Recently Netflix released a six episode Australian sitcom about a Melbourne lawyer called FISK. It stars Kitty Flanagan, who is really an Australian treasure. No one does deadpan humor like Flanagan.
I happened to see the pilot tonight and I was in awe of just how quickly the writing set forth who Fisk is and what her problems are. The show opens on her doing an interview with a hiring agency, which is actually a pretty genius way of getting a lot of information out quickly. With the very first back and forth, we learn she's a lawyer, she's only just returned to Melbourne after a decade away, and her husband cheated on her.
With the second back and forth, we likewise learn she has no references, suggesting both backstory to explore and more importantly that there may be something wrong with the way she tries to do her job.
Then in the third back and forth, which ends hilariously with another lawyer in the office literally sitting on her because she stands out so little, we get really the heart of her problem, which will play out in the way she's treated by the office manager, by her landlord, and by the coffee shop: she's someone no one takes seriously.
The whole sequence takes less than two minutes. It's breathtaking.
For me there are two big takeaways: First—and this is something I need to hear over and over—don't be afraid to lay out the central problem or problems of the character right away. There is no need to wait and build to it; in fact it's more likely worth trying to resist that impulse and see how it shakes out.
Second—The very opening of a story is one of the only times the audience will forgive exposition. I don't think twice about the fact that we start with Fisk literally telling us who she is. Part of that is the interview conceit, which is just such a smart way to start. Part of it also is that Fisk and the woman who's interviewing her don't exactly get on, and what Fisk has to share is embarrassing. So there's a sense of conflict here, which is always a great way to hide exposition.
But I think it is also true, at the very beginning of a story the audience will forgive a little exposition, just to understand what's going on. You have to do it smart and speedy, or you'll lose them, but it's definitely an opportunity.
