Do I watch "Revenge" for its violence?

The new series "Revenge" on ABC has some seriously dark undertones. As I have been an avid fan from its premiere in September, I took the time to analyze its morbid plot. Protagonist Emily Thorne buys a house in The Hamptons for the summer, next to a rich family, The Graysons. However, Emily is really there to avenge her father's death, which was plotted by the Graysons. They framed him for a terrorist act that he did not commit and he subsequently died during a life sentence in prison. Emily's motive is to seek revenge on the main players who had a hand in her father's downfall and death. Each episode tracks her deceiving and seeking out various characters and devising a plan that will destroy them. At the end of each show, she takes a red Sharpie and draws an X on the destroyed victim. The destruction of these people can involve screwing up their social lives, reputation, or even killing them. At least every episode involves bloody physical fights or often gun fights. 


For example, in the most recent episode, "Doubt," one of the characters was brutally attacked while in prison. After thinking about why I watch this show, it was clear that violence and thrill are the main reasons. The dialogue is sometimes so formal that it's cheesy. The characters are rather flat, with the exception of Emily, who has dark secrets and a decent amount of depth. I watch this show for the mystery, the deceit, and the violence because these elements make the show exciting. 

My reading experience of "The Hunger Games"

Since my workload for the semester seemed to slow, I started to read The Hunger Games trilogy. It was very interesting to read these novels after seeing the film interpretation of the story. Right from the beginning, I noticed the scenes and details that the movie did not include. Second, the way in which the movie was filmed seemed to soften the blow of the violence. The camera took on a misty, disoriented quality whenever tributes were killed, hardly showing any blood. In the book, the descriptions of the murders were blunt, gory, and full of painful detail. I would cringe when reading the graphic descriptions of Katniss's injuries or the way in which the Capitol tortured their victims. Before getting into the popular novels, I had come to assume that they were kids' books/young adult fiction. However, despite the fact that the heroine is a young teenage girl, the material is rather mature. There is the political component to consider with the Capitol, which is a controlling, abusive government torturing its constituents so there is not a mass rebellion. 


I read an article on TIME.com, in which a reviewer wrote, "Nearly two dozen kids aged 12 to 18 die by machete, sword, blows with a brick, a spear to the chest, arrows, having their necks snapped. All damage inflicted by each other." I agree with her that elementary school aged children should not be reading these books. The themes are dark, somber and permeated with violence and a constant feeling of mourning. 

"The Hunger Games": Not as grisly as I expected....

Although I never read "The Hunger Games," I knew going into the movie that it would be fairly violent. I hate seeing a movie without reading the book first, so I looked up the plot summary. I was a bit shocked to discover that the basis of the movie/novel was a government contest, which would be televised, between teens which is meant to end in death. Upon seeing the movie, I think a PG-13 rating was necessary, but certainly not an R. There were flashes of weapons, small scenes of blood, and screams that suggested pain and death. However, I think directors purposely filmed the movie to depict violence in a less graphic way. I was initially shocked, mainly because I did not read the novel and none of the trailers showed the actual "hunger games." Over Easter break, I plan to read the novel and do a little comparing. I thought The Week's article about the violence of the film summed it up well: http://theweek.com/article/index/225739/is-the-hunger-games-toonbspviolent-for-kids

Body Combat: A Fitness Phenomenon

As part of a fitness regime, I take a group exercise class called "Body Combat." It is a part of a group of classes choreographed, produced and distributed by the international fitness company Les Mills. These classes have grown in popularity over the past decade and are offered at most upscale gyms. 

Body Combat is the empowering cardio workout where participants are taught a range of martial arts moves. This fiercely energetic program draws from a wide array of disciplines such as karate, boxing, taekwondo, tai chi and muay thai. Some of the moves are extremely violent in nature, such as the muay thai move called "kradot chok" or the cobra punch. In this move, the participant is in a deep sideways lunge and must pull their opposite arm up and back and punch downward forcefully. Whenever this move is done in class, the instructor always says in muay thai, the move is used with the intention of knocking someone out and then crushing their skull!

It occurred to me in this class today that these moves are, indeed, potentially violent if they were to be used in combat. But for me, I only inflict violence (unintentionally!) if someone is standing too close to me in class and I kick them...oops.

Here's a clip of the muay thai move, although these instructors aren't giving it 100%!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnrzMNUDSpw

Diabolical "Dexter"

"Dexter" is one of those TV shows that I revert back to when my usual shows are on hiatus or have already had their season finale. It's the one I turn to when I have nothing left to catch up on and I'm utterly lacking for something to watch. I started "Dexter" was I was abroad in Spain, due to everyone in my group raving about this great show about a guy who "kills for good."

Skeptical, but more bored and desperate, I began watching the Sho-time hit. It felt very CSI, at first, considering Dexter Morgan works as blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. However, he moonlights as a serial killer, hunting down guilty people who have killed without justifiable cause and are likely to do it again. He has an incessant need to kill and when he finally traps his victims, he strips them and constrains them in his kill room, which is lined with plastic tarp. Dexter also has a box of slides in which he saves all of his victims' blood.

My reason for not continuing "Dexter" on a regular basis was due to its highly violent nature. The killings were disturbing, as they were graphic. But, Dexter's pleasure he attains from killing was even more violent. The show portrays it in a macabre manner, sometimes even playing happy music as Dexter slices away at another victim. Interested in researching this show's reception, I Googled, "is Dexter too violent?" I found a link to an ABC news article depicting the story of a young boy who strangled his brother based upon what he saw on "Dexter." (http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-enters-guilty-plea-dexter-inspired-killing/story?id=11624672&page=2 ) Clearly, this fervid fan took things too far, but it's even unbelievable that normal viewers feel themselves identifying with "Dexter," hoping he won't ever get caught. Who knows if I'll ever finish the series after reading that news article...?

Here's a violent montage of Dexter's killings from Season 1 to Season 4:

An Uncomfortable Viewing/Reading Experience: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

I recently finished reading the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I must admit, I saw the movie in theaters before I read the book. I went to see the movie with a friend over winter break, who failed to warn me about the seriously violent and disturbing rape scene in the film. To say I was shocked is an understatement. After the first two minutes of the scene, I had to avert my eyes. I remember looking around the theater and seeing the majority of other moviegoers doing the same. Despite the horribly graphic scenes, I thought the movie was very good; the plot was intriguing and the characters were dynamic. However, I couldn't seem to block out the horrific rape scenes.

After seeing the movie, I wanted to read the book. I assumed that I had certainly seen the worst, in regards to the violent scenes on screen. But, reading the rape scene was just as bad. Because of this, I was curious to read some reviews online about the matter of such serious violence in this novel/movie. First, I came across an interview on the Daily Mail UK website with actor Daniel Craig, who plays Mikael Blomkvist, expressing his opinions on the film. "...this is a $100 million R-rated movie. Nobody makes those anymore.' He also insists that David Fincher, who is directing the movie adaptation of Stieg Larsson's best selling thriller, is 'not holding back'. 'They've given him free rein,' he said.'He recently showed me some scenes, and my hand was over my mouth, going, 'Are you f***ing serious?' ''It's not that he simply showed me footage that was horribly graphic - it was stuff that was happening, or had happened. And somehow you don't see it. There's more than one way to sense violence. Much more powerful ways than seeing it step-by-step.' " (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2012256/Daniel-Craig-reveals-violent-scenes-The-Girl-With-The-Dragon-Tattoo-jaw-drop.html#ixzz1pCkj1S1N)

I was also interested to understand the view of the film from a feminist perspective, seeing as the violence was extremely misogynistic. I referred to a site, She Knows Entertainment, that is targeted to women. The film review began with a warning "Watching an act of injustice is ethically and emotionally tough to take. And why is that? Because when we see someone being mistreated who is otherwise helpless, we see our weaknesses as human beings. If you have no stomach for pain or suffering, rape, murder or random acts of violence, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is not the movie for you." (http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/850669/movie-review-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo)

 

Even though I am eager to see how the rest of the series pans out, I've heard that the next two novels are equally intense and violent. I may have to wait a little while, as my violent threshold is still on overload from the first!

AMC's "The Walking Dead": Does violence define the series?

"The Walking Dead" on AMC is one of the television shows I watch weekly. A bit out of my typical television genre, it was a friend who got me into the series. Being an avid fan of "Mad Men," also on AMC, I knew this network wasn't likely to disappoint me. 

Based on the popular comic book series by the same title, "The Walking Dead" follows a group of survivors attempting to cope with life after a zombie apocalypse. The series, now in its second season, began by exhibiting a "slice of life" of protagonist and police officer Rick Grimes just as zombie apocalypse is starting. He is then shot and hospitalized, remaining in a serious coma. Once Rick comes to, he realizes that he is alone in an empty, defunct hospital. As he goes off in pursuit of his wife and son, as well as safety, he meets people along the way who explain the symptoms of the zombie "virus." It begins with a bite or scratch, then a fever that seemingly destroys all memories and activity in the brain with the exception of the motor skills and basic human instincts, such as hunger. Once the virus takes hold, these "walkers" are an extreme hazard for the living. 

Naturally, this incurs a lot of violence within the plot of the show. The living characters typically kill the walkers because once they're infected, they cannot be saved--they're considered as good as dead. Therefore, the living kill walkers to ensure their own safety by shooting them in the head. This involves lots of blood and guts, making for a very violent and gory show. Just about every episode involves a casual killing of a walker, or several, sometimes even involving dismembering a walker. At first, the living characters struggle with the idea of killing mass amounts of walkers. But, as the show progresses, these survivors don't think twice about pulling the trigger, clearly unaffected by the act of killing.

With blood and guts aside, I think that "The Walking Dead" is a fantastic show. It's action packed, but also seeks to portray the dramatic struggle of the living characters grasping for shreds of humanity in a now inhumane world. In scenes involving walkers, I'm usually watching with one eye covered. Not to say I can't take the violence, I'm just jumpy when it comes to scary scenes. However, I also find that I get bored when there are several scenes in a row sans zombies. I wonder what this says about my tolerance and desensitization towards violence...

Here is the trailer for Season 1 of the show for those who are unfamiliar:

Here's a behind-the-scenes clip about the goriest scene the show has ever featured:

Is violence a vital component?

After a class discussion about the role that violence plays within pop culture, I wondered, how am I exposed to it through my media rituals? What television shows, movies, novels, music and various other elements pop culture that I follow present violent or graphic scenes or words? I decided to pursue a series of blog entries that will reflect upon the presence of violence in various forms of media that I engage with on a regular basis. 

Other research indicates that media violence has not just increased in quantity; it has also become much more graphic, much more sexual, and much more sadistic. According to the Media Awareness Network, violence within the media has increase exponentially over the past decade. There is an increased prevalence of bloody fights, murders, sexually violent explicit scenes, as well as brutal representations of war. Furthermore, the idea of violence without consequences is also an issue that should be raised. "Less than 10 per cent of the TV shows, movies and music videos that were analyzed contextualized the violence or explored its human consequences. The violence was simply presented as justifiable, natural and inevitable -- the most obvious way to solve the problem" (http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/violence_entertainment.cfm.)

Over the course of these reflections, I will exploring the violent elements within several popular television shows, movies, novels, Hollywood, and more.