over and out: voice overs in tv dramas

I’ve read Mckee and I’ve watched his advice repeated and parodied in Adaptation ("and GOD HELP YOU if you ever use voice over in your work").

But I never ‘got it’.

Until Sex and the City. And Desperate Housewives. And Grey's Anatomy.

I don't care that it's lazy. If you can achieve something with less effort then that's all good, I'm pro-that.

But come on. What insight do Carrie Bradshaw's trite, superficial voice overs give to her character, or the lives of 30-something urban singles? SATC is an easy, sometimes fun and frivolous show, and we can understand the plot and simple character arcs from just watching the programme. To have it spelled out for us on top of that is just insulting!

The same can be said of Housewives. Sure, I can see some interesting potential in a dead character narrating her friend's lives. Maybe Mary Alice would have some sharp insights into the lives of her fellow housewives, or maybe some perspective on their condition that only death can bring. Sounds Good. Unfortunately each week we are subjected to a sickening 'lesson' stretched out in an appropriately 'desperate' attempt to cover all of the character's story lines. Who needs this kind of empty faux-moralising wisdom?

It is baffling that Grey's Anatomy, despite having the world's most simpering, irritating narrator, has become the number one show in America.

Any writer or viewer who wants a drama they can really engage with will be far more drawn to shows like Six Feet Under or Battlestar Galactica. Shows where you might have to interpret the motivation of the characters, or try to work out what is happening, what the relationships are and why. Long live the power of interpretation, the power to interact with art in your own way.

A quick note on exceptions. Dexter, which I've just started watching on FX, more than justifies its use of voice over. First, the main character is a serial killer, making him a difficult prospect for us to understand and empathise with (I hope!) - we need the extra help a voice over can give us. Second, we are aware from the start that Dexter doesn't fully understand himself. This means that while the voice over may help us see things from Dexter's perspective, it is only one clue among many that we will need to piece together his character. His internal monologue isn't the answer sheet, it will be full of the false starts and self delusion that is part of any personal testimony.

For the first time in a while there's a show with voice over that I'm looking forward to puzzling out.

kate s-b