Hi folks, Jamie and Hayley here. We wanted to take a moment and say some things about episode nine of Palimpsest.
The story of Anneliese and Claire was mapped out last summer during our preliminary planning sessions for season one. Some parts of our writing process shift, and sometimes new things get put in (we didn’t know about what happened in the bathroom until it got written, for instance). But the big stuff was always set. We always knew how Claire died, we always knew that episode nine would tell that story in detail, and we always knew the date it would air.
The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL happened the day before we recorded the episode. We had concerns about dropping the episode in this larger context. We decided to go forward (with an added content warning) for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, we are telling a horror story. It is a relatively low-key horror story, but it is firmly horror. As a writer (Jamie specifically talking here), I believe horror has important cultural functions—and one of those is forcing us to face difficult and uncomfortable truths about our world and ourselves. This is a difficult story even out of the real world context. But that’s what it means to embrace what haunts you.
Secondly, even though this episode was not written as a political statement—the gun debate did not enter into any of our planning or writing of any part of the season—some listeners may see it that way given its timing. Even though Claire’s story is not about mass murder or a school shooting, the resonance with all types of gun violence nationwide is undeniable. We originally chose Claire’s manner of death because it is a common and plausible way for a ten-year-old to die. That in itself is telling. It is, we feel, absolutely appropriate for a gun to play the role of villain in a horror story.
We want to acknowledge that the content of this episode is painful, and it is made more so by current events. We think the conversation about guns in America is long overdue. We do not believe in waiting through a grieving period or worrying about politicizing tragedy. The Palimpsest crew are firmly in favor of stronger restrictions and regulations on gun ownership, and we are in awe and admiration of the movement beginning to form around the students of Stoneman Douglas High. We urge listeners who similarly support these amazingly strong students to check out #neveragain on social media and to find out about the various protests being planned.
As always, thank you for listening. We are so grateful to have fans who are willing to engage in the complex darkness of our past and present. We think that’s one of the best ways to prepare for the future.
The story of Anneliese and Claire was mapped out last summer during our preliminary planning sessions for season one. Some parts of our writing process shift, and sometimes new things get put in (we didn’t know about what happened in the bathroom until it got written, for instance). But the big stuff was always set. We always knew how Claire died, we always knew that episode nine would tell that story in detail, and we always knew the date it would air.
The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL happened the day before we recorded the episode. We had concerns about dropping the episode in this larger context. We decided to go forward (with an added content warning) for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, we are telling a horror story. It is a relatively low-key horror story, but it is firmly horror. As a writer (Jamie specifically talking here), I believe horror has important cultural functions—and one of those is forcing us to face difficult and uncomfortable truths about our world and ourselves. This is a difficult story even out of the real world context. But that’s what it means to embrace what haunts you.
Secondly, even though this episode was not written as a political statement—the gun debate did not enter into any of our planning or writing of any part of the season—some listeners may see it that way given its timing. Even though Claire’s story is not about mass murder or a school shooting, the resonance with all types of gun violence nationwide is undeniable. We originally chose Claire’s manner of death because it is a common and plausible way for a ten-year-old to die. That in itself is telling. It is, we feel, absolutely appropriate for a gun to play the role of villain in a horror story.
We want to acknowledge that the content of this episode is painful, and it is made more so by current events. We think the conversation about guns in America is long overdue. We do not believe in waiting through a grieving period or worrying about politicizing tragedy. The Palimpsest crew are firmly in favor of stronger restrictions and regulations on gun ownership, and we are in awe and admiration of the movement beginning to form around the students of Stoneman Douglas High. We urge listeners who similarly support these amazingly strong students to check out #neveragain on social media and to find out about the various protests being planned.
As always, thank you for listening. We are so grateful to have fans who are willing to engage in the complex darkness of our past and present. We think that’s one of the best ways to prepare for the future.