Episode Twenty.... and behind-the-scenes writer's commentary

"Ragged Isle" episode twenty, "Original of the Species," is up at The Entertainment Experiment web site. If you haven't already, go watch it now. After you've seen it, read on for a behind-the-scenes writer's commentary, which will (of course) include spoilers for this episode and previous episodes.

I've written about our process before. I'm talking about the five original writers:  Barry Dodd, Karen Dodd, Rick Dalton, Jacob Lear, and myself. We had this giant piece of cardboard and these little index cards on which we wrote character descriptions and plot points, clustering them on the cardboard to form loose episode capsules. The first ten clusters, representing the first season, were thickly settled, as a large part of our energy and focus was getting the first season (which we'd be shooting that summer) really nailed down and into good shape. We knew the climax of the whole series, thanks to a brilliant offhand comment from Jake Lear early in the proceedings.  But the clusters of cards between the first season and the climax were a little... thinner.

For example, for the previous episode, we wrote that the "dissident" (which is how we referred to the character who fell in love with Emma Dobson and was exiled to an underwater cage) meets the CDC character (who would be played by me), realizes I'm his son, and tells me so. This is what it said on the card, more or less:  "Dissident meets CDC agent. Tells him he's his son."

When it came time to write that scene, I thought to myself:  Wait, what? Why would the CDC agent believe this guy? Is there anything written on the back of this card? No? Damn it!

After some thought, I hit upon the idea that unbeknownst to the CDC agent, he has the ability to breathe underwater. I wrote the scene that eventually ended up in episode nineteen, in which the "dissident" gives my character a bit of baptism, proving definitively that he's... well, not like other people. Brilliant!, I thought to myself, and happily shared the scene with the rest of the writing team.

To my dismay, Karen pushed back against it. "I think that the CDC agent would have discovered this ability before now," she wrote. Rats! Wait, would he have? Why would he have? We went back and forth on this for quite a while, never quite fully agreeing, until finally, I wrote the monologue my character delivers in this episode, the one about his little brother drowning -- definitively serving up a reason why Dr. Hoffman has never discovered this amazing ability.

Boy, am I glad Karen pushed back, because this is my favorite scene in the whole series (or one of my favorites, anyway). But, boy, was I terrified to actually have to perform it. First of all, I'd be sitting next to Michael Dix Thomas, who's basically great acting personified. Secondly, the tone of monologue is extremely tricky: sad, awed, and capping off with a laugh line about Aquaman that has to be delivered absolutely straight. I'll leave it to others to decide whether or not I pulled it off, but I've been waiting two years to share it with you. I'm so happy it's finally here.

As for the rest of the episode, it has one of the creepiest endings of any episode of "Ragged Isle." I've mentioned this before, but the basement scenes were shot in my basement, which is just inherently creepy anyway, and the sight of a gagged and bagged Paul thrashing around on the chair just gives me chills -- even when I saw it happening on set and I knew Ian was just fine. Yikes.

And oh yeah: I kill a guy in this episode. No sound effects have been added to that slam against the wall. That was really me thumping against the wall. The tricky part was to stay hidden behind actor Denis Fontaine as he advanced towards Vicki until he falls away to reveal me holding the knife. We did a bunch of takes, always starting with me slamming against the wall of the building and then me crouching down behind Denis to stay out of the camera's sight. (When I dropped the knife, I was trying to do it like Michael Corleone drops the gun in The Godfather.)

Also, I throw up again. Dr. Hoffman sure has a weak stomach.  But now we know why he doesn't like boats. Or the water.

This episode also features a quiet scene between Madame Clelia and Louis. This was a very late addition to the script, when we realized we needed a final beat between these two whose friendship has been a part of the tapestry of the show since the beginning (and something that was very much discovered on set, based on the chemistry between the actors). It was a pleasure working with Kathryn Coccyx and Adam Cogswell, both of whom brought so much to their characters. (I'm not saying we've necessarily seen the last of both of them, just that this scene puts a nice bow on their relationship.)

The idea from very early on was that there would be simultaneous investigations happening on the island -- people taking a cold, hard, logical approach (Agent Thorne Homeland Security), people looking for a more supernatural explanation (Sheriff Dalton and Dr. Hoffman), and people digging into the island's history (Paul and Vicki). As we begin to wrap up the series, those supposedly parallel investigations are beginning to intersect more and more. It was fun to bring those separate elements together outside the Ragged Isle Star offices (to be continued next episode).

We're really in the home stretch now, and for me, these final three episodes are the most exciting ones we've done. I can't wait to share the rest with you.

P.S. Those underwater shots are stunning, aren't they? Barry and Derek and David's images are so beautiful. Haunting event.

P.P.S. I keep thinking of other things I want to praise about this episode. How about Kip Weeks and Krystal Kenville acting underwater? Acting. Friggin'. Underwater. Holy cow, these guys are unbelievable.

Episode Fourteen.... and behind-the-scenes writer's commentary

"Ragged Isle" episode fourteen, "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own," is up.  Check it out, and when you've seen it, read on for a behind-the-scenes writer's commentary.



Have you seen it? Don't read any further if you haven't seen it, because, seriously, I'm going to be spoiling the episode like crazy in just a couple more sentences. Are we cool? Cool.

Again, I'm pleased with how well a U2 song title fits with the themes of the episode, which features several characters trying to make tentative connections with the people around them.  Vicki finally lets her brother in on her secret investigation.  Paul seeks help from Colleen.  The reviled Agent Thorne lets her guard down around Deputy Dan.  And Gertie shares a vulnerable moment with her doctor.  No one in this episode wants to move forward on their own.  They all need a little help.

When I wrote the scene of Vicki examining the newspaper articles on her wall, I was aware that this (or something very much like it) is something that people have seen before, in movies about obsessive conspiracy theorists, movies about obsessive serial killers, movies about obsessive stalkers, and movies about plain old run-of-the-mill obsessives. I wanted to do something a little different, and not have the scene be about ratcheting up the paranoia, but rather a warm brother-sister moment in which Vicki and Erik share a memory and a confidence. Michael Dix Thomas and Meghan Benton do some nice subtle work here, I think. Also, we slipped into this scene a reference to Steve Silverman's hilarious web series, "Pretty." Did you catch it? If not, you should probably start watching "Pretty."  Just sayin'.

It was also important to me that the articles on the wall be as authentic as possible, even if the audience only sees them for a few fleeting moments. I got kind of obsessive about this myself, composing all of the articles, trying to match the prose style, typeface, and newsprint consistency to the era from which each one was supposedly written. (It was also necessary to map out in my own mind certain aspects of the island's history going back about 150 years.)

If you'd like a closer look at these articles, I've set up an interactive "conspiracy wall" that you can peruse to your heart's content. Check it out, and let's hear some of your theories in the comments section.

One of the many things that delights me about season one of "Ragged Isle" is that we were able to seed the crowd scenes with ringers -- terrific actors who populated the background and nothing more, but who would get cool scenes spotlighting their talents in seasons two and three. Christine Louise Marshall, who plays island librarian Colleen Drake, was one of these secret weapons. She appears in five episodes of season one, but only speaks one single line all season. Now here she is in season two, delivering the goods in a great scene with Ian Carlsen as Paul.  Check out that cocked eyebrow.  That's gold!

I'll tell you something else about the scene with Ian and Christine: We shot that in Harpswell, and we must have done about twenty takes. Wide shots, two-shots, close-ups, over-the-shoulders, medium shots, and on and on. The idea was that Barry would edit the scene together in a traditional way, cutting back and forth between different shots. But the scene you see in the final cut is a single take. Ian and Christine were just so fantastic in that one take, it would have been artistic malpractice to cut away.  After calling "Cut" on that take, Barry turned to me with a huge grin on his face and said, "I think we just got everything we needed right there."  He was right.  I love this scene.

Okay, now we come to the scene between Agent Thorne and Deputy Dan. This is a pretty important scene for Agent Thorne's character, who up until this point has been a real hardass. Kathryn Perry has been playing the hell out of the character, and even my mom (who's a real tough cookie herself) is terrified of her. Meanwhile, the gals at Indie Intertube have been screaming for her blood, because she's been such a... well, pretty mean anyway... to everyone we know and love on the island.

But nothing is simple on Ragged Isle, and there aren't always clear-cut heroes and villains (not yet, anyway), so it was crucial that we get a scene in which we see the softer side of Agent Thorne. True, even the softer side has a sarcastic streak ("What is this, Sesame Street?"), but we see here that Agent Thorne is human after all, and capable of moments of warmth and friendship. I know I keep saying this over and over again on the blog, but the actors really deliver in this scene too.  Kudos to Kathryn and Erik!

Another ringer we brought in in season one was Suzanne Rankin, who plays Gertie Kendrick, a best-selling author dying of cancer.  She  didn't have a single line last season, but she showed up at the town meeting in episode four, and at a secret meeting in the woods (also in episode four) surreptitiously photographed by Vicki.  Ms. Rankin  was unbelievably gracious and generous when we shot those scenes in season one. She had read the entire season, and she told us repeatedly how much she loved the script. She didn't get to read the second season, but I promised her then that she would have some nice moments to play. The scene in this episode between her and Cathy Counts (as Dr. Gail Monroe) was one of the moments I promised her. We shot this on the very last day of principal photography on "Ragged Isle," so it was already a pretty emotional day. And then she delivered the seagull speech, and I was just blown away.  That scene could come across as a little corny or overwritten (which would be my fault), but she completely sells it, I think.  What a talented, classy lady.

The final scene, on Paul's boat, was also shot in Harpswell, on a very, very long shooting day (the same day, in fact, as the Paul-Colleen scene). This was one of the last daylight scenes of the shoot (we had some night scenes to shoot after this), and the light here is absolutely gorgeous. The problem with light like this is that it's incredibly fleeting, so we really had to hustle. We got two takes of the last exchange between Vicki and Paul ("Do you really think you can trust her?" "No."), the sun getting lower and lower every second, before it was too dark to proceed. Luckily, Ian and Meghan nailed it.

A show like "Ragged Isle" is, by necessity, paced in such a way that each episode ends on a moment of suspense or tension or general cliffhangeriness.

My favorite episode ending is probably episode seven, when Sheriff Dalton and Deputy Dan are driving Louis back to the sheriff's office, but then the sheriff pulls over to the side of the road when Louis is less than forthcoming about something. Louis finally admits that he had been motivated by something Madame Clelia told him, and Deputy Dan and the sheriff look at each other in surprise, because they have, by sheer coincidence, pulled over directly in front of of Madame Clelia's place. Just as they're realizing that, Clelia herself knocks on the passenger window and says, "Good, you're finally here. You better come in," and turns back into the darkness. The sheriff and deputy stare after her.  Cut to black, and Robber & Thief's "Brothers" kicks in on the soundtrack. The whole moment I've just described takes only a couple of seconds, but I think it's just tremendous.

I love the ending of this episode too, cutting to black on Paul's simple answer of "No," and "Unlucky Friend" by the Portland-based band Plains playing on the soundtrack.  Nice.

Speaking of the soundtrack, musician Richard DeCosta, who recorded a version of "Flight of the Bumblebee" for Louis's magic act in the talent show episode of season one, has joined "Ragged Isle" in a major way this season, scoring the individual episodes.  His work has helped take us to the next level, elevating the quality and increasing the emotional impact of each installment. We're lucky to have him aboard.

I was recently talking to "Ragged Isle" director Barry Dodd about this season, and he recalled the days more than a year ago, before we'd shot any of this season, when I'd talk to him excitedly about what I was writing -- the new characters, the raised stakes, the crazier situations, the increase in seagull monologues.  He'd always nod with cautious enthusiasm at my excited proclamations, mostly because Barry's always been more interested in the quieter, "in between" moments.  The pauses between lines of dialogue, the word-free interludes between scenes, the beautiful (sometimes lonely, sometimes ominous) shots of Maine's outdoors.  Don't get me wrong.  I love those things too, and as Barry says, they complement the gaudier mayhem I had in mind.

If you want to know what I mean by "gaudier mayhem," just you wait.  In the meantime, I'm having a great time enjoying the scenery.

Episode Thirteen... and behind-the-scenes writer's commentary

"Ragged Isle" episode thirteen, "Drowning Man," is up.  Check it out, and when you're done, read on for a behind-the-scenes writer's commentary.



Have you watched it?  Because there will spoilers in the rest of this post, for this episode and everything that came before.  Fair warning

You know what my favorite thing about this episode is?  I got to take a power drill and drill a hole in Sebastian Carlsen.  Hell, yes!

(Okay, maybe that's not my favorite thing.  But it's pretty damned awesome.)

This episode endured a number of rewrites, many due to logistical concerns, though all the changes ultimately benefited the show, I think.  (One of the rewrites -- of season two as a whole -- actually conjured this episode into existence.  More on that in a moment.)

For example, as scripted, the first scene, between Paul, Eric, and Louis, originally took place in a big office that had belonged to Louis's mentor, Harrison Shaw (played in season one by Todd Manter), the idea being that Louis would look very small behind Shaw's enormous desk, which he has inherited.  But we couldn't secure a decent office location (or a big enough desk), and the scene was moved outside, which I believe works much better.  First of all it looks great, showing off once again Maine's beautiful outdoors.  Plus it puts Paul and Eric in an environment in which they're pretty comfortable (but Louis isn't), and it gives us another glimpse of the island blockade, reminding us of this season's raised stakes.  There's some nice work from all three actors in this scene.

The second scene, between Rose and Julie, originally took place in the grocery store.  But we had too many scenes set in the grocery store, which had to remain open while we were shooting, and we just couldn't cover them all in the limited time we had available.  So the scene was moved to Rose's kitchen, and it ends up being a much more intimate setting for Julie and Rose to discuss Julie's interrogation.  I'm in love with all of the acting in this episode.  Beth Saufler and Amie Marzen serve up a nice snapshot of the intimacy between Rose and Julie, as well as some barriers that still exist between them.

The autopsy scene never changed locations, but there was a lot of back-and-forth about what exactly the audience would see.  Barry really wanted us to have a "Twin Peaks moment," like when Agent Cooper stuck the tweezers deep beneath a dead Laura Palmer's fingernail to retrieve a clue.  For our scene, Barry envisioned a close-up of oversized cotton swab being slowly pulled from a hole in a victim's chest.  (We even discussed -- at length -- just how much blood and other bodily goo should be clinging to the swab as it is pulled out.)  I did some research into tests for drowning, and came up with the diatom test, which compares bacteria found in the victim's lung to bacteria found in the local water supply.  The lung isn't usually reached with a power drill of course, but I figured that on an island without a lab, locked down and with few available facilities, the doctor would have to improvise a bit.  This may be wildly unsound, but I'm keen on the effect of the drill and the cotton swab.  And let me tell you something, that drill was fun to wield.  Our special effects wizard, Eric Anderson, rigged up a rubber torso, and poor Sebastian had to crouch at the end of the table, leaning his head way back to complete the illusion.  There was a Styrofoam cup full of fake blood directly beneath the spot I had to drill (and dip the swab).  I hope we achieved the "ick" factor we were going for without being too stomach-churning.

This sequence also features the first face-to-face encounter between Sheriff Dalton and Agent Thorne (something that fans have been anticipating since the season began), and it does not disappoint.  The sheriff's great line, "Control the lobsters, control the world!" came directly from the mind of Rick Dalton, and I love love love the way he delivers it.  We also get to meet the great Cathy Counts as Ragged Isle resident doctor Gail Monroe.  We'll see more of her.

In this episode, we see more of Vicki's investigation, as she digs up old archived Ragged Isle Star articles—which I like to imagine were scanned somewhat haphazardly over the years by Vance Trundle, who probably didn't catalog or cross-reference his work very thoroughly.  So Vicki's search for relevant stories probably amounts to sifting through tons and tons of fine sand in the hopes of turning up the occasional gold nugget.  Which is the definition of good journalism, come to think of it.  We'll see more of the fruits of her investigation very soon.

If you freeze-frame on Vicki's computer screen, you might be able to read the text of the two articles  Vicki has pulled up -- one an archived story from 1937 about the death of a factory heiress, and one a contemporary story Vicki's working on about the island lobstering ban.  The first one's a clue, obviously, more of Vicki's investigation into what exactly's going on.

Again, I love the acting in this scene, as the tension just rises and rises.  Oh, and  Vance's line, "You're a good man, sister," is a direct lift from "The Maltese Falcon" -- a little present for people who love that movie (as I do).

After season one aired, the decision was made to split the already written ten-episode second season into two separate seasons of six episodes apiece, which meant writing two new episodes and tearing apart all of the existing episodes, and pasting them back together in ways that made sense.  Episode thirteen was one of the "new" episodes (though it contains scenes that had been in earlier drafts of season two).  After my first pass on the episode, it was running a bit short, but I realized we didn't have enough Madame Clelia in this season.  So I added the scene on the street, which is a nice showcase for Kathryn Coccyx and further illustrates how divided the island has become.  It's a nice showcase for Louis too, as he takes control of a situation in a way we haven't seen before.

In case it hasn't become obvious by now, the title of every episode of "Ragged Isle" is also the title of a U2 song.  I'm particularly fond of how well this title, "Drowning Man," fits with this episode, which features Louis drowning in his new responsibilities, Sebastian apparently dead by drowning, and Vance Trundle drowning in a sea of Homeland Security questions.  Each of these characters is, in his own way, the drowning man of the title.

I like the camera perspective we get at the beginning of the interrogation scene, which gives a different flavor from the Julie interrogation scene of the last episode.  Still, Agent Thorne continues to prove her badassery.  Her cold stare at Vance Trundle after he attempts to cut the interview short is a joy to behold.

The interrogation scene and the evidence room were both shot at the Baxter Memorial Library in Gorham, Maine (where we shot the library scene in episode six last season).  They were unbelievably gracious and generous letting us use their facility, and the payoff for us is an incredibly cool-looking, authentic set.  We are so grateful to them.

That's actor Benjamin Row as the agent who answers the phone in the evidence room when Thorne is looking for Griggs.  Ben was one of the people who showed up when we put out a call for extras to play agents.  And then he kept showing up, helping out in about a thousand different ways.  Whenever we needed an agent extra, Ben was there.  Whenever we needed something else, Ben was there.  He became such a fixture on the set that we started giving him lines.  "You've got Murphy," and his mispronunciation of "Katsarakis" last week.

Ben's also a stage actor, and during a recent run of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," he wore his Ragged Isle t-shirt every night on stage.  He is a "Ragged Isle" hero.  Thanks, Ben!

Have I covered everybody?  Probably not.  But I want to say again that all the actors in this episode brought their A-game, and Barry brought his A-game to shooting and cutting it.

And the music!  Again:  So, so good.

I love this episode.

Random Ragged 4/19

Worthy of Comment

I just got back from a recording session for the "Ragged Isle" episode one audio commentary, featuring Barry Dodd, Rick Dalton, Ian Carlsen, Michael Dix Thomas, April Joy Purinton, Meghan Benton, and myself. So cool. So fun.

Rick Dalton, champion of the universe, organized the event and handled recording duties, and I can't wait to see/hear how it comes out when put together with the episode.

We're planning on doing these for every episode of season one, which is relaunching on SFN TV next week. So if you watched "Ragged Isle" last year, this will be a chance to get something new out of the experience. And then, before you know it, season two will be launching.

Like I said, I can't wait.

Ho Ho Ho from Ragged Isle!

Random Image 10/23/11

Michael Dix Thomas returns as Eric Burke

Random Image of the Day

Random image 5/6/11

Dedicated to Ragged Isle fans swampyankee1 "If I don't get the t-shirt can I have the shackle??" and Indie Intertube's Destini "That opening shot was so pretty, it hurt."