The Killing
Narrative
Binary oppositions: good/evil, light/night/day,hero/villain
Genre
Todorov narrative theory: At the equilibrium of the first episode Sarah is getting ready to start a new life elsewhere, and move out of the city. The disruption is that a girl goes missing. The recognition is that Sarah has to go and solve this crime before she leaves. The attempt to solve the disruption is that the car is found however, the girl is not alive so it opens up a new case which is the new equilibrium.
The crime seems to branch of a lot of suspects and numerous possibilities which entertain the audience as they're expecting the unexpected.
Propp's character roles
Police Procedural: high focus on law, police-related topics, and a detective which seems to work alone. There are also some conventions of film noir: investigator, crime, heavy smoking, urban locations, and bleak view of humanity. This gives the audience a lot of excitement to watch as it would be different from their usual police procedural or noir.
Hybrid genre
Steve neale
Similar characteristics with crime show
Multi narrative strands: The killing introduces multiple suspects
Representation
Of Danish culture to UK audiences
Denmark includes issues of multiculturalism which is in The Killing is a representation of national identity
Somewhat subverts Stuart Hall's theory of representation by not using stereotypes but may have a reflective approach to the kidnapping
Bell Hooks: suggest women are exploited depending on their race, sex and class. The Killing goes against this theory as Sarah is not exploited. However, arguably it could not generalise no exploitation for other races.
Van Zoonen: women are not objectified as they are covered a part from Nanny (victim)
Industry
The Killing was produced by the Danish national public service broadcaster DR, providing the opportunity to study PSB in a different national context
The Killing provides a case study for the specialised nature of media production, distribution and circulation within a transnational and global context
The Killing personifies a successful transnational, contemporary media product with long duration has been shown in its original form across Europe and remade by Turkish and US TV
Media audiences
The production, distribution and exhibition of The Killing shows how audiences can be reached, both on a national and global scale, through different media technologies and platforms
Includes new characters for audience alignment (narrative strands)
Scandinavian culture and lifestyle (inform and educate)
Gerbner's cultivation series suggests exposure to repeated patterns over a long period of time can shape and influence the way that people perceive the world. For The Killing's audience they may see the world as more dangerous. This links to Halls theory too.
Context
The Killing also uses the crime genre to explore contemporary political contexts of multi-culturalism and debate the effects of immigration. The economic context can be explored through patterns of ownership and production and how the product is marketed nationally and globally.