I've become a real fan of the TV series Justified. For those not in the know, it's a series about a US Marshal operating in rural Harlan County, Kentucky. At the start of this season, we were introduced to Constable Bob. He's played by a short and fat actor, and was portrayed as, well, comic relief. This is in part because, in Kentucky, constables are elected but not paid and have few official duties (per Wikipedia).
But then Constable Bob ran afoul of the series' Big Bad, the Detroit Mob. (The mob was looking for a guy who'd gone to ground in Harlan.) Here, Bob stepped up, killing an assassin and generally saving the day. Done wrong, this could have been unbelievably stupid. As this guy says, they got it right.
I found this very interesting, because what interests me as a writer is putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I mean, I expect that the crew of the starship Enterprise, flagship of the United Federation of Planets, will be able to handle just about anything thrown at them. What I don't expect is when the crew of the garbage-scow Shitbird save the day.
But then Constable Bob ran afoul of the series' Big Bad, the Detroit Mob. (The mob was looking for a guy who'd gone to ground in Harlan.) Here, Bob stepped up, killing an assassin and generally saving the day. Done wrong, this could have been unbelievably stupid. As this guy says, they got it right.
I found this very interesting, because what interests me as a writer is putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I mean, I expect that the crew of the starship Enterprise, flagship of the United Federation of Planets, will be able to handle just about anything thrown at them. What I don't expect is when the crew of the garbage-scow Shitbird save the day.