Media studies portfolio

Series analysis: Big Bang Theory, season 1, episode 2

 

Movies and series have long depicted the male figure as strong and in control and the female figure as a damsel in distress and an object of sexual desire. The following series analysis will look at an episode of a popular comedy series, The Big Bang Theory. The storyline involves four brainy scientists and their attractive, blonde neighbour and how they navigate everyday life with each other. The episode will be analysed by looking at the mise-en-scene and analyse the binary oppositions within the various relationships in the serious.

 

The first point of analysis is the mise-en-scene of the opening scene. Mise-en-scene is derived from French meaning placed in scene. The mise-en-scene  refers to the set being filmed. It includes the props, costumes, actors and the way all of these are arranged (). The scene is set in the apartment of two of the characters, Sheldon and Leonard. With Sheldon and Leonard are Raj and Howard, who are also scientists. The four friends are seen sitting around a coffee table eating take away Thai food. This indicates that the characters have no cooking experience and lack a mother figure in the episode. Around the coffee table is a large two seater couch, a single seater couch and a wooden chair. The three white characters are seated one the couches and the Indian character is seated on the hard wooden chair. This could be indicative of the racial divide between the characters. The characters are all dressed casually to perhaps indicate that it is the weekend and not a week day. The presence of the bookshelves in the background indicates that the apartment belongs to people who are academically inclined. This is also shown by the white board with maths equations and the double helix structures seen throughout the opening scene of the apartment. The scene then shifts to a knock on the door where we see the female character Penny. The conversation between Penny and Leonard moves to the hallway between Leonard and Penny’s apartment. This conversation indicates the educational divide between Penny and Leonard. The hallway has a staircase and an elevator that is out of order. The broken elevator could indicate that the apartment is not an extremely wealthy apartment. Penny is dressed in a waitress’s uniform which tells the viewer about her job and her income. The rest of Leonard’s friends then join the conversation with Penny in the hallway. The scene then ends with Penny going into her apartment and Leonard retreating back into his.

 

The second point of analysis is binary oppositions. Binary oppositions refer to splitting the world into sets of opposing categories e.g black or white, male or female (ref). The first binary opposition seen in this episode is that of male and female. This will influence much of the episode as the male characters are vying for the attention of the female character. The next binary opposition is that of smart and dumb. The male characters are all extremely smart and the female character is a stereotypical dumb blonde. The binary opposition echo’s through the entire opening scene and suggests that the male characters are superior to the female character. The third binary opposition is the jobs of the male characters which can be seen as a good paying, stable job and the job of the female character who is a waitress and that is seen as a menial job. The fourth and last binary opposition is that of being a nerd and being popular. The four male characters are seen as the nerds who are very smart and socially awkward and the female character is seen as the attractive popular girl.

 

In conclusion the opening sequence sets the scene for what is a very stereotypical interaction between four nerds and an attractive waitress. It echo’s the dominant ideology that women are objects of a man’s desires and men are the strong providers for the women.