A Tale of Two Stories

Hi, I’m Liz Hundley Wile, and I am an addict. 

I’m addicted to storytelling, to working, to fostering a culture of creativity where art and truth can collide. 

I just saw the Veronica Mars movie, and I left inspired. Inspired to tell you a tale of two stories, and why I love them. One’s about a teen PI in a film noir setting with a load of wit and snark, while another is a courageous teen who sets out to right wrongs in her dystopian world. 

As the release for the Veronica Mars movie neared, I started re-watching the show on Amazon Prime. Kris would pop in occasionally, but didn’t understand my passion for it. When I surreptitiously re-played the pilot for him and my sister when she was in town, I was hoping to hook them. When the subtle approach didn’t work, I decided to explain why I was so passionate about the story. 

The cult television series was about a teen girl, Veronica Mars, who was part of the in-crowd in high school in fictional town of “Neptune.” Her dad did well for himself as the town’s sheriff, and her best friend and boyfriend were part of the wealthy class. The pilot sets it all up nicely in the very first sentence, “This is my school. If you go here, your parents are either millionaires, or your parents work for millionaires.” In Veronica’s world, after her best friend is murdered and her father accuses the wealthiest man in town, they both become pariahs, and she starts to associate more with the have-nots. Cue hit theme song by The Dandy Warhols, “A long time ago, we used to be friends, but I haven’t thought of you lately at all.” 

The show (and now movie) shines a spotlight on the class struggle that engulfs most of America. It deals with the issue smartly and honestly. The show also deals with issues like rape, suicide, pedophilia, abuse, and addiction, all in a raw, but grounded kind of way. It redeems “villains” and lets you see the dark side of the “heroes.” I was glad to see Pivot airing the show, as it really is a perfect fit for the network’s parent company Participant Media, as their mandate is to support content with “social justice” type themes. 

So in response to this explanation of one facet behind my love for the series, Kris says to me, “A kick-ass girl who was part of the more wealthy crowd, but sees the seedy underbelly, and starts identifying and championing the less fortunate? I get it. You like Veronica Mars because she’s you.” 

I think that was the best compliment I’ve ever gotten. (Thanks, love!) 

In actuality, that’s a bit of what ties these two tales together. The Divergent movie comes out next weekend, and I can’t wait to see Tris on the screen jumping onto trains, learning to fight, and realizing there’s something worth fighting for – people worth protecting. So I guess you could say I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie and obsessive over “justice” myself. 

I love these stories because they speak to the big questions, “What makes us tick as people? How do we operate in society? And is that good, or can we change broken systems?” 

In the car today I heard the new single from New Politics, “Tonight You’re Perfect,” and it really resonated with me. I thought of Divergent when I heard it:

“Should I believe in the world, mama? 
Should I give up and hide, or should I stay and fight? 
Should I believe in the rules, mama? 
Tell me if I should run, or learn to shoot a gun. 
I don’t know what to believe, mama. 
I’m down on my knees, I’m beggin’ please 
Help me back on my feet, mama 
‘Cause I need someone to believe, believe, believe in.” 

I’m so moved by people who have real courage, and that is someone I want to be. When confronted with the darkness in the world, instead of running and hiding, people who stand up and say it’s not OK, and who fight for change and light, even if they are scared. Who speak up for those who are being oppressed. Who will stop their car when someone is being treated badly by authority, and both speak truth to power, and hold their feet to the fire. Who, like my 75 year-old friend Bob I met today at the blood drive, will see someone on a beach, and perform CPR for 30 minutes until the medics arrive. 

On a possibly related note (no spoilers), Keith Mars is my hero. Plus, Enrico Colantoni is pure gold. Go see the Veronica Mars movie to see why. (Here’s my plug – even if you haven’t watched the TV show, you will still be entertained!) 

Back when Lorde’s new single “Team” came out a couple months ago, I also felt that song in connection to Divergent for its themes of living in destruction, but doing it together: 

“I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air 
So there 
I’m kind of older than I was when I reveled without a care 
So there 
We live in cities you’ll never see on screen 
Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things 
Living in ruins of the palace within my dreams 
But you know, we’re on each other’s team.” 

It makes me think of my little ragtag church, Kairos Hollywood, and I get teary-eyed every time. We’re located in East Hollywood. It’s nothing famous – “you’ll never see on screen” – though it is next to the ever-popular Los Feliz, and Hollywood itself. And as people, I like to think that God calls us to look past ourselves and our “reveling without a care,” and to see the hurt and the need around us, and to mend it. As the last line of the Divergent trilogy says, “Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can’t escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other.” 

Since I work in the television business as an aspiring creative studio executive, I must explain that I also like these stories because they are well-told, have interesting, compelling characters, and exciting worlds like “Neptune” and the ruins of Chicago. I think both movie adaptations are well cast and well made. (Though, I haven’t seen Divergent yet, everything I have seen of it indicates I will enjoy it.) 

But what grasps my heart and imagination on a personal level is the call to write my own good story with my life. For all of us to LIVE a good story. To take these entertaining works of fiction, and to model that compassionate courage in our own lives. To stick up for the little guy, for the less fortunate. To be a part of a team. To realize our passions and go for them – saying NO to a world that tells us we need a certain level of financial security or success or status to be fulfilled. 

I’d like to wrap this all up with a huge bit of gratitude to the guy I get to do life with – Kristopher Eric Wile. We have our ups and downs, like any couple, but I know that this man is a strong person who loves God, loves others, and loves storytelling. He is my biggest supporter, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without his love teaching me to be humble, to be loyal, to be sacrificial, and to laugh. Kris reminds me of the lesson Four & Tris learn in the third Divergent book, Allegiant, (MILD SPOILER IN THIS QUOTE) “I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.” 

 I’ve been listening to this song by Dierks Bentley lately, and it reminds me of us: 

“She wants her nails painted black 
She wants the toy in the Cracker Jacks 
She wants to ride the bull at the rodeo 
She wants to wear my shirt to bed 
She wants to make every stray a pet 
Drive around in my truck with no place to go 

But she needs to feel that fire 
The one that lets her know for sure 
She’s everything I want and more. 
Her real desire 
Is to know I’d walk alone out on the wire 
To make her feel that fire.” 

So thanks to Kristopher Eric for inspiring and supporting me for the past 6 years. I hope we will support each other for many, many more. You’re a true man of character who embodies this quote from Divergent, “A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.” 

Well, that got sappier than I intended at the start, but to quote my girl Veronica Mars “People say I’m a Marshmallow.” Cue “Mug Shot/Stick Up” by Max.