Research Essay – Changing Female Roles as Portrayed in Soap and Modern Family

Katie Chase

History of TV and Radio

Research Project Final Essay

November 18, 2012

Television is a technological medium which broadcasts current events, news, politics and weather as well as fictional dramas, comedies, cartoons and sitcoms. These shows which each have different characters, story lines, actors, and settings have been changing along with society’s culture since TV’s introduction beginning in 1948 (Marc and Thompson 53). According to the text “Television in the Antenna Age” by Marc and Thompson, the original prime time dramas were presented live and had no continuing plots and character development. This is a drastic change to television watched today for story lines are complex and interweaving which carry over not only from episode to episode but from season to season. Along with the change in television sitcoms overall format is the way female characters have changed. The lead female character roles in comedic television series have drastically changed in terms of character intelligence and overall character development in the last 40 years. A case study of the show Soap which stars Jessica Tate and Modern Family’s Gloria Pritchett provide solid evidence of how female roles have drastically changed.

As stated in the article, “The Changing Roles of Women in Sitcoms,” early female roles were almost always portrayed as the stereotype of the housewife who always had to clean up her husband’s messes. This relates to the role of Jessica Tate, husband of Chester Tate a stock broker, on the ABC sitcom, Soap. The show ran from 1977 to 1981 and was presented as a weekly prime time half-hour comedy (Wikipedia).

The Tate family lives in a wealthy neighborhood in Connecticut and they deal with issues such as infidelity, murder, adoption, alien invasions and divorce. Each episode presents a new complex web of problems and relationships between the Tate family, as well as Jessica’s sister’s family, the Campbells. Season one, episode one the Tate family is preparing for a dinner party. It is at this party that the soft spoken, mild mannered and beautiful Jessica walks in on her husband Chester, who is secretly making plans with another woman for a romantic evening. This is the introduction of a kernel in the story arc which will continue on throughout the entire season. As described in the article “Redefining Narrative Events”by Porter, kernels are moments that give rise to important story lines. A story arc, which has an important function in a television narrative, can be introduced in one episode and later developed in other episodes.

Although it is obvious to everyone else, including the audience, of how unfaithful Chester is, Jessica remains naïve and blissfully unaware. Jessica always seems to be a couple steps behind everyone else and despite the blatantly obvious signs of disrespect from her husband she continues on in her own world. She is comedic relief with her curiously stupid questions and unaware nature.

As explained in Redefining Narrative Events, narratives are a critical part to a television series as the average viewer becomes invested in a show and how its characters develop. The article states, “The more interesting television characters grow and change over time, creating layers of depth in their metamorphoses,” (Porter 23).

The relationship between Gloria and her husband Jay on the hit comedy Modern Family which first aired in May of 2009 is drastically different from the relationship between Jessica and Chester in Soap. Modern Family, an ABC show is mockumentary which follows different divisions of one family which each intertwine and connect through complex relationships. Mockumentary style is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as the “factitious or satirical work as a film presented in the style of a documentary.”

Jay married the much younger Gloria who is an ethnic and passionate woman. Gloria can be described as loud, beautiful, extreme, feisty, and fun-loving. She has also been known to say exactly what is on her mind despite those it might offend. Her open-minded nature has been the cause for many satellites within the story. Satellites are defined as the focus on character or setting which provides depth, background, and texture. Satellites can be deleted without disrupting the main story line, (Porter 23).

Season 4 episode “Yard Sale” is about Gloria and Jay putting on a yard sale in order to prepare for their babies arrival. All of the shows main characters are present and they are all contributing old items to sell as well. Jay, the patriarch, dislikes the idea of the yard sale and questions the necessity of it from the beginning. He sits in a chair and both questions and denies every purchase neighbors attempt to make. The storyline involving Gloria deals with an old trunk which her son, Manny, found up in the attic and attempts to sell in the garage sale. Gloria very definitively says that this is not to be sold because it is from Colombia. She refuses to answer any of his questions about what is inside of the trunk and returns it upstairs. However this only fuels her son’s curiosity. While everyone in the episode deals with their own problems such as getting lost on a motorcycle and selling “fat” pants, Manny’s curiosity gets the best of him and he searches to reveal what is in his mother’s trunk. It is eventually revealed that inside the trunk was dummy and Gloria confesses that when running in a beauty pageant in Colombia in order to make herself stand out she became a ventriloquist.

This is an example of adding depth to her character. Although the fact that she was once in a beauty pageant might seem stereotypical because of her good looks, the fact that she was a ventriloquist adds humor and texture to her character. This is a satellite to the story because it is adding to the character rather than the plot. As stated in Redefining Narrative Events, “Satellites provide background information on a character and help create the texture of the narrative by providing depth and richness to the story,” (Porter 24).

Similarities between the two female roles include dress and appearance. Both women are beautiful and attractive. In season 4 of Modern Family episode “Yard Sale”, although pregnant, Gloria wears tight black jeans, heels, and a tight green shirt which shows off cleavage. In season 1, episode 1 of Soap, Jessica is dressed conservatively although fashionably. She wears heels, a blue blouse, beige pants, and has jewelry adorning her neck and wrists. She also has full makeup on and her hair done. Although the expectation for women in terms of character depth and personality has changed over time, the expectation for beauty and perfection has remained consistent. As previously discussed, Gloria has a healthy relationship with husband Jay, but even throughout pregnancy she maintains her physical appearance and outshines the other female characters on the show. Jessica, disrespected by her husband, is also always seen by viewers when fully dressed in gowns and wearing beautiful designer clothing. Many changes in terms of female expectations and desire of female strength have changed but the desire for strong women to be beautiful has not disappeared along with the stereotype of the “doting house wife.”

Not only have the two shows been compared to one another because of the multi family aspect but both Jessica Tate and Gloria are similar to one another because they both married powerful, wealthy, and successful men. Both of these men like to be viewed as the patriarch of the family who make important family decisions and run things. However how each woman communicates and relates to her patriarch of a husband is dramatically different. Jessica takes a back seat to her husband and lets him run the show while Gloria overpowers her husband and is the captain of the ship. Jessica is oblivious and unintelligent while Gloria is quick witted and smart despite the language barrier with which she struggles with.

These two female lead roles although somewhat similar, are drastically different because today young women look up to female characters that are diverse and have a complex set of emotions. Gloria is the type of character that cannot be easily categorized because she is so unique and funny. Jessica on the other hand is quite simple and reserved which is how women were once expected to behave. Women’s roles and expectations within society have changed which have thus changed the lead female roles which are presented on television.

What occurs within society heavily influences television especially when examining character and plot lines. Soap was introduced in 1977, just ten years after the first national women’s liberation conference was held. 1978 was the first year that in the United States, more women than men entered college (The Path to Women’s Rights Movement). Although in early seasons Jessica is more comparable to Lucy’s character on I Love Lucy of the doting house wife, which first aired in 1951, by the fifth season Jessica has gained independence and eventually contemplates leaving her repeatedly unfaithful husband Chester. Her characters developmental journey can be related to the journey that women in every day society were facing during the time the show had first aired. This is why it is of no surprise that Gloria’s character in Modern Family is a representation of strength and self-sufficiency because women in 2009 up until present day embody the belief that women should be considered equal to their male counterparts.

Modern Family and Soap are two comparable shows due to the comedic twist on plot lines as well as the intersecting and complicated relationships between characters. The lead female roles within these two series differ in terms of cleverness, intelligence and wit because of what was occurring within society during the time each show aired. Changing and evolving cultural beliefs and societal acceptance effects the way viewers will perceive and react to a shows lead characters.

 

Bibliography

Porter, Michael J., et al. Redefining Narrative Events. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

 

Marc, David, and Robert Thompson. Television In The Antenna Age. N.p.: Blackwell Publishing, 2005.Print. 

"The Changing Roles of Women Sitcoms." The Poetic of Television. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. 

Webster’s Dictionary. Print. 

"The Path to Women's Rights Movement." The Prism. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

The Bachelorette Controversy

It should be of no surprise that there is controversy surrounding the hit reality show The Bachelorette. After all, the show builds off the drama, hurt, betrayal of contestants on the show who travel the world trying to find love with the infamous bachelorette.

This season the bachelorette was Emily Maynard, a widowed single mom. This season was not disappointing in the amount of fights or tears that were shed. However, surprisingly the crux of the controversy actually took place off  of the camera rather than on.

Audience: An infamous source, Reality Steve, has been known for spoiling the results of the show before it airs. By the time the third episode aired (5/29) this season, Reality Steve had episode-by-episode spoilers of who would be sent home week-to-week all the way up until the finale. He also has details regarding where dates took place and who went on them. He gets thousands upon thousands of daily visits to his website. The visitors to his website are fans of the show who are looking for more information than what is just presented from ABC.  The audience is likely female and age ranges from 15- 55. Reality Steve has an enormous following in the Bachelor/Bachelorette community but interestingly has never revealed who his sources are.

Then by week six of the show airing (6/19), Reality Steve releases that in the finale Emily will be getting engaged to Jef Holm. To put it in perspective, he had the final results of the show published while there were still five episodes left until it was publicly revealed who she chose.

 Reality Steve has also been accurate on the past 5 seasons revealing the ending of the show weeks before it airs. Although he has yet to reveal his sources he had said, “My sources, they are acquaintances of mine, and I appreciate what they’ve done for me in recent seasons. “

Reality Steve is no stranger to people that doubt his accuracy though and the loyal fans who are angry at him for ruining the show. Reality Steve retorts all comments by saying, “I’m just one guy with an opinion… I am told stuff that 99.999% of people don’t know about. Some I can share, some I can’t. But I think I’ve been pretty good at telling you things that are going to happen before they do.”

Creation: Although many fans appreciate the spoilers and week to week look for his blog with inside information, things took an intense turn when ABC directors and creators of the show filed an extortionate lawsuit on Reality Steve on December, 6th, 2011. ABC makes all contestants and employees of the show sign a confidentially agreement to prevent spoilers being released about the show. The plantiffs stated, “by soliciting non-public information from participants and employees regarding events that transpire…prior to their broadcast .” They were also seeking compensation of $75,000 for punitive damages. Another statement from the lawsuit stated, “with ABC and other television show distributors who must rely on Plaintiffs to ensure that their shows’ contents are not “spoiled” by pre-broadcast disclosure.”

Roughly four months later, Reality Steve released a large and detailed blog in regards to the details of the lawsuit. He makes it apparent that he is not receiving his inside information from anyone who is directly in contract with ABC. In one statement he says, “These last seven months have been pretty taxing on me…I was going up against a corporation that had way deeper pockets than me. I knew in the long run I couldn’t compete with them financially.” In this detailed post he also mentions how in January, ABC sent him numerous settlement agreements they wanted him to sign that essentially would shut down realitysteve.com.

At this time one of the producers of the show, Mike Fleiss, was actively tweeting his thoughts on the lawsuit. Early July he tweeted comments like “My staff puts in 80-hour weeks to make this show y’all love. It’s my duty to make sure their hard work is not damaged by some jerkoff,” and “The fine folks that work on the show have families, kids, responsibilities. I care about them more than some pitiful parasite.”

Things finally began winding down when ABC released a new contract with Reality Steve. He posted on his site, “This Agreement does not prevent me from spoiling the show, and I will continue to do so like I have for the past three years.” Which is exactly what he has continued to do.

Blog #4

Although the concept for this weeks blog is relatively simple, I struggled when trying to think of my least favorite episode of House. When reflecting upon the many different seasons of House and the dozens of episodes I have seen, I couldn’t ignore the fact that Season 5, episode 9 is titled “Last Resort” kept coming to mind.

The episode begins with blurred shots of the waiting room inside the hospital. There is a funky electronic type of music playing and the camera is panning around while many people impatiently wait to be attended to. Shortly after these establishing shots, the audience is introduced to a middle aged Caucasian male who is dressed in a tailored suite and tie. Within three minutes the man has pulled out a gun and locked House along with 8 other people inside Dr. Cuddy’s office.

This crazed man is demanding that House finds a diagnosis for him or he will shoot everyone in the room. He explains that he has been to 16 doctors, all of whom could not find a reason behind his shortness of breath, rashes, and extreme exhaustion.  The hostages in the room include a husband and wife whom are expecting a child, a young artsy teenage girl, a nurse, teenage boy, businessman, and a heavy set working class male. These characters can be categorized in such a way based off of the clothing they wear and the way they speak. For example, the business man is wearing a suite and tie and holding a brief case. He carries himself in a manor which is confident and he speaks as if he is educated.

The episode began with an already unrealistic plot line but when the hostages in the room give the gunman attitude and sass when he asks them questions it truly takes a turn for the worst. These seemingly normal people show minimal fear and even have the guts to be rude to the man holding them in a room with a gun!

House, who has always been a sarcastic character, shows not a single ounce of doubt or fear throughout the entire episode. He only shows curiosity in regards to what the gunman’s disease is. Although the viewer knows that House is not the type of person who is easily affected by things the way other people would, he is still human and if someone is holding a gun to your head I think he would show some fear.

Another aspect of this episode which led me to decide this was my least favorite episode ever was when the gunman shoots the business man in the leg and no one screams. Not a single person in the room jumped, gasped loudly, or screamed. This seems odd to me seeing as if I saw someone get shot I think I might go into shock or scream.

Overall, the reason this episode is my least favorite is because of the story. It is definitely not the production values because if anything the production values are what kept the episode interesting. The slow motion at the end of the episode when the gunman is taken away and the audience discovers that all of the hostages are going to be safe, adds drama. Also, throughout the episode there were aerial shots of the empty hospital. Since everyone had been evacuated because of the gunman the empty hospital leaves the audience with an eerie feeling. The hospital is never seen empty so these shots emphasize the great magnitude of the situation is within the episode.

Blog #3

The title sequence of a television show is the way a program is introduced to its audience. This often includes the title of the show, important producers and staff who worked on the show, as well as the key actors. These sequences may also show a collage of clips from throughout the season and utilize the power of song. Shows that have a catchy and memorable song often become recognized and remembered by the song which plays in the opening title sequence.

For the show House, which I have been analyzing the past couple of weeks, the title sequence lasts exactly thirty seconds. The title sequence for House has been recognized, on a number of occasions, as a very tasteful and engaging sequence, according to Smashing Magazine. This title sequence is shown after roughly two minutes of the show beginning. Resembling shows like Law & Order and CSI, there is a brief scene shown before the title sequence is played which lays the foundation for what the episode is going to be about. This is like a teaser for the audience to grab their attention and make them want to continue to watch. As Amanda noted in her blog discussing Breaking Bad, this is what is known as a cold open.

The title sequence for this show includes animation of veins, cells, and organs which would be seen inside of a human body. There are also sketches of brains, bones, and bodies in a faded sepia color. There are extreme close ups of the animated organs inside of the body. Within each quick shot, each lasting only a couple of seconds, there is a sense of movement. The camera appears to be slowly moving around the different animated objects which maintains the viewers interest. Also, every two seconds a different cast members name appears and then slowly fades to the next.  The fading from one shot to another gives it a soft feel. The cast members whose names are shown in the title sequence are the 7 most important characters within the show. This relates to Katie Meyers discussion of Battlestar Galactica because she stated “The opening credits are very limited and only deal with those acting major characters,” which is also the case for House. The only other name shown in the beginning sequence is the very final name which is David Shore, the creator of the show.

As mentioned previously, the song played in a title sequence is extremely important. The song played in House’s title sequence is Teardrop by the band Massive Attack. Unlike the introduction for Firefly which Angelica is analyzing, there are no lyrics in the House title sequence. Interestingly enough, the theme song in the United States is different than that aired in different countries. According to “House: Guide To The TV Show,” in other countries such as the UK, Australia, Japan and Italy, the theme song played is House by Scott Donaldson and Richard Nolan which was created specifically for the show.

There is a very strong connection between the style of music in the title sequence and the show. As I have stated in previous blogs, House is a show that has a strong sense of mystery to it. Each episode revolves around a medical mystery that seems impossible to solve. The instrumental title sequence evokes a feeling of mystery and contemplation when listening to it.

In the episode I chose to watch this week, episode ten season eight, House and his medical team struggle to find out the reason behind a young homeless girls illness. When trying to scam the hospital and get medication for a fake asthma attack, the girl began bleeding out of her ear. House became intrigued and bribed the girl to stay in the hospital so he could try and discover what was wrong with her.

The bumpers between the scenes in this show only last for a couple of seconds. They are so brief you could miss it by turning your head away from the TV for only a second. These bumpers typically include instrumental music which last only a couple of seconds as well. Often, the last shot of a scene fades into the next scene. Sometimes from one scene to the next though it is just a typical cut. However, when cuts are used the way the scene begins changes. Typical examples of this would be someone entering through a door or closing a door at the initial start of the scene.

The closing credits are where everyone else who helped make the shows name is shown. This list begins with the associate producers and co-stars. Then the costume designers, art directors and set directors are shown. Eventually the prop master, assistant prop masters, make-up artists, stylists, lighting technicians, and script supervisors are also shown.

Blog #2

 

Season one episode one of Housewas appropriately titled “Pilot.” The opening scene is of a young, enthusiastic elementary school teacher who suddenly looses her ability to speak. She crashes to the floor and starts convulsing and is taken to a hospital. The viewer is then introduced to Dr. House and Dr. Wilson who are walking down a hospital hallway. While the introductory credits roll you hear House, who is not dressed in the typical doctors white coat say, “I don’t want people to think I’m a doctor. People don’t want a sick doctor.” This small conversation serves as foreshadowing for the rest of the episode and eventually the rest of the season.

This pilot episode was filmed in Canada but the rest of the episodes have been filmed on the Fox Lot in Century City. House is also a multi camera show. The aerial shots of the hospital which are shown multiple times throughout the episode are of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.

As the episode progresses it becomes apparent that the teacher that had the medical issues in the opening scene, is a medical mystery. The viewer has now been introduced to what has been referred to as House’s “team” of doctors which is made up of Dr. Chase, Dr. Foreman, and Dr. Cameron. The main premise of the show is that these doctors have a limited amount of time, due to the characters rare health condition, to figure out what is wrong with her before she dies. This type of conflict can be classified as a “time bomb” as author of Writing Television Sitcoms Smith explains in his book. This is defined as a race against time. The characters must “accomplish an impossible goal by a fast-approaching deadline.” Although this is the main conflict within the episode, there are many intertwined conflicts also taking place.

After a brief discussion House has with his supervisor Dr. Cuddy, the viewer realizes that House refuses to complete all of the tasks which are required of him at the hospital. Dr. Cuddy has informed him that despite his good reputation, she will fire him if he does not complete his clinic duty. As the episode progresses, House gives in to his bosses demands and performs clinic duty. In all of the pithy interactions he has with these clients, attention is brought to the limp he has when he walks and the medicine he is constantly popping in his mouth as if it were a tic-tac.

Smith’s book has many concepts which were likely applied by the writers, creators, and directors when creating the show. One interesting idea of premise-driven comedy is clearly observed in House. The key to premise-driven comedy is building comedic tension which grows as the creators form the show. One example of this in episode one of House begins after House had given in to Cuddy’s demands and has decided to perform clinic duty. The viewer doesn’t understand why he is so adamantly against it until he is assisting a young boy with his breathing troubles. The boys mother explains that she hasn’t been giving him his inhaler because she doesn’t believe in putting medicine in his body on a daily basis. House looks at her and extremely sarcastically says “oxygen is so important during those pre-pubescent years.” This subtle, sarcastic, and not forced humor is apparent throughout the entire episode and eventually later episodes.

Other conflicts include tension between Foreman and House as a result of Foreman’s reluctance to follow House’s orders and break into the sick teacher’s home. It becomes apparent to the viewer that House is a somewhat non-traditional doctor. After the doctors have continued to struggle to find a cure for the teacher’s medical issue, the show reaches the climax and she eventually refuses more treatment. Other personal character stories have continued to progress as we discover that Foreman was only hired at the hospital for his criminal background and Dr. Cameron begins to question why she was hired at all. All of these small conflicts are loosely resolved by the end of the episode. Because of House’s brilliance he discovers that the teacher has a tape worm inside her body and Dr. Cameron learns that she was hired because she is pretty. House and Dr. Cameron have a deep conversation about her struggles as a person which are left unanswered though which leave the viewer curious to know more.

The shot composition and lighting have a huge impact on how the show is viewed and interpreted. In this first episode, the camera is constantly swooping around from one character to another during conversations. There are extreme close-ups on sick patient’s faces as well as when the doctors are cutting incisions into their skin. There are also a number of shots which begin as an extreme close up of the patient but the camera “enters” an orifice of the patient and the viewer sees a realistic animation of what’s happening inside the patients body. The show also has a lot of walking and talking scenes which include the characters walking around the hospital. These are considered to be tracking shots which gives the show a sense of urgency. Also, when the doctors are arguing about the different possible diagnoses’ for the patients there are quick and choppy shots.  The lighting is typically very bright as would be seen in an actual hospital.

Blog #1

The show I will be analyzing is the extremely entertaining, House! The show first premiered on November, 16, 2004 and is aired on FOX network. The creator and executive producer for the show is David Shore who has won multiple awards and honors for the show. House has also been deemed the world’s most popular current television program. According to Guinness World Records, 81.8 million people in 66 countries have watched the show.

Greg House is a brilliant yet witty and sarcastic doctor who assists in solving difficult medical mysteries on severely ill patients. House, played by Hugh Laurie, also suffers from severe physical pain which he cures with over indulging in painkillers. Because House can be rude, uncaring and impolite you would think that would make his character unlikable but actually quite the opposite is true. His character proves to have depth which causes the viewer to become fascinated with him and even care a little bit about him too.

            The series House fits in the genre of medical drama. According to Wikipedia, a medical drama is defined as a “television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.” The setting of House is a hospital and the content of the show is centered on medical mysteries thus making House classified as a medical drama. Other shows that would fit this genre include but are not limited to Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Scrubs, Nip/Tuck, Nurse Jackie, and Heartland.

            The characters within this series are believable because the acting is extremely good. If you simply think about the idea of a genius doctor who solves medical mysteries but suffers from substance abuse problems, this character does not seem believable. But with Laurie playing the part, you genuinely believe that this character is a real person.

Other imporant characters in the show include Dr. Lisa Cuddy played by Lisa Edelstein, who is one of the only people that House could call a friend. Although she often grows frustrated and impatient with House and his quirky medical tactics, she can match his witty remarks and in some senses, seems to understand him. Although she is no longer in Season 8 of the show, I will be watching episodes from previous seasons so I found it important to include her. Dr. Eric Foreman played by Omar Epps, often disagrees with House’s medical ways and is not afraid to voice his opinion. He often voices his disapproval of House which causes an interesting dynamic and more often then not there are high tension situations. Dr. James Wilson played by Robert Leonard,  is House’s best and most trusted friend although Dr. Wilson often doesn’t understand House’s actions and the motives behind them. Dr. Robert Chase played by Jesse Spencer, is a complex character who struggles with a difficult past. He could be considered one of House’s biggest fans as he seems to enjoy House’s quirky tactics. All of the different characters have interesting personalities which blend and clash with the other characters. This character dynamic and good acting makes each of the main characters very believable.

It matters very much that the main characters are believable. It mostly matters to the viewer because if the viewer doesn’t believe the characters in the show seem real, then they will lose interest in watching the show. It is when characters have depth and seem real that viewers become invested and continuously watch the show.