Hello all! After last week’s double absence, we do have a Cargill appearance this week [writer/academic looks to the heavens in thanks]. So, let’s see what our girl’s been up to.
Jade Cargill – SmackDown
This week, Cargill’s appearance comprised a backstage assault on Charlotte Flair. Aided by her stablemates Michin and B-Fab, this attack represents a return to basics for Cargill. Once again, we see the physical agency Cargill’s character often displayed from April until August, rather than the more passive aggressive offered in recent weeks via backstage interviews. This approach also gives the viewer a clearer sense of the advantages offered by working as a coherent heel unit. Even viewers not familiar with pro-wrestling’s tropes would feel the chaotic aggression in this scene. There’s Flair’s performance of pain, the weaponising of surrounding objects. But how is this chaotic aggression signified by the camera work?
Well, shaky cam, of course. This article is a decent intro on shaky cam, in particular the work of the Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi. The writer, Jason Hellerman, sets out the effect of shaky cam: “we get the feeling of reality and a sense of immersion, instability, or nervousness”. Now, the WWE has been using this technique for a long time (e.g. it was used when Matt Hardy and Lita first kissed on WWE TV) – there’s nothing revolutionary going on here. It’s still the same old conservative WWE storytelling. But it’s somewhat interesting to see the WWE writers try to reconnect us, on this more immersive level, to Cargill’s aggressive side. Let’s see whether this extends to Cargill’s in-ring time, and style, next week.
Seth Rollins – Raw
Absent.
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