Humans - Binary Oppositions, Representation

Binary Oppositions and Representation 

Binary Oppositions in Humans

• Anita v Laura - Mise-en-scene - Anita has a perfectly symetrical face, she\"s taller, younger looking compared to Laura. Laura is sexually threatened by Anita.
• Synths v Humans - Jobs, synths taking \"low-skilled\" jobs, tickets, flyers, picking fruit and sex work. Whereas Laura, is a lawyer.
• Anita (Automata) v Synths - She makes mistakes and has feelings whereas synths don’t. 
• Broken v Fixed -  Odie v Anita - Odie is broken, he could represent dementia/disability.
• Hawkins family v synths and Leo - stereotypical British family v homeless and on the run.
• Mattie v Sophie.

Representation - how a group are presented again/repeated using ideologies.

Anita is presented as an East Asian woman, she sticks out more, she is seen as ‘other’ and contrasts further with the Hawkins family who are white. East Asian women are sexualised in the media - 18+ card, and being obedient and delicate - housemaid.

- We see different representations of ethnicity and of women - usually negative - the series is providing how they are usually represented.

Scene: After opening credits - Anita offering to drive Joe

• Establishing shot - we see Joe cleaning up, on the phone and house phone ringing - chaos in the home.
• Lighting high-key at home - low-key where Laura is - we sense that she is usually separated from her family and is always busy. Close up, she looks tired and sad.
• Everything feels normal - regular to the audience - stereotypical British family.
• Conventions of Sci-fi - Music - synth and quite eerie - Colouring - cool and cold - a stark contrast as now the relatability of what we see is gone and different from our reality.
• They buy Anita - a synth, like technology or a car - glowing green eyes.
• Joe and Sophie are happy, feels like perhaps a replacement to Laura.
• The synths are dressed professionally, they work for humans.
• Questioning of ethics - they look human like but are objectified as they are synths/robots, further seen as they are women.
• ’Look Soph, that’s a really posh one.’ - the synth is a woman dressed as a maid who is cooking - Feminist theory - objectified and acting stereotypical. Allegory of how women are seen in society.
• The salesman winks at Joe as he hands an extra thing over, we later learn it’s the 18+ card - ‘lad banter’.
• Anita has features as well as other synths to do unwanted work like housework.
• Artificial Intelligence.

How the scene represents/constructs gender

• Mise-en-scene - Anita’s costume is basic, resembles nurse scrubs, highly gendered and highly utilitarian - objectification.
• Close up/extreme close ups of Anita’s face, hermeneutic code, who is this beautiful woman? Joe’s facial expression is surprised.
• Joe is Anita’s ‘primary user’ - he controls her - reflecting stereotypical patriarchal hierarchy between men and women.