Doctor who: language and representions

Doctor Who 

Language and contexts

1) Write a summary of the notes from our in-class analysis of the episode. You can use your own notes from the screening in class or this Google document of class notes (you'll need your GHS Google login). 

Camerawork and sound:

Camera movement was very slow, clunky and of very bad quality due to the technology in the 1960s. Sound mostly the theme music to Doctor Who and the sound of the TARDIS. There are a number of different shots to show the emotions of the characters.

Mise-en-scene:

The costume and hair of Susan reflect the 1960s style, and her school creates a personal identity for the audience. The setting of the junkyard creates a tense and mysterious atmosphere because of the shadows in contrast to the lightning inside the TARDIS, which is very bright. The new setting is set up for the next episode.

Narrative and genre:

mentions time and space a lot to reinforce sci-fi genre, enigma codes are used a lot, for example fore the TARDIS also uses binary opposition to create contrast with light and dark etc. 

2) How can we apply narrative theories to this episode of  Doctor Who? 

Todorov's Equilibrium:

At the beginning of the episode, there is an equilibrium which gets disrupted by Susan's home mystery and the TARDIS, then a new equilibrium is created after figuring out that the Doctor is Susan's grandfather.

Propp's character theory:

Susan - princess

Ian and Barbara - hero

Doctor - villain

Barthes's enigma and action codes:

Enigma codes are used frequently throughout the episode: Who is Susan? How is Susan so smart? Where does Susan live? Who is the Doctor? What is his link to Susan? How is the TARDIS bigger on the outside than inside?

Levi-Strauss's binary opposition: 

Binary opposition is used to create contrast with the dark atmosphere outside compared to inside the TARDIS, and also with age, how Susan is so young and the Doctor so old, also with the TARDIS being larger on the inside and small on the outside.

3) In your opinion, what is the most important scene in the episode and why?

In my opinion, the most important scene is Barbara and Ian finding out about the TARDIS, mad how it defies science as it solves a lot of enigma codes throughout the episode, and also setting the storyline for the upcoming episodes.

4) What genre is An Unearthly Child, and how can you tell? Make specific reference to aspects of the episode.

It is a sci-fi genre as the episode continuously mentions time and space, also making references to the space race, furthermore the theme song is very mysterious, and the setting of the TARDIS reinforces the genre as well.

5) How does An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical contexts of the 1960s?

The hair and costume represent the decade, and there are references to the space race of the same decade. Also, the camera shots and acting were very bad, which represents how low-budget shows and movies were in the 1960s. 

Representations

1) What stereotypes of men are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

The gender stereotypes of men being more dominant and stronger are reinforced throughout the whole episode as Barbara goes to Ian for help, and Ian is the one taking the lead when searching the junkyard. This is also represented when the Doctor ignores Barbara and only decides to speak to Ian.

2) What stereotypes of women/girls are reinforced and subverted in Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child? How?

Stereotypes of women being more emotional, weaker and needing men are reinforced when Barbara seeks help from Ian about Susan's home situation and asks him if they are doing the right thing, furthermore needing him to come with her to explore the issue more. But stereotypes of men being smarter than women are subverted as Susan is smarter than the majority of her class, but stereotypes about teenagers are reinforced when Barbara and Ian hope Susan is just going to meet a boy.

3) How do the representations of young people and old people in An Unearthly Child reflect the social and historical context of the 1960s? 

It reflects the decade as at that time, elders were seen as smarter, which is shown when Barbara and Ian are telling Susan that the TARDIS is just an illusion, implying that she has no knowledge of the real world.

4) What representations of race/ethnicity can be found in Doctor Who: An Earthly Child? Is this surprising or not? Give reasons for your answer and consider historical/cultural context (the 1960s). Has this changed in more recent series of Doctor Who?

There are some racist comments in the episode, and all the characters are white, which is unsurprising as it was the 1960s. Representations have most definitely changed in the more recent series as they bring in a range of different ethnicities and also have a female doctor.

5) How is social class represented in An Unearthly Child? Think about how education and knowledge are presented in the episode.

Every character in the episode seems to be middle-class with no struggles, and the education is also good.