A few days ago, YouTube recommended me a video by Agus Greco called How to Write Chemistry. It’s around 30 minutes long. This was the first video I watched from the YouTuber, and I found the information she gives about how chemistry should be written in a story very interesting, whether it’s between two characters or within an entire ensemble cast. It gives a notion of what chemistry is, its different types, and its rhythm.
The video begins with the following questions:
“Why do some characters seem perfect for each other in theory and still have no chemistry on the page? Why do some characters feel electric from the second they meet, while others remain flat no matter how much development or plot they’re given? Why do some character interactions feel magnetic even when nothing dramatic is happening on the surface? Sometimes all it takes is a few lines, a pause, or a look to create palpable tension. The exchange can be minimal, but the sense of friction and pull is unmistakable. Sometimes simply placing two characters in a room talking can feel more full of tension, energy, and momentum than pages of visible action.”
What the author points out at the beginning immediately reminded me of Syd/Carmy vs. Carmy/Claire. Comparing both dynamics, Syd and Carmy are by far the more interesting one to me. I care much more about seeing what happens between them and their interactions than I do about Claire Bear’s storyline. That’s why I want to believe that the way Claire and Carmy are presented serves a different purpose than being the show’s main chemistry.
Every point brought up throughout the video reinforces for me that SydCarmy is the central interaction. Here are some fragments from the video:
“Chemistry is charged interaction. It’s the feeling that every time two or more characters share a scene, something is happening underneath the surface: attraction, friction, fascination, mismatch, need, pattern, play.”
“Chemistry comes from dynamics, not similarity. One of the biggest mistakes writers make is assuming chemistry comes from characters having a lot in common. Sometimes it does, but far more often chemistry comes from contrast and movement. Not necessarily opposites. What matters is that when these two characters interact, they activate each other. One pushes, the other resists. One performs, the other sees through it. One wants closeness, the other fears it. One leads, the other refuses to follow. That’s where the spark lives.”
“These relationships work because each person pushes against the emotional temperature of the other, and no interaction is neutral.”
“Chemistry comes alive through tension. If you want chemistry, you need tension. And tension doesn’t only mean physical tension. Tension can be desire, distrust, status imbalance, emotional asymmetry, unfinished history, conflicting goals, or mutual fascination neither person knows how to handle. Chemistry thrives when something between the characters remains unresolved. That’s why flat relationships often feel flat even when the characters themselves are well written. Nothing presses. Nothing is charged. Nothing is at stake within the interaction itself.”
From my perspective, those fragments practically describe the chemistry between Syd and Carmy. Their interactions always generate a reaction in the other; as the author points out, they activate each other, there’s always something left unsaid, there’s unfinished history, and so on. In contrast, Carmy and Claire’s dynamic doesn’t feel that way.
On the other hand, the last part of the video talks about different types of chemistry; romantic chemistry is one of them, and I feel that Syd and Carmy fit, to varying degrees, into the categories the author describes: devotional chemistry, chaotic chemistry, yearning chemistry, combative chemistry, and soft intimacy chemistry. We have small gestures of care, irritation, friction, vulnerability; there are scenes of sacrifice, loyalty, and calm.
In conclusion, I just want them to kiss. Also, really great video for people who write.
romaincrisis
germansingergirl
kianamaiart
dededos
areudirty
annaxmalina
ellievsbear
