humans continued

Humans has an ensemble cast - and this means that it is hard to tell who the protagonist is due to the fact there are so many people within the cast. This also means there are a lot of character arcs within the show. The closest we could get to protagonists within the first episode are Leo and Anita.

Different story arcs/character arc ep1:
- Joe's struggle within the household and buying Anita
- George and Odi's relationship
- George's declining health
- Laura's insecurity of Anita
- Matilda's struggle with the Synth
- Leo and the synths being taken
- Leo trying to find Anita
- Niska in the brothel
- Detective Drummond and the synth
- Anita stealing Sophie

'Humans' starts "in medias res" - in the middle of a story. This means that hermeneutic codes are created much more easily and the characters develop in a much more interesting way. The stories intertwine and flow in a more interesting way.

Van Zoonen suggested that gender is constructed by the producers of media products, and that it depends on when a media product has been released - this is because it would reflect the values and gender representations of the time of release. 'Humans' is a representation of a modern world, with modern values of gender, and this is why it is such a highly allegorical show.

HOW LEO'S CHARACTER IS PRESENTED

• The camera is close to his face which implies that he could be intimidating, someone that close to your face is quite scary
• His clothes and hair are slightly messy, he seems quite rough
• Tone of voice is quite low and gruff, or slightly stern, which presents him as strong or powerful
• He comes up to Sadiq when his back is turned, where he is more vulnerable
• His unshaven face could make him seem quite tough
• Scruffiness suggests that he is an outlaw
• Uses physical gestures and hits the wall in order to display dominance
• Seems quite smart and tactical, knows what he wants and how to get it
• Photo of Anita creates a binary opposition, because she is very white and angelic in the photograph and he seems quite dark and rough
• His eyes are wide and strongly focussed on Sadiq, and the blue colour is bright and could be scary
• Wild, like a fighter, running away from things
• His respect and personality is also constricted through intradiegetic gaze (the way other characters see him)

Mini Mini Mock

Within Episode 1 of 'Humans', the binary opposition between human and synth (cyborg) is cleverly conveyed through several features of mise-en-scene. For example, in the first cut, the warehouse filled with synths has a blue tint to it and the lighting is incredibly high key, connoting to something modern and futuristic, and also has a coldness about it. This compares to the next image of nature, which is filled with colours like green and yellow, connoting warmth and life. As well as this, when Anita first enters the Hawkins' home, she is dressed in a plain blue outfit and has straight and shiny hair. She over takes the stereotypically maternal role within the family, and she is seen holding cleaning products when Laura walks in. She seems much more clean whereas Laura has messy hair and more brown coloured clothes. Even though Anita has taken on Laura's role, there is still a separation between them, and the synth taking care of Sophie seems unnatural. Laura reinforces this by repeatedly telling Anita, "that's my job", which we can infer displays how uncomfortable Laura is having a cyborg in her home. The binary opposition of what Anita is wearing therefore adds to how she is abnormal, and does not fit into the family, conveying to the audience Laura's intimidation on witnessing Anita within her home - she could feel that Anita's clean and perfect looks challenge her, and her actions also displace her position in the household. 

What this also cultivates is the idea of a 'nuclear family', as Joe's decision to buy a female synth reflects a husband and wife dynamic that he wishes to achieve. Although Laura is uncomfortable with the synth, Joe is dominant and tells her that "we're not taking it back". This could reflect that Joe enjoys having her around the house, and taps into the fact that gender is constructed through your actions, as theorised by Judith Butler. At the start of the episode, Joe is seen washing dishes and caring for the family while Laura is away, which subverts from stereotypical views of men working away from the family and the mother caring for them. In order to tip it back, Joe has taken on a more assertive stance and chosen the female synth to fit in with gender and cultural norms associated within a household.