Not My Canon!

WTF: Comedic Timing

When developing my Fred and George fanfic, I knew that I couldn't just make them continually ridiculous. Are sarcasm and humor always on their minds? This is Fred and George we're talking about here. But, I always knew it was crucial to consider the atmosphere of the scene before having my characters make light of things, even if it's not an outright joke. In the Muggle world, we call it comedic timing.

Casting Aspersions

HARRY: Thanks for letting me come up.

ALBUS turns, he nods at his dad. He's being cautious too.

No luck, as yet, with the Time-Turner searching. They're negotiating with the Merpeople to dredge the lake.

He sits down uncomfortably.

This is a nice room.

ALBUS: Green is a soothing color, isn't it? I mean Gryffindor rooms are all well and good but the trouble with red is - it is said to send you a little mad - not that I'm casting aspersions...

We hear you, Albus. This is totally the sort of conversation a fourteen-year-old would have with their dad. Eh... That was sarcasm, WattPotters, in case you happened to overlook it. Thanks, Cursed Trio! For most of the play, I was wondering what was missing. It was color psychology! Oh, and it came at the perfect time. I mean, does it make sense for a moment of awkwardness to precede a parental discussion on a child's failings? Yes. But this doesn't work. Because it's dumb.

How's that for professional criticism?

Ron's Comic Timing

DRACO: So - we just wait? Until Voldemort turns up?

ALBUS: Does she know when he does turn up? Hasn't she come here twenty-four hours early because she isn't sure when he'll arrive and in what direction? The history books - correct me if I'm wrong, Scorpius - show nothing about when and how he arrived in Godric's Hollow?

SCORPIUS and HERMIONE: You're not wrong.

RON: Blimey! There are two of them!

DRACO: So how can we use this to our advantage?

I get the joke the writers are going for here. But the timing is off. This is during Act Four after a Hogwarts student has been found murdered, when they have traveled to the past and are huddled in a church in Godric's Hollow, expecting the Dark Lord to appear at any minute. Maybe not the best moment for Ron to be so... ugh... It pulls us completely out of the scene and could have been done at a less crucial point in the narrative. And, as an aside, Jack Thorne has reached a point where he's done showing us how Scorpius is similar to Hermione. Now he's just telling us!

Farmer's Markets and Ponytails

In Act Four, the parents are readying themselves to travel back in time. They head to their destination, Godric's Hollow. This should be a somber moment. They are traveling to the past to rescue their children and stop Delphi from changing the future (which doesn't make sense, but I'll get to that soon). And although Draco is no Arthur Weasley, he makes a comment that... just...

Read it for yourselves.

HERMIONE: Godric's Hollow. It must be twenty years...

GINNY: Is it just me or are there more Muggles about...

HERMIONE: It's become quite popular as a weekend break.