Episode #602

[Andy Eckles]

Episode #602 is now available!

In the third and final installment of the 2010 Web Series Writer's Swap, find out what happens if life took a drastically different turn for Sarah Fisher at a crucial moment from her past. Familiar events play out in surprisingly different (and sometimes similar) ways, leading Sarah to a decision about the choices she's made.

Writing for Footprints (my second go around!) is an ejoyable experience that I had a lot of fun with. I hope everyone reads and shares your thoughts. Also, thanks Michael for trusting his characters and story with me!

[Michael]

Thank you for all your hard work on this, Andy! I'm eager to see what others think. I'll reserve my own thoughts and comments until others have a chance to comment, but working with you on this has been a lot of fun.

[JAYJAY1979]

I totally love this installment! Two words were flashing in my mind as I finished reading it: Mr. Destiny. The one thing I always believe about Sarah/Matt was how they got together was so dysfunctional that it was bound to self-destruct at any given moment.

Seeing how her life would have gone minus the miscarriage showcases how much the two had grown apart. I guess if something is meant to happen, it will happen.. no matter what reality one is in.

[Ira]

Great way to wrap everything up, Andy!

I know Michael was worried about Sarah's particular story going to the wayside amidst everything else, but I really feel like this installment coupled with the previous installment was a great way to bring it back to the forefront, if only for two installments. It was a great callback to Sarah's history and a good reminder of how things began for her and Graham, which even though I was a regular reader long before that point, it had slipped my mind somewhat.

I loved the idea of Brett not being legless, Sarah still having the baby. It was also fun that Brian was still around (I suppose even that was before he left in real time, too) and that Molly and Sarah were at odds again, which isn't something we've seen for a bit. I was wondering how the family thought about Ryan here though. There wasn't much talk about him, other than that they didn't really like him, but it seems like there'd be a liiiittle less animosity since Sarah didn't lose a baby and Brett's leg didn't get cut off.

Though now I'm wondering if Loretta is destined to appear in that reality, and if Brett will lose his leg when that dog bites into it!

Great job, Andy! I loved this project this year around, and I hope we get to do it again next year. And it's nice to know that Dr. King is headed off to St. Laurent!

[Michael]

Okay, time for me to chime in! Again, I want to thank Andy for all the hard work he put into this. There were lots of careful e-mail exchanges full of questions, ponderings, and the like, and I'm very appreciative of how he took the time to get the details right, to dig into the episodes where these events originally occurred, etc. It was a treat to be able to read his draft and see the culmination of all that work.

Probably my favorite line of the entire thing was Diane's "You can resent anything and anyone." So true to that character!

Originally Posted by JAYJAY1979

I totally love this installment! Two words were flashing in my mind as I finished reading it: Mr. Destiny. The one thing I always believe about Sarah/Matt was how they got together was so dysfunctional that it was bound to self-destruct at any given moment.

Interesting observation, Jayson. Sarah and Matt have long been a very popular couple, and he certainly represented something more stable and real for her than her marriage to Brent, but she also jumped from one to the other very quickly. And she jumped almost seamlessly from her crumbling marriage with Matt to her new relationship with Graham. You'd think maybe this woman's subconscious would be like, "Um, try being single for six months."

Originally Posted by Ira

I know Michael was worried about Sarah's particular story going to the wayside amidst everything else, but I really feel like this installment coupled with the previous installment was a great way to bring it back to the forefront, if only for two installments. It was a great callback to Sarah's history and a good reminder of how things began for her and Graham, which even though I was a regular reader long before that point, it had slipped my mind somewhat.

I've been very concerned about Sarah falling onto the backburner, but this represents the beginnings of her taking prominence again. The dynamics among her, Matt, Graham, and Tori are pretty rich, and there's lots of story to play.

Originally Posted by Ira

I loved the idea of Brett not being legless, Sarah still having the baby. It was also fun that Brian was still around (I suppose even that was before he left in real time, too) and that Molly and Sarah were at odds again, which isn't something we've seen for a bit. I was wondering how the family thought about Ryan here though. There wasn't much talk about him, other than that they didn't really like him, but it seems like there'd be a liiiittle less animosity since Sarah didn't lose a baby and Brett's leg didn't get cut off.

I was pleased with a lot of the little touches that Andy stuck in: playing Diane and Sarah's trip to the mountains just as it occurred before, just with Sarah having a totally different POV; Molly being snippy about her own marriage because Sarah was still seemingly in a happy one; Brent still having his leg. I actually would've been interested to explore the Ryan dynamic, but this episode was already twice the length of one of my regular ones, and the focus needed to be on Sarah, so there wasn't room for that. But you're right--it raises a lot of questions about how the Fishers might regard Ryan, if Sarah and Brent hadn't suffered such extreme tragedies. Still, he did pin a murder on Tim, so there's that.

Thanks so much for commenting, guys, and again, thanks to Andy for his work on this special episode. Andy, anything else you'd care to share about the process or the final product?

[Andy Eckles]

It's always a good time when you get to shift gears and write something different than what I'm used to. I'm glad people for the most part liked this effort. I know the "what if" concept for the swap was a definite challenge for all three of us, but I'm glad we tried something different this time and I think all three installments turned out great.

It's funny because I wanted to include more scenes focused on the Fisher's attitude toward Ryan, but as Michael mentioned, the episode was already running way long. Plus the story was so tightly focused on Sarah that I didn't want to delve too far away from that. I did wish I would have incorporated more characters into the episode, but I thought it would have been too much unnecessary exposition so I didn't.

Thanks Michael for being a good sport and letting me tinker with your creation.

[Dallas]

Oh man, I loved this. I really loved how you guys shared a theme with the same book being on tour, the same author/Psychic as the other series! It was a great way to tie in all the series together. You guys really thought that feature out well.

The episode itself was just amazing. I really thought that Sarah would dream that her life with Matt would be perfect because I think that's what Sarah truly wants to have ... her life with Matt and have everything be perfect again. It was interesting to see how Sarah was actually trying to make things right with her marriage to Matt in the dream, only it was Matt and his attitude that pushed her away. I'm sure this way, Sarah believes that she really has tried to do everything she possibly could do.

I'm really eager to see how the triangle plays out from here on out. But just an amazing job of writing this episode Andy. You really did Footprints justice.

d

[Michael]

Thanks for such positive feedback, Dallas!

I really enjoyed the way Andy handled the Sarah/Matt dynamic. Obviously, a lot of us want them to wind up together, but this goes to show that there were deeper issues than "Sarah lost the baby." There was a lot of resentment building up between them before that, and that specific event (tragic though it was) was simply the thing that blew the lid off.

[rjhill123]

Great ending fellas i enjoyed the whole switch up! I'll be here waiting for next year's switch. I am impressed with you guys!

[Michael]

Thanks, Rob! It was fun to mix it up and have more of a 'concept' this year -- even if it was also a lot harder!