The 21-Inch Sun story
Sitcom scriptwriter Billy Burliss, suffering from writer's block, discovers that one of his houseplants has become sentient after absorbing the rays from a TV set. Since the plant also gained a sense of humor this way, Billy begins using it as a ghostwriter. Directed by: Nick Castle. Story by: Bruce Kirschbaum.
8 total · 1 choice · 6 major · 1 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| creative writing | choice | The story concerns a struggling sitcom scriptwriter whose career takes off after he befriends a sentient houseplant with a knack for comedy. |
| benefiting from someone else's work | major | Billy took credit for writing hilarious sitcom script, but in reality a sentient spider plant was behind much of the heavy lifting. |
| coping with the death of a friend | major | Billy was devastated when the sentient spider plant he befriended appeared to have died after falling to the street from the ledge of his apartment window. In a surprise twist, the plant sprang back to life shortly after Billy laid it to rest in a patch of earth, and the two were happily reunited. |
| friendship | major | Billy and the sentient spider plant, Lucy, became fast friends. |
| plant-like being | major | A spider plant became sentient after getting exposed to rays from Billy's television. |
| the entertainment industry | major | The viewer is shown what it might be like to work as a sitcom scriptwriter. |
| writer's block | major | The sitcom scriptwriter Billy Burliss suffered from writer's block. The plot turns on his discovering that one of his houseplants had become sentient after absorbing the rays from a television set. |
| choosing between conflicting loyalties | minor | When his friends showed up and asked him to party, Billy was sorely torn between them and his beloved house plant Lucy. |