The Importance of Interpretation
Reading a few Reddit threads reminded me of my thoughts on the writing of characters, events, and worldbuilding in TDP.
My main question: were some elements of the story intentionally designed to be flawed in order to tell us something about reality, or were they simply mistakes by the creators that we, the fans, read into something deeper?
A few examples, I hope I can explain well what I mean:
Ghosting in Moonshadow Elves's culture
As the author of this thread notes:
ghosting has significant logical flaws that can result in a threat to the community (if the ghosted person can return to the village, as Rayla did, then they can, for example, cause damage there, even under the influence of strong emotions related to exclusion or even revenge).
And now - is the functioning of this spell supposed to show us that in real life in various cultures there are permanently functioning customs/mechanisms that the community should really question instead of maintain? Or at least modify?
Or was the ghosting ritual invented for the purposes of the plot, without really delving into its operation any further than was necessary for the episode?
Janai and Karim
Was the prolonged decision-making about Karim meant to show us how difficult it is to pass judgment on a family member, even when it's clear he shows no signs of reforming and poses a real threat?
Or did the screenwriters simply fail to notice that the attitude they proposed for Janai might be perceived as somewhat inconsistent with her established characterization or even illogical, considering the circumstances?
Rayla tricks Callum
This is just one of the things the author of this thread mentions:
Is the fact that Rayla, instead of talking to Callum and finding some other solution, breaks into his office and steals the keys, and he doesn't immediately see it as a problem, a way to show that in relationships, we can sometimes, for various reasons, not notice the behavior of the other person that should make us wonder?
Or is it simply a questionable solution by the writers regarding this scene and it doesn't have a deeper message, because the characters somehow don't attach much importance to these events later?
Lujanne
Is the fact that Lujanne doesn't seem to have a problem at all (doesn't react to it in any way) with Claudia and Soren's appearance on the Cursed Caldera supposed to show that even people in positions of responsibility can fail to do their duty, let their guard down, or ignore a potential problem?
Or is it simply a ploy along the lines of "Since Lujanne took in the kids, she had no problem with their friends either, even if she's supposed to protect this place from people - let alone black magicians - so there's really no reason for her to even address the appearance of more people. Because they won't do anything bad, since they're friends of the kids."
Runaan
Does Runaan's accusation in In-Between of trying to kill Rayla show how much we can convince ourselves, under the influence of regret, guilt, and trauma, that we really wanted something?
Or is it simply an inaccuracy in the context of the creators' declaration that he would ultimately hesitate and not do it (i.e. despite such a declaration, he does not really want to take Rayla's life)?
Runaan was willing to kill Rayla in s1e3. Given that he raised her, can you tell us about his mindset, what justified that to him? Thoughts
These are just a few examples, but I hope they are enough to illustrate what I mean.
I really wonder about the issue of interpretation in the context of storytelling. Maybe this is what the most determines the fact that when it comes to solutions like the ones above some viewers praise TDP very much, while others complain about the writers' decisions?
(Of course, you can do both, but you know what I mean ;)
Any thoughts are welcome! I would be grateful for your point of view.
