5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘Clickbait’ is Netflix’s bingeable thriller
September 13, 2021
Clickbait has a huge hook: When a man is kidnapped in an East Bay town his kidnapping video goes viral. His captors make him hold up signs stating he abuses women and if the video reaches 5 million views, he will be killed. Adrien Grenier plays Nick Brewer, the man in question, who on the surface seems like a great father, brother and husband. But there's always more below the surface... There is no doubt creators Tony Ayers and Christian White have a huge knack for suspense writing, and there’s much to be learned from such a consumable show.
1. POV shifts. The show cleverly devotes each episode to a different character’s POV, constantly keeping the audience guessing who could be behind Nick Brewer’s murder, and as the show continues, pushes the audience to question if it’s Nick who is indeed the most at fault after all. The first episode introduces all the high stakes through the eyes of Brewer’s sister, Pia Brewer, played by Zoe Kazan who often steals other episodes along the way when despite her gruff personality, has perhaps the purest intentions throughout… Or does she?
2. The power of camp. There is definitely an element of camp to this show, but in an American Horror Story kind of way. While the subject matter is inherently dark and has a sinister element throughout, there are occasional winks to the camera letting the audience know that this will also be a fun ride with moments of levity and asides to underscore the A story. There's some sexual chemistry between Pia and Detective Roshan Amiri (Phoenix Raei), and Pia and Nick’s best friend, Matt Aldin (Ian Meadows), and Pia and a patient who has a slight obsession with her adds to the promise of the premise that not all will be dark in this mini-series. Not to mention the cast is incredibly attractive, again adding to the desire to watch the drama of their lives play out, glad to be an observer instead of in the midst of the insanity.
3. Addressing the hook. Clickbait has an eye-catching title and premise and it doesn't hesitate to dig deeper into the repercussions clickbait can cause in life (at its most extreme). The show gives episodes to two journalists who will stop at nothing to get the story — even if the story is incorrect, they've been swayed by their own preconceived notions, or it was partially made up in the first place, allowing subjectivity versus objectivity to come into full focus. Perhaps that’s what this show does best. It asks us to pause next time before we click.
4. The dark side of the net. This show hits on huge themes and societal issues that could’ve used a bit more time in the series, or a show of their own altogether. In a fictional app citizens take on the duties of finding Nick and as one might imagine, things spiral out of control (even though their work is far more effective than that of the cops on the case). The show’s compass, Pia, is victim to hook-up culture, depression, and finding a quick fix for the sadness the internet can permeate through life — even before Nick goes missing. The show also notes how media and the internet jump to preconceived notions of race; the show allows for the hysterical white woman while commentating that society would not allow for the hysterical Black woman, even if her husband is under the threat of murder.
5. A missed opportunity? While the show does hit on many hot-button issues of the moment, perhaps its missed opportunity falls in lack of patriarchal awareness. Nick’s disappearance disrupts everyone around him, yet perhaps this man was not worth the extreme disruption, as we learn his secrets. When it’s slowly revealed Nick was a serial dater with hundreds of dating profiles, sympathy easily wanes for a man who isn’t there — or perhaps never was in the first place. For a show with some strong female leads, it still would not pass the Bechdel test. In this case, maybe that's the point? Maybe along the way when blinded by love, we can all very easily get lost?
Final Takeaway: While Clickbait is excellent at building suspense and a very easy binge, it does not always allow time for deeper discussions of the very pertinent present-day issues it brings up. Nevertheless, it's a feat in easily consumable suspense writing, and before you know it, you'll have watched the entire thing.
Written by: Lindsay Stidham
Lindsay holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute. She has overseen two scripts from script to screen as a writer/ producer. SPOONER, starring Matthew Lillard (SLAMDANCE), and DOUCHEBAG (SUNDANCE) both released theatrically. Most recently Lindsay sold PLAY NICE starring Mary Lynn Rajskub. The series was distributed on Hulu. Recent directing endeavors include the Walla Walla premiering (and best screenplay nominated) TIL DEATH DO US PART, and the music video for Bible Belt’s Tomorrow All Today. Lindsay is currently working on an interactive romcom for the production company Effin' Funny, and a feature film script for Smarty Pants Pictures. Lindsay also currently works as an Adjunct Screenwriting Faculty member at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. You can follow her work here: https://lindsaystidham.onfabrik.com/
