# Are you tired of the "TWO WEEKS EARLIER" trope in movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 10, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862 "2023-05-10T19:11:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/21 "2023-05-11T07:03:51Z")
_Anchorman 2_ had probably my favorite use of this setup. It opens with a narrator commenting on how there are so many places where one could start the second chapter of the story of Ron Burgundy… and says “Perhaps _here_?” before jump-cutting to our title character, in his signature suit, thrashing around underwater while being attacked by a shark. The narrator then decides that’s not a good place to start and takes us back several months, with us ultimately getting to the shark attack by the end of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/22 "2023-05-11T11:58:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I don’t mind this sort of 2 weeks earlier thing, I think starting in media res is how most movies should be done. How else - or what else - would be a better approach? Note that the “2 weeks earlier” thing that the OP is talking about is a more specific way of structuring a story than just starting it _in medias res_, and I don’t think that even those who enjoy it would suggest that all movies should be structured that way. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/23 "2023-05-11T12:19:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > all movies should be structured that way An interesting thought, though. You could imagine almost any well-structured film “improved” by the TWO WEEKS EARLIER method. “North by Northwest” begins with Cary Grant dangling from Mount Rushmore and Martin Landau crushing his fingers and then we switch to TWO WEEKS EARLIER, and open onto Grant entering his Ad Agency office. What an idiot Hitchcock was, not to have thought of this improvement! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/24 "2023-05-11T12:37:53Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > You could imagine almost any well-structured film “improved” by the TWO WEEKS EARLIER method. Which is sort of what you get if you watch the trailer first. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/25 "2023-05-11T12:46:49Z")
I kind of did this to myself with the TV show Angel. I caught the last two minutes or so of an episode while switching channels to watch the show that came on after, [and it was this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN-2GemvNzA). I was like, “Damn, isn’t he supposed to be the hero? How did he get to that point?”, so I ended up going back to watch the show in re-runs. So, I guess it works? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/26 "2023-05-11T13:39:58Z")
_In the Dark_ season two started with a scene from one of final episodes, when they were cleaning up the blood. It was a great narrative hook, especially since you didn’t know when it would happen. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/27 "2023-05-11T13:56:38Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > “North by Northwest” begins with Cary Grant dangling from Mount Rushmore and Martin Landau crushing his fingers and then we switch to TWO WEEKS EARLIER, and open onto Grant entering his Ad Agency office. > > What an idiot Hitchcock was, not to have thought of this improvement! But then the critics would have accused him of ripping off **The Big Clock**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/28 "2023-05-11T13:58:45Z")
After DOUBLE INDEMNITY. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/29 "2023-05-11T14:12:12Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > This is being largely driven by the streaming revolution. For streaming shows, it’s easy to accommodate everyone’s preferences. The show could just indicate where the opening sequence ends, and people can jump to “two weeks earlier” and start watching there. ---
**Author:** ![Nightfall1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@Nightfall1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightfall1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/30 "2023-05-11T14:37:54Z")
Heck, the movie Gandhi did this. I knew about his whole life but I bet it really sucked in people who were ignorant of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/31 "2023-05-11T14:40:46Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > As a viewer, I kind of like the device. So do I **if** the opening scene is one where I ask myself, “How the hell did they get to this point?!” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/32 "2023-05-11T14:44:06Z")
To me, it has always read as the writers essentially holding up a big sign that says “WE COULDN’T THINK OF AN INTERESTING WAY TO START OUR STORY.” ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/33 "2023-05-11T14:56:18Z")
Yeah, to me, it’s an admission “This narrative has a very slow but necessary expository buildup, so we decided to hook you in by giving you a tease of the eventual exciting outcome first.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/34 "2023-05-11T15:13:43Z")
…which, in turn, neatly explains why SUNSET BOULEVARD begins with a Hollywood screenwriter narrating _his own_ Hey-I-Bet-You’re-Wondering-How-The-Body-In-The-Swimming-Pool-Got-There story… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/35 "2023-05-11T15:19:05Z")
I like it when it’s well done and I dislike it when it’s poorly done. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/36 "2023-05-11T15:53:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I like it when it’s well done and I dislike it when it’s poorly done How about when it’s over-done? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/37 "2023-05-11T17:16:41Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > So, I kind of like it in books. It allows a mystery to unravel gradually as the reader learns more context - what happened in 1986 might not be significant unless you know what happened in 2020. Yes, I just finished reading a 1939 murder mystery, _Composition for Four Hands_ (one of two stories in a Penguin pb called _Duet of Death)._ A little bit different in that the primary character has a form of paralysis that’s primarily psychosomatic and can’t speak. You see inside her mind as she’s gradually piecing together what happened before. I really enjoyed the story. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/38 "2023-05-11T17:56:54Z")
One of the episodes of Perry Mason this season opened with Perry and Pete walking out of the ocean. I thought I had either missed an episode or completely forgotten how the previous episode had ended. Finally it flashed ‘one week earlier’ or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/39 "2023-05-11T18:33:00Z")
I hate this in TV shows. It’s supposed to “build suspense”. Bah. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862/40 "2023-05-11T21:27:02Z")
I have to say I don’t remember it clearly but I think the first season of _Dirk Gently_ did this to fantastic effect. It can be bad, or it can be “shark eating a grand piano in a hotel room” good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-tired-of-the-two-weeks-earlier-trope-in-movies/983862.md?page=3)