Humans - Genre, Themes, Diametric opposition

Genre, Themes, Diametric opposition

• It is set in England because it is a developed Western country and is targetted towards these people.
• Target Audience - British, middle-class, middle aged.
• Sci-fi is always largely an allegory for what is current, it explores and encodes real world issues.

We see themes of:

• Sexualisation and exploitation - Toby looks at Anita in that particular way. Feminist theory - Male gaze.
• 18+ card (slavery).
• Brothel.
• Modern slavery - Anita is a slave.
• Capitalism and the nuclear family - Most middle-class families have a robot.
• Fantastical racism - Synths are 'other' and different, they've taken all the jobs represents racism in modern society. Different coloured eyes. Hawkins family - stereotypical British familym middle-class and Anita is presnted as East Asian, making slavery be seen more obviously. However she is simply a robot or human, conciousness.
• Swedish Version - 'Real Humans' - Prejudice term towards synths, 'pacman'.
• Anita is a commodity.

Genre - Neal - theory

• Generic conventions of a Sci-fi genre.
• Hybridity - Repetition but has difference.
• Subgenre - Alternative Present.

Sci-fi -

• Technology.
• Glowing eyes.
• Synth music.
• Machinery.
• Robots - e.g. Odie's brain scrambling 'fatal error'.

However can be unconventional as its not in space and has allegories.

    - Humans is original.

    - What is humanity?

Narratology - Todorov - theory

• Moving from one equilibrium to another.
• Equilibrium then conflit creating a disequilibrium then a partial restoration of equilibrium. (The Liminal Period).

• Equilibrium - There are robots in this world.
• Disequilibrium - There are some robots with a consciousness, Joe buys Anita and Laura doesn't like it.
• New Equilibrium - Laura tells Anita what she can and can't do.
• Cliffhanger - Anita walks out with Sophie in her arms.

Diametric opposition - Binary opposition - Strauss

• Anita is caring and kind because the family isn't.
• Mattie is a rebellious teen.
• Laura is stressed and busy.
• Anita is the perfect woman and mother figure.

Historcal Representations of Automata

Anita is A.I.

Automata is something that moves on its own term.

E.g.

        Das Schone Madchen - Hannah Hoch

        - BMW car logo and women - Men usually want to possess these things, women are like 

        objects. A woman is a machine. A status symbol.

Anita is constructed as the ideal woman (hegemonic ideology), she is the perfect housewife and looks perfect, conventionally attractive - better looking than Laura.