Popular culture, and TV shows, in particular, are prone to use and revisit mythical figures, religious allegories, and biblical references, and, among, them, the Devil. Whether he is called Lucifer or Satan, the one who rebelled against God and have incarnated evil ever since seems to be an everlasting source of inspiration for screenwriters, creators, and showrunners. However, in recent shows like Supernatural, and, even more, in Lucifer, the Devil is – to a degree at least, especially in Supernatural where he is and stays an antagonist – humanized. His so-called evilness is – once again, to a degree – nuanced, and there is more to his psychology than evil for evil’s sake. It is especially flagrant in Lucifer, as Lucifer is the main character. He is a hero with flaws and qualities, a hero confronted to very human dilemmas, to fear, to loss, to love, a hero we are rooting for. How Devil-like characters have been written and treated? As it evolved? Can we discern a tendency, in recent TV shows, to develop, or even humanize, the Devil? How is it done? How could such a tendency be related to the evolution of the “Good vs Evil” trope? And, potentially, what are the exceptions to the recent transformations – or lack of transformation, if we can’t discern a real tendency – and how can we explain them?
Great topic. Other shows to consider covering: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Reaper; 666 Park Avenue; Good Omens. – Emily Deibler5 years ago
Definitely an interesting topic for discussion! However, it bears pointing out that the idea of the Devil not being pure evil isn't new. It actually goes back to John Milton's Paradise Lost, which was written in the 1600's. – Debs5 years ago
Very good topic! I would suggest, if you can, looking into South Park's Satan, who is very much confronted with the human dilemma of love and sexuality. Some films that I would suggest would be the Ghost Rider films and The Devil's Advocate. I believe that there is a Paradise Lost reference in Advocate. – tolkienfan5 years ago
Also include a reiteration from anime. They have some pretty weird stuff there. (Devil is a Part-Timer, Blue Exorcist, Devilman Crybaby) – OkaNaimo08194 years ago
I'm wondering if this topic can be approached in an historical way: How the devil was seen in 1930s movies versus now, for example. – Joseph Cernik4 years ago
Korean romance dramas span a variety of sub-genres that generally entice old and new audiences but romance narratives typically and expectedly end one of two ways: the protagonist and love interest end up, or not. Even if predictable, why does it sell to the audience? What aspects make Korean romance dramas addicting?
Further topic: the heteronormative themes and couples of Korean romance dramas and its underlying effect on the audience
Good question
As a K drama addict myself
I think it has to do with good development of the characters.
It could be high fantasy, a crime drama but the characters are what makes us love them – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
It would be interesting to compare similar dramas, comparing story structure and characters. – kerrybaps5 years ago
Throughout the entire series the term white hat is tossed back and forth but what does it mean. I think its about being the good guy. Whoever where the white hat is considered the one who is winning and doing the right thing. In this show we easily see where the lines between good and evil are crossed so is wearing the white hat even worth it. I think if someone could track the metaphor they'd be able to understand the relationship between Olivia and Joshua a lot better.
Link the narrative arcs of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) to the #metoo movement. Buffy manages to be the one who saves the world (with the Scooby gang) whilst working her way through a number of relationships with the 'wrong' man. These included the bad boy who can't be saved, the stalked, the good guy who finished last and 'beer goggles'. in the context of metoo – how is Buffy conceptualised in present day through this lens?
I guess there is some way to link Buffy to the MeToo Movement, seems to be a strange linkage. – Joseph Cernik4 years ago
The Vampire Diaries and its spinoffs (The Originals, Legacies) and canonically full of mostly heterosexual relationships, but a significant portion of the show's followers and fans are deeply committed too gay, lesbian, bi and pan ships that have little chance of setting sail or solidifying. Is this because of the show runners? Is this because of the channels it's airing on?
Great topic! Be sure to check a couple typos ("are" instead of "and" in the first sentence). More importantly, though, I would recommend looking at queer-baiting across fandom. Fans have spent decades building huge archives of fan work dedicated to LGBT+ "ships" to compensate for the lack of LGBT+ relationships in mainstream television shows. I would recommend looking into reasons why fans feel so strongly about these ships, and then look at some statistics about LGBT+ representation on tv. Also, can fans ever go "too far" with these ships? The Vampire Diaries is a great series for this topic, but I've seen a similar trend with Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and lots of anime. – Eden5 years ago
Cool topic, I assuming its because the Vampire diaries universe is mainly aimed at teens and young adults, people who are members of the most LGBT+ generation, although their are some gay and lesbian role models in shows like the vampire diaries their arnt many pan or other LGBT+ people or relationships on tv. Which thus leads to fan fiction. If their arnt any role models they hope for some to be introduced or create their own. – BrigetteH5 years ago
Having recently finished watching Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, I was struck by how my favourite episode was #5 Dark Quiet Death – a standalone episode that featured two completely separate characters. It got me thinking of other examples, like a similarly video-game focused episode of You're the Worst, and countless others.
So thought it would be a great idea to accumulate these into an article, or perhaps even analyse why audiences respond to these episodes (as Dark Quiet Death is the highest-rated Mythic Quest episode on IMDB by far).
Another example that might fit: among the three best-rated episodes of Stargate SG-1 on Imbd, two of them can be considered as standalone episodes: Window of Opportunity and The Fifth Race. The monster-of-the-week episodes of The X-Files might also belong in such an analysis.
There might also be a difference between standalone episodes in more ‘procedural’ TV shows (such as SG-1 or X-Files), where standalone episodes are a regular format), and TV shows where, no matter how good they are, standalone episodes stay an exception. (I haven't watched Mythic Quest, so I don't know in which 'category' it would go.) Could that issue be discussed in the same article or would that fact call for two separate ones? – Gavroche5 years ago
Paranormal television encompasses the genre of "reality" television that focuses on ghosts and other spooky phenomena. Analyze the history and relevance of "ghost hunting" television shows and address a few reasons why the genre's popularity persists. How do these shows mesh reality television with history, travel, and detective/crime genres?
Good topic! You might also explore the way paranormal phenomena and hauntings are presented in cultures across these shows. For example, there is a show called Amish Haunting. There're also shows featuring haunted places in different parts of America, where the ghosts and hauntings take different "shapes." For instance, New Orleans has voodoo and Marie Laveau; New England has Salem and the witch trials; the Southeast tends toward "Southern Gothic" and so forth. – Stephanie M.5 years ago
Centuries ago, people who were "different" in any way–those with visible disabilities, facial deformities or marks, extreme obesity, or other conditions–often found "employment" in circuses and sideshows. They were ridiculed as freaks and shut out from society, and we now look back at their plights as an ultimate example of humanity's inhumanity. We say we are too well-informed, too "politically correct," to parade people around for entertainment any longer.
Yet, we also have reality television. These days, the "freak show" looks more like documentaries chronicling the lives of little people, large fundamentalist families, people who have broken away from extreme forms of religion or cults, and yes, the extremely obese or thin again. We also have documentaries that place miserably failing restaurants, hotels, and other businesses on display, mostly so the hosts can be lauded for saving them and the business owners, who are implicitly understood to be careless or stupid.
Some reality shows are much gentler than others, doing their best to present their subjects with dignity and as real, three-dimensional people. Discouragingly though, the shows that seem to pull in the ratings and the viewers are the same ones that invite viewers to gawk and ridicule.
Why is this? Is the nature of reality TV itself to present the most unusual of humanity at people's expense–that is, is there nothing to be done about it? What does it say about us as humans that we continue to consume and enjoy this entertainment? Discuss.
Some examples you might use:
-The filthiest and most rundown establishments on Hotel Impossible or Restaurant " " -The shower scenes of My 600-Lb Life, which viewers and reviewers often call "the obligatory shower scene" (they're often part of drinking games) -The most extreme or scary-looking cults in documentaries -The controversy and scandal surrounding the Duggar family, including the marriages of grown daughters and resulting spin-off series -Places featured on documentaries like Most Terrifying Places in America, Ghost Adventures, etc.
As someone born with disabilities, and was going to see how how the disabled are portrayed in books and films, i support this topic! On Facebook and many channels on Youtube post these outlandish stories about the unusual or disabled people and ending the story with no possitive outcome. We are then to only feel pity for them before we move on and click on another video showing the same type of content with giving a couple hearts and crying emojis to show our support. – Amelia Arrows5 years ago
Good topic. I was expecting mention of Hoarders!
I'm not sure that the final item in the list at the end of your topic -- about Most Terrifying Places in America and Ghost Adventures -- fit with the other items in the list. The supernatural seems to me like a very different topic. – JamesBKelley5 years ago
Hoarders, yes. :) The paranormal stuff probably doesn't fit, on reflection. I included it because, depending on how people feel about the paranormal, they might malign believers as strange and "haunted" places as gimmick-y or places "normal" people shouldn't be. But yes, Hoarders or Hoarding: Buried Alive would fit much better. – Stephanie M.5 years ago
I really like this topic! There's something about society's fascination with the "other" and how we tend to interact with it in a one-sided relationship -- think circus freak shows. How have reality tv shows and things like YouTube broadened our awareness of the "other" and what work does it do to embrace the "other" into society, or otherwise ostracize it further? Should the focus be on integration/assimilation into society, or can folks with disabilities/abilities be more celebrated for creating their own communities? How can able-bodied people respect these marginalized groups? I'm super interested in this topic, and I would eagerly read a piece about it it. – Eden5 years ago
