This does not only apply to episode but books as well
What is your opinion of multiple main characters with multiple points of view? Changing from one character in one chapter to another character in the next. E.g Milly’s point of view in chapter 1, Sarah’s point of view in chapter 2
I can see the pros and cons of this form of writing.
Pros
If done well it can create a more dynamic, gripping story, with a stronger connection to characters and a deeper understanding of contents. With this format, you can either enhance your plot or have your entire story based around character building. Some stories I can’t remember names I’ve seen that use this form of writing very well is when two characters are living two different lives, they haven’t met each other yet, you follow their own individual stories and when they come together in the end and meet the story has a satisfying resolution.
Cons
If not done well, the story may no longer be engaging because there is no mystery. You are given all the points of view of the main characters when following one main protagonist you have no idea what another character may actually be thinking, only the perception the main protagonist has. Who you think another character is may or may not be true. When given all viewpoints there is no wondering or thinking, everything is laid out for you. Another issue some readers have is that they are taken out of the story due to the constant switching, they can’t follow along. It can be hard getting into the head of another character.
My Opinion
I believe done well, this way of writing is fantastic. It’s engaging, it grows connections and you can truly see a deeper meaning in the relationships between characters. Equally, however, I can find what I’m reading unentertaining without that element of possibility, and if I’m given 6 different main characters, I’m going to find it hard to get into the head of each one and simply be withdrawn from the story. I think this way of writing can be done well with 2 to a maximum of 4 main characters. But each must have a genuine reason as to why you are sharing their point of view. If you are only giving us their multiple points of view because you can’t figure out another way to make a reader connected to a character or just want to dump a heck of a lot of monologue on a reader, then you shouldn’t be writing this way. If this way of writing shows a deeper understanding and adds volume to your story then please, proceed.
I don’t like it as much because it can be confusing especially at the beginning at the story when you can’t identify or figure out each character’s personality.
I’m a sucker for stories like that and people who have read my story might already know that lol. I’m just not that much of a fan when there is just one MC, I like to get to know the other charcters better too and not just have them be around. An advantage of having multiple MCs is that it is easier to find someone you relate to in a way or maybe you don’t like one character then you have still other options in finding a favorite who is equally important. I like stories that focus on character growth and human inteactions.
Well, all my stories have more than 1 main character. I love it. Though, I’m not sure how I feel about reading stories with multiple main characters unless I know how that author develops their stories.
I like multiple MCs (but not too many or it gets way too confusing). Personally, I think suspense can still be maintained even with two points of view- I recently finished the book Follow Me Back by A V Geiger and the plot twists took me by complete surprise despite it having three points of view, which is really rare since I’m pretty good at predicting them even with just one MC.
However, I also read some time ago an Episode story with like 9 MCs and although the plot idea and premise was good, it was so confusing and I basically had no idea what was going on.
I think my preference is different for books than it is for episode. For books, I like 2-4 sort of “main characters” but one clear protagonist and narrator. Actually, I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator lol. When you have one character who acts as narrator, you have to read between the lines to get at other characters’ motivations and aspirations, and personally I find that really engaging. You do end up seeing more how characters evolve in relation to one another rather than individually, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.
There are books written from multiple points of view that I find are done really well, but a lot of them run the risk of not developing the characters fully because the author is so busy trying to make sure you know everyone’s perspective. That is definitely true of Episode stories. You can show more than one point of view and keep the intrigue, but this is where many Episode stories can fall flat. Because Episode is a visual medium, it makes sense to see other characters performing actions or engaging in dialogue, but when the dialogue reveals what’s really happening or a new character is now narrating what’s really happening - it just kills the tension of the story. You want a certain “things are not what they seem” vibe that uses the characters’ aspirations to create tension, but if we know exactly what everyone is feeling and thinking along the way, there’s less press to keep reading.
There are a lot of scenes in Episode stories (and books or any medium) where something seems off and instead of making the reader wonder “hey what’s that about? I better keep reading” the author gives us every detail about what another character is thinking or doing, but it often feels like there’s no real reason for this other than not wanting readers to hate a specific character. Dramatic irony can be a very effective literary device, but the reader should still not have all the information about the situation.
Actually, in saying that, I’m not sure my preferences for Episode are actually very different from what I like to read in books. I do like 2-4 main characters, seeing what multiple people are up to, but saving the narration for the protagonist. That being said, it’s far from a dealbreaker for me. But I find large casts of main characters suffer from woefully underdeveloped characters that makes it hard to really root for them throughout the course of the story. But if you have only one main character who is the narrator, reliable or otherwise, they definitely need to be likeable lol. There are a lot of ways to effectively tell a story, so at the end of the day I am open to anything as long as the characters are well-rounded, believable, and set up for an honest path of development.