Gag talking, the why and when

[Handsome Scoundrel]

I'd like to take a moment to philosophize on the subject of gag talk, i.e. the sounds gagged captives make despite the measures (cloth, tape, gag balls, etc.) taken to prevent said sound.

In many tv and movie scenes the gag seems to be functional in two ways, a) to prevent potential rescuers from hearing the distressed damsel or dude and b) to prevent the captive from humanizing themselves in the minds of their captors.

Often the gag is only symbolic. I would suspect that most real life gags are more effective versions of what we usually see on tv (many probably a sock stuffing with duct tape wrapped around several times) though some tv portrayals are on point and incorporate a stuffing and/or a wrapping. The gag becomes functional once the victim feels that the time is right to humanize themselves in the eyes of their captors.

This may come when they learn that the boss has plans for them that include a view from six feet deep, or when they learn there is a potential rescuer in the area (including a sympathetic kidnapper).

I posit that although gags are effective at accomplishing a, preventing rescuers from hearing them (thus extending the episode or movie by a few minutes with more captured footage), they do not accomplish b. Nonverbal communication is the bread and butter of all communication. And besides that, most people feel sympathetic towards someone who can neither move or talk. Especially in scenarios where there are multiple captors, it seems that gagging someone only makes them more pitiable.

Gagtalk is a unique form of agency in characters that are often considered to be entirely passive.

The video below (mf/f) depicts a woman mmphing for her life. It appears to have an effect on the male captor, and definitely slows him down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivyKN8U ... DqaPDt4Ojw