Sometimes in sitcoms, like soaps, there can be several different storylines happening at once. In this particular episode there are two storylines, Nick the older son leaves home to live in a small flat, with a new job, the audience see the affect’s it has on the rest of the family and Michael the youngest tries to get fit to impress his new girlfriend and we see him struggle along the way, but the central storyline is Nick leaving.
The first scene begins with Ben and Susan relaxing on the couch, whilst all the others have gone out. The mise en scene, what the director has choose to put in the scene, as a still image, the house itself tells us a bit about the relationship between Ben and Susan. Susan, the wife is the dominating partner in the marriage, I know this from the surroundings, the walls are very brightly painted, the couch is a bright, yellow colour and there are many flower arrangements and other pretty items placed around the room, this is very famine, however at this stage there’s nothing as of yet saying that Ben isn’t the famine influence on the decorating but as it is a sitcom, and is regularly on, I know the characters and know Susan is the reason.
Ben, a dad, a husband and a dentist, He’s very masculine, he has short brown hair, wears a shirt, a pair of trousers and tie. In the first scene we see him put his arm around Susan (masculine) he then tries to entice Susan into having Sex with him, giving her clues, without actually saying what he wants, waiting for her to guess(a famine approach, waiting for Susan’s reply). Susan then decides they can play strip scrabble and Ben goes to put some music on and finds some of his records have been broke and others are missing, straight away he blames Nick, and Nick comes home early from the cinema.
Nick, the eldest son(very masculine) short, messy hair, wears jeans and a t-shirt upon t-shirt. Ben looses his temper (masculine) over the records and doesn’t hesitate to question Nick, Ben then demands Nick too leave home “Get out…now’s the times to move out”(masculine). Susan then tells Ben not to be so harsh on Nick and Ben backs down by asking for her permission to go and sulk in the pub.
At this point Abbey gives Michael a parcel that was delivered that morning. Michael, Short, slick back brown hair, very small boned, glasses and has a higher pitched voice than most lads his age (quite famine). He is sat in his bedroom, the director has choose to position Michael at a computer, surrounding him, shelves with books that show he’s intelligent but also gives the impression of him being quite famine, spending time doing school work, Michael is very famine and I think the scriptwriters choose a character like that, to be a total contrast to Nick.
In the parcel that Abbey takes to Michael there is some fitness equipment, he then tells abbey that he is trying exercise to impress his new girl friend, she generally dates rugby player’s (masculine, girl interest). However, he tries to push the handles together, and finds he’s not strong enough (famine), Abbey then snatches it from him and manages to push and pull the handles very easily.
The next morning Susan and Ben are in the kitchen and Susan hands him a cup of coffee (famine). Susan, just under shoulder length, brown hair, wears trousers (masculine), Blouse, and some make up (famine). Susan then (masculine) demands Ben to apologize to Nick. When Nick arrives, Ben tells him that maybe he should think about leaving, Nick however doesn’t take the slightest bit of notice and just tells his dad “it’s alright to be sorry”, Ben then gets annoyed because he didn’t apologize and every time Ben talks Nick cuts in with “it’s alright to be sorry”, Ben is now wound up and begins to shout at Nick (masculine).
Later on that day Nick tells the family he’s got a job and is moving out to live in a flat, Susan then begins to cry (famine), and Susan is gives Nick reasons to stay, but Ben tells him to go. She then hugs Nick(famine), Ben however, refuses to hug Nick(masculine) and smiles, helps him with the boxes and shuts the door before Nick can finish talking(masculine),
The next couple of scenes tell the audience a lot about the gender in characters, Susan is in the kitchen cooking(famine), however she is a terrible cook(masculine), she is using a cookery book and manages to make a solid lemon sponge. Susan also is very restless in bed thinking about nick on his own(famine). Ben sits down and pores himself a glass of whiskey (masculine), relaxes in the peace.
The viewers then see Nicks new flat, it’s a complete contrast to the family home, burnt walls, dusty and dirty white doors, No carpet, it’s very masculine. Susan goes in Nick’s room and sits on his bed, and for the first time we see what it’s like, and it looks like a reflection of the flat, just as bad and shows how masculine and how much that flat suits Nick.
Most sitcoms have a beginning, middle and an end, end
