SAM’S SCHOOL FOR SUPERVILLAINSBayonne, NJLesson #6: Neutralizing EyewitnessesEyewitnesses being a complication for the budding bad guy/girl (see yesterday’s lesson), it becomes necessary to rid one’s self of their interfering presence. Which brings us to the question of how.The case study above has opted – for the time being – to employ the simplest method, which is scaring the witness off, either by himself or by those who do his bidding. For the ordinary eyewitness, a helicopter in a menacing pose works wonders. However, this is most effective in an urban setting, where the eyewitness can be chased back to wherever they came from.In this case, however, we have a problem; just WHERE did the kid come from? She’s in the open desert, miles from anywhere. Unless the aspiring antagonist’s goal is to eliminate the interloper (in which case, a helicopter by itself is NOT the most effective means available), there’s nowhere for her to go. Obviously, she’s had enough trouble already, and the villain or his/her minions are overreacting to her presence. It might be more profitable for the villain to use the “rescue” pose, gain her confidence, then gently question her to determine who she is, what she’s doing out in the open desert miles from anywhere… and what she knows.
SAM’S SCHOOL FOR SUPERVILLAINSBayonne, NJLesson #6: Neutralizing EyewitnessesEyewitnesses being a complication for the budding bad guy/girl (see yesterday’s lesson), it becomes necessary to rid one’s self of their interfering presence. Which brings us to the question of how.The case study above has opted – for the time being – to employ the simplest method, which is scaring the witness off, either by himself or by those who do his bidding. For the ordinary eyewitness, a helicopter in a menacing pose works wonders. However, this is most effective in an urban setting, where the eyewitness can be chased back to wherever they came from.In this case, however, we have a problem; just WHERE did the kid come from? She’s in the open desert, miles from anywhere. Unless the aspiring antagonist’s goal is to eliminate the interloper (in which case, a helicopter by itself is NOT the most effective means available), there’s nowhere for her to go. Obviously, she’s had enough trouble already, and the villain or his/her minions are overreacting to her presence. It might be more profitable for the villain to use the “rescue” pose, gain her confidence, then gently question her to determine who she is, what she’s doing out in the open desert miles from anywhere… and what she knows.