Captive Audience story
A publisher suspects the latest book of a renowned mystery author to be all too real. Directed by: Alf Kjellin. Story by: John Bingham (novel), Richard Levinson, William Link (teleplay).
15 total · 1 choice · 8 major · 6 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| creative writing | choice | A publisher was trying to decide whether the fantastical story related to him is the plot of a writer's new book, or the writer enacting a crime worthy of its own novel. |
| extramarital affair | major | The author was worried that his wife was fooling around with another man. Later the author fell in love with that other man's wife. |
| human mental condition | major | Warren's erratic behavior, which culminated with murdering his love interest, was explained as a result of him being left "mentally unbalanced" from the car accident. In the end, Warren was unable to distinguish between reality and his new novel. |
| husband and wife | major | Warren's wife died in a car wreck they were kissing, instead of paying attention to oncoming traffic. Janet tried to kill her abusive husband, Ivar. |
| infatuation | major | Warren fell head over heals for Janet. |
| love triangle | major | Warren became romantically involved with Janet, and was later confronted by her husband, Ivar. |
| murder of a lover | major | The author was about to murder his faithless lover's husband, but was talked out of it and decided to murder his love interest, Janet, instead. |
| personal practical dilemma | major | The publisher and his other author friend wrestled with whether the story was believable enough that they ought to do something about it, yet thinking the police would simply laugh at them. |
| the publishing industry | major | The story was narrated in a publisher's office. |
| domestic violence | minor | Ivar denied his wife's allegation that he'd "knocked her around". |