Giles wrote:I didn't think about that, but good point. Dramaturgically speaking, it establishes the protagonist as the underdog, so we root for him more and it make his eventual victory more 'satisfying'. As often, realism vs. dramatic necessity.
Yeah, I get why they did it, but honestly it's just weak story telling. Even though it's weak and lazy, it's the standard for how things are done-- gotta dumb it down to the lowest common denominator. It's certainly no worse than the latest James Cameron bazillion dollar blockbuster, so don't take it as a serious criticism of the piece, it's just something I hate about today's storytelling.