How do your key text episodes of Life on Mars and The Bridge follow or subvert genre conventions and stereotypical representations , and use narrative structure and enigmas, to produce a response in their audiences ? You should make some reference to theory in your answer. (30)
Life on Mars and The Bridge always follows Barthes enigma code being the integral part of the narrative in both shows as in The Bridge the main enigma is who committed the crime as the beginning of the episode shows a highly staged murder giving a motive to the audience with the first gender neutral school opening up however the shows writers have led their audience down blind alleys hiding the true motive until more information is given to the audience , However Life on Mars has multiple enigmas which we are introduced to instantly as this not only has a crime which needs to be solved the audience is left wondering if anything we see through our protagonists prospective is just him in a coma or has he travelled back in time and this is constantly questioned throughout the episode one example in the first episode when he wakes up and the television is speaking to him and we the audience and the protagonist are questioning whether it was just his imagination or if it really happened.
conventionally the crime enigma is solved by the end of the episode which is shown in Life on Mars as the protagonist is able to solve a similar crime in the past creating a snowball effect as the criminal from the present had a close relationship with the murderer from the past connoting to the young child being raised to continue his murders. whereas the Bridge creates one mystery which stretches out throughout the season fleshing out the narrative and adding side narratives to keep the main storyline fresh for example the character Aleksandr who was released from prison and is looking for money which was hidden before going to an ex friend to find it only for it to be gone leaving this sub plot very open with the introduction of his suspicious ex friend but not knowing anything about him creates an enigma which may be fleshed out during the series giving multiple leads on the motive of the murder.
The Bridge subverts stereotypical representations of women ,gender and sexuality in media as they are seen as the main characters as the protagonist and her partner are female and we see more females in places of power for example Lillian who is in charge of the Danish CID and also including a gender neutral school within the plot being more progressive and also having the LGBTQ+ be a major part of the narrative as they include same sex relationships for example Helle Anker was killed for getting married to the same sex and the priest who conducted the marriage was also a victim of the murder portraying the prejudice in which they face in the real world and also giving this community some true representation within the media instead of being an exaggerated stereotype which is common for the LGBTQ+ in media.
Whereas conventionally women are objectified and are seen as weaker than male characters which is shown in Life on Mars as when we are in the past traditional values and sexism towards women for example the separation of men and women which is shown through the scenes of Annie interacting with the other police officers being sexualised and presented as less intelligent by these police officers and also the police is male dominated which is present in the past as the police women are given a separate section instead of being integrated into the entirety of the police, showing the audience the binary oppositions between the past and the present society. This is further reinforced through Van Noonen's theory on representation as according to her men and women are represented differently within media as women are typically sexualised because of the western cultures patriarchy which is shown though the way women are presented in the past being portrayed as 'distractions' for the male police officers.
Life On Mars follows Todorov's narrative theory as we see the protagonist's equilibrium at the beginning as he arrests a criminal and already giving the audience binary oppositions between criminal vs police through the costume mainly. The disruption occurs when the protagonist is hit by a car and wakes up in the 70s and this is shown to the audience through costume changes and his car changing subverting the crime genre as typically the disruption would be a heinous crime being committed like in The Bridge however this creates new enigmas for the audience. And when we meet Gene Hunt who is in charge we see a drastic opposition to our protagonist as Gene is initially presented as more aggressive unprofessional police officer unlike our protagonists who is by the book which is shown through the constant clashing of these two characters throughout the episode.
The Bridge subverts stereotypes within the main character Saga as main characters within Crime drama as they are typically coded to be male and the genre itself is quite male dominated and also subverting the portrayal of women and gender roles in media as she is portrayed as blunt towards her co workers and being hard to work with which is reinforced by Hanne wanting to be taken off the case with Saga because of the clashing between them as crime dramas typically have a helper for the protagonist in the investigation whereas in The Bridge Hanne doesn't want to work with Saga as soon as she finds out that she was put on the case further subverting the characters within the show as protagonists are typically more outgoing and assertive whereas Saga is quieter as she prefers working alone and how alone she is in the characters personal life also it is implied that Saga is on the spectrum for autism pushing away these tightly followed conventions within crime drama. According to Butler's theory gender roles are repeated in media as gender is only a social construct which The Bridge subverts as Saga is not portrayed as a traditional woman as she is given the lead role and is not sexualised through the Male Gaze which dominates media.
Whereas in Life on Mars the Protagonist is generally coded to be the typical crime drama protagonist by being a competent and procedurally correct officer who hates corruption and violence, with a strong moral centre and sense of justice and this is shown through the beginning of the first episode as we see him chase a criminal alone to convey to the audience that he is an active protagonist further reinforcing this demeanour which is common in protagonists and is even further reinforced through the relationship between Gene Hunt as his style of policing is very different to Sam as Gene is presented to be politically incorrect and policing in a more aggressive and less professional way for example the interview in which he is in charge of quickly turns into more of an aggressive interrogation. According Judith Butler's representation theory stating that gender is just a social construct which is created through repetition which is shown through the two protagonists as they are both professional detectives and Saga is not labelled as a women through traditional methods of sexualisation rather being shown as having no social skills yet still being a professional detective.
