\u00a0 In this week\u2019s session the discussion focused mainly on the relationship between Twin Peaks <\/i>and The X-Files<\/i> as popular television shows and the use of horror and melodrama as predominant features throughout both. Continuing the discussion points raised by the previous session\u2019s screening of American Horror Story<\/i>, it was commented upon again this week how the serial format of television allows greater opportunity to develop this connection between horror and melodrama, particularly in respect to the viewers\u2019 relationship with the characters of the shows. Twin Peaks<\/i> is a good example of this as it is a series which features a big ensemble cast and many sub-plots interweaving with the main narrative: the mystery surrounding Laura Palmer\u2019s death.<\/p>\n The clip from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me<\/i> demonstrates this well as the sequence moves from the portrayal of Laura as a popular albeit troubled high school girl to much darker events which show Laura as the victim of evil forces (human and possibly supernatural) in her own home. The shots focusing on the house\u2019s staircase, Laura\u2019s bedroom door and the strange events which take place during Laura\u2019s dream (her doubling in the picture) are particularly striking and correlate to common Gothic tropes. Twin Peaks<\/i>\u2019s combination of melodrama, thriller and horror makes it a good example of Gothic Television as outlined in Ledwon\u2019s article, which we found useful. Ledwon\u2019s article does raise the question: what would be a contemporary example of Gothic Television? In this session we did also talk about recent rumours that Twin Peaks<\/i> may be brought back or re-booted and we agreed that this would probably would not work or be as successful: the series seems very much of \u2018its time\u2019.<\/p>\n The scene is representative of the kind of melodrama used in Twin Peaks<\/i> which usually takes place in the private space of the family home and involves the revelation of devastating secrets. Another example of this is the scene where Nadine Hurley regains her memory (after believing for a long period that she was a high school teenager following her suicide attempt) and finds that her husband Ed is in a relationship again with an old lover, Norma. This scene, like the one in the Hayward home, is left unresolved. We discussed how this is can leave viewers frustrated by the lack of a definitive conclusion \u2013 a comment which can be extended to the show\u2019s finale in general \u2013 but also in relation to the fact that often the good characters in Twin Peaks<\/i> also suffer. Doctor Hayward, in particular, is a \u2018nice guy\u2019 but is not exempted from the consequences of the show\u2019s many family melodramas.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n H We discussed how, in this way, Home<\/i> addresses two fears: the taboo of inbreeding and the Hollywood\u2019s obsession with the aesthetics of bodies, especially the idea of being \u2018body perfect\u2019. The Peacock family not only tackles both these issues head-on, but they subvert expectations by finding this family life \u2018normal\u2019. Indeed, the melodramatic moments of family drama in the episode occur because the Peacocks are attempting to protect their way of life from intruders. Contrary to the expectations evoked by the show\u2019s provocative opening, the Peacocks are the \u2018small town\u2019 community which are being invaded by the judgement and investigation of others. This interpretation of events on behalf of the Peacock family is reinforced by the fact it is FBI agents \u2013 Mulder and Scully \u2013 who instigate this intrusion and who, literally, invade the family\u2019s home. The sharp contrast between the The second way the show subverts expectations \u2013 and the components of the so-called American Dream \u2013 is with the way it portrays who is at fault in the episode. Certainly the Peacock family is represented as monstrous; a disturbing corruption of what a family should<\/i> look like. But an important part of the horror in the show stems from the way the other townspeople have chosen to ignore the repulsive family and their lifestyle in order to maintain the town\u2019s respectability. The sheriff encompasses this attitude: he is eager to find out who murdered the baby found at the beginning but wants to do so in order to return life to the way it was. His unwillingness to investigate the Peacocks \u2013 even when it is clear that they must be an important part of the investigation \u2013 makes him just as culpable in the crime. We discussed how the horror therefore comes from within: from attempting to keep life the same in the town and ignoring perversions in favour of an illusion of stability and normality. It was commented how this is a very Lynchian trope and peculiarly American.<\/p>\n Extending this last point further, Home<\/i> also explores similar themes found in horror films which engage with an imagined geography of America, where the small and rural town is threatening in its own way. Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre <\/i>and The Hills Have Eyes<\/i>, Home<\/i> taps into the fear that living in isolation is not only possible but can be the catalyst for the horrific events which takes place in such narratives. The believability that such family like the Peacocks could<\/i> exist in America is a particularly potent element of this fear. As such the science-fiction label given to The X-Files<\/i> does not seem entirely suitable. This episode, like many others in the series, does not create horror and melodrama from supernatural or paranormal activities. In this respect we found the Bellon article useful in critiquing the classification of The X-Files<\/i> as a science fiction, although the use of \u2018ontological detective story\u2019 was not found to be entirely satisfactory as an alternative genre either. We agreed that melodrama, thriller and horror are important genres informing the show\u2019s narrative, performance and visual style. This link is strengthened by comparing Home<\/i> to previous screenings and we found similar themes of holding onto the past, wanting to keep life the same and living in isolation in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?<\/i>.<\/p>\n This confinement to the woman-as-mother is emphasised by the episode\u2019s opening, which introduces viewers immediately to the disturbing labour scene. The repeated shot of Mrs Peacock\u2019s eyes \u2013 both in this opening and repeated again when Mulder and Scully visit the empty house and then finally when they find the mother under the bed \u2013 is very effective as it still gives a human and expressive face to an otherwise biological \u2018machine\u2019. Opening the show with Mrs Peacock giving birth also compares to the opening of American Horror Story<\/i> and Vivian\u2019s gynaecologist appointment. The emphasis of women\u2019s bodies as a \u2018house\u2019 in American Horror Story<\/i> is extended in The X-Files<\/i> where \u2018home\u2019 takes on several meanings: it is the episode\u2019s title; it refers to the creepy Peacock house; and it also references the family Mrs Peacock attempts to maintain, with her body as the means for creating new life. The episode\u2019s ending, where Mrs Peacock escapes with one of her sons, suggests that the Peacocks shall continue in their quest for creating this home.<\/p>\n Mrs Peacock\u2019s agency in this concluding sequence is where the representation of woman-as-mother is complicated. Mrs Peacock is not made into an archaic mother endlessly producing new offspring against her will: she willingly and enthusiastically accepts this role and she is revealed to be the matriarch of the family, the brothers following her commands. Once again the episode inverts expectations. Mrs Peacock does not see herself as monstrous, nor does she need or want to be saved. This revelation taps into and stresses the fears explored earlier and is an important part of the show\u2019s horrifying impact.<\/p>\n As a concluding point, we also noted how the manner in which television shows are watched has changed considerably since the 1990s. Twin Peaks <\/i>and The X-Files<\/i> would have both been consumed on a weekly basis. Today, whilst this broadcasting practice still exists, many viewers also watch the shows in box-sets or streamed from online services, with the option to watch many or all the episodes at once. The difference this may make to the narratives of such shows \u2013 and particularly how melodrama is used to keep the viewer\u2019s interest \u2013 is still an area to be explored.<\/p>\n Many thanks to Frances for choosing such interesting TV episodes and for the great summary!<\/p>\n Do, as ever, log in to comment, or email me on sp458@kent.ac.uk<\/a> to add your thoughts.<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Posted by Sarah After running the session on Twin Peaks and The X Files, Frances has very kindly provided the following summary of our discussion. \u00a0 In this week\u2019s session the discussion focused mainly on the relationship between Twin Peaks … Continue reading ![\"Twin](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/melodramaresearchgroup\/files\/2013\/11\/Twin-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>We also discussed performance and melodrama in Twin Peaks<\/i> and how the acting is, at times, quite \u2018hammy\u2019. A good example of this is the sequence where Doctor Hayward comes home to discover Ben Horne in his family home, the latter having revealed that he is the biological father to Hayward\u2019s daughter Donna. Donna is distraught at the news and Hayward is enraged at the upset Horne has brought upon his family and so hits him, causing Horne to fall onto the fireplace and receive a severe \u2013 and possibly fatal \u2013 injury to the head. The scene ends with Donna and her mother crying, Horne unconscious on the floor and Hayward falls to his knees and cries out, shaking his fists in the air.<\/p>\n<\/a>We spoke at great length about The X-Files<\/i> episode we watched called Home<\/i>. The use of music stood out in this episode, particularly during the Peacock brothers\u2019 attack on the sheriff and his wife. The juxtaposition of such upbeat music with the gruesome and disturbing imagery reminded us of Lynch\u2019s work, particularly Blue Velvet<\/i>. Home<\/i> also compares quite well to Twin Peaks<\/i> as both shows portray the American Dream through the representation of small-town America with a particular emphasis on the family. The crimes which are committed in secret in both these towns are exposed by the intruding FBI agents, although the local law enforcers support the government agency\u2019s work. The sheriff in Home<\/i> is given particular emphasis as he explicitly states how he loves the town as it is \u2013 with habitants leading apparently simple and honest lives \u2013 and he does not want the grizzly crime discovered at the episode\u2019s opening or the presence of Mulder and Scully to change that. In this way the episode sets up a number of conventional binaries: small town versus the city; the crimeless rural versus the corrupt city; the traditional nuclear family versus the domination of isolating careers for agents in the FBI. With the character of the sheriff, the episode begins by following this conventional path, emphasising the richness of possibilities such an American Dream can have.<\/p>\n<\/a>owever the presence of the Peacock family in the narrative very quickly subverts this and, as with the Laura Palmer investigation in Twin Peaks<\/i>, The X-Files<\/i> also exposes this dream to be just an illusion and that evil lurks within this small town too. Home<\/i> presents this subversion in two main ways. First, in contrast to Twin Peaks<\/i>, Home<\/i> does not deny that loving families exist: the controversy of the episode is that this loving \u2018family\u2019 commits the ultimate taboo \u2013 incest. The Peacock family have been reproducing via this practice for several generations and this has led to numerous mental and physical degenerations, which is visibly marked on the brothers\u2019 faces. Their appearance in the show opens the episode and \u2013 even before we learn the reasons for their physical deformities \u2013 the brothers are portrayed as monsters. The music, the use of heavy shadow and the storm which accompanies their introduction quickly establishes the Peacock brothers as the enemy to be investigated, particularly as the show opens with a disturbing birthing scene which concludes with the siblings burying the offspring in the garden.<\/p>\n<\/a>obvious love and loyalty expressed by the Peacocks against their out-of-town counterparts is emphasised in this episode as Mulder and Scully are shown at times to be dysfunctional themselves, and it is stressed how Scully cannot empathise with Mrs Peacock as she has never been a mother.<\/p>\n<\/a>Finally Home<\/i> also presents the viewer with complex representations of gender. When watching the first half of the episode, we think Home<\/i> is presenting us with traditional ideas of gender: we, like Mulder and Scully, believe at first that the Peacock brothers have kidnapped a woman to reproduce with. Scully comments that the basic instinct to reproduce may be motivating the brothers and Mulder later calls the Peacock\u2019s reaction to their scrutiny as demonstrating raw, animalistic behaviour. The woman-as-mother motif is raised continuously throughout the episode, beginning with the labour scene and the suspicion the brothers have kidnapped a woman, and then again when Scully talks about her own desires for a family. This notion of women is embodied by the
\nmystery woman in the Peacock house who is revealed to be the brothers\u2019 mother. Mrs Peacock states that Scully (and by extension other women) cannot understand the love she has for her family despite their murderous act because she is not a mother. Mrs Peacock is a form of the monstrous feminine, as postulated by Barbara Creed: she is the source of all life and this is her sole purpose for living. Without any limbs and restrained on a board beneath the bed, Mrs Peacock is a \u2018baby machine\u2019, reducing her femininity to the core components necessary for reproduction.<\/p>\n