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Pop culture is made up of cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general population masses. It ranges from supermarkets, to social media, to genres of TV. One such phenomena of popular culture is “supernatural drama”— television programs that combine the genres of supernatural fiction and drama. They involve ghosts, demons, monsters and magic, without the scare factor of horror. Currently, there are several supernatural dramas on television. One is Supernatural, a show about two brothers named Sam and Dean who travel the country hunting supernatural creatures (Kripke, 2005). Another is Teen Wolf, a show about a high school outcast named Scott McCall who gets bitten by a werewolf and has to deal with his new powers and the resulting problems (Davis, 2011). Supernatural drama’s appeal to a wide demographic comes from the three elements they have in common: tragic back-stories, humanity and its relation to good and evil, and violence.
Tragic back-stories are an essential element of supernatural dramas. The catharsis we feel by watching tragedy allows us to purge emotions and yet our pity connects us to the characters (Webster, n.d.). We feel as if we can relate to their struggles and problems while the trauma caused by tragedy gives characters humanistic flaws and motivations. Tragedy is what sets the plots of supernatural dramas in motion. In Supernatural, Sam and Dean’s mother and Sam’s girlfriend are murdered by the same demon, twenty-two years apart (Kripke, 2005). Their mother’s death causes their father to dedicate his life and theirs to hunting the supernatural. Similarly, the death of Sam’s girlfriend forces him to leave college and hunt again. As a result of their violent upbringing, the brothers are distrustful and emotionally distant, connecting only with one another and so react violently and irrationally when someone threatens their family. Tragic back-stories are similarly present in Teen Wolf. The Hale house-fire was set by Kate Argent, a human hunter, after she seduced Derek Hale, a werewolf (Davis, 2011). The fire killed nearly the entire family, leaving Uncle Peter in a six-year coma and Derek and Laura orphans. Peter’s need for revenge leads him to kill Laura, bite Scott, and cause Derek and the Argents to return home. As a result of Kate’s actions, Derek became full of guilt and trusts no one, and cannot fight back against Kate. In supernatural dramas, past tragic events shape the characters, their reactions, and the entire plot.
The driving forces behind many plots can often be questions of humanity, the quality or condition of being human, and its relationship to good and evil. Supernatural dramas question whether one must be human to show humanity, and they examine human characters with animalistic qualities (breenwolf, 2012). In theory, we relate to human characters, but in reality, we relate to humanity. Similarly, human and non-human characters are often presented on opposite sides, but the few who work together allow us to question whether one must be human to be good. Through these characters, we see humanity isn’t the only factor in defining good and evil. In Supernatural, Sam and Dean are both human and primarily hunt creatures who are neither human nor display humanity, but rather are out of control or inherently evil (Kripke, 2005). However, they occasionally deal with human monsters such as humans hunting other humans for fun or a small town sacrificing visitors to ensure prosperity. In one such episode, Dean says “You know, with our usual playmates (supernatural creatures), there’s rules, there’s patterns. But with people, they’re just crazy.” Neither Dean nor the audience can understand humans without humanity. The characters of Teen Wolf present questions of humanity on an even greater scale. Scott became a werewolf, yet displays humanity and wants to be human again. However, his foil, Jackson, wants to become a werewolf and displays great selfishness (Davis, 2011). In contrast, Stiles, Scott’s best friend, stays human despite being offered the chance to become a werewolf and often acts without humanity, being violently pragmatic and the first to suggest killing to solve problems (breenwolf, 2012). Derek and Peter, born werewolves, display the difference between humanity and being human. Derek has the strongest grasp on humanity of all the werewolves; Peter exists purely as an animalistic force (Davis, 2011). The many characters presented in supernatural dramas show being human and having humanity are not mutually exclusive.
In supernatural dramas, conflicts between two opposing forces nearly always lead to violence. These struggles are not only about conflict resolution, but also survival, morality, and human nature. We can imagine what we would do in the characters’ situation and if our victory would make us good or right. In Supernatural, Sam and Dean not only fight supernatural creatures to protect people, but also to avenge their mother (Kripke, 2005). These monsters are inherently destructive; therefore, there is no alternative to violence. We can enjoy suspense while the brothers seek to destroy the monsters, yet question if our methods could have saved more people. Similarly in Teen Wolf, Scott and Derek have to fight Peter to stop his killing, yet they fight each other over differences in morals (Davis, 2011). Derek wins all these fights, yet it doesn't make him right. Additionally, the Argents think they protect people by hunting werewolves, yet they are still prejudiced and destructive, despite their victories. In any situation, we can question the character’s choices and morality. Violence allows us to simultaneously fulfill our desire for primal emotions and to justify our choices to ourselves.
Phenomena of popular culture are always evolving, following the desires of the masses. In modern pop culture, supernatural dramas are a phenomenon because of the elements all shows have in common. Tragic back-stories shape the characters and plot and allow the audience to feel catharsis and make emotional connections. Humanity and violence allow us to examine what it means to be good or moral. Supernatural dramas show our ability to choose how we behave.
References breenwolf. (2012, September). My favorite sterek thing [tumblr post]. Retrieved from http://breenwolf.tumblr.com/post/31218607714/my-favorite-sterek-thing Davis, J. (2011). Teen Wolf [Television series]. New York City: MTV. Kripke, E. (2005). Supernatural [Television series]. New York City: The CW Network. Webster, M. (n.d.). Tragedy: The basics. In Grand Valley State University. Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tragedy.htm