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A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details 1 Escaping the Honeytrap Representations and Ramifications of the Female Spy on Television Since 1965 Karen K. Burrows Submitted in fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex, May 2014 3 University of Sussex Karen K. Burrows Escaping the Honeytrap: Representations and Ramifications of the Female Spy on Television Since 1965 Summary My thesis interrogates the changing nature of the espionage genre on Western television since the middle of the Cold War. It uses close textual analysis to read the progressions and regressions in the portrayal of the female spy, analyzing where her representation aligns with the achievements of the feminist movement, where it aligns with popular political culture of the time, and what happens when the two factors diverge. I ask what the female spy represents across the decades and why her image is integral to understanding the portrayal of gender on television. I explore four pairs of television shows from various eras to demonstrate the importance of the female spy to the cultural landscape. These shows represent the female spy's birth in the era of the sexual revolution, her rise as a feminist career woman, and the post-9/11 restrictions on who is allowed to serve the country. I argue that the conflation of nation and family that occurs in each show serves to elevate the primacy of the heterosexual reproductive unit, challenging the outwardly-progressive representation of the apparently feminist spy figure. Analyzed in concert, these shows reveal the conservative bent of the espionage genre despite the higher visibility of its female protagonists. 4 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the archivists at the Edward John Noble Scholars Room at the Paley Center for Media in New York, as well as the School of Media, Film and Music at the University of Sussex, without whose funding I would have been unable to visit the archive. I am thankful to my supervisors, Mr. Andy Medhurst and Dr. Niall Richardson, for providing reassurance, direction, and levity in just the right proportions to keep me on track and for steadying me when I wobbled. I am grateful also to my examiners, Dr. Sharif Mowlabocus and Dr. Rosie White, for their belief in this project and their generous assistance in reshaping it. Thanks to the friends who read parts of this work, freely or under coercion: your input was invaluable and your interest greatly appreciated. Particular thanks and love to Alex and Ross, who gave me shoulders to lean on; Kaite, who never gives up; Rachel, Ben, Vicky, Holly, Craig, and Mel, who shared the beers and the experiences. Finally, this thesis would not have been possible without the support, understanding, and forbearance of my family, especially: my mother Terri, whose boundless enthusiasm bolstered my confidence; my father Ken, whose quiet pride gave me strength; my grandfather Laurie, who kept me grounded; my grandmother Dorothy, who reminded me to treasure the experience. I cannot adequately express my love and gratitude, except, perhaps, with another 80,000 words. Thank you. 5 Table of Contents Introduction...................................................................................................7 The Female Spy in History .......................................................................8 There Was A Man Named Bond .............................................................10 Narrowing the Honeytrap .......................................................................14 Chapter One: Killer Fashions....................................................................26 New Traditions: The Avengers ..............................................................28 Man Appeal............................................................................................33 Gentleman Spy ......................................................................................38 Put a Little Spies in Their Life ................................................................41 Spy Stuff: Get Smart ...............................................................................45 A Dame Who Won't Give You Her Name ..............................................46 A good-looking spy ................................................................................48 Mr and Mrs Spy, Take One....................................................................52 Marital Bliss ...........................................................................................56 Spy-fi versus Sit-com.............................................................................60 Conclusion...............................................................................................63 Chapter Two: From Super-Woman to Super-Mom..................................65 Détente: Wonder Woman .......................................................................67 You're a Wonder, Wonder Woman........................................................72 Understanding and Repeating the Past.................................................78 Old enemies, new allies.........................................................................82 Glasnost: Scarecrow and Mrs. King......................................................86 Reproducing the Norm in American Television .....................................88 Our Heroes ............................................................................................89 Cleanin' Up the World For You and Me .................................................92 Super-Mom to the Rescue.....................................................................96 Mr. and Mrs. Spy, Take Two..................................................................98 This Woman's Work.............................................................................101 Chapter Three: America's Identity Quest...............................................104 The New Spy: La Femme Nikita ...........................................................106 Family Matters .....................................................................................109 Madeline ..............................................................................................114 Iron Maiden..........................................................................................118 Nikita....................................................................................................120 Father Knows Best ..............................................................................126 Conclusion ...........................................................................................128 6 Corporate America: Alias .....................................................................131 Post-9/11 Post-Feminism ....................................................................132 Alias: America......................................................................................133 Season One: No Man's Woman ..........................................................138 Season Two: Mother of a Mother ........................................................141 Season Three: Blood Will Out .............................................................143 Season Four: Pruning the Family Tree................................................146 Season Five: All Women Become Like Their Mothers ........................149 The Same Biology ...............................................................................156 Spy Barbie Goes to Washington..........................................................160 Chapter Four: It's a Man's World? ..........................................................162 The Spy Western: 24.............................................................................164 WWBD: What Would Bauer Do ...........................................................165 Return to the Hypermasculine .............................................................169 War on the Home Front .......................................................................171 Lonely at the Top .................................................................................175 An Inherited Condition .........................................................................179 You Can't Have It All............................................................................183 Do You Feel Lucky? ............................................................................186 Her Majesty's Secret Service: Spooks ................................................189 Across the Pond: Britain Post-9/11......................................................190 Female Spy Archetypes.......................................................................191 Foreignness: The Throwback ..............................................................192 Tessa: The Turncoat............................................................................195

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