Co-owner of a Lonely Heart
Narrative:
In Co-owner of a Lonely Heart, there is a multi-strand narrative. One includes the link between April and Corikinus - the king of the shadow kin. And one includes flower petals that have entered through a rift in space and time that feed of blood and multiply as they have the potential to destroy the human race. In the Underneath, one of Corakinus' followers tries to cut the link between April and Corakinus but ends up making the bond stronger so he is executed by Corakinus. Through this, April realises she can now summon swords like a shadow kin. April has an outburst in class and Ram finds her near her locker. (She breaks her locker in another outburst of anger). He takes her home and they end up having sex in April's bedroom. Corakinus is linked to April and so also has sex with Kharrus, one of his subjects who is helping him. April's mum catches them and discusses what had just happened. Ram leaves and April is about to go after him but meets her father outside. Her father had just been let out of prison for endangering April and her mum in the car accident that had left her mother paralysed. April becomes infuriated and two swords appear in her hands. She threatens her father with them in a fit of rage.Ram comes back to calm her down and she lets her father go. Since her heart is linked to Corakinus she knows where he is and goes on a quest to find him. The episode ends on an enigma as the audience is unsure whether or not she defeats Corakinus. Ram goes after her. The other narrative revolves more around Ms Ames, Miss Quill, Charlie and Matteusz. Charlie introduces Mattuesz to the 'cabinet of souls'. Later on, he reveals that it can wipe out an entire race and bring back an entire race in the hands of a hero. Miss Quill overhears this and becomes furious with Charlie because he has been capable of wiping out the shadow-kin this whole time. Ms Ames meets with Miss Quill and reveals that she knows her true identity and Charlie's and that she is able to remove the arn in Miss Quill's head that prevents her from using a weapon and warns her about the invasion of the flower petals that have come from a rift in space and time and have the capability of wiping out the human race.
Character:
April is established to be the hero character type because she goes to the Underneath to fight against Corakinus. Ram and April's romantic relationship is developed through Ram being there to comfort April and their sex scene. Charlie and Matteusz' relationship is tested when Charlie reveals the cabinet of souls to his boyfriend as Matteusz questions Charlie's morality. April's relationship with her mother is the stereotypical relationship between a teenager and a parent shown in teen dramas. This is shown by April's mum telling her off for having sex with Ram. When April is enraged by her father though, she seems very protective of her mother, switching the traditional roles of a parent and a child. April's dad is presented as a villain in some scenes because he creates the disequilibrium in the episode when April reunites with him outside of Ram's car.
Iconography:
The flower petals on the dead squirrel and April's eyes glowing orange when Corakinus takes over. The flower petals emphasise the horror genre and April's eyes changing colour are a convention of Sci-Fi.
Setting:
The camera is constantly moving to catch the audience's attention at every moment. There is cross-cutting between April and Corakinus in their respective sex scenes to show the link between them and the effect of sharing a heart with April has on Corakinus.
2) How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Try and use the expanded version of Todorov's theory: Equilibrium - Disruption - Recognition - Reparation - New equilibrium.
The equilibrium is April sharing a heart with Corakinus because this is an established plot point by episode 4. The disruption is when April comes into contact with her father after he has been released from prison because he infuriates her. It could also be Charlie introducing Matteusz to the cabinet of souls. It could also be when April's dad returns and she threatens him with swords. The recognition is when April doesn't hurt him. The new equilibrium is not established but it will be in the second half of the two-parter.
3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do each of the main characters in Class fit into? Alternatively, you may wish to discuss how characters do not fit Propp's character types.
Ms Ames is the father figure character because she gives Miss Quill important information and offers to help her get the arn out of her head. (See character section of NCIS paragraph for more on the subversion of character types).
4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)
Action codes are created using a variety of diegetic and non diegetic sound. An example of an action code created by diegetic sound is when April says 'he knows where I am' an example of Action codes with non diegetic sound would be the dramatic music that is used to increase the suspense to build up to the next episode. Enigma codes are created by the episode's unanswered questions like whether or not April will get her heart back or if the petals will take over the earth.
5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience?
There is binary opposition with humans v aliens, this is shown between the cross cutting between April and Corakinus to show that despite their shared heart, they are actually very different. Another example f binary opposition would be between adults v teenagers, this is shown when April and her mum are arguing about her relationship with Ram.
Representations
1) How is gender represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted?
Gender stereotypes are subverted by Ms Ames and April. Ms Ames is a knowledgeable head teacher who informs Miss Quill about the dangers of the flowers and that she can get the arn out of her head. April goes on a quest to save her own heart with her newly obtained power of summoning swords on command without relying on the help of a man to help her. The stereotype of men is subverted by Ram and his dad's open and loving relationship.
2) How is age (e.g. teenagers; older people like teachers or parents) represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people?
The representation of adults in the media is reinforced by April's mum scolding her daughter for being irresponsible by having sex with Ram. The representation of teenagers is subverted because they are responsible, for example, April doesn't seek vengeance on her father when she threatens him with swords and fights Corakinus' influence.
3) How is race and ethnicity represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?
The stereotypes of race are subverted because Ram's dad is an Indian Sikh man and he has a trusting relationship with his son. Matteusz is a Polish man and subverts stereotypes because he is against Charlie using violence to bring back the Rhodians.
4) How is sexuality represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? How does this reflect the BBC's remit to represent modern Britain?
Matteusz and Charlie are in a homosexual relationship which is regarded as completely ordinary by the other characters, this reflects the diverse nature of modern-day Britain.
5) How is disability represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Why are disabled people generally under-represented in the media and how does Class try to address this?
April's mum is paralysed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair but she is presented as a stereotypical parent when she is scolding April. This is also emphasised by her saying "Don't let this chair fool you, if you hurt her, I will kill you." This shows that her protective maternal instincts are still intact despite her disability. Disabled people are under-represented and one of BBC3's mottos is to reflect modern-day Britain which is a diverse place so Class addresses this by having a disabled character.
1) What were the viewing figures for Class and why do you think it did so badly?
Less than 5% of the TV audience watched Class when it aired. I think it did badly because it was created for an audience that doesn't exist. It is a DR Who spin off, Dr Who is aimed at a family audience so adults over 30 and children under 12. Class has explicit,violent and sexual content that Dr Who's family audience could not watch. It aired at 10 pm on weekdays on BBCOne when their teenage audience would be asleep to prepare for school.
2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Class?
Reformers may enjoy Class because it has representations of groups that are often under or misrepresented in the media.
3) What audience pleasures are offered by Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.
There are lockers that are reminiscent of American school lockers to appeal to the American audience. There is an archetypal school setting which the fanbase can relate to because the target audience is 15-24 so they are either still in school or have recently left it.
Personal Relationships:
More is revealed about April's background so the audience may gain an attachment to her character because they may empathise with having parents that are not together or having a turbulent relationship with one of their parents and so they may gain a fondness for her character.
Diversion (Escapism):
The world of the Underneath, the Shadow Kin, the Rhodians and the Quill and travel into space and time that is created in Class is an utterly immersive world that can help the audience escape from the monotony of everyday life.
Surveillance (Information / Facts):
4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
There are visceral pleasures created when April summons the shadow swords because it creates an action code (Barthes enigma and action codes).
5) How did fans in the 'Whoniverse' (also known as 'Whovians') react to Class? Watch the fan reaction video (and read the YouTube comments) on the Class notes blog post or check the comments in the extension articles below to help with this.
The Whovians did not react well to Class because Dr Who has on episodic narrative that is ended at the end of the episode or the two-parter so even casual fans can enjoy an episode with minimal exposition. This episode of Class however has a multi strand narrative where some narratives take priority over others. The Cabinet of Souls and Matteusz questioning Charlie's morality and the killer flowers are all sidelined by April trying to win back her heart from Corakinus.
Industries
1) What was the objective of BBC3 when it was launched?
To inform, educate and entertain its young audience.
2) Why did BBC3 go online-only in February 2013?
BBC3's target audience - 15-34-year-olds - do not watch live or traditional television anymore. They watch things on demand via streaming services like Netflix.
3) How does Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?
'Class' is a diverse programme, in episode 4, we learn more about April's mum's paralysis but we also learn that it doesn't change who she is which informs the audience about the lives of people with disabilities. 'Class' has little actual educational value but it does provide the audience pleasure of diversion or entertainment because the world of the underneath, killer flowers and the cabinet of souls is totally immersive.
4) How did the distribution of Class contribute to the failure of the show with audiences?
5) What advertising and marketing was used to try and promote Class to an audience? Why do you think this wasn't very successful?
The trailer pushed the link with the Whoniverse which did not feature heavily in Class (excluding the Doctor's appearance in the pilot and few references to the Doctor throughout the series).
Comparison: An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart
1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2016 Class (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?
There is CGI in Class (notably in the scenes with Corakinus and the Underneath and the killer flowers) which was not invented in 1963 where all effects were done practically. There are low angled shots to introduce the Doctor in the 1963 DR Who to show that he is powerful but in Class there are low-angled shots of April to show her power which subverts traditional representations of women.
2) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of the science-fiction genre?
The openings of both programmes emphasise the Sci-Fi genre because there is a bright light in Dr Who and the TARDIS looks like a rocket and technological advances are a convention of Sci-Fi whereas in Class, the opening shows tentacles of a fictional creature between scenes from the show to show the Sci- Fi genre.
3) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of how they meet the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain?
Dr Who : An Unearthly Child informs and educates its audience because it talks about historical events and there will be time travel back to the stone age at the end of the two-parter. In Co-owner of a Lonely Heart, it entertains the audience because the immersive world and the multi strand narrative makes the audience able to escape reality. Arguably, Class fails on entertaining an audience due to the backlash it met and the extremely low viewing figures.
4) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?
There is no representation of any racial group except white people in An Unearthly Child but in Class, Ram is a sikh and he is Indian, Tanya is Nigerian and Mattuesz is Polish. Both represent what a 'modern' Britain is. In An Unearthly Child, Susan is listening to a pop song that reflected the time period it was made in. Similarly, in Class there is a diverse cast to reflect modern Britain.
5) What similarities and differences can you find in terms of the audience pleasures for An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?Grade 8/9 extension tasks and reading
Read this Digital Spy feature on why Class was cancelled after only one series. Do you agree with its criticisms regarding scheduling, audience and character development?
This Guardian review of Class is much more positive - but the comments 'below the line' (BTL) are largely critical. Do you agree with the original review or the comments - and why?
Read this Den of Geek fan review of Co-owner of a Lonely Heart. Do you agree with the praise and criticism in it and why?
Finally, read this Indiewire feature on Class. It contains plenty of references to other films and TV shows (intertextuality) - what popular culture references can you find in this article?
You have two weeks to complete this case study BUT the deadline is crucial - you need this 100% finished for Wednesday 12 December as this is your GCSE Media PPE and Section A of the exam will ALL be on your television CSPs.
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