Megan McLachlan talks to editor Franzis Muller about what it was like taking audiences on an emotional ride in Love Story Episode 5’s “Battery Park.”
When Love Story’s Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) finally agrees to marry JFK Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) at the end of Episode 5’s “Battery Park,” social media went wild for the needledrop of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Name.”
The episode’s co-editor, Franzis Muller, doesn’t remember the other songs she cut the scene to, but she does remember the feeling of knowing what fit.
“[Co-editor Adam Penn] sent me a list of songs, and said, ‘I think this one will work best, but just try them all out,” said Muller. “And I did. But of course, that one was perfect. It’s just part of the magic of working with Adam. The moment I placed it, I was like, oh, I get why he said the song is going to work well.”
Love Story Proposal Scene Song: Goo Goo Dolls’ “Name”
This moment in the episode acts as a crescendo. All episode long, there’s tension between whether these two can make it work, with him in the spotlight and her craving privacy.
“We’ve just spent four episodes showing how beautiful this romance is. You have the hint of the ring when they first get into Hyannis Port. So you build that excitement with the audience that it’s going to lead to this beautiful moment. When I read the script, I thought, oh, this is going to be an important thing. And I have to make sure that when we get to that point, it’s showing in Carolyn’s face, why she’s making that decision.”
But at first, of course, Carolyn says no, something that Muller didn’t know about but that affected her editing decisions.
Carolyn, No: How Bessette’s Refusal Influenced the Ending
“We’ve had all the scenes before that hinting at, you know, maybe we should rethink this. She says that in the dialogue, we need to have a conversation to see how our lives blend together. So it’s just little snippets that are placing doubt before we get to that scene. And then it was just letting Sarah do her beautiful thing and just let her performance take a breather to shine, let that guide the way that I was cutting the scene.”
By the time we get to the final scene, the camera feels like it’s pressed up against their faces, something purposeful throughout the episode, getting closer and closer.
“That’s the way that I originally cut the scene,” said Muller. “The scene that Adam worked on in the beginning with the park went through a progression that has an introduction of the paparazzi. And that puts a bit of distance on us. And the tricky thing with that scene is yes, we have the distance, but you have to make sure that the intimacy, the emotional part of that scene, and the conversations are helping the audience understand and keep track. I wanted to make sure that when we got to that last scene, the audience was waiting, holding their breath. Is she going to say no again? Or is she going to say yes? They’re having the conversation that she asked for. So please, let’s let us get to that moment where we’re gonna hear the good news.”
Muller didn’t know that a key line would land so hard, but she did know she wanted to create a claustrophobic feel.
“I wanted to feel that pressure, you know, building, building, building, building until she says yes. And I love that moment where Sarah is not really saying yes. She says, ‘I’m willing to do it with you.’ And it’s such a beautiful moment in the way that Sarah delivered every take. When I read it in the script, I thought, oh, that’s a really cute line. But then she delivered it, and I remember just smiling from ear to ear. That’s because they let the audience in. We know she said yes before she understood she said yes. And it’s beautiful. And Paul also just gave me a performance that worked really well to compliment that line. Just a little hint of a smile where you’re like, yes, yes, yes.”
All episodes of FX’s Love Story are streaming on Hulu.
