Why do long form dramas from different countries offer different representations?

Long form television dramas (LFTVDs) are influenced by social, cultural, economic, political and historical contexts. Social contexts include such factors as changes in gender roles, inequalities based on gender, race and ethnicity, and social attitudes to sexualities. Cultural contexts include the influence of national cultures on television programmes. Political contexts include the influence of political debate on regulation of television; how television programmes can reflect and comment upon national political institutions given the freedom of Western programme makers to criticise and satirise their own political systems. Economic contexts include the competitive nature of the television industries and influence of high budgets on flagship television programmes; the disparity between production budgets for US television dramas and European television dramas and their sources of funding and how budget can influence representations.

In Stranger Things, we see the influence of social contexts. The episode reflects the influence of social anxieties, brought about by the consequences of scientific experimentation. The suburban family life is represented, alongside the representation of individual family members: mothers with the inability to maintain a secure and held together family; fathers who are absent and incompetent; and young boys who, in the hostile world they live in, embody elements of camaraderie. In the opening scenes of the episode the sound bridge connecting the laboratory with the sprinkler outside Mikes house could indicate that the supernatural presence is becoming a part of society. Sound is balanced, and not too loud, representing normal home life. The dialogue that soon follows this scene, where by Will says ‘something is coming’, imposes a sense of foreshadowing of what is to come later on in the episode. This further creates tension and worry for the audience, which could reflect the anxieties that the boys have in society, alongside many other kids in the 1980s. However, Nancy’s character subverts social stereotypes- excels at science and rebels at the same time- which creates an atypical role for the genre of the drama, but to also represent female empowerment and feminism that a modern day audience would be more inclined to watch and show an interest in.

In Deutschland 83, another LFTVD set in the 1980s, represents and reflects the social divide and opposition between East and West Germany during The Cold War; the East is a rigidly controlled state that promotes women’s equality, whereas West Germany is shown to have free movement and is less controlled. The representation of Lenora as a strong, powerful woman who has the ability to set up the spying operation in the West reflects how East Germany were in acceptance of women being of a higher power.

In Stranger Things, the audience also see the influence of cultural contexts: the episode shows the influence of the iconic American small town community, a cultural setting that is seen and created in a lot of Hollywood tv dramas. As a result of the global recognition this representation has achieved, there was a success of Hollywood cinema during the 1980s. The Duffer Brothers (writers of Stranger Things) depict 80s America in a way that creates nostalgia. The Spielbergian references and intertextuality of other 80s movies such as ‘The Goonies’ and ‘E.T.’ brings about not only a nostalgic audience-one that attracts an 80s audience-, but also a contemporary one. In addition to this, the advancements in technology over the years and Stranger Things’ $6 million budget per episode, allows for audiences engage with more enhanced readings. This allows for streaming services such as Netflix to be a success, who take risks and provide content that is different.

In Deutschland 83, representations also reflect cultural contexts: the episode reflects the way in which German culture was repressed in the East, whilst being more expressed in the West. The representation of East Germany having their own cultural identity, failing to provide Western products or products from other countries is shown through the significance of the Nescafe coffee given by Lenora to her sister. It highlights the strict regime that the East in under, and the admiration that a simple branded product had. This is further shown in the scene where Martin enters the supermarket in West Germany-an array of vibrant products highlights the wider variety that was allowed at the time. The contrast between the wide camera frame, displaying an array of colour, and the more monotonous, lack of colour seen in Martins home, further represents the East as a repressive society. The cross-cutting between both sides of Germany throughout the episode also inform the audience of the social division.

Moreover, in Deutschland 83, as an audience, we can identify that the historical context has an influence on representation. Anna Winger, the writer of Deutschland 83, was influenced by the true events that occurred during The Cold War in Germany, which had led to the build of the Berlin Wall in 1961; it further resulted in the division between East and West Germany. In order to create a realistic representation of what life was like in Germany at the time, she referred to historians (Klaas Voss), as well as people who had experienced the Cold War at the time. In addition to this, the episode title itself ‘Quantum Jump’ refers to a real NATO military exercise; Anna Winger intentionally titled each episode after a military exercise to reinstate a sense of war and create a link between historical events. All of which offer a realistic representation of characters and represent to the audience the key German ideologies that have been encoded throughout the episode.

Conversely, In Stranger Things, the historical context behind the development of the episode is not based on true events, creating a fictional representation of characters and representing stereotypical social groups and genders. The drama refers back to other American 80s movies, whereby the main focal point and representation is on the same decade and focuses on families and stereotypes/archetypes during that time.