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VOLUME VI, No 01 · SUMMER 2020 SERIES INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TV SERIAL NARRATIVES * photo credits ALMA MATER STUDIORUM UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA · UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA VOLUME VI, No 01 · SUMMER 2020 E-MAIL ADDRESS EDITORS [email protected] Veronica Innocenti, Héctor J. Pérez and Guglielmo Pescatore. HOMEPAGE ASSOCIATE EDITOR series.unibo.it Elliott Logan. ISSN SECRETARIES 2421-454X Luca Barra, Paola Brembilla, Jesús Jiménez Varea and Paolo Noto. DOI EDITORIAL BOARD https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/v6-n1-2020 Marta Boni, Université de Montréal (Canada), Concepción Cascajosa, Universidad Carlos III (Spain), Fernando Canet Centellas, Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), Alexander Dhoest, Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium), Julie Gueguen, Paris 3 (France), Lothar Mikos, Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam- Babelsberg (Germany), Jason Mittell, Middlebury College (USA), Roberta Pearson, University of Nottingham (UK), Xavier Pérez Torio, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), Veneza Ronsini, Universidade Federal de Santa María (Brasil), Massimo Scaglioni, Università Cattolica di Milano (Italy), Murray Smith, University of Kent (UK). SERIES has two main purposes: first, to respond to the surge SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE of scholarly interest in TV series in the past few years, and Gunhild Agger, Aalborg Universitet (Denmark), Sarah Cardwell, University of Kent (UK), Sonja de Leeuw, Universiteit Utrecht compensate for the lack of international journals special- (Netherlands), Sergio Dias Branco, Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal), izing in TV seriality; and second, to focus on TV seriality Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham (UK), Aldo Grasso, through the involvement of scholars and readers from both Università Cattolica di Milano (Italy), Sarah Hatchuel, Universitè Le the English-speaking world and the Mediterranean and Latin Havre (France), Matthew Hills, Aberystwyth University (UK), François Jost, Paris 3 (France), Kristina Köhler, Universität Zurich (Switzerland), American regions. This is the reason why the journal’s official Charo Lacalle, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), Enrico languages are Italian, Spanish and English. Menduni, Università Roma Tre (Italy), Manuel Palacio, Universidad SERIES is an open access and peer reviewed journal, with Carlos III (Spain), Agnes Petho, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania (Romania), Kathrin Rothemund, Universität Bayreuth ISSN and indexed in major international databases. SERIES (Germany), Guillaume Soulez, Paris 3 (France), Imanol Zumalde, publishes 2 issues per year. Universidad del País Vasco (Spain). This is a joint project by the Universitat Politècnica de València (Escola Politècnica Superior de Gandia) and the CONTRIBUTORS FOR THE PRESENT ISSUE Università di Bologna. Giorgio Avezzù (Università di Bologna), Claire Cornillon (Université de Nîmes), Elisa Farinacci (Università di Bologna), Sarah Hatchuel (Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3), Richard Hewett (University of Salford), Daniela Mazur (Federal Fluminense University), Melina This journal provides immediate open access to its content on Meimaridis (Federal Fluminense University), Dana Renga (The Ohio the principle that making research freely available to the public State University), Helge Ridderstrøm (Oslo Metropolitan University), supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. It releases Daniel Rios (Federal Fluminense University), Marta Rocchi (Università its articles under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution di Bologna), Omar Sayfo (Utrecht University), Lynge Stegger Gemzøe 3.0 Unported License. This license allows anyone to download, (Aalborg University). reuse, re-print, modify, distribute and/or copy the contributions. The works must be properly attributed to its author(s). 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ABIS – AlmaDL, Università di Bologna Cover illustration Javier Pastor INDEX NARRATIVES / AESTHETICS / CRITICISM 05 WHO’S IN CHARGE?: CHANGING CHARACTER AGENCY IN EARLY DOCTOR WHO RICHARD HEWETT 17 ‘THE SECOND WHAT’: SCIENCE, TRAGEDY AND THE MENTAL ABYSS IN FORENSIC FILES HELGE RIDDERSTRØM 29 SHONDA RHIMES’S TGIT: REPRESENTATION OF WOMANHOOD AND BLACKNESS MARTA ROCCHI, ELISA FARINACCI 43 HOLLYWOOD (MIS)REPRESENTATIONS OF ARABS AND THE MIDDLE EAST FROM A PRODUCTION PERSPECTIVE – THE CASE OF FX CHANNEL’S TYRANT OMAR SAYFO 57 ANALYSING SEMI-SERIALIZED TELEVISION FICTIONS: THE ETHICAL STAKES OF NARRATIVE STRUCTURES SARAH HATCHUEL, CLAIRE CORNILLON PRODUCTION / MARKET / STRATEGIES 65 THE STREAMING WARS IN THE GLOBAL PERIPHERY: A GLIMPSE FROM BRAZIL MELINA MEIMARIDIS, DANIELA MAZUR, DANIEL RIOS 77 CASTING MY BRILLIANT FRIEND’S AUTHENTIC STARDOM DANA RENGA CULTURE / RECEPTION / CONSUMPTION 91 ITALIAN FICTION AS VIEWED FROM A DISTANCE. ANOMALIES IN THE CORRELATION BETWEEN NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SUCCESS GIORGIO AVEZZÙ 107 REMAKING TELEVISION SERIES: NATIONAL CULTURE AND MEDIA SYSTEM THEORY LYNGE STEGGER GEMZØE NARRATIVES / AESTHETICS / CRITICISM WHO’S IN CHARGE?: CHANGING CHARACTER AGENCY IN EARLY DOCTOR WHO RICHARD HEWETT Name Richard Hewett be regarded as the ‘hero’ of the narrative, as this role was Academic centre University of Salford, UK often better fulfilled by his human companions, initially E-mail address [email protected] represented by teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), who provided a ready KEYWORDS point of identification for viewers. This situation changed Doctor Who; character agency; production context; significantly during Hartnell’s tenure, but the shifts in television narrative. agency that occurred were so radical as to seem almost ad hoc, reflecting industry pressures that typified television drama of the time. The extent to which these changes ABSTRACT were influenced by the programme’s rapid turnaround This article investigates the impact of production process are examined here via a combination of textual analysis upon character agency in early Doctor Who, focusing on and historical production research, before being briefly the period between 1963 and 1966, during which time contrasted with the modern version of Doctor Who, William Hartnell starred as the Doctor. As originally starring Jodie Whittaker, whose production context conceived by Sydney Newman, Verity Lambert and David allows for more considered development of long-term Whitaker, it is debatable to what extent the Doctor could character arcs. 05 SERIES VOLUME VI, Nº 1, SUMMER 2020: 05-16 DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/9805 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TV SERIAL NARRATIVES ISSN 2421-454X NARRATIVES / AESTHETICS / CRITICISM > RICHARD HEWETT WHO’S IN CHARGE?: CHANGING CHARACTER AGENCY IN EARLY DOCTOR WHO 1. INTRODUCTION This article will draw upon A.J. Greimas’ actantial mod- el to investigate the impact of production context on the Originally launched on the 23rd of November 1963, Doctor type of agency exercised by the character of the Doctor in Who (1963-1989; 1996; 2005-) is one of television’s most en- early Doctor Who, focusing on William Hartnell’s tenure during examples of continuing drama. Focusing on the adven- from November 1963 to October 1966. While any charac- tures of a mysterious alien known only as ‘the Doctor’, who ter can possess agency, i.e. the power to influence events, journeys through space and time in a dimensionally transcen- the aim here is to examine how behind-the-scenes produc- dental ship known as the TARDIS,1 the series quickly became tion factors influenced the extent to which the Doctor can a mainstay of the UK’s Saturday evening television schedule. be regarded, in Greimas’ terms, as fulfilling the role of the The programme’s longevity was assured by the introduction ‘subject’: the central agent or protagonist. It is the mystery of the concept of ‘regeneration’, through which the actor surrounding the Doctor’s identity that provides the pro- playing the Doctor could physically transform into another gramme’s title, which ostensibly indicates that s/he2 should when required. In this manner the programme periodically be regarded as the central character. This interpretation is reinvented itself over the twenty-six years of its initial run, supported by the fact that, in both 1963 and 2005, William before being ‘rested’ in 1990. Aside of a US co-production Hartnell’s and Christopher Ecccleston’s names appear first in 1996 the hiatus lasted until 2005,