Compare the representations of gender in two crime dramas you have studied and
reflect their different historical contexts. Use theorists to support your argument.
Introduction:
Historically, the male gender has always been represented as the dominant, superior gender
– their significance mainly lies in the fact that they are stronger, smarter and more capable.
The female gender, on the other hand, has historically been represented as Proppian
princesses who require the saving of a male hero. In the study of the two crime dramas,
‘Hinterland’ and ‘The Bridge’, the concept of gender is explored.
First Point: Character Conventions
Paragraph One: Mathias as conventional
In the first episode of ‘Hinterland’, when the protagonist Mathias is first introduced, he is
immediately presented as a stereotypical male lead in a crime drama. To wear a blue sports
suit may imply the reference of blue as being a masculine colour, especially in the 1940s
when the manufacturers of clothing brands decided that blue was made for boys. In
accordance with van Zoonen, she states that, ‘meaning is… constructed out of the
historically and socially situated negotiation between institutional producers of meaning and
audiences…’. To incorporate blue into Mathias may subsequently communicates to
audiences, particularly male audiences, that if they admire Mathias as a strong character
then they are advised to wear similar colour palettes in order to solidify their masculinity.
Similarly, the episode also uses a panning establishing shot to show how far that Mathias
must run to keep himself fit. The producers presents him as someone who is physically
capable. The heavy breathing in the beginning indicates that he has been exercising for a
while, which would also imply the meaning to audiences that the male gender is associated
with physical strength and endurance. In the early 1900s of Britain was when strong men
were needed and advertised for the first World War. In many posters, the word ‘men’ itself
was emphasised when talking about enlistment in order to reinforce strong masculinity.
Paragraph Two: Saga as unconventional
van Zoonen once described how in a society, women are associated with family and
domestic life whereas men are associated with the social world of politics and work. In the
first episode of ‘The Bridge’, the producers present who is presumably the main protagonist
driving to the Oresund Bridge. However, it is not revealed yet, as covered by the dark
lighting, that the protagonist is actually a female named Saga Noren when she stops and
exits the car. This not only subverts the expectations of the main lead in a crime drama
being male but also challenges van Zoonen and perhaps many other people’s idea of
women being more associated with domestic life rather than work. Not once in the first
episode is she seen with family or children, and when Martin asked her if she had any, she
retorted, “No, why would I want to?”
In both World Wars, women had shifted from domestic jobs such as motherly duties and
child-caring to more masculine and dangerous jobs in the workforce. It is in the second war
that women were finally recognised and a poster was produced with the title, ‘They (men)
can’t go on without us.’
Paragraph Three: Veronika as Proppian Princess
Whilst Saga is a strong female character, ‘The Bridge’ also presents weaker, Proppian
princess female characters such as Veronika, who is an abused house wife. van Zoonen
also discusses how in media, women may not necessary be absent, as the episode does
