GRAY'S VIEW - The Premise

In a sense, Zero is the ultimate fall guy. He follows in the tradition set by the likes of King Kong, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc - except that Zero is a necessary enemy. Neither, unlike the aforementioned, is he a killer. In fact, there is no sound basis for the townspeople to hate or fear him, other than unsubstantiated propaganda by the Authorities. Even in a utopian System, there is still a need for conflict - real conflict and for the townspeople, Zero is the only enemy there is. There is no malevolence in his make-up, indeed his disposition is totally passive.

However the big question mark which hangs over the protest is whether Zero really is a bad man woe thy of his enemy status, or whether he is actually a good man seeing it as his duty to effectively play the enemy role, and thereby stabilize a town system which, without his presence, might otherwise tear itself apart.

If the townspeople and the Authorities are right - as they believe then the resulting persecution of the thin figure is arguably justifiable. And Zero’s dilemma, as the films unfold, is whether he himself is becoming too confused about his own status and mental state to see the situation he finds himself in with any real clarity.

Zero is always played in a dark outfit, and appears almost like a drawn stick-man. Following the movie Depolarizer (1997) however where it appears he has become at one with the townspeople - he finds his inner strength diluted via compromise. Perversely, he begins to realize he is actually worse off than before ‘depolarization’, because he knows - or believes - he can never capitulate entirely, in the interests of the townspeople themselves. From Displaced (1999) onwards his outfit becomes more of a dirty grey, a symbol perhaps of his weakened state.

There are however a group - apparently from outside the town - who make contact with Zero on occasion to restore his self-belief when the odds stacked against him seem completely overwhelming. Representing a coterie known as Questor, they appear at appropriate intervals beginning with Catherine (Catherine York) in Displaced. But is their presence merely in Zero’s imagination - pure wish-fulfilment on his part?

Maybe he is indeed intended to be the enemy of the town - but is this good or bad - and is he destined to always maintain this balance on his own?

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