Ex-Tabula Rasa

Chekov’s doughnut

“Hey Pete.”

“Hey.”

“You know, Chekov once wrote that when a playwright shows the audience a loaded gun, at some point later in the play it has to be fired.”

“Is that right? Huh.”

“Yeah.”

“Chekov said that? Hm.”

“And you know, Pete, I can’t help but notice you have a box of doughnuts on your desk, there.”

“I do.”

“It strikes me, at this moment (Pete) that Chekov’s comments regarding loaded guns, while ostensibly a point made about foreshadowing and economy of narrative in the theatric arts, could also be applied to a situation like this. In that (I’m sure you’ll agree) if an office worker shows his colleagues a box full of doughnuts, at some point later he is going to have to offer one of those doughnuts to those colleagues.”

“I enjoy these chats, Malcolm, I really do.”

“And while it could be argued that Chekov’s statement on the introduction of deadly firearms to a story forgets the use of literary red herrings, it should also be pointed out that an overreliance on red herrings is liable to make one’s audience lose faith in you, just as introducing a box of doughnuts to the office without offering them out is liable to make one’s coworkers lose respect for you.”

“I learn so much. It’s fascinating.”

“So, Peter, my point (if by now you are still struggling to grasp it) is that, in the spirit of literary foreshadowing and economy of narrative, I think you should offer me a doughnut.”

“Malcolm, would you like a doughnut?”

“Why thank you Pete. Most kind.”

“Malcolm, in which episode of Star Trek did Chekov say all that? I don’t think I’ve seen it.”