Melodrama and the duality of fictional narrative

I have recently been watching Bates Motel on Netflix, and I am struck by how it functions on two very different yet parallel levels. This is true of all fictional tales, but is particularly evident in melodrama.

The melodramatic nature of Bates Motel simply helps to highlight an intrinsic duality within all narrative storytelling: Writers and their characters exist in very different yet intertwined realities. When a writer takes us on a journey into the reality of her characters, she inevitably provides a glimpse into her own backstage process.

To the reader or audience, characters seem to exist mainly so that they can evolve emotionally, in reaction to the challenges of an ever changing reality. The audience derives pleasure from identifying with fictional people who seem to respond to challenging situations by undergoing interesting psychological growth and change.

But the writer knows that all encounters between characters and fate must be explicitly engineered. In a fictional narrative, every turn of events needs to be deliberately constructed by its author.

Sometimes, as in a heightened melodrama such as Bates Motel, this duality can become very obvious. Much of the fun of a melodrama is due to the extreme nature of its constructed “reality”. As we watch empathetic characters react to extraordinary events, we find ourselves wondering what they will do in the face of such outrageous and unexpected turns of fortune.

Therefore when the writers introduce new characters, or get rid of old ones, or simply add an unexpected twist to the plot, the audience is essentially being invited to inhabit two simultaneous realities. One is the reality that the characters experience, in which everything they encounter is real. The other is the reality of the author, who is very clearly creating a kind of game for the viewer by throwing all sorts of unexpected events in the paths of our favorite characters.

This duality is present in all fictional narratives. But in a melodrama it becomes so obvious that it can become a dominant aspect of the audience experience.

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