CSP Television: Co-owner of A Lonely Heart
Co-owner of a Lonely Heart
Narrative: Corakinus accepts the offer from one of his subordinates to attempt to anchor April's heart in his chest. However the shadow kin fails and Corakinus kills him out of frustration, pain and mercilessness. Meanwhile on Earth, April discovers she now wields the same swords Corakinus uses. She shows more irritable behaviour whilst in school and around her friends along with a sudden increase in strength. April's dad confronts her about threatening him earlier and she turns on him with his mum as a witness. Luckily April's friends manage to stop her before she kills him. Instead she turns on her mother and through a very painful procedure, gives her the ability to walk again. The episode ends with April tearing a hole through space and time on a mission to stop Corakinus and get her heart back.
Character:
April: Strong, Confident, Fierce
Ram: Concerned, Subordinate
Jackie: Worried, Confused
Charlie: Self-assured, slightly condescending
Tanya: Defiant and morally driven
Corakinus: Callous, Merciless, Sadistic
Miss Quill: Deceptive, Authoritative, Bitter
Headteacher: Enigmatic, Mysterious
Iconography:
Setting: Coal Hill Academy, April's house
2) How does Todorov's theory of equilibrium apply to Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
Equilibrium: They live life with the burden of Corakinus' and April's shared heart
Disruption: The bond between them grows stronger and can now transfer emotions and items between the two
Recognition: April loses control of herself in school and attacks her father
Reparation: She tears a hole to hunt down Corakinus
New Equilibrium: April and Ram are stuck on the shadow kin planet on a mission to retrieve April's heart.
3) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do each of the main characters in Class fit into?
Hero: April and Ram both show confidence and independence when faced with troublesome situations and take the lead/ attempt to help or aid other's.
Heroine: April and her mother both are placed in situations in which they are required to be saved. In April's she ventures to the alien planet herself and is followed by Ram and April's mother is put in a strange situation in which she regains her ability to walk and her ex-husband is there to support her.
Villain: Corakinus is the obvious villain throughout the episode due to his careless, tyrannical reign he holds over his subjects and the callous and brutal demeanour he presents towards April and the humans. It can also be argued that April displays villainous tendencies when she threatens her father and causes her mother pain.
4) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
The unexpected arrival of both April's father Hugh and the new headmistress who seemingly knows more than she should are both enigma codes as to how they got there and why they have arrived. The headmistress is a major enigma code as she knows more about the whole situation and the others than they know about her.
The blossoms that appear also pose a threat towards all of humanity as is implied in the preview for the next episode which could be an enigma code as for what the fate of the Earth may be.
5) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
The opposition of light and dark is a recurring theme throughout the whole series and is presented in 'Co-owner of a Lonely Heart' between the change it setting at the beginning from the shadow realm, a dark mysterious planet and the interior of April's human bedroom.
Representations
1) How is gender represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
Female gender stereotypes are reinforced by the aspect of Ram supporting and protecting April throughout her hardships. This portrays Ram as a conventionally male hero type and April as a conventionally female heroine type.
2) How is age represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
Age is subverted by Tanya. Tanya is younger than her peers though she has a far superior intellect than them which subverts the stereotype that younger people don't know as much as those older than them.
3) How is race and ethnicity represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?
4) How is sexuality represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? How does this reflect the BBC's remit to represent modern Britain?
5) How is disability represented in Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Why are disabled people generally under-represented in the media and how does Class try to address this?
1) What were the viewing figures for Class and why do you think it did so badly?
2) What audience psychographic groups might particularly enjoy Class?
3) What audience pleasures are offered by Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.
Personal Relationships:
Diversion (Escapism):
Surveillance (Information / Facts):
4) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
5) How did fans in the 'Whoniverse' (also known as 'Whovians') react to Class? Watch the fan reaction video (and read the YouTube comments) on the Class notes blogpost or check the comments in the extension articles below to help with this.
Industries
1) What was the objective of BBC3 when it was launched?
2) Why did BBC3 go online-only in February 2013?
3) How does Class - Co-owner of a Lonely Heart meet the BBC's mission statement to 'inform, educate and entertain'?
4) How did the distribution of Class contribute to the failure of the show with audiences?
5) What advertising and marketing was used to try and promote Class to an audience? Why do you think this wasn't very successful?
Comparison: An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart
1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2016 Class (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?
2) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of the science-fiction genre?
3) What similarities and differences are there between An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart in terms of how they meet the BBC's remit to inform, educate and entertain?
4) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?
5) What similarities and differences can you find in terms of the audience pleasures for An Unearthly Child and Co-owner of a Lonely Heart?
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