Breakfast scene analysis

HYPERREALITY 

• The setting is surprisingly clean and tidy, this is an example of Hyperreality, as most homes are not this pristine 
• The mise-en-scene of costume is subversive of stereotypical pyjamas, everything is co-ordinating, ie; Joe's outfit all matches with blue, even co-ordinating with the colour of his mug, Sophie's pyjamas all consist of variations of pastel colouring. Laura is even wearing a necklace with her nails done. Everyone's hair similarly seems to be rather neat, as if it had been done before, contrasting the costume of relaxed pyjamas.
• Anita's movements and facial expressions contrast the biologically human characters, this makes her seem hyperreal due to her difference in physicality.
• Anita's mise-en-scene of costume is very neat, and lacks any creases or faults. Her hair is perfectly styled, and her eyes are a bright, stereotypically unnatural green.
• The family subvert stereotypical expectations of a family breakfast, where typically everyone is rushing around and disorganised. This creates a calm emotion, which is amplified by the inclusion of a white and blue colour pallet with muted tones.
• The mise-en-scene of the cluttered food on the table further evaluates the family to be organised.
• Women are represented within this scene 
• The lexis of the dialogue, 'she is not a slave' highlights a sense of hyperreality, as treating someone like a slave, or at least implying that they are, is thought to be wrong and not politically, nor morally correct. The daughter then replies, 'that's exactly what she is', reinforcing the representation of technology being used solely for our own purposes and selfishness.
• The family are represented as united, which contrasts the stereotypical assumptions the audience will have about a family which contains so many contrasting archetypes.

In what ways can humans be considered a postmodern text?

Postmodernism is where boundaries between the 'real' world and the 'media' world have collapsed, allowing for an interrogation of simulation and reality. Within humans, this is exampled through the contrast between the audience's expectations of stereotypes, and the media presented to them through the television series.

The audience will have a pre-existing conception of how specific archetypes are supposed to interact. 

The archetypes presented within the family are a moody teenager, a nerdy son, a relaxed father, a typical mother and an innocent youngest child, five different personalities which would be expected to heavily contrast and clash, yet the family are represented as being organised and united. This is explored through the breakfast scene, where contrastingly, the family are presented as having a calm and structured routine to what would be expected. This is highlighted through the mise-en-scene of costume, where each family member has a co-ordinated outfit. For example, Joe's outfit consists only of blue tones, which correlates with his mug. Sophie wears pastel colours, stereotypically associated with youth and childhood. Laura's costume is similarly organised, as anchored by her painted nails and her necklace. This is anchored by the overall colour pallet of the scene; muted tones of blues and whites, acting as symbolic coding for peace and calmness, suggesting a state of relaxation to the audience. This is unexpected of the breakfast table in the morning, where stereotypically everyone would be rushing around frantically, in an attempt to begin their day. This incorporates post-modern values, as although the archetypes of a realistic, nuclear family are included within the scene, the organisation and calmness of a 'media' world are also including, allowing for integration between the two.