Not every “Hello” or “Goodbye” feels momentous. But sometimes a character has one of those moments that acts as a life-changing pivot point. It divides their life into a distinct before and after.
So in honor of Tiny Tim (who did not die), let’s dive in to looking at what it means to show one of these moments that carries serious weight.
In episode 540 of Scriptnotes (Nice to Meet-Cute You), John and Craig explore the specific mechanics involved in that initial point of contact in a romantic-comedy. How and where should they meet? How will the audience know if this is an instant attraction, or friction that could set up a later change of heart?
Consider the first meeting between Buddy the Elf and his estranged father Walter:
This scene goes big, because it’s an important moment for both these characters. Instead of tactfully expressing the information he’s learned about Walter, he shows up in full elf regalia and turns his explanation into a song. And Walter could write this off as a strange, random moment, except that Buddy mentions Walter’s ex-girlfriend Susan Wells. This is privileged information that a stranger shouldn’t have.
The setups for future interactions heighten this moment past the comedy: Buddy is denied more time with Walter by getting thrown out, so he needs to find more reasons to come back. Walter isn’t convinced that Buddy is his son, but the mention of Susan plants an idea in his head that continues to grow.
Will Mann focuses on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and its famous scene where Kirk and Spock say goodbye for what they think will be the last time, and how this death scene ties to the film’s larger themes:
I would also add that The Wrath of Khan is also about mortality, with former Captain, now Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), grappling with his getting older being crucial to the film’s success. But, even more than that, it’s about grief. Grieving the loss of a loved one, grieving what could have been, grieving that the current days are not as eventful or fruitful as they were in the past…
And what a goodbye it is. Spock sacrifices himself to perform a dangerous repair to the ship’s engines that saves everyone else on-board. Spock has always felt conflict between the Human and Vulcan sides of his heritage, but here he ties them together with a pair of lines that brings them into harmony:
SPOCK
Don't grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh...
KIRK
The needs of the few.
SPOCK
Or the one.
[....]
SPOCK
I have been, and shall always be, your friend. Live long and prosper.Similarly, in Inside Out, Bing Bong sacrifices himself to help Joy rescue Riley’s core memories. Tasha Robinson points out that Bing Bong’s death hits even harder when considering that Riley won’t even notice he’s gone. His farewell to Joy is a stand-in for the goodbye he’ll never get to say to Riley.
A powerful goodbye can also be unspoken. Take a look at the ending from The Third Man and a scene that echoes it decades later in The Departed. Both feature a woman refusing to speak to or even look at a man who was a potential love interest, because she’s learned he was the reason behind the death of her previous lover:
There’s a stillness to the moment. A man waits as a woman walks toward him. He anticipates she’ll stop, but she doesn’t even miss a step, continuing toward the audience and out of his life forever. He’s left on screen with no one nearby.
But sometimes a hard goodbye doesn’t mean forever. In A League of Their Own, simmering sibling resentment boils over in the scene after Kit finds out she’s being traded from the team over something Dottie said. All of their previous issues get called out, as this one fight is a stand in for all the fights they held back previously:
It feels like farewell forever, but the two meet again for the World Series. It’s a moment where that hostility and resentment have a chance for resolution because there’s a game on the line. This won’t be an open-ended fight. It’s one at-bat that gives each of them a chance to trade barbs, and Kit’s victory is all the sweeter for her because she did it on her own terms:
All these pivotal moments, whether characters meet or part, either lay the groundwork for what’s to come in the story, or pay off the major beats of the relationship that came before.
👋 Are you new here?
Inneresting is a weekly newsletter about writing and things that are interesting to writers. Subscribe now to get more Inneresting things sent to your inbox.
Previously on Inneresting…
In case you missed it, in last issue’s most clicked link Blake Butler suggested some ways to get more enjoyment out of reading.
What else is inneresting?
Danielle Sepulveres offers advice on how to get a gig playing a dead body on a crime procedural.
Redditor Final_Pattern6488 shares a sample of the labels their father crafted for his VHS dubs. (via Kottke.org)
Elizabeth Haste drew up a document for her and her partner to have a focused conversation on if or when they would need to leave the United States for their health and safety. Haste shares the document, in case trans people and their loved ones need help explaining these fears and plans to others:
[F]or many of her peers this was the first they were learning about any of these issues. Paradoxically, while trans people are in the news a lot as objects or abstract matters of policy, the substance of our struggle is rarely reported on. Her boss didn’t realize things were this bad. “I thought we were talking about being misgendered, or maybe someone saying something rude to you in an elevator.” Once they were up to speed, they usually agreed that what we were concerned about (and what we were asking for) was reasonable.
We’d just have to explain it again, to their boss this time. And maybe their boss’s boss?
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
Inneresting is edited by Chris Csont, with contributions from readers like you and the entire Quote-Unquote team.
Are you enjoying this newsletter?
📧 Forward it to a friend and suggest they check it out.
🔗 Share a link to this post on social media.
🗣 Have ideas for future topics (or just want to say hello)? Reach out to Chris via email at inneresting@johnaugust.com, Mastodon @ccsont@mastodon.art, or Bluesky @ccsont.bsky.social
Post-Credits Scene
