Demetri - Eastenders Narrative Analysis

Episode on the 30/9/2010

Narrative: The narrative in Eastenders is designed to have parallel storylines running effectively and in conjunction with one another. The amount of these parallel storylines seem to be limitless and almost always build up to some sort of climatic ending, and although a common critique for this is Eastenders’ predictability the narrative is tried and tested and is pushed by tradition Soap Opera conventions such as gossip, affairs, rivalry and more. The episode that I’m analysing starts off with a scene of Kat and Alfie in an uplifting and humorous mood, sharing jokes with one another before cutting to a shot of a very bitter looking Jannine, already setting the stage for an episode packed with mixed emotions.

Realism: Realism is a key element in Soap Operas and Eastenders tends to focus on it more than others, the whole set of Eastenders is based around a community of working class people who although at times can act over the top, lead believable lifestyles. Realism is also portrayed with camera angles, for example conversations are put together with shot/reverse/shot techniques and other professional camera tricks. Another element of realism often noticed in Eastenders is that it is linked with current affairs; the cast go by the same time zone is the majority of its viewers. A scene towards the middle of the episode shows Alfie in the Off Licence being served by Heather whilst engaging in everyday conversation, short scenes like this are effective in making the program more realistic and believable.

Audience: The audience that Eastenders attracts is arguably key to its overall success and it’s commendable running time. People from as young as 13 watch Eastenders with their parents/grandparents, it attracts a wide range of ages as well as people from poor to rich backgrounds. Both male and females view the program, it has made such a name for itself over the years that it has viewers overseas. A lot of the things that take place on the set of Eastenders are things the everyday person can relate to, the troubles Alifie and Kat are going through in this particular episode are the troubles any couple doing what they can to pay the bills go through. For this reason the program connects with its viewers and keeps a stronghold over its audience.

Representation: Eastenders is well known for its representation of East Londoners. The representations portrayed can be described as challenging, sometimes even to an extreme. The cast in Eastenders, regardless of age, gender and other elements seem to be used confrontation and drama. Although Eastenders is flooded with a mixture of representation, some of it is marginal and as you would expect, an example is the way that cockney people are portrayed, their dialect and use of words is as you would expect it to be. The main event for this episode was Stacey beating up Jannine; this is a perfect example of how the characters are not afraid of confrontation.