Have you ever rewatched a TV show and wondered what the original appear was? For me, I rewatched the Once Upon a Time series. I remember being enthralled by the plot and the characters; but when I watched it this time, all I notices was the cringy dialogue.

So, the question is, did I not notice the bad dialogue then because I hadn’t heard the cliches a million times and the repetitions platitudes were fresh? Or does good plot and character development overshadow poor dialogue. Think of the Star Wars Prequals. The dialogue was terrible, but the stories were powerful and the films fairly successful.

I think both are true.

If the story you are telling is captivating: its plot is gripping, the stakes are universally felt, and the characters are relatable, the audience may overlook bad dialogue. But it is true too that when we are young, we’ve not heard the same turns of phrases over and over, so we don’t know to be turned off to them.

Let’s explore though what we mean by bad dialogue.

Using our first example, Once Upon a Time, I have these criticisms of the dialogue. First, the characters always say exactly what they mean. Often, they will even divulge intimate feelings to complete strangers. This feels off, because people in real life do not do that. We often don’t even confess or fully understand our true feelings on a subject.

Second, the series uses the same turns of phrase throughout the several season without much variation. For example, I’m sure someone out there has counted the number of times the phrase “true love” appears in the show, or the words happiness, best chance, or a reference to one’s heart. Often you find the characters in life and death situations, and rather than the scene focusing on how they are going to get out of trouble, they go on and on about their loved one or lost love. It’s a major theme of the show, and a good thing, but again the audience is pulled out of the scene because it isn’t something that would happen in real life. When you’re stalking a villain or sneaking into their lair, you’re not thinking about how heart sick you are over some crush.

Third, the show had more of a soap opera feel than a fantasy or drama. The constant focus on matters of the heart rather than the overarching plot or character arcs, slowed down any progress or internal changes the characters were meant to make.

After season 3, the dialogue did improve. And it finally felt like the characters were having real conversations. For example, when Emma, Snow, Charming, and Regina follow Henry to Neverland to rescue him, Peter Pan tasks Emma with confessing who she really is. The entire series has trained us and her to respond with, “I am the savior.” But that was not the truth. This was the first time the series forces a character to deep inside themselves to uncover a deeply buried truth.

Emma is posed the question: Who are you? She answers, I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. But that is the wrong answer. When asked again, she answers with, “I am the savior.” It’s still the wrong answer. To find the truth, she has to peel back another layer or two. She confesses that she still hasn’t forgiven her parents for abandoning her as a baby. Snow responds with the cliche of “it was to give you your best chance.” But Emma doesn’t let this trite response stop her from delving a little deeper. Who is Emma? The answer: she is an orphan just like Pan and the Lost Boys abandoned and unwanted.

This confession feels different. It’s the first time in the entire series that I felt something along with the character. For the first time, I sympathized with Emma, because we were given a deeper look into her thoughts and motivations. It only took four seasons to get there.

So, to come back to the original question? Can you still have a good story with bad dialogue? Maybe. But you will have a more impactful story if you have both.