‘Mr. Inbetween’ — Engaging The Audience Through Subtle Moments
by Frank Martin
“Show, don’t tell” is an important mantra when it comes to storytelling. As the adage goes, characters need to express their emotions and feelings through actions rather than words. A lot of times, characterization is so subtle that writers feel the need for the characters to use dialogue to communicate that characterization to the audience. However, the best stories are ones that force the audience to be an active viewer and pay attention to what’s going on in the story rather than just sitting back and having everything delivered to them. A great example of this came in the season two finale of Mr. Inbetween.
The main character, played by series creator Scott Ryan, has a brother with a very bad neurogenic disease. Such are the stakes that the brother asked the main character — who is typically a cold and callous hitman — to help end his life. Also during the second season, the main character’s daughter tries to guilt him into ending his cigarette habit. Throughout the season, he works really hard to deny smoking and kick it for keeps. He wears patches and uses gum, never giving in no matter how stressed he gets. During the season finale, the main character and his brother visit their abandoned childhood home, where the brother will be euthanized. Before this happens, they sit and chat, reminiscing about their lives together. It is at this moment that the main character takes out a cigarette and lights it up.
The main character never mentions that this is his first cigarette in a long time. So the audience will have to pick up on the fact that this moment broke him and he reverted to smoking. But they will only realize this if they are paying close attention to what has been going on. Because it’s never mentioned, the symbolism and profoundness of this moment can be easily missed. But that’s what makes this such a great detail. The main character doesn’t want to mention this to his brother. He wants to keep it inside. It’s a subtle moment that forces the audience to be engaged in the story to understand its full meaning.
Mr. Inbetween is now streaming on Hulu.
