The recent episodes are as if the group has been discussed, and the main word is one word:
Tails.
No matter how ferocious the opening is.
In the end, it is always a cliff-like slide that makes people stunned.
But you know what?
In the past few days, there has been a drama that has been broadcast for 10 years, and finally ushered in its "finale".
The ninth and final season.
As soon as the broadcast started, it was invigorating, with a score of 9.4 on Douban.
神剧,依旧封神
Secret No. 9 Season 9
Inside No. 9 Season 9
Regarding this drama, Sir believes that there is no need to introduce it.
Nine seasons.
In the case that each episode is completely independent, it can still achieve a good score of 9 points for 7 seasons, which can be said to be unique.
Even sometimes.
Such a high rating still happened in the case of deletion.
△ The first episode of the latest season, Station B, was cut by 6 minutes
Why do other people end up with a story just after a beat, but "Secret No. 9" can still maintain such a high standard after 51 stories?
This is of course related to the ability of the main creators Chubby and the second book (Steve Pemberton and Reece Shersmith).
And at the same time.
It also has to do with our attitude towards a work
Work.
It is not the same as a commodity.
01
"Chubby" once "explained" their creative ideas when talking about "Secret No. 9":
"We're always writing two stories in one episode."
One is the story that the audience thinks.
One is a story hidden in the plot, which is not revealed until the end.
Set in Episode 1 of this season.
The "story that the audience thinks" is just four words:
Phishing law enforcement.
Like the S2E01, it takes place in car 9, except that the former is a sleeper train and the latter is a subway.
Narrow confined space, 9 passengers with a late-night ride
Suddenly, the subway braked sharply and the lights went out.
The conductor's voice came over the radio: The train is out of power due to a malfunction, please be patient and wait for the resumption of operation.
However, while waiting, a scream pierced the darkness.
A nurse on her way to the hospital on the night shift said she had been caught.
When the subway lights were restored the next second, she checked the backpack that had fallen on the ground and found that the wallet inside was missing.
It's a good "werewolf killing".
So who is the "wolf" who stole the wallet of the 9 people in the carriage?
There is a white-haired man who has always kept a straight face, putting on a self-professing authority, and standing up as a "judge" one step ahead.
The first object of his suspicion was a homeless man.
The reason is simple, of all the people present, he seems to be the most short of money and has a motive to commit a crime.
Do you dare to search your body?
In the face of the sudden accusation, the homeless man felt very wronged, because the nurse had just given him two dollars, how could he take revenge?
There are also passengers who disagree.
A black girl who looks more angry believes that this white-haired man, first, he is not a law enforcement officer, and second, his reasoning method is only to judge people by their appearance, and random body searches are human rights violations.
At this point, the conflict intensified, and the nine people in the car began to stand in line.
Some choose to settle things and unconditionally stand on the side of the white-haired man's "authority".
For example, an eccentric old man who has been chattering, and the husband in a husband and wife file played by the second volume.
Some choose to rebel and stand in opposition to the so-called "authority".
For example, the wife with a strong sense of morality in the second volume, and the rebellious young black girl, and the homeless man who was violated in human rights.
At this moment, on the platform where the train was stationing, three familiar figures suddenly appeared.
The brunette, the homeless man, and the blonde lady were all stunned, wasn't that what they were!
Immediately afterwards, the subway door opened, and the three people standing on the opposite side of "authority" were stunned and taken away, replaced by the three expressionless people on the platform.
At this time, the explosive-headed man in the car, who had not spoken much, took out the nurse's wallet and told the truth.
It turned out that this was an operation to eliminate the "rebels", who stole their wallets in order to "fish for law enforcement" and find out those who dared to challenge the "authority".
The passengers on the bus are actually divided into three groups.
One is the authority group of white-haired men, and the other is the rebels of the black girl group.
There is also a category of eccentric old men and two volumes that have rebelled before, but have later undergone a "purge" and have been replaced.
Although it is not explicitly stated in the play, it can still be seen from a few lines of their lines.
For example, before the final subway door opened, the second volume used the tone of "people who came over" to coax his wife to rest assured.
It's okay, take a deep breath
It doesn't hurt
Because they have been taught a lesson, they choose to obey unconditionally at the beginning of their standing in line.
Station B translated the title of this episode as "Cowardly as a Mouse", which is intended to satirize people who dare not resist and blindly obey the powerful.
But Sir saw that some subtitle groups were translated into "The Silent Majority", which seems to be even more wonderful.
Why the silence?
Why not rebel?
I have to mention one of the transgender women among the 9 people here (can you tell that "she" is chubby).
As a transgender person, she has experienced too much injustice, and the more she understands the rules of society, the more she understands that resistance is ineffective.
Choosing "authority" is actually choosing "security".
The silent majority is actually the majority who choose to compromise after seeing the nature of reality clearly.
But some people, after silence, may also begin to reflect on their choices.
For example, the nurse who had her wallet stolen did not follow everyone out of the car after she finally learned the truth.
At the beginning, she was willing to give alms to the homeless, maintain inner justice, and look at people without prejudice.
But later, because it was she who was stolen, she chose to protect her own interests, but she didn't expect to be disrupted by reality.
If there was a next time, what would she choose?
However, the irony is.
With the British subway, the six-character slogan of the police and the people sounded:
See it, say it, sorted
(Finding problems, reflecting problems, solving problems)
We all know that even if she chooses to resist next time, the outcome will most likely be to be "cleared" and "substituted".
Then, become the next "more well-behaved" "silent majority".
It's really creepy.
I have to say that compared with the satire of the previous eight seasons on human nature, intimacy, online violence and other angles, the challenges of this season's "No. 9" have become bigger and more daring.
It is not only questioning power, but also removing the mask of democracy and fairness.
It is not only about using choice to expose human nature, but also about exploring the "hidden secrets" behind human nature.
For a moment.
Do you also think that the deletion of station B is excusable?
02
I believe that some viewers have also seen it.
The story of S9E01 that Sir talked about earlier seems to have a bit of the flavor of George Orwell's "1984".
The so-called "authority" in the play corresponds to the "Big Brother is watching you" in the book.
Both are talking about a kind of obedience to "absolute rightness".
Or they lose themselves in formatted language, or their thoughts are domesticated and unified by reality.
Although the form, style, and context of expression are different.
But the kernel is basically the same.
Delusion?
No.
To be honest, it is not surprising that everyone can taste the literary spirit of "1984" in the play.
As we all know, as the soul characters throughout the nine seasons of "Secret No. 9", Chubby and the second volume not only perform thousands of people, but also have a profound literary background in the creation of the script.
Such "dropping book bags" also abound in their works.
For example, the "cannibalism" in S3E03 "The Mystery of the Sphinx" is used to dismantle the drama work of the ancient Greek writer Sophocles
"Killing one's father and marrying one's mother" in "Oedipus the King".
For another example, in S8E06's "Weekend Vacation", they use Elizabeth Kübler Roth's five-step path to grief in "On Death and Dying" to satirize the "pain" of losing a lover.
Of course, the most classic is Shakespeare's dramatic literature.
For example, S1E05's "Substitute Corner", both in front of and behind the scenes, Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is staged.
There's also the sinister murder in S4E01's Hotel Sanzeba.
The monologue of the premeditated murder of the prince at the beginning pays homage to Hamlet.
Interspersed with "A Midsummer Night's Dream" after being cast by a hypnotist, you will fall in love with the person you see at first sight.
When reversing, the twins of "Twelfth Night" were used to recognize each other in large numbers.
The ending is all happy in "All Happy".
Flaunting your literary accomplishments?
For others, we may be able to guess so, but for these two people, thinking this way may really underestimate them.
This kind of "book bag" actually has a different role.
Only you know more.
The more you can appreciate its wonders, not just watch the fun.
For example:
It's still episode 1, I don't know if you noticed, when the story says "Not long ago I marched for nurses in the street", the weird old man read a line that has no beginning and no end:
I've got a little list, a little list
Social scum is hidden underground
The dregs of the wicked are among them
Guess who won't be left behind
Guess who won't be left out
The plot is an excerpt from "Micardo".
It looks like just a crazy talk.
But in reality?
Micardo (aka The Emperor) is an opera that speaks of Japan on the surface, but is in fact a satire of the British bureaucracy.
And this line.
It is said that the bureaucrats have a list of "reactionaries" who do not conform to the values of the government, and they are ready to find out the operation of the dead ghosts.
So you see.
If you're familiar with this opera, you've probably guessed the ending here.
It has been quietly leaked.
So much so that when the story gets to the end, when that famous reversal begins, the emotion you can get may no longer be an accident or a shock.
It's the thrill of solving puzzles.
And this is also the intention of the creator to carefully construct the details of those "drop book bags".
It's just a pity.
Whether in the UK or overseas, the number of people who can understand all the "memes" in the series is still very small.
This results in this series albeit of high quality.
But in fact, I haven't been able to get out of the circle.
Caviar to the general.
Especially compared to "Black Mirror" in the same period.
Although visible to the naked eye, "Black Mirror" is worse than the other, and it is disappointing again and again, especially after being taken over by Netflix, it has basically lost the depth of thinking it should have.
Look around.
We can also see that there are still many more people who continue to chase "Black Mirror" than "Secret No. 9".
It seems that it doesn't matter whether the quality is high or not anymore.
It doesn't matter if it's clever or not.
Whether or not you can "understand without brains" has become the primary secret of the "success" of a work.
03
This is also the reason why Sir is reluctant to give up on the finale.
It's not just that there are too few dramas like this.
All the more because.
There are too few such people.
Chubby and the second book are both average.
They graduated from Breton Hall College, a little-known company in Yorkshire, England at that time, because their academic qualifications were not outstanding enough, their early years of pursuing their dreams in the entertainment industry were not smooth.
Especially in the second volume, 6 years after graduation, he has been doing some bad part-time jobs intermittently.
For example, setting up a stall on the street to invite passing customers to try it, collecting tasting feedback, for example, doing telephone consultation, being sprayed with blood by customers who are unwilling to cooperate every day, and even, knocking on doors to do questionnaire research to inquire about consumers' needs for the market.
The monthly salary he receives and unemployment benefits are only enough for rent.
Until later.
Together with two other alumni, Jeremy and Mark, the two created the BBC's The League of Gentlemen.
△ Above: two volumes; Bottom: Mark Gatis; Left: Chubby; Right: Jeremy Dessan
That's when he became famous.
It stands to reason that once you climb the branches, with your fame, you should always reap the harvest, right?
But they didn't.
They have always maintained a passion for their work.
as well as not satisfied.
Enthusiasm is easy to understand
After reading the interview between the two of them, you will find that this pair of perfect CPs, who are "excessive" in their associative ability and vocabulary, are actually very different in personality and hobbies.
In daily life, the second volume is more emotional, and the sense of self-protection is very strong.
Compared with socializing, he prefers to get the pleasure of diverging his mind from the "distraction" when he is alone.
And Chubby is the opposite.
He is not only elegant and generous, but also emotionally stable, and always exists like a needle in the sea.
It is also full of desire to explore the relationship between people and the logic between people and things.
Overall.
The second volume is responsible for reversal and stimulation, and Chubby is responsible for rationality and logic.
The reason why the two are together is because they have an extremely strong desire to express themselves in addition to complementing each other.
They love to create.
As they said in an interview:
Creation is their joy.
Even if inspiration dries up, curiosity doesn't stop, and enthusiasm doesn't stop either.
So, what about the so-called "dissatisfied"?
It's not about the pursuit of big scenes and big productions.
Rather, it said.
"Dissatisfaction" with overcoming difficulties in a limited space.
As we all know, "Secret No. 9" comes from the idea of "Yin Yang Demon World" (later also known as: "Blurred Time and Space") in 1959
The stories of each episode are unrelated, but they have the same sense of theme.
Over the years, many of the works have been inspired by this.
Like "Black Mirror", or "The X-Files".
But why did many of these works fail in the end, while "Secret No. 9" still maintains a high standard?
Ultimately.
Or the determination of the two to be "not satisfied" with the result of creating mediocre works.
At the beginning of the sixth season, there was a self-deprecation of them:
You have to allow us to have a certain amount of inspiration drying up
Why?
Because the response to the fifth season was not good, it only scored a low score of 8.3 on Douban.
That's right, 8.3 is already the lowest score in the series.
This may be a ceiling evaluation for many, and for them, it is almost a shame.
They'll have to try harder.
So, instead of laughing at themselves.
It's more about reminding yourself to stick to your original intentions and reminding the audience to supervise them
Don't be afraid if you don't have money.
As long as you are free to create, you can overcome the difficulties caused by lack of money.
"I can't shoot on location, so I try to make the most of my creative skills in one room and one location, think about how to solve a problem, create a story, and fully consider the various situations in the outside world."
Don't be afraid if you don't have inspiration.
As long as you stick to your own creative principles, you will always grind out good works.
We don't want to rush into a new season
It's about keeping the story interesting and unexpected
Don't covet a last-minute shocking reversal
So you can see.
In terms of form, they don't stick to the same shooting technique.
For example, half of the silent film of S1E02 "Silent Night".
Surveillance camera of S2E04 "Icy Comfort".
The 2018 Halloween special "Dead Period" pseudo-documentary live......
Nor do they want repetition in terms of subject matter or expression.
History, stage, horror, warmth, suspense...
Human nature, human rights, government, society, class, intimacy...
Ever changing.
Even in the latest episode of the ninth season, "The Tram Problem", the reversal of the story is not new, it is still a father's confession and revenge.
But you're going to see it as a brand new idea, and you're going to call it awesome.
So so to speak.
The success of "Secret No. 9" is completely the result of the two people's insistence on their original intentions.
First time?
Friends who see this may be laughing, what kind of chicken soup is this?
Not.
Because we do see a lot of blockbuster creators, who tend to appear in high spirits, or with a unique set of aesthetics, or with some unexpected cleverness.
But in the end.
Most of them will be obsessed with everyone, filming some licensed goods that any director can make.
It's not that they're falling.
Rather, it is because, in reality, they have to do the same.
Yes.
At a time when movies have become short videos, and in today's world where you can laugh at awards but not at the box office, those so-called artistic persistence will always seem so embarrassing and out of place.
You can't be alone.
So if you want to be successful in business, then you must vote for the public, and if your starting point is to cater to the public, it will inevitably lose its edges and corners and lower the threshold for viewing.
And if you want to stick to your aesthetic all the time.
There is a high probability that it will be high and low, and in the end, there will be no follow-up.
It's like the nurse in the carriage.
In other words, if you encounter this situation again, will you choose to stick to the truth (creation) or rely on power (the public)?
But.
Even so, we know that there will always be a small group of people who will not forget their original intentions.
These creators.
Maybe you don't agree with their artistic ideas, maybe they don't get more public attention, or even they don't get any benefit themselves.
But they still stick to their principles and recognize their identity as creators.
Choose to create your work.
Instead of manufacturing goods.
Perhaps for this reason alone, they deserve respect.
Speaking of which, Sir remembered the "secret" of his own creation that the two people of "Secret No. 9" had also said:
There is no way.
Now it seems that such a rejection of routines and not pleasing the public is easy to say.
But actually.
How many can really do it?
The picture in this article comes from the Internet
Editorial Assistant: Ming Yan has passed the spring
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