#sly is honestly such a piece of shit for asking neyla out on a date. he deserved her betrayal | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inspector-montoya-fox · 2 years

Text

let’s talk about Carmelita and Neyla’s power struggle as presented through visuals

This post was originally going to focus on Carmelita and Neyla being presented as binary opposites but after I started working on it I realised how big a topic this is to cover so I’m just going to analyse the visuals for now. More specifically, the visuals that have to do with the two characters’ antithesis and rivalry. Let’s take a look:

Colour Choice: purple is a really interesting choice for Neyla because I think it highlights the duality and mystique of her character: blue, as seen by Carmelita, symbolises good, the law and justice; whereas red is evil and hatred (which is subsequently the colour of ClockLa’s eyes too). Mix those two up and you’ve got Neyla, an eternity-seeking psychopath masquerading as a cop. Her palette’s duality serves to both compliment and contrast Carmelita’s blue, nicely blending when they’re still coworkers but then contrasting when they’re antagonists. In Sly 2, Carmelita’s outlines and overall appearance are primarily blue, whereas in Sly 3, she swapped to orange (as seen by her thief meter). I think this choice presents how the events of Sly 2 were probably the lowest point in her life, or at least career, and in Sly 3 she manages to overcome all the obstacles she’s faced, such as getting arrested, tortured, working with Sly and managing to “capture” him before he tricks her and escapes.

Angles: the angles used in the cutscenes allude to Carmelita and Neyla’s position in the narrative, and their placements depend on how their storyline is progressing. For instance, A Tangled Web, a significant chapter in the game, starts off with Neyla being shot from beneath as her planes and tanks follow behind her. Her pose adds to the angle she’s being shot from and serves to show how she’s a force to be reckoned with and that, since exposing The Contessa’s deceit, she’s shed her demure, coy demeanour from episodes 1-3.

Despite all this, A Tangled Web is the episode that includes the most character development for both Neyla and Carmelita as their control begins to shift drastically. By the end of the level, Carmelita, who wasn’t even mentioned once in Jailbreak, goes from being completely benched to being the one receiving the low-angle shot. Neyla, on the other hand, got her ass handed to her by everyone, receiving ghosts in her HQ’s chimney and getting stuck in spider cum, and as such is shot from a high angle. Although Carmelita is still a fugitive after this episode, the dynamics here have definitely changed since Neyla’s betrayal.

Another thing I’ve noticed in regards to the angles used in the cutscenes is that Carmelita’s gaze plays a role in the positioning of the characters. Let me explain: the split-screen screenshot used above has Carmelita looking down at Sly. I think the screenshot is trying to convey two things: (a) the horizontal split in the middle as well as the colours used symbolise how Carmelita is conflicted due to Sly rescuing her and their brief alliance; (b) the fact she’s looking down at him literally means just that. Ethically, she’s on a higher ground, and she disapproves of Sly being a thief. At the end of the game, this changes and the screen is split vertically because, even though she’s still not ok with him being a thief, he’s redeemed himself partly because of the entire ClockLa storyline. She’s more accepting of who Sly is and that sets up their relationship nicely for Sly 3.

You’ll notice that, even though Sly and Carmelita are on opposite sides of the law, they don’t overlap each other in the cutscenes. They are equals because both are morally good. The same can’t be said for Carmelita and Neyla, however. Their power-struggle and representation of “good” and “evil” is again presented by Carmelita’s gaze. In the game’s opening cutscene, Neyla is positioned closer to the camera while Carmelita gives her a suspecting look from behind. In He Who Tames the Iron Horse’s closing cutscene, however, Carmelita is framed closer and Neyla in the back. Although Carmelita’s gaze is unaverted, the change in the framing suggests, again, the shifting dynamics and power-struggle. In the beginning, Neyla’s skittish behaviour threatens Carmelita as she slowly but surely rises as a force within Interpol; by the second Canada level however, Neyla seems to be losing her control because, even though she’s still in Interpol, the gang has managed to beat her and gather all the Clockwerk guts successfully. Depending on her position of power, Carmelita is placed in front or behind Neyla.

Similarities: although Carmelita and Neyla are binary opposites, once their partnership ends, they experience the same high and low simultaneously. A Tangled Web opens with Carmelita being held captive by The Contessa. She is tied down to a wooden table and subjected to The Contessa’s experiments. During Operation: High Road, Neyla experiences the exact same thing, when she gets caught in a web. This presents how The Contessa is a badass female villain and that every character is caught in her tangled web, but also how Carmelita and Neyla’s destinies are intertwined.

Similarly, in An Anatomy for Disaster, both Neyla and Carmelita use machinery to ascend to the skies: ClockLa & the Interpol helicopter. The two characters share the same highs and lows to a certain degree, and, even though they were tied down, they managed to get up and push even higher.

Bonus: I find it really interesting that Neyla’s introduction sees her coming out of a sarcophagus with Anubis’s face on it. I mean, Carmelita does the same thing but I think it’s foreshadowing because Anubis is the god of death and that is exactly what Neyla’s rise and reign include. I wish Carmelita’s sarcophagus had a different face on it, something to foreshadow her own storyline or character. Also, since we’re on the subject, this.

So yea ! I’m sure there’s more stuff but this is what I got for now. I wanted this post to focus more on how both SP and S*nzaru are guilty of slapping the “angry POC” label on Carmelita but I guess that post will have to come at another time.

#i subconsciously started capitalising midway through writing this so you know she entered dissertation mode #sly cooper #anyway #sly is honestly such a piece of shit for asking neyla out on a date. he deserved her betrayal #thoughts besties?

40 notes · View notes