The Contemptuous Ruby
Synopsis Opening late at night in a swimming pool, the writers quickly establish Sheriff Ted as the prophetic seer of the evil that lurks in Breakwater Louisiana. The main protagonist, Ruby, offers sexual tension and manipulates the lives of those around her. This story is a sardonic and tragic tale with a featured close-up of a tattoo of Comedy and Tragedy as a metaphor for the torment of a paralyzed Walter Wilson; who is held captive in a mangled war-torn body and bound to his wheelchair. Sheriff Ted, Walter's friend and fellow Vietnam soldier bears witness to Walter's mute state and the immobility of his hands while reliving his days of happiness and glory in his mind's eye. Walter's torment is visualized by extreme close-ups of his face and eyes while he sits and watches an 8mm film over and over again. His young and beautiful bride, Ruby, from days long past has degenerated into an aging and perverse sadist who tortures him with malicious indifference. Her promiscuous acts with hapless strangers while Walter is forced to watch is beyond evil. When Ruby hires a young dancer, Fawn, for Walter's amusement, it leads to Ruby's undoing. By the time we're introduced to Ruby, her evil is developed and her inevitable quest for absolution and annihilation is revealed. The fact that she gets both will serve the audience well. The writers lead you in and out of Ruby's psychosis, where the temptations of the dark late-night bars lure her night after night. It conjures up a diabolical noir setting. Ruby's antics become an important insight into the evil of a scorned and toxic woman. Her Tango scene with a tall, beautiful and much younger woman, Kat, who is at her beck and call will mesmerize the audience. Walter's sister, Rhonda, a trust fund hippie dedicates her life to causes. Walter is one of her causes. When the main characters do actually come together the unfolding of Ruby's contempt for Walter then skyrockets. Ruby's obsession with luring naive sailors, soldiers, and young women is her real story. One of these, a longshoreman, Lon, appears somewhat happenstance. However, the nature of Lon's humble dedication to Breakwater makes him an easy target for Ruby's spontaneous combustion of greed and salacious exhibitionism. The writers are able to bring in some tension-breaking humor with Ruby's diabolical antics and her expertise with her pole dancing skills. Lon's dialogue with Ruby clearly depicts him as innocent. While Ruby's torment of Walter seems highly improbable, it works in the context of the story. Additionally, the Tango between Ruby and Kat is steamy enough to entertain. Ruby's tough edges are never smoothed out except in wedding photos and home movies of her and Walter making her a more endearing character. Sheriff Ted narrates this tale throughout in classic voice-over with his pulp fiction writing skills. Overall, The Contemptuous Ruby is gripping as well as entertaining. A highly flamboyant lust tryst that focuses intently on the internal agony of Walter. The writers confirm the desolation and stark loneliness of 1971Breakwater, Louisiana.
