Quantum Storytelling

There’s this thing that movies and TV do from time to time. Sometimes it’s a trick used across sequels. They’ll have characters trade places and sometimes lines. Depending on how it’s done, I tend to like it.

In The Bourne Identity, when Bourne shoots the assassin played by Clive Owen, as the assassin is dying he says to Bourne, “Look at what they make you give.”

In the third movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, as Bourne finally discovers the truth of his identity and is forced into a showdown, he says, “Look at what they make you give.” I thought it was clever that they had Bourne come full circle and echo Clive Owen’s line from the first movie.

Likewise some of the actions and lines used by the character Reese in the original Terminator movie end up being echoed by the reprogrammed friendly T-101 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. They even revisit a final fight in a factory, but instead of Reese bashing an evil T-101 with a pipe, it’s a good T-101 bashing the evil T-1000. In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, after slowing down the female T-X model, Arnold proclaims, “She’ll be back.”

In the TV show Jericho, there is a flashback featuring the grandfather of Jake, one of the main protagonists in the show. The grandfather tells a story about some WWII allied soldiers who were surrounded by Germans. When the Germans offered to let the allies surrender, the allies respond with the message, “Nuts!” Flash forward to the heroes of Jericho surrounded by enemies. The leader of the enemies offers to let the people of Jericho surrender. Of course, the hero Jake responds by saying, “Nuts!”

Is it any surprise that fans protesting the cancellation of the show sent 20 tons of nuts to the network?

A lot of movies and TV shows seem to play this musical chairs role reversal game, by either putting another character in the exact same situation, giving them the same lines, or both. It’s a neat trick when cleverly done.

Have you ever used it?