Trip from Portland to Communist Poland
Ah, the things that one thinks up on long lonely drives between Seattle and Portland. I just remembered a rather long and detailed idea I had for a video series while heading down there at the end of last year for the Vespertine Ball. I had been wanting to do some video that year and thus had it on my mind and came up with the idea, or rather a couple of ideas and over the trip stitched them together into a whole story in my head. Now writing them down so I can remember them better.
Story starts out with the words "Communist Poland, 1996". As we follow our protagonist, we discover that the iron curtain did not fall. Rather than let Poland and other countries open up, Russia opted for war rather than collapse and declared martial law and occupied the Warsaw Pact states. The Cold War continues hotter than ever with constant threat of World War 3. This is all learned from context as it is way above our protagonist, a lowly factory worker who has is own problems as his wife and only child have recently died in an accident. The episode ends with him in his kitchen drinking with the radio playing while holding the letter that informs him that he is no longer employed. Most episodes were meant to end this way, him drinking at his kitchen table after something bad has happened, and we learn a little bit more about the world via what is on the radio. The second episode ends with him being broke and facing eviction. The series was to follow the model of Breaking Bad and the Eastern European saying that "Things can always get worse." (This will not be a nice story.)
From there, he falls in with the wrong crowd in an effort to make money and things look better for him. He ends up doing some horrible things, and betraying some old time friends and burning some bridges in the process. After a warehouse torture scene, his new friend and ally reveals that he is not actually working for the mob, but for the KGB in their take over of the Polish mob. Our protagonist is dumbstruck till his new, only friend not only insults Poland which our protagonist takes in stride, but his dead wife and kid. At that point, he picks up a length of 1" rebar and beats the KGB agent to death with it. From there things go downhill with him having burned his bridges and killed the only person protecting him. He ends up caught and sent to a prison camp with one suitcase of clothes.
In the camp, he deals with prison life, makes more mob contacts, and finally is adopted into a group that is going to escape or die. Some escape and some die, but our protagonist and his new friend end up in Warsaw. There with his new rep having escaped the camp with a mob boss regaining his status, he starts to move up in the ranks. One of the main visual points I built the story around happens at this point. For his status, he needs a suit as all the Polish wiseguys wear suits. Indeed, all the important people wear suits, and those that are part of the establishment wear communist pins on their labels. He has no good clothes and is being made fun of by those around him for it so he goes to have one made only there is no good material due to Russians, rationing, etc. He thus opts to have one made out of gaudy material, perhaps upholstry, so he now has this nice tailored suit of this horribly guady material. While the girl tries to sell him a communist lapel pin, he says no and instead tells her to give him a pin of the Polish flag as a joke. Of course, everybody laughs at his suit, but continues on. As he moves up in the ranks and gains status, the other younger wiseguys start appearing dressed in similar suits of gaudy material. Eventually, even the older guys start wearing them as it becomes a symbol along with the Polish pin on the lapel.
More later.
Story starts out with the words "Communist Poland, 1996". As we follow our protagonist, we discover that the iron curtain did not fall. Rather than let Poland and other countries open up, Russia opted for war rather than collapse and declared martial law and occupied the Warsaw Pact states. The Cold War continues hotter than ever with constant threat of World War 3. This is all learned from context as it is way above our protagonist, a lowly factory worker who has is own problems as his wife and only child have recently died in an accident. The episode ends with him in his kitchen drinking with the radio playing while holding the letter that informs him that he is no longer employed. Most episodes were meant to end this way, him drinking at his kitchen table after something bad has happened, and we learn a little bit more about the world via what is on the radio. The second episode ends with him being broke and facing eviction. The series was to follow the model of Breaking Bad and the Eastern European saying that "Things can always get worse." (This will not be a nice story.)
From there, he falls in with the wrong crowd in an effort to make money and things look better for him. He ends up doing some horrible things, and betraying some old time friends and burning some bridges in the process. After a warehouse torture scene, his new friend and ally reveals that he is not actually working for the mob, but for the KGB in their take over of the Polish mob. Our protagonist is dumbstruck till his new, only friend not only insults Poland which our protagonist takes in stride, but his dead wife and kid. At that point, he picks up a length of 1" rebar and beats the KGB agent to death with it. From there things go downhill with him having burned his bridges and killed the only person protecting him. He ends up caught and sent to a prison camp with one suitcase of clothes.
In the camp, he deals with prison life, makes more mob contacts, and finally is adopted into a group that is going to escape or die. Some escape and some die, but our protagonist and his new friend end up in Warsaw. There with his new rep having escaped the camp with a mob boss regaining his status, he starts to move up in the ranks. One of the main visual points I built the story around happens at this point. For his status, he needs a suit as all the Polish wiseguys wear suits. Indeed, all the important people wear suits, and those that are part of the establishment wear communist pins on their labels. He has no good clothes and is being made fun of by those around him for it so he goes to have one made only there is no good material due to Russians, rationing, etc. He thus opts to have one made out of gaudy material, perhaps upholstry, so he now has this nice tailored suit of this horribly guady material. While the girl tries to sell him a communist lapel pin, he says no and instead tells her to give him a pin of the Polish flag as a joke. Of course, everybody laughs at his suit, but continues on. As he moves up in the ranks and gains status, the other younger wiseguys start appearing dressed in similar suits of gaudy material. Eventually, even the older guys start wearing them as it becomes a symbol along with the Polish pin on the lapel.
More later.