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