4.

How do anti-hero dynamics contribute to the complexity and

distinctiveness of long-form TV?

This essay will explore the term anti-hero, what constitutes an anti-hero and how anti-
hero dynamics contribute to the complexity and distinctiveness through Bordwell's
cognitive film theory and Attribution theory. This essay will closely analyse the anti-hero
and spectator relationship through the television series Peaky-Blinders. 

Antiheroes are narrative protagonists that exhibit antisocial behaviours and often
contravene morals. An antihero is motivated to do heroic deeds for personal and selfish
gains. They often feel disassociated from the society and go down a self-destructive path
that may lead to isolation or death. Nevertheless, the spectators still support and root for
Antiheroes, e.g. Walter White from Breaking Bad, Sherlock homes, The professor from La
Casa de Papel. Antiheroes deepen the engagement of a spectator through being morally
condemnable protagonists. The narrative structure compels the spectator to develop a
liking towards the antihero through techniques (editing, cinematography) and emotional
back stories. (Justifying the characters decisions and actions)

Findings indicate narrative cues serve as antecedent factors that prompt either
internal or external attributions for a protagonist’s harmful behavior. Internal
attributions negatively predict character liking, whereas external attributions are
positive predictors. Findings suggest that writers, when they want viewers to like
characters, may use attribution theory principles to signal that external factors
caused the character’s harmful acts. We discuss this belief as an alternative to
models that explain the appeal of protagonists who behave immorally, reasoning that
initially-activated character schema can bias audiences in favor of a protagonist and
minimize the importance of moral judgment.

The corrupt protagonist

Not all anti protagonists have ‘good’ characteristics. Some operate

purely out of self-interest; they neglect their duty to others and feel
no remorse. If the Reject is obsessed with acceptance and the
Moralistic is obsessed with beating the system, then the Corrupt
Protagonist is obsessed with wealth, fame, power — pursuits the
other two types may or may not be interested in.
Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders, which is one of the best shows
on Netflix, is a great example of a Corrupt Protagonist. It’s true that
he was traumatized by World War I, and it’s true that he lives in a
corrupt system, but his actions are motivated first and foremost by
self-interest.

In this next video, Cillian Murphy explores how the character he

plays becomes the way that he is.

For Thomas Shelby, the only thing that matters is whether or not he
wins. Sure, he protects his family (sometimes), but it’s more out of
necessity than generosity. Later in the series, nearly everything
becomes dispensable to him.

To better understand Shelby’s view of the world, let’s take a look at

the crucial ending scene from the first episode’s script. Here, Shelby
spares Danny Whizz Bang’s life. Why? Well, it’s complicated —
that’s partly why Peaky Blinders is such a great show. But it’s
rooted in the combination of faux-heroism and self-interest.

Findings indicate narrative cues serve as antecedent factors that prompt either
internal or external attributions for a protagonist’s harmful behavior. Internal
attributions negatively predict character liking, whereas external attributions are
positive predictors. Findings suggest that writers, when they want viewers to like
characters, may use attribution theory principles to signal that external factors
caused the character’s harmful acts. We discuss this belief as an alternative to
models that explain the appeal of protagonists who behave immorally, reasoning that
initially-activated character schema can bias audiences in favor of a protagonist and
minimize the importance of moral judgment.

What is an anti-hero?

Anti hero examples and attributes

Why are they so complex and why do we sympathize and align our selves with
them when they are morally wrong.

Attribution theory is concerned with how ordinary people explain the causes of
behavior and events. For example, is someone angry because they are bad-
tempered or because something bad happened?
Cognitive Theory Bordwell

Peaky blinders

Shelby on family dynamic

use of women to support the anti heros vulneberality

people on war

Socially constructed ideas for masculinity, toxic masculinity

Scene analysis for peaky blinders

use attribution theory to back it up

character slike people are not perfect

War as a justification for continued violence

Non-diegetic sound

Theya re not perfect and we can connect to them in a scertain scontext.

These two shots are relatively similar in terms of camerawork, both are mid shots from a
side-on perspective that emphasise the group of men as a “gang” with a sense of
synchronisation and uniform between the members.Both shots are at a slight low angle which
establishes more power and control for the characters in the group by giving them the
appearance of being more intimidating and over-bearing.The aspects of Mise-en-scene used
in both shots also contribute towards this overall feeling of unity, Through very similar
costumes and through darker colours worn by the gang contrasting with their surroundings.
The use of lighting in the shot on the left tells us a lot about these characters, the high
contrast/harsh flare of light coming from the top right symbolises the groups anger and
aggression whilst also carrying the connotations of fire, which suggests the destructive or
spontaneous nature of the gang. The way the lighting hits the gang also suggests that these
characters are stubborn, and un-moved by destructive or explosive surroundings which gives
us an insight into their potentially violent past. The shot on the right uses the rule of thirds to
outline the most powerful member in the group and create a sense of hierarchy and leadership
through that character. Although he doesnt necessarily stick out from the other members, we
make the subconscious assumption that he is the leader because of his positioning in the
frame which gives him more power than the others. This extreme long shot establishes the
mystery and bleakness surrounding the gang by using the reflection in a puddle to create a
sense of disoreintation that emphasises the groups collective enigmatic presence. The use of
fire and its connotations, similarly to the shot in the top left also creates a very aggressive,
contrasting feeling to an otherwise very bleak and dull setting. The connotations of this fire,
however are more hellish, as the fire seems more broken and infernal.The high contrast
lighting in the middle of the shot could also be symbolic of the flare and determination of the
group, as it seems to run along the same path as the men.The frame apppears to be upside
down, which seems to give the shot a surreal and dream-like aspect. The gang has a massive
amount of head space collectively, which emphasises their control and dominance over the
surrounding area by outlining their importance as they are the only focus of the shot, which is
otherwise empty.

Larke-Walsh, G. S. (2019), ‘‘The King’s shilling’: How Peaky Blinders uses the

experience of war to justify and celebrate toxic masculinity’, Journal of Popular
Television, 7:1, pp. 39–56 

https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=29ec4397-
ae7c-4773-9cd7-792ff1eeb4a6%40sessionmgr4006

Garcia, Alberto N. 2016. 'Moral Emotions, Antiheroes and the Limits of Allegiance.'
In Emotions in Contemporary TV Series, edited by Alberto N. Garcia, 52-70.
Houndsmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Landau, Neil. 2016. 'Warring Families and Wrestling Demons: Peaky Blinders on

Netflix—Steven Knight: Creator/Writer/Director/Executive Producer/Showrunner.'
In TV Outside the Box: Trailblazing in the Digital Television Revolution, 188-197.
New York: Focal Press. 

Long, Paul. “Class, Place and History in the Imaginative Landscapes of Peaky
Blinders.” Social Class and Television Drama in Contemporary Britain, Palgrave
Macmillan UK, London, 2017, pp. 165–179.

Lotz, Amands D. 2014. Cable Guys: Television and Masculinities in the 21st

Century. New York: New York University Press.

Martin, Brett. 2013. Difficult Men. Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution:

From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad. New York: The
Penguin Press. 

Mittell, Jason. 2015. 'Lengthy Interactions with Hideous Men: Walter White and the
Serial Poetics of Television Anti-Heroes.' In Storytelling in the Media Convergence
Age: Exploring Screen Narratives, edited by Roberta Pearson and Anthony N. Smith,
74-92. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 

Smith, Evan. 2017. ‘Brutalised Veterans and Tragic Anti-Heroes: Masculinity, Crime
and Post-War Trauma in Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders’. In The Great War
and the British Empire: Culture and Society, edited by Michael J. K. Walsh and
Andrekos Varnava, 279-90. London: Routledge.
in similar ways both eras utilized the myth that men fight to prove that they are men

In both histories men volunteered for war based on socially constructed ideals of masculinity
and stories of heroism from previous wars. Their return to society was not met with
understanding or sufficient support and the consequences of this resulted in behaviour that
was destructive both to themselves and others. Karner’s study is useful to help illustrate the
cultural context drawn upon by Peaky Blinders to explain male behaviour and why this type
of experience – the war veteran – still resonates for today’s audiences. Karner’s article
summarizes the Vietnam veterans’ experience thus: They found themselves stranded
somewhere between who they once were and who, after Vietnam, they could never be. They
lived in a nebulous state of unfulfilled manhood, where traditional means of attainment had
been invalidated and their strivings to regain this loss were manifested in forms I categorize
as ‘toxic masculinity’.

Watson from Sherlock, Walter White, Papel de casa

Toxic masculinity is thus described as the process by which an individual loses faith not only
in the self, but also in any sense of connection or faith in wider society

Retributive masculinity (Rutherford 1992), or its popular UK labels laddism and lad culture,
is another manifestation of toxic masculinity. It is a celebration of a romanticized and
misguided concept of working-class masculinity through performative expressions of
heteronormative behaviour, such as sexual banter and boasting, consumption of alcohol and
playing or supporting sport or music. Laddism has permeated British popular culture since
the 1990s and while its focus on banter may suggest it as ironic and thus less extreme as other
forms of toxic masculinity, its self-serving ‘men first’ assertions have helped to create the
current predilection for regressive rather than progressive rhetoric in political, social and
cultural discourses. The British journalist Jack Urwin offers a very perceptive summary of lad
culture as ‘an attempt to claw 03_JPTV_7.1_Larke-Walsh_39-56.indd 41 19/03/19 7:49 PM
George S. Larke-Walsh 42 Journal of Popular Television back any power and dominance [it]
can’ (2016: 36). The focus on ‘banter’, or the idea that laddism is simply ironic, is ‘male
privilege personified’ (2016: 36), because it fails to acknowledge the associated aggression.
Also, importantly, Urwin highlights the connections between lad culture and the performance
of working-class identity when he states: Lad culture tries to emulate the lost working class
because of its association with masculinity, but it does so in the misinformed belief that it had
been a man’s social standing that gave him validation, when in actual fact it was the manual
work itself.

The interesting, but perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Peaky Blinders comes not from its
unashamed glorification of criminality and stylized aesthetics, but from its representation of
some of the deep-rooted, yet contradictory beliefs that still exist in postcolonial British
national identity. The series reflects the return to simplistic nationalist ideological rhetoric,
something found in many other areas of modern culture. On the one hand it is a glorification
of underclass rebellion, it is sympathetic to the plight of military veterans and it is
contemptuous of the self-serving politicians who barter lives for political gain. However, at
the same time it champions the ideals of imperial masculinity, perpetuates racial stereotypes
of non-English people and legitimizes the oppression of others for personal gain. In short, the
Shelby family members are portrayed as both romantic outlaws and nationalist oppressors in
equal measure. As such, the central characters play out the continual and contradictory
conflict that occurs within this presentation of British national identity as simultaneously
progressive and regressive.
Scene Breakdown

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