Reflection

• The deviation from the norm in this piece revolves around the seemingly mundane act of retrieving mail at night turning into a chain of unexpected events triggered by a surprising letter from an old friend. The norm here is that receiving mail at home, even at odd hours, is a routine activity. The anticipation is that the man will simply retrieve his mail, perhaps in a mundane fashion, and return to his Batman-themed chair without incident. However, the norm is quickly disrupted when the letter from the old friend is revealed to hold a grudge, setting the stage for an unexpected turn of events. The eerie, ominous music sets the tone, hinting at something sinister lurking beneath the surface. As the man descends the stairs, the tension builds, only to be shattered by the absurdity of the flashback sequence triggered by the old friend’s recounting of a childhood memory in the letter. The transition to the flashback is punctuated by a classic sound effect, instantly transporting the audience into the past coupled with the transition effect of a ripple in water. As said in Berger’s ‘The semiotics of humour:..’, “All of these things are ‘signs’ which is the core concept in semiotics.” Everything from their clothes, expressions to the sounds and visuals are all signs to signal to the audience the meaning being portrayed, for example within the flashback itself, we witness the actions of a younger version of the man stealing his friend’s favourite swing by pushing him off. The exaggerated actions and expressions of the child actors add to the comedic effect, emphasising the ridiculousness of the situation. As the flashback ends with the same transition and sound effect, the audience is jolted back to the present by the setting and dark lighting, only to be met with another unexpected twist: the man’s beloved Batman chair has been stolen as an act of revenge. The escalation of absurdity, from a childhood prank to a missing valuable chair, adds layers of humour to the scene. The use of language in the old friend’s narration adds another dimension to the piece, as his matter-of-fact delivery complements the absurdity of his actions. In conclusion, the disruption of expectation in this comedy piece is executed through a combination of story/context humour along with the added slapstick visual humour, performance, and audio cues, creating a hopefully comedic experience for the audience.

References:

Berger, A.A. (1970) The semiotics of humour: Universal humour techniques in comedy writing, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-33422-1_2