TV Drama revision

 Gender


  • Eve - embodies a more masculine role in her work and attitude, being the stereotypical ‘man of the house’ who has the big job and is the breadwinner, alongside having a husband who further subverts roles by being the one who  cares for their through making her food etc 

  • Constantine - traditional embodiment of masculinity, his character depicts a stronger leader who despite Villanelles independence still hold power over there as the stereotypical older guy who is in control of the crime 

  • Villanelle - Embodies femininity in her fashion and makeup etc whilst having the traditionally masculine role of being a killer, this also leads to how the gender bias of society is represented in how no one but Eve believes in the fact the killer is a woman and how Villanelle is able to kill as easily as she can because of the sexual desire of men who see her as no more than an object with no threatm, alongside her own capabilities and strengths in assassination 

  • The MI5 males both depict an arrogance that is authority based with little care for what Eve actually has to say


Patriotism

  • Russia being the antagonistic force represents American patriotism, this stems from the constant feud between the two that stems from the cold war, with the constant tension between the 2, despite the british setting 

  • The main focus stemming on MI5 at the start represents a British patriotism with the BBC despite being an American offshoot still wanting to praise the British security system, whilst also denying patriotism to the extent of representing theme as incompetent in the later half of the episode


Ethnicity

  • Eve - Eve is portrayed as British with a clear non British background in her appearance, however this is represented  in a way of normalcy with no questioning to it, displaying the understanding and multiculturalism of the UK

  • Niko - Polish, represents the multiculturalism of the country whilst showing how they have adapted to British life and help others who have moved, with ethnicity not being the defining feature of the character

  • Villanelle - Russian so presented as the antagonistic force in part due to previous feud between the country 

  • Russia still represented as an antagonist force due to America’s hatred and previous feuds


Masculinity
  • Konstantin 
    • Villanelle's authority figure, seemingly like both an older friend and an employer
    • Depicted as seemingly caring for Villanelle in his concerns for them catching her and he plays into her immature jokes, however he seemingly keeps his distance never getting out of his coat when he sees her showing he intends to leave as soon as possible, suggesting the chance he is using her for personal gain 
    • He is the older guidance figure with a care for Villanelle but also has a clear disconnect with her, serious when it comes to work and lax when talking about anything else 
    • Positive representation but has negative aspects - somewhat neutral 


    Niko
    • Represented in a less stereotypical masculine way with him being the one who gets led around by Eve and also presumably does the cooking, as well as bringing her drinks, looking after her 
    • Emotionally concerned 
    • Plays Eve's husband in a way that dictates them as equal but also as if he is just going along with what she wants with little emotion behind it, however he is supportive of her 
    • Positive masculinity
    Bill

    • Somewhat condescending towards Eve despite being friendly
    • Lazy and simply bad at his job with a very uncaring attitude towards work with it being solely work to him with no passion behind it
    • Further down helps actually look and relies on Eve
    • Positive masculinity

    Dom
    • Somewhat sheltered, polite and well mannered feeling it rude to even say flat chested and being flustered by it
    • Caring, suggesting chocolate for someone he doesn't even know 
    • supportive and innocent 
    • Not stereotypically masculine 
    • positive masculinity 

    Frank
    • stereotypical portrayal of a male authority figure, condescending, holds power and seemingly dismissive of any fault of his own like the fact there was no CCTV or not enough security, not caring about the useful information gained 
    • Beard and short hair encapsulates this
    • His yelling is similar to that of a teacher or parent telling off a child
    • Fires Eve despite her gaining useful information. 
    • Deceptive as seen in lying about the evidence 
    • Negative masculinity 


Killing Eve uses a variety of representation to depict the characters and develop the narrative of the show.  These include a portrayal of gender, ethnicity and even slight elements of class, however themes of masculinity and femininity paired with a foreign set of characters creates a strong gender and ethnic representation within the show. 

A major representation used in KE is that of ethnicity, presented through characters such as Eve and Villanelle alongside the multiculturalist  Britain seen with Dom and Niko. The show uses a heavy amount of emphasis on depicting the casualness of Eve and Niko not being British ethnically but still being British in their mannerisms and the daily lives they lead, appealing to a western audience whilst maintaining the western superiority present in American media. This ethnic representation is further reinforced when the characters of Villanelle and Constantine are introduced, who both have Russian lineage and origins whilst being the antagonistic forces within the show, reflecting the American productions bitter taste for Russia stemming from the cold war and constant tensions. This representation is arguably negative, however the representation of Britain and arguably America indirectly as a multicultural haven that is accepting of people from varying backgrounds creates a strong and positive representation of people originating in different ethnicities. 

Lupin


 Gender 

  • Masculinity
    • Assane - laid back and intelligent, reinforces views of patriarchy by being manipulative towards women despite being semi sympathetic
    • Thugs - traditional depiction, tattoos and strength with less intellect 
    • Mr Pellegrini - traditional enforcer of patriarchal society, holds all power in his home and is a powerful individual, looks down upon others
  • Femininity
    • Juliette - does not exist outside of main character exposition, is a plot device and trophy rather than her own person, sexualised whilst still presumably a minor reflecting the patriarchy but also the inherent sexism within the production that uses her character as a goalpost for Assane rather than her own person 
    • Assane's ex wife - portrayed as less than Assane
  • The female characters are depicted as extensions of the male characters, their characters are not built up as anything more than narrative progression for Assane to use or develop from
Social class

  • Upper class
    • Mr. and Mrs. Pellegrini represent the highest point of the upper class in the show, being a rich family who reinforce a patriarchal and white dominant French society with a focus on control and power
      • Juliette their daughter is used more  as a vessel for her father in later scenes in which she takes on the role of parroting his views and grace whilst they auction off the necklace
    • The people present at the auction maintain a fine lifestyle which uses the working class as a foothold to support their luxury, with the literal physical separation of having the workers be below and hidden whilst the rich are open and on display 
      • The auctioneer questioning Assane solidifies a correlation between a persons race and perceived class
  • Working class
    • depicted as thuggish with lower intellect with the exception of Assane, the tower blocks of run down flats depict the struggling lifestyle whilst the conditions of the workers in the louvre and the idea of hiding them from view reflects  a societal disdain, 
    • Babakar is treated ill both because of his race and class which are combined to create  a further negativity around the character when being looked at by the upper classes, depicting the white hierarchy that is held in France alongside the racist beliefs shilled by the upper class 
Ethnicity
  • Lupin uses ethnicity to depict the societal issues of France that were and still are present, heavily on racism alongside the conservative push for anti-immigration 
  • Assane serves to depict the struggles of  a minority ethnically in French society, people judge  him such as the auctioneer simply because he is black, whilst his father was feared upon his introduction because of his skin color 
  • those who are not French are seen to be working class and working the 'dirty work' style jobs such as night cleaners
  • The French themselves still struggle with only a select few being well off, however they all still hold a prejudice 

History and culture


  • Arsene Lupin, historical reference to a culturally significant book

  • Luvre, culturally important to the French as a famous art museum

  • The necklace is reference to a famous historical figure

  • The ‘slum’ area of tower blocks is arguable to be referencing French work culture and the lack of equality in the culture, having substantially worse conditions for some

  • The appreciation of art is in reference to Paris being famous for its artistic significance and the creativity 



Age
  • Age in Lupin is diverse, further diversified with flashback scenes that show characters at different ages
  • Assane is shown to be youthful to the extent you can whilst having an ex wife and child, with this we see a much wider approach in how he treats others, being more open as part of a newer generation and due to his background
  • Pellegrini's are the predominant older characters within the show who represent traditional stereotypes and culture, even the youngest Juliette reinforces stereotypes by being a vessel for her fathers ideals and motives rather than her own person in later parts of the show, and when she is in her presumable teenage years she is objectified, suggesting no matter the age she cannot be her own character without another male figure which is  a heavily negative representation 
  • The more middle aged characters such as the auctioneer utilize a stereotypical motive to  a lesser degree than the Pellegrini's but maintain old views that may not be acceptable in modern society, such as the comments on Assane due to his race, reinforcing stereotypes of previous generations being more racist and less welcoming 
Representations

The key representations present within Lupin consist of those of gender, ethnicity, class and age, with negative and positive representations present that aim to reflect a realistic view of French society whilst perpetuating certain stereotypes. The representations of ethnicity focus heavily on the status of immigrants in a western nation such as France and the prejudice and discrimination of a Black man when placed in a white dominant society, with both Assane and Babakar being dismissed due to the color of their skin, whilst being looked down upon, with other foreigners being shown to be working class, a commentary on the toxic French culture that has led to the dehumanization on non natives. This is paired with heavy representations of masculinity, with a heavy toxicity and superiority even within the main character and the power dynamic present between him and his wife, further echoed in Mr. and Mrs. Pellegrini's dynamic. The feminine representation plays into this toxic male superiority that is present in the shows reflection of France's patriarchal society, Juliette bein ga vessel and trophy for male characters ambitions and desires alongside the manipulation of the female desk worker and Assane's ex wife only existing within his scenes serves to enforce a negative and patriarchal depiction of women. The representation of class depicts a stereotypical reflection of Paris' unequal dynamics with the few living pleasant and the majority suffering, however the representations of both are negative, with the upper classes appearing to racially profile and look down on those around them with a reinforcement of the patriarchy, whilst the lower class are portrayed as criminal thugs and brutes who do little to help themselves, with Assane's easy manipulation of those living in the slums being a further negative representation. 

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