DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

Listen if you need audiences to root for characters who do terrible things

Mel and Chas continue to explore what Noir (the genre) can teach writers of all other genres. In particular:

How to keep the audience on side of characters doing reprehensible things;

How to control your audience understanding of those reprehensible actions; and

Distinguishing between characters undergoing transformative arcs against discovering their true natures

In finding the common craft tools of Noir over 100 years, this Part 2 looks at two modern noirs – DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995) and WOMAN OF THE HOUR (2024) – after Part 1 looked at the classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE LONG GOODBYE.

Despite Chas claiming to have edited this episode it was, in fact, Chris Walker who saved the day and got this done. Thanks Chris.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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"I think these films have got really strong control over the questions and that's how they get us to follow, compelling us to follow characters who are doing terrible things." — Chas Fisher @ 01:06:08

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Using noir as a lens

00:01:56 – DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS

00:07:06 – › Period setting, race, and noir's embedded worldview

00:10:30 – › Voiceover as access to morally compromised decisions

00:22:02 – › How the film justifies rooting for Easy's transgressions

00:29:09 – › Character worldview versus film worldview in noir

00:31:33 – WOMAN OF THE HOUR

00:37:15 – › Why WOMAN OF THE HOUR qualifies as noir

00:43:25 – › The system as collective villain enabling the killer

00:53:12 – › Depiction without endorsement, empathy without sympathy

01:04:30 – Key Learnings

01:08:50 – Thank you Patreons!

FILMS

DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995) — (w) Carl Franklin, Walter Mosley (d) Carl Franklin

WOMAN OF THE HOUR (2024) — (w) Ian Mcdonald (d) Anna Kendrick

LINKS

Shot Zero: Noir shots in WOMAN OF THE HOUR

EPISODES IN THE NOIR SERIES

DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

RELATED EPISODES

DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

DZ-03: Making Unlikeable Protagonists Compelling

DZ-110: Voiceover

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Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-124/