Narrative Construction in TV

S P O O K S [s03e10]
A couple wake up and go downstairs to breakfast. They do not realise that they are being watched by terrorists. They leave for work together, and the woman (Fiona) and her MI5 partner (Danny) are sent on an operation to bug a house, but are kidnapped by the terrorists and taken hostage. The terrorists involve Fiona's wife (Adam) too, and their demand is that the Prime Minister announces withdrawal from Iraq during a speech that day (and it is actually done); the Government will not help as it is against their policy of not negotiating with terrorists, and the hostages are not civilians. Danny and Fiona attempt to escape, but are caught, and as a result one of them will be killed - it is up to Adam to decide between his wife and colleague, but Danny saves him making the choice by telling his captor what he thinks of him, and is shot in front of Fiona, and heard by the team who are listening. The team then realise that Fiona is just a decoy, and the terrorists plan to kill the PM and lots of other important people at a dinner event, and Khatera, the woman essentially holding Adam captive, is a suicide bomber, with explosives and poison stitched inside her body. However, she is doubting her decision and Adam takes the opportunity to save the day, alerting everyone to the treat, and finding out from Khatera where Fiona is, who is rescued by the SAS just before she is set on fire by the terrorist.

Standard narrative conventions used:
- Beginning, middle, end:
Beginning - happy couple, in love, going to work, routine operations.
Middle - two officers [including wife from beginning] get kidnapped and taken hostage by terrorists wanting revenge for lost family, friends etc. - generally for country; the team try to get their officers back and work out who the terrorists are, and the inter-character relationships are all very clear.
End - Danny is shot, Fiona is rescued, the terrorists are killed/apprehended.
Classic narrative pattern (Todorov) in equilibrium, disruption, [near] equilibrium.

- Binary oppositions:
Characters - good [MI5 officers], bad [terrorists]

The story does not end happily (in the Danny is shot), but it does return to equilibrium. Although the team lose Danny, Zaf (a character introduced in this episode) will take his place, and makes up the numbers. However, the team rescue Fiona, who is reunited with Adam, and they also manage to save the PM and lots of other people from death.

Most stories have happy endings because they are read or, as in the case of TV dramas, watched, as a means of escapism, where the viewer wants to leave reality behind for a while, and forget about how real life doesn't always work out. Audiences want to find enjoyment, and so most stories need to have happy endings. Viewers also establish their own relationships with and attachments to characters, and when good things happen to the good characters, audiences can empathise.

What starts as an ordinary, everyday morning is threatened at the beginning of the episode is a standard beginning to a narrative, as it follows the structure of equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium. It sets up what the ordinary lives of the characters are like, and shows us their relationships, so as to show what is going to be disrupted and from where the story comes. Here, we see that Fiona and Adam are very much in love, and even though they work for MI5, have ordinary homelives. The fact that they have a child is suggested by the child's drawing seen on the fridge in the background, and he is mentioned too - they are quite a young couple, in love, with a young child, and have everything going for them. The audience can probably relate to this, and regardless, will sympathise with them, as they are being portrayed as the good characters.
Adam and Fiona are in a bright, clean kitchen, in a white house, wearing light-coloured clothes, and seem to be lovely, caring, happy people. The terrorists watching them, on the other hand, are in a small black car, intruding on the couple's happiness by having bugged their house. The fact that they are not English, nor are they speaking it, is another factor that detaches them from the audience. The woman in the car says "they still love each other", to which the man replies "that is why we chose them" - they are picking on innocent people who are happy with their lives and don't seem to have done anything wrong, and they are doing it on purpose. The audience immediately takes sides, and sides with Adam and Fiona.


Different narrative structures in different TV drama forms:

Single drama/film: Margaret - classic narrative pattern (equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium) throughout episode/film.

Two-nighter: Trial & Retribution - follows classic narrative pattern, but over the course of two episodes - equilibrium is not returned until the conclusion in the second episode, and the disruption is usually spread over the two. The binary oppositions are established in the first episode.

Soap (continuing drama): Eastenders - non-linear; plots intertwined over a number of episodes - not classic narrative pattern, as episodes don't really have an equilibrium due to the multiple narratives, and work around the disruptions, though there are solutions (for a short time) within individual storylines. Binary oppositions are present, but more archetypal and stereotypical character roles.

Serial: Bleak House - Bleak House was shown twice weekly in 30-minute slots rather than once a week for an hour. Does not follow classic narrative pattern within episodes - tend to end on cliffhangers - equilibrium is not restored until the end.

Anthology series (self-contained episodes each based on different characters): Skins - classic narrative pattern within episodes, but overarching storylines are not resolved until the end of the series - and possibly even then there will be disruption, and the story will continue into another series.

Long-form series drama: Lost - equilibrium, disruption, equilibrium, disruption - episodes often end with disruption and a cliffhanger; they may also begin with a disruption and its resolution to a state of equilibrium. Again, over the series, there is generally an overarching plot that is not resolved until the last episode of the series, and may run into the next.

Long-form series drama with some narrative experimentation: 24 - different structure, follows classic narrative pattern within episodes and series, but story told differently. Strong binary oppositions.