[the killing] character analysis | "say your goodbyes..."
AKA: The one where it's all about Ray Seward and how he's my new favourite toy!
Actually, before I get to the brilliance that already is Ray Seward's characterisation, can we just take a moment to BOGGLE at this piece of drivel from Entertainment Weekly:
The Killing was once a show that aspired to transcend its genre by being both a painfully intimate tale of grief observed and grand saga about fully realized fictional American city-a Pacific Northwest version of The Wire. Now it's just another murder mystery about a bunch of dead girls and the monstrous misogynists who slay them.
DO I EVEN NEED TO GET INTO ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH THAT SUMMARY OF SEASON THREE FAILS???!!!!
No, didn't think so. What makes it even more *face-palm* is how completely the author seemed to 'get' the first two seasons and yet... just... I have no clue!
Okay, moving on. RAY SEWARD.
I'm absolutely blown away (both by the writing and by the acting from Peter Sarsgaard) with how ~completely this character already reasonates with me. He's had a handful (of admittedly very poignant) scenes, and even less actual dialogue, and he's already my new Walter White. AND THAT IS A PRETTY BIG CALL, AS MOST OF YOU WOULD KNOW!
I was discussing 'themes' for this show with catteo earlier today, about how grief and grieving were such a big part of seasons one and two, and what they might serve us up in season three. We were talking about how a big one so far as been the theme of lying to yourself to make the act of actually living day to day something that is doable. In the face of having nothing else left, we lie to ourselves (and, importantly, to other people) that everything's actually okay in order to go on. Pretty much ALL of the characters fit this profile to a degree; some more obviously than others.
And it's the way that Ray fits in here, and the way it's been presented on screen to date, that has utterly fascinated me (with Bullet running a pretty close second).
Firstly, let's deal with the 'did he or didn't he' question. Normally, I'd say that this is beside the point. Just like 'who killed Rosie Larsen' as a standalone question was completely beside the point. HOWEVER, in this instance I actually think it's key. And I think (hope!) the answer is a resounding no, he didn't.
Did he do something? YES!
Did he do this particular thing? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT. At least, not in my opinion.
Ray Seward is on death row for the brutal rape and murder of his wife. He's been found unequivocally guilty of almost severing her head and leaving his six year old son home alone for a week with her decomposing, decapitated body. That's some horrific shit right there. And, on the surface level, he's shown us he's probably capable of doing something like that now, and maybe he was even capable of doing it then too. Does that automatically mean he actually did it? No it doesn't.
Now let's tie his current predicament in with the 'theme' that I mentioned at the top, the notion of lying so that the world can keep spinning with you in it.
The facts are this: Ray's wife has been murdered. Ray has been found guilty of the crime. His son has been fostered out. Presumably he hasn't seen him for years. There have been appeals; none of them have been successful. Ray is in prison. More than that, Ray is now on Death Row. Ray is going to be exceuted in less than a month.
Those are the facts.
Now imagine that Ray's not guilty. HOW DOES HE LIVE WITH HIMSELF? HOW DOES HE HOLD A RAZOR IN HIS HAND AND NOT IMMEDIATELY SLIT HIS OWN THROAT?
He does these things, live, not die, because RAY BELIEVES HE IS THE MONSTER EVERYONE SAYS HE IS. Ray NEEDS to believe this in order to keep breathing. He needs to believe he deserves everything that's happened to him, that will happen to him, in order to preserve the small amount of control and dignity and sanity he has left. And, on top of that, RAY NEEDS EVERYONE ELSE TO BELIEVE IT TOO*.
And for the most part, they do. They do because the law tells them it's true. He was found guilty. Hell, they do because RAY tells them it's true.
It's only when his guilt is called into question that the cracks start to appear.
[credit | rorybbellows]
[sidenote: Sarah Linden, you are too perfect for words!]
Because if Ray isn't a monster, if he didn't kill his wife, if he misses his son more than anything in the whole world, then what does he have left? Besides being the ultimate victim. Besides having no hope. Besides nothing. The non-monster who didn't kill his wife and misses his son? He's the guy that picks up the razor and slits his throat. He's NOT the guy who carves out a chunk of his own chest in order to make the lies easier to tell.
Other points of note: Ray's insistence that he doesn't want another appeal, and his lawyer's assumption that this is because he doesn't want to drag this thing out. Firstly, the guy who doesn't want to drag things out is the guy who slits his own throat, so episode three puts a resounding strike through that claim. For mine, Ray doesn't want to appeal because that would involve re-opening the I'M NOT GUILTY box. Which is not in keeping with his New World View.
And with regard to the * above: The need for other people to believe the lies is a double edged sword in Ray's case. I mean, the only reason he's in the situation he's in (again, assuming he's not guilty) is because someone, somewhere along the line, created a lie about him that everyone else believed. And it's a lie he's come to completely embody (for the most part. Obviously Sarah sees through him - and she should know all about lying to yourself so you can get out of bed in the morning; she's the master at it after all) as a means of self-protection.
ARGH! THIS IS SO ENDLESSLY ~FASCINATING TO ME!
Feel free to agree/disagree/FLAIL AT ME in the comments. I could discuss this show and all the characters in it until the cows come home. WHICH IS A VERY BAD JOKE. I AM SORRY.
Actually, before I get to the brilliance that already is Ray Seward's characterisation, can we just take a moment to BOGGLE at this piece of drivel from Entertainment Weekly:
The Killing was once a show that aspired to transcend its genre by being both a painfully intimate tale of grief observed and grand saga about fully realized fictional American city-a Pacific Northwest version of The Wire. Now it's just another murder mystery about a bunch of dead girls and the monstrous misogynists who slay them.
DO I EVEN NEED TO GET INTO ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH THAT SUMMARY OF SEASON THREE FAILS???!!!!
No, didn't think so. What makes it even more *face-palm* is how completely the author seemed to 'get' the first two seasons and yet... just... I have no clue!
Okay, moving on. RAY SEWARD.
I'm absolutely blown away (both by the writing and by the acting from Peter Sarsgaard) with how ~completely this character already reasonates with me. He's had a handful (of admittedly very poignant) scenes, and even less actual dialogue, and he's already my new Walter White. AND THAT IS A PRETTY BIG CALL, AS MOST OF YOU WOULD KNOW!
I was discussing 'themes' for this show with catteo earlier today, about how grief and grieving were such a big part of seasons one and two, and what they might serve us up in season three. We were talking about how a big one so far as been the theme of lying to yourself to make the act of actually living day to day something that is doable. In the face of having nothing else left, we lie to ourselves (and, importantly, to other people) that everything's actually okay in order to go on. Pretty much ALL of the characters fit this profile to a degree; some more obviously than others.
And it's the way that Ray fits in here, and the way it's been presented on screen to date, that has utterly fascinated me (with Bullet running a pretty close second).
Firstly, let's deal with the 'did he or didn't he' question. Normally, I'd say that this is beside the point. Just like 'who killed Rosie Larsen' as a standalone question was completely beside the point. HOWEVER, in this instance I actually think it's key. And I think (hope!) the answer is a resounding no, he didn't.
Did he do something? YES!
Did he do this particular thing? NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT. At least, not in my opinion.
Ray Seward is on death row for the brutal rape and murder of his wife. He's been found unequivocally guilty of almost severing her head and leaving his six year old son home alone for a week with her decomposing, decapitated body. That's some horrific shit right there. And, on the surface level, he's shown us he's probably capable of doing something like that now, and maybe he was even capable of doing it then too. Does that automatically mean he actually did it? No it doesn't.
Now let's tie his current predicament in with the 'theme' that I mentioned at the top, the notion of lying so that the world can keep spinning with you in it.
The facts are this: Ray's wife has been murdered. Ray has been found guilty of the crime. His son has been fostered out. Presumably he hasn't seen him for years. There have been appeals; none of them have been successful. Ray is in prison. More than that, Ray is now on Death Row. Ray is going to be exceuted in less than a month.
Those are the facts.
Now imagine that Ray's not guilty. HOW DOES HE LIVE WITH HIMSELF? HOW DOES HE HOLD A RAZOR IN HIS HAND AND NOT IMMEDIATELY SLIT HIS OWN THROAT?
He does these things, live, not die, because RAY BELIEVES HE IS THE MONSTER EVERYONE SAYS HE IS. Ray NEEDS to believe this in order to keep breathing. He needs to believe he deserves everything that's happened to him, that will happen to him, in order to preserve the small amount of control and dignity and sanity he has left. And, on top of that, RAY NEEDS EVERYONE ELSE TO BELIEVE IT TOO*.
And for the most part, they do. They do because the law tells them it's true. He was found guilty. Hell, they do because RAY tells them it's true.
It's only when his guilt is called into question that the cracks start to appear.
[credit | rorybbellows]
[sidenote: Sarah Linden, you are too perfect for words!]
Because if Ray isn't a monster, if he didn't kill his wife, if he misses his son more than anything in the whole world, then what does he have left? Besides being the ultimate victim. Besides having no hope. Besides nothing. The non-monster who didn't kill his wife and misses his son? He's the guy that picks up the razor and slits his throat. He's NOT the guy who carves out a chunk of his own chest in order to make the lies easier to tell.
Other points of note: Ray's insistence that he doesn't want another appeal, and his lawyer's assumption that this is because he doesn't want to drag this thing out. Firstly, the guy who doesn't want to drag things out is the guy who slits his own throat, so episode three puts a resounding strike through that claim. For mine, Ray doesn't want to appeal because that would involve re-opening the I'M NOT GUILTY box. Which is not in keeping with his New World View.
And with regard to the * above: The need for other people to believe the lies is a double edged sword in Ray's case. I mean, the only reason he's in the situation he's in (again, assuming he's not guilty) is because someone, somewhere along the line, created a lie about him that everyone else believed. And it's a lie he's come to completely embody (for the most part. Obviously Sarah sees through him - and she should know all about lying to yourself so you can get out of bed in the morning; she's the master at it after all) as a means of self-protection.
ARGH! THIS IS SO ENDLESSLY ~FASCINATING TO ME!
Feel free to agree/disagree/FLAIL AT ME in the comments. I could discuss this show and all the characters in it until the cows come home. WHICH IS A VERY BAD JOKE. I AM SORRY.