project runway

ACT 1: The explanation of the previous episode introduces Wacky Angela as a troublemaker who will appear throughout the episode. The introduction to the theme of the episode is hilariously introduced by the appearance of Tim Gunn walking 12 or so puppies in Central Park. "Awww's" and "Ohhh's" ensued by the female members of the class. After taking the dogs into the workshop, the designers begin to sketch and the pace of the show is instantly quickened by the rush and stumble of designers climbing over one another at Mood fabric store. Mood serves at the Plot Point #1 by transferring the audiences attention more to the designs rather than the people or puppies.

ACT 2: During Day #1 in the workshop, Wacky Angela realizes that her previous behavior looks unfavorable to her fellow designers. Scruffy Bradley seems to be indecisive about his designs and changes his garments every few minutes. His befuddled expressions make everyone feel bad for him, but "Shithead"Keith seems to have an opinion on how "worried" he is for Scruffy Bradley. By the end of Day #1 Bradley faces that he might be sending a girl down the runway naked if he can't pull off something quickly. (And why didn't the sleeping girl help him out?) MidPoint! During day #2 we start to realize that Dowdy Girl might not have a very good look either, because her green dress looks like 1995 and her dog is wearing a sweatshirt (?) Scruffy Bradley starts to make his outfit work and decides to go with what he has. The Runway spins us into the final act by changing the pace once again.

ACT 3: The runway is a rush of dogs, dresses and models, leaving us in a cloud of overwhelming beauty. The judges love Scruffy Bradley's outfit, hate Keith's attitude and kick off Dowdy Girl for her ugly dress.

It's easy to see that the "rising" portion of the show is MUCH longer than the "falling" and ends with a quick runway and BANG it's all over! The A Story is obviously the show, but in this particular episode you really feel for Scruffy and want him to do well (yay underdog!) On the B Side, you don't understand Wacky Angela at all, or why she got to stay on the show with her crafts fair-hooker look. You feel bad for Dowdy Girl for not understanding that this was a horrible dress to show and for her to be proud of. You kind of want to slap Keith for being to arrogant. the B Stories are what keep the show moving along, and keep you laughing the entire time. Also, the show follows Aristotle's theory of Poetics by having a very defined beginning (introduction of the challenge), middle (everything else) and end (winner, loser, now wait till next week!).

According the Syd Field, the "Project Runway" approach to reality television fits perfectly into his idea for how a screenplay should be composed.