Best Friends falls into the category of dramatic comedy. It might amuse the audience but for Emily it is deadly serious. She is absolutely over it. She has had enough. Fortunately for us, we get to see the funny side of her predicament. David is such a sweet guy but he really has taken advantage of Emily's good nature for far too long. Today his chickens come home to roost. This is the end of a co-dependent relationship - which takes energy. Emily is full of anger, frustration, hurt and incredulity. She has just been hit with a blinding awareness, and has probably been feeling this stuff about David for a quite a while. But this time his tardiness and lack of care become the catalyst for change. To explore this scene we might consider starting with their relationship. What kind of pattern have David and Emily been following all these years? What is it about Emily that has allowed David to take advantage of her good nature? David is very charming and sweet but it appears that he is all talk and not much action. When has he put himself out for Emily? If never, then why not? Is he lazy or unaware? Or has Emily just occupied that space in their relationship all this time, doing all the caring and considering. This scene gives the actor playing Emily a chance to explore strong emotions as she faces both external and internal conflict. She is not only convincing David, she is also convincing herself that she is right. The external conflict for Emily comes from David who is doing his best to downplay her anger. The actor playing Emily will have an opportunity to explore many tactics as she pursues the action; to change or to convince. The internal conflict for Emily comes from the act of separating from her attachment from David and from the realisation that all this time she has played her part in the problem. David senses change in Emily and works very hard to maintain the status quo. David needs things not to change with Emily. He is happy with the friendship and believes he can downplay everything and that her rant will pass. But there are a couple of moments in the scene where she does get through. And for a brief moment or two we see that she hits home. There is a vulnerability to David that we sense, and it is one that Emily knows all too well. She uses this knowledge to remind him of certain truths about his past behaviour. By the end of the scene Emily has reached a state of certainty and clarity - she has worked very hard to convince David about the truth of their relationship. But from David's last remark we see that he hasn't quite got it. Or if he has, he is hoping Emily will change her mind. From now on Emily will have to let her actions speak as loudly as her words. |