"What do we do in the shadows" Binary opposites & 5 Narrative Codes

 Super Natural vs Natural

This was first demonstrated by Nandor and Guillera. Nando can be described as a supernatural being because he is a vampire. Vampires are usually immortal and possess superhero-like powers. If we compare it to Guillero like a human, he is just a natural/human being trapped in the life of a vampire, we can clearly see how he compares to the likes of Nandor, Nadja, Lazslo and even Colin Weak and powerless. This comparison also applies to all the other humans that appear in the episode, especially those eaten and killed by Nadja and Lazslo. The helplessness and powerlessness of humans against vampires really shows and communicates the true weakness of our species.

Owner vs Slave

Nandor owns Guillera figuratively and literally, which most clearly demonstrates this antithesis. Guillera himself did not call himself Nandor's assistant, but his slave. This is further conveyed by the way Guillera treated Nandor and how he showed fear and respect for him. Guillera does whatever Nandor asks him to do and bends his knees for anything. Compare this to the fearless, confident and selfish Nandor. The producers made it clear how they wanted us to differentiate our thoughts on the two characters.

Traditional vs Modern

The opposites feature a lot throughout the series, as we witness a stark contrast to the Victorian tradition of vampires, who stick to old-fashioned ways, who have evolved and evolved a lot compared to the world around them. .without them noticing. For example, paying with a credit card, using a car for transportation, etc., and vampires seem powerless/unwilling to accept changes in the world.

5 Narrative Codes

Proairetic code 

Proaretic/action codes used throughout the episode include vampires brawling and brawling, Nadja and Lazslo killing humans and drinking their blood, Nadja chasing Jeff, and more. All of these codes are used to advance the plot in some way, leading to unforeseen consequences, hence the even closer codes.

Hermeneutic code 

The question that keeps the audience attracted such as, "who is baron?" and "why are the guys in the basement?"

Semantic code 

The Vampire's have such heavy accents which show that they are different from the others.

Symbolic code 

Symbolic codes appear fairly frequently throughout the episode, including clothes that vampires wear, vampires that suck blood, vampires with fangs, and vampires who can't stand the sun. All of these codes have been established for decades, so they have become the norm and essentially cause audiences to become insensitive to these vampire traits and behaviors. Having fangs and wearing dark clothing both represent how scary and evil a vampire should be seen, it is common knowledge for many, and seeing this metaphor repeated over and over again over the past century has led people to expect these traits and features.

Cultural code

Cultural codes to know before indulging in an episode/show are closely related to the concept and idea of ​​vampires. This "vampire culture" has existed for more than a century since vampire stories first appeared. Therefore, in order to understand the plot and the characters themselves, you need to understand what a vampire is like from the Twilight series, the Transylvania Hotel series, Dracula, The Vampire Diaries and other media. The concept of what vampires look like, that they drink blood, that they can turn into bats, etc. doesn't make sense unless you're familiar with the vampire cultural codes created by the media and used over the past century.








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