TTC: Commentary 16

“Time & Tied” PARTS 43 & 44

1. Original Date Of Completion: JUNE 30, 2002
2. What I Was Doing: Teaching ESL Math & Science
3. Changes of note: -Kept “phone book” removed “phone booth”. Maybe they’re in a store or something. -Shady again, originally he continued droning on about killing Carrie and forgetting about Julie. Also Lee had summarized the plot in there. -More drama inserted before Corry stopped Julie from shooting at her parents. -Luci’s letter returns, with Julie noticing that Carrie didn’t sign.

“Time & Tied” PARTS 45-47

1. Original Date Of Completion: JULY 2, 2002?
2. What I Was Doing: Teaching ESL Math & Science
3. Changes of note: -All Laurie’s dialogue to Carrie from “it’s hard” was new. -Lee’s arrival moved to later. Bomb revelation moved into Part 46. -The dialogue tying up the Frank/Luci romance subplot was added. -Clarke and Tim had left to find Luci; shifted scene to mansion, because cell phones. -The Frank/Carrie dialogue in the hospital has had so many revisions over the years. See below. -Also tweaks to the Frank/Carrie dialogue in the park, including mention of Luci.

ABOUT THE WRITING

Fun fact: My original completion date above for Episode 22 (Parts 45-47), aka “the end of the beginning"… is an estimate. Logically, it had to come after finishing 21, and before the next part - Episode 23 - that being completed on July 7th, 2002. Yes, almost immediately following. (Season 2 aka Book 3 is currently in edits. Again, look for it after another foray on this blog into “Epsilon Project”.)

At the time, it made sense to keep on writing, since July 2002 was when I’d finished my first year of teaching, and I had the whole summer ahead of me prior to attending Queen’s University. (The private school had accepted me based on co-op terms for first year University Computer classes, but I was debating public school teaching, and that would require a Teaching Degree. Hence, more University.) But precisely when was Episode 22 finished?

Here’s what I DO know: An incomplete TIME22 file was dated June 28th, containing everything up to when Frank enters the hospital. (I know that’s before my “Completion” date for Ep 21, but I would tend to let files sit for 3-4 days, then give them a final pass for edits, having already started the next part.) The final TIME22 file is dated Dec 4, 2003, which is nonsensical (probably another rewrite of the Frank/Carrie dialogue). And as I said above, the final TIME23 file is dated July 7.

Yet I also have re-edited versions of Eps 1-6, dated July 2. Since it makes sense that I would have gone back to re-edit from the start (again!) after finishing, that’s the date I used above… though the final pass may have been later. There is one other hint, my “Outtakes of Time” file (dated July 21), basically a parody bonus of scenes from the last episode, so for sure it was done before then. I’ll post that bonus for you this Friday!

That said, after 47 weeks of less than lukewarm reaction, I need a bit of a T&T break, so I’m shifting back to “Epsilon Project”. To that end, here’s a link to the newest poll where you can vote to affect that plot! Open until this Tuesday!

There’s not much more to say on T&T that wouldn’t be a spoiler.

SPOILER SECTION

Spoilers for Book 1

The Frank-Carrie dialogue in the hospital has been changed more times than I can remember. The key plot points were always there (channeling Shady’s bomb, Carrie’s mother, Carrie choosing life) but it never felt like it clicked. The December 2003 file contains Frank saying “Let’s live, let’s all live!” which is cheesy and sad, and yet it survived right through the initial 2014 edits. I am SO much happier with the latest version, where Frank calls out Carrie on her curiosity, then smacks her in the face.

Note that I’m not advocating hitting girls. But it’s a nice reversal of Episode 1, plus Carrie herself told Frank he could do it at the end of Book 1 (lampshaded in “Respite”). Feel free to disagree… or to say anything, really. (Hello?) But I like it. My only concern is that it’s a bit derivative of Clarke forcing Julie to ‘choose’ only two parts previous. Both deal with the very existence of the character in question. Are they different enough? (Julie was facing flashbacks, while Carrie was more resigned to her fate.) Ultimately - you’re the judge of that!

Character-wise: I think I wrapped up everyone’s arcs. Carrie’s less overbearing, her powers are active, and while her mother is a loose end, it’s tucked under the rug. Frank can stand up to people and admit his feelings. Frank and Luci are going out. Luci’s learned to handle failure, and interpersonal relations. Julie’s no longer the “big bad”, and has therapy to look forward to. Corry is less of a jerk, maybe - he’s at least done his feud with Julie. Laurie is more self-assured.

Clarke, Chartreuse, Tim and Lee didn’t have much for character arcs. They tended to be catalysts, speeding up the reactions of those around them. Ditto for Hank Waterson and “Shady”, the only others to have story tags on parts where they appear. Again, that’s my impression, feel free to teach me something I’m missing?

Plot-wise: Carrie’s temporal powers are active, if vaguely defined. And there is a war in the future, spilling into the present. Yeah, those two sentences is ALL the past 47 episodes in a nutshell. I guess I’m long winded. I hope you’ll come back this summer, to see how the “Temporal Destiny” starts impacting this group of teenagers going forwards. Because Carrie is right with her closing remarks.

Parts 43/44 were originally called “Turning Point”, so added “Desperate Times” as the lead-in (where Lee employs “Desperate Measures”). The last episode was “Out of Time”, which became flanked by “Full Circle” (to circle back to the start of Book 2) and the shorter “Respite” (everyone’s safe - for now).

Coming This Friday: BONUS T&T “Outtakes” reel Coming Next Sunday: The Epsilon Project returns