University of Alberta Consensus Narratives on the State of Exception in American TV Shows by Young Hoon Kim A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Department of English and Film Studies © Young Hoon Kim Spring 2011 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. Abstract The TV show is a central focus of American life, one that not only reflects but also produces social imaginaries for the American audience that support the way people interact and engage with reality. It is the nation‘s most influential storyteller, which dominates the nation‘s imagination and understanding of reality. This dissertation explores the political and cultural meanings of four TV shows from the George W. Bush era: The West Wing (1999-2007), Deadwood (2004-06), The Wire (2002-08) and Heroes (2006-10). In examining these TV shows, this dissertation aims to shed light on both the origins of the state of exception, its conduct, its purpose, and the possibility of meaningful critique of or resistance to the state of exception. Chapter I discusses The West Wing, focusing on President Bartlet‘s decision-making process regarding the assassination of Abdul Shareef, so as to elucidate the decisive actions of a sovereign figure in a state of exception. Chapter II explores Deadwood‘s resurrection of the nineteenth-century mining camp in our twenty-first century, in terms of the capitalist state of exception. In discussing the show‘s portrayal of the conflicts among the main characters, this chapter reveals that the same sovereign logic of exception is innate in the expansion of capitalism. Chapter III examines The Wire‘s depiction of rebellious petty-sovereigns such as Major Colvin, Detectives McNulty and Freamon. According to The Wire, the claims of equality are deeply urgent in the bleak reality of contemporary America. With their commitment to equality and justice, the petty-sovereigns intervene in the bleak reality in their subversive ways. Chapter IV explores Heroes‘s rendering of the main characters‘ struggles against a fictional national emergency, the Company‘s conspiracy to blow up half of New York City. In this chapter, I argue that Heroes portrays a political subject that attempts to constitute itself outside biopolitical sovereign power—what Hardt and Negri would call the advent of the multitude. While explicating the struggles of the main characters, I argue that its limitation in envisioning a new world underscores how contemporary critics fail to see past sovereign politics when they imagine another world. Acknowledgements This dissertation has one name on the cover, but many others have contributed greatly to it. Professors, colleagues, friends, and my family have enjoyed or more likely tolerated my obsession with American TV shows for several years. To all of them, a considerable debt of gratitude is due. Professors Ki-Han Lee and Soon-Sik Kim at Myongji University encouraged me to pursue the study of literature when I was a wandering undergraduate student. I would not be the person I am today if I did not take their classes. Professor Jae-Ho Roh at Sogang University provided me with mature and intellectual perspectives on American popular culture. Since we first met at Sogang University, he has been an unwavering supporter of my intellectual work, and he always amazes me with his continual interest in my research. At the University of Alberta, I also met a number of mentors. During the evolution of this dissertation, I have received extremely valuable comments on many drafts from my committee members, Professors Gary Watson and Harvey Quamen. I cannot thank them enough for their active encouragement and acute comments on my project. And my supervisor Professor Mark Simpson, whose fingerprints I can find all over this dissertation, supported me in conceiving and developing my project in all the humanly imaginable ways. All the conversations I had with him in our meetings were always the most valuable sources of inspirations to write my dissertation. I will be never able to thank him properly. I am also very grateful to two wonderful external committee members, Professor William Anselmi from Modern Language and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta, and Professor David Schmid from the Department of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo. On my defense day, they not only provided me with highly constructive comments on my project, but also expressed their most heartfelt passion regarding my work. I was really privileged to discuss my work with these two highly acclaimed intellectuals. Many friends I met in Edmonton also greatly helped me to write this dissertation. Dadi Sverrisson, Sahyun Hong, and Tian Shao at the International House were my first friends, who made Edmonton my new home. Many parts of this dissertation were written during the writing sessions I had with my esteemed colleague Marco Katz, who is now also an English PhD. Chris Brainerd read most of my writings and helped me become a better writer. Geordan Patterson always outplayed me in our tennis matches, thus making me determined to beat him at least once in any type of competition. And I made it though I never asked his consent to participate in a race toward the completion of a PhD program. The members of the Korean Graduate Students Association at the University of Alberta were always there to celebrate or vent with me. Finally, I would like to thank my parents for giving me both a love of literature and the ability to critique it. My mother‘s love of books led me to become an English PhD and my father‘s wisdom of and insights to the world led me to become a critic. Without their endless love and support, I would not be what I am today. Consensus Narratives on the State of Exception in American TV Shows Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I – President Bartlet‘s Two Decisions on The War on Terror ............... 35 Chapter II – A Capitalist State of Exception in Deadwood ............................... 73 Chapter III – The Wasted Lives and the Politics of Equality in The Wire ........ 115 Chapter IV – The Revolt of Bare Lives and the Return to Normality in Heroes Season One: Genesis........................................................................................ 154 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 191 Works Cited ..................................................................................................... 196 Kim 1 Introduction On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush announced to the nation: ―Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed‖ (―Major Combat‖). Far above him was the USS Abraham Lincoln‘s giant banner proclaiming ―Mission Accomplished.‖ And he went further, saying : The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th, 2001 and still goes on. That terrible morning, 19 evil men, the shock troops of a hateful ideology, gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions. They imagined, in the words of one terrorist, that September the 11th would be the beginning of the end of America. By seeking to turn our cities into killing fields, terrorists and their allies believed that they could destroy this nation‘s resolve, and force our retreat from the world. They have failed. (―Major Combat‖) This controversial speech by President Bush epitomized the optimism and triumphalism that came in the immediate aftermath of the invasion on Iraq. And more importantly, this carefully orchestrated media event on an aircraft carrier is one of the Bush administration‘s most grandiose attempts in collaboration with the US broadcasting network to overcome the damage and defeat in the dimension of spectacle, caused by the attacks of September 11. However, such a propagandistic view on the War on Terror did not last long, as it was supplanted by frustration and anger towards the Bush administration‘s military and counterterrorism Kim 2 strategies. Since then, the phrase, ―Mission Accomplished,‖ has been mocked repeatedly as a paramount example of the preposterousness of the Iraq War, though Bush never mentioned it in his speech. This televised address by President Bush and the controversy that followed epitomize struggles in the realm of spectacle mainly dominated and played by television since the attacks of September 11. In the turmoil after September 11 and the following War on Terror, despite considerable social dissent brewing around the world, American television projected a normalizing of exceptions. In the short term, American TV in general and TV shows, in particular, promoted a uniform jingoism. In The Late Show with David Letterman, on September 17, 2001, CBS NEWS anchor Dan Rather spoke to his American TV audience: ―George Bush is the president, he makes the decisions, and, you know, as just one American, wherever he wants me to line up, just tell me where, and he‘ll make the call.‖ And in the same venue, ―TV entertainment shows,‖ Douglas Kellner claims, ―peppered its [sic] programs with flags as regular series like The West Wing and Law and Order used computer-generated flags inserted into their dramas to help capture viewer attention and spread the new patriotism‖ (67).