Comedy and narrative

The general narrative structure of the comedy:

According to Evanthius, then, a narrative comedy consists, of the following components or functions in the following order: a protasis, or exposition, an epitasis, or complication, and a catastrophe, or resolution.(A catastasis, a new and further element of complication, was proposed during the Renaissance by Scaliger as a possible additional component in the structure, following the epitasis).

In order to illustrate the workings of this model, and to demonstrate its productive potential, I will analyse the structure of Blake Edwards's comedy, Blind Date.
                                           

First there is a protasis, which extends from the opening credit sequence through to the point at which W gives N some champagne at a recording studio before going on to a business dinner being held in honour of Mr Yako, a visiting Japanese businessman whom W's firm is trying hard to impress. During this part of the film we are introduced to the principal protagonists ( usually through the device of having them introduced to one another). And we know sth.

Next comes the epitasis, beginning with the dinner and extending to the point at which W is arrested and jailed.Thank to N's drunken behaviour.

W is bailed out by N the following moring. But now comes the catastasis. W's case is dismissed and he is set free. However, N now faces marriage to David.

The catastrophe comes at the last minute. Here the reversal occurs on the day of the wedding. W has impregnated some chocolates with alcohol and had them delivered to N that morning. N has eaten all the chocolates bae one. With the wedding ceremont in progress, she drunkenly interrupts the minister to declare that she is not in love with her husband-to-be. A brief epilogue follows: W and N are together on a beach. In the foreground close to camera is an icebucket containing, not champagne, but coca cola.