How'd They Do That?

A Writer's Guide to Netflix's The Four Seasons

Netflix’s The Four Seasons

Like countless other humans, I recently binged (and loved) The Four Seasons, a television series about three middle-aged couples who vacation together while navigating some big life changes, based on the 1980s film of the same name. It debuted May 1st, has held the #1 spot on the streaming platform ever since, and a second season has just been green-lighted (rejoice!).

As a viewer, I came away from this series fully satisfied yet wanting more, that seeming contradiction that any wholeheartedly moving experience leaves us wrestling with.

As a writer, I had the immediate urge to whip out a notebook and start over on episode one, pencil in hand, taking notes. I wanted to understand WHY it worked so well, HOW it made me feel so deeply and evoked so many unexpected emotions, reactions, and reflections. How my opinions of certain characters could evolve so significantly over the span of eight short episodes.

As a storyteller, I want to craft characters who feel as varied and fully formed as these ones, to set my story in places that naturally lend themselves to plot, and to pull a ‘Choice C’ from my pocket like a winning poker hand when all my reader sees coming is a ‘Choice A’ or ‘Choice B.’ This show does all that and more in spades (see what I did there?).

While doing my best to avoid major spoilers (repeat: doing my best…but there may be some spoiler-adjacent gists, so proceed with caution!), here are my top takeaways:

1. CAST A WIDE NET

   With your characters, that is. Particularly if you’re writing an ensemble cast or using a multi-POV narration structure—variety is your friend. In this show, we have people-pleasers and trailblazers, sentimental softies and wry wisecracks. All are welcome! I noticed when a friend asked me, that I had trouble choosing a favorite character, or even one I identified with most. And I think that might be the whole point—if a cast is well-balanced like a harmonic symphony, maybe it should be hard to choose a favorite. Maybe we should see a bit of ourselves in each flawed, distinct personality.

2. DON’T BE FOOLED BY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

   Something I have found to be true over and over again, in art and in life, is that first impressions are often wrong. Some of my dearest friends over the course of my life are people I never saw coming—or did and quickly dismissed as someone I obviously wouldn’t ‘click’ with for x,y,z reasons. Or—it goes the other way, and someone sweeps you off your feet only to later be filed under “bullets I dodged.” Dating, anyone? Bottom line, I believe the best kind of characters are those who surprise us. Who contain multitudes. Who refuse to be stuffed into a box and affixed with a tidy label. The Four Seasons’ characters grow and morph, push boundaries and redeem themselves… I loved being surprised by them.

3. POKE FUN WITHOUT PUNCHING DOWN

   I don’t consider this a significant spoiler, but there is a scene in which a certain female character is flirting with a younger male surf instructor. This flirting goes very, very poorly. It is funny. It is painful to watch. We just want it to be over quickly for her sake. We want to die of embarrassment on her behalf but also it endears us to her because SHE’S BEEN THROUGH A LOT AND THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. It’s funny, but it’s not mean. We sympathize with her. We have been her. She is growing on us. Our first impressions may have been wrong after all. It just works.

4. CONTRAST, CONTRAST, CONTRAST (with sharp specifics)

   Put two people with very different backgrounds/values/frames of reference in the room and see what happens. Three examples of how this is done very well in TFS:

   1. (me being vague:) Something sad and hard happens. Danny and Claude (a married couple) process their emotions around it VERY differently. Claude is what one might call a sweet soda fountain of toxic positivity. He means well, but we have a stomachache from a few too many maraschino cherries. Danny is drowning in it. Things boil over and Danny tells Claude in no uncertain terms to stop sugarcoating their shitty reality. It’s tense, but then they both break open and are better for it. It’s one of my favorite scenes in the series. (slight spoiler): It involves a butterfly (see #6 below).

   2. There are two people of different age groups hanging out. Awkward attempts at connection ensue. But as a writer, don’t tell us, “They couldn’t find common ground.” That’s boring and vague. Instead, tell us: “While one recoiled at the thought of mushroom coffee, the other had never heard of Kenny Loggins.”

   3. In one particularly memorable scene, two people in a marriage have come to view their relationships through very different lenses. There is a whole ‘grand gesture’ situation and thus is born a level of tension that you can’t imagine anyone surviving. The contrast reaches a boiling point, and the results are quite explosive. I thought there were only two ways out here, but nope…there was a third!

5. GO BIG OR GO HOME

   As a novelist, chapter endings and openings are some of my favorite lines to write. Here, big swings pay off. The last scene of the second episode. The last line of the last episode. You either know what I’m talking about or will when you watch. In short, think about the choices you’re making to open and close your scenes in new, interesting, maybe shocking ways. Who shows up? What is noticeably absent? Maybe don’t accept your first idea, or even your fifth. Stretch yourself and stretch your story. Swing for the fences. It’s the only way to hit a home run.

6. FIND A SETTING THAT WORKS & WORK THAT SETTING!

   Being that The Four Seasons is geared around vacations, there is no shortage of settings to play with. Whether it’s the ultimate “eco-friendly” resort, or a lake frozen over in winter, or a family home with a child’s forgotten drawing of a butterfly pinned inside a cabinet, the writers make their settings work for the plot. As writers, we should choose our settings with specific intention, squeezing as much out of them as we can. Why this country/town/vacation/weather? What kind of trouble can my characters get into here? How can this place give them exactly what they’re searching for? What could go wrong?

Q: Have you seen The Four Seasons? Did you also love it and want to rewatch it immediately? Why? Whether you identify as a writer or not, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

CURRENTLY READING:

Fredrik Backman says in this book that teenagers are the best kind of human, but I think he is the best kind of human. His writing reflects his humanity. The way he writes the fragile mess and aching beauty of kids and teenagers, and just completely gets them. Like this: “‘Who the hell can draw so you can see what it’s supposed to be, you fucking alien!’ That was the closest Joar got to saying what he really wanted to say: ‘I love you. I hope you know that.’ So the artist replied, ‘Thanks.’ That was the closest the artist got to saying what he really wanted to say to Joar: 'I love you too.’”

I’m also reading The Bright Years, by the incredibly talented debut novelist, Sarah Damoff. I pre-ordered this book many months ago, and it has been one of my most anticipated books of the year. It’s a story of family and falling in love, of addiction, pain, and hope. The artful writing and heart Damoff infuses into each line is palpable.

Lines like:

“I carry a torn napkin home with Ryan’s phone number like a firefly in my pocket.”

“After the library and the baklava, Ryan and I pass six months together like a morning stretch, that carefree inhale before the day picks up with its work and worries.”

“I look from the two of them in oil paint to the two of them in the flesh, and I’m struck again by the length of it, being someone’s child.”

WRITING UPDATE:
I’m deep into revisions for my second novel, so this will probably be my only Substack installment this month, as these take me way longer to write than a reasonable person would assume. If you want to join my free Zoom writing accountability groups or work with me on your query materials, visit my website for more info. Thank you for being here!