Building up to an event from multiple characters point of view
I just watched Colony season 2 episode 11, and in the episode it cuts to a black screen with one characters name on it, then shows the a period of time following that character, until just before a big event. Then there is a cut to another black screen with another characters name and the same period of time is show. But following that character. Some of the characters overlap a bit. Then finally we see the big event at the end.
What's the name of this style of episode? I'm pretty sure I've seen it in other TV shows but can't remember any more examples or think of the name of this style to google for it.
Best Answer
There is a Trope (TV Trope Warning): Single Scene, Multiple Perspective also sometimes called the Rashomon style.
Normally, a scene is shown from a single character's viewpoint, because it's simpler and provides a good way to establish a given mood. However, sometimes we're shown a scene from more than one character's perspective. The reasons for this vary, from creating ambiguity, such as in a murder; to contrasting how characters see an event or each other, such as two characters meeting for a date; to deepening the characterization of multiple people; to establishing that some people are not what they seem.
A Rashomon-Style story is where the same event is recounted by several characters, and the stories differ in ways that are impossible to reconcile. It shows that two or more people can view the same event quite differently. The author invites the audience to hear them all out and then compare and contrast these divergent points of view. Sometimes the work provides no definitive answer as to what actually happened. Basically, it's a cast full of Unreliable Narrators. Other times, the audience might get the definitive true version of the story at the beginning or end of the episode; and usually both sides will be truthful about some things and exaggerate/outright lie about others.
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