Analysis of Family and Social Factors
In this essay, I will discuss the shows ‘This is Us’ the first season, the sixteenth episode, which is about the death of William in Memphis. The period portrayed in this show is both in the present and in the past. There are reflections in the show that form the basis of the entire show. The flashback in this episode is meant to show why William never went back to his old home. He had committed a big mistake by leaving his cousin’s band because the family was considered significant. The gender roles are aligned in a way society expects them to be with the man as the head of the family, and racial ethnicity is a sensitive issue. The other show I will be analyzing is the ‘Master of None’ the first season; the firsts and second episodes talk about an alternative plan and parents as their main topics, respectively.
The setting of this show is the present day, Dev and his family being immigrants and settling in a very different environment. In ‘This is Us’, the family structure is composed of mother father and children who make up the nuclear family. Randall is a married man with two daughters. He recently reunited with his biological dad, who is now terminally ill. They had resolved to take a trip to catch up as father and son, but Randall’s family was against it. Judging from how Randall and William look together, Randall’s psychiatrist recommends that the trip that will make Randall meet some of his extended family members will make him feel better.
In ‘This is Us’, the extended family structure is portrayed positively. This is seen through the psychiatrist’s recommendation that Randall meeting his extended family members will positively impact his life. The ‘Master of None’ family is mainly nuclear, and there is no much concentration on the extended family. The perception of other family structures is neutral because, after immigration from India and Taiwan, Dev has not been able to interact with most of the extended family members. Both two shows seem to portray the nuclear family set up as the ideal. They, however, have not presented any negative ideas that extended families are not right. The characters can be seen to be in contact with some of their extended family members.
In the sixteenth episode of the first season in the show, ‘This is Us,’ William takes it upon himself as the father of Randall and takes him to his old home to meet his cousin. William used to play in the band with his cousin, although he quit after living in his home town. It was his responsibility to take his son to his origin as a father. While there is a traditional representation of gender roles in ‘This is Us,’ the film ‘Master of None’ has gender roles reversed. The main character, Dev, is doing most of the tasks that were traditionally considered feminine such as being so good at cooking. He also acts in a way that is not masculine by raising questions about the future of his relationship with Rachel. He cannot hide his feelings for Rachel, and he cannot keep his frustrations to himself. This is a trait that is not associated with masculinity. For example, when Dev invites Alice, a waitress, to attend a concert with him, she agrees, giving her his number. As the days go by, Alice does not call or text, he gets frustrated and decides to share his frustrations with his friend Arnold.
Race-ethnicity and social class are dominant in both shows. In ‘Master of None,’ racial inclusivity is very glaring, as seen in the kind of friends that Dev keeps. Dev is Indian his girlfriend Rachel and her friend Arnold are white, Brian is Chinese, and Denise, his lesbian friend, is black. The character array is multi ethical, and this brings out diversity in the show. Social class is, however, not quite dominant among the characters in this show. In ‘This is Us,’ there are clear racial, ethnic boundaries. Randall is a black child who was adopted by a white family. He is always feeling out of place, and when he finally meets with his biological dad, he wants to spend time with him, and they take a trip to his father’s old home. This trip was meant to help him find people he can connect with ethnically.
Randall’s dad lives in a not so decent home, and his adopted mum sited this as a reason why he should not be with his biological dad. Rebecca, Randall’s adopted mum, felt like his dad’s condition was not good enough to raise a child in. The variation on the quality of life shows a clear distinction in the kind of life that Randall’s adopted family and his biological dad lived. Negative stereotypes are reinforced in this show because a father is denied a chance to access his son because of his social status freely. In both plays, however, racial ethnicity has been neutralized because they have outlined that people of different races and ethnicity can stay together despite their apparent variations. They are impacting positively on the fight against racial and ethnic discrimination. The aspect of how to attain equality is, however, not touched in the shows. Coexisting peacefully is not enough. There is a need to amend laws for more inclusivity in the constitution to provide more rights to the marginalized groups.
The show’s depictions in the drama differ from comedy in several ways. In ‘This is Us,’ the depiction in such a way that two races live together, but they are not in harmony with each other. As a black child, Randall grew up feeling not accepted entirely by his white family despite the efforts they made. He could not identify himself with them, and that was why he kept looking for his biological parents so that he could identify himself with someone who looks like him. Randall’s foster family has failed to give him a sense of belonging, which pushes him to want to be with his biological family more.
On the other in the comedy ‘Master of None,’ people of different racial orientations have found comfort and friendship. They seem unbothered by their racial differences, and they coexist peacefully with each other. Dev and Brian go an extension of inviting their parents to have dinner with them as they listen to how their childhood was. Ironically, Randall cannot get love from people he considers his family in which total strangers find romance and true friendship in each other in the comedy. These shows are likely to influence how people approach issues on gender roles and race.