Deconstruction of the Image of a Crime Boss in Russian TV Series in the Early 21st Century

Abstract

The article considers two examples of deconstructing the image of a crime boss. It explores the narrative structure and underlying archetypal patterns of two cult Russian TV series «Brigade» and «PE Teacher». In «Brigade» the characters are presented in a way that effectively rules out any possibility of their critical perception. The protagonist is shown as a mythological figure entirely deprived of free will.
On his way to the eventual disaster he navigates through various plot twists in the traditions of the “ill fate” concept leaving the viewer no chance to doubt the moral aspects of the narrative. It leads to the undesirable celebration of the image of a crime boss and an outburst of criminal activity in society.
In «P E Teacher» the plot lines following those of “Brigade” undergo a therapeutic reconsideration. Social and economic changes permitted the authors to use the growing well-being of the population with didactic goals. The audience no longer saw gangsterism as the only way of social advancement, the traumatic experience of the recent past called for reevaluation. In the narrative which transforms the protagonist the work of two archetypal patterns is observed.
The first one is the protagonist’s interaction with three main female characters, personifying three female types — those of the Daughter, the Wife and the Mother. The second archetypal pattern is the protagonist’s own consistent conduct, which can be described as anti-behavior — to use a term related to an ancient Russian polysemantic phenomenon. A happy combination of comedic and archaic elements in the dramatic structure of the show lets the audience experience a catharsis. Acknowledging the notorious drawbacks of the Soviet system one is forced to admit its function as an integrated social matrix. All its constituent parts like technology, economics, history, censorship and self-censorship were welladjusted and coordinated.
At present we face the process of reverting to national identity and of understanding our national unity. Film production and film analytics have a prominent role in the process opening up the opportunities to reevaluate blank pages in the recent and distant history and to integrate them into national consciousness.