English 1102: Television and Feminism

Page 28 of 35

Writing of “So Chineez”

On September 11, 2018

After watching the first season of Fresh off the Boat, there were many interesting episodes that touched on a variety of topics, this blog post will be written about episode thirteen: So Chineez. Episode thirteen was written by Nahnatchka Khan and directed by Chris Koch. Director Chris Koch is also known for being the director for shows such as Modern Family, Scrubs, The Neighbors , etc. and Nahnatchka Khan is known for writing and producing episodes for shows such as American Dad!, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Always Be My Maybe.

The episode begins with different scenes of the family members in their habitual settings, voiced over by Eddie Huang. Eddie describes: “I became my school’s first black president, dad put the restaurant on the map, my brothers were still nerds, grandma was busy doing her thing, but no one was fitting in better than mom, she was down with “Melrose Place,” Hip-hop music is played in the back, similar to the beginnings of other episodes. It is arguable how Eddie’s voice over helps the show, but it shows that it is from Eddie (one of the main characters)’s perspective. The narration isn’t necessarily consistent; however, most episodes begin and ends with Eddie’s narration and hip-hop music.

In the episode, the dialogues mainly focused on the Huang family, Eddie and his friends at school, and Louis with his new country-club friends. One major use of silence was when Louis called his newly-found business partner Ted an “Ass wipe.” The club members’ smiles disappeared as Louis realized that his joke was “too far.” Louis then apologizes and says he is still learning as the other club members laugh it off and continue to play tennis. This scene shows how Louis is fitting in at the club and learning the “traditions,” similar to how his family is fitting into the new Orlando culture. Even though there was an awkward silence, the club members simply laughed it off when Louis apologized to Ted.

The conversation between Eddie and Trent at the cross-cultural fair showed Jessica that Eddie is proud of his heritage and remembers what she has taught him about Chinese traditions and culture. As Eddie proudly told Trent of his heritage, there was the external reference to The Four Great Inventions, The Great Wall of China, and the 5000 years of Chinese history.

Huang family’s new license plate at the end of season 1

I think this episode was a good way to end the season as it continues to explore racial/cultural identity in a comedic manner. The show began with the Huang family struggling to fit in, and through season one they were able to each find their own place in the community. It ends positively and leaves the audience to wonder what will happen in the next season. It is clear that each character still has a lot of room for development as Louis is looking to open another branch for his restaurant, Jessica is reflecting on “who she is,” and the kids are slowly growing up.

Family is Everything

By Charlotte Harris

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 4

Well, I’m six episodes into Fresh Off the Boat, and so far it’s SO GOOD! I realize that’s probably about as subjective as I can get, but I am thoroughly enjoying seeing the world through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy facing a lot of challenges in a new, unfamiliar environment. I also find the focus on the family element to be extremely refreshing. While many modern dramas highlight family conflict (kids disrespecting their parents, parents tearing each other down, grandparents being portrayed as old-fashioned and therefore irrelevant), Fresh Off the Boat depicts the Huang family as people who love each other and genuinely want the best for one another. That’s not to say that they don’t ever argue, or they live without EVER making each other’s lives miserable every now and then. They’re not perfect, despite what Jessica desperately wants her sister to believe (“Success Perm”). But at the end of the day, they’re all on the same team, which leads me into the first theme I’ve noticed in this show: Family is everything.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What about the guy who grew up in an abusive home and hasn’t spoken to his parents in decades? Or the little girl with an alcoholic father? Is family everything to those people? And no, that’s not what I mean. As we’ve talked about in class, shows like Murphy Brown and Jane the Virgin present the idea that family isn’t necessarily two parents and two children in a suburban house with a white picket fence. Sometimes, family isn’t even who DNA says family is. Family is all about love, kindness, patience, and support. In some cases, family may be all that you have. In a setting where an immigrant family moves to a new city, everything that was once familiar to them has changed. Everything, that is, except for family. I think Fresh Off the Boat argues that if you have your family around you (no matter what form that “family” may take), everything else will fall into place.

I see this theme clearly displayed in the episode “Home Sweet Home-School,” in which Jessica begins supplementing her sons’ education with some extra assignments at home. Eddie is upset because this new homeschool program means he can’t spend his afternoons playing basketball with his neighbor friend, and even Louis thinks Jessica has taken it a little too far. The episode ends with Jessica lightening up and Louis playing basketball with all three of his sons, and even though Eddie’s friend later joins them, Eddie realizes he’s happy with just his family. His whole world has changed, but his family has his back, no matter how crazy they drive him. The show uses this episode to prove that family love manifests itself in different ways, even if it’s as overbearing as Chinese Learning Center at home. No matter how much his life changes, Eddie always has his family.

C’mon, admit it…deep down, y’all love each other.

Let’s Take a Look at the Writing Behind Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!

By Nikhil Reddy

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 2

I decided for my first blog post delving into the television sitcom, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I would focus on the writing of the show. More specifically, I will focus on the writing of the pilot episode. The pilot episode is written by Robert Carlock, a writer for several NBC comedies and Tina Fey, a household name who is known for her work on Saturday Night Live. The writing still is not entirely unique in comparison to other shows that I watch often; however, there are some aspects that are worth noting.

First, the prevalence of comedy in this show is unmistakable. The comedy skits are everywhere. The first scene of the show which displays Kimmy with her fellow cult members would be expected to be a serious introduction to the show, but this is not the case. In about thirty seconds, the situation turns into a comedy skit where apocalyptic cults are torn apart by humor that takes advantage of all cult stereotypes. I even found the name of their supposed leader to be quite humorous, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. This comedy skit approach is a predictable one, taking into account the writers of the show. Tina Fey’s rise to fame is credited to her ability to write humorous skits for Saturday Night Live. Her talent for writing skits is clearly incorporated into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Aside from the heavy use of comedy, the rest of the writing is pretty standard. There is no use of a voiceover which surprised me due to the fact that a lot of newer sitcoms choose to incorporate this. A major portion of the universe which the show takes place in is fabricated. There are many references to Kimmy’s fabricated background in the pilot. Kimmy’s cult, the cult leader’s name, and even her hometown: Durnsville, Indiana, are all fictional. Personally, I believe Robert Carlock and Tina Fey were the perfect choices to write this show. I can’t imagine how this show would have turned out if half the comedy skits were removed. The subject matter of the show is too outlandish to keep viewers hooked without the comedy. Nevertheless, Robert Carlock and Tina Fey are killing it and I can’t wait to see what’s in store!

The opening scene where Kimmy Schmidt and fellow cult members await rescue

Taking a Quick Peek at the Writing Behind Fresh Off the Boat

By Jason Howard

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 1

Looking at the pilot of the show, “Fresh Off the Boat” the characters are introduced to an entirely new environment, Orlando, Florida, and must all adapt to the suburban lifestyle all while attempting to blend in with a largely white community. Furthermore, Eddie has to try to fit the expectations set for him despite considering himself the “Black Sheep” of the family. The opening scene opens with Eddie trying on expensive clothes and his mom promptly denying him said clothes. This is when we are introduced to our narrator, the real life Eddie Huang, as he explains his frustration at his mother’s lack of understanding of department stores. Within the first minute of the show, the narrator’s lines already establish one of the key conflicts that recurs throughout the show: Eddie’s understanding and acceptance of American culture vs. his family’s vexation and resistance towards it.

(Eddie tries on some posh clothes that don’t quite fit into his mother’s price range for shopping.)

The next key scene immediately follows as Eddie flashes back to his road trip as he moved from Washington DC to Orlando, Florida. In this scene, the narrator quickly, but blatantly describes the characters in the family and his relationship towards them. He establishes that his father bought into the American dream, that his mother was hard on him, and that both were worried about him, after which, he quickly dismisses the other members of his family. This dismissive words of the narrator helps to reveal Eddie’s sense of separation from his family and his feelings of being an outsider. As the episode progresses, the narration becomes less frequent and the character’s dialogue begins to take more significance in the episode. A key distinction to notice in the episode is the dialogue of the white characters being illogical yet patronizing whereas the dialogue of the Huang family being straightforward and personal. During most scenes with white characters interacting with Eddie the characters will struggle to speak to him due to the fact that they expect him to speak little or no English. Whether it be tourists in DC who slowly as for directions to the “W H I T E H O U S E” or teachers who do not know how to pronounce his name, Eddie establishes the general lack of understanding towards Taiwanese culture in specific, and Asian cultures in general.

The episode wraps up with an epic showdown as Eddie’s parents duke it out with the principal of his middle school. After discovering that Eddie started a fight because a student called him a “chink” Louis Huang berates the principal following with Jessica accusing the principal of ignoring the bullying problem in his school. This scene ultimately reveals Eddie’s parents true feelings towards their son and their understanding of how difficult it is to fit into the whitewashed town of Orlando.

Why Settle For One Visual Aesthetic?

By Ajanta Choudhury

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 3

First episodes are a tricky thing to get right. There’s a lot of information to unpack, so many shows’ first episodes are a bit awkward. After watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s first episode, though, I wouldn’t include this show within that category. “Josh Just Happens to Live Here!” is an engaging episode, and its cinematography and direction especially stands out. There’s major visual appeal, and not only does this stand out – this also compliments the show’s other aspects. One example of this: the color tone. The tone of the show varies from scene to scene, based on what’s happening, and this contrast of warm- and cool-looking scenes adds to the viewing experience. By seeing moments like Rachel, the show’s protagonist, first arriving in West Covina tinted with a warm tone – and Rachel’s mom berating her for moving, via-phone call, with a cool tone – we, the viewers, get a better understanding of how different scenes affect Rachel.

As you can see, Rachel is very excited to be in West Covina.

Another example of the show’s quality cinematography and direction comes from the composition of the scenes themselves. The scenes are directed in such a way that they last for as long as the director intends. Scenes that would typically feel too long, like when Rachel waits for Josh to text back, don’t drag at all, and this is thanks to effects like the superimposing of her typing her text. In contrast, any of Rachel’s awkward interactions, especially with Nathaniel at the party, appear painfully long. Besides this, the scenes also don’t feel bloated. For all that’s being introduced, most of the scenes only possess as much detail as is necessary. The best example of this is Rachel’s mom: throughout the episode, the viewer never catches a glimpse of her. All we get of her is her voice – and yet, from the dialogue she has, that’s all we need to know that she’s cold, ruthless, and ambitious. Of course, this only applies to most of the scenes. There’s one significant exception to this observation, and that’s the musical scenes.

These scenes are very elaborate, complete with choreography, costumes, and back-up dancers. There’s a lot of detail within these scenes, and this is best exemplified in how the locations and actual happenings of the scene affect the songs. A shot of the music program being cut is shown just as Rachel sings a reference to it – and later in “West Covina,” the same band plays before being forcibly stopped. The explanation-parts of “West Covina,” where Rachel justifies moving to West Covina, are set to shots of her defending herself in conversation. The rapper in “The Sexy Getting Ready Song” stops rapping after seeing the state of Rachel’s bathroom and leaves to apologize to the women “he’s wronged” (which the show kindly shows us at the end.)

If only there hadn’t been a budget cut…

Overall, the cinematography and direction in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s first episode was excellent and has left me eager for what comes next.

This week’s task: “Write a Grey’s Anatomy episode that 22.22 million viewers would like”… hard chore, isn’t it?

By Daniela Larranaga Fajardo

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 2

Since its launching, Shonda Rhimes, and multiple Grey’s Anatomy credited writers, have managed to make us feel eager, miserable, ecstatic, furious, (add all the emotions you can think of), for almost 14 years (yes, it’s ABC’s second longest running show ever, in case you were wondering). However, we aren’t here to commemorate the greatness of GA (we know is the best show in history, end of discussion), the real question actually is “How did writers succeed in catching our attention since episode 1 if we get tired of everything (literally everything… food, clothing, classes, etc)? Well let me tell you a secret, a first season with trustful characters and a lot of drama is all you’ll ever need.

While re-watching Grey’s Anatomy (for the third time (yes, I’m a HUGE fan)), I’ve realized that making everything dramatic and trustworthy since the beginning is a principal element, and if you don’t believe me just ask Shonda Rhimes; creator and currently executive producer and principal writer of Grey’s Anatomy. This outstanding writer was not only responsible for the 16.25 million viewers the show got from just its first episode, but also for the success of uncountable “Shondaland’s” shows like Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, among many others.

This are just SOME of the MANY successful shows Shonda Rhimes has actually made us laugh and cry at the same time

In the first episodes of the show, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, the character’s development and the credibility they exhibit is a writing element that stands out. Meredith, being the daughter of a brilliant surgeon, makes us belief that she has innate medicine skills; Cristina, being first in her Stanford’s class shows us that determination and perseverance will take her wherever she wants; Izzie, being capable of working as a model and as a doctor indulges us to support her career while trying to demonstrate everyone that one can be pretty, smart and hardcore at the same time; George, well, he’s the guy that everyone likes; and Alex, what can we say? He’s certainly used as a central element in humor and drama. In general, the writing of the show carefully develops each of these characters in such way that we would trust them to basically “safe our lives”.

Just an example of the way Izzie’s character’s developed through the writing of her lines

Additionally, drama is also a main component in GA’s writing. In the very first episode we have to deal with the fact that Meredith had a one-night stand with his new boss, that Ellis has Alzheimer’s, and that interns’ lives will be a nightmare. As the season continues, the last episode “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”, with 22.22 million views (written by Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman (husband and wife also credited in shows like Ugly Betty, Moonlight and Castle)) maintains a dramatic climax till the very end, where we are confronted with the fact that Derek is actually married! In other words, there’s a reason why Grey’s Anatomy viewers and ratings are still top ranked: it’s writing always leaves us wanting more.

My reaction to every Grey’s Anatomy episode

“Who runs the world? GIRLS!”

By Evelyn Pike

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 5

The Bold Type - 14 Things You'll Know If You're A Fan Of The Bold Type - 1009

Alex is one of the only male writers at Scarlet Magazine.

…. or at least that is how it is on Freeform’s tv series The Bold Type. Predominantly made up of female characters, having all three main characters be women, this show is shifting the axis away from male-dominated television and into a new direction of strong independent ladies. Of course, there are men within the show, but it is fairly clear that at Scarlet Magazine, a fictional company within the show, men are outnumbered by a mile. However, it is not just the representation of women that The Bold Type brings to the table, but also the many controversial struggles faced by the female gender in particular.

The Bold Type - 14 Things You'll Know If You're A Fan Of The Bold Type - 1003

Jane is just a regular girl trying to figure out her life.

In the first two episodes of The Bold Type we meet the main characters: Jane, Kat, and Sutton, and we see almost immediately that each of these women are facing their own personal problems. Jane, a newly promoted writer, is faced with the difficult task of writing a magazine piece on her “best orgasm”. Since she has never had one, the thought of this task is terrifying and makes her feel isolated as it seems all of her friends have more experience than her and she even goes as far as calling her OBGYN in order to make sure she does not have anything “wrong” with her.

Image result for the bold type girl power gif

This is Kat and Adena… you can see the heart eyes from a mile away.

Kat, on the other hand, is extremely active, but yet is facing difficulties in pinpointing her sexual identity as she is starting to have feelings for Adena, a Muslim lesbian photographer (who in herself brings to light differentiability and acceptance not usually seen on television). Being that Kat has only previously had relationships with men, she feels as though that makes her heterosexual and views in the show witness her almost trying to convince herself of this fact. Then there is Sutton who is, for all intensive purposes, sleeping with the boss and in doing so risks her job if anyone finds out.

Image result for the bold type sutton and richard

Sutton and Richard (her boss’s boss and her bf).

Each challenge faced is different in many aspects, but also similar in the respects that there is a double standard for women, as each character fears judgment that perhaps would not be placed on them where they another gender. The problems brought to light by this tv show are common occurrences for women everywhere, however, it is only on The Bold Type that we see these issues being taken on. The Bold Type shows women that they are not alone in the obstacles they face.

The Bold Type shows women that they are not alone.

Suppress the Jess?

By Wendy Yao

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 4

Suppressing the Jess

Jess’s awkwardness and eccentricity is what makes her unique and more relatable as a character because of her multifaceted personality. She isn’t perfect, and her flaws and insecurities often mirror what we see in ourselves. While the other roommates’ lack of full acceptance had been hinted at in previous episodes, their expectations for Jess are more thoroughly explored in episode three.

The premise of episode three is that the roommates will be attending a wedding. However, the issue is that Nick’s ex-girlfriend Caroline will also be attending. Through various flashbacks, we understand that Nick is still deeply attached to Caroline and can’t seem to let her go. His attachment is borderline unhealthy and imitates the trope of a clingy (ex-)girlfriend who constantly wants some sort of attention and can’t seem to move on. Jess is brought along as his date, but Nick refuses to let her be herself, which Jess reluctantly agrees to, jokingly stating the phrase, “suppress the Jess”.

The theme of the episode is how Jess preserves her eccentricity and continues to be herself in face of judgment and lack of support from those close to her. Schmidt wants to hook up with Brooke, Nick wants to reconnect with Caroline, and meanwhile Winston gets into a competition with a child. Each of the guys wants something different from the wedding, but Jess doesn’t have the ability to accommodate them all and nor should she have to. She becomes just a tool for the guys to achieve their desires, yet they blame her when things fall through. This situation is especially evident when Jess tries to fix Nick’s renewed fixation with Caroline but ends up scaring off Brooke from Schmidt. One girl can’t do it all, and Jess finally realizes that in a symbolic move when she takes her fake teeth back to finally have fun at the wedding, which was all she wanted out of the event. Besides being a symbol of her eccentricity, her fake teeth also represent her autonomy and power as a person since we lose them when we are not fully able to care for ourselves.

Intertwined with the main theme of the episode and interspersed throughout other episodes are threads of traditional masculinity versus femininity. Schmidt’s characterization is often the most blatant portrayal of flipping the script on what is traditionally considered masculine versus feminine. Schmidt used to be “Fat Schmidt,” with body image issues often being portrayed in media as solely an issue for women. While coming on too strong in his conversations with Brooke, Schmidt has an entirely different relationship with Gretchen with her being assertive while he is more submissive. In fact, he is essentially being used for his body like women tend to be portrayed in media with Gretchen having little interest in pursuing an actual relationship with him.

Pobody’s nerfect, and through the events in episode three, Jess grows as a person to reach self-acceptance and fulfillment, which redefines her future relationship with her roommates.

Jessica Jones has a Dark Past, and a Dark Show

By Philippe Lamarche

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 3

Six episodes into season 1 of Jessica Jones and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. There is so much left to learn about the characters’ pasts, the extent of Jessica’s abilities, and the message the producers wanted to convey to the viewers. However, something that was made clear as soon as the intro sequence of the pilot episode came onscreen was this show’s visual style. Within the first minute of the first episode, it is clear that Jessica Jones will deviate from the cheerful, vibrant visuals of your typical Marvel blockbusters like The Avengers. The intro features a dark scenes contrasted with bright streaks of color on which silhouettes are depicted. And while not every scene is as somber as the opening sequence, the rest of the show echoes a new trend in television: dark and moody visuals.

The visual style of the show is one of its distinguishing features, and it is prominent in every scene. Much of the show takes place in dimly lit apartments, whether it be Jessica’s or one of her client’s. When’s she not inside, she’s interacting with a gray, gloomy New York. These visuals not only establish the scene, but are consistently setting the mood. The visuals represent Jessica’s attitude and perspective that the world is a dark, depressing place. This idea is also reinforced by recurring images of Jessica drinking alone in her apartment and of her somberly looking at herself in the mirror. Everything considered, the visuals is part of what makes this show different from mainstream TV; Jessica Jones isn’t afraid of showing you a world painted in grayscale. This, in my opinion, is one of its strengths and one of the factors that made me choose it.

See below for a series of shots from Jessica Jones‘ intro sequence that demonstrate the type of gloomy images employed by the animators.

The faces says it all…

By John Ryu

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 1

Jessica Jones: Episode 1 Season 1

This episode of Jessica Jones was written by multiple writers in Los Angeles with one of the writers being on set in New York City. These writers took inspiration from Daredevil, the other Netflix Marvel character. Interestingly enough, the writers of Jessica Jones were developed through the production of the season rather than being pre-written unlike the other Netflix Avengers TV shows. I think this is very interesting because the method of the show’s writing also reflects the impromptu/just-go-with-it attitude of the character Jessica Jones.

Dialogue in this episode was very informal with no voice over. However, there were multiple scenes with just music playing in the background that set the tone of each scene. The music with the silence of the characters in the scene almost acted as a passive voice over for the episode. I feel like this shapes the character of Jessica Jones much more and adds to the dark tone of the episode. For example, there is one scene where Jessica Jones is spying on Luke Cage, who happens to be another superhero. Without any words, the audience can tell just from her facial expressions and the slow, steady background music that Jessica yearns for a normal life without PTSD or any of her problems.

Image result for jessica jones plot twist season 1 episode 1 gif

Jessica speaks through her facial expressions

On the note of the episode using silence, the episode very frequently used flashbacks that blends in reality to express the feeling of Jessica’s PTSD. Rather than do direct black and white flashbacks to the past to recall why she has PTSD, the episode often blends scenes from the past and the present with fast paced music to instill a sense of fear in the audience’s minds. In these scenes, Jessica also does not talk often if not at all, which I believe is used to show how much fear Jessica Jones has for the antagonist of the season, Kilgrave.

Flashback scene

Overall, the frequent absence of dialogue in the writing of the episode stood out to me most. Most of Jessica’s feelings or complex thoughts were expressed through music and facial expressions which the writers did well in synchronizing the two elements together in scenes. For example, the plot twist at the end of the episode wasn’t started via a dialogue scene like in many other TV shows, but through slow, eerie music and through Jessica’s silence.

Girl Doctors? Not Nurses? Who knew?

By Sara Nill

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 5

You go girl!

Yeah, you heard that right.

Alex calls Meredith Grey a nurse in their first interaction. Rude, right? But it does give insight into how sexist the medical field can be. Women have traditionally been nurses, and men have traditionally been doctors. However, Grey’s Anatomy features a diverse cast of men and women of many different races and backgrounds. There are slightly more men than women, but overall, the cast is diverse. A daughter of an esteemed surgeon, a model, a know it all, and a slightly clueless guy are all competing and training to reach one goal: becoming a surgeon.

The main character, Meredith Grey, is a woman. She faces the same struggles as everyone in the internship program: little sleep, many patients, and lots of work. But, she also has to face the pressure of sexism, her very obvious crush on Derek, and her mother’s legacy. She’s realistic and relatable. The other characters all come from different backgrounds and face their own struggles besides those of the internship program.

While women do have some agency in the show, such as Meredith making decisions that saved Katie’s life and Dr. Bailey bossing others around, the higher-ups in the show are all men. The chief ultimately makes the decisions. Many of the female characters are interns or patients, so their decision making is limited. Dr. Bailey is the exception, though. She, affectionately dubbed “The Nazi,” has strict rules and a no nonsense attitude. As a senior resident, she does have the ability to make larger decisions. However, she does fall under the stereotype of an angry black woman.

Race is represented rather well, with there being asian, black, and white people intermingling and doing their work. Dr. Burke is a black man in a position of power, and Dr. Bailey is a black women with moderate power, which is often not seen and often looked down upon. One of the writers even said that the casting process was “colorblind” and that diversity was a main goal of the show. However, people of different sexual and gender orientations, as well as disabled people, are not represented well. Being gay is joked about and used as a prank in one episode. While the intern program may be too rigorous for people with physical disabilities, it can still represent mental illness and some disabilities better.

Slight change in direction!: Writing

By Jay Patel

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 2

So I ended up watching Fresh off the Boat, and it’s off to a great start! The cast is definitely very unique and nothing like shows I have previously seen. The writer of this pilot episode is Nahnatchka Khan. Nahnatchka Khan is was on June 17, 1973 and has also been a part of American Dad! and Don’t Trust the B—– in Apartment 23. Khan created Fresh off the Boat with the mindset that minorities are very underrepresented in television. Being part of a minority herself, an Iranian American, Khan experienced what it was like growing up in the United States as a child of foreign parents. The dialogue is very realistic: Khan takes into account how the parents would have an accent, but the children do not. Growing up in American really allowed Khan to imbibe her personal experiences in the writing to make the show more realistic, and so far, she has been very successful. In addition, Khan has found a good line between if the stereotypes she uses are offensive or not. This really adds to the quality of her content because other minorities similar to Eddie’s family would not find that Khan is taking advantage of stereotypes in order to make the content more comical. There are not any voiceovers, that are apparent at least, and in my opinion, this adds to the realness of the show. Something that really stands out to me about Fresh off the Boat is that it reminds me of the show Full House with an awesome twist to it: a large family living together solving family problems with a lot of love. Another important fact about the writing of this show is that it is the first American tv show to star an Asian-American family since All American Girl which first aired in 1994… This is definitely a jump in progress to make American television more similar to life in American, similar to the topic of our class.

I have definitely felt this before lol

Piper? Oh you mean Chapman…

By Justin Lau

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 1

Orange is the New Black starts off the show by introducing newly prison inmate Piper Chapman after charged with smuggling drug money internationally with her previous lesbian love affair. She committed the crime five years before the time of her sentence, of which she surrendered to the prison officials. Now, she is struggling to adjust to prison life.

I am focusing on discussing the writing of “I Wasn’t Ready”, the first episode of Orange is the New Black, which was written by Liz Friedman and Jenji Kohan, and directed by Michael Trim. Liz Friedman has in the past written known shows such as Conviction, Law & Order, Notorious, and even produced House M.D. Jenji Kohan has also written other shows such as Weeds and The Stones, a pair of older shows that were produced before the 2000s.

The main writer for the first episode, Jenji Kehan.

Throughout this first episode, Kehan and Friedman do a superb job of setting the tone of the show. During Piper’s first several minutes in prison, it is evident that the writers created many different personalities to accompany the characters in the show. For example, Piper’s dialogue I’ve noticed is on the straightforward side. She likes to get her point across but is rather hesitant in voicing her opinion against people of higher power, such as the security guards in the prison. With Red, it is seen in the first episode that she acts along with her will and power in the system, being the chef of the prison. This is directly seen when she discreetly gave Piper an unpleasant meal after Piper accidentally insulted the prison’s food in front of her at the lunch table. Not only these two characters, but it is seen that there are numerous types of varying attributes assigned to everyone in the prison, creating a unit of diversity and makes the interaction between the inmates more interesting. It is also noticed that in the dialogue, the writers utilize many metaphors and references to past events and culturally separated groups to signify the division within the prison mates.

A component highly worth discussing in the first episode was the initial voiceover at the beginning of the show, where Piper’s voiceover describing both her life back home and life in the prison, signifying the difference in environments and truly assisted in introducing the plot effectively.

The main character of the show, Piper Chapman.

The way the first episode was structured by Friedman and Kehan was extremely well-done, the plot was clear to understand and the various transitions with scenes and character personalities kept me engaged and interested the whole way. Overall, it left me wanting to keep watching.

I’m as Confused as the Main Characters — Which is to Say, Very

By Schuler Kleinfelter

On September 11, 2018

In Review Topic 3

I had to switch from reviewing Killjoys to reviewing Sense8 due to difficulties streaming Killjoys.

Sense8 starts off at the end of a dramatic and violent story which, if it had been told, would explain the situation the main characters find themselves abruptly dropped into. As it is, the audience has only slightly more information than the 8 strangers who suddenly begin having vivid and fragmented perceptions of a violent suicide and each others’ lives.

This sense of simultaneous information overload and of lacking key information is reflected in the cinematography and direction of the show.

The main characters are often placed in the middle-ground of a set with obstacles in the foreground partially obstructing view of them. This reflects the limited perspectives the audience and the other seven glimpse of the lives of each of the 8.

Omi, one of the 8, is shown in the middle-ground of the shot. The camera pans left such that the man to whom she is speaking passes in front of her in the foreground.

The 8 are experiencing sensual overload. To reflect that, many of the settings in the show are visually crowded; featuring many vibrant colors.

Will, another of the 8, is in a drugstore. The background is completely full of vibrantly colored products.

Until the beginning of the show, each of the 8 had been living separate lives, each full of unique family and friends. To portray this, many scenes feature a large number of side characters or extras, including at one point an entire pride parade.

This entire pre-wedding celebration, which features at least 6 unique side characters and a backup dancer crew, is all backstory for a single main character.

True to its focus on vivid sensations, the show features multiple explicit sex scenes (which I will not include an example screenshot of). These contribute to the sense that each of the 8 had separate lives before they became inexplicably connected (and also necessarily involve additional side characters).

Despite having many vibrant colors, the show has a very dark lighting and color scheme. All three scenes above are shot at night, the rave lights at the celebration shown are kept to a minimum to maintain low lighting, and scenes are often so dark at first that it is difficult to make out details until more light is (for various reasons) shed on the subject of the scene. This contributes to the theme of incomplete information, as well as giving a somber mood to the show.

The show is comprised of a series of short cuts strung together, rather than longer continuous scenes. This is partly necessitated by the fact that there are 8 main characters who are experiencing things simultaneously in completely different countries. However, even when a scene lasts for a significant length of time and takes place in a single location, that scene is broken up into multiple short cuts from different angles. This gives the story a fragmented and disjointed feeling, as if it is being pieced together rather than unfolding linearly.

#2: “Orange is the New Black” Implies There Was Black Before…

By Lauren Garrett

On September 10, 2018

In Review Topic 2

I doubt there is any show with as diverse a cast as Orange is the New Black. You get an award-winning trans actress. Groups of genuinely Dominican and Puerto Rican actresses (as opposed to the typical white stand-ins). And many women who are genuinely lesbian outside of the characters they may play on the show.

But yet, the diversity pretty much ends there.

After season four came out in 2016, many people were shocked at the lack of black writers for the show, especially given that the end of the season has a clear reference to the Black Lives Matter movement (or so I accidentally spoiled for myself in researching the writing team for this blog, ugh) that is supposedly handled insensitively. In fact, there are no black writers of any gender, nor any Latina writers, despite the large number of Latina actresses in the show.

The writing crew for “Orange is the New Black”

All is not entirely lost. The lead producer, Sara Hess, is a Korean-American, and the head showrunner, Jenji Kohan, is a Jewish American whose grandfather was a Romanian immigrant. Yet Kohan – who graduated from Columbia University – is not exactly the representative of the average American and especially not one that is residing in the custody of the judicial system, nor someone who regularly faces the injustices of American society.

Kohan got her start writing episodes for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to mild success and eventually went on to work as head showrunner for Weeds, a show about a mother who sells marijuana to help keep her family afloat. Both Weeds and Orange is the New Black feature strong suburban female leads struggling to deal with illegal issues and their consequences and stay strong through these ordeals. But Kohan recognizes that these are not real-life situations that she has been confronted with: “I can shoot off my big mouth and write my shows and run my shows, and I can recognize how lucky I am because my position is rare and my position is privileged.”

And while the show follows the backbone of the memoir written by Piper Kerman and aims at accuracy in portraying Piper’s – the main character’s – experiences in prison, not every issue that is tackled is handled correctly, and there are some heavy topics that come up. This stems mainly from a lack of diversity of background in the writers’ room. Regardless of the talent of a white writer, she has significantly less experience with institutionalized racism than a black writer, and she can therefore write less accurately or empathetically about it. The same can be said for many of the issues facing America today – without hearing the voices of those who live with the reality every day, we are not hearing the correct story.

And we all want to hear the correct story, to understand the characters as deeply as possible. Even the theme song reminds us, with a group of diverse faces flashing on the screen, to do so.

MLA Citations:

Aran, Isha. “Go Ahead, Guess How Many Black Writers Work on ‘Orange Is the New Black’.” Splinter, Splinternews.com, 24 July 2017, splinternews.com/go-ahead-guess-how-many-black-writers-work-on-orange-1793857745. Accessed 10 September 2018.
“Jenji Kohan | TV Guide.” TVGuide.com, TV Guide, www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jenji-kohan/bio/194196/. Accessed 10 September 2018.
Morelli, Lauren. “While Writing for ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ I Realized I Am Gay.” Mic, Mic Network Inc., 21 May 2014, mic.com/articles/89727/while-writing-for-orange-is-the-new-black-i-realized-i-am-gay#.ZOfJRCFm5. Accessed 10 September 2018.
Reign, April. “Orange Is the New Black, But Where Are the Black Writers? Essence.” Essence.com, Essence.com, 24 June 2016, www.essence.com/entertainment/orange-new-black-except-its-writers/. Accessed 10 September 2018.
Shipley, Diane. “When Good TV Turns Bad: How Weeds Made a Right Hash of Things.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/30/when-good-tv-turns-bad-weeds. Accessed 10 September 2018.

Dr. Casey Alane Wilson • Georgia Institute of Technology

Page 28 of 35

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“Who runs the world? GIRLS!”

Suppress the Jess?

Jessica Jones has a Dark Past, and a Dark Show

The faces says it all…

Girl Doctors? Not Nurses? Who knew?

Slight change in direction!: Writing

Piper? Oh you mean Chapman…

I’m as Confused as the Main Characters — Which is to Say, Very

#2: “Orange is the New Black” Implies There Was Black Before…

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