case study response/ The Truth

    I really enjoyed the pieces we have listened to from The Truth.  For the most part, most of the different case studies we have looked at are non-fiction documentary like pieces.  And I really enjoy these too, but it is a nice change to hear some fiction pieces.  I find them very entertaining.  I really find it interesting how the producer likes to portray an uncomfortable feeling to the listener.  I often find these sorts of situations to be hilarious.  It reminds me of a Ben Stiller, Woody Allen film.  I have found myself more interested in fiction pieces than when I began this class.  I love the characters that are featured in this show. The piece mentioned  during the case study, Interruptible, shows a good example of how the show gets into the lives of these characters they portray. They go through everyday fumbles and encounters. I couldn't help but sympathize for the taxi driver who has to sit through that ride on his anniversary.  I almost feel like I need to get out of the car as the couple argues. I think the writers are very good at creating the characters they create. They really know how to portray someone without even having to describe what they look like to the listener.  While I listened, I could already imagine the couple as they entered the car.  I could see the woman they pick up, struggling to get into the car and stumbling out of it at the end.  I feel that in the other shows, it is the people who document themselves that are the main highlight.  And in others, it is obviously the interviewers who are the success of the show.  But for The Truth, I feel it is the writers who are carrying the weight of the show.  It is the writers creating these characters and putting together these encounters that make the show as entertaining as it is. I feel that the writers are stars of this show, as opposed to Ira Glass and Jad Abumrad.  I also really enjoyed how they tied the story together at the end. Couple reaches breakthrough in their relationship and the taxi driver also comes to a mutual agreement with his wife, as he decides to come home early on their anniversary, all at the hands of this drunken relationship counselor who they decided to let into the cab.  The serendipity of the situation provided a great conclusion to this piece. Although I enjoy the nonfiction pieces produced in other shows, I have a new found interest in fiction work like those on The Truth. I think I would enjoy creating some of these myself.