Making complex narratives

Also, I was thinking about the Simpsons (thought other shows do this too) where there will be a main storyline but then a sub-story that intersects every once in awhile but mostly just happens on its own, or the show begins with its own little scene, a short set of jokes that really doesn't do anything for the main plot of the show, but is just funny, and I think they talked about that with Fr. Ted too (the authors) how they would conceive of a show by having 2 or 3 funny scenes that were just funny in and of themselves, because of their set-up or situation, and then build around them. Set peices kind of a thing. So that makes me think about how I can repeat characters or jokes in a painting narrative or how I can have a sub-character or literally a background story going on, adding other characters that support or intersect. . . . trying to make the narrative more complex or make more layers to what is going on. I wonder if I can tell a story in a room but not necessarily in order. Not a linear story, but scenes, a moment and maybe not of an event, the way our mind goes back and forth from flashes of long ago to yesterday to whatever. Hmmmm.