In dramas, the characters portrayed possess one or more extreme characteristics that help justify their actions throughout the progression of their narrative. To make this obvious manipulation less apparent, these characters are placed in extreme situations, requiring their stronger characteristics to emerge on screen. In the end, the quality of this balancing act determines how well the characters are developed.

This is not unlike the reality we live in, actually. We sometimes reflect on ourselves through the outcome of our reactions to a particular event or happening, and sometimes we create a certain situation or atmosphere by allowing our character traits to affect our surroundings. Either way, we're given ways to read a person. However, deciding whether someone's characteristics are intrinsic or extrinsic really depends on how we decide to perceive them: that guy at that store could be a real jerk, or maybe he just really hates working there.

While dramas try their best to balance those two perceptions to create more realistic and believable characters, we tend to settle for something even more dramatic in reality. This is because we're not interested in knowing the entire person, even though we can spot a fake TV character from miles away. It's something we're not willing to see in real life, although we want others to see us that way.

That's why dramas work. By laying out everything that's needed to create a believable character, we're forced to look at the entire character, which allows us to view the entire person; something we can easily recognize in ourselves but not as well in others.

Therefore, a well made drama with real characters can assure us that we're not too different from one another, that we think about the same problems. And perhaps that's why talking about a particular drama with someone you know make you feel happy, while it brings new people closer.

Drama can be a wonderful mediator.

By Chanhee

Extracted from Chanhee's Minihome

Above is a scene from "Over The Rainbow"