Parks and Recreation (2010, Daniels & Schur) Pawnee Zoo Season 2 Episode 1

Transcription

1 Parks and Recreation (2010, Daniels & Schur) Pawnee Zoo Season 2 Episode 1 Categories Medium This show was originally made for the medium of Television. The length of episodes (approx. 21mins) many slots on Television are 30 minutes - mean that the channel broadcasting is able to fit in 9 minutes of adverts. Ultimately the revenue from the adverts allows the channel to fund the production of the show. We have serial storylines which run throughout episodes building of the park, also love/relationships are ongoing storylines but there are also self-contained storylines e.g. the marriage of the penguins. Serial storylines keep people returning and watching which helps the makers make money as they can sell advertising through the promise of a consistent number of return viewers. Self-contained storylines mean that viewers are not put off or excluded because they have not been watching the series from the start. The nature of the domestic/workplace/relationship nature of the storylines is also suitable to television as it is easier for the audience to relate to these sort of storylines as they are relatively ordinary and everyday. Whereas the sort of storylines dealt with in cinema texts are more outlandish/thrilling/implausible and provide escapism for the audience. The theme tune is there as it helps identify the show, we also have a short teaser before the title sequence to capture the audience. The title sequence helps to introduce the characters, we see them individually and we also see the actors names. Sitcom/Documentary (hybrid) Form - Sitcom Genre Markers - Limited number of locations in this case a workplace unusually for a sitcom there are also a large number of external locations used also - Ensemble cast main characters (Lesley, Mark and Anne) Secondary characters (Tom, Andy, Ron ) one-off and recurring characters (TV presenter, activist woman) - Length (21 minutes) that is very common to sitcom - Sitcoms usually deal with domestic life, work life, love life, family life the storyline in P&R main plotline (gay marriage of penguins self-contained) subplots (the pit and its future replacement with a park) subplots (relationship between Andy and Anne, relationship between Lesley and Mark) - Selection of different stereotypical(?) characters - The dialogue as a source of humour - Documentary Genre Markers - Shakicam Zooms used for facial expressions, reactions of characters to events and things that are said - Interviews Lesley addresses the audience/documentary-makers - Looks at the camera several times we see characters give a knowing look to the camera - At times the camera looks on the action from a voyeuristic viewpoint where we see things that the characters would rather we didn t, almost like they don t know they are being watched - Live action, scripted (some improvisation), American, from the makers of The American Office Daniels and Schur, originally broadcast on NBC

2 Purpose Tone - Entertain through cringe humour (through the awkwardness of the characters and the situations they find themselves in, and through dramatic irony) slapstick humour, but the vast majority comes from dialogue we ve got the tension of the romantic storylines (will they, won t they) - Make a Profit the sale of advertising effectively funds the production of the show and allows the channel/production company to turn a profit the running time and the use of self-contained storylines are ways in which profit is maximised the focus of the show a government workplace is also general enough to allow the show to be sold to channels in other countries to further make money in this case, the BBC broadcast series 1 3, furthermore the show made its way to DVD, another British channel Dave and onto online streaming Amazon Prime in the UK to further make the production company money from its broadcast/purchase/licensing. - Humour Cringe humour there are situations that are so awkward that it makes us feel uncomfortable, but this provokes a response of laughter in many cases the scene where Leslie is confronted about her act at the zoo the gay penguin marriage is very passive aggressive, the woman (Marcia) is from the Society for Family Stability Foundation the woman appears friendly and smiley and Leslie greets her warmly but then quickly the situation changes - Serious (Grave) Tone the issues raised by the episode are important and it is sometimes clear that these issues are dealt with more seriously for example when Leslie decides that she feels it will be ok for Anne to date Mark Language & Representation - Cultural Codes (PCATA) - Mise-en-scene Leslie s Office Opening Scene - Picture of Hillary Clinton PCATA is that photo frames will be for loved ones, this suggests she idolises and admires this figure it gives off the impression of her lofty political aspirations - Globe in the office suggests her wish to travel, her interest in world affairs - Technical Codes We have got while Leslie is rapping we see a shot of Tom bobbing his head, Ron looking exasperated with her, April rolling her eyes Shows us the different opinions that different co-workers have of her, it shows her enthusiasm and energy. - Representation Leslie - Selection White, slim, attractive, able-bodied, straight a very hegemonic selection in terms of portraying her as normal. - Blonde hair Slight essence of ditsyness, naivety but she is not unintelligent and she is ambitious - Portrayal dressed quite smartly, preppy, a little mumsily speaks about her investment in her job, she takes it seriously - Pearl Necklace associated with class, elegance and wealth - Once outwith the office she is in a more formal trouser suit jacket - Quite goofy raps at the beginning of the episode PCATA white people rapping=uncool - Portrayal Ron Swanson Not invested in his job this is hinted at through the casual poloshirt he is wearing in the office, although the suit in the title sequence he wears hints at his

3 authority. His moustache also hints at his masculinity. Facial expressions show his stern seriousness throughout the episode. In a later scene we see Ron leave a meeting because it has nothing to do with [him]. - Marcia Langman her portrayal heavily hints at a link to conservative Christianity Does her portrayal represents the programme makers views of Christianity? Society for Family Stability Foundation it is being portrayed that family stability means normal heterosexual Christian marriages/families She is shown smiling in her first appearance in the episode, dressed in a cardigan, also wearing pearls, clutching her handbag PCATA Cardigan is quite mumsy, very conservative form of dress Again the pearls are to indicate her class and elegance Clutching her handbag, very closed off body-language, it is black, which again is conservative at odds with her smile. As a representation of Christianity it could be argued that the Target Audience may read the idea that Christianity is nice and loving and warm on the surface but underneath intolerant and not very accepting of those that do not meet their idea of normality. This reading is further supported or anchored by the graffiti that we later see at the penguin enclosure It s Flipper and Eve not Flipper and Steve. - Portrayal of Homosexuality In the episode we meet April and her boyfriend and her boyfriend s boyfriend it is clear in Leslie reaction, her facial expression and her question What s the situation? How does this work? that the portrayal of Homosexuality here is instead portraying something more promiscuous and polyamorous Setting of the Gay Bar Very flamboyant characters in the background, hi energy pop/dance music playing, very revealing costumes on the male characters drinking and partying in a flamboyant is portrayed as an important of gay lifestyle. - Selection of characters that are represented representation of an Asian-american and an African American Tom as the sole representation of Asian-americans and his portrayal is fairly un-masculine, he is small, unsuccessful with women, well dressed but not a strong presence in terms of masculinity very much in contrast with Ron - Donna as the sole representation of an African American the way she talks is very stereotypical in terms of an African American stereotype referring to Leslie as girl Donna is a fuller figured lady and again this is an American cliché of African American women she also features fairly briefly in terms of the episode; perhaps highlighting how proportionally are under-utilised/represented in terms of the mainstream media. Audience & Narrative Target Audience characteristics/needs/expectations as it is likely to appeal to people who have been part of the working world for a while Male and female audiences you could argue as there is a fairly even split in terms of the main cast 4 main male characters (Tom, Ron, Mark and Andy) 4 main female characters (Donna, Leslie, Ann, April) Liberal as the storyline portrays those who are accepting of the gay marriage of the penguins positively and those against it negatively. American audience, with an interest in politics due to the setting and subject of the show Needs to be entertained through cringe humour and amusing dialogue Expectations Genre of sitcom/mockumentary Funny, relatable situations expect self-contained storylines Serial storylines involved on/off or unrequited love

4 Mode of Address We have characters regularly breaking the fourth-wall and they are not addressing the audience they are talking to the fictional documentary makers who are never shown on screen. This allows the characters thoughts/feelings/motivations to be explained to the audience directly without complex mise-en-scene or a voiceover etc Uses & Gratification (MacQuail, Blumler & Brown) Diversion For the audience watching the characters problems and difficult situations provides a diversion from their own problems etc Personal Relationships The target audience will likely form a connection with the characters as they will have relatable situations, relatable characteristics, relatable struggles e.g. Leslie getting into trouble at work and Ann wondering about whether it is ok to date her friend s ex. Differential Decoding Preferred Reading of the Target Audience would be that the gay penguin relationship is harmless. The character that wants Leslie to resign is shown as irrational and therefore the preferred reading is that gay marriage is fine. Oppositional Reading Homophobes and extremely conservative Christians are likely to take a different reading. They may agree with Marcia and think that the government should not take a stance on gay marriage and that it is harmful to normal relationships. Equilibrium Theory It is possible to apply Todorov s theory of equilibrium to the main storyline of the episode involving the marriage of the penguins. The state of equilibrium at the beginning of the episode is clear as Leslie is taking part in an event at the zoo it is clear that this sort of task is part of Leslie s job, the disequilibrium comes when Marcia calls for Leslie to resign because of her assumed stance on gay marriage, the storyline reaches a return to equilibrium when Leslie has the penguins moved to another zoo; this sort of return to equilibrium means that the storyline is able to be fully resolved and is unlikely to mentioned in any future episodes this leaves it as self-contained. Character Conventions & Binary Oppositions It is also possible to apply Propp s theory about recognisible character types/roles to the text. Hero Leslie is clearly shown as the hero through the positive way that her stance on gay marriage is celebrated and applauded by the majority of the characters. The only negativity comes from Marcia who is portrayed as the villain and the callers to the TV show who seem to be small-minded and ignorant. Villian Marcia is clearly shown as the villain of the episode through her persistent calls for Leslie to resign and her attitude to gay marriage which is shown as irrational. In this way, although Leslie and Marcia are both portrayed as strong and confident women the could also be seen as being in binary opposition to one another (Levi-Strauss). Institutions Ownership (Internal Factors)

5 The show was originally conceived as a spin-off from the hugely successful and critically acclaimed sitcom (filmed in a mockumentary style) The Office (2005, Daniels, Gervais & Merchant); which had been based on the UK sitcom The Office (2001, Gervais & Merchant). Greg Daniels and Michael Schur had both worked on Parks and Recreation and the US version of The Office. Fans of Daniels would know what to expect of the show mockumentary style, irreverent humour, cringe humour and therefore audiences would have certain expectations of the text. The show, like the US The Office, was funded and broadcast in America on NBC. The channel NBC is known for sitcoms, having broadcast shows like Friends, Frasier, Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and many many more. NBC seeing the huge success of US The Office had originally asked Daniels to write a spin-off of the show. The success of The Office means that NBC were looking to create a show that was very similar to it. The text was broadcast in the sought-after primetime Thursday 8.30PM slot which was commonly earmarked for sitcoms and other comedy shows. It was not initially a success and the viewer numbers diminished over the course of the first season with viewers complaining it was too similar to The Office and that the characters were too mean and unlikeable critical reviews were also quite mixed. The need to improve the viewer numbers and the critical reaction to the show meant that new writers were drafted in for the second season and they tried to deal with more topical storylines; hence this episode being about same-sex marriage. Although, critical response was far better, viewers number still stalled a little at around 4.5 million per episode. External Controls Nielsen Ratings are one way of judging the success of a media text as they are an external agency in the US that gives information about viewer numbers. The ratings had an impact on the show as they brought in changes (see above) that they hoped would increase viewer numbers after season one had started strongly but had fallen steadily throughout the season. In the US broadcast media is regulated by the external agency the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) who enforce media laws like the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 which ensures indecent content is not broadcast on TV. In 2010, following Janet Jackson s infamous wardrobe malfunction the FCC were given greater authority to impose heavier fines on channels which allowed indecent material to be broadcast on free-to-air Television. Internal employees of NBC would judge the appropriateness of the content of a media text before allowing it to be broadcast but once broadcast the FCC could act if they felt indecent content was featured; most likely as the result of the complaints of disgruntled viewers. This influences the sort of language that the characters are allowed to use and explains the black censorship strip which is utilised to censor the penguins mating in one scene in the episode. Society (Media Context) Context It is likely that the election of President Obama influenced the subject and tone of the show. Whereas George W. Bush s presidency had been dogged by the events of September the 11 th (9/11) and the War in Iraq, Obama s election was for many a joyous occasion and brought a wave of optimism to American politics/society. The subject of the show is around the workings of government (the show/episode shows the workings of a local government department) and this is something that many Americans (mainly Democrats) in the audience would feel a little more positive about. Although, the negativity and scepticism towards government (mainly from Republicans) is

6 also represented in the episode through Ron s negative attitude to Government and some of the other audience members are likely to identify with him see the audience notes. For many, the relentless optimism of Leslie Knope and the generally upbeat tone of the show is likely to mirror the optimistic campaign message of Obama Change We Can Believe In. Role of Media Influencing Attitudes and Behaviour During the period of 2003 to 2015, various lower court decisions, state legislation, and popular referendums already legalized same-sex marriage to some degree in thirty-eight out of fifty U.S. states, but it wasn t till 2015 that it was legal in all states in the US. When this episode was produced and subsequently aired, the debate in government/society about gay marriage was still a hot topic. It is clear from the portrayal of Marcia Langman that her attitude to the marriage of the penguins is over-the-top and we are urged to side more with Leslie s liberal/tolerant attitude. The makers of the text are therefore encouraging a portion of society, their target audience, to accept the preferred reading and for them to be accepting of alternatives to traditional marriage.