The Canadian thriller Yaga, which is reworking the Baba Yaga legend in a contemporary frame, has reserved for viewers a sequence that is sparking discussion. It happened in the third episode, available in Italy for streaming on HBO Max. At the center of the scene was Hudson Williams, star of Heated Rivalry, called to portray a moment of particular extremity: his character, Logan Casey, was shown on the morgue table with the body mutilated and devoid of genitalia. A sequence that, for its brutality and visual impact, could be described as one of the most disturbing ever seen in a TV series.
Yaga: How the Morgue Scene Was Realized
The episode’s sequence was introduced at the end of the second episode, when—and beware of spoilers—the lifeless body of Logan was found face-down near the water by private investigator Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid). In the episode A Good Boy it was revealed that the killer castrated the victim. Rapp and the detective Carson (Clark Backo) went to the morgue to examine the corpse for clues, and it was during this sequence that viewers were confronted with an explicit depiction of the mutilations. To realize it, Williams had to wear a particularly elaborate prosthesis, designed to faithfully reproduce the appearance of the body after the castration.
Talking about the behind-the-scenes are directors David Frazee and Rachel Talalay, who in an interview with Entertainment Weekly explained how demanding the actor’s work was. Frazee joked about the prosthesis’s practical difficulties, saying: “It’s really something, because once you put on that prosthesis you can’t go to the bathroom anymore. It was fun, but he didn’t flinch.” The director also noted that the production had to discuss at length how to visually depict the mutilation: “We talked quite a bit about how the ‘cut of the member’ would unfold.” Talalay also highlighted Williams’s readiness, fresh from an engagement at Paris Fashion Week and then returning to the set despite jet lag and a dialogue-heavy scene. “I don’t know if you know this, but the trauma of having to portray a corpse is not at all pleasant. Not at all. And on top of that, wearing that damn prosthesis!”
The creative freedom offered by streaming distribution played a crucial role in bringing the sequence to life. According to Talalay, a scene of this kind would not have been possible on traditional television: “In the past, something like this would not have been allowed on TV.” The production nevertheless had to confront the network about the duration of the takes and how long it could show the mutilated body. Frazee, convinced that the sequence was essential to the story, insisted on the need not to shy away from the depiction: “We must see it!” he told the executives. A choice that made the third episode of Yaga particularly shocking and that, as the director concluded, marks a milestone for the series: “I think you can say without a doubt that ours is the first castration.”
Comments