Ghost Story

[bcholmes]

One of my favourite episodes of Dead Like Me is the second season episode, "Ghost Story". And one of the (many) things I really like about it is its use of visual imagery. Dead Like Me is a bit different than most TV, in that it tends to tell a lot of its story through George's narration, and it makes heavy use of montages to build atmosphere.

Here's a bit that I find interesting. The episode starts, and we see a children's book.

George narrates:

Once upon a time there was a traveller on horseback who finds himself facing a swamp and he doesn't know whether to go around or try to wade through.

Cut to George's office place, Happy Time:

The traveller asks a local boy, "Tell me, local boy, does the swamp have a hard bottom?" and the boy tells him that it does. So the traveller guides his horse into the swamp and they begin to sink deeper and deeper and deeper into the muck. He shouts to the boy, "I thought you said it has a hard bottom?" And the boy says, "It does, Mr. Traveller. You're just not there yet."

As she says this, George arrives at her cubicle (timed to coincide with the words "guides his horse into the swamp"), and her boss, Dolores, arrives with a big stack of folders that George has to finish that day.

After a brief bit of conversation, George narrates: "And the sinking begins".

What's interesting is that the story of the traveller and the swamp is used ambivalently throughout the episode. Although in the first minute or two, the swamp is identified with the workplace and being piled under work, Dolores turns it around.

She points out to George that George is an outsider. She has no connections with her co-workers, and she uses sarcasm to keep people at a distance. Dolores points out that George isn't taking part in the annual Happy Time camping retreat and doesn't even have any pictures of friends or family in her workspace. Then Dolores leaves.

The next sequence of shots really interests me. First we see George in her cubicle:

Then we pan, slowly over other people's cubicles. They have pictures of family and friends.

We see George again. She raises her eyebrow as if to say, "Must I?"

And then we see:

And then the story becomes about belonging and fitting in. But also about how wanting to belong is linked to feelings of loss. At one point, George says, "I don't want to fit in. I just don't want to stand out."

Later, Rube tells a longer version of the same story after he drops in at the Happy Time retreat (to give George a reaping assignment). The Happy Timers are around the campfire telling ghost stories.

Rube: The man came to the edge of a dark and unknown swamp. He had to make a decision.

Dolores: Should he go into the swamp or go around?

Rube: Does he go through the swamp or does he go around? We all ask ourselves that question, don't we?

Comments

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

That was a great little series. Of course it was cancelled as soon as I found it.

argh

[truffle666.livejournal.com]

such a great show, why was it cancelled? the world is stupid.

Now you've done it...

[mathbabe.livejournal.com]

Steve S. was talking about this series a while back, and telling Alan and I that we "Really really had to" watch it, since in his opinion Mandy Patinkin is basically playing Alan. (Not that I'm marrying a grim reaper or anything like that, it was just a dry humour comparison. Of course Steve was drunk at the time).

The point is, you tipped me over the edge, and I broke a nearly five-year TV moratorium last night to watch the season pilot. And I think it's safe to say I'll be watching the rest. Maybe it's a good thing there are only two seasons?