Scene Snapshot: Candices’ Death

A series of events leads to the very very very gruesome death of a gymnast.

This scene is great at building tension. There’s so many factors that could potentially kill Candice. So many things are established here. The AC is broken, there is an exposed wire next to water, and a screw has fallen onto a balance beam. Part of you is playing some sort of sick guessing game to see which element is going to beat out the others. The entire scene is uneasy. Everything feels so unstable.

Another theme is subverting expectations. This goes hand-in-hand with the suspense. As the scene progresses the hazards become more apparent. Like the puddle of water starts to enlarge, and gymnasts are doing more elaborate tricks on the balance beam. The tension rises. The music swells. We know something is coming but, what is it? Finally, a gymnast steps on the screw and knocks over the chalk, Candice loses her grip and breaks her back. Now that it’s over, we can all breathe...well everyone but Candice. What do you guys think?