The Cognitive Impact of Contemporary Television Series

The Cogni i e Impac o Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies Jesús Jiménez-Va ea and Albe o He mida, Edi o s
Tele ision se ial ic ion is one o he mos popula cul u al p oduc s a ound he
wo ld oday, and he e is much indi ec e idence ha i s s o ies in luence he
unde s anding o hose who wa ch and enjoy i . All he chap e s ga he ed in his
collec ion add ess he idea ha he speci ic aes he ic and na a i e p ope ies
o ele ision se iali y con ibu e o dis inc ways o con eying cogni i e impac in
a b oad sense: om con en lea ning, o e lec ion on social and philosophical
issues, o cha ac e engagemen and emo ional eac ions. The Cogni i e Impac
o Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies goes h ough some o he hema ic cons an s
o he las decade o ele ision se iali y, such as dys opia, coming-o -age o
me aphysical d ama, making pano amic iews and del ing in o speci ic case
s udies, like The Pu ge, The End o he F***ing Wo ld and Undone, among many
o he s. This book will be o in e es o g adua e s uden s and schola s wo king
in ele ision s udies, as well as in ilm s udies, cogni i e media heo y, media
psychology, and aes he ics.
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea holds a Mas e o Science in Theo e ical Physics and
a PhD in Media and Communica ion om he Uni e sidad de Se illa (Spain),
whe e he is an Associa e P o esso . His wo ks on se iali y, comics, igilan ism,
iolence, and ideology ha e appea ed in in e na ional jou nals and collec ions.
Albe o He mida is an Associa e P o esso in Media and Communica ion
om he Uni e sidad de Se illa (Spain). He holds a PhD in Communica ion
S udies and his main lines o esea ch and eaching a e digi al image and
aes he ics, mise-en-scène in ilm and ele ision, and se iali y.
6
9 783034 353809
ISBN 978-3-0343-5380-9
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CULTURAL MEDIA STUDIES · 6
Co e image: ©KPG-I a y/Shu e s ock.com
Edi ed by
The Cogni i e Impac o The Cogni i e Impac o
Con empo a y Tele ision Con empo a y Tele ision
Se iesSe ies
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea
and Albe o He mida
9783034353809_c _eu.indd All Pages9783034353809_c _eu.indd All Pages 07-Ma -25 12:36:2107-Ma -25 12:36:21
The Cogni i e Impac o Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies Jesús Jiménez-Va ea and Albe o He mida, Edi o s
Tele ision se ial ic ion is one o he mos popula cul u al p oduc s a ound he
wo ld oday, and he e is much indi ec e idence ha i s s o ies in luence he
unde s anding o hose who wa ch and enjoy i . All he chap e s ga he ed in his
collec ion add ess he idea ha he speci ic aes he ic and na a i e p ope ies
o ele ision se iali y con ibu e o dis inc ways o con eying cogni i e impac in
a b oad sense: om con en lea ning, o e lec ion on social and philosophical
issues, o cha ac e engagemen and emo ional eac ions. The Cogni i e Impac
o Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies goes h ough some o he hema ic cons an s
o he las decade o ele ision se iali y, such as dys opia, coming-o -age o
me aphysical d ama, making pano amic iews and del ing in o speci ic case
s udies, like The Pu ge, The End o he F***ing Wo ld and Undone, among many
o he s. This book will be o in e es o g adua e s uden s and schola s wo king
in ele ision s udies, as well as in ilm s udies, cogni i e media heo y, media
psychology, and aes he ics.
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea holds a Mas e o Science in Theo e ical Physics and
a PhD in Media and Communica ion om he Uni e sidad de Se illa (Spain),
whe e he is an Associa e P o esso . His wo ks on se iali y, comics, igilan ism,
iolence, and ideology ha e appea ed in in e na ional jou nals and collec ions.
Albe o He mida is an Associa e P o esso in Media and Communica ion
om he Uni e sidad de Se illa (Spain). He holds a PhD in Communica ion
S udies and his main lines o esea ch and eaching a e digi al image and
aes he ics, mise-en-scène in ilm and ele ision, and se iali y.
6
www.pe e lang.com
CULTURAL MEDIA STUDIES · 6
Co e image: ©KPG-I a y/Shu e s ock.com
Edi ed by
The Cogni i e Impac o The Cogni i e Impac o
Con empo a y Tele ision Con empo a y Tele ision
Se iesSe ies
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea
and Albe o He mida
9783034353809_c _eu.indd All Pages9783034353809_c _eu.indd All Pages 07-Ma -25 12:36:2107-Ma -25 12:36:21
The Cogni i e Impac o
Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies
Cul u al Media S udies
Leand a H. He nández and Amanda R. Ma inez
Se ies Edi o s
Vol. 6
PETER LANG
New Yo k - Be lin - B uxelles - Chennai - Lausanne - Ox o d
The Cogni i e Impac o
Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies
Edi ed by
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea and Albe o He mida

Open Access: This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion CC- BY 4.0
license. To iew a copy o his license, isi h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/ by/4.0/
© 2025 by Jesús Jiménez-Va ea and Albe o He mida
Published by Pe e Lang Publishing Inc., New Yo k, USA
in o@pe e lang.com - www.pe e l ang.com
This publica ion has been pee e iewed.
Lib a y o Cong ess Ca aloging-in-Publica ion Da a
Names: Jiménez Va ea, Jesús, edi o . | He mida, Albe o, edi o .
Ti le: The cogni i e impac o con empo a y ele ision se ies /
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea, Albe o He mida.
Desc ip ion: New Yo k: Pe e Lang, 2025. | Se ies: Cul u al media s udies,
2641–1415; 6 | Includes bibliog aphical e e ences.
Iden i ie s: LCCN 2024036923 (p in ) | LCCN 2024036924 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781433199936 (pape back) | ISBN 9783034353809 (ha dback) |
ISBN 9781433199943 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433199950 (epub)
Subjec s: LCSH: Tele ision plays–His o y and c i icism. | Cogni ion. |
Tele ision–Psychological aspec s.
Classi ica ion: LCC PN1992.65 .C66 2025 (p in ) | LCC PN1992.65 (ebook) |
DDC 384.55/3209–dc23/eng/20240813
LC eco d a ailable a h ps://lccn.loc.go /202 4036 923
LC ebook eco d a ailable a h ps://lccn.loc.go /202 4036 924
DOI 10.3726/b22366
Bibliog aphic in o ma ion published by he Deu sche Na ionalbiblio hek.
The Ge man Na ional Lib a y lis s his publica ion in he Ge man
Na ional Bibliog aphy; de ailed bibliog aphic da a is a ailable
on he In e ne a h p://dnb.d-nb.de.
Co e design by Pe e Lang G oup AG
ISSN 2641-1415 (p in )
ISBN 9781433199936 (pape back)
ISBN 9783034353809 (ha dback)
ISBN 9781433199943 (ebook)
ISBN 9781433199950 (epub)
DOI 10.3726/b22366
CONTENTS
Lis o Tables ii
In oduc ion ix
Jesús Jiménez-Va ea and Albe o He mida
Chap e 1. The Cogni i e Impac o Tele ision Se ies: A P elimina y
S udy 1
Héc o J. Pé ez and Víc o He nández-San aolalla
Chap e 2. Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 17
Albe o N. Ga cía and Pablo Cas illo
Chap e 3. Undone: Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and he
Unconscious Mind in an Anima ed TV Se ies 37
Bea iz He áiz Zo noza and Jaime López-Díez
Chap e 4. The Awkwa dness E ec : Engagemen wi h Clumsy
Cha ac e s in TV Se ies 71
Ma a Boni
i con en s
Chap e 5. Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial
Wo lds: The Pu ge 85
Albe o He mida and Jesús Jiménez-Va ea
Chap e 6. Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y: Uni ying Dispa a e
Na a i e Meanings in he Fan Tex Ch onologically Los 121
Ja ed W. A ono
Chap e 7. An O e iew o Recen Coming-o -Age Se ial TV: The
Rema kable Aes he ics o The End o he F***ing Wo ld 139
Mónica Ba ien os-Bueno and Pablo Echa
No es on he Con ibu o s 163
Index 169
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. TV se ies ha mos in luenced esponden s in he US and Spain. 8
Table 2. Reasons o iewing he se ies c ossed wi h he ques ion o
lea ning om TV ic ion se ies (%). 10
Table 3. Aspec s o he se ies ha esponden s like mos c ossed
wi h he ques ion o lea ning om TV ic ion se ies (%). 11
Table 4. Reason o iden i ying he momen chosen as pa icula ly
in e es ing c ossed wi h he ques ion o lea ning om TV
ic ion se ies (%). 12
Table 5. Rela ionship be ween cogni i e and aes he ic alues (%). 13
Table 6. Wo ds ela ed o men al heal h used by Alma o by o he
cha ac e s. 53
Table 7. Wo d equency. 54
Table 8. Pe cen age o episode du a ion spen ep esen ing some
o m o Alma’s subjec i e al e na i e eali y (each episode is
be ween 20 and 22 minu es long). 57
Table 9. Abno mali ies and o he symp oms equi ed o diagnose
schizoph enia p esen in Alma. 59
newgenp epd
xi jiménez- a ea and he mida
mos s imula ing examples o con empo a y se iali y and a wo ldwide cul phe-
nomenon ha s ands ou o i s da ing aes he ics. Mo e p ecisely, he analysis
ocuses on h ee aes he ic elemen s in which his B i ish se ies depa s om i s
e e en , Cha les Fo sman’s g aphic no el o he same name: he d ama ic c e-
a ion o he cha ac e s, he one and he mise-en-scène o he ele ision show.
As a gene al conclusion o mos o he chap e s collec ed in his mono-
g aph, i can be d awn ha bo h speci ic (mul i-plo s, empo al p olonga ion,
amilia iza ion wi h he cha ac e s) and non-speci ic cha ac e is ics o audio-
isual se iali y coope a e o make ele ision se ies a communica i e modali y
capable o a icula ing sophis ica ed discou ses on complex hemes and si ua-
ions (philosophical issues, mo al dilemmas o a socio-poli ical na u e, al e ed
s a es o consciousness, i al con lic s, e c.) ha ha e a cogni i e, emo ional,
and a ec i e impac on he iewe s. By hei e y na u e, bo h pu posi e sam-
pling and he subsequen case s udies ha e a g ea s eng h and a co espond-
ing weakness depending on he poin o iew: on he one hand, he idiog aphic
cha ac e o he in-dep h case s udy a o s e lec ion and he ad ancemen o
heo y in he scien i ic ield; on he o he hand, ans e abili y o o he case
s udies is necessa y, as well as ex ensi e quan i a i e s udies o e i y he ex e -
nal alidi y o he indings o he case s udies. Logically, his gi es ise o u -
he lines o esea ch, as is na u al in any scien i ic p ojec o a ce ain scope.
The Cogni i e Impac o Con empo a y Tele ision Se ies s ems om an R&D
p ojec unded by he Minis y o Science o he Go e nmen o Spain, “In e -
ac ions be ween cogni i e alue and aes he ic p ope ies in con empo a y
se ies”, coo dina ed by Héc o J. Pé ez and Jesús Jiménez-Va ea be ween 2018
and 2022. The olume also esul s om he p ojec i led “Mul i-plo aes he -
ics and in o ma ion densi y in con empo a y ele ision se ies”, coo dina ed by
Héc o J. Pé ez and unded by he BBVA Founda ion be ween 2022 and 2024.
Bibliog aphy
Blanche , R., & Vaage, M. B. (2012). Don, Peggy, and o he ic ional iends? Engaging wi h
cha ac e s in ele ision se ies. P ojec ions, 6(2), 18–41.
Ca oll, N. (2019). Mo ies, na a ion and he emo ions. In C. Rawls, D. Nei a, & S. S. Gou eia
(Eds.), Philosophy and ilm. B idging di ides (pp. 209–221). Rou ledge.
Ga cía, A. N. (Ed.). (2016). Emo ions in con empo a y TV Se ies. Palg a e Macmillan.
Kelle e , F. (2017). Fi e ways o looking a popula se iali y. In: F. Kelle e (Ed.), Media o se ial
na a i e (pp. 7–34). The Ohio S a e Uni e si y P ess.

In oduc ion x
Kuijpe s, M. M., Hakemulde , F., Bálin , K., Doica u, M., & Tan, E. (2017). Towa ds a new
unde s anding o abso bing eading expe iences. In: F. Hakemulde , M. M. Kuijpe s, E. S.
Tan, K. Bálin , & M. M. Doica u (Eds.), Na a i e abso p ion (pp. 29–47). John Benjamins.
Mi ell, J. (2015). Complex TV: The poe ics o con empo a y ele ision s o y elling. New Yo k Uni-
e si y P ess.
Nannicelli, T., & Pé ez, H. J. (Eds.). (2022). Cogni ion, emo ion, and aes he ics in con empo a y
se ial ele ision. Rou ledge.
Nannicelli, T. (2016). App ecia ing he a o ele ision: A philosophical pe spec i e. Taylo & F an-
cis.
Plan inga, C. (2009). Emo ion and a ec . In: P. Li ings on & C. Plan inga (Eds.), The Rou ledge
companion o philosophy and ilm (pp. 86–96). Rou ledge.
Smi h, M. (1999). Engaging cha ac e s: Fic ion, emo ion, and he cinema. Cla endon P ess.
Smi h, M. (2017). Film, a , and he hi d cul u e: A na u alized aes he ics o ilm. Ox o d Uni e -
si y P ess.
·1·
THE COGNITIVE IMPACT OF TELEVISION
SERIES: A PRELIMINARY STUDY
Héc o J. Pé ez and
Víc o He nández-San aolalla
The widesp ead success and popula i y o ele ision se ies as a cul u al p oduc
makes hei cogni i e impac a pa icula ly in e es ing objec o s udy. Because
se ials a e na a i es ex ended o e ime, hey ha e he po en ial o impac
millions o iewe s o mon hs o e en yea s. Na a ion is a communica i e
modali y wi h a weal h o esou ces, he mos powe ul o which a e aimed a
elici ing emo ional esponses ha in e ac wi h cogni ion. Howe e , schola s
in a ious ields ha e exp essed skep icism abou he idea o na a ion as a
sou ce o knowledge. Philosophe s, o example, ha e aised doub s abou he
epis emic na u e o ic ional s o ies (S olni z, 1992). Epis emologis s also deny
ha he a s can o e knowledge because hey a e no capable o complying
wi h speci ic equi emen s o he sciences; o example, he exis ence o expe s
able o e alua e he alidi y o he u hs hey supposedly p o ide. Ne e he-
less, esea che s in a ious b anches o psychology ha e been con i ming he
pe suasi e powe o na a i e o decades (B addock & Dilla d, 2016).
In line wi h he abo e, he i s sec ion o his chap e ci es ecen s udies
ha p o ide a comp ehensi e o e iew o esea ch in he ield o na a i e pe -
suasion heo y, speci ically ha dealing wi h he in e play be ween aes he ic
p ope ies and cogni i e alue. This p io esea ch can shed ligh on how he
aes he ic and a is ic quali ies o na a i es in e ac wi h knowledge, which
2 pé ez and he nández-san aolalla
is concei ed he e in a b oad sense, including lea ning no only abou e hics
and mo ali y bu also geog aphical o his o ical knowledge. In his con ex ,
his chap e also explo es ela ed concep s such as he “climac ic momen ”
and “na a i e abso p ion.” The li e a u e e iew is ollowed by an explo a o y
s udy o he iewe s’ expe ience in ela ion o his aes he ic-cogni i e in e -
ac ion. Finally, he esul s a e p esen ed and discussed wi h e e ence o p io
heo y, in o de o d aw some conclusions and iden i y limi a ions and possible
di ec ions o u u e esea ch. This chap e hus has wo main objec i es: o
o e a heo e ical discussion on he in e play be ween he aes he ic and cogni-
i e alues o ele ision ic ion se ies (a subjec o s udy which, despi e ecei ing
mo e a en ion in ecen yea s, con inues o be elega ed o a ma ginal posi ion
in na a i e and ecep ion s udies), and; o p esen an empi ical explo a ion o
how audiences expe ience his in e play.
This esea ch p ojec has a ounda ion in aes he ic heo y, as i aims o
iden i y how he aes he ic p ope ies o a wo k o a con ibu e o i s cogni i e
alue. I akes inspi a ion om s udies o he ela ionship be ween imagina ion
and knowledge. Two dis inc bu o e lapping pe spec i es on his ela ionship
a e wo h poin ou he e. The i s is Ma ha Nussbaum’s de ense o no els as a
“pa adigm o mo al ac i i y” (1985, p. 516), whe eby she es ablishes an analogy
be ween mo al imagina ion and c ea i e imagina ion by desc ibing how a li -
e a y image w i en by Hen y James in his no el The Golden Bowl can a ain a
mo al quali y comple ely dependen on i s a is ic quali ies. The mo al knowl-
edge con eyed by he image “is no simply in ellec ual g asp o p oposi ions” bu
“seeing a complex conc e e eali y in a highly lucid and ichly esponsi e way;
i is aking wha is he e, wi h imagina ion and eeling” (p. 521). Acco ding o
Nussbaum, James’s a is ic imagina ion in he cons uc ion o his passage is
wha leads him o exp ess a complex eali y wi h such ichness and lucidi y.
The second pe spec i e is o e ed by Angela B ei enbach (2020) in he ield o
heo y o science, who simila ly sugges s ha he imagina ion is simila in he
wo e y di e en domains o aes he ic expe ience and scien i ic esea ch. She
makes he analogy be ween an aes he ic expe ience based on a se o imagina-
i e ac i i ies, e e ing o he dance piece Vollmond by Pina Bausch, and a key
momen in he de elopmen o quan um mechanics, when We ne Heisenbe g
ells how he concei ed one o his heo ies du ing a sleepless nigh . B ei enbach
a gues ha “bo h a wo ks and heo ies s ike us as beau i ul when hey o ce a
ange o imagina i e ac i i ies on us” and “ ha he same kinds o imagina i e
ac i i y also con ibu e o achie emen s o unde s anding” (p. 8). Acco dingly,
she p oposes ha his homogeneous ision o he p ocesses o imagina ion
The Cogni i e Impac o Tele ision Se ies 3
posi s he aes he ic expe ience in science and he cogni i e alue o a as wo
phenomena wi h he same oo , and his would explain bo h he cogni i e
alue o a and he aes he ic alue o science.
Bo h Nussbaum (1985) and B ei enbach (2020) posi an in e ac ion
be ween a is ic and cogni i e quali ies, and imagina ion seems o be he main
mechanism d i ing his in e ac ion. In many cases, hese p ocesses a e due
o an a is ic c ea i e ac ha elici s an emo ion (o a ious emo ions) om
he spec a o . In addi ion, he e a e emo ions speci ic o a , such as wonde
(Finge hu & P inz, 2018). This sugges s ha bo h psychologis s and neu osci-
en is s could con ibu e o a be e unde s anding o he ela ionship be ween
he speci ically aes he ic emo ions elici ed by a wo k o a and he pe cep ion,
comp ehension, and memo iza ion o i s con en esul ing om he main ac o
cogni ion i p o okes. The e a e al eady some s udies ha conside aspec s o
his ela ionship and ha can se e as a good ounda ion o u he esea ch
in his a ea (Appel e al., 2019; Ba sch & Ha mann, 2017). As a p elimina y
s ep, his esea ch p ojec conside s wo aspec s o TV se ies ha could bene i
om he iangula ion app oach p oposed by Mu ay Smi h (2017). The i s is
a phenomenon ha would su ely be o g ea in e es o a scien i ic s udy: he
climac ic momen s o se ial ic ion. The climax is a poin whe e he aes he ic
expe ience o en in ol es a kind o “cock ail” o a i ac emo ions and na a-
i e/cogni i e p og ess (Pé ez, 2022). These a e highly localized momen s ha
in ol e a s a egic in e ac ion be ween emo ions and knowledge, cons i u ing
one o he mos impo an o such in e ac ions in any na a i e. The second
is he concep o he psychology o na a i e abso p ion. Kuijpe s e al. (2017)
p opose a new modali y, which hey call “a i ac abso p ion,” e e ing o an
expe ience shaped by he o mal quali ies o he na a i e ha make he aes-
he ic expe ience o ha na a i e unique. To explo e his phenomenon, He -
mida e al. (2021) analyze a numbe o scenes om he Spanish ic ion se ies
La pes e (Mo is a +, 2018–2019), well known o he isual e inemen and
pain e ly quali y o i s images. In many cases, such images aim o os e a so
o o ensic andom wi h an aes he ic dimension, whe e, o example, he iewe
in es iga es he ela ionship be ween he scenes in he se ies and amous wo ks
o a . The app ecia ion and e alua ion o hese ca e ul isual composi ions
also eaches iewe s abou he aes he ics o ligh ing, composi ion, and mise-
en-image. In ac , La pes e has i s own “making o ” se ies, which examines he
isual elabo a ion o a ious scenes. A i ac abso p ion may o e cogni i e
bene i s simila o na a i e abso p ion, whose posi i e in luence in pe suasi e
e ms has been empi ically es ed wi h a o able esul s. In sho , i he e is any

4 pé ez and he nández-san aolalla
cogni i e bene i a wo k o a can ha e, in many cases i may be an unde -
s anding o he a is ic p ope ies o he wo k i sel .
I is impo an o s ess ha he ision o he cogni i e impac o a ele-
ision se ies p oposed he e is no es ic ed en i ely o e hics and mo ali y, as
in e es ing as hese wo a eas a e. Se ials can also b oaden ou geog aphical
knowledge by showing us o eign places in de ail. Pe haps one o he mos
no ewo hy examples o his is he depic ion o Bal imo e in The Wi e (HBO,
2002–2008) (Ga cía, 2017). The aes he ic emo ion elici ed by he images o
ci ies and o he loca ions in TV se ies is p obably ela ed o wha we lea n
abou hose loca ions, and ha emo ion can s imula e ou cu iosi y and e en
ou desi e o ge o know hese places be e by isi ing hem. In Spain, o
example, he Cana y Islands has become a popula se ing, as he Cana ian
go e nmen o e s e y a o able economic condi ions o he ilming o ele i-
sion se ies in an e o o a ac mo e isi o s. The Spanish se ial Hie o (Mo -
is a +, 2019–2022), which akes i s name om a small island in he Cana y
a chipelago, is an example o he success o Cana ian ou ism policy. Images
o he landscape images a e used sys ema ically in his se ies in a na a i ely
s uc u ed way; o example, he loca ions o many key e en s a e p esen ed
h ough he use o ascina ing ae ial sho s, such as one o he key e en s in he
las episode o he second season. A simila case can be ound in he aes he ic
and na a i e dynamics o ano he se ies, T ue De ec i e (HBO, 2014–), in
which he s o y is cons uc ed wi h e e ence o he geog aphical en i onmen
in which he plo de elops. Thus, he majo s ee s o Louisiana, Los Angeles,
o A kansas, depending on he season, cons i u e a e y ecognizable hallma k
and an essen ial echnique o es ablishing he se ing and de eloping a sym-
bolic cons uc ion.
Ano he ype o knowledge ha TV se ies equen ly o e is his o ical
knowledge. Indeed, he e is a signi ican numbe o his o ical se ies ha p o-
ide iewe s wi h an aes he ic expe ience ha se es as a suppo o eaching
abou he his o ical e en s hey na a e (Wa ne , 2009).
The ole o na a i e abso p ion is a key ques ion in his s udy. As is he
case in cinema, he p ocesses o na a i e abso p ion in se ial ic ion a e ela ed
o he p esence o he h ee main na a i e emo ions: suspense, cu iosi y, and
su p ise. Bu unlike cinema, hese h ee na a i e emo ions a e ex ended o e
ime. The p olonga ion o emo ions o o ce ain moods, he spec a o ’s em-
po ally ex ended ela ionships wi h he cha ac e s, and he emo ional bonds
ha a ise he e om (which ha e p o oked a long and e y ui ul deba e in
cogni i e heo y) a e impo an cha ac e is ics o TV se ies (Nannicelli, 2016).
The Cogni i e Impac o Tele ision Se ies 5
Al hough Ted Nannicelli qui e igh ly poin s ou ha he e is no necessa y
connec ion be ween a is ic achie emen and empo al p olonga ion, TV
se ies sc ip w i e s ha e o en used he la ge amoun o ime a hei disposal
o de elop e y speci ic a is ic s a egies ha would ha e been impossible in
sho e na a i es. Fo example, suspense can be used e ec i ely o di ec he
iewe ’s a en ion o con en likely o become a sou ce o cogni i e alue la e
on. When he sc ip w i e s o ches a e a suspense ul momen in an o iginal
way, es ing i wi h a is ic alue, his will p obably ha e a cogni i e e ec .
An example o his could be ound in he se ies You Hono (Show ime, 2020),
whe e he iewe is led on a me iculously planned pa h o suspense which, as
a side e ec , makes he knowledge o he ci cums ances su ounding a mo al
dilemma he ocus o a en ion. Indeed, he se ies seems gea ed owa d p o id-
ing an answe o he ques ion asked on i s p omo ional pos e (“How a would
you go o sa e you son?”). The same is ue o cu iosi y: any a is ic e ec can
help enhance he iewe ’s in e es in a ques ion explo ed in he na a i e. I is
e y in e es ing o obse e he sys ema ic na u e o ce ain na a i e aes he ic
e ec s in se ials, which a e sp ead ou h ough he episodes o one o se e al
seasons. The anima ed se ies Undone ea u es unique and c ea i e ansi ions
be ween scenes. I could be hypo hesized ha he e is an in e ac ion be ween
he aes he ic p ope ies o hese anima ed ansi ions and he na a i e con-
en . I seems easonable o assume ha he cu iosi y p o oked by such s ange
ansi ions is somehow con agious and s imula es ou in e es in he main con-
en o he plo a he same ime, especially because he way hese ansi ions
a e p oposed in i sel makes us wonde whe he i has any ela ionship o he
men al s a e o he p o agonis .
Su p ise is ano he powe ul esou ce wi h cogni i e e ec s ha ha e been
desc ibed in de ail by cogni i e psychologis s (Reisenzein e al., 2019). The
e ec o a su p ising e en can be one o he majo s imuli ha lead iewe s o
e iew he s o y as a whole again, and o deciphe i s meaning. This p ocess o
ponde ing meaning is one o he clea es signs o cogni i e gain o e ed by any
na a i e (Pé ez & Reisenzein, 2020). He e again, a is y plays an impo an
ole, as he o iginali y o he o ches a ion o he su p ise is an aes he ic qual-
i y ha may in luence he deg ee o p edic abili y o he plo wis , making i
decisi e in he cogni i e e ec o he na a ion as a whole.
Based on he heo e ical amewo k ou lined abo e, a p elimina y s udy
was conduc ed on iewe s’ expe iences o he cogni i e-aes he ic impac o a
ele ision se ies. The in en ion was o make an ini ial explo a o y app oach o
he phenomenon o lea ning h ough ele ision se ies om he pe spec i e o
6 pé ez and he nández-san aolalla
he in e ac ion be ween cogni i e and aes he ic elemen s, in o de o de e -
mine whe he , how, and when such lea ning occu s. In o he wo ds, he pu -
pose was o iden i y whe he a ele ision se ies could se e as an ins umen
o lea ning, and how wha is na a ed in e ac s wi h how i is na a ed and
ice e sa.
Me hod
Sample
A ques ionnai e was applied o a sample o US and Spanish esponden s o e
he age o 18. Speci ically, 579 esponses we e ini ially ob ained om he
Uni ed S a es and 460 om Spain. Howe e , a e excluding ques ionnai es
ha we e no p ope ly comple ed and esponses by subjec s who s a ed ha
hey ne e wa ched ele ision se ies, he o al numbe o esponses was 473
(271 om he Uni ed S a es and 202 om Spain).
In e ms o demog aphic da a, in he case o he Uni ed S a es, 56.9% o
he esponden s we e women and he mean age was 49.6 yea s wi h a s anda d
de ia ion o 16.27. In he case o Spain, 57.1% we e women, while he a e age
age was 25.3 yea s wi h a s anda d de ia ion o 10.20. Thus, al hough bo h
samples had ai ly equal gende pe cen ages, he a e age age o Spanish espon-
den s was ma kedly lowe .
Va iables
Rega ding he a iables conside ed, apa om demog aphic da a o iewing
equency, he ocus was on whe he iewe s belie ed a TV se ies could ac as
an ins umen o lea ning abou eali y and, i so, how his lea ning occu ed.
Thus, a e a i s gene al ques ion, esponden s we e asked o p o ide he i le
o a TV ic ion se ies ha had in luenced hei knowledge, alues, a i udes, o
beha io on a subjec .
Bea ing in mind ha his is a i s app oxima ion o he phenomenon, he
aim o his s udy was p ecisely o allow he esponden s, as iewe s, o espond
based on hei own expe ience. The ollowing ques ions we e hus o be
answe ed wi h e e ence o he ele ision se ies hey hemsel es had selec ed.
The i s ques ion was why hey wa ched o we e wa ching he TV se ies, wi h
a se ies o op ions o se e as a guide: in e es in he opic; he way he s o y is
old; i s aes he ic quali ies; he au ho s and/o ac o s in ol ed; he b oadcas ing
The Cogni i e Impac o Tele ision Se ies 7
channel; ecommenda ions, o ; amilia i y wi h o he e e ences (such as he
no el on which he TV se ies migh be based). They we e also asked abou he
mos a ac i e aspec s o he se ies, such as he cinema og aphy, he se o
cos umes, he cas ing, he music, o he dialogue.
Nex , in keeping wi h he idea ha esponses should be based on pe sonal
expe ience, hey we e asked o iden i y a momen (e en o si ua ion) in he
TV se ies in ques ion ha hey ound pa icula ly appealing o in e es ing. A
he same ime, hey we e asked o indica e whe he his momen was selec ed
o i s beau y, i s in e es ing con en , o bo h―acco ding o hei own sub-
jec i e pe spec i e. They we e hen asked abou he exp essi e aspec (s) ha
made he pa icula momen chosen especially in e es ing, such as isuals, ac -
ing, cas ing, music, dialogue, o s o y elling. Subsequen ly, pa icipan s we e
asked o indica e hei le el o ag eemen o disag eemen ega ding he beau y
and in e es o he momen hey selec ed using a 5-poin Like scale. Finally,
wo closing ques ions abou he in e ac ion be ween cogni i e and aes he ic
alues we e inco po a ed .: “Do you hink you in e es in he subjec s ha
pa icula momen deals wi h inc eases you app ecia ion o i s beau y?” and
“Do you hink he beau y o ha pa icula momen con ibu es o you in e -
es in i s con en ?”
P ocedu e
The ques ionnai e was adminis e ed using a ool p o ided by he Su ey Mon-
key websi e be ween Feb ua y 15 and 19, 2021, in he case o he Uni ed S a es,
and be ween June 9 and 28, 2021, in he case o Spain. All da a we e analyzed
using he IBM© SPSS© S a is ics 25 package.
Fo he s a is ical analysis o he da a, a desc ip i e analysis o he a iables
was ca ied ou i s , conside ing he equency o he nominal a iables and
he mean and s anda d de ia ion in he case o he Like - ype scales. Nex ,
he a iable o esponden s’ belie in ela ion o he eaching po en ial o he
se ies was c ossed wi h (1) hei easons o choosing he se ies, (2) he spe-
ci ic aspec s hey liked mos abou he se ies, and (3) hei eason o choosing
he speci ic momen hey iden i ied as pa icula ly in e es ing. These a iables
we e used o de e mine he ela ionship be ween he se ies’ abili y o each
abou eali y and he ac o s ha a e mos alued in he se ies. Thus, in o de
o de e mine whe he he e we e s a is ically signi ican di e ences, he Pea -
son’s chi-squa ed es was applied.
14 pé ez and he nández-san aolalla
Discussion and Conclusions
The da a ob ained om he esponden s—no wi hs anding ce ain di e -
ences be ween coun ies—con i m he po en ial o TV ic ion se ies as edu-
ca ional ools, which is consis en wi h p e ious li e a u e, especially in he
ield o na a i e s udies (B addock & Dilla d, 2016). I is also in e es ing,
hough no su p ising, ha mos esponden s who ecognize hei cogni-
i e alue wa ch TV se ies because o how he s o y is old (i.e., he aspec
hey alue mos is he s o y elling) o because o hei in e es in i s subjec ,
al hough his is pa icula ly clea in he case o Spanish esponden s. How-
e e , i should no be o e looked ha , while hese a e he wo mos common
ac o s, esponden s in bo h coun ies iden i ied aes he ic p ope ies, which
include images, music, ac ing, and loca ions, as he hi d mos impo an
eason o wa ching a TV se ies. On he o he hand, al hough hese gene al
indings apply equally o bo h coun ies, he esul s also e eal some no able
di e ences be ween hem. Fo example, while Spanish esponden s a e mo e
likely o choose a se ies based on i s subjec ma e o on ecommenda ions
om people close o hem, US esponden s end o base hei choices mo e
on he channel o pla o m dis ibu ing he se ies o hei c ea o s o ac o s,
sugges ing a highe le el o loyal y in his sense. In sho , cogni i e conside -
a ions p e ail o e aes he ic o a is ic ac o s, bo h in he choice o a se ies
o wa ch and, wi h limi a ions, in he iden i ica ion o a pa icula ly in e es -
ing momen in ha se ies.
The main objec i e o his esea ch has been o examine he in e ac ion
be ween cogni i e and aes he ic alues in se ialized na a i e. In his espec ,
and in line wi h Nussbaum (1985) and B ei enbach (2020), he esponden s’
answe s show clea ly ha hey pe cei e an in e ac ion be ween a is ic and
cogni i e quali ies: he a is ic quali y o a pa icula ly appealing momen in
a se ies can inc ease i s cogni i e alue, and ( o a lesse ex en ) ice e sa.
The da a ob ained in his p elimina y s udy hus appea o con i m he
cogni i e impo ance o ele ision ic ion se ies, as well as he in e ac ion
be ween aes he ic and cogni i e alues when e alua ing a speci ic momen
in such se ies. Howe e , hese esul s should be aken wi h cau ion, gi en he
explo a o y-desc ip i e na u e o he s udy and he limi a ions discussed below.
In his ega d, ques ions such as he di e ences ound be ween coun ies and
he p e alence o cogni i e and aes he ic ac o s o e o he s o e a enues o
u he explo a ion.

The Cogni i e Impac o Tele ision Se ies 15
Limi a ions and Di ec ions
o Fu u e Resea ch
The main limi a ion o his s udy is ela ed o he speci ic momen s iden i-
ied by esponden s as being o pa icula in e es in hei chosen se ies. As
no ed abo e, in mos cases he speci ic momen s could no be analyzed due
o a lack o speci ics in he esponden s’ desc ip ions, hinde ing he loca ion
o hese momen s in he se ies. I is e iden ha he momen s iden i ied, such
as ce ain iden i iable scenes om B eaking Bad o Game o Th ones, a e o en
di ec ly ela ed o he climac ic momen (Pe ez, 2022) and o na a i e abso p-
ion (Kuijpe s e al., 2017)―as i is such momen s o he na a i e ha di ec ly
o indi ec ly elici he emo ions o suspense, cu iosi y, and su p ise (Nanni-
celli, 2016), bu he small sample size makes i impossible o d aw any kind o
conclusion. Fu u e esea ch should del e deepe in o he selec ion, pe cep ion,
and in e p e a ion o hese momen s by ele ision se ies iewe s.
This impo an limi a ion poin s di ec ly o ano he p ospec i e u u e
line o esea ch. Ce ain se ies o , mo e speci ically, momen s in hose se ies,
could be p o ided o pa icipan s in o de o explo e he in e ac ion be ween
cogni i e and aes he ic elemen s. A mo e speci ic audio isual sample would
make i possible, e en wi h a la ge numbe o pa icipan s, o iden i y he alue
gi en o each aspec when e alua ing a se ies o momen . Such u u e esea ch
would make i possible o iden i y he eal impo ance ha he cogni i e and
aes he ic elemen s ha e o iewe s o a gi en se ies, as well as how hey in e -
ac wi h each o he .
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men expe ience. Communica ion Resea ch, 44(1), 29–53.
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723–734.
·2·
METAPHYSICAL DRAMA AT THE
DOWNTURN OF PEAK TV
Albe o N. Ga cía and Pablo Cas illo
The e a ha John Landg a calls “peak TV” (Rose & Gu h ie, 2015), cha -
ac e ized by he chu ning ou o as amoun s o sc ip ed se iali y each yea ,
has ob iously esul ed in a g ea di e si y o se ies. This di e si y is o a la ge
ex en he p oduc o he comme cial manda e o compe i ion, as con en c e-
a o s seek o a ac he audience’s a en ion h ough a ange o o e ings, some
o which in ol e a deg ee o expe imen a ion and inno a ion. A he same
ime, sc een en e ainmen o en elies on ied-and- ue ing edien s: cha -
ac e ypes, mas e plo s, con en ions, o ma s, o mulas, and so on. These
ime- es ed s uc u es designed o connec wi h audiences include he no ion
o gen e, a widely heo ized concep ha no only encompasses ques ions o
con en (con lic , heme, wo ld iew) and o m (aes he ics, s yle, mise-en-scène)
bu also has ma ke ing alue because i helps package he p oduc o i s po en-
ial audiences.
I seems easonable o assume ha when he logic o compe i ion is
imposed on inno a ion in a c ea i e-indus ial con ex ha alues pas suc-
cess, one esul will be gen e hyb idiza ion. This dynamic applies o gen es and
sub-gen es in ele ision (e.g., he noi and supe he o gen es in Go ham), esul -
ing in an en i onmen sa u a ed wi h “na a i e pleni ude” (Buonanno, 2018,
pp. 4–7), which seems o call o u he sc u iny o pa e ns and ends ha may
18 ga cía and cas illo
eme ge ou o he ple ho a o p oduc ions. One such end is a hyb idized sub-
gen e ha has appea ed in ecen yea s ha explo es ques ions o he he ea e ,
he na u e o ma e ial eali y, he spi i ual dimension o human exis ence, and
o he such conce ns. Meaning ully, a c i ic w i ing in 2019 abou ha yea ’s
Emmy Awa ds no ed a su p ising numbe o shows seemingly obsessed wi h
he opic o dea h: Ba y (HBO, 2018–2023), Fleabag (Amazon, 2016–2019),
Russian Doll, and The Good Place (NBC, 2016–2020) (James, 2019). Mo eo e ,
ce ain o he p oduc ions made in he same pe iod occasionally add ess ela ed
opics, such as he minise ies Maniac (Ne lix, 2018), he se ials The OA (Ne -
lix, 2016–2019), Legion (FX, 2017–2019), and Da k (Ne lix, 2017–2020), and
selec ed episodes o an hology se ies such as Black Mi o (Channel 4/Ne lix,
2011), Philip K. Dick’s Elec ic D eams (Channel 4/Amazon, 2017–2018), and
he emake o The Twiligh Zone (CBS All Access, 2019–2020).
Howe e , he ocus o his s udy is no on se ial na a i es conce ned wi h
dea h in gene al, bu wi h a mo e speci ic g oup o se ies eleased in a pe iod o
ime ha could be pe cei ed as he waning yea s o “peak TV,” p eceding (o
o e lapping wi h) he “s eaming wa s,” and which po ay cha ac e s disco -
e ing a dimension o exis ence ha anscends he ma e ial wo ld, ques ion-
ing hei assump ions abou eali y and challenging hei ce ain ies abou he
meaning o li e. These shows ake unusual aes he ic app oaches ha maximize
he exp essi e capabili ies o he audio isual medium h ough he manipu-
la ion o na a i e s uc u e and mise-en-scène. Thei hema ic and aes he ic
elemen s hus ea n hem he desc ip o “me aphysical d ama,” bo owed he e
om s udies o ilmmake s such as Te ence Malick o And ei Ta ko sky, who
“s i e o ep esen he ine able ea u es o human eali y” h ough “a i m
in ui ion ha eali y conceals wi hin i sel he in isible ma kings o ou na u e
as desi ing, mo al, and spi i ual agen s” (Ca uana, 2009, p. 186).
Wi hin hese concep ual bounda ies and wi h a iew o main aining a
clea ocus and a manageable body o wo ks, his chap e will only examine
ou TV shows: he minise ies De s (FX/Hulu, 2020), he i s seasons o he
8-episode se ials Russian Doll (Ne lix, 2019–) and Undone (Amazon, 2019–
2022), and he h ee-season se ial The Le o e s (HBO, 2014–2017). Al hough
many o he shows explo e anscenden al hemes, hese ou ep esen a ange
o c ea o s, o ma s, ne wo ks, se ings, and aes he ics ha a e di e se enough
o become signi ican , and pe haps e en ep esen a i e o a ce ain cu en
o sha ed conce n. Ou sample includes a mix o TV shows, anging om
minise ies o h ee-season na a i es. We explo e he wo k o expe ienced TV
w i e s like Damon Lindelo alongside debu an es such as Na asha Lyonne,
Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 19
and newcome s om he ilm medium like Alex Ga land. Fu he mo e, hese
shows come om a ious pla o ms, including a p emium channel (The Le -
o e s), basic cable (De s), and compe ing s eaming se ices (Undone, Russian
Doll). Some shows ea u e e ol ing, G oundhog Day-like na a i es (Russian
Doll), while o he s ollow a mo e adi ional linea s uc u e (The Le o e s),
and inno a i e adul -anima ion p oposals like Undone.
While he inclusion o a comedy (Russian Doll) in his ca ego y may be
ques ioned, i is impo an o no e ha he e m “d ama” as i is used he e does
no e e o he cinema ic gen e (which would consequen ly exclude comedy),
bu ins ead o he b oade sense o “d ama ic ep esen a ion” on he sc een.
On he o he hand, science- ic ion se ies which, ue o a adi ional conce n
o he gen e, ackle he subjec o sel -conscious machines and hei con es ed
humani y, ha e been delibe a ely omi ed om his analysis because o hei
signi ican hema ic emphasis. Humans (Channel 4/AMC, 2015–2018), Wes -
wo ld (HBO, 2016–2022), and Raised by Wol es (HBO Max, 2020–2022), o
name bu a ew, a e oo ed in he endu ing adi ion o he sen ien au om-
a on, a ope ha has been explo ed once and again h oughou cinema ic
his o y, om Me opolis (Lang, 1927) o, p ecisely, Alex Ga land’s Ex Machina
(2014). These humanoid na a i es explo e hei own philosophical quanda ies
ela ed o he na u e o he a i icial c ea u e and man’s de ian endency o
play god-c ea o , conce ns ha a e no qui e he same as hose o he me a-
physical d ama.
This s udy makes no claims ha his me aphysical end is exclusi e o
pa icula ly unique o ele ision o se ialized na a i es, al hough he aes he ic
e ec s associa ed wi h “ empo al p olonga ion” (Nannicelli, 2016, p. 65) could
pe haps be desc ibed as a dis inc i e ea u e. No is i sugges ed he e ha his is
a new phenomenon in se iali y; i is only a gued ha me aphysical d ama is an
iden i iable end ha has eme ged in ecen yea s in a ious se ialized o ma s,
cha ac e ized by inno a i e o a leas dis inc i e aes he ic ea u es. Howe e ,
be o e del ing in o he analysis o hose ea u es, some explana ion is equi ed
o he wo key concep s ha unde pin his esea ch: he cogni i e-aes he ic
app oach o se ialized sc een na a i es, and he ope a ing no ion o me aphys-
ics applied o his s udy.
Thus, in his chap e , we will begin discussing heo e ical concep s
ega ding he cogni i e alue o sc een aes he ics, g adually mo ing owa d
ou case-speci ic analysis. We will i s in oduce he concep o me aphysics
and explain how an aes he ic expe ience can enhance one’s unde s anding
o expe ience o he spi i ual dimension o human exis ence—o , a leas , o

20 ga cía and cas illo
sc een cha ac e s. And om he e, we will b eak down h ee aes he ic-na -
a i e app oaches o con eying he me aphysical h ough he medium o
ele ision: a d ama ic design cen e ed on a cha ac e ’s on ological sea ch o
meaning; a deploymen o na a ological de ices ha manipula e equency,
o de , and single linea i y; and a mise-en-scène ha embodies a decomposi ion
o physical eali y punc ua ed by symbolic iconog aphy.
Aes he ic Cogni i ism and he
Me aphysical Sc een
The app oach aken o me aphysical d ama in his s udy assumes a ce ain
deg ee o o e lap o cogni i e and aes he ic alues in na a i e wo ks o a ,
especially hose ep esen ed on he sc een. The assump ion is ha deep mean-
ing becomes accessible a he in e sec ion—o a he , he con luence—o con-
en and o m. As philosophe Ch is oph Baumbe ge (2013) w i es, “we p aise
ce ain a wo ks o hei p o undi y and sub le y, o he insigh s hey p o ide
o o how hey make us see he wo ld anew […]. These a e a is ic e alua ions
ha also seem o be, o o depend on, cogni i e e alua ions” (p. 41). How does
his p ocess ope a e, and consequen ly, wha kind o insigh s abou he wo ld
can me aphysical d ama se ies p o ide?
Baumbe ge (2013) makes a sha p dis inc ion be ween “p oposi ional
knowledge” and “unde s anding.” While he o me consis s o “jus i ied (o
eliably gene a ed) ue belie ,” whose acquisi ion would cons i u e wha is
commonly held o be a “cogni i e ad ancemen ” (p. 43), unde s anding “is no
a species o belie ,” because i is holis ic (meaning ha “i canno be b oken
down in o disc e e bi s”), g adua ed (“unde s anding admi s o deg ees”), no
ac i e, and “ ela ed o a plu ali y o epis emic goals” (p. 50). When conside ed
in he con ex o ilm o ele ision spec a o ship, i seems ha Baumbe ge ’s
no ion o “unde s anding” is much mo e ap o desc ibe he cogni i e unc-
ions a play in he iewing p ocess. This easoning does no p eclude he pos-
sibili y o any p oposi ional knowledge being acqui ed h ough he spec a o ’s
expe ience, bu me ely means ha i is nei he i s p ima y unc ion no i s
mos common ou come.
Baumbe ge (2013) iden i ies a se ies o cogni i e con ibu ions ha a -
wo ks can make. Many o his examples come om li e a y ic ion, bu hey can
also be applied o ele ision se ies. These con ibu ions include de eloping “new
ca ego ies o classi ying ac ual objec s,” in oducing us o “new pe spec i es on
Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 21
objec s ha enhance ou unde s anding o hem,” aising “impo an ques ions
ha p omp u he inqui y,” ins ances o phenomenal knowledge supplied by
“b oadening ou expe ience in encompassing hings we migh ne e o he -
wise ha e unde gone o el ,” and es ablishing “connec ions be ween wha we
al eady belie e” (pp. 51–55). Albei wi hou he igo ha is o be demanded o
he p o essional epis emologis , we en u e o sugges ha all o hese con i-
bu ions cons i u e a kind o cogni i e ad ancemen ha could be desc ibed as
cogni i e unc ions o na a i e ilm o TV se ies. This seems o be suppo ed
by Baumbe ge ’s (2013) illus a ion o he phenomenon h ough li e a y ic-
ions, which he desc ibes as “ hough expe imen s in a ” because hey “ask
wha would happen i we assume ha ce ain condi ions [a e] ob ained and
in i e us o explo e he consequences o making hese assump ions” (p. 55).
This seems clea ly a ibu able o he na a i e con en o ele ision
se ies. Bu wha can be said o hei aes he ic con igu a ion? How does con-
en con e ge wi h o m o he pu pose o ad ancing ou unde s anding? In
p inciple, he e is no appa en opposi ion be ween hese wo dimensions o
he wo k o a . Philosophe Roge Poui e (2000) has disp o ed he com-
monly held Kan ian posi ion “ ha aes he ic expe ience is emo ional and ha
emo ions a e essen ially noncogni i e” (p. 50), a guing ha asc ibing emo-
ions o pu ely subjec i e and p i a e s a es is e oneous. On he con a y,
“ha ing ce ain emo ions supposes ha one is able o unde s and a si ua ion
and hus hold a ional belie s ega ding i ” (Poui e , 2000, p. 50). This is a
s a emen ha a leas in abs ac e ms can be applied o na a i e ilm and
ele ision spec a o ship.
Fu he mo e, Poui e (2000) poin s ou , “aes he ic expe ience is o a cog-
ni i e kind” because “i implies pieces o knowledge, unc ions as a concep ual
ac i i y, and ul ills an u ge o know” (p. 52). On he o he hand, in his as
ye unpublished doc o al disse a ion (on me aphysical ilm and ele ision, as
i happens), Ma hew Cipa adop s he a c i ic A hu C. Dan o’s s aigh -
o wa d explana ion o he “wha ” and “how” o he wo k o a : “i you can
answe wo ques ions […] wha ’s i abou —wha ’s he con en —and how does
i embody he con en , you’ e p obably gone as a as anybody knows how o
go” (Dan o, 2014, p. 26, as ci ed in Cipa, 2020, p. 12). Dan o’s de ini ion seems
o imply a necessa y, in insic appo be ween wha may be unde s ood as
a is ic subs ance and exp essi e acciden , ma e and shape, discou se and
mode. Cipa (2020) u he s esses his symbio ic ela ionship wi h Ka he -
ine Thomson-Jones’ “seman ic accoun ” o he con en - o m dyad, whe eby
22 ga cía and cas illo
con en is “ he meaning o a wo k” and o m is “ he means by which ha
meaning is exp essed o p esen ed” (p. 13).
Howe e , he e emains ano he concep ual obs acle o o e come when
applying his amewo k o aes he ic cogni i ism o he subjec o me aphys-
ics, gi en he ilmic medium’s ap i ude o cap u ing and p esen ing space and
ime (mo emen ) and, consequen ly, he di icul y i has in anscending such
ca ego ies. In o de o cla i y his poin , i may be use ul i s o p opose a
wo king de ini ion o he e m “me aphysics.” The e ymology o he e m is
he well-known G eek ph ase a me a a phusika, which may be loosely ans-
la ed as “wha comes a e he Physics,” in e e ence o he o de o A is o le’s
wo ks. Bu he ield o me aphysics is so b oad ha e en he amous S an o d
Encyclopedia o Philosophy begins i s en y acknowledging ha “i is no easy
o say wha me aphysics is” (Van Inwagen, 2021). The common g ound seems
o e ol e a ound “ he s udy o being qua being.” This implies a conce n wi h
p ima y causes and s a ing poin s. Mo e han wo millennia a e A is o le,
philosophe Pe e Van Inwagen (2015) is s ill w es ling wi h he same in el-
lec ual conund ums: “Me aphysics a emp o ell he ul ima e u h abou
he Wo ld, abou e e y hing” (p. 4). Indeed, Van Inwagen’s de ini ion o he
concep co e s a b oad spec um o opics such as indi iduali y, empo ali y,
being, cosmology, pe sonal iden i y, and dualism. B ian Ga e ’s book Wha Is
his Thing Called Me aphysics? (2006) includes chap e s de o ed o God, exis-
ence, causa ion, ime, ee will, and pe sonal iden i y. In he Me aphysics: An
In oduc ion (2014), Alyssa Ney e lec s on on ology, abs ac en i ies, ime, pe -
sis ence, causa ion, and ee will, among o he concep s. While all judgmen s
ega ding he scope and limi s o his discipline shall be le o he p o essional
me aphysician, ou esea ch epea edly poin ed back o concep s and hemes
wi hin he same seman ic ield. Fo he pu poses o his s udy, i is clea ha
he me aphysical conce n wi h he na u e o being includes he ques ion o
he o igin and end o humani y and, he e o e, he meaning o ou exis ence.
I is impo an o s ess ha he objec i e o his chap e is o o e a na a i e-
aes he ic analysis, no a philosophical inqui y. Ne e heless, we may conclude
ha me aphysics necessa ily ela es o he spi i ual dimension o he human
being, including wha lies beyond he h eshold o dea h, he meaning o spi -
i uali y, and whe he i can be accessed o li e pu pose ully o wi h a deg ee
o ha mony.
In ac , o he pu poses o his s udy, me aphysics could be aken o mean
“wha lies beyond” he ealm o he physical. Bu he audio isual medium, like
o he a is ic languages bu pe haps e en mo e acu ely, is con ined o ma e ial
Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 23
ep esen a ion o space and ime by i s mechanism o eco ding and ep oduc-
ion, e en while i may make use o ab ica ed images, as in anima ion and
compu e -gene a ed g aphics. The ep esen a ion o he me aphysical he e o e
becomes a signi ican c ea i e challenge. In his chap e i is a gued ha ce -
ain ecen wo ks o sc ip ed se iali y ha e made use o he exp essi e possibili-
ies o he audio isual medium in consonance wi h he p olonged condi ion o
se ial s o y elling o de elop a speci ic cogni i e-aes he ic app oach o human
conce ns o a me aphysical na u e. The pu pose o his esea ch is o iden i y
and desc ibe he di e en ways ha hese conce ns a e exp essed on-sc een
and con eyed o he audience. In his s udy, hese s a egies a e g ouped in o
h ee ca ego ies: he d ama ic design o he ex ; na a ological de ices ha
manipula e empo al pe cep ion; and an aes he ic ocus ha o e s al e na-
i e po ayals o space. These h ee ca ego ies a e examined in he ollowing
sec ions.
D ama ic Design: The On ological
Ques o meaning
In mos a che ypical d ama ic s o ies, he p o agonis and o he cha ac e s li e
a mo e o less o dina y exis ence un il some hing happens ha h ows hem
o balance. This ini ial na a i e e en , which b ings a ans o ma i e con-
lic in o he plo , has been o en called he “inci ing inciden ” (Ba y, 2013.
p. 107), and i is gene ally conside ed decisi e in d ama and sc eenw i ing he-
o y because i con ains he seed o he whole de elopmen o a s o y, anging
om he supe icial obs acles ha he p o agonis mus o e come o he mo e
p o ound hema ic implica ions ha he audience will umina e on a e wa d.
In each o he ou me aphysical d amas conside ed in his s udy, his inci -
ing inciden is almos pa ano mal because i is some hing cha ac e s canno
explain o make sense o , usually connec ed wi h dea h o he a e li e. The
in asion o dea h in he wo ld o he li ing is a shocking and in some cases
auma ic e en , ea ing apa he cha ac e s’ alse sense o secu i y g ounded
on physical eali y, and e en s ipping hem o any esou ces hey may ha e
o ackle he new eali y hey suddenly ind hemsel es inhabi ing. I is a his
momen ha he cha ac e s seem o lose he sense o uni y which, in he
wo ds o me aphysics philosophe Jussi Backman (2018), was once he co ne -
s one o “ he en i e Wes e n philosophical adi ion” (p. 480). Pa adoxically,
he “new eali y” in which hey ind hemsel es is he same one in which hey
30 ga cía and cas illo
anspo ed o ano he ealm o exis ence whe e he inds Pa i, a cha ac e
who killed he sel in season one and has haun ed him e e since. The quasi-
psychedelic plo o “In e na ional Assassin” p esen s Ke in wi h an odd d a-
ma ic mission: in o de o ee himsel o Pa i’s p esence in “ eal” li e, he mus
assume he ole o a p o essional hi man in his “al e na i e” li e and kill Pa i.
Should he succeed, he will e u n o he eal wo ld ee o his haun ing isions.
The eason o his, howe e , is ne e add essed. Simila ly, in Undone Alma
spends long s e ches o he s o y in some kind o liminal uni e se ha allows
he o a el ac oss ime and be ween indi idual pe spec i es. De s makes
explici e e ence o Hugh E e e ’s many-wo lds heo y1 and i s inal episode
(S01E08) closes wi h he main p o agonis and an agonis inhabi ing a sim-
ula ed exis ence inside he supe compu e , along wi h hei lo ed ones, who
a e unawa e ha hey a e li ing in a ab ica ed wo ld (a e hey e en hem?).
Simila ly, in i s inal episode in he i s season (S01E08: “A iadne”), Russian
Doll makes use o pa allel lines o exis ence based on di e en choices, e en
p esen ing hem in a spli -sc een scene. This kind o isual manipula ion ies
in wi h he hi d and las ca ego y o s a egies, ela ed o aes he ic ea u es.
Mise-en-scène and Visual Pale e:
Rep esen ing he G ea Beyond
While na a ology is a sui able analy ical me hod o aes he ic de ices ha
manipula e na a i e ime, i would seem logical o ocus on mise-en-scène and
isual e ec s o an analysis o he ca ego y o space. This is no o say ha
isual de ices canno con igu e ou pe cep ion o he empo al dimension.
Indeed, he a o emen ioned use o spli -sc een ep esen a ion o pa allel ime-
lines in Russian Doll is also e ec i ely a manipula ion o space. Simila ly, in
Undone he backg ound a s e ches, sh i els, o sha e s when he passage o
ime is sped up o slowed down.
Ne e heless, mos o he manipula ions o mise-en-scène by means o
isual e ec s iden i ied in his s udy a e pa en ly ela ed o space. The se ies
analyzed quickly call he iewe ’s a en ion o such manipula ions, some o
which may be pe cei ed as dis up i e. The places inhabi ed by he cha ac e s
seems o decompose in a way ha g adually exace ba es hei exis en ial angs .
This is less ob ious in De s and The Le o e s han in Russian Doll and Undone,
and he clea di e ence be ween hese wo pai s sugges s a g ada ion o le els
o in e en ion in he spa ial con igu a ion o he s o y wo ld, anging om

Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 31
minimum o maximum, which o he pu poses o his s udy a e di ided in o
h ee ca ego ies: me apho ical, diege ic, and cinema ic.
A he leas in usi e le el, me apho ical in e en ion in he na a i e
space in ol es he cha ac e s’ subjec i e pe cep ion ha hei wo ld has
changed. This is ypical o conspi acy and psychological h ille s, and supe -
na u al h ille s could also be placed in his ca ego y. These s o ies o e an
ex emely ealis ic ep esen a ion o he wo ld ha is dis up ed by a h ea
o all o dina y, eali y-based expec a ions. Usually, he e ec o such a h ea
is po ayed di ec ly h ough he limi a ion o elimina ion o he cha ac e s’
agency. The e ec i eness o hei ac ions in o dina y ci cums ances now
appea s o be se e ely cu ailed: his is no longe “ hei wo ld.” In De s, we
see his om he momen when Lily ealizes ha he dea h o he boy iend is
no an o dina y c ime, bu a co e -up ope a ion associa ed wi h in e na ional
indus ial espionage. F om his poin on, she en e s a uni e se ha is en i ely
o eign o he , whe e no hing is as i seems. She now needs o ques ion e e y-
hing and e e yone a ound he (mos ob iously, he homeless man who sleeps
on he doo s ep, who u ns ou o be a Russian ope a i e). Howe e , he na a-
i e pushes beyond his spy-gen e plo line o del e in o a deepe ques ioning o
eali y, p omp ed by Fo es ’s de e minis ic ideas and his c ea ion o a quan um
supe compu e . A e lea ning o his plans (and how hey ela e o Se gei’s
dea h), Lilly’s eali y becomes ans o med beyond ecogni ion.
Some hing simila may be obse ed in The Le o e s, in he supe na u al
occu ence ha se es as he p emise o he se ies: a auma ic and seem-
ingly a bi a y loss ea s a he e y ab ic o socie y and ans o ms i adically.
A e he e en s o “ he Fou een h,” he cha ac e s’ beha io , expec a ions o
social o de , he meaning o eligion, and e en he conduc o he S a e and
i s ins i u ions become un ecognizable. Mo eo e , he p o agonis and o he
cha ac e s all p ey o wha may be ei he a psychological b eakdown o some
kind o supe na u al in e en ion, as hey begin hea ing oices and beha -
ing i a ionally. The unp eceden ed se o ci cums ances makes hem ques ion
hei own sani y as hey li e in a pe manen s a e o doub abou whe he
hey a e expe iencing “ eali y” o no . In his na a i e con ex , he ac ions o
he cha ac e s— hei in e en ions in he diegesis—no longe ha e he e ec s
expec ed and o en esul in mo e signi ican con lic .
On he second le el o spa ial manipula ion is he g adual decomposi ion
o diege ic eali y, as seen in Russian Doll. Nadia’s wo ld physically sh inks in
each episode as cha ac e s and objec s disappea one by one. This s ange phe-
nomenon g ows wo se as he p essu e inc eases o ind an answe o he enigma
32 ga cía and cas illo
o he ecu ing cycle o dea h and e u n. A he same ime, he o he cha ac-
e s a e unawa e o any ans o ma ion o eali y.
Finally, he hi d and mos pa en le el, classi ied he e as he cinema ic, is
obse ed e iden in Undone, an anima ed se ies in which he physical eali y
o he s o y wo ld is di ec ly manipula ed by he cha ac e s. Indeed, no only
do Alma and Jacob leap ac oss space and ime a will, bu hey also in e ac
wi h he ma e ial wo ld a ound hem, b eaking he con ines o he se ing o
causing i o collapse in momen s o emo ional in ensi y. They make places dis-
appea and eplace hem wi h o he loca ions, and in some cases hey do his
by manipula ing he plas ici y o he se ing. O cou se, he anima ed medium
is pa icula ly sui ed o c ea ing e ec s like hese.
Wha is common o hese h ee aes he ic de ices, and he eason o
g ouping hem oge he despi e hei di e ences, is ha hey all ep esen
he decomposi ion o eali y as a kind o liminali y be ween li e and dea h,
he waking wo ld and he d eam wo ld, o sani y and madness. In ac , an
on ologically uns able wo ld is a diege ic ea u e common o all hese se ies.
The me aphysical inci ing inciden b ings abou c i ical momen s when
cha ac e s c oss he bounda ies be ween wo lds o dimensions. In he se ies
inale o The Le o e s, o example, No a en e s “ he chambe ,” a kind o
senso y-dep i a ion ank, o a el o he o he side, jus as Ke in Ga ey
jou neyed h ough an al e li e in he a o emen ioned episode “In e na ional
Assassin” (S02E08).
This sense o agili y in he s o y wo lds is ein o ced by using iconic p ops
and se i ems as symbols. In De s, Lily wea s a pendan wi h he in ini y sym-
bol, alluding o Fo es ’s obsession o e u n o when his daugh e was s ill ali e
and c ea e a simula ed wo ld in which ime becomes e e nal. The i le Russian
Doll is a me apho in i sel , as Nadia peels o laye s o he own cha ac e iza ion
o ind he ue co e o he iden i y and ee he sel om he auma and he
de ense mechanisms she subsequen ly acqui ed o deal wi h i . Whi e do es a e
a ecu ing mo i in The Le o e s, and i is signi ican ha he las sho o he
en i e se ies shows do es coming back o No a’s a m. The do e is ypically ec-
ognized as a symbol o peace, and has a special meaning in Ch is iani y as an
embodied ep esen a ion o he Holy Spi i . Thei homecoming in he se ies
inale (S03E08) sugges s a peace ul closu e o No a’s d ama ic inne jou ney.
On he o he hand, in Undone, he small elec onic Blackjack game becomes
a so o ancho ing de ice o keep Alma g ounded in eali y amids he many
leaps h ough memo y. The ac ha Blackjack is a game o chance gi es he
Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 33
p op ano he laye o meaning ha may no be consciously ecognized by he
iewe .
In addi ion o he small de ails ou lined abo e, all ou se ies also make
use o eligious iconog aphy. This should no be su p ising conside ing he
ac a gued he e ha me aphysics is hei common denomina o . In The Le -
o e s, cul s a e po ayed as a plague ha has sp ead since he anishing o
“ he Fou een h.” The mos p ominen among he a ious new sec s is he
Guil y Remnan , a g oup whose quasi-monas ic he mi s wea whi e obes,
chain-smoke ciga e es, and obse e a ow o silence while ollowing people
a ound o emind hem o he ones hey los . Addi ionally, hey pu chase eli-
gious buildings (such as Ma ’s Ch is ian chu ch in season 1) and occupy hem,
making a powe ul s a emen abou he uselessness and decline o adi ional
eligion in a wo ld in es ed wi h doub and so ely lacking answe s o he col-
lec i e auma. In Russian Doll, Nadia in es iga es he Jewish he i age, despe -
a e o ind a supe na u al explana ion o he p edicamen . Alma’s Ca holic
upb inging in Undone is a sou ce o con lic wi h he de ou mo he , and she
is unable o ind meaning ul answe s in i s doc ine. And De s, which ini ially
seems qui e unconce ned wi h eligion, u ns ou o be a deep examina ion o
de e minism- e sus- ee will, a equen subjec o heological deba e in P o -
es an doc ines such as Cal inism. I s inal episode e eals ha he name o
Fo es ’s sec e labo a o y is no an abb e ia ion o “de elope s” as is ini ially
in e ed, bu he La in wo d o God in a chaic sc ip : “Deus.” This e e ence
explici ly connec s he p ojec o a supe na u al ision o exis ence, o o i s
nega ion h ough he an agonis ’s a oga ion o Godlike powe s.
Finally, in he ealm o isual de ices, ano he ecu ing ea u e o he
ou se ies is aming he p o agonis in on o o wi hin a mi o .2 While he
me aphysical conund um can be ep esen ed on sc een h ough he dis up ion
o space and ime o he use o eligious iconog aphy, i can also be hin ed a
in a cha ac e ’s e lec ion. In many scenes in ilms and se ies alike, looking
in a mi o has been po ayed as an ac o pensi e sel -assessmen , a de ice
o en used o punc ua e a d ama ically momen ous sequence o e en o con-
ey a pi o al momen o decision in he cha ac e ’s jou ney. In Russian Doll,
Nadia begins e e y new i e a ion o he bi hday pa y in on o a mi o , a
pose ha is mi o ed by he pa allel cha ac e o Alan Za e i, who is simila ly
in oduced in on o his ba h oom mi o wi h a oo hb ush in his mou h.
In The Le o e s, he membe s o he Guil y Remnan emo e all mi o s and
e use o look a hei own e lec ions. The se design o De s, pa icula ly he
supe compu e acili y, is c owded wi h e lec ions o he cha ac e s in he glass
34 ga cía and cas illo
panes o he suspended oom and he golden pilla s lanking he en ance.
E en mo e poignan ly, Episode 7 con ains a scene whe e Fo es ’s employees use
he supe compu e o wa ch a p ojec ion o hemsel es a ew seconds in o he
u u e, elici ing panicked eac ions a he seemingly inescapable de e minism
ha ules hei exis ence.
Conclusions
The aim o iden i ying p ominen o mal ea u es in a ious hema ically
ela ed se ies is o shed some ligh on a pa icula exp essi e pa e n. As
poin ed ou in he in oduc ion, he o e lapping d ama ic and hema ic con-
ce ns o hese ecen se ies seems o wa an hei classi ica ion as a sub-g oup
o sub-ca ego y, based on hei ea men o space and ime on sc een o po -
ay di e en le els o spi i ual li e o exis ence beyond he ma e ial dimension.
Th ough hese po ayals, hey o e iewe s a cogni i e challenge h ough an
in e oga ion o ou unde s anding o his complex ques ion.
I is in e es ing o no e ha hese se ies end o e ain om o e ing de in-
i i e answe s o he hough -p o oking ques ions hey pose. Thei endings a e
ambiguous, and many pe plexing e en s in hei plo s a e le unexplained. Bu
his is also an aes he ic choice ha deli e s o ein o ces he cogni i e alue o
wha hey a e a emp ing o exp ess, which migh be e e ed o as he unce -
ain y o anscendence.
The Le o e s, Russian Doll, Undone, and De s a e se ies ha o e iew-
e s a p olonged explo a ion o ques ions ha challenge assump ions o ou
sha ed expe ience o ime and space, he ealm o he ma e ial. Mo eo e ,
gi en ha ele ision is a mode o ep esen a ion essen ially based on ime
and mo emen , hese na a i es deploy bold aes he ic de ices o sub e
ha sha ed expe ience so ha ime and space hemsel es become means o
exp essing hei me aphysical conce ns. As Cipa (2020) sugges s, in se ies
like hese “i is no jus ha me aphysical concep s a e a is ically explo ed,
bu ha pa o he explo a ion in ol es he exp ession o pa icula pe -
spec i es on, a i udes owa d, o in e p e a ions o me aphysical concep s”
(p. 13). In his ega d, he me aphysical d ama ope a es, as i we e, a he lim-
i s o i s ep esen a ional powe , by manipula ing he ca ego ies o ime and
space h ough s o y design, na a ology, mise-en-scène, and isual aes he ics.
In so doing, hey also challenge he assumed ce ain ies o he spec a o ’s
e e yday expe ience, which de ine no only he ma e ial ealm, bu also ele-
isual s o y elling i sel .
Me aphysical D ama a he Down u n o Peak TV 35
No es
1 The many-wo lds heo y is discussed, bu no eally shown, as pa allel coexis ing uni e ses.
As men ioned abo e, i is occasionally displayed as a limi ed, all-in-one o e lapping o
choices wi hin a scene.
2 Al hough he e a e o he ecu en isual mo i s ha appea in he ou se ies analyzed,
hey a e no consis en ly employed in all o hem. Fo example, De s ea u es he mo i s o
he doo and he h eshold o ein o ce he no ion o c ossing eali ies, while he chambe
o he quan um compu e is po ayed wi h solemni y and e en eligious unde ones ( he
emple-like s uc u e and a angemen a e ha d o miss). Simila ly, Russian Doll d aws he
audience’s a en ion o he pis ol-shaped handle o he ba h oom doo whe e Nadia is esu -
ec ed o e and o e again. As p oduc ion designe Michael B icke explains, “[w] hen you’ e
i s in oduced o Nadia you ha e no idea wha she’s s epping in o, bu you see his s ange
Alice in Wonde land doo ha ells you hings will be unexpec ed once she passes h ough
ha h eshold” (Spec e , 2019).
Bibliog aphy
Backman, J. (2018). The one is no : On he a e o uni y in pos -me aphysical philosophy. Jou -
nal o Cul u al and Religious Theo y, 17, 480–485.
Ba y, C. (2013). W i ing he sc eenplay. In: G. Ha pe (Ed.), A companion o c ea i e w i ing
(pp. 98–114). Wiley-Blackwell.
Baumbe ge , C. (2011). A and unde s anding. In de ence o aes he ic cogni i ism. In: M. G een-
lee, R. Hammwöhne , R. Köbe , C. Wagne , & C. Wol (Eds.), Bilde sehen. Pe spek i en
de bildwissenscha (pp. 41–67). Schnell+ S eine .
Be ns ein, M. (1990). Fa alism e isi ed. Me aphilosophy, 21(3), 270–281. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-
9973.1990. b00529.x
Buonanno, M. (2018). Widening landscapes o TV s o y elling in he digi al media en i onmen
o he 21s cen u y. Anàlisi: Quade ns de Comunicació i Cul u a, 58, 1–12. DOI: 10.5565/
e /analisi.3133
Campbell, J. (2008). The he o wi h a housand aces. New Wo ld Lib a y.
Ca uana, J. (2009). Kieslowski and Kia os ami a me aphysical cinema. In S. Woodwa d
(Ed.), A e Kieślowski (pp. 186–201). Wayne S a e Uni e si y P ess.
Cipa, M. (2020). Me aphysical ilm and ele ision: The aes he ic expe ience o abs ac eali y
[Unpublished doc o al disse a ion]. Uni e si y o Queensland. DOI: 10.14264/uql.2020.755
Clay on, S. (2007). My hic s uc u e in sc eenw i ing. New W i ing, 4(3), 208–223. DOI: h ps://
doi.o g/10.2167/new 571.0
Cue as, E. (2009). La na a ología audio isual como mé odo de análisis. Po al de la Comuni-
cación, 1–12. h p://www.po alc omun icac ion.com/uplo ads/pd /53_ esp.pd
Dan o, A. C. (2014). Rema ks on A and Philosophy. The Acadia Summe A s P og am.
F eeland, C. A., & Wa enbe g, T. E. (Eds.). (1995). Philosophy and ilm. Rou ledge.
Ga e , B. (2006). Wha is his hing called me aphysics? Rou ledge.

36 ga cía and cas illo
James, C. (2019, Augus 12). Emmys: How he bes comedy se ies nominees mine dea h o
humo . The Hollywood Repo e . h ps://www.hollyw ood epo e .com/news/gene al-news/
how-bes -com edy-se ies-emmy-nomin ees-mine-dea h-humo -1230 212/.
Luckmann, T. (1990). Sh inking anscendence, expanding eligion? Sociological Analy-
sis, 51(2), 127–138. DOI: 10.2307/3710810
Nannicelli, T. (2016). App ecia ing he a o ele ision: A philosophical pe spec i e. Rou ledge.
Ney, A. (2014). Me aphysics: An in oduc ion. Rou ledge.
Poui e , R. (2000). On he cogni i e unc ioning o aes he ic emo ions. Leona do, 33(1), 49–53.
DOI: 10.1162/002409400552234
Spec e , E. (2019, Feb ua y 12). Wha ’s up wi h he ba h oom doo on Russian Doll? Ga age.
h ps://ga age. ice.com/en_us/a i cle/j57 g x/ uss ian-doll-ne l ix.
Rose, L., & Gu h ie, M. (2015, Augus 8). FX Chie John Landg a on Con en Bubble: ‘This
Is Simply Too Much Tele ision.’ The Hollywood Repo e . h ps://www.hollyw ood epo e .
com/li e- eed/ x-chie -john-landg a -con en -813 914.
Ruschmann, E. (2011). T anscending owa ds anscendence. Implici Religion, 14(4), 421–432.
DOI: 10.1558/im e. 14i4.421
Russin, R., & Downs, W. M. (2000). Sc eenplay: W i ing he pic u e. Ha cou College Publish-
e s.
Van Inwagen, P. (2015). Me aphysics. Rou ledge.
Van Inwagen, P., & Sulli an, M. Me aphysics (2014). In: E. N. Zal a (Ed.), S an o d encyclopedia
o philosophy (Win e 2021 Edi ion). h ps://pla o.s an o d.edu/a chi es/win2 021/en ies/
me a phys ics/.
·3·
UNDONE: REPRESENTATION
OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND
THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND
IN AN ANIMATED TV SERIES
Bea iz He áiz Zo noza and Jaime López-Díez
This chap e ocuses on he i s season o he anima ed se ies Undone (Ama-
zon, 2019–), a p oduc ion o ex ao dina y exp essi e quali y ha akes us
inside he mind o Alma, i s lead cha ac e . The se ies depic s he expe iences
om he pe spec i e o a p esen al e ed by he auma ic pas . The poin o
iew is ma ked by a duali y ha lea es he iewe unce ain as o whe he
Alma is su e ing om schizoph enia o whe he she has inhe i ed he a he ’s
powe s o manipula e ime. In addi ion, i s c ea o s cons uc a e y sophis-
ica ed na a i e wi h cons an spa ial and empo al jumps ha con use he
eali y expe ienced by he main cha ac e s and he ein e p e a ion o he
e en s, all suppo ed by a e y s iking isual design.
The se ies begins wi h Alma’s hospi aliza ion due o a ca acciden , which
igge s a s a e o con usion o he p o agonis . Alma begins o eli e au-
ma ic e en s om he pas , pa icula ly he Halloween nigh when she was
abandoned by he a he , who died ha same nigh in a a ic acciden , lea -
ing he wande ing he s ee s. Th ough Alma’s eyes he iewe expe iences
he consequences o his auma ic e en , while h ough he es o he amily
membe s (he mo he , Camila, and he sis e , Becca) and he boy iend, Sam,
she is able o econs uc he e en s in a supposedly mo e objec i e way.
38 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
The hemes add essed in he se ies a e always explo ed h ough
dicho omies—be ween madness and sani y, science and he me aphysical pow-
e s, amily/ oman ic ela ionships and social con en ions—while also alluding
o he s igmas o immig a ion, be ayal, and mo al con lic s.
This anima ed d amedy se ies was di ec ed by Hisko Hulsing and c ea ed
by Raphael Bob-Waksbe g and Ka e Pu dy, who p e iously explo ed men al
heal h issues in o he anima ed p ojec s. I uses o oscoping, 3D image y,
pain ed backg ounds, and 2D anima ion, wi h a isually powe ul mise-en-
scène ha le e ages each o hese echniques. This s udy ocuses on his com-
plex isual and na a ological design wi h he in en ion o un a elling how
men al illness is depic ed in he se ies.
To con ex ualize he s udy, a e iew is o e ed o he li e a u e on he ep-
esen a ion o men al illness in anima ed ilm and ele ision ic ion, wi h a
pa icula ocus on schizoph enia, in o de o be e unde s and how i is ep-
esen ed in he se ies, and o es ablish a me hod o analysis.
Li e a u e Re iew
Men al Heal h P omo ion and P e en ion: S igma and
Disc imina ion
Men al illness is a g owing challenge wo ldwide (Vo uba and Tho nic o ,
2016). The Uni ed Na ions included men al heal h among i s Sus ainable
De elopmen Goals (SDGs) as pa o he UN Agenda 2030, and iden i ied
i as a p io i y issue (Uni ed Na ions, 2015), especially du ing he COVID-19
pandemic (Uni ed Na ions, 2021). The p omo ion o men al heal h and he
p e en ion and ea men o men al illness a e iewed as essen ial “ o educe
by one hi d p ema u e mo ali y om non-communicable diseases” (Uni ed
Na ions, 2015).
In his con ex , he Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) has de e mined
wo indica o s o assess men al heal h: (1) he suicide a e; and (2) he p opo -
ion o people ea ed o a se e e men al illness (Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion,
2015). In ela ion o he i s o hese indica o s, o p omo e men al heal h
and p e en men al illness he WHO ecommends educing s igma iza ion o
suicidal hough s and beha io s, dec iminalizing suicide, suicide a emp s, and
o he ac s o sel -ha m, and p omo ing esponsible media epo ing on cases o
suicide by aining media p o essionals and o he s p oducing con en o sc een
o s age on how o co e suicide (Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion, 2013).
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 39
Men al heal h s igma is de ined as “de alua ion and disc imina ion
exp essed owa d, and expe ienced by, people a ec ed by men al heal h p ob-
lems” (G onholm & Ea on, 2020, p. 232). I has nega i e consequences o
people wi h men al heal h issues, and i is p esen in e e y socie y (G onholm
& Ea on, 2020). I is especially impo an o educe s igma in child en, ado-
lescen s, and s uden s, as hey a e he mos ulne able a ge g oups (Hin-
shaw, 2005). Mo eo e , s igma iza ion may esul in social disc imina ion (Link
e al., 2004).
Educa ion is he mos e ec i e way o educing s igma and disc imina-
ion; his includes p o iding accu a e in o ma ion abou men al illness, and
e adica ing misconcep ions and my hs (Co igan e al., 2001). In his ega d,
media o ma s such as ilm (Edney, 2004; Pi kis e al., 2006) and ele ision
ic ion (Ho ne & Cohen, 2014) ha o en label men al pa ien s as “di e -
en ” (C oss, 2004; Fawce , 2015; Cas ello, 2020) can play a majo ole. Fo
example, exposu e o media con en dealing wi h suicide can gi e ise o he
so-called We he e ec —named a e Johann Wol gang Goe he’s The So ows
o Young We he (1774), whose publica ion led o an inc ease in suicides—o
o i s opposi e, he Papageno e ec , depending on he na u e o such con en
(C uikshank & Se igny, 2020).
Wi h espec o ele ision se ies and ilms, Pi kis e al. (2006) sugges ha
“ he men al heal h sec o (policymake s, men al heal h p o essionals, and peo-
ple wi h men al illness and hei amilies) should collabo a e wi h he ilm and
ele ision indus ies (p oduce s, di ec o s, sc ip w i e s, and ac o s) o mini-
mize nega i e po ayal and maximize posi i e po ayal” (p. 536).1
Schizoph enia
In i s Diagnos ic and S a is ical Manual o Men al Diso de s, now in i s i h edi-
ion (he eina e DSM-5, 2013), he Ame ican Psychia ic Associa ion classi ies
schizoph enia unde Schizoph enia Spec um and O he Psycho ic Diso de s.
Thus, i is a ype o psycho ic diso de . To be diagnosed wi h schizoph enia,
a pa ien mus exhibi some o he ollowing i e symp oms o a signi ican
pe iod o ime (one mon h o longe ), including a leas one o he i s h ee
on he lis (Ame ican Psychia ic Associa ion, 2019, p. 99):
1. Delusions: De ined as “ ixed belie s ha a e no amenable o change in
ligh o con lic ing e idence.” These a e usually conside ed oubling
when hey in ol e “a loss o con ol o e mind o body.” The e a e
se e al ypes o delusions: pe secu o y (e.g., belie ing ha o he s wish
46 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
All hese p oduc ions o e an explo a ion o men al illness, and many o
hem also a emp o del e in o he s a e o mind o he cha ac e s, o isu-
ally ep esen how hey pe cei e eali y om hei dis u bed pe spec i e. The
esul s a e o en highly poe ic and spa io- empo ally incohe en . To be e
unde s and how hey do his, i is necessa y o conside he concep o poin
o iew in na a ology.
Poin o View in Na a ology
The analysis o Undone o e ed in his chap e d aws on cogni i is no ions
ha can cla i y he na u e o he ela ionship be ween he spec a o and
he p o agonis s o he se ies. Howe e , gi en i s unique mise-en-scène, based
mainly on he depic ion o Alma’s in e nal con lic s, i is also necessa y o
conside he na a ological concep o ocaliza ion. Some ques ions ela ed o
psychoanalysis and clinical psychology will also be d awn on o help un a el
he plo lines o he se ies.
Wi hou del ing in o he deba es o e he concep , poin o iew is unde -
s ood he e as an elemen o li e a u e and cinema ha de e mines he cha -
ac e om whose pe sonal pe spec i e he e en s o he s o y a e old (Case i
& Di Chio, 1991, p. 235). The cha ac e ’s poin o iew acqui es h ee dimen-
sions: pe cep ual, cogni i e-emo i e, and ideological (Cane , 2009, p. 158).
Pe cep ual poin o iew e e s o wha he cha ac e sees o hea s, ocusing
on he cha ac e ’s ex e nal ac ion. Cogni i e-emo i e poin o iew e e s o
wha he cha ac e knows, hinks, o eels, and hus ocuses on he cha ac e ’s
in e nal ac ion. Ideological poin o iew, which is de e mined by a sys em
o alues and belie s, ela es o he cha ac e ’s biased e sion o he e en s.
Gene e p oposed he e m “ ocaliza ion” (1989, p. 244) in an a emp o s ee
B ooks and Wa en’s (1959) “ ocus o na a ion” in a cogni i e and emo ional
a he han a pu ely pe cep ual di ec ion; Gene e’s ocaliza ion in ol es a ela-
ionship o knowledge be ween he na a o and he cha ac e s. Finding he
concep inadequa e and con using o audio isual na a i es, Gaud eaul and
Jos shi ed he de ini ion om knowing o seeing, p oposing he e m “ocula -
iza ion” o e e o “ he ela ionship be ween wha he came a shows and wha
he cha ac e supposedly sees” (1995, p. 139). Acco ding o Gaud eaul and
Jos , he e a e wo ypes o ocula iza ion: ze o ocula iza ion and in e nal ocu-
la iza ion, which in u n can be ei he p ima y o seconda y. P ima y in e nal
ocula iza ion means he came a s ands in he cha ac e ’s eyes; hus, “in he
signi ie he e mus be he ma e iali y o a body o he p esence o an eye […]

Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 47
i is a ques ion o sugges ing he gaze, wi hou he obliga ion o show i ; o do
his, he image is cons uc ed as a hin , as a ace ha allows he spec a o o
es ablish an immedia e link be ween wha he sees and he ilming ins umen ”
(2001, p. 139). In e nal ocula iza ion can ake he o m o blu ed images o
imply a cha ac e ’s al e ed s a e o consciousness; aming ha sugges s ha
he cha ac e is looking h ough a keyhole, a spyglass, o o he such de ice;
he p esence o a pa o he cha ac e ’s body in he o eg ound; o subjec i e
came a mo emen s. Seconda y in e nal ocula iza ion is cons uc ed by using
ma ch cu s o es ablish a e e se sho , while ze o ocula iza ion is no om
any cha ac e ’s poin o iew; i is a pu e “nobody’s sho .” Gaud eaul and Jos
also conside men al images in ela ion o poin o iew: isions ha a e he
p oduc o a cha ac e ’s mind, such as dayd eams, memo ies, hallucina ions, o
o he men al images. Gaud eaul and Jos wa n o he di icul y o di e en i-
a ing hese om images pe cei ed di ec ly in he diege ic eali y. Filmmake s
use all kinds o echniques o make he dis inc ion clea , such as sandwiching,
o e lays, ades, and colo g ading; hese codes a e modaliza ion ope a o s ha
unc ion as ancho s so ha iewe s ecognize he images hey ma k as men al
images as opposed o “ eal” images o he diegesis. These images may be supe -
imposed on he same sho wi h he cha ac e imagining hem, al hough a mo e
ecen echnique is o in oduce hem using a simple ma ch cu wi h he gaze.
Acco ding o Gaud eaul and Jos , men al image y is simply ano he o m o
in e nal ocula iza ion. Ocula iza ion is hus linked o ision, au icula iza ion
o hea ing, and ocaliza ion o cogni ion.
Anima ion has been used in many o he classical cinema’s mos amous
men al, onei ic o an asy sequences, such as in Ve igo (Al ed Hi chcock,
1958) and Ma y Poppins (Robe S e enson, 1964), o mo e ecen ly in F ida
(Julie Taymo , 2002), The Science o Sleep (Michel Gond y, 2006) and The Con-
g ess (A i Folman, 2013), he eby demons a ing i s po en ial o c ea e images
po aying he emo ional s a e o he cha ac e s. As Welles igh ly poin s ou ,
“anima ion allows easy shi s be ween di e en s a es o consciousness, app e-
hending memo y and an asy, and e ec i ely e-enuncia es he wo ld wi h
each new ep esen a ion” (2013, p. 28).
One o he c ea o s who has con ibu ed he mos o he de elopmen
o anima ion na a i es ha wea e an asy and eali y was he la e di ec o
Sa oshi Kon, whose ilms belong o he seinen b anch o anime, wi h mo e
elabo a e, adul hemes (Mon e o, 2007, p. 47). Kon’s ilms a e e y c i ical
o con empo a y socie y and depic a ension be ween Japanese adi ion and
Wes e niza ion, consume ism, and loneliness h ough na a i es ha blu he
48 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
bounda ies o eali y. In his ilms, “ ic ional eali y gi es way o eal eali y and
ice e sa hanks o a mechanism o mi o s manipula ed by he ilmmake
acco ding o he in elligibili y o he di e en na a i e laye s” (Mon e o, 2007,
p. 46). Kon’s ilms es ablish a liquid ela ionship wi h space and ime, in which
he laws o na u e a e agmen ed by he di ec o ’s unique idiolec . The use o
memo y is also ecu en in his ilms, no as “a ai h ul memo y o pas e en s,
bu o agmen s ha a e blu ed and e en my hologized by he passage o
ime” (Mon e o, 2007, p. 47). This mode o ep esen a ion is equally e iden in
Undone, as his se ies o e s a mul idimensional na a i e ha con eys wha is
no so much a sequence o objec i e ac s as a men al econs uc ion o he p o-
agonis ’s pe cep ion o e en s. In his sense, i seems o e lec Nichols’ (2008)
no ion o “ eenac men ,” o iginally p oposed o he documen a y ield, which
could be de ined as he non-objec i e ep esen a ion o he pas : “ he ec ea ed
e en in oduces a phan asma ic elemen ha an ini ial ep esen a ion o he
same e en lacks” (p. 73).
How We Lo e o Ha e he P o agonis s
The analysis o he p o agonis s o he se ies d aws on a se ies o cogni i e
s udies o engagemen . Con empo a y ele ision ic ion o e s mo e elabo a e
plo s, wi h mo e complex, di icul p o agonis s who a e “unhappy, mo ally
ques ionable, complica ed and deeply human” (Ma in, 2014, p. 18). Acco ding
o cogni i e s udies, iewe engagemen wi h a p o agonis is igge ed mainly
by empa hy o sympa hy, which a e no “in hemsel es emo ions, bu a he a
capaci y o disposi ion o espond wi h conce n o ano he ’s si ua ion, and o en
an accompanying endency o ha e cong uen emo ions, ha is, emo ions ha
sha e a simila alence” (Plan inga, 2009, p. 98). Viewe s may iden i y physi-
cally, emo ionally, o cogni i ely wi h he cha ac e . Sympa hy o he cha ac e
will cause he iewe o ca e abou ha cha ac e ’s well-being, while a he same
ime elici ing emo ions such as “happiness, ea , ange , compassion, esen men ,
mo al disgus , and so on” (Plan inga, 2009, p. 98). Del ing deepe in o hese
emo ions, Ae sen (2017) d aws on cogni i is and psychological s udies o p o-
pose a ange o eelings ha gene a e sympa hy o ic ional cha ac e s: app o al,
admi a ion, compassion, a ac ion, amilia i y, homophily, and in imacy.
The na a i e cons uc ions o con empo a y ele ision se ies a e also con-
side ably mo e complex, and consequen ly so a e hei cha ac e s, wi h a cs
o ans o ma ion ha can ex end o e se e al episodes o seasons. Fa om
con o ming o adi ional a che ypes, hese cha ac e s a e ep esen ed wi h a
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 49
a ie y o isual, audi o y and na a i e e ec s ha ende hem mo e com-
plex, and mo e human, and acili a e he iewe ’s imme sion in he cha ac e ’s
inne wo ld.
Analysis o Undone
Objec i es
The main objec i e o his esea ch is o s udy how men al illness is ep esen ed
in a ele ision ic ion se ies. Based on he e iew o he academic li e a u e on
he opic, he ollowing h ee esea ch ques ions we e de eloped:
RQ1: How is men al illness ep esen ed e bally in Undone?
RQ2: How is men al illness ep esen ed isually and au ally in Undone?
RQ3: How a e isual s a egies used o con use he iewe abou whe he he
p o agonis o Undone is su e ing om men al illness o has special powe s?
Me hodology
This s udy uses a mixed quan i a i e-quali a i e me hodology, iangula ing
con en analysis wi h mul imodal discou se analysis, applied o a sample con-
sis ing o he eigh episodes o he i s season o Undone. I also a emp s o
iden i y how anima ion can ep esen men al illness in a special o di e en
ways o li e-ac ion p oduc ions. The se ies is analyzed om a ious pe spec-
i es, wi h he in en ion o gaining a b oade iew o bo h he disease and i s
ep esen a ion.
The esul s sec ion below begins wi h an analysis o Alma’s cha ac e
based on he wo k o Plan inga (2009) and Ae sen (2017), o cha ac e ize he
pe sonali y and a i udes. Then, o explo e how Alma’s men al condi ion is
con eyed e bally, quan i a i e me hods a e applied o measu e ce ain pa am-
e e s o he dialogues. Measu able me hods a e also used o de e mine he ime
de o ed o ep esen ing Alma’s subjec i i y and eali y in he se ies. Ano he
impo an ques ion is he iden i ica ion o he symp oms o schizoph enia
exhibi ed by Alma, o which end he ca ego ies lis ed in he DSM-5 a e used.
Finally, quali a i e me hods a e used o analyze he isual s a egies adop ed
o ep esen he e ec o he illness on Alma’s subjec i i y, isible especially in
he empo al and spa ial jumps and in he poin o iew. The i le sequence is
also analyzed due o i s na a i e and exp essi e signi icance.
50 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
Con en o he Se ies
Undone cu en ly has wo seasons o eigh episodes each, wi h each episode
las ing 24 minu es. This esea ch ocuses on Season 1. The se ies ells he s o y
o he amily o Jacob Winog ad, a esea che and uni e si y p o esso who
died in a ca acciden when his wo daugh e s we e child en. On he nigh o
he acciden , Alma, his eldes daugh e , was wi h him, bu a e ecei ing an
impo an phone call he abandoned he on he s ee , ne e o e u n. A e
wande ing a ound los o some ime, Alma managed o ge home, whe e she
ecei ed he news o he a he ’s dea h. This auma ic e en , will ma k he
p o agonis ’s li e. A e su e ing a a ic acciden he sel as an adul , Alma
begins o su e hallucina ions, including appa i ions o he a he , who ies o
con ince he o he ex ao dina y abili y o manipula e ime.
The se ies alludes o a diagnosis o schizoph enia o Alma, he a he , and
he g andmo he on di e en occasions, bu he na a i e i sel plays cons an ly
wi h he iewe ’s con usion, ee ing back and o h be ween an explana ion
o Alma’s ex ao dina y powe s based on science ic ion—wi h a gumen s ha
a e some imes scien i ically con incing—and a ealis ic accoun o hallucina-
ions p oduced by men al illness. The iewe is con on ed wi h eali y when
people in he di ec en i onmen wa n he ha she is no well and ha she
should ake he medica ion, jus as Sancho Panza ells Don Quixo e ha wha
he hinks o be gian s a e ac ually windmills. Schizoph enia makes pa ien s
belie e ha hei delusional hough s a e eal, and some imes i gi es hem
delusions o g andeu , such as he belie ha hey a e in possession o knowl-
edge o i al impo ance o socie y.
Undone is old om Alma’s poin o iew and econs uc s he e en s ha
led o he peculia beha io in he p esen based on he own memo y o hem.
The na a ion b ings us ace o ace wi h he auma, he pain, and he un e-
sol ed g ie . The o he membe s o he amily y o o ge hose pain ul e en s
and o achie e a collec i e unde s anding in he ace o he auma, simila
o Wal z wi h Bashi . The appa i ion o Alma’s deceased a he is based p e-
cisely on his auma, and con on s he p o agonis wi h he ea s, weaknesses,
p ejudices, and us a ions. As Ma cela Viscon i (2011) has obse ed in e e -
ence o Six Fee Unde (HBO, 2001–2005), he dead can p ojec an al e na i e
uni e se o pu e subjec i i y on o he li ing, while hei omniscience—as in
Despe a e Housewi es (ABC, 2004–2012)—cons i u es a ecu ing ea u e wi h
ex ao dina y na a i e po en ial in con empo a y ele ision se ies. In e en-
ions by he deceased in he a ai s o he li ing ha e expe ienced a shi om
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 51
he an asy gen e o diege ic uni e ses de ined by he logic o ealism, wi h he
consequen neu aliza ion o ghos s and hei in eg a ion in o he diegesis as
pa o eali y.
On he one hand, he anima ion echniques used a e ancho ed in eali y
h ough o oscoping and backg ounds made in oil on 3D cons uc ions wi h
e y ealis ic inishes, while on he o he hand, he se ies exploi s he eedom
o anima ion o e oke a d eamlike s a e.
Resul s
Alma’s Cha ac e
Alma is a ebellious, sel ish, indomi able non-con o mis , obsessed wi h escap-
ing om con en ionali y, as can be seen in he con e sa ions wi h he boy-
iend, Sam, and in he eac ions o he mo he and he sis e , Becca. She is
also cu ious and conscien ious. He spon anei y bo de s on he unp edic able,
a ai e lec ed in he i ep essible endency o exp ess he ideas o con ic ions
in public and p i a e e en when hey a e no socially accep able o emba ass
o he s. This cock ail o pe sonali y ai s can make he iewe app ehensi e
abou Alma’s eac ions, especially in ela ion o wha is socially accep ed; he
e usal o con o m d i es bo h he mo he and sis e mad, and may also gene -
a e ension in he spec a o , who migh eel a combina ion o us a ion and
admi a ion o he boldness in speaking ou .
Acco ding o Plan inga (2009) and Ae sen (2017), he emo ional ela ion -
ships be ween he iewe and cha ac e s in a ele ision se ies a e buil on sym-
pa hy, bu Alma is no cha ac e ized as a sympa he ic pe son. So how is his
emo ional ela ionship cons uc ed in Undone? Conside ing he ac o s ha
con ibu e o he iewe ’s app o al o and empa hy wi h cha ac e s (Ae sen,
2017), Alma ea ns his app o al no so much h ough he own ac ions, which
a e ha dly beyond ep oach, no h ough he con en ious a i ude, bu a he
h ough he opposi ion o he duplici ous beha io o he people a ound he
who ha e he social app o al she he sel disdains: Becca is beau i ul, up igh ,
kind, and poli e, bu she also chea s on he iancé on se e al occasions be o e
ge ing ma ied; Sam is dedica ed and ea nes , bu he akes ad an age o
Alma’s amnesia o hide om he ha hey had b oken up jus be o e he acci-
den ; Alma’s a he , whom she admi es, has also made mo ally ep ehensible
decisions, in bo h his amily and p o essional li e. The duplici ous na u e o all
hose a ound he seem o jus i y Alma’s e use o submi o he ules o poli e
socie y.

52 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
A second ac o ha has a s ong impac on he iewe ’s sympa hy o a
cha ac e is compassion, “one o he main eelings on which sympa hy is buil ,”
by p esen ing he cha ac e s as ic ims o an un ai si ua ion (Ae sen, 2017,
p. 114): Alma is descended om Mexican immig an s, which u he hinde s
he accep ance in Ame ican socie y; she was also bullied a school because o
he hea ing impai men ; and abo e all, as a child she su e ed he auma ic
e en o he a he ’s dea h, a e being abandoned by him in he s ee , which
agg a a ed he emo ional damage. As a esul , Alma may appea s ong on he
ou side, bu she is ex emely agile and ulne able on he inside.
The e a e also o he ac o s ha con ibu e, albei less in ensely, o he
iewe ’s p ocess o bonding wi h he p o agonis , such as admi a ion o he
bold ankness, o he appeal o he sense o humo , which enables he o poin
ou he i ony in he mos se ious si ua ions.
Ve bal Re e ences o Men al Diso de
Collec ing in o ma ion on he equency o use o ce ain wo ds in he se ies
may acili a e a be e unde s anding o how he sub ex is con eyed.
The i s se o wo ds o analyzed we e e ms ela ed o men al illness. This
analysis included he iden i ica ion o he cha ac e who uses hem: Alma, o
o he cha ac e s. Table 6 shows se e al wo ds ela ed o men al diso de s and
hei ea men , he op i e being “doc o /s”, “c azy”, “help”, “mad,” and “pills.”
The equency o hese wo ds sugges s ha he e is a g ea deal o e o on he
pa o o he cha ac e s o help Alma, ind he medical ad ice, and encou age
he o ake he medica ion p esc ibed by he he apis : [Camila, o Alma] “A e
you lis ening o me? You need o ake hese pills.” (Undone, Season 1, Episode
4, 00:18:25,147 – 00:18:27,758)
I is wo h no ing ha in some cases, he cha ac e e e ed o as men ally
ill is no Alma, bu he g andmo he (Ge aldine, Jacob’s mo he ). Fo example,
he wo d “schizoph enic” o “schizoph enia” is used h ee imes o e e o Ge -
aldine, and once wi h e e ence o Jacob, who was also diagnosed wi h schizo-
ph enia sho ly be o e his dea h. The e ms “li hium” and “shock ea men ”
a e also used wi h e e ence o Ge aldine.
In gene al, his analysis e eals ha Alma u e s ewe wo ds ela ed o he
illness han he o he cha ac e s, who insis ha Alma needs help (explaining
he equency o hei use o he wo d “help”) while Alma does no admi o
his need. Alma e e s o he men al diso de ei he i onically o la ly denying
i s exis ence, bu he o he cha ac e s—he mo he (Camila), he sis e
(Becca), he pa ne (Sam), o he boss (Tunde)—belie e ha she su e s om
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 53
a se ious men al illness o which she needs help and mus ake he pills p e-
sc ibed by he psychia is , D . Juno. Alma’s a he (Jacob), on he o he hand,
main ains ha Alma and he g andmo he a e no men ally ill, bu a e ac u-
ally capable o accessing ano he eali y, due o hei special b ain s uc u e, as
he himsel explains in Episode 5:
[Jacob, o Alma] “Resea ch had ecen ly come ou showing ha people wi h schizo-
ph enia, like my mo he , hey ha e la ge en icles. […] Ven icles a e he cen al
pocke s o luid in he b ain. I know. Wha 's sexie han big pocke s o luid? Righ ?
So, okay, I go o hinking maybe mys ics and p ies esses and shamans, maybe hey
also ha e la ge en icles. Maybe hei abili ies come om a speci ic b ain s uc u e.”
(Undone, Episode 5, 00:06:57,199 – 00:07:22,052)
This e idence would explain why Alma, like many people a ec ed by
schizoph enia, denies ha she has an illness. In any case, he numbe o wo ds
ela ed o men al illness in he se ies is conside ed ela i ely low, which may be
a cle e a emp by he c ea o s o keep iewe s guessing abou whe he Alma
has a men al illness o special powe s.
Table 6. Wo ds ela ed o men al heal h used by Alma o by o he cha ac e s.
Alma O he cha ac e s TOTAL
doc o /s/d . ( ela ed o men al heal h) 5 8 14
c azy 5 4 9
help ( ela ed o men al heal h) 1 8 9
Mad 3 4 7
Pills 1 6 7
schizoph enia/schizoph enic 4 4
Medica ion 4 4
se ious ( e e ing o Alma’s men al heal h) 3 3
s ange ( e e ing o Alma’s pe sonali y) 3 3
Insane 1 1 2
Sane 2 2
Sh ink 1 1 2
Wacko 1 1
Psychia is 1 1
bad b ain 1 1
b oken b ain 1 1
an i-psycho ic 1 1
Li hium 1 1
shock ea men 1 1
54 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
Mos F equen ly Used Wo ds in Gene al
A second quan i a i e analysis in ol ed he calcula ion o he wo ds used mos
equen ly in he whole se ies, whe he meaning ully impo an o no . The
esul s a e shown in Table 7. As he able e eals, he mos equen ly used
wo d is “know,” ollowed by “[I] am,” “okay,” “like,” and “Alma.”
I seems signi ican ha he mos equen wo d in he whole se ies is
“know,” as his may be ela ed o he ambigui y inhe en in he s o y, as i is a
key conce n o iewe s and cha ac e s o know whe he Alma is schizoph enic
o can ac ually access an al e na e eali y. O he wo ds seem less signi ican
because o hei p edic ably high equency (am, okay, Alma).
Abno mali ies and O he C i e ia o Diagnose Schizoph enia
Al hough Alma belie es—o wan s o belie e— ha she has access o an al e -
na e eali y and ci es he PTSD as an excuse o no aking he pills p esc ibed
by he psychia is , he es o he cha ac e s (excep he a he ) hink ha she
has a se ious men al diso de . He mo he desc ibes he pills Alma has been
p esc ibed as an ipsycho ics and compa es Alma’s condi ion o he a he ’s
diagnosed schizoph enia. Alma ea s she has schizoph enia like he g and-
mo he , and he boy iend, Sam, says he abno mali ies ma ch hose lis ed on
a schizoph enia websi e.
To de e mine whe he Alma p esen s symp oms o schizoph enia in he
se ies, he ca ego ies o abno mali ies lis ed in he DSM-5 o diagnose his
psychia ic pa hology we e used.
Table 7. Wo d equency.
Wo d F equency
1. know 216
2. am 196
3. okay 173
4. like 146
5. Alma 125
6. go 111
7. ge 100
8. hink 84
9. wan 83
10. well 81
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 55
Abno mali ies
As men ioned abo e, acco ding o he DSM-5, he e a e i e symp oma ic
abno mali ies associa ed wi h his men al diso de : delusions, hallucina ions,
diso ganized hinking, g ossly diso ganized o abno mal mo o beha io , and
nega i e abno mali ies.
In Episode 5, (“Alone in This (You Ha e Me)”), Alma con esses o Sam
ha she is expe iencing some o hese abno mali ies, which she a ibu es o
he ex ao dina y men al powe s: “I’m seeing my dead a he because o my big
b ain en icles, and he’s aining me o a el in ime so I can sa e him om
being mu de ed.”
Con e sely, in Episode 8 (“Tha Halloween Nigh ”), Sam suppo s he idea
ha Alma has schizoph enia, based on he ac ha she appea s o mani es
wo o he main symp oma ic abno mali ies o he condi ion, namely, halluci-
na ions and delusions: “I checked on you p esc ip ion. And i go me looking
a his schizoph enia websi e. You go a admi , hese abno mali ies kind o i
you: Hea ing oices … belie ing you ha e special powe s, eeling like you ha e
some kind o g and mission o accomplish?” Alma dismisses he boy iend’s
a gumen wi h a sa cas ic esponse: “Yeah, you go i , Sam! Yeah, you guys a e
doc o s. I’m c azy, I’m … I’m wacko.” Howe e , Sam i mly insis s:
The e’s some hing se ious going on wi h you. And I’m i ed o p e ending like he e
isn’ . […] Alma, I ha e o ge you help. E en i i means you’ e gonna ha e me o e e
because ha ’s wha lo e is. […] You wan me o be o ally hones wi h you? You’ e
men ally ill. You didn’ a el back in ime and you a he doesn’ alk o you because
he’s dead!
Assuming Sam’s iew ha Alma has schizoph enia a he han ha she is
ac ually accessing an al e na e eali y by means o special powe s (which would
asc ibe he s o y o he ealm o an asy), wha ollows is an analysis o how
he abno mali ies associa ed wi h his men al diso de a e depic ed in Undone.
(a) Delusions
Alma’s mos p ominen delusions could be classi ied as “g andiose delusions”: she
belie es she can a el in ime and space and al e pas e en s (e.g., p e en he
a he ’s suicide and he mu de o his esea ch s uden Fa naz). Simila ly, he
a he —o he hallucina ion o him—belie es ha he can change his mo h-
e ’s si ua ion in he pas and p e en he om being ea ed as men ally ill.
Ano he mani es a ion o a g andiose delusion appea s in Episode 8, when
62 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
o mo emen . Thus, a sho cu s o i s e e se sho and in ha cu he space and
ime has changed. The same aming may also be used o one o mo e cha -
ac e s while he backg ound changes, such as in Episode 1 when Alma alks
abou he ou ine, wi h he sho cen e ed on he while he loca ions behind
he change.
Bu he anima ion can also p o ide o he , mo e in e es ing ypes o
ancho s, such as he sha e ing o he sc een like glass, employed on a leas
wo occasions o snap us ou o a d eam (S01E02 and S01E08). Also used a
leas se en imes o e he cou se o he season is he simula ion o an ea h-
quake, whose des uc i e e ec anspo s us o ano he ime and space, such
as in Alma’s con e sa ion wi h Jacob in he hospi al can een and he ansi-
ion back in o he hospi al bed oom (S01E02), o Sam’s huge head eme ging
om he uins o ill he space o Alma’s oom (S01E05). The se ies e en plays
wi h he in ol emen o he iewe s, since he second ime we wi ness an
ea hquake we will now unde s and ha i ma ks a ansi ion o ano he si -
ua ion, ye on a leas wo o hese occasions Alma manages o p e en his
e ec om des oying he su oundings, so ha i u ns ou o be a alse sign o
change. As opposed o des uc ion, cons uc ion is also used o ma k a ansi-
ion, such as in he hospi al co ido in Episode 2, o he change om Alma’s
school o Sam’s in Episode 5. Mo phing is also used, such as he shi om he
child Alma dancing in he nu se y o he adul Alma dancing in he uins in
Episode 5, o when he ape eco de ha Sam had as a child u ns in o he
ba h oom in Alma and Sam’s house in he same episode. The e a e o he mo e
elabo a e, d eamlike ansi ions, such as he mul iplica ion o he bi ds o shi
om he hospi al ga den o he uni e se in Episode 2, o when he a he blows
on he o change he se ing and he s age e ol ing a ound he anspo s he
om he house whe e she li es wi h Sam o he hospi al oom (S01E02).
O he ypes o ansi ions include ci cles (S01E04 and S01E05), lashes
(S01E02), and a special kind o dissol e, ans o ming he image in o small
dissol ing pa icles (S01E04). Simul anei y is some imes ep esen ed by wo
di e en momen s and spaces coexis ing in he same sho , using mi o s o
o he ways o in eg a ing one ame in o he o he (S01E05 and S01E08). The
mos complex ansi ion is an assembly sequence, such as he one a he end
o Episode 4 when he came a passes h ough di e en spaces wi h di e en
Ge aldines a di e en momen s in he li e.
Time can also be s e ched by eezing he image o enhance he e ec o
a high-speed e en , such as Jacob’s and Alma’s espec i e acciden s, o com-
p essed by speeding he scene up o gi e he sensa ion ha ime has passed,

Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 63
such as in he sequence o Camila’s bi h, g ow h and dea h h ough mo ph-
ing in Alma’s hallucina ion in Episode 2. This de ice is also used on di e -
en occasions in Episode 4 o es Alma’s a he ’s heo y abou his powe o
al e ime. Tempo al al e a ion is also ep esen ed by epe i ion h oughou he
se ies, such as he di e en sequences in ol ing dancing, Alma’s ou ines, o
he epe i ion o he pho o shoo in Episode 6.
Making sense o all hese laye s and dimensions in he se ies is no easy
ask, bu he ancho s acili a e he iewe ’s unde s anding; sound also suppo s
each o hese ansi ions wi h a combina ion o buzzes and chi ps ha se e
o announce he ime-space jump. Ancho s a e mo e commonly placed a he
beginning o he hallucina ion o memo y, al hough hey a e also some imes
used a he end. All episodes excep he six h include space- ime jumps, wi h
Episodes 2 and 5 ha ing he mos complex s uc u es and he mos elabo a e
ancho s. Howe e , he c ea o s do no p o ide a ixed o mula ha would allow
he iewe o associa e an e ec wi h a speci ic ype o change; ins ead, hey
use a my iad o de ices o con use and hook he audience, some imes upse -
ing iewe expec a ions o wha hese cues mean, wi h di e en e ec s. This
helps main ain he ension and he ambiguous na u e o Alma’s powe s—o
he skewed iew o eali y— igh up o he e y end o he season.
Se ies Ti le
The i le sequence is included in his analysis because o i s condensed na a-
i e signi icance. The sequence i sel changes as he se ies p og esses wi h he
in en ion o in oducing ce ain unknowns o ad ancing he s o y.
The appea ance o he i le in he c edi s sequence changes o e he cou se
o he i s season o he se ies. The i le i sel (Undone) may e e o how Alma
a emp s o undo ( e e se) he a he ’s dea h in an al e na e eali y, al hough i
also sugges s ha she has no ully ma u ed as a pe son. The di e en appea -
ances o he i le in he se ies c edi s may be in ended o sugges a ela ionship
o he s a e o Alma’s subjec i e eali y in he e o o esu ec he a he .
In Episodes 1–3, when Alma is beginning o ge acquain ed wi h he new
eali y, he i le main ains he same appea ance: g ay le e s on a ading black
backg ound.
In Episode 4, in which Alma lea ns how o ime a el by “mo ing he
keys” and emembe s ha she had b oken up wi h Sam be o e he ca acciden ,
he le e s o he i le exhibi a simple e ec : hey appea and disappea , hen
he ull i le is isible, becoming less dis inc un il i inally ades away.
64 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
Episode 5 is he only episode o he season in which he se ies i le appea s
a he end. An e ec is also added o he le e s, which a e mo e blu ed han
in o he episodes, appea ing and disappea ing un il hey ade behind dynamic
whi e and g ay shapes in he backg ound. This may be an allusion o he ac
ha , in addi ion o Alma assimila ing he a he ’s knowledge o shamans’ abil-
i y o access o he eali ies, a he end o he episode she con esses o Sam ha
she communica es wi h he a he and in ends o sa e him om being killed.
She hus seems o ha e ully accep ed his al e na i e eali y.
The i le o he se ies in Episode 6 looks comple ely di e en om he es ,
appea ing in g ay le e s agains an o -whi e backg ound. This migh be an
allusion o he ac ha he e a e no subjec i e eali y scenes in his episode,
which is mainly abou Alma and Sam in es iga ing Jacob’s dea h.
Finally, in Episodes 7 and 8, he black backg ound and e ec s on he le -
e s e u n, while he shapes in he backg ound become inc easingly in ense.
In Episode 7, when we e u n o Alma’s subjec i e eali y, he le e s g adually
eme ge om some so o clouds in he black backg ound. In Episode 8, in
which Alma a emp s o undo pas e en s, he i le o he se ies begins wi h a
poin o ligh in he cen e o he ame; he ligh akes di e en shapes and
he le e s appea behind i wi hou e e becoming comple ely clea and hen
inally anish, as i o sugges ha he episode will shed some ligh on he eal-
i y (o un eali y) o Alma’s ques o b ing back he a he .
Conclusions
This chap e has sough o unde s and how schizoph enia is ep esen ed in
Undone, ocusing on i s main cha ac e , Alma.
Unlike he depic ion o schizoph enic cha ac e s in many o he ilms and
ele ision se ies, Alma is no po ayed as dange ous o iolen (Wilson e al.,
1999; Wondemaghen, 2019). She is a woman coping wi h he dea h o he
a he as well as a men al diso de . E e yone a ound he —he mo he , he sis-
e , he pa ne , he boss, he doc o s— y o help he . They ell he she needs
o ac on medical ad ice and ake he an ipsycho ic pills p esc ibed by he
psychia is .
Among he cha ac e ypes no mally asc ibed o men ally ill cha ac e s,
Alma i s he ca ego y o ebellious ee spi i (Hyle e al., 1991; Edney, 2004).
She ejec s he con en ional alues, p ac ices, and opinions accep ed by o he s
in he en i onmen . Fo example, she opposes ma iage and ha ing a amily,
and she is c i ical o he popula in e p e a ions o U.S. his o y, such as he
Rep esen a ion o Schizoph enia and Unconscious Mind 65
Ame ican pe spec i e on he Ba le o he Alamo. Al hough his s udy has
ocused on he cha ac e o Alma, o he cha ac e s wi h schizoph enia in he
se ies a e depic ed di e en ly. Appa en ly, he a he was homicidal and sui-
cidal, and he g andmo he is a helpless woman who has ended up in a men al
ins i u ion.
The da a collec ed on wo d equency a e consis en wi h he emphasis
placed on seeking medical help in he se ies. The mos equen ly used wo d
ela ed o men al illness is “doc o ” (“doc o s,” “d .”); he hi d mos equen is
“help” and he i h is “pills.” The mos equen ly used wo d o all is “know,”
which e okes he ambiguous na u e o Alma’s subjec i e eali y.
Acco ding o he symp oms o schizoph enia lis ed by he DSM-5, Alma’s
condi ion is in keeping wi h his men al illness, as she su e s om a leas
wo o he mos cha ac e is ic abno mali ies: delusions and hallucina ions.
The se ies does no make he mis ake o con using schizoph enia wi h mul i-
ple pe sonali y diso de , unlike o he se ies and mo ies (McMahon-Coleman
& Wea e , 2020). Fu he mo e, an e alua ion o o he c i e ia sugges s ha
Undone o e s a posi i e and accu a e ep esen a ion o schizoph enia, o a
leas o he ini ial phase o his diso de .
An analysis o he cinema og aphic echniques used in he se ies e eals
ha he came a is no always placed in a subjec i e poin o iew (in his case,
o he men ally ill cha ac e ). Du ing wha appea o be Alma’s subjec i e pe -
cep ions o eali y—including hallucina ions, d eams, dayd eams—we o en
see he scene om an ex e nal came a posi ion, o om he pe spec i e o
ano he cha ac e (Jacob). This sugges s o he iewe ha he e en s shown
a e no me ely aking place in Alma’s mind.
Space- ime jumps a e ecu en h oughou he se ies, excep in Episode 6,
whe e he e is no oom o a subjec i e pe spec i e, as men ioned abo e. Such
jumps obey a d eamlike “logic” whe eby space and ime luc ua e con inuously;
howe e , on he na a i e le el, he se ies employs a ange o audio- isual
ancho s o signal hese jumps o he iewe .
The gene ic ambigui y o his ele ision se ies cons i u es a key limi a ion
o his s udy, which has depended on he assump ion ha he s o y belongs o
he ealis gen e, and ha Alma’s al e ed pe cep ion o eali y is he p oduc o
he imagina ion. Howe e , as no ed abo e, he s o y is no en i ely clea on his
ma e . The use o poin o iew o en sugges s ha he supposedly deceased
Jacob does in ac belong o an al e na e eali y. In addi ion, he e a e hings
ha Alma could no possibly know i he subjec i e eali y is he p oduc o
men al illness— o example, he ac ha he mo he wen in o he a he ’s lab
66 he áiz zo noza and lópez-díez
and ough wi h him on he nigh he died, which Camila con i ms—o a leas ,
he se ies does no explain how she knows hem.
I he e en s o subjec i e eali y ake place only in Alma’s mind, hen wha
she disco e s and wha he iewe is led o belie e ( o example, ha he a he
commi ed suicide and killed his s uden , Fa naz) may ac ually be alse. On he
o he hand, i Undone is in ac a an asy s o y in which o dina y physical laws
can be b oken, hen i could no be desc ibed as a se ies abou schizoph enia,
o a leas no in he same way, since in such a diege ic wo ld Jacob’s heo y
ha schizoph enia is a kind o supe powe could be ue. Resea ch on Undone
om his al e na i e pe spec i e could ake a comple ely di e en cou se.
No e
1 They men ion wo examples o his kind o collabo a ion, in he se ies Eas Ende s (BBC,
1985) and Home and Away (Se en, 1988–).
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·4·
THE AWKWARDNESS EFFECT:
ENGAGEMENT WITH CLUMSY
CHARACTERS IN TV SERIES
Ma a Boni
In his chap e , I will ou line a heo y o unce ain y in TV se ies by desc ibing
he cu en end o awkwa dness wi h ega ds o he depic ion o non-cis-
he e o cha ac e s. The chap e ’s p ima y con ibu ion lies in a discussion o
he mul iple e ec s o awkwa dness as bo h a way o anspo iewe s in o he
ic ional wo ld, apping in o ou pe sonal expe ience o ailu e, wi h simul a-
neously ac ing as a dis up i e o ce, unse ling he seamless low o imme sion.
As we will see, ou unde s anding o such uneasy momen s in a TV se ies could
bene i om quee heo y, which helps us display he con adic ions be ween
an expec ed linea pa h and he c ea i e possibili ies o un uliness, imbalance,
and ailu e. Fo a s a , le ’s conside he way We A e Who We A e (HBO,
2020) in oduces i s main cha ac e .
F ase , a pale eenage wi h ousled, dyed blond hai , in a designe
-shi and leopa d p in pan s s u s on a beach. He is ying o look cool,
dis an , and supe io , in on o wo o he eenage s, who gaze upon him chee -
ully, and chuckle. A i een, he is all and gangly, wi h la ge ee , he ain
shadow o a mus ache g owing abo e his lip. As he s olls in he sand uncom-
o ably, he su e s om he na u al awkwa dness o his adolescen body and
his con lic ed desi e o make a good imp ession on his pee s. Unbeknowns o
him, hey asked him o show o his gai so hey could imagine he size o his
78 ma a boni
his 1956 a icle abou “emba assmen and social o ganiza ions”. He poin s ou
ha swea ing, blushing, e ea ing, o laughing a e all eac ions ha we pu on
o a oid emba assmen , when we eel ha we migh no i in.
Fleabag’s a he expe iences anxie y and his eac ions do no make i easie
o himsel and o he s. All he gues s eac uneasily. The came a pans ac oss
hei emba assed gazes, hei hands suspended in ai , s ill holding he glasses
o wine. Fleabag, meanwhile, u ns o he came a and looks owa ds he audi-
ence, u he emphasizing he emba assmen she is expe iencing, and encou -
aging us o sha e i wi h he . She is li e ally he “non-a uned” subjec who
is aliena ed om “ he able o happiness” (Ahmed, 2010). The awkwa dness
applies he e also o he a he who is he p o agonis o ailu e ; o he gues s
who happen o sha e he same space and o us, wi nesses o he scene, e en
mo e because o he gaze o Fleabag who demands ou complici commi men .
Ano he sequence o awkwa dness and discom o can be ound ea ly in
Sex Educa ion (Ne lix, 2019–), a se ies ha ocuses on eenage s g appling wi h
he disco e y o sex. In S01E01, “Episode 1”, O is, he p o agonis , p epa es
e y se iously and a li le emba assed o his i s mas u ba ion session wi h
a po n magazine, lo ion, and handke chie s. Be o e he begins, hough, one o
his mo he ’s lo e s, in a lamboyan ba h obe, ba ges in wi hou knocking,
because he mis ook O is’s oom o he ba h oom. While he man is emba -
assed and su p ised o mee his lo e ’s child—be o e speaking, he says “Awk-
wa d”—O is appea s qui e accus omed o hese kinds o si ua ions. His mo he
is a sexologis and an o e sized cha ac e , who some imes akes oo much social
space, which emba asses O is endlessly. Being caugh while mas u ba ing is
he emba assing scene pa excellence in coming-o -age ilms. The man aci ly
ag ees o keep O is’s mas u ba ion a sec e om his mo he . They shake hands,
which again makes him uncom o able, al hough O is eassu es him by say-
ing, “Don’ wo y. Le -handed.”
Fleabag and Sex Educa ion sha e a sense o clumsy diso ien a ion ha is
comedic and, a he same ime, e eals some hing abou us and abou he
limi s o ou expe ience in he wo ld. This is impo an also because o he
ans o ma i e na u e o se ial cha ac e s. Wi h O is, we a e p omised an e o-
lu ion, a se o disco e ies and lea ning, whe eas Fleabag’s dad is des ined o
his pe iphe al, qui e s a ic ole—and ye , because o his, ex emely unny and
“p oduc i e” o he whole se ies. Unlike solid, monumen al ep esen a ions
o he classic complex TV, which B e Ma in (2014) desc ibes as “a s o y ell-
ing a chi ec u e you could pic u e as a colonnade” (p. 6), con empo a y se ies
c ea e, wi h abundance o de ail, an e ec o awkwa dness. They ep esen

Awkwa dness E ec Engagemen wi h Clumsy Cha ac e s 79
cha ac e s in ansi ion, who hesi a e in space, ind hemsel es in dubious si -
ua ions, o who make miss eps, because o nai e é, excessi e en husiasm, o an
igno ance o social ules.
In he case o Fleabag’s a he , because he cha ac e is no he p o agonis
o he na a i e, we can unde s and ha he su e s om anxie y, which we
empa hize wi h, bu while his speech emains comical, we a e no upse by
his discom o ; his awkwa dness doesn’ make him any mo e engaging. How-
e e , O is, clea ly designa ed as he p o agonis o Sex Educa ion, becomes, also
h ough his sequence o discom o , mo e endea ing. We be e unde s and
his psychology, we sha e wi h him a momen which—e en i i is no decisi e
o na a i e de elopmen —helps us place him in he ne wo k o cha ac e s—
no ably, his oubled ela ionship wi h his mo he . This migh help us eel eas-
su ed abou ou own ha dships when we y o be “no mal”:
… wa ching such a wide b ead h o people s uggle o igu e ou hei di e en sex-
uali ies e eals how no being no mal is no mal. The only commonali y o be ound
in ou bed oom expe iences is he ce ain y ha we’ e g o esque wei dos doing i all
w ong. And i we all eel ha way, hen ha ’s he de ini ion o no mal. (Joho, 2019)
Cha ac e s such as O is, who a e mo ed by unce ain y, who do no ind
hei place because o hei social, in ellec ual, o physical cha ac e is ics and
ace ailu e, o e a c i ique o he no ms. The one who is awkwa d mani es s
a socie y’s opp essions. As Sa a Ahmed pu s i , “Discom o in ol es his ail-
u e o i . A es lessness and uneasiness, a idge ing and wi ching, is a bodily
egis e ing o an unexpec ed a i al” ( eminis killjoys, 2013). Mo ed by such
emo ions, hey eac , hey ac . And we, mo ed by hei emo ions, eel o hem.
Awkwa dness becomes a componen o a eminis poli ics (Reese , 2017; Smi h-
P ei & S ehle, 2016).
Teenage s
Awkwa dness esul s om an aes he ic o “quee ailu e” (Halbe s am, 2011), o
a gli chy ex ual s uc u e, which mo es away om linea i y owa d collapse,
unexpec ed na a i e di ec ions, ab up cancela ion, o ecas ing … The awk-
wa dness e ec signals he impossibili y o ollowing a s aigh pa h, and i
c ea es a desi e o mo e, which signals he limi s o he p esen .
No hing mo e han adolescence highligh s such a quee s a e, a pe iod
o ansi ion, an explo a ion o possible wo lds. In ecen se ial na a i es,
adolescen cha ac e s a e displayed as clumsy and awkwa d. The adolescen
80 ma a boni
is sel -conscious, cen e ed on his own body, p eoccupied wi h c ea ing a sui -
able ex e nal image. Cons uc ion goes h ough decons uc ion o des uc ion.
Awkwa dness is ound in hei bodies, as well as in he aming. They dis up
he linea mode o expe iencing a se ies, deepen ou a achmen o hem, and
push us o ques ion he limi s o he male gaze, o he dominan pe spec i e.
We A e Who We A e (HBO, 2020) is a d ama se ies d i en by he heme o
ansi ional adolescence, bo h o hei bodies and li e p ojec s. The se ies’ i le
signals an a achmen o he dimension o he p esen , he impossibili y, o he
unwillingness o see beyond, o make plans, o adhe e o a pos u e o p oduc-
i i y and pe o mance, o e en o success ha would be measu able acco ding
o adul s anda ds. Inhe en ly quee , such i le pe ec ly con ains bo h een’s
angs (e en a “no u u e” dea h d i e (Edelman, 2005)) and awkwa dness. The
eigh i y-minu e episodes ha e space o p o ide —wi h an i egula hy hm—
in-dep h insigh s in o ce ain e en s and ce ain cha ac e s, while main aining
he cen al ocus on wo cha ac e s: F ase and Cai lin/Ha pe . Guadagnino’s
ilming s yle is in ima e and begins he show wi h close-up sho s on he een-
age s’ aces which e eal hei impe ec ions and emphasize hei awkwa dness
and diso ien a ion. As desc ibed a he beginning o his essay, F ase is no
in sync wi h he wo ld, and his ges u es a e limp and no e y agile. He is
awkwa d, and he show’s se ial s uc u e allows us o ollow F ase and Cai lin/
Ha pe ’s se e al, ine i able disappoin men s. O e he cou se o hei de elop-
men in he show, we also see how an inchoa e, u opian o ce a ises ou o his
powe ul imagina ion and, abo e all, hei iendship.
F ase ’s physical awkwa dness ma ks his human in e ac ions. The cine-
ma og aphy ames him in la ge, emp y spaces, like a beach o a ield in he
mili a y base whe e he li es. In hose spaces, he mo es eely, hopping like a
child, o hu ling h ough space on his bike. His conques o space is clumsy.
He ac s ou o place, ei he unable o ha moniously blend in wi h o unwilling
o in eg a e in o he physical and social en i onmen . Le us hink o Ma cel
Mauss, who s udied he gai o nu ses he me du ing his s ay in a hospi al
in New Yo k (Mauss, 1950). He ound hei walk mimicked he cha ac e s in
cinema and mains eam cul u e. These women knew how o mo e in space
because hey imi a ed dominan isual cul u e. In con as , F ase mo es his
body di e en ly, and he show’s aming highligh s his awkwa dness.
Clo hes a e ano he c ucial elemen in he indi idual’s ela ionship o
he wo ld and o socie y (as we also see in he Ins ag am accoun men ioned
abo e). His clo hes simila ly exp ess his awkwa d dissonance. He wea s ga ish
colo s, i egula sizes, and ends o blu bina y gende bounda ies endency.
Awkwa dness E ec Engagemen wi h Clumsy Cha ac e s 81
These elemen s clash wi h he d ea y landscape o he coun yside o in he
uni o mi y o he beach, o he coho o i s pee s.
The came a and edi ing c ea e an e ec o illness, which emphasizes his
discom o . A he same ime, hese o mal elemen s u ge he iewe o ge o
know his cha ac e and, wi h him, he wo ld he disco e s. Typical o se iali y,
we can eel close o F ase , h ough ha diso ien a ion. Like ou own expe i-
ence as eenage s, we ecognize he gap he s i es o ill be ween his desi ed
image in socie y and his ac ual appea ance. We unde s and his awkwa dness
wi hin he con ex o a se ial ele ision show, when con on ed wi h i in he
i s episode, “Righ He e, Righ Now,”1 and see ha he cha ac e s can po en-
ially de elop h oughou he se ies, and he si ua ions will e ol e in o some-
hing o he han mocke y o comedic ac ion. I is a s a e we y a all cos s o
a oid, bu h ough his dissocia ion, he show has space o ques ion no ms, and
i con ibu es o he poe ic e ec .
Awkwa dness is he e o e an exp ession o he polymo phic modali ies
o desi e, an al e na i e o m o jouissance ha he cha ac e s disco e and
explo e.
Will ul Cha ac e s
Cha ac e s who a e mo ed by unce ain y, who a e ou o place because o
hei social, in ellec ual, o physical cha ac e is ics and he e o e ace ailu e,
display a show’s complexi y. They also become mo al examples. Mo ed by emo-
ions, hey eac , hey ac . And we, mo ed by hei emo ions, migh change ou
pe cep ion o he wo ld. The cha ac e s ansi ion om one s a e o ano he ,
as i is ypical o se ial complexi y. Thei clumsiness hus becomes he ma ke
o his e y mu a ion. And some imes, o o some indi iduals, i is ha de o
i in o social no ms. This is he case o clumsy, quee cha ac e s. To sum up,
hen, we pe cei e ele ision se ies’ clumsiness om a dis ance, as an incon-
g ui y. We also ecognize he cha ac e s’ si ua ions as amilia and close o us.
Wi h hei long du a ion, se ies a e capable o ep oducing mic o-e en s o
e e yday li e, and his amilia i y is e en mo e p esen . Fo iewe s, awkwa d-
ness is a sou ce o emba assmen , discom o , diso ien a ion.
When such discom o occu s in a se ial na a i e, a he han a andom
acciden , i could, dis u bingly, become a cha ac e ai . When epea ed, he
audience wonde s i he awkwa dness will de elop in o some hing else. How
much is bea able and unde wha condi ions is i a sign o na a i e o cha ac-
e de elopmen ?
82 ma a boni
Wi hin he ele isual pano ama ha in e es s us he e, awkwa dness
becomes an elemen o d ama ic dep h, o cha ac e s who a e ull o nuances.
Awkwa dness also e eals he backg ound and en i onmen in which he
cha ac e e ol es. I is a o m o dis up ion which encou ages a econ igu a-
ion o s anda ds. The e o e, i is also he s a ing poin o a c i ique o social
no ms and a way o making oom o al e na i e o e en sub e si e o ms,
igu es, and si ua ions.
Awkwa dness can also cha ac e ize a o m o esis ance, as no ed by Lep-
e chey (2011). Fo cha ac e s whose supe io quali ies lead hem o isk and
chance, like he chi al y o Don Quixo e, awkwa dness becomes da ing, like a
leap in o he oid. Se e al se ial cha ac e s, we migh add, pe o m his in s o-
ies ha highligh sel -disco e y, change, and ansi ion; o example T anspa -
en (Amazon, 2014–2019) M s. Fle che (HBO, 2019) and We A e Who We A e.
All hese shows po ay will ul subjec s who esis no ma i e beha io (Ahmed,
2014). The disc epancy be ween ou pe cep ion o ou sel es and how he wo ld
sees us makes i di icul o pe cei e ou sel es as solid, uni a y, and cool indi-
iduals. Awkwa dness is he lack o dex e i y wi hin a gi en en i onmen .
Clumsiness has a c i ical unc ion: “And i mo ing in ime eels good, no won-
de a clumsy subjec can eel he sel a killjoy: you own body can be wha ge s
in he way o a happiness ha is assumed as on i s way” (Ahmed, 2014, p. 50).
In all hese examples, we see s a es o discom o : cha ac e s and s o ies
opposing (o no i ing in o) no ma i e beha io . They desi e oo much o oo
s ongly, ail, all la , ansi ion, si on he b ink o a b eakdown, o eco e
om i . We unde s and how uncom o able hei posi ion mus be.
Conclusions
In he landscape o complex ele ision, I am in e es ed in cha ac e s’ diso i-
en a ion ou side o he no m o he cis-he e o male: ma ginal igu es o ansi-
ional igu es. The unce ain y su ounding hese cha ac e s c ea es a o m o
suspense ha main ains na a i e ension. Such ambigui y c ea es cogni i e
engagemen . We ca e because cha ac e s a e impe ec ; we wan o know mo e
because he na a i e is s uc u ed on imbalance.
Th ough ic ion, we ica iously expe ience si ua ions ha we migh wan
o need o li e, wi hou pe sonal isk. Wi hin he ic ional pac , we migh
eel ulne able because o he diso ien a ion and he e o e we could be mo e
empa he ic owa ds o he people beyond he con ines o he ele ision show,
lea ning as well how o be e ac in socie y.
Awkwa dness E ec Engagemen wi h Clumsy Cha ac e s 83
Awkwa dness is he e o e hema ic, and p agma ic: we li e i along wi h
he cha ac e s. I is a o m o diso ien a ion ela ed o he changing s a es o
se ial p o agonis s, and o he mul iple le els o a se ies’ un olding. And while
we should ce ainly aise ques ions abou i s uni e sali y—do hese cues esul
in he same a ec i e and cogni i e esponses in all iewe s? — he awkwa d-
ness e ec can unc ion as a poli ical (quee ) d i ing o ce, which helps us
imagine o expe imen al e na i e ways o being in he wo ld. I also p o ides
us wi h a new pa h o engage wi h s o ies—con ex ualized wi hin ou cu en
eali y o social, ecological and economic c isis— h ough a s uc u e o eeling
discom o and inde e minacy.
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·5·
COGNITION AND EMOTION
IN DYSTOPIAN TV SERIAL
WORLDS: THE PURGE
Albe o He mida and Jesús Jiménez-Va ea
“Violen Passion Su oga e. Regula ly once a mon h. We lood he whole sys em
wi h ad enin. I ’s he comple e physiological equi alen o ea and age. All he
onic e ec s o mu de ing Desdemona and being mu de ed by O hello, wi hou
any o he incon eniences”
(B a e New Wo ld, Aldous Huxley, 2007 [1932], p. 211).
“The ho ible hing abou he Two Minu es Ha e was no ha one was obliged o
ac a pa , bu ha i was impossible o a oid joining in. Wi hin hi y seconds
any p e ence was always unnecessa y. A hideous ecs asy o ea and indic i e-
ness, a desi e o kill, o o u e, o smash aces in wi h a sledge hamme , seemed o
low h ough he whole g oup o people like an elec ic cu en , u ning one e en
agains one’s will in o a g imacing, sc eaming luna ic”
(Nine een Eigh y-Fou , Geo ge O well, 1949, p. 30).
Du ing he las decade, ma ked by a con ex o socioeconomic, poli ical and
cul u al c isis and unce ain y, specula i e na a i es ha e acqui ed signi ican
ele ance in popula cul u e. Speci ically, in he ield o ele ision se ialized
ic ion, dys opian wo lds ha e igu ed p ominen ly h oughou a numbe o
in e na ional p oduc ions. Ti les such as Black Mi o (Channel 4, 2011–2014;
Ne lix, 2016–), The Man in he High Cas le (Amazon P ime, 2015–2019),
Wes wo ld (HBO, 2016–), 3% (Ne lix, 2016–2020), The Handmaid’s Tale
(Hulu, 2017–) o Yea s and Yea s (BBC & HBO, 2019), o name a ew, p opose
86 he mida and jiménez- a ea
specula ions on he d i s and ex apola ions o con empo a y socie y as a con-
sequence o —and wi h a ocus on— echnological, demog aphic, and/o ideo-
logical aspec s, among o he a iables.
In connec ion wi h such issues, his chap e e iews he p edominan dys-
opian ca ego ies in he landscape o ele ision ic ion; and hen s udies he
case o The Pu ge (USA Ne wo k, 2018–2019). This ele ision se ies is pa o
he luc a i e ansmedia anchise o he same name, c ea ed by James DeMo-
naco, who has w i en and di ec ed he i s h ee ilms—The Pu ge (2013), The
Pu ge: Ana chy (2014) and The Pu ge: Elec ion Yea (2016)—and has w i en
he o he wo o da e—The Fi s Pu ge (Ge a d McMu ay, 2018) and The Fo -
e e Pu ge (E e a do Vale io Gou , 2021). In addi ion, DeMonaco has se ed as
execu i e p oduce o he ele ision se ies and has w i en some o i s episodes.
The Pu ge’s ic ional uni e se ea u es a Uni ed S a es uled by an au ho i a ian
pa y, he New Founding Fa he s o Ame ica (NFFA), which has ins i u ed a
new na ional holiday, he eponymous Pu ge, consis ing o one nigh a yea
du ing which all ci izens can legally unleash hei agg ession, os ensibly o
e adica e iolen c ime o he es o he yea . D awing om no ions such
as Ca l Plan inga’s “cinema ic emo ions” (2009) and Noël Ca oll’s “e o e ic
na a i e” and “c i e ial p e ocusing” (2010, 2019), he case s udy del es in o
how he speci ici ies o se ial ic ion con ibu e o he emo ional and a ec i e
dimensions o he “c i ical dys opia” (Sa gen , 1994), wi h special a en ion o
how a i ac emo ions, di ec emo ions and me aemo ions in e ac wi h he
gene ic con en ions and hema ic p eoccupa ions on which his se ies pi o s.
Dys opia and TV Se ies
De ini ion, C i e ia and Ca ego ies o Dys opia
I is well known ha he e m “u opia” comes om he i le o Thomas Mo e’s
seminal book o 1516, al hough he phenomenon o which i e e s ob iously
exis ed be o e his canonical wo k, o example—in i s mos p onouncedly
philosophical aspec —wi hin he wo ks o Pla o, whe e he desc ibes A lan is
(Timaeus, C i ias) and o he ideal s a es (The Republic, The Laws). Acco ding
o Lyman Towe Sa gen (1994), a u opia is “a non-exis en socie y desc ibed in
conside able de ail and no mally loca ed in ime and space” (p. 9), upon which
is p ojec ed some o m o u opianism, ha is, “social d eaming— he d eams
and nigh ma es ha conce n he ways in which g oups o people a ange hei
li es and which usually en ision a adically di e en socie y han he ones in
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 87
which he d eame s li e” (p. 3). Thus, his gen e ocuses on he ic ional ep-
esen a ion o some kind o sociopoli ical sys em e y di e en om ha o i s
c ea o s and he audience o whom i was o iginally add essed. In eali y, i can
be o ien ed no only owa ds he desi able d eam, as es ablished by i s mos e-
quen use o u opia as a synonym o a pe ec socie y, bu also owa ds a nigh -
ma ish s a e o a ai s ha would be bes a oided a all cos s. In e ymological
igo , “u- opia” is a non-place, a place ha exis s only in he ic ion in ques ion.
When i se es o p opose a be e wo ld, i is o be known by i s phone ic win,
“eu opia,” a good place, while when i poin s owa ds deg ading ex apola ion
he e m is “caco opia,” a bad place, o he be e known “dys opia,” he de ia-
ion om a (good) place in o a much wo se one (Gómez, 2021, p. 28). Add ess-
ing he gen e’s he o ical dimension (Mille , 1984), Pamela Bedo e a gues ha
u opia and dys opia ep esen wo di e en he o ical esponses o he same
social anxie ies: he o me desc ibes a socie y whe e he p oblem has been
sol ed and hus p o ides us wi h a “bluep in o he solu ion,” while in he
la e “ou wo s ea s ha e become eali y,” so i unc ions he o ically as “a
cau iona y ale” (Bedo e, 2017, p. 10).
P obably he mos hype bolic exp essions o he wo u opian ex emes a e
Hea en and Hell, unde s ood as places beyond ea hly li e o which, acco ding
o Ch is ian doc ine, people’s ac ions will lead hem: he i uous o he o -
me , he sin ul o he la e . F om his pe spec i e, Dan e Alighie i’s The Di ine
Comedy (c. 1320) is an in e es ing case o successi e p esen a ion o he dys opia
and he eu opia pa excellence, as he au ho - u ned-cha ac e o his own na -
a i e mo es om one o he o he in his wande ing h ough he a e li e. I is
wo h emembe ing he e ha he ic ional Dan e is also a wi ness o ha zone
o expia ion ha is Pu ga o y, no only because o i s e ymological and seman ic
ela ionship wi h he i le o he ele ision se ies add essed below, bu abo e all
because i ep esen s he shades o g ay ha almos ine i ably pe mea e e e y
u opian na a i e. So much so ha Mo e’s U opia i sel is a om being pu ely
eu opian, o i does no ep esen a pe ec socie y, inso a as “i s al e na i e
o Mo e’s Tudo England includes sla e y, capi al punishmen , and a signi ican
di ide be ween social and economic classes” (Sands, 2017, p. 178). This obse -
a ion b ings ou he con lic ing essence ha makes he u opian gen e such a
s imula ing na a i e amewo k o he deba e abou eali y and he di ec ion o
socie ies: he eu opia o some may be he dys opia o o he s wi h di e en ways o
hinking and/o unde di e en ci cums ances (Pineda, 2021, p. 15).
In his ega d i is illus a i e o conside one o he ea lies examples o
u opian li e a u e—o he dys opian subgen e in pa icula —in he Uni ed
94 he mida and jiménez- a ea
and olk ho o in a small Cali o nian own ha goes mu de ously insane on
ha e y nigh (Mui , 2007, pp. 29, 37, 140).
O he classic an hology se ies also occasionally ga e space o dys opias
and/o elemen s akin o The Pu ge, including Rod Se ling’s The Twiligh Zone
(CBS, 1959–1964), specializing in science ic ion and ho o : “The Obsole e
Man” (S02E29) and “Numbe 12 Looks Jus like You” (S05E17) p esen wo
ex book dys opian u u es—in he o me , an a heis dic a o ship ha has
banned books sen ences a lib a ian who belie es in god o dea h, while in he
la e , ci izens a e o ced o unde go cosme ic su ge y when hey each adul -
hood o con o m o he canons o beau y; “The Mons e s A e Due on Maple
S ee ”(S01E22) and “The Shel e ” (S03E03) highligh he Cold Wa clima e
o pa anoia ha leads o mass hys e ia and iolen chaos in seemingly peace ul
communi ies, wi h he ul ima e mo al ha human beings a e hei own wo s
enemies; and “The Masks” (S05E25) is a ale se a Ma di G as in New O le-
ans whe e g o esque masks e eal he equally mons ous na u e o hose who
wea hem.
The long- unning science ic ion se ies Doc o Who (BBC, 1963–1988;
2005–) has also included impo an doses o skep icism abou he pe ec soci-
e y and ala m abou dys opias: he main cha ac e himsel is a Time Lo d who
se s ou on ad en u es on boa d his old- ashioned ime machine, TARDIS,
bo ed wi h he mono ony o his species; and o e he se ies’ many decades,
he a ious inca na ions o he Doc o ha e epea edly had o con end wi h
he h ea o he bellige en ci iliza ion o he Daleks, as well as he o ganic-
mechanic hyb ids called Cybe men, who seek o u n o he un o una es in o
beings like hemsel es—no o men ion he Doc o ’s isi o an al e na e uni-
e se whe e B i ain is a ascis s a e (S07E19-S07E25: “In e no”). Likewise,
he i s S a T ek se ies, men ioned abo e, and i s successo s in he anchise
ha e o e ed my iad examples o undesi able ci iliza ions in he o m o he
o ali a ian enemy powe s aced by he echno-u opian Uni ed Fede a ion o
Plane s, om he classic Romulans and Klingons o he Ca dassians and he
mul i-species Dominion, as well as he ul a-capi alis Fe engi. Bu p obably
he mos imposing o hese dys opian h ea s o hei o al absence o human-
i y was he Bo g collec i e o S a T ek: The Nex Gene a ion (syndica ion,
1987–1994), wi h i s incessan slogan, “Resis ance is u ile,” which con inues o
plague he anchise’s se ies o his day (Chai es, 2003, p. 273). In addi ion, S a
T ek has p og essi ely ques ioned he eu opian pe ec ion o he as o u u is
Fede a ion, om S a T ek: Deep Space Nine (syndica ion, 1993–1999) o S a
T ek: Pica d (CBS All Access, 2020; Pa amoun +, 2022–2023), bu undoub edly

Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 95
he anchise’s mos ob ious exe cise in an i-u opia is he Mi o Uni e se,
an al e na e eali y popula ed by pe e se doppelgänge s o he gene ally
noble membe s o he a ious S a lee c ews. Howe e , he e is one pa icula
episode o he o iginal se ies ha The Pu ge c ea o , James DeMonaco, has
acknowledged as a di ec inspi a ion: “The Re u n o he A chons” (S01E21)
depic s a plane domina ed by a compu e ized in elligence, whose gene ally
docile inhabi an s pe iodically indulge in he so-called Fes i al, a day o io-
len debauche y (Vaux, 2021).
In his cul u al his o y o science ic ion ilm and ele ision, Lincoln Ge -
agh y (2009) explains ha he gen e was in es ed wi h a “nega i i y” in he
la e 1960s ha con inued in o he ollowing decade, p obably d i en by wo
e y di e en ilms, 2001: A Space Odyssey (S anley Kub ick, 1968) and The
Plane o he Apes (F anklin J. Scha ne , 1968). P ecisely, he la e , wi h i s
shocking pos -apocalyp ic ending, ga e ise o a sequel and se e al p equels
ha explained how apes came o subjuga e humans, as well as a sho ele i-
sion se ies, Plane o he Apes (CBS, 1974), which ook up he app oaches o
he i s ilm ins allmen o he small sc een. This was no he only ime ha
Ame ican ele ision ollowed his s a egy o bo owing om ilm hi s o sa -
is y he demand o science ic ion se ies; hus, he ilm Logan’s Run (Michael
Ande son, 1976), which po ays a ques ionable u opia in which e e yone
mus die on eaching he age o 30, also ga e ise o a sho -li ed se ies o he
same i le (CBS, 1977–1978). In he 1970s, Hollywood cinema hos ed o he
now-classic examples o he dys opian gen e, such as Silen Running (Douglas
T umbull, 1972), Soylen G een (Richa d Fleische , 1973), Rolle ball (No man
Jewison, 1975) and Dea h Race 2000 (Paul Ba el, 1975). Especially he la e
wo a e in e es ing in ela ion o The Pu ge because hey desc ibe dys opian
socie ies in which agg ession be ween ci izens and e en be ween di e en
s a es has d as ically dec eased hanks o he p omo ion o le hal spo s
compe i ions ha e e yone ollows passiona ely. This p emise had a ecen
p eceden in he I alian ilm La decima i ima (Elio Pe i, 1965), se in he
pos -Wo ld Wa III yea o 2079, when go e nmen s ha e designed a me hod
o dispel iolen ins inc s: “The Big Hun ,” a kind o eali y show in which
con es an s hun and kill each o he . The heme o he hun o human p ey
has i s g ea e e en in Richa d Connell’s s o y “The Mos Dange ous Game”
(Collie ’s, Janua y 19, 1924) and i s mul iple ilm adap a ions om 1932 o he
p esen (The Mos Dange ous Game, Jus in Lee, 2022). Likewise, his idea was
embodied in he dys opian a ian o deadly spo s om he ilms men ioned
abo e o o he s such as The Running Man (Paul Michael Glase , 1987)—on
96 he mida and jiménez- a ea
a no el by S ephen King (1982)—o he ilm se ies The Hunge Games (Ga y
Ross, 2012; F ancis Law ence, 2013–2015)—on he no els by Suzanne Collins
(2008–2010). Close o his ca ego y a e also he ilms Wes wo ld (Michael
C ich on, 1973) and Fu u ewo ld (Richa d T. He on, 1976), as well as he
ele ision se ies inspi ed by hem, Wes wo ld (HBO, 2016–2022), all abou
he concep o a heme pa k whe e isi o s can unleash hei wo s ins inc s
on and oids indis inguishable om human beings.5 Also, he combina ion o
le hal con es s wi h apo ophobia and adical social Da winism—all essen ial
ing edien s o The Pu ge anchise—has esul ed in se ies like he B azilian
3% (Ne lix, 2016–2020) and he Sou h Ko ean hi The Squid Game (Ne -
lix, 2021–), which depic how hopelessness debases he unde p i ileged o he
poin o killing each o he o amuse he a luen , hoping o a chance o mo e
up he social ladde .
I is in e es ing o conside he e he dys opian aspec s— a he han
being dys opias pe se—inhe en in he in asion gen e, p opelled p ima ily
by he popula i y o Geo ge Tomkyns Chesney’s The Ba le o Do king: Rem-
iniscences o a Volun ee (1871). This no ella ecoun s om he pe spec i e o
a 1920s na a o a ic ional in asion o England by a Ge man-speaking powe
in he p esen o i s o iginal publica ion. Chesney’s in en ion was o wa n o
wha he pe cei ed as a eal dange om P ussia and o call o p epa edness.
As de ailed in Cla ke (1995), up o he e e o Wo ld Wa I such na a i es
p oli e a ed, including i s alien in asion a ian , ini ia ed by H. G. Wells
wi h his The Wa o he Wo lds (1898). Descendan o his idea is he popu-
la mul i-se ies V / V: The Final Ba le / V: The Se ies (NBC, 1983–1985)—
emade as V (ABC, 2009–2011)—whe e human-looking aliens known as he
Visi o s a i e on Ea h, os ensibly in ending o help humani y wi h hei
mo e ad anced echnology. Howe e , a su p ising plo wis hen e eals ha
hese aliens a e ac ually a -ea ing ep ilian beings in disguise, whose eal
goal is s ealing he plane ’s wa e . V en e s dys opian e i o y when he Visi-
o s occupy he Uni ed S a es and decla e ma ial law, esul ing in a scena io
in which mos humans a e simply subdued and some a e collabo a ionis s,
while he se ies’ he oes o m a med esis ance mili ias, as in he Eu opean
coun ies occupied by Ge many du ing Wo ld Wa II. In ac , he design o
V’s alien ci iliza ion, om i s own swas ika-like insignia and SS-s yle uni-
o ms o he ascis oid egime i sel , was inspi ed by he Nazis (She man,
2022, pp. 48–49).
O he na a i es ha e add essed he possibili y o he Uni ed S a es being
occupied by he Nazis wi hou eso ing o ex a e es ial sub e uge, mos
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 97
no ably by eplacing he p emise o an alien in asion wi h he eso o al e -
na e his o y. A his poin , i is necessa y o e u n o he igu e o Philip
K. Dick, inso a as his no el The Man in he High Cas le (1962)— ecen ly
u ned in o a ele ision se ies—is he pa adigma ic example o his dys opian
ca ego y: a s o ywo ld in which he Ge man-Japanese Axis won Wo ld Wa II
and he wo coun ies spli he domina ion o he plane , so ha he Eas and
Wes coas s o he Uni ed S a es a e occupied espec i ely by Nazi Ge many
and Impe ial Japan. Dys opian wis s ega ding he de elopmen o Wo ld
Wa II a e a a o i e o al e na e his o ies and he e is no sho age o o he
examples, such as Len Deigh on’s no el SS-GB (1978), adap ed in o a ele i-
sion se ies (BBC, 2017), o Robe Ha is’ no el Fa he land (1992), u ned in o
a ele ision mo ie (HBO, Ch is ophe Menaul, 1994). In he las yea s o he
Cold Wa , U.S. sc eens also ha bo ed an asies abou he possibili y o a So ie
in asion: his is he case in John Milius’ ilm Red Dawn (1984)—in he 2012
emake (Dan B adley), he in ade s a e No h Ko eans— ea u ing a g oup o
young pa io ic gue illa igh e s esis ing occupa ion. Likewise, he ele ision
se ies Ame ika (ABC, 1987) p esen s a 1997 Uni ed S a es ha has been unde
USSR con ol o a decade.
Bu h ea s o democ acy do no come exclusi ely om ex e nal o ces;
o en he wo s enemy has always been wi hin. Na a i e specula ion abou a
ascis pa y coming o powe in he Uni ed S a es had a pionee in he i s
U.S. Nobel lau ea e in li e a u e, Sinclai Lewis, who w o e I Can’ Happen
He e (1935) in esponse o he ise o ascism in Eu ope. Lewis’ no el is based
on he p emise ha P esiden F anklin D. Roose el would be de ea ed in he
1936 elec ion by a populis sena o who, upon eaching he Whi e House,
would implemen a ep essi e egime simila o ha which, a he ime, exis ed
in eal-wo ld Ge many and I aly. I Can’ Happen He e was no adap ed as such
o he big sc een, al hough he cul ilm I Happened He e (Ke in B ownlow &
And ew Mollo, 1964) makes an ob ious nod in i s i le o Sinclai ’s no el; in
his ama eu p oduc ion, he p ospec i e dys opia abou he Uni ed S a es o
he la e 1930s becomes an al e na e his o y ansplan ed o a B i ain occupied
by he Nazis since hei ic o y a he Ba le o Dunki k. On he small sc een,
Lewis’ book inspi ed he ele ision ilm Shadow on he Land (also known as
Uni ed S a es: I Can’ Happen He e, ABC, Richa d C. Sa a ian, 1968), which
loosely upda ed he no el’s plo o he la e 1960s. O e a decade la e , in 1982,
ele ision w i e Kenne h Johnson d ew on I Can’ Happen He e o de elop a
se ies p ojec en a i ely i led S o m Wa nings ha he pi ched o NBC; how-
e e , he ne wo k’s execu i es ejec ed he idea ha US ci izens could elec a
98 he mida and jiménez- a ea
ascis P esiden , p e e ing ins ead o ha e Johnson ewo k his p oposal as a
Nazi-like alien in asion, esul ing in he V se ies men ioned abo e (She man,
2022, p. 48). In ecen imes, he p emise o an au ho i a ian go e nmen being
ins alled in he Uni ed S a es o some o he coun y wi h a democ a ic adi-
ion no longe seems so a - e ched o uncomme cial, pe haps because o he
poli ical e olu ion o he eal wo ld. Indeed, he so-called al - igh has been on
he ise in e na ionally o e he las wo decades, eaching posi ions o powe
e en wi hin well-es ablished democ acies. In ha sense, and as a as he sub-
jec o his chap e is conce ned, he mos ele an example is undoub edly
ha o Donald T ump, who held he o ice o P esiden o he Uni ed S a es
be ween 2016 and 2020. The ascis and e en Hi le ian echoes o T ump’s pub-
lic manne s and ideological discou se ha e no gone unno iced by poli ical
analys s:
Ce ainly, T ump is no Hi le and his ini ial ollowe s du ing he 2016 elec ion we e
no echnically ascis s, al hough we belie e ha we can use he e ms au ho i a ian
populism o neo- ascism o explain T ump and his suppo e s in he lead-up o he
2016 elec ion and in o his p esidency. Au ho i a ian mo emen s anging om Ge -
man and I alian ascism o F anco’s Spain o La in Ame ican and o he dic a o ships
h oughou he wo ld, which cen e on an au ho i a ian leade and ollowe s who
submi o hei leade ship and demands. We a gue ha Donald T ump is an au ho i-
a ian leade who has mobilized an au ho i a ian populis mo emen ha ollows his
leade ship. (Akande & Kellne , 2023, pp. 5–6)
The ic ional ex apola ion o such au ho i a ian d i s a e he s a ing
poin o some o he mos ou s anding examples o con empo a y ele i-
sion dys opias, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, based on he classic by gen e
specialis Ma ga e A wood (1985): in he se ies, a coup d’é a has ins alled
in he Uni ed S a es a misogynis heoc acy known as he Republic o
Gilead ha sexually ensla es women o p oc ea ion. On i s pa , he mini-
se ies Yea s and Yea s, a u u e s o y ha akes place be ween 2019 and 2040
h ough he expe iences o an a e age amily, desc ibes he ascension o
he B i ish go e nmen o an ou spoken businesswoman combining ai s
o eal al - igh leade s om T ump o Gio gia Meloni. Finally, o ge o
he se ies on which he es o he chap e will ocus, The Pu ge, as pa
o he anchise o he same i le, akes place in a Uni ed S a es go e ned
by he NFFA, a eac iona y pa y whose lagship policy o end c ime and
unemploymen is o ins i u e a new na ional holiday whe eby, one nigh a
yea , i is legal o any ci izen o commi almos any kind o ac , no ma e
how iolen .
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 99
F om Film o Se iali y: Emo ions
and TV Se ies
Ca l Plan inga’s Cinema ic Emo ions
This chap e adap s o ele ision se ies he classi ica ion o emo ions ha Ca l
Plan inga de elops in ela ion o cinema in his ex “Emo ion and A ec ”
(2009). In i , he au ho speci ies he di e ences be ween ex acinema ic and
cinema ic emo ions, and de e mines h ee undamen al ca ego ies o he la e ,
which he explo es in dep h.
To begin wi h, Plan inga (2009) iden i ies he “ ic ion emo ions”, subdi-
ided in o “di ec ” and “sympa he ic/an ipa he ic emo ions” (p. 90). While he
o me , such as cu iosi y o ascina ion, ake as hei objec he de elopmen
o he na a i e i sel , he la e , in connec ion wi h “cha ac e engagemen ”
(Smi h, 1995), ake as hei objec he na u e, a i ude o si ua ion o a speci ic
cha ac e in he ilm (and hese can be “p o-emo ions”, such as admi a ion
o compassion, o “con-emo ions”, like con emp o disgus ) (Plan inga, 2009,
p. 90). Secondly, he au ho dis inguishes he so-called “a i ac emo ions,”
ha is, hose ha ake he ilm i sel as hei objec , de i ed he e o e om
issues oo ed in he pa icula i ies o he p oduc ion (p. 89). Thus, he iewe
may be ascina ed by he p oduc ion design and a di ec ion, seduced by he
cinema og aphy and he echnical expe ise o he came a mo emen s, o eel
admi a ion o he na a i e cons uc ion o he s o y. Finally, Plan inga pu s
he spo ligh on “me aemo ions,” hose cen e ed on he iewe ’s own esponse
in a e lexi e way (p. 89). Fo example, eeling disappoin ed wi h onesel a e
ha ing un ai ly judged he p o agonis o he s o y, o sa is ied a e ha ing
placed us in he igh cha ac e .
Thus, ans e ing Plan inga’s classi ica ion o ele ision se iali y, he
ollowing pages look a he case s udy o The Pu ge, in o de o explo e ou -
s anding mani es a ions o a i ac and di ec emo ions and me aemo ions, in
connec ion wi h he Noël Ca oll’s models ha a e p esen ed below.
Noël Ca oll’s “E o e ic Na a ion” and “C i e ial
P e ocusing” Models
In “Mo ies, Na a ion and he Emo ions” (2019), Ca oll del es in o he model
o “e o e ic na a ion” he had p e iously de eloped o explain how comme cial
ilm na a i es ge and keep he iewe ’s in e es (Ca oll, 2010), as well as he

100 he mida and jiménez- a ea
p ocess o “c i e ial p e ocusing” ha guides he iewe ’s a en ion, demon-
s a ing he easibili y and ad an ages o hei me hodological conjuga ion. In
his sec ion, we ake hese ilm-based heo e ical p oposals and adap hem o
he speci ici ies o ele ision se ies, conside ing he pa icula i ies ha se iali y
b ings in his sense. To do so, we necessa ily ake in o accoun ha he se ies
objec o he case s udy is pa o a ilm anchise, which ex ends i s na a i e
uni e se o he ealms o ele ision ic ion.
Speci ically, Ca oll’s (2019) e o e ic ( om he G eek “pe aining o
ques ioning”) na a ion model ocuses on he cha ac e is ic way in which
mass-ma ke mo ies wo k in e ms o ou key aspec s: “(1) how a mo ie holds
ou a en ion […]; (2) how spec a o s a e able o ollow i s un olding; (3) how i
succeeds in making us eel ha i is uni ied; and (4) how i engende s a eeling
o closu e” (pp. 209–210). F om hese, Ca oll concei es such mo ies’ na a i e
as a p ocess o posing ques ions and answe s, in a pe manen “dialogue” wi h
he iewe ha eeds his cu iosi y and main ains his unce ain y. All hese
ques ions, wi h hei espec i e answe s, cons i u e an “e ol ing ne wo k” ha
gi es he wo k ( he appea ance o ) uniqueness and cohe ence (p. 211). In his
p ocess, a hie a chical dynamic is imposed, descending om he “p esiding
mac o ques ions”, dominan and o global na u e in ela ion o he s o y, o
mo e localized/mo e limi ed scope “mic o ques ions”, subo dina e o he p e i-
ous ones and o local cha ac e , elemen a y o wea e he seams be ween scenes
and sequences (pp. 212–213).
Following his model, i s applica ion o ele ision ic ion allows o expand
he ne wo k o ques ions and answe s o he s uc u al pa icula i ies o se iali y,
as a global piece subdi ided in o seasons and episodes. This is no a a - e ched
ex apola ion, since ele ision w i e s o en wo k on he assump ion ha ,
In concei ing a TV pilo , you ini ial c ea i e p ocess migh be e y simila o w i ing
a sc eenplay o a ea u e-leng h mo ie: p emise, se ing, cha ac e de elopmen —
bu he icky pa is ecognizing ha you’ e no w i ing owa d he ul ima e payo a
he climax. Ins ead, you’ e ge ing you audience up o speed on he "a ena" (se ing,
logis ics, cha ac e s, laye s o back-s o y) o you se ies—and hen se ing he s age
o a s o y ha un olds om episode o episode and/o week o week. In his way, he
end o you pilo is he beginning o you se ies. (Landau, 2022, p. 88)
The e o e, when i comes o a ele ision se ies, he e o e ic model expands
o mac o ques ions capable o co e ing an en i e se ies a i s highes le el,
p og essi ely descending o he le els o seasons, episodes and, wi hin each
o hese, ques ions o inc easingly smalle scale down o he mic o ques ions
en isaged by Ca oll.
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 101
Wi h ega d o he c i e ial p e ocusing p ocess, as he au ho a gues,
“emo ions a e psycho-physical mechanisms ha we use o nego ia e he en i-
onmen ” (2019, p. 214); an en i onmen ha , unlike e e yday li e, in ilms
“has al eady been designed o make ce ain emo ional hemes such as, o
ins ance, dange o injus ice s and ou ” (p. 216). Thus, wi h c i e ial p e ocus-
ing, he main way in which ilms a ac he iewe ’s emo ions acco ding o
he au ho (p. 217), Ca oll concen a es on hose elemen s ha con igu e he
sho , he scene and he sequence and ha ha e been p e iously selec ed and
highligh ed by he ilmmake h ough isual, sound, na a i e and d ama u -
gical de ices. The e is, he e o e, a p io il e es ablished by he ilmmake ,
which guides he iewe ’s a en ion o he elemen s ha equi e a speci ic,
in ended and condi ioned emo ional esponse: “This p e ocusing, mo eo e , is
c i e ial because he selec ed objec s o a en ion a e c i e ially app op ia e o
he in ended emo ion” (p. 216). Thus, consequen ly, cha ac e s and si ua ions
ha e been c i e ially p e ocused, obeying a p e ious design ha di ec s he
iewe ’s emo ions in he planned di ec ion.
Case S udy: Dys opia and Emo ions
in The Pu ge
The Pu ge is a ilm anchise c ea ed by James DeMonaco, p oduced by Blum-
house P oduc ions and Pla inum Dunes and dis ibu ed by Uni e sal Pic u es
ha p esen s “a dys opian pic u e o he Uni ed S a es ha concep ualizes and
challenges he in e sec ions o s uc u al economic inequali y and acism in
he neolibe al s a e” (A ms ong, 2019, p. 377). Unde he go e nmen o he
NFFA, he coun y pe pe ua es he p e ailing economic and acial injus ice
h ough a iolence no only pe mi ed, bu also encou aged, unde s ood as
ca ha ic and healing, which c ys allizes in he so-called “Pu ge Nigh ”. This
ma e ializes du ing 12 hou s a yea in which ana chy is imposed, gi ing ee
ein o mu de and eckoning; a si ua ion o excep ionali y concei ed as a
igh , and in which ulne abili y and ma ginali y go hand in hand, as opposed
o he p i ilege o he powe ul, less exposed o “cleanliness” and ba ba ism.
Mo e speci ically, as he secu i y message ha begins he Pu ge Nigh s a es:
This is you eme gency b oadcas sys em announcing he commencemen o he
Annual Pu ge sanc ioned by he US Go e nmen . Weapons o class 4 and lowe ha e
been au ho ized o use du ing he Pu ge. All o he weapons a e es ic ed. Go e n-
men o icials o anking 10 ha e been g an ed immuni y om he Pu ge and shall
102 he mida and jiménez- a ea
no be ha med. Commencing a he si en, any and all c ime, including mu de , will
be legal o 12 con inuous hou s. Police, i e, and eme gency medical se ices will be
una ailable un il omo ow mo ning a 7 am, when he Pu ge concludes. Blessed be
ou New Founding Fa he s and Ame ica, a na ion ebo n. May God be wi h you all.
Following he anchise’s ic ional ch onology, he ou h ilm, The Fi s
Pu ge, is a p equel ha ecoun s he expe imen al es o his p ac ice, geo-
g aphically es ic ed o S a en Island, in he yea 2017. The o iginal ilm, The
Pu ge, is se on he i h nigh o he Pu ge and cen e s on he subu ban home
o James Sandin, a success ul secu i y company execu i e who has g own ich
p ecisely because o he demand o p o ec ion du ing ha iolen annual hol-
iday.6 The second ilm, The Pu ge: Ana chy, mo es he ac ion o he s ee s
o a big ci y wi h mul iple cha ac e s and plo lines ha in e sec du ing he
six h Pu ge Nigh . The hi d ilm ins allmen , The Pu ge: Elec ion Yea , jumps
o wa d o he yea 2040, ep ising a cha ac e om he p e ious ilm, o me
police se gean Leo Ba nes, he e a bodygua d o an i-Pu ge p esiden ial candi-
da e Cha lie Roan, whom he NFFA wan s dead; a he end o his ilm, Roan
is elec ed P esiden o he Uni ed S a es and abolishes he Pu ge. The i h and
inal ilm o da e, The Fo e e Pu ge, is se a ew yea s la e , when he NFFA has
e u ned o go e nmen and eins a ed he Pu ge, bu he e a e adical g oups
all o e he coun y who e use o limi hei a med iolence o one nigh a
yea , so he si ua ion escala es in o o al na ionwide chaos, hus demons a ing
he ul ima e u ili y o he Pu ge.
The ele ision se ies, which p emie ed on USA Ne wo k wi h Thomas
Kelly as i s show unne , expands he na a i e uni e se o he ilm anchise,
wi h wo seasons o en episodes each, o iginally b oadcas ed in 2018 and
2019. Fic ionally, he e en s o he se ies all be ween hose o he ilms The
Pu ge: Ana chy and The Pu ge: Elec ion Yea , wi h he i s season aking place
du ing he Pu ge Nigh o 2027, while he second season p ima ily co e s he
yea om Pu ge Nigh 2036 o Pu ge Nigh 2037. Bo h seasons ollow mul iple
p o agonis s, whose li es un on he edge and in pa allel, imme sed in a dys o-
pian cock ail ha explo es hemes such as iolence, ca ha sis and pu i ica ion,
economic and acial inequali y and injus ice, go e nmen co up ion, o con-
ol and su eillance, among many o he s.
E o e ic Na a ion and The Pu ge F anchise as a Whole
The Pu ge anchise is a clea case o diege ic expansion om he en icing
emb yo o a dys opian s o ywo ld encapsula ed in i s i s ins allmen . In
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 103
ha case, he high concep o a na ional holiday/social-enginee ing policy
consis ing o legalizing o one nigh a yea any kind o iolen ac se ed o
a ionalize a home in asion ho o s o y. In he o iginal The Pu ge ilm, his
a ionaliza ion sough o answe he ques ion o why a g oup o young masked
kille s besiege and hen in ade he Sandin amily home in an a luen Los
Angeles subu b. He e i is in e es ing o no e ha , a he beginning o one o
he mos ele an audio isual dys opias, A Clockwo k O ange (S anley Kub ick,
1971), he p o agonis and his gang pe pe a e a shocking home in asion ha
cha ac e izes hem as he b u al esul o a messed-up socie y. On he o he
hand, in S aw Dogs (Sam Peckinpah, 1971), mos o he ilm is de o ed o
building up he hos ili y o he locals owa ds he mild-manne ed p o agonis
and he escala ion o a on s ha e en ually ac i a es he la e ’s capaci y
o iolence when i comes o pu ing down he a acke s in he climac ic
home in asion. Howe e , he home in asion ho o subgen e e ol ed in such
a way ha siege-and-in asion i sel p og essi ely ook cen e s age as well as
he bulk o he oo age, o en o he de imen o he causes o he a ack. In
ac , he easons o he in asion do no e en igu e among he p esiding ques-
ions ha cha ac e ize he subgen e’s o mula in line wi h Ca oll’s e o e ic
model. As Da io Macucci (2020) a gues, “ he ques ions gene a ing suspense in
home in asion mo ies a e: Is someone ying o en e he house? When his
is a i ma i ely answe ed: Will he in ude s succeed in killing he esiden s?”
(p. 251).
The o iginal The Pu ge does indeed con o m o he in e oga i e o mula
ou lined by Macucci, bu i also inco po a es some ques ions speci ic o he
anchise’s pa icula p emise. Since any kind o iolen ac is pe mi ed o a
ew hou s a yea , he e is always he possibili y ha someone will ake ad an-
age o hem o e alia e expedi iously e en o pe y qua els. Such is, in ac ,
he case in he ilm ha opens he anchise when he boy iend o he San-
dins’ daugh e unexpec edly ies o kill he a he , James, who is no en husi-
as ic abou hei ela ionship. F om ha momen on, new ques ions a ise: who
else migh ha e plans o kill whom du ing his nigh and why? A he end o
he ilm, he iewe ’s cu iosi y is sa is ied when he same neighbo s who had
beha ed con en ionally iendly o he Sandins on he e e o he Pu ge, now
wan o kill hem because hey en y hei economic p ospe i y. In sho , he
co e concep o The Pu ge se es o p o ide he sp ingboa d o he home in a-
sion, in a subgen e ha seemed o ha e allen in o a nihilis ic d i in e ms
o he mo i a ions o he agg esso s, especially a e he 9/11 a acks. This is
bes ep esen ed by The S ange s (B yan Be ino, 2008), whe e, o he ic ims’
110 he mida and jiménez- a ea
he si en is imposed, he iden i ying signal ha ini ia es and closes he Pu ge
Nigh . O e his sco e, he dominan uneasiness is ein o ced by he selec ion
o images, a imes mo e ambiguous o abs ac (mainly in he case o he i s
season) o in clea connec ion wi h he con en s o he se ies, as happens wi h
he ideo su eillance eco dings o he ep esen a i e GOD mask o he sec-
ond season. The images a e also condi ioned by hei isual ea men , bo h
om he ch oma ic poin o iew, and especially by he use o il e s and ex-
u es ha de e io a e and dis o hem, as happens, g aphically, wi h he b o-
ken ypog aphy ha i les he se ies.
In his sense, he e a e nume ous esou ces o he mo ing image language
ha se e o con igu e/shape a speci ic “mood” (Smi h, 2003, p. 42), which
en elops he na a i e, de ines he se ies, and guides he iewe ’s emo ions
along a aced pa h.8 F equen ly, he e a e exp essi e solu ions which a e
common o he anchise— ha is, ecu en s yle ma ks inhe i ed om ilm
p oduc ions—as opposed o o he pa icula esou ces, which belong ins ead
o he speci ic sub-uni e se o he ele ision se ies. Unde his app oach, p o-
duc ion and cos ume designs, a di ec ion and pho og aphy assume a p om-
inen ole, essen ial o he se ing and, he e o e, o he con igu a ion o an
a mosphe e in acco dance wi h he s o y, aes he ically ecognizable and emo-
ionally shaping.
Thus, o example, he iewe is imme sed in he nigh ime en i onmen
o he Pu ge, whe e uncon olled iolence eigns, exe cised by indi iduals who
hide behind masks and dis u bing cos umes, which acili a e anonymi y and
os e con usion, a sense o dange and, ul ima ely, ea . The ascina ing isual
design lends a g o esque quali y o a “dehumanized” nigh du ing which he
showcase o sinis e masks endows he s o y wi h he ing edien s o ho o and
slashe ; codes ha appeal o he emo ional in a isce al way. The noc u nal
na u e as a ime ame plays a de e mining ole o enhance he sensa ions
desc ibed and ac i a e he duali y o da kness/ligh , which is es ablished as
a dynamic o ma ked con as in The Pu ge. In addi ion o his duali y, he e
is also he ex e nal/in e nal binomial, in he game o opposi ions ha he
se ies un olds. In he da kness o he nigh , he “hun ” un olds sa agely in
he s ee s, on hose who a e exposed and ulne able, a he me cy o sadis ic
an asies. Pho og aphically, he ligh ing oscilla es be ween absence and p es-
ence, be ween he coldness and wa m h o con as ing colo empe a u es. A
imes, e en he nigh ision il e s he image and e eals o he iewe he
p e ailing a oci y, hus acili a ing he (ocula ) iden i ica ion and he p ocess
o imme sion in he scene (S01E02: “Take Wha ’s You s”). Howe e , no shel e

Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 111
seems sa e in The Pu ge, despi e he sense o appa en p o ec ion i may con e .
The h ea is always la en , and dis us is omnip esen , which in oduces he
iewe in o an a mosphe e o cons an ension; a pe manen s a e o unce -
ain y, in ensi ied by he aes he ics ha shape he s o y.
In addi ion, he e is a wide ange o isual ep esen a ions ha spec acula -
ize he no maliza ion o iolence p e alen in he se ies, wi h he Pu ge i sel
u ned in o a spec acle in a ious o ms. Thus, he g uesome e en s o ha
nigh a e b oadcas on ele ision in he manne o a eali y show spiced wi h
ambushes and chases, which some iewe s—such as hose a ending he NFFA
pa y—enjoy om he sa e y o o i ied mansions, while o he ci izens—such
as Miguel— isk hei li es in he s ee s (S01E02: “Take Wha ’s You s”). In i s
s o ywo ld, he Pu ge also inspi es a i ual eali y ideogame ha in i es o
“Tes you kill skills” h ough an in e ac i e kni e-con olle , wi h which Ben
unsuccess ully ies o quench his c a ing o iolence (S02E02: “E e y hing
Is Fine”). Also, he Pu ge se es as an eli is en e ainmen , in which he a -
ge s o he manhun a e dea h ow con ic s, exposed as p ey wi h no possible
escape, o he whim and deligh o he powe ul (S02E09: “Hail Ma y”). And
o name jus one mo e o he many ways in which he Pu ge becomes spec acle
and en e ainmen wi hin he se ies, he e is he so-called ha is he Ca ni al
o Flesh, also desc ibed as he “McDonalds o he Pu ge” (S01E04: “Release
he Beas ”). Especially his sinis e ca ni al p opi ia es a scenog aphic display
ha ele a es he dys opian mood o a le el whe e he concep s o amusemen
pa k and house o ho o con e ge in a space whe e he ma y s a e ea ed
like ca le and deli e ed o he highes bidde s o he sa is ac ion o hei mos
macab e desi es. Beyond i s na a i e alue, he mise-en-scène also nou ishes
a i ac emo ions in ep esen a ions such as hose men ioned abo e, which
no only allow he iewe o en e he po ayed uni e se and enjoy i s isual
cons uc ion, bu also acili a e a be e unde s anding o he s o y.
In u n, as p e iously no ed abou he opening sequence, au al compo-
nen s also assume a signi ican ole in he se ies, o he ex en ha i is un-
damen al in he c ea ion o a mosphe es and elemen a y de e minan s o he
iewe ’s mood. Fo one hing, music ul ills i s ex e nal, in e nal and echnical
unc ions a he se ice o he na a i e, unde lining he gen e’s key, wi h a
mani es emo ional use and an ou s anding powe o an icipa ion, sugges ion
and d ama ic in ensi ica ion. The ins umen al and hy hmic pa icula i ies
o he musical pieces i he da k na u e o he s o y and he e en s na a ed,
while acqui ing p o agonism by hemsel es. Also, i is wo h men ioning again
he ilm anchise’s quin essen ial au al elemen , which is also p esen in he
112 he mida and jiménez- a ea
se ies: he sound o he si en ha punc ua es he beginning and end o each
Pu ge Nigh , i s na a i e implica ions coupled wi h he ac i a ion o he s a e
o ale ness in cha ac e s and spec a o s, unde lining he lu king dange .
All hese elemen s, mo eo e , a e embedded in an indispensable ame-
wo k o he s o y and he emo ional p econ igu a ion, as is he na a i e s uc-
u e i sel : he a angemen o he e en s o bo h seasons, o ganized a ound he
coun down; a na a i e agains he clock. As al eady no ed, he i s season
ocuses on he de elopmen o he Pu ge Nigh , om beginning o end. The
second, on he o he hand, does so a ound he yea ha passes om one Pu ge
Nigh o he nex . The coun down ma ks bo h seasons, ei he discoun ing he
ime emaining un il he end o Pu ge Nigh in he i s season o he begin-
ning o he nex in he second season; one way o ano he , his esou ce se s
he pace and plays wi h he expec a ions and emo ions o bo h he cha ac e s
and he iewe s. In his sense, The Pu ge p esen s o he s o y elling s a egies
ha exp essi ely enhance emo ions de i ed om na a i e e en s and gene -
a e a i ac emo ions abou hemsel es. Thus, o example, he mul i-plo and
mul i-cha ac e design o he se ies—wi h a pa allel ollow-up o (in e con-
nec ed) cha ac e s, accompanied by ime jumps be ween hei p esen s and
pas s—a e es ablished as mechanisms ha enable he dosage o in o ma ion,
playing wi h he na a i e imes and sus aining he ension, suspense and
unce ain y expe ienced by iewe s.
The Pu ge and he Me aemo ions
In he case o The Pu ge, me aemo ions acqui e a p ominen alue in a double
sense. Fo one hing, he dis u bing uni e se posed by he anchise seeps in o
he iewe ’s mind in he o m o he a o emen ioned p esiding mac o-ques ion,
“Wha would I do?”, which emains p esen h oughou he cou se o he se ies.
The e a e no ew occasions in bo h seasons in which he mo al con lic ha
assails he cha ac e s is no only e alua ed, bu also “assimila ed” by he iewe ,
who p ojec s him/he sel in o he desc ibed si ua ions o elucida e wha would
be his/he a i ude owa ds hem, wha would be his/he posi ion in such a dys-
opian con ex . The p esence o he “Wha i …” ans e ed o he spec a o
in i s pe son seems ine i able. E en owa ds a mo e in ima e ield, issues such
as he “pu ge lis s” (S01E02: “Take Wha ’s You s”), which include hose people
in ou li es ha we would pu ge, anscend ic ion o make he audience a
special pa icipan in he “game” ha The Pu ge poses. Tha easible p ojec ion
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 113
in o and “dialogue” wi h he iewe s’ espec i e eali ies— hose ques ions ha
esona e and assail du ing he iewing o he se ies—s i hei emo ions and
make hem awa e o such dilemmas, pu ing hem a he cen e o a mo al
a ge beyond he s o y i sel , bu in ima ely connec ed o i . O cou se, i is
ascina ing o imme se onesel in he con ex o The Pu ge om he com o o
he couch, bu he idea o his possible (nea ) wo ld and i s implica ions on a
pe sonal le el accen ua e he emo ional eac ions and hei ques ioning.
Secondly, conside ing he na a i e pa icula i ies o bo h seasons, he
se ies makes he cha ac e s o Joe Owens and Ben Ga dne cases o signi ican
ele ance om a me aemo ional pe spec i e. De i ed mainly om he ic ion
emo ions (sympa he ic/an ipa he ic) in ela ion o he beha io s and si ua ions
aced by he cha ac e s, iewe s mo e be ween he “p o-emo ions” and he
“con-emo ions” al eady speci ied, depending on he e olu ion o he cha ac e s’
beha io s as he e en s un old. In his way, iewe s eac o hei own emo-
ional esponses, condi ioned by p ocesses o iden i ica ion, mi o ing, empa-
hy, sympa hy, o an ipa hy, among o he s. In addi ion, he p olonged du a ion
inhe en o ele ision se iali y implies a gene alized inc ease in he ime spen
wi h he cha ac e s, which no only allows o a deepe unde s anding o hei
mo i a ions and ex e nal/in e nal con lic s, bu also a o s he eeling o amil-
ia i y and a achmen o hem (Blanche & Vaage, 2012). This in ensi ies he
possibili ies o he iewe ’s emo ional low in co ela ion wi h he e olu ion
o he cha ac e s, hus enhancing he “me a-emo ionali y” acco ding o he
si ua ion.
In he cases o Joe and Ben, i is he p og essi e un olding o hei espec i e
na u es and deep mo i a ions ha gene a es in he iewe a ma ked change
o a i ude owa ds hem. Following he “s uc u e o sympa hy” o cha ac e
engagemen (Smi h, 1995), bo h cha ac e s go a beyond he limi s o sym-
pa he ic allegiance, co esponding o he audience’s cogni i e and a ec i e
adhe ence o he cha ac e ’s alues and mo al poin o iew.
Rega ding Joe, i is he dosage o in o ma ion and he unce ain y ha
su ounds him ha make possible an a p io i misin e p e a ion o he cha -
ac e by he iewe . Ini ially, he enigma ic masked man seems o assume he
ole o a well-meaning igilan e, hun e o hun e s, libe a o o ic ims in dis-
ess (S01E03: “The U ge o Pu ge”; S01E05: “Rise Up”). In he absence o
a mo e de ailed po ayal, gi en ha his appea ances a e ini ially limi ed o
spa se episode-closing b ushs okes, iewe s end o align hemsel es wi h Joe.
E en mo e so when some explana o y lashbacks highligh he injus ices and
114 he mida and jiménez- a ea
ha dships he has endu ed h oughou his li e, whe he in he wo k, amily o
pe sonal sphe e (S01E06: “The Fo go en”). The same happens when he bu s s
in o Da id Ryke ’s dep a ed pa y o sa e Jane Ba bou , accompanied by he
p o-Pu ge mo i a ional speech ha esona es in his ehicle s a ing: “The Pu ge
is you chance o ise up, o s and all and eclaim you powe . So ise, slay
you opp esso s. On Pu ge Nigh , he exploi ed, he pe secu ed, he b oken
will all ise up oge he and ma ch hand-in-hand o ic o y” (S01E07: “Lo ely
Da k and Deep”). The cons uc ion o he cha ac e ce ainly seems designed
o suppo his cause, we e i no o he ac ha appea ances hide some ue
de ian mo i a ions (S01E09: “I Will Pa icipa e”). When iewe s disco e and
collide wi h he eali y ha he supposed sa io is jus he opposi e, hey a e
o ced o e ise hei emo ional bond wi h he cha ac e , eac ing wi h dislike
and ejec ion owa ds him, bu pe haps wi hou comple ely abandoning a ce -
ain “complici y”.
Compa ed o he mys e y ha accompanies Joe du ing mos o he i s
season, he case o Ben Ga dne p esen s subs an ial di e ences. In his case,
iewe s also end o ini ially align hemsel es wi h he cha ac e , who has
become a ic im om he ou se (S02E01: “This Is No a Tes ”). Howe e ,
he e he loss o complici y wi h Ben does no occu ab up ly as wi h Joe,
bu g adually, as he cha ac e ’s ans o ma ion a c p og esses om ic im
o unsc upulous execu ione . The auma ic expe ience Ben unde goes a
he beginning o he season is he igge o his la en hi s o iolence,
nu u ed since childhood by an indoc ina ing sys em ha encou ages i
(S02E09: “Hail Ma y”). E en i he p o agonis ’s descen in o hell om one
Pu ge Nigh o he nex en ails a s uggle and su e ing on his pa ha
encou ages iewe s’ empa hy, he c uel y ha he so-called “Campus Kille ”
ends up emb acing lea es no oom o app o al. Despi e he inqui y in o he
cha ac e ’s in e nal con lic , which b ings us close o his eelings, and ega d-
less o being able o unde s and him as a ic im o he sys em, any doub in
a o o a emo e sympa he ic allegiance anishes comple ely, i no ea lie ,
when he mu de s his dying pa ne wi h his own hands (S02E07: “Should
I S ay o Should I Go”) and when he pe pe ua es he slaugh e o his col-
lege ma es (S02E08: “Be o e he Si ens”). In he end, he cha ac e ’s eali y
becomes appa en bo h o he audience and o Ben himsel , who ul ima ely
comes o accep his icious na u e. Howe e , he da kness ha de ines he
p o agonis does no dep i e him o appeal, qui e he con a y, in ha i
p o ides e ile g ound o he iewe ’s me aemo ional con lic a he base o
he bad p o agonis e a.
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 115
Conclusions
As a ansmedia anchise, The Pu ge i s h ough bo h i s ilm and ele ision
ins allmen s in o a con inuing legacy o audio- isual depic ions o dys opian
socie ies ha emains ully ele an o he p esen day. Unde he guise o a
na a i e somewhe e be ween ac ion h ille and su i al ho o , i p esen s
a Uni ed S a es uled by an au ho i a ian pa y ha p omo es he illusion o
ha ing succeeded in d as ically imp o ing he na ion’s economy and in e nal
secu i y hanks o he ins i u ion o he annual Pu ge Nigh . Th ough a e iew
o he no ions and wo ks ela ed o he u opian gen e and o he dys opian
subgen e in pa icula , we ha e shown ha he la e consis s o cau iona y
ales abou he pe ilous di ec ions in which a socie y may e ol e. To e ec i ely
pe o m such an admoni o y unc ion, dys opias mus es ablish ha wha e e
imagined sociopoli ical sys em is in ol ed has caused an undesi able eali y,
e en o nigh ma ish ex emes. In con as o he mo e in ellec ual and phil-
osophical essay-like cha ac e o eu opian na a i es, hei dys opian coun e -
pa s a icula e hei discou ses h ough s o ies in which he embodied and
emo ional dimension o he cha ac e s akes on p ominence and is p ojec ed
owa ds he audience. As Ca oll’s c i e ial p e ocusing model pos ula es, when
i comes o ilm and ele ision dys opias such as The Pu ge, he p ecise enhance-
men and o eg ounding o well-chosen s imuli h ough audio isual esou ces
ensu es o a la ge ex en ha iewe s ica iously expe ience he emo ional des-
ola ion o he cha ac e s in hei unsa o y eali y. In his chap e , we ha e ana-
lyzed in de ail how he wo-season ex ension o The Pu ge se ies has allowed i s
c ea o s o o ches a e and deploy a whole epe oi e o mise-en-scène, di ec o-
ial and pos -p oduc ion esou ces—bo h common o he anchise as a whole
and some indigenous o he se ies— ha shape he imp ession o a social hell
and elici a co esponding emo ional esponse om iewe s. Fo his analysis
we ha e elied on Plan inga’s model o a i ac emo ions, di ec emo ions and
me aemo ions, o which we ha e been able o ind ele an examples h ough-
ou he se ies, obse ing also how he long- e m cha ac e engagemen p ope
o se iali y can ein o ce hem.
The key ole o embodimen and emo ionali y in dys opian na a i es
does no in alida e he ac ha i is a gen e o specula i e ic ion in ended o
deli e a cogni i e impac o he audience in he hope o p omo ing a i udi-
nal and e en beha io al changes ha will con ibu e o p e en a wo ld like
he one being depic ed. A his cogni i e le el, we ha e elied on Ca oll’s
heo y conce ning he e o e ic s uc u e ha ypically unde lies mass-ma ke

116 he mida and jiménez- a ea
ilm na a i es in he o m o ques ions ha d i e plo lines while simul ane-
ously piquing iewe s’ in e es in an icipa ion o answe s ha migh sa is y
hei cu iosi y. While his app oach by Ca oll poin s o he sel -conclusi e
na u e o he single ilm, we ha e ex apola ed his e o e ic model no only
o he se ies bu o The Pu ge anchise as a whole. In doing so, we ha e
d awn on Kelle e ’s concep o popula se iali y, whe eby na a i es come o
p oli e a e as a esul o a dialec ic be ween he endency o closu e and he
opposi e endency o e isi and u he explo e he s o y in ques ion and
i s wo ld. Indeed, we ha e been able o see how he pai s o ques ions and
implici answe s a di e en le els o ampli ude assemble he plo s o bo h
he o iginal ilm—on which we ha e ocused as an illus a i e case—and
he episodes o he se ies in he con en ional sense p oposed by Ca oll.
Bu he ac ha we a e s udying a se ial na a i e de eloped o e se e al
ilm and ele ision ins allmen s has led us o no ice ha ques ions also a ise
aimed a lea ning mo e abou he s o ywo ld buil by his anchise and how
i has come o be so. In pa icula , we ha e obse ed ha he se ial o ma
has p o ed pa icula ly app op ia e in he second season o The Pu ge se ies
o depa om he ixed o mula o he ilms—employed also in he i s
season—and sa is y iewe s’ cu iosi y as o wha his dys opian socie y is
like be ween wo Pu ge Nigh s. In his ega d, we pos ula e ha , a he le el
o in e ex uali y inhe en o a ansmedia anchise such as The Pu ge, he
g owing ne wo k o diege ic in e connec ions be ween i s a ious ins all-
men s may cons i u e a sou ce o in e es o ollowe s o a se ial p oli e a ion
na a i e, added o ha o he e o e ic s uc u e a he le el o each sepa a e
ins allmen o singula s o y. In ano he ein, he in e oga i e na u e o dys-
opian specula ion has also led us o add ess he powe ha Ca oll a ibu es
o ques ions as na a i e engines no only in ela ion o he plo bu also in a
hema ic sense ha di ec ly in e pella es he iewe . Thus, i s ands ou ha
he en i e The Pu ge anchise is a e sed by he basic dilemma “Du ing he
nigh o he Pu ge, would you pu ge o would you be pu ged?” Finally, we ha e
de e mined ha up o a ce ain poin The Pu ge poses as a c i ical dys opia
in ha i shows a socie y undesi able o e ible ex emes bu lea es oom o
hope. So much so ha he second season o he ele ision se ies connec s in
he ic ional ch onology wi h he ilm The Pu ge: Elec ion Yea , which shows
how he opposi ion o he NFFA go e nmen manages o each he Whi e
House and abolish he Pu ge. Howe e , he la es cinema ic ins allmen , The
Fo e e Pu ge, depic s he Uni ed S a es as he Pu ge adi ion esumes, bu is
Cogni ion and Emo ion in Dys opian TV Se ial Wo lds 117
no longe limi ed o one annual nigh in such a way ha i plunges he en i e
coun y in o a pos -apocalyp ic nigh ma e. This e olu ion highligh s how
The Pu ge anchise is a dynamic phenomenon ha e ol es in e ms o pop-
ula se iali y, hus aising new ques ions abou he possibili ies o a oiding o
o e coming a dys opian eali y.
No es
1 The ull ex o A Sojou n in he Ci y o Amalgama ion, in he Yea o Ou Lo d, 19-- is a ail-
able online a : h ps://a ch i e.o g/de a ils/soj ou n inci yo a00b olo/page/n5/mode/2up
2 I is no coincidence ha Esmail p e iously c ea ed M . Robo (USA Ne wo k, 2015–2019), a
se ies well known o i s pessimis ic—bo de ing on dys opian— iew o he omnip esence o
echnology in socie y.
3 In his adap a ion o Nine een Eigh y-Fou , he sadis ic O’B ien was played by Lo ne G een,
who i onically would soon be cas as he bene olen pa ia ch in he op imis ic wes e n
Bonanza (NBC, 1959–1973) and hen in he space ope a Ba les a Galac ica/Galac ica 1980
(ABC, 1978–1980). In he 2000s, a aci u n Edwa d James Olmos would ake on he ole o
Commande Adama in he dys opian emake o he la e se ies (Ba les a Galac ica, Sci-Fi,
2003–2009).
4 The igu e o he masked psycho-kille consolida ed by Halloween’s Michael Mye s along
wi h Ca pen e ’s ilms Assaul on P ecinc 13 (1976) and Escape om New Yo k (1981) we e
ins umen al in shaping The Pu ge anchise (Co e , 2021, Sep embe 19). A his poin ,
i is also in e es ing o men ion ha James DeMonaco’s p e ious w i ing c edi s include a
emake o Assaul on P ecinc 13 (Jean-F ançois Riche , 2005), s a ing E han Hawke, who
la e played James Sandin, he p o agonis in he o iginal The Pu ge ilm.
5 A no - oo-di e en echno-dys opian p emise se es as he basis o Joss Whedon’s Doll-
house (Fox, 2009–2010).
6 The ill- a ed James Sandin illus a es Bedo e’s a o emen ioned obse a ion abou how dys-
opian na a i es o en pi o on cen al cha ac e s who a e pa o he sys em bu disco e ,
o en o hei mis o une, how e ibly lawed he sys em is.
7 Fo an in e es ing upda e on his pa adox ha b oadens he spec um o “pain ul” ic ions
beyond ho o and agedy, see Ma a Boni’s chap e on he “awkwa dness e ec ” elsewhe e
in his olume.
8 Plan inga (2009) poin s ou in ela ion o Smi h’s concep o “mood” ha “S ylis ic ele -
men s cue emo ions by way o associa ions, a he han by way o he app aisals associa ed
wi h na a i e and cha ac e , and i is a ec i e expe ience ia associa ion and o he less
p o o ypical means ha mos in e es s Smi h. Thus Smi h u ns, i s , o he s ylis ic cues
designed o elici emo ion, and hus di e s om he majo i y o heo is s/philosophe s, who
would pu na a i e and cha ac e a he cen e o emo ion elici a ion, and who would a gue
ha moods and s ylis ic cues in ilms gain hei salience in ela ion o o e a ching cha ac e
goals and na a i e si ua ion” (p. 93).
118 he mida and jiménez- a ea
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h ps://www.js o .o g/s a ble/20719 246
126 ja ed w. a ono
could ie i s whole s o y oge he , bu ul ima ely s uc u ing i sel o p io i-
ize in each momen he he e and now. As a p oduc o Ame ican ne wo k
ele ision Los needs o suppo wha Raymond Williams (2003) desc ibes as
“ low”— o balance i s own needs as a con ained se ial wi h i s ne wo k’s need
o c a a sequence o uni s bes sui ed o e ain iewe engagemen h ough-
ou a gi en e ening (p. 86). Los he e o e s uc u es each episode no a ound
he g and cosmic puzzle o i s own my hology, bu a ound an in ima e weekly
cha ac e s udy. Indi idual episodes o Los mos o en ocus on a single cha -
ac e , explaining he mo i a ions o ac ions hey ake on he island h ough
lashbacks o hei o me li e ha in o m hei his o y and in e io i y.
Fo Los his esul s in a na a i e s uc u e ha g ounds i sel in cha ac e
d ama while ges u ing aguely o imply g ea e , mo e complex meanings ha
mus be unco e ed and in e p e ed by he show’s mo e dedica ed o passiona e
ans. Wa en Buckland (2009) iden i ied a popula cycle o ilms om he la e
1990s and ea ly 2000s ha he called “puzzle ilms,” a end in popula cinema
which “ ejec s classical s o y elling echniques and eplaces hem wi h com-
plex s o y elling” (p. 1). Buckland desc ibed hese ex s as p esen ing na a-
i e in o ma ion in an a angemen ha is no jus complex bu delibe a ely
pe plexing, en angling plo e en s in non-linea i y, ime loops, o agmen ed
spa io- empo al eali y (p. 3). The elusi e na a i e meanings o Los , along
wi h i s agmen ed empo al s uc u e, si ua e he se ies i mly in con e sa-
ion wi h he puzzle ilm cycle. I is no uncommon o wa ch Los and eel
challenged o seek ou ull comp ehension o i s na a i e, and his challenge
ma ked a key ea u e o he show’s appeal o many iewe s.
This cogni i e challenge in making sense o he puzzle na a i e is expanded
on by Miklós Kiss and S e en Willemsen in hei book Impossible Puzzle Films
(2017), a ex which na ows Buckland’s ini ial de ini ion and expands upon
he cogni i e ools ha audiences use o make sense o hese puzzle na a i es.
Kiss and Willemsen a gue ha complexi y in na a i e is pleasu able because
he p esence o ex ual con adic ions o disuni ies p oduces a o m cogni i e
dissonance (p. 66). This dissonance can ake he o m o an i esol able con-
adic ion ei he be ween na a i e ac ion and eal-li e logic, o mo e no ably
o ou pu poses be ween wo na a i e e en s ha diege ically con adic one
ano he . The au ho s a gue ha hese con adic ions p oduce a discom o ha
he iewe is mo i a ed o esol e h ough s a egies o dissonance educ ion,
ypically meaning-making and in e p e a ion (p. 109). The e a e many di e -
en o ms ha a complex na a i e can ake, bu a common ac ic desc ibed
by Kiss and Willemsen ha is pa icula ly ele an o Los is e e ed o as

Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y 127
“disman led ch onology”—in which plo e en s a e placed in non-ch ono-
logical o de (p. 38). The key pleasu e o he “disman led ch onology” ex is
a gued o be he men al eo ganiza ion ha iewe s mus pa icipa e in so as o
piece oge he he comple ed na a i e, asking iewe s o hold e en s o ideas
in hei memo y o long pe iods o ime be o e hey a e esol ed o connec ed
wi h o he e en s (p. 40). Expe imen al esea ch is ci ed indica ing ha his
o m o memo y—holding nonsequen ial e en s o long pe iods o ime—is
whe e memo y is mos likely o su e , sugges ing ha hese ilms s eng hen
his cogni i e p ocess o eal-wo ld si ua ions (p. 40). Los , by p esen ing in
each episode e en s ha ake place in a p esen and in a pas — wo dis inc
poin s in a complex, non-linea imeline—embodies his disman led ch onol-
ogy on a pa icula ly la ge scale.
The challenge o memo y posed by disman led ch onology na a i es is
al eady d ama ic when p esen ed in a wo-hou ilm such as Memen o (Ch is-
ophe Nolan, 2000), bu is some hing else en i ely in a long- unning ele ision
se ies spanning six seasons. Fo Los , iewe s a e expec ed o hold nonsequen-
ial na a i e in o ma ion in hei minds o o e 5,000 minu es o sc een ime
deli e ed (a ime o o iginal b oadcas ) o e he cou se o six yea s—and na -
iga e on op o his he shi ing na a i e meanings and dispa a e con inu-
i y ha he se ies came o be somewha no o ious o . Joseph Magliano and
Je ey E. Sae ys-Foy (2021) desc ibe how audiences comp ehend his weal h
o in o ma ion by cons uc ing men al models o a s o y wo ld ha a e used
o o ganize e en s and ac ions (p. 101). The s uc u es used o comp ehend
and so h ough na a i e in o ma ion include ules o he main s o y wo ld,
embedded sub-wo lds wi hin ha wo ld o s o y, and cha ac e models ha
o ganize emo ional s a es, goals, and ai s in o a se o assump ions ha would
line up wi h hose made abou eal people (p. 102). Magliano and Sae ys-Foy
desc ibe how se ies which con ain equen lashbacks and in e wea e mul iple
imelines can pose a dis inc challenge o iewe s hoping o cons uc a ime-
line o s o y e en s (p. 110). Los can be posi ioned as a pa icula ly d ama ic
example o his phenomena, posing a dis inc challenge o he comp ehension
o i s ull na a i e.
Despi e his challenge inhe en in making meaning ou o complex na a-
ion, cogni i e esea ch has demons a ed ha eade s a e ne e heless highly
mo i a ed o pu sue cohe en unde s anding om he ex s hey consume
(G aesse e al., 1994, p. 379). A uh C G aesse e al. (1994) desc ibe a dis -
inc ion be ween “local-le el cohe ence” ha o ganizes he elemen s con ained
in sho sequences o na a i e in o ma ion and “global-le el cohe ence” ha
128 ja ed w. a ono
o ganizes hose local chunks in o highe -o de chunks. The au ho s desc ibe
how eade s will expe ience a sense o “ha mony” when hey eel as hough
indi idual explici ideas wi hin a ex —ideas ha make up a local cohe ence
indi idually—p oduce a global cohe ence when aken oge he (p. 374). These
local and global le els o cohe ence a e used by eade s o con ex ualize e en s,
ac ions, and s a es wi hin he ex , allowing a iewe o build na a i e mean-
ing (p. 378). This es ablishmen o global cohe ence is achie ed o he ex en
ha mos o all mo ing pa s o a ex can be linked oge he h ough a se ies
o o e a ching hemes o ideas (p. 378).
This is a s uc u e o meaning-making ha maps ema kably well on o
ha o se ial ele ision. Indi idual episodes ac as dis inc uni s ha con ain
chunks o na a i e in o ma ion ha will mos likely cohe e a a local le el
wi hin ha isola ed space bu , when aken oge he , o m pa s o a la ge
ex a he global le el o a season. These seasons can hus become he local
chunks cohe ing in he o e all global s uc u e o a se ies, and ce ain se ies
beyond his may ep esen local-le el s uc u es in ela ion o a anchise, spin-
o s, o o he ex ended na a i e ma e ial. Ch is ian Me z (1986) desc ibed he
main syn agma ic ypes used in cinema—b eaking down a scene o sequence
in o smalle and smalle uni s o in o ma ion including a ious syn agmas
and au onomous segmen s (p. 45). A e e se o his pa e n can be simila ly
obse ed in he opposi e di ec ion, as la ge and la ge chunks o localized
na a i e in o ma ion can be iden i ied as hey a e made o cohe e globally. In
he case o Los , each indi idual episode will usually cohe e a a local le el—
p o iding a hema ically-cohesi e se o wo snapsho s linking e en s om he
pas wi h e en s om he p esen . Howe e , he in o ma ion p o ided in each
episode o Los is almos always incomple e, p esen ed wi h some ques ion le
unanswe ed o mys e y un esol ed a e each 45-minu e ins allmen . This can
make i challenging o many iewe s o o m a sense o global-le el cohe ence
ou o he o e all na a i e o Los .
G aesse e al. (1994) also desc ibe how audiences a e mo i a ed o o ganize
hese local-le el chunks in o global-le el cohe ence, s a ing “in many con ex s,
eade s ha e a gene al goal o eading a cohe en ex o unde s anding o o
en e ainmen ( a he han an idiosync a ic goal)” (p. 379). This cohe ence can
also be b oken, o en when an “incoming clause” canno be explained ei he by
he p io ex o by backg ound knowledge s uc u es. When a b eak such as
his occu s a eade will ei he wai o a subsequen ex o explain i , o piece
oge he an explana ion hemsel es om agmen s o in o ma ion ha hey
al eady ha e access o (p. 379). I he eade is unsuccess ul a esol ing his
Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y 129
b eak in cohe ence, i global cohe ence be ween local chunks o in o ma ion
canno be achie ed, G aesse e al. desc ibe he eade as concluding he ex
o be “inconside a e” and e en abandoning he sea ch o meaning al oge he
(p. 372). This can be in e p e ed as a o m o e alua i e esponse, media ing
he cogni i e dissonance caused by con adic o y na a i e in o ma ion by
concluding ha he ex i sel is unwilling o p o ide global-le el cohe ence—
essen ially, ha i was jus ne e e y good o begin wi h. This e alua i e s a -
egy o media ing he cogni i e dissonance caused by con adic o y na a i e
in o ma ion, no ably, was no desc ibed by Kiss and Willemsen (2017).
Fo a na a i e such as Los , a se ies ha mo i a es passiona e an engage-
men , i is pe haps possible ha ano he o m o cogni i e dissonance could
also a ise. A an’s pe sonal in es men in he na a i e o wo ld o he show
can come in o con lic wi h ha na a i e i sel as i poses a challenge o he
global cohe ence ha allows he ex o ope a e wi hin a s uc u e ha is
deemed “conside a e”. Fo a iewe in es ed in Los , one who enjoys he se -
ing, cha ac e s o mys e ies, i may pose a con adic ion o conclude ha he
na a i e i sel is inconside a e. This dissonance can (and in he case o Los
equen ly has been) esol ed h ough e alua ion, bu i can also be esol ed
h ough he s a egies o in e p e a ion and meaning-making desc ibed by Kiss
and Willemsen.
I is pe haps unsu p ising hen ha o many Los ans, he key d i ing
pleasu e o he se ies was no so much in i s cha ac e d ama as he way ha
i s o e all na a i e unc ioned as a puzzle o be sol ed. Los p o ides i s iew-
e s wi h consis en ly incomple e in o ma ion—b ie snapsho s o pas e en s,
mys e ious p ope ies o he island ha de y explana ion—and wi hholds he
ools needed o piece hese agmen s o in o ma ion oge he . Cons uc ing
he men al model o he s o y wo ld desc ibed by Magliano and Sae ys-Foy
(2021) hus becomes a p io i y o hese iewe s as his co e pilla o meaning
making is le jus ou o each. This p io i y has been obse ed by a numbe o
ele ision schola s w i ing on he se ies. As Jona han G ay (2010) desc ibes in
he con ex o why Los iewe s enjoy spoile s:
Many [ ans] saw Los as a gian puzzle, and hei p ima y in e es lay in sol ing he
puzzle a he han in ollowing he plo in a linea ashion. Los , a e all, is a slippe y,
"messy" ex ha ells i s s o y ac oss ime […] wa ching equi es ha iewe s piece
oge he in o ma ion om an e a ically d awn imeline. (p. 151)
This is a popula iewing s ance o apply o Los , one ha is a guably
encou aged by he ex o he show i sel , and ye his uns coun e o he
130 ja ed w. a ono
amewo k desc ibed by he a o emen ioned ele ision schola s. The “un idi-
ness” desc ibed by Kelle e (2017, p. 16) ha comes om eading Los as a uni-
ied na a i e is no dissimila om he na a i e incong ui ies ha Kiss and
Willemsen desc ibe as p oducing cogni i e dissonance. When na a i e e en s
do no qui e line up, when plo h eads go un esol ed, when ch onologies a e
dis up ed and mus be eo ganized on a massi e scale, his mo i a es a iewe
o employ s a egies ha media e he esul ing dissonance. Typically, as Kiss
and Willemsen (2017) sugges , his akes he o m o in e p e i e exe cises o
a i ude shi s o e ame he way ha iewe s look a hei objec . This is
p oposed o be because he iewe does no ha e he op ion o make changes
o he ex i sel (p. 109), howe e , wi h access o DVD ipping and edi ing
so wa e, his is no longe necessa ily an impossibili y.
Ch onologically Los : The Viewe ship and
Expe ience o This Fan Tex
Ch onologically Los , he e o e, can be unde s ood o unc ion as an in e p e-
i e ool, wo king o aid bo h in he p ocess o making meaning ou o he
main ex o Los he main ex and esol ing dissonances ha esul om
ha ex ’s incong ui ies. In an in e iew wi h c ea o Mike Maloney on Push-
ing he Bu on: A Ch onologically LOST Podcas , Maloney desc ibes how mos
an heo ies when he o iginal se ies ai ed did no ocus on he cha ac e s
he way he show i sel did. He exp esses “how in e es ing he show would
be i you could see i om he pe spec i e o he island” and ha pa o his
ini ial goal behind he edi was o e- ame he s o y om his pe spec i e
ha an communi ies appea ed mo e in es ed in. Maloney desc ibes how “Los
is a show abou he cha ac e s and Ch onologically Los is a s o y abou he
island” (Aglia o & Edwa ds, 2021). The unc ion o a an made pa a ex such
as Ch onologically Los can hus be unde s ood o aid unde s anding o he
na a i e om he pe spec i e o he s o y wo ld, consis en wi h Magliano
and Sae ys-Foy’s (2021) sugges ion ha audiences make sense o complex na -
a i es h ough cons uc ing s o y wo ld models. This emphasis on e- aming
he amilia s o y in a new way is also no ably consis en wi h how he edi is
alked abou in an spaces.
The common iewe o Ch onologically Los appea s o be he an who has
al eady seen he main se ies on a numbe o sepa a e ins ances. As a ious
Reddi use s desc ibe, a new app ecia ion o he se ies can be ound in seeing
i eo ganized in his way.
Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y 131
I’m in he middle o Ch onologically Los igh now. I ’s a comple ely di e en way
o wa ch he show, and i makes e e y hing eel eally esh again. I de ini ely don’
ecommend anyone wa ch i be o e hey’ e ewa ched he show in i s en i e y a leas
once, bu I de ini ely hink i ’s wo h a wa ch by e e y majo LOST an o he wise.
(Pe icho 02)3
To me he edi was inc edibly help ul. I also made me eally app ecia e he
ac ual b oadcas o de . The e is so much a is y in he scene changes. Nuances.
Wa ching Ch onologically highligh s hese by hei absence. Ye i ’s a o ally di e -
en expe ience.
Tha ’s I hink why ewa ching (in he egula o de )is con inually in e es -
ing. You ealize ha Los is like a g ea no el wi h all i s laye s and s o y elling a .
(use 4815162342)4
I was eally un wa ching i all cu oge he in ch onological o de . Some o he
jumping a ound ime s u was ha d o ollow because o he na u e o hei jumps,
bu i was eally cool o see he u u e los ies occupying he same ime and some imes
same space “as i was happening.”
Plus i was way easie o ollow all he backs o ies. (Fulme sbelly)5
[The] mos su p ising hing abou wa ching Ch onologically Los is how quickly
e e y hing happens! Du ing my p e ious ewa ches, I always assumed ha Jack and
co. we e in he 70s o se e al weeks … nope, i was jus a ew days.
De ini ely an en i ely di e en expe ience! (F ed_ he_skele on)6
These a e people who wan o ind new ways o looking a his objec ,
o u n i o e in hei hands and unco e new de ails, c e ices o nuances,
o u he hei unde s anding o wha Los is, how i wo ks, and how hey
can build a be e unde s anding o i s na a i e. Ch onologically Los o e s o
andom spaces he oppo uni y o enego ia e hei app ecia ion o his ex ,
expe ience i in a new way, and build a deepe unde s anding o i .
I is also no uncommon o iewe s o use his edi as a ool o selec-
i ely e-wa ching he se ies, skipping o when he cha ac e s each he island
and a oiding he lashback sec ions o na a ion. Flashbacks may be a cen al
ool ha Los uses o con ey cha ac e izing in o ma ion, bu o hose al eady
in ima ely amilia wi h hese cha ac e s hey only become delays o na a-
i e mo emen . As ano he Reddi use desc ibes “I can wa ch he whole way
h ough o jus jump in a ound he plane c ash. Some imes I’ll jump o epi-
sodes a ound Exodus and jus [wa ch] he on-island s u ” (cgb annigan).7 This
p o ides one o he key s eng hs o he edi , as he deli e y o na a i e in o -
ma ion aking place on he island is s eamlined in a way ha is o en mo e
sa is ying o wa ch. Ea ly in he second season, o example, he main se ies
akes i s ime esol ing he mul i-laye ed cli hange s om he end o season
one. Flashbacks a e used in he o iginal episodes o ex end ime, elonga ing

132 ja ed w. a ono
he pe iod o na a i e ension by lea ing mul iple h eads un esol ed, likely
designed o e ain iewe s a he s a o a new season. This iewe e en ion
s a egy can, howe e , make o a us a ing expe ience i an al eady com-
mi ed an wan s o see na a i e ac ion p oceed unin e up ed. The ch ono-
logical edi esol es his us a ion by he na u e o i s s uc u e, deli e ing
na a i e in o ma ion in a way ha eels mo e e icien and logical, esol ing a
numbe o plo h eads in a sho e pe iod o ime.
Despi e imp o ing he pacing o he o iginal se ies in some places how-
e e , i would be inaccu a e o desc ibe Ch onologically Los as p oducing an
o e all sa is ying na a i e expe ience. Segmen s o he na a i e aking place
o he island, amed usually as in e up ions in he sou ce ex , end o jump
h ough ime apidly and make o a e y agmen ed and diso ien ing na a-
i e s uc u e when wa ched consecu i ely. Fu he , many o he dispa i ies
ha cha ac e ized he o iginal show a e only highligh ed by his edi , as he
se ies’ p opensi y o b ush aside inexplicable con adic ions becomes e en mo e
isible. Na a i e lines o cause o e ec become in some cases d ama ically
b oken up as na a i e in o ma ion o iginally p o ided h ough lashbacks may
no be made ele an un il much la e .
This b eakdown o he cause-e ec ela ionship o e as much as ens o
hou s o iewing ime can be obse ed in he season ou episode “The Con-
s an ” (S04E05). In his episode, a hand ul o he cas aways manage o b eak
away om he con ines o he island o ind a boa supposedly able o escue
hem, bu he supe na u al p ope ies o he island cause Desmond o expe i-
ence unusual “side e ec s” associa ed wi h his a emp o lea e. Desmond’s
consciousness spends he du a ion o his episode ime a elling be ween
1996 and 2004, a na a i e p oblem ha can only be esol ed when he is able
o connec ia phone call wi h his ex-gi l iend Penny—his “cons an .” This
episode p o ides a unique b eak o he o mula o Los wi hou undamen-
ally changing any hing. The episode is s ill s uc u ed a ound he expe ience
o na a i ely jumping be ween wo di e en empo al ins ances, one on he
island and ano he no , bu makes he small change o d awing explici cau-
sali y be ween hese wo h eads. Desmond’s expe iences in he p esen hus
a ec he ac ions he akes in he pas , and ice e sa, making his cha ac e
a c in his episode uncha ac e is ically linea o Los —closely ollowing he
o de o plo e en s as p esen ed despi e he na a i e jump h ough s o y ime.
This episode was well- ecei ed in andom spaces o his sub le inno a ion o
an es ablished o mula, and is cu en ly he highes a ed episode o he se ies
on IMDb. When hese scenes a e dis ibu ed h oughou he ch onological
Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y 133
an edi howe e , six y- h ee episodes a e placed in be ween hese wo empo-
al s eams. Only minimal con ex is a ailable o he 1996 s eam, making i
mo e con using, and he 2004 s eam is le o ead as an unnecessa y delay o
na a i e mo emen . Thus, a unique e en episode becomes bu ied wi hin he
es o he se ies’ imeline o make i a less memo able.
Fu he , he na a i e con adic ions o he o iginal se ies a e d awn ou
h ough his edi . The e u n o he same ch onological momen in di e en
sou ce episodes can esul in some cha ac e s who a e e ealed o ha e been
bo h on and o he island a he same ime, o inhabi ing wo di e en bodies
a he same ime. This in oduces new con adic ions, new o ms o dissonance
no p esen in he sou ce ex , a he han making ha easie o esol e. The
edi also unc ions o inad e en ly emphasize di e en momen s o na a i e
ac ion om he main se ies. In Los , an episode migh highligh na a i e
d ama by c oss-cu ing be ween he “p esen ” and he “pas ,” d awing a en-
ion o he impo ance o na a i e in o ma ion being deli e ed h ough edi -
ing. In he an edi , hese momen s play as en i ely un ema kable non-e en s.
Ins ead, he edi ing o Ch onologically Los places emphasis on momen s in
he se ies’ ch onology ha he show e u ned o mul iple imes om di e -
en pe spec i es, as hese become highligh ed hemsel es h ough 24 (FOX,
2001–2014)-s yle spli sc eens ha indica e hei simul anei y.
The impac o his can be obse ed in he ending o he season one episode
“Walkabou ” (S01E04). Two scenes a e in e cu a he end o his episode—one
om he p esen and ano he in he pas . In he la e , cha ac e John Locke
is seen insis ing ha he be allowed o a end a Walkabou in he Aus alian
ou back, me wi h opposi ion om a a el agen who insis s ha he no pa -
icipa e due o an as-ye unmen ioned “condi ion.” Locke hen u ns a ound o
e eal ha he is sea ed in a wheelchai , pa alyzed om he wais down wi hou
access o he use o his legs, a piece o in o ma ion concealed om he iewe
up un il ha poin in he o iginal episode. As Locke in he pas shou s o he
a el agen “don’ ell me wha I can’ do!” and he sound ack swells alongside
his ou bu s o emo ion, he episode cu s o Locke a he momen o he plane
c ash as he disco e s ha he island has mys e iously es o ed he unc ional-
i y o his legs. The a ec i e signi icance o his e eal is hea ily in o med by
he c oss-cu ing o hese wo momen s and he wi hheld in o ma ion abou
Locke’s disabili y. In he ch onological edi , he i s momen alls la when
placed unce emoniously be ween Boone in es iga ing he whe eabou s o
his sis e and Jack iden i ying he body o his deceased a he , and he la e
momen is nea ly impe cep ible when bu ied wi hin he chaos o nume ous
134 ja ed w. a ono
s ains o ac ion ac oss he many spli sc eens depic ing he plane c ash om
e e y on-sc een pe spec i e om which he e en had been p esen ed.
I is pe haps ine i able ha Maloney’s goal, o ell he s o y om he pe -
spec i e o he island a he han he cha ac e s, would come o dis up he
cha ac e bea s ha he o iginal se ies builds i sel a ound. I makes sense ha
his momen e ealing Locke’s disabili y would go unde played when he s o y
is no longe abou him, o ha he e en s o an episode like “The Cons an ”
would ead less as he p oduc o an expe imen al e en episode and mo e as
a la gely-unnecessa y pos ponemen o na a i e p og ession. Ye an una oid-
able sense o o mal disuni y can be ne e heless obse ed in he disconnec
be ween s uc u e and con en ha emains. Because i would be ou side o he
scope and spi i o Ch onologically Los o conduc eshoo s o cu ou unnec-
essa y scenes, while he s uc u e o he edi may be elling he s o y om
he pe spec i e o he island, he momen - o-momen na a i e ac ion s ill
ames e en s as i hey a e pa o a cha ac e d ama. Whe e an ecep ion
would exp ess an in es men in in o ma ion abou he na u e and his o y o
he island, he se ies i sel only o e s his in o ma ion once i becomes ele-
an o he cha ac e s. This can be exempli ied h ough an a c in he i h
season, in which hal o he main cas ime a el o he 1970s and pa ic-
ipa e in he Dha ma Ini ia i e. This a c answe s audience ques ions abou
he ole o Dha ma in he island’s his o y while p esen ing ha his o y p i-
ma ily h ough i s impo ance o he ongoing cha ac e de elopmen o hese
es ablished audience a a a s. Thus, cha ac e de elopmen building o o ou
seasons o es ablished in o ma ion is he p ima y emphasis o he momen -
o-momen s uc u e o hese scenes, bu in he ch onological an edi his
a c begins in jus he ou h episode. F om he pe spec i e o he island his
may be in ch onological o de , bu he cha ac e s expe iencing hese e en s
a e in luenced by and e e ence de elopmen s ha ha e no happened ye in
s o y ime. The esul is ha , i ead as a s andalone wo k, Ch onologically Los
eels ul ima ely un ocused— isibly unsu e o which s o y i wan s o be elling
and p oducing wha I ound, pe sonally a leas , o be a gene ally unsa is ying
na a i e expe ience as a esul .
Ch onological Pa a ex s and he Uni ica ion
o Na a i e Meaning
The ac ha Ch onologically Los has sus ained i s an p esence—despi e, in
my own pe cep ion, no e lec ing especially well upon i s sou ce ex —sugges s
Tempo al Uni y and Discon inui y 135
ha his an-made pa a ex is one ha holds a kind alue o his communi y
ha is no necessa ily aes he ic. I may no ha e ound i pe sonally sa is ying
o wa ch as a mo e casual iewe o he se ies, bu as Jona han G ay (2010)
desc ibes, many an-made pa a ex s such as his will add ess only hose wi hin
he andom, no designed wi h ou side s in mind (p. 17). Jus as G ay a gues
ha o icial pa a ex s such as ad e isemen s and DVD special ea u es can aid
iewe s in he p ocess o making meaning ou o a ex , an-made pa a ex s
a e ools no only ha can gi e us insigh in o he meanings ha iewe s a e
al eady making ou o hese na a i es, hey a e ools ha he iewe s hem-
sel es use o making and communica ing ex ual meaning. Fan pa a ex s, as
poin ed ou by Hen y Jenkins (1992), “canno simply be in e p e ed as he
ma e ial aces o in e p e i e ac s bu need o be unde s ood wi hin hei own
e ms as cul u al a i ac s” (p. 228).
I Ch onologically Los is o be unde s ood on i s own e ms as a ool o
making meaning, he unc ions o his ool can be seen o di ec ly con adic
he common posi ion o ele ision schola s desc ibed ea lie . Fo a commi ed
an o spend he ime e-edi ing such a la ge disman led ch onology na a i e
in o ch onological o de se es he unc ion, I p opose, o aid in he de el-
opmen o a global-le el cohe ence in he sou ce ex . Buonanno (2019) may
ha e a gued ha i is en o ced in e up ions—wai ing weeks o new episodes
o mon hs o new seasons— ha make a ex se ial, bu Ch onologically Los
se es o make some o hese di ides almos impe cep ible. Many cli hang-
e s a e esol ed immedia ely, many ques ions answe ed wi hou hesi a ion,
many sou ce episodes s i ched oge he in o single episodes o his an edi .
The inale o he hi d season and opening o he ou h, o example, occu
in he same ideo ile, discou aging any b eak be ween one season and he
nex . To wa ch Ch onologically Los is o see he na a i e p esen ed, no only
wi hou he in e up ion o jumps h ough ime, bu wi hou he weekly in e -
up ion be ween episodes. This edi se es o make ambiguous many o he
ha d lines ha sepa a e local chunks o na a i e in o ma ion om he global
whole, unc ioning as a ool o iewe s who wan o make i easie o hem-
sel es o concep ualize global na a i e meanings. This is no dissimila o
he goals o iewe s who consume ele ision na a i es in binge—a emp ing
o make easie he p ocess o comp ehending global meaning by emo ing he
di isions ha sepa a e local chunks. Pe haps, despi e such iewing s ances
o ming global-le el na a i e cohe ence ha is consis en ly inconside a e,
messy, o un idy, hese a e ne e heless he goals ha ele ision iewe s a e
mo i a ed o pu sue in he p ocess o na a i e comp ehension.