- Audience
- Media Language
P : In ST, we see a counter-typical representation of women (especially considering the 1980s setting) in that we see empowered, aggressive women.
E : We see the 'social worker' murder Benny, Eleven kills two men, and although Nancy isn't aggressive, she does control the scene with her and Steve.
E : It is an interesting subversion of stereotypes - the 1980s setting leads us to expect submissive, powerless women, but the 21st century construction transfers modern ideologies and empowers the women.
CEMS : When we first meet the social worker, we view her from a high angle shot, the point of view of Benny. This reinforces the patriarchal hegemony which tricks us into thinking that she is a typical submissive woman. However, when she shoots Benny, she is elevated onto an equal level with the other government officials, and is even empowered through a low angle shot. This is reinforced by the editing - the screen time she is given compared to the (silent and nameless) male officials is significantly greater, therefore empowering her.
A : This shocks the audience, which is important for narrative, but the Duffer Brothers are also trying to highlight the everyday sexism in society - even though we are a modern audience, we fell into the trap of putting sexism assumptions onto the scene.