MovieChat Forums > Behind Her Eyes (2021) Discussion > You have to establish the ground rules t...

You have to establish the ground rules to your story right away

posted 4 years ago by Mikey (420)
12 replies | jump to latest

This show really did not have any twists. It just had the writers changing the ground rules of the story and thinking those were twists.
When the show started I thought I was watching a realistic dramatic mystery. Then, a couple of hours into the story a supernatural element is added to the mix. Wait...WHAT??? I thought this was a REALISTIC drama? That's what it seemed like at first. But now we have people using mystical powers to do things. Then, much later in the series, we find out that not only can people do this really cool supernatural thing, but they can also do this EXTRA thing as well. ("Yeah but, why didn't you tell me that at the beginning of the story?" "Because we didn't want to give away our TWIST ending!" "Well, no, that's really NOT a twist ending......"
Again, establish your ground rules at the beginning. Don't keep changing the rules in the middle (or towards the end) of the game!

[–] NoEasyBuckets (346) 4 years ago

Well at the beginning it's clear that it's going to be a mystery and that we don't know what's really going on, so I don't think it "broke any rules" by introducing a supernatural element. With that said, I agree that the twist wasn't really a twist, it was just withholding crucial information from the viewers until the end.

[–] Geiri (862) 4 years ago

Same way I was feeling. I enjoyed the first episodes but was geared up for that to continue rather than the shift.

[–] Geiri (862) 4 years ago

Same way I was feeling. I enjoyed the first episodes but was geared up for that to continue rather than the shift.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

I felt like it was a mystery to start with so I didn't mind that they kept introducing new elements. But when the twist came, it didn't really work for me, on a character basis. I was entertained, so I guess I"m ok with it. I think it would benefit from a season 2, though, becuase it felt like a cliffhanger.

[–] exatera (3953) 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [email protected] (1355) 4 years ago

Oh thank God I found this thread with people feeling the exact same way. You hit the nail on the head. I actually was second hand embarrassed at the final episode. They should have saved the time of doing the supernatural crap and use that time with exploring Robs earlier life, or gone further with the small clues into the past element.
Side note.... Adele was captivating. Even though some parts of this series was ridiculous, she played her character to the hilt. I was never swayed by Louises character though. I never found her credible or convincing,,, nor the chemistry between her and David.
But I digress,,, why you ask? Because its a pandemic and I just needed to. Stay safe all...

[–] MCGarten (8) 4 years ago

agree--it was a trick and I don't like tricks! but I will say, Adele kept me watching

[–] [email protected] (1355) 4 years ago

Its been 3 months since I wrote my comment above,,,and I almost forgot about it. Thats a clear sign it needs improvement if one forgets about it so quickly. But I do recall Adele. She played her part so well.

[–] exatera (3953) 4 years ago

So I watched the show now, and this really wasn't what bothered me the most. If they are already capable of astral projection, it's really not that much of a stretch IMO that they could switch into each other's bodies.

What did bother me the most was how meddlesome Louise's character was written. The way she interfered into other people's lives and made everything her business, down to that letter to the police, simply made me cringe. I really can't imagine any normal person acting that way.

[–] OldG (785) 2 years ago

I honestly have no idea what you are talking about... first what rules? There were no rules saying this story couldn't contain supernatural elements... Just because you thought you were watching a realistic dramatic mystery doesn't mean the show changed any rules... because as the story unfolds you learn more about what is going on... that is basically how any story works... Do you honestly think that the story should have started with telling us Adele was actually Rob?

Any twist ever made is because you don't get all the information at the begining...

[–] kukuxu (5409) 2 years ago

No.

Anytime you introduce a mystery, the information that solves that mystery should be there. You can tangle it, you can conceal it with a cloud of red herrings, you can hide it in plain sight, you can con the viewer (you should), that's what good storytellers do.

What you can't do is to get some supernatural element out of the almighty ass to solve the bloody mystery. Well, you can, but it's shitty storytelling.

[–] OldG (785) 2 years ago

Well the they didn't pull anything out their bloody ass...

That something out of the ordinary was going on was hinted after 10 mins or something like that when Louise has her first nightmare...

Furthermore the first time we meet Adele in the first episode we can see something is off with her... We see her lying on the bed counting her fingers and falling a sleep right after David leaves which takes us right to the woods...

So I don't know what more you want unless you just want a body swap shown right away... As soon as the flashbacks with Rob and Adele begins... it is pretty obvious the this Adele talking/interacting with Rob is very different from the Adele we meet in the present time... so there are lot of hints a long the way... maybe you didn't pick them up but that doesn't mean they were not there...