But the scene in which his death is
announced is interesting for how deadly serious it is written and
played. Right up until the moment where Lou describes the manner of
Chuckles' death, he, Mary and Murray respond in exactly the way we would
if someone we knew had died. Even when Lou says who has died, Chuckles
the Clown, which feels ready made for a laugh, it is still played totally straight. (There is some funny-seeming business with Lou running back and forth, but Asner plays it so seriously that it undermines any sense of the comic.)
There's an important thematic piece in that choice, which I'll talk about tomorrow. This is a sitcom and this is a very funny episode, but the ep is also a kind of meditation on mortality. Playing the introduction straight and serious in a sense sets us up for that. It prepares the ground, if you will.
But it's also setting up the journey of
the episode from sobriety to absurdity. The comedy of
the end is that much greater and more surprising because the episode
starts in such a completely different place.
It's a great tip for writing character and episode arcs, one we could even try right now! Pick a character you're working on. Where do you want them to end up? Now, what are some spots that seem the farthest away (or most unlikely) from that endpoint?
Somewhere in those idea, that's your opening.
