How is Supernatural a pomo text?

1. Supernatural and Post
Modernism
How can we see this text as being
Post Modern

2. Strinati
The breakdown of the
distinction between culture
and society. (mediatisation)
They are in a show, in a show and they refer to other shows. They google themselves to find out who
they are. They boys do not like that they are celebrities and are uncomfortable with their celebrity
image as it did not reflect who they thought they were.
An emphasis on style at the
expense of substance and
content.
Use of make up on the actors – needs to look good/ at the expense of talent but they were not that
happy about it. Good looking car but it breaks down and is not practical!!!!. The glass and other
set/prop features are easily breakable. In the show within the show the boys can not act!!! They make
lots of mistakes. Jaded has a pet Alpaca – celebrities need to have weird pets to be a ‘celebrity’ – JB had
a monkey, MT had a tiger. In J house there is a massive pic of himself on the wall, really big, expensive
as is the rest of his house – he has the celebrity house but he is not comfortable in it
The Breakdown of the
distinction between high culture
(art) and popular culture
The painting of J is in the style of Andy Warhol – a very, very famous artist who personifies this
postmodern idea (taking common objects and using them to create new forms of art.
Confusion over time and
space
The two Js are very confused about the space/reality they are in. Is this the director making a subtle
point about our world and how we can no longer work out time and space. When the two J come
through the window – this is where the ‘space’ changes and the confusion begins
Then/Now – use of titles to show that the time changes and we need to know what has come before in
order to understand the now
Confusion over location – show is set in America but is filmed in Canada. One of boys even says ‘we are
not even in America’ (links to culture vs society – Perception vs Reality)
Decline of Meta-Narratives It does have meta narrative - it mostly has a traditional narrative structure (beginning, middle and end)
but it is not completed self contained. You do need some prior knowledge to make sense of it all.
The Meta Narrative of Religion is extremely important in the narrative – characters are fighting the
forces of good and evil (angels and demons) and this has become more important in the TV series in
the last 6 years. Linked to the growth of religion in America

3. Media Concepts
Media
Language
It draws attention to the fact that it is constructed – we see the set, use of the clapper board naming itself, we see the
green, ‘Freeze Frame’ ‘Cut’, they all play themselves, we see the cameras, we hear them talking about re-setting the
window stunt and talking about the combat work. Done in a very mocking style. We see them reading from scripts and
acting very badly. The narrative only works if we understand that it is a construction. We are very aware of SFX – angel
wings
Genre Supernatural is a TV Drama but there are elements of horror, comedy and scify. This is a hybrid of a number of different
genres – very pomo
The narrative is not self contained but carries on across a number of episodes like a soap opera or mini series – pomo
but less so. Horror TV Drama which is a new genre!!! Normally on done in Film
Representation Ruby is a good looking girl
Angels are represented as bad or not always good. Men are meant to be big and strong but Mischa cries like a little girl
when he is murdered. J and j as heroes – They are big and strong but they are very confused and don’t act as positive
role models are not always successful.
In general though the representation offered would not be the unacceptable for the audience
Not that pomo
Ideology Religion is a key motivating factor in the narrative and it is accepted as normal. The view of religion is slightly challenged
by the idea of bad angels but in general Religion is seen as correct and normal – not so pomo. It is very dangerous to
challenge people’s ideologies as it can make them not like the film/TV programme
Narrative Normal linear narrative but is confusing for someonw unfamilar with the show. It does play around with the idea of
hyperreality, ‘Then and Now’ – pomo but only a little bit as this is becoming more normal – audience like it, makes the
audience want to keep watching and shows like 24, Lost, Prison Break, Torchwood etc have been very popular ( audience
like and can ‘handle’ a more complex narrative)
Audience It expected that the audience is knowledgeable – to understand the jokes you needed to know the series eg “We are not
actors we are hunter”, the boys were very happy to se Cas (Mischa), Jared is married to ‘Ruby’ who was a bad characters
from the last series (and they are also married in ‘real life’), the director (Bob Singer) really did name a character after
himself). The audience is also ‘active’ – they would know about the real lives of the actors (Jared is married, Jensen was
on Days of Our Lives’)
It is expected that the audience has a high level of engagement with the text due to its complex narrative, and serial
nature (you are expected to watch the whole series – extended narrative runs thru the whole series). References to
popular culture/other TV ‘Punked’ and that its audience is familiar with new media technology – Twitter (Mischa sends
tweets all the time)

4. Parody Horror conventions – Mischa tweet
Your generation – tags
Making fun of themselves esp the argument
Celebrity culture
TV Programme
Pastiche The Matrix
Andy Warhol painting – copied but made to seem important
But mostly parody
Self
Aware/Intertextual
Directly say that it is a tv show, use of the clapper board, see the cameras, tape on the floor, use of
greenscreen, see all the people, director yells cut, stunt men and the planning of the fight scenes,
Referencing other films, magazine and TV shows
Self Reflective Social media
Google private lives,
Celebrity culture is meaningless
Foundation of the show some good vs evil, things done in the name of religion

5. Baudrillard
• Truth
• Simulacra
• Hyperreality
Confusion over the ‘real’ world and the ‘made up’ world – the boys think they
are in a made up world but we know it is the real world.
The world is a totally Hyperreality for the boys – nothing is real (props,
houses, life style, marriage etc)
Credit cards as simulacra – not real! Dean throws away one card when it is
declined and simply uses another one. They think nothing of paying £100,000
for something online
The need to reject their Truth (belief in the Super Natural, where they are) in
order to survive in the world and get out.
But the ‘Truth’ surrounding religion is strongly believed in which Baudrillard
would not like
Lyotard
Grand Narrative
It does have a Grand Narrative – Religion the boys are fighting a religious war – this is
not a Pomo thing!
Still have the baisc narrative running through it (again not pomo),
Good does win out in the end so the Grand Narrative it upheld (not pomo)
BUT most pomo texts do still have a Grand Narrative or traditional Narrative structure.
It seems that as a society we are not ready to reject this idea and this is a reoccurring
criticism of Post Modernism

6. Homework
• Watch a TV Drama of your choice from the list
you were given
• Make notes (on the sheet provided) about
how it is post modern according to Media
concepts. Give specific and detailed examples
• On the back of the sheet make notes about
how it is pomo based on the other ideas we
have studied. Again give specific and detailed
examples