of TV and films most likely, and you sort of get a feel for the order of presentation kind of thing.
And of course there are some actors who get tapped to portray villains disproportionally, so when faced with them you can't rely on your guess being completely objective.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:I think it did add a small note of somberness and foreshadowing to the S5 performances of a few cast members, which is why I had previously avoided letting them know too much, to avoid the trap of having them play the result instead of the process. It happens.
My mom saw the first 10-15 of the Usual Suspects and blurts out who it is! She does read and watch lots of mysteries so I chalk it up to that.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:I think it did add a small note of somberness and foreshadowing to the S5 performances of a few cast members, which is why I had previously avoided letting them know too much, to avoid the trap of having them play the result instead of the process. It happens.
Exactly. Though Rakeesh might be right, too. Sometimes they'll give too much visibility to someone who shouldn't be more than a side character, and that tends to give things away. And I definitely watch too much TV.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
True, it is probably not an either or thing.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
quote:My mom saw the first 10-15 of the Usual Suspects and blurts out who it is! She does read and watch lots of mysteries so I chalk it up to that.
I knew right from the start as well. Probably because I saw it much later than when it was made, and had been already very familiar with the actor's other roles.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Xavier:
quote:My mom saw the first 10-15 of the Usual Suspects and blurts out who it is! She does read and watch lots of mysteries so I chalk it up to that.
I knew right from the start as well. Probably because I saw it much later than when it was made, and had been already very familiar with the actor's other roles.
I wonder if that is what I did subconsciously as well. I figured it out in like the first 10-15 minutes as well, yet I didn't feel like the movie was being obvious.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I often know who the villain is because they're the only new character we've seen a lot of but who doesn't seem to serve a purpose in the plot.
Posted by Clive Candy (Member # 11977) on :
Same goes for props. I knew as soon as it was mentioned that the (not saying it because of spoilers but you know) would be a plot point.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Chekov's gun. True, I guess it can apply to characters as well.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
But I think sometimes it really is the actor. Like someone will get killed, and the police/detectives/whoever will talk to the victim's parents/friends/etc. And one person among those being talked to will give a vibe like, "Hey, I'm a bad guy. Watch me."
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I know what Lisa is talking about, but I actually usually have a hard time identifying the villain in a dedicated mystery show. Maybe I'm just not as savvy, but there's usually so many people deliberately trying to look like viable suspects that apart from the most blatantly obvious (and therefore wrong) options, I have a hard time identifying them.