The Art of Dialogue and the kitchen knife scene

[china_shop]

I was watching a YouTube video about how to write snappy dialogue (banter) by heyjameshurst. The creator used examples from The Princess Bride, The Empire Strikes Back, His Girl Friday, and The West Wing to illustrate that good dialogue is like a tennis match, a playful competition, and in each volley the tension escalates to "a sudden, sharp reveal of truth."

Afterwards, I was thinking about it in terms of Guardian, and the first scene that came to mind was the kitchen knife scene. Wow, this is a stellar example of what the video talked about! It's dynamic because every line fires back in a way that is difficult for the other person to respond to. (Often they're reacting to the subtext -- or actually, what they perceive the other's subtext to be -- rather than the words, and sometimes slightly at cross-purposes, so lines that could be non-sequiturs feel seamless.) And the truth is forced out of them. It's so impressive!

ZYL: I woke up because I was hungry.
SW: *turns and drops the knife*
ZYL: *strides over and grabs his wrist* Don't you think of lying to me. What did you do in order to heal my eyes?
SW: *starts to leave*
ZYL: You used the Longevity Dial.
SW: *stops*
ZYL: *moves to his side* You shared your life force with mine. You used your power to neutralize the corrosion of my body. Am I right?
SW: My... My... My body's energy structure has suffered a severe blow. I need to exchange all my energy.
ZYL: It must hurt a lot.
SW: *ghastly smile* Fortunately... Fortunately, I'm used to getting injured.
ZYL: I do not deserve what you are doing for me.
SW: You're worth it.
ZYL: *explodes* Then, what do you want me to do? Be indebted to you? To bow to you? You are not immortal! Why should I so casually owe you a life?
SW: This life is what I'm returning to you.
ZYL: ??????
SW: You should rest soon.

There are so many truths here!! <3 <3 <3

Thinking about it also made me realise something about Shen Wei's initially trying to leave and his "Fortunately, I'm used to getting injured" line, which I will explain in six screencaps:













Newsflash, Shen Wei: Zhao Yunlan's tactics are no more reassuring or less infuriating when you try them.

Comments

[trobadora]

I feel like "I'm insisting that this is worse than you will admit" only makes the hurt person feel worse and weakens their inner defences (which might be all that's holding them together!). To me, in most instances (but not all!) the kind and supportive thing is to take one's cues from the hurt person about how much comfort they actually want.

I entirely agree with this! Though for me that has nothing to do with how I, the reader feel about the characters and their pain. And the characters are allowed to have non-ideal reactions to things, too, you know?

(It hadn't even occurred to me to think of this in terms of h/c, tbh! Fascinating.)

But in general, ZYL's fraught reaction does make the whole thing worse for SW

Yes, 100% agreed on that, too! One of those non-ideal reactions, but he wouldn't be ZYL if he didn't react that way in that moment.

[china_shop]

Though for me that has nothing to do with how I, the reader feel about the characters and their pain.

I think it does a bit, for me? Like, I don't want to impose my fussing on them, even from outside the narrative. /dork

And the characters are allowed to have non-ideal reactions to things, too, you know?

Yessss, that's what makes it so juicy. <3 <3 <3 And I think the circumstances of this scene mean they're both hurting (SW's gift-sacrifice absolutely hits ZYL in his weak spot), so it's kind of mutual and them both accidentally making the other feel worse when they're trying to do the opposite. *loves* (Ha, different setting, but this is more or less what the fic I just sent you is about.)

but he wouldn't be ZYL if he didn't react that way in that moment.

Yes, agreed. And I love him so much for it. :D