Okay, wow. So much happened in the primary texts this week that I had a hard time deciding where to dig in. UFOs, the random introduction of a narrator in Fargo, the consumption of gold, shooting lions because of tourist stupidity, a Suicide Tour, etc.  With all of the exciting events within the primary texts, I decided to focus on something a little less flashy, but that still seemed representative of threads that run through Goon Squad: Scotty and Bennie’s reunion. Below I describe Scotty and Bennie’s reunion and the thread of “inbetweenness” that runs through the first 8 chapters, and will conclude with a brief thought about the networked character portals that weave the episodic chapters together.

Chapter 6, “X’s and O’s” is focalized through the perspective of Scotty, to whom we were introduced earlier in the novel. He was described by Rhea in chapter 52 as being “the truly angry one” and has scar spots in his vision from staring into the sun after he learned his mom died (52). The chapter begins with a type of coincidence, as described by Dennenberg in Chapter 4, “The Coincidence Plot.” Scotty is reading a stolen copy of Spin, where he learns that his old friend Bennie is a record producer (92). This leads to Scotty reach out to Bennie through a letter, to which Bennie responds, and eventually leads to an in-person reunion. The coincidence of Scotty stealing this particular issue of Spin where he recognizes his friend from the past, which then leads to their exchange of letters, and an awkward meeting in Bennie’s office functions as a coincidence. Dennenberg describes the traditional coincidence plot as:

“the paths of characters with a previous connection intersect in the space and time of the narrative world in apparently random and remarkable circumstances and through no causal intent of their own. This plot consists of three main phases in terms of the story sequence: 

• (A) The previous relationship (prehistory).
• (B) The coincidental encounter (intersection) of the characters in the time and space of the narrative world.
• (C) A cognitive process involving the characters’ recognition (discovery) of each other’s identity” (94).

Part C of Dennenberg’s traditional coincidence definition is particularly interesting when considering how Scotty’s and Bennie’s recognition of one another is skewed from previous ideas of one another’s identities. After Scotty and Bennie exchange a total of three short letters, Scotty decides to visit Bennie in his office and to bring with him a fish-filled paper bag, as a gift (of course). The fish gift seems significant in the distance that has grown between the two men, and their altered recognitions of each other’s identity. When Bennie asks Scotty why he really came to visit him, Scotty replies, “I came for this reason: I want to know what happened between A and B.” He elaborates:

“A is when we were both in the band, chasing the same girl. B is now.”
I knew instantly that it had been the right move to bring up Alice. I’d said something literally, yes, but underneath that I’d said something else: we were both a couple of asswipes, and now only I’m an asswipe; why? And underneath that, something else: once an asswipe, always an asswipe. And deepest of all: You were the one chasing. But she picked me (103).

This moment complicates their recognition or discovery of each other’s identities. It is clear their paths have diverged and they have both changed considerably. Their recognition of one another is both rooted in the past and informed by the present. There is both a continuity of identity and relationship as well as a dissonance, between A and B.

The inbetweenness of A and B, and inbetweenness in general is a significant thread that seems to guide readers across the relational networks and into the portals (episodes/chapters) of various characters’ lives. We see other examples of inbetweenness, both subtle and less so. More obvious examples are Sasha’s “yes/no smile” (13); “Stop/Go Sisters” (27); “sweet-bitter smell” (31). More subtle examples are themes of desire and reality, destruction and repair, young and old, past/present, as in Scotty and Bennie’s reunion.

There is something significant about what happens in from “A to B” that Goon Squad appears to be grappling with. We see in through the design of the book, moving backwards and forwards in time and across characters. I am interested to hear others thoughts about the design of the book, its chapters/episodes/portals, as well as the other examples of inbetweenness the stories are exploring.

Before I wrap things up here, I wanted to share a character map/flow chart I found for the Goon Squad. After chapter 3 I started thinking, I need a map to remember all the connections between characters! Thankfully, there was one already created:

For a bigger image, go here: http://tessiedesigncompany.blogspot.com/2012/01/visit-from-goon-squad-in-flowchart-form.html 

The readings from Bordwell and Newman both present key elements and structures within different filmic forms. While Bordwell describes characteristics of classical and art-cinema narrations, Newman describes features of serial television, specifically focusing on the prime-time serial (PTS). The chapter from Abbott explores adaptations of stories to different media and what components of the story can be shifted and exaggerated or are stunted in these adaptations. My synthesis post for this week will be based largely on Bordwell’s and Newman’s articles. Though the articles outline many components of classical narration, art-cinema narration, and the serial, I will focus primarily on character (though there is much to be explored in closures as well).

Before jumping into character, I want to take note of two important terms used throughout Bordwell’s article: syuzhet and fabula. The fabula is the story itself, or the “aerial perspective,” “raw material” of the story. The syuzhet then delivers that story in ways that impact the viewer—creating suspense, intensifying emotions, revealing and hiding information, etc.  The syuzhet can be briefly defined as the plot — the way the story is organized and unfolds. Bordwell describes, “syuzhet represents the order, frequency, and duration of fabula events in ways which bring out the salient causal relations” (158). Two features or expressions of the syuzhet include the scene and montage—pieces that construct how viewers receive the story.

Both articles provide numerous distinctions between filmic narrative forms, namely classical narration, art-cinema narration, and the prime-time serial (PTS). The distinction that stood out most to me, especially in light of watching Fargo (feature) and Fargo S2E1, was character. In classical narration, the character is presented through a “objective” notion of realism. The character is “psychologically defined” and often “struggle[s] to solve a clear-cut problem or to attain specific goals” (157). Bordwell states, “In fabula terms, the reliance upon character-centered causality and the definition of the action as the attempt to achieve a goal are both salient features of the canonic format” (157). We learn within minutes of the arrival of Frances McDormand’s “Marge” on screen in the feature-length Fargo that she is a pregnant police officer in a loving marriage who must solve three murders. Her identity and objectives are defined at the offset and obeyed for the duration of the story.

In art-cinema, the character is presented through a more “’subjective’ or ‘expressive’ notion of realism. The art film aims to ‘exhibit character’…But the prototypical characters of the art cinema tend to lack clear-cut traits, motives, and goals. Protagonists may act inconsistently…or they may question themselves about their purposes” (Bordwell 207). The focus on character psychology as ambiguous and at times contradictory is a divergence from the classical narration. We learn within minutes of the arrival Kirsten Dunst’s “Peggy Blumquist” on screen that initial clues of her contented satisfaction as a homemaker and nearness to self-actualization were misleading: she had hours before committed a hit and run and is seemingly only pretending to share her husband’s dreams of having children and settling in Minnesota. Her behavior is contradictory on different levels, which can leave the audience to wonder if her actions are the result of a recent trauma (committing a hit and run) or extend deeper, illustrating her character as one that lacks clear-cut traits.

Newman mentions the allowance the serial gives in gaining a deeper understanding of the character as we follow the character through numerous events and interactions. He states “the investment in a serial character is based on a more novelistic progression of events over a long duration, with episodes like chapters in an ongoing saga rather than self-contained stories…Characterization in the PTS is more likely to have a certain kind of depth as the audience knows more about the characters’ inner lives in serials than in many episodic shows” (23). Thus, in the serial, the characterization may lean more toward the classical or art-cinema variety, but either way the audience is given a deeper understanding of the character and more time to observe growth and change (or lack thereof). Many questions about Dunst’s character, goals, and future are left unanswered in S2E1 of Fargo, presumably to be taken up in later episodes.

Okay then.

Questions:

• What did you notice about the use of the camera as an “invisible-observer” especially in S2E1? What knowledge about the fabula was conveyed or confused through the lens of the camera and editing techniques?
• What allusions or “citations” are present in Fargo S2E1 of Fargo (feature), in terms of syuzhet, fabula, character, etc.?
• What cause-effect chains were left open in Fargo S2E1 and which ones were resolved?