“world needs bad men”? tv-noir and the limits of empathy (2015)
TRANSCRIPT
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Alberto N. García
Conference “Crime Days, Crime Pays”Aalborg (Denmark), 1-2, October 2015
“World Needs Bad Men”? TV-Noir andthe Limits of Empathy
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True Detective (HBO, 2014)
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1. Genre: Noir, Neo-Noir and TV-Noir
• An open concept: genre, style, movement,hybrids
• Essential features• Criminal plot• Moral ambiguity• Urban realism/sense of place• Socio-political critique• Antiheroism/alienation• Expressionism• Weight of the past• Existentialism/Tragedy
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1. Genre: Noir, Neo-Noir and TV-Noir
• An open concept: genre, style, movement,hybrids
• Essential features• Neo-Noir: “self-consciousness” and “crime does
pay”• TV-Noir and the lack of closure
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2. Emotion: character engagement
• Identification, empathy, sympathy…
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Hannibal (NBC, 2013-15)
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2. Emotion: character engagement
• Identification, empathy, sympathy…• Levels of engagement (Smith):
• Alignment• Allegiance
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3. Engagement in TV Narrative
• Textual duration• Broadcasting rythm• A more complex, changing and challenging
allegiance
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4. TV, Noir antihero and Empathy
1. Moral comparatism
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The Shield (FX, 2002-08)
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4. TV, Noir characters and Empathy
1. Moral comparatism2. Family
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The Americans (FX, 2013)The Fall (BBC, 2013-)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 2010-15)True Detective (HBO, 2015)
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4. TV, Noir characters and Empathy
1. Moral comparatism2. Family3. Acts of contrition
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Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-13)
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4. TV, Noir characters and Empathy
1. Moral comparatism2. Family3. Acts of contrition4. Victimization
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The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007)Dexter (Showtime, 2006-13)
Southcliffe (Channel 4, 2013)True Detective II (HBO, 2015)
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5. The Limits of Empathy
• Cyclical re-allegiance
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Andy Sipowicz (NYPD Blue)
Thomas Shelby (Peaky Blinders)Mike Ehrmantraut (Better Call Saul)
John Luther (Luther)
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5. The Limits of Empathy
• Cyclical re-allegiance• Switching allegiance
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Lester Nygaard (Fargo)
Bodie Broadus (The Wire)Shane Vendrell (The Shield)
Ben Sherman (Southland)
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6. The Sense of an Ending
• The emergency of “ars moriendi”• Moral clarity• New trend in TV-Noir: redemption, optimism,
happy-ending.
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7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
“You keep your chin up Gus Grimly. We'rewinning this thing! Don't you forget”(Molly Solverson)
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Fargo (FX, 2014-)
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“The dinner you wanted to treat me to. Howabout now?”.(Saga Norén)
7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
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“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiveone another as God in Christ forgave you”.(Rev. Paul Coates)
7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
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“You don't have to go. I just take a left up here, hop onthe freeway down to Mexico. In a couple of hours,we're sitting on the beach in Baja having margaritas”.(Hank Dolworth)
7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
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“I said you’d be fine”.(Raylan Givens)
7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
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“Once, there was only dark. If you askme, light is winning”.(Rust Cohle)
7. The rise of “Bright Noir”
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True Detective (HBO, 2014)
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Alberto N. García Martínez
School of CommunicationUniversity of Navarra (Spain)
Web - unav.academia.edu/AlbertoGarcíaBlog - gentedigital.es/comunidad/series/
Twitter - @AlbertoNahum