A semiotic deconstruction of San Junipero's opening montage

Audiences familiar with Bubble Bobble are likely to have an intense, potentially nostalgic reaction to this particular scene! Semiotic deconstruction can help us to understand exactly how such reactions can be constructed!

Barthes described the photograph as ‘the living image of a dead thing.’ This was something that it shared in common with the painting, which had originated – as documented by ancient Egyptian funerary objects – in portraits of the dead. But what was unique to the photograph, according to Barthes, was its punctum, which he defined as the sensory, intensely subjective effect of a photograph on the viewer: ‘The punctum of a photograph is that accident which pricks me (but also bruises me, is poignant to me).’

SMOLIK, Frieze.com 2014 - https://www.frieze.com/article/punctum-reflections-photography-2014-review

Barthes' concept of the punctum is revelatory to analysis, because it bypasses the strict structuralist regimen that he himself helped to codify. Simply put, the punctum is the thing that we notice in a film, TV show, photograph, song, videogame or whatever that 'pricks us' . It goes under our skin, and makes us feel an intense emotional response, and we might not even understand why. This approach to analysis is highly personal and frankly cannot be explicated, as it is so subjective.

Semiotic approaches

• Semiotics - The study of meaning
• Connotations - the implied and deeper meaning  
• denotations - the straightforward meaning 
• Deconstruction - breaking down a media product to find out it’s meaning 
• Symbolic codes - something that suggests a much deeper meaning or representation. E.g. a red rose may be symbolic of love, but also death
• Proairetic codes - Something that suggests something is going to happen. For example, suspenseful music, the MES of a gun, Yorkie’s tight fitting dress…
• Hermeneutic codes - a code which connotes mystery. A dead body with a knife sticking out the back, why is Yorkie only able to visit once a week…
• Referential codes - an element that refers to something else. Another way of saying intertextuality
• The function of myths - myths or stories hep us to understand the world in which we live in. San Junipero clearly explores the myth of the afterlife 

Structuralist approaches 

• How binary oppositions construct narrative - contrast and conflict creates interest! Life and death, Kelly and Yorkie
• How binary oppositions construct ideological perspectives
• All narrative is conflict - our society is both unstable and negative 

Deconstructive analysis

Yorkie’s glasses are not only a signifier of a particular character archetype (the stereotypical nerd), but also provides a positive and relatable representation of more withdrawn girls who wear glasses. Additionally, the high key that is positioned above Yorkie’s head as she plays the video game Bubble Bobble not only symbolically infers a sense of importance, but also affirms her choice in playing video games. Yorkie is a nerd, and she is the main character. This provides a complex set of meanings to the target audience 

Additionally the costume code of Yorkie’s glasses polysemically encodes the idea that Yorkie is intentionally moving into a new world, and must adjust her vision. Yorkie does not need to wear glasses, yet she symbolically chooses to do so. The glasses therefore proairetically act as a form of protection against the world around her. Additionally Yorkie chooses to play the video game Bubble Bobble. This game features music and graphics that are playful, childish and upbeat, which suggests that Yorkie is trying to make herself comfortable in this new and scary environment. 

The lyrics of the songs playing in the club have significant symbolic connotations. ‘Tell me how to feel’ and ‘walk like an Egyptian’ encode Yorkie’s feelings, and charts Yorkie's narrative through discomfort to being told exactly what to do by Kelly. Now far more confident, Yorkie is able to comfortably interact with the world 

The MES of the arcade cabinets, with the comforting glow of their CRT screens and naive and low quality graphics creates a symbolic sense of nostalgia to the middle aged target audience. The packed crowds of young people are notably hegemonically attractive, which constructs a perfect, hyperreal representation of life in 1987. 

The camerawork constructs a voyeuristic representation of Yorkie, who is established in a voyeuristic long shot across the street. This tracking shot positions the audience in the uncomfortable address of a stalker, following Yorkie into the club. Audiences may have a wary expectation of Black Mirror, and through their referential knowledge will worry about Yorkie’s dafty. However, within the world of the narrative, Yorkie is quite safe. This is highly subversive of Black Mirror, which usually adopts a far more pessimistic view of technology. This sense of voyeurism is continued in the club, and the tracking camera attempts to follow her through the tightly packed club scene. Not only is this highly proairetic , it also positions the audience with Yorkie which means that they are far more likely to identify with her. 

As the camera slowly tracks through the crowded club, a binary opposition is constructed between the overentheastic clubbers, and Yorkie’s shy performance. This diametric opposition constructs Yorkie as completely different from the worry-free crowd, and symbolically constructs her social anxiety long before it is explicitly introduced in the narrative

When the nerd describes Bubble Bobble as being a 2 player game, and suggesting that there are different endings that can be unlocked, this proairetically foreshadows the idea that Yorkie is currently determining her outcome. Audiences at this stage in the narrative are positioned to assume that Yorkie will end up romantically involved with the nerd. Both have similar interests, video games, the nerd looks visibly confused when Yorkie leaves, both look stereotypically nerdy. 

The nerd character is constructed through a series of explicit intertextual references, that confirm he is an archetypal nerd. Alone in the crowded room, he wears unfashionable classes, his stereotypically feminine drink and his ridiculous quiff all construct him as a stereotype

Heteronormativity 

The harsh, artificial lighting of the club is soft, low key and proairetically encodes a sense of threat. However, Yorkie spends her time moving between darker and less well lit areas, which suggests her discomfort. This is further anchored through Yorkie’s performance, as she does not engage with any clubbers, and her eyes are wide and symbolic of her nervousness. Her head is down, which is symbolic of her nervousness. Not only does Yorkie’s performance suggest shyness, it proairetically encodes the trauma that she has lived through

Yorkie is both naive and child-like in her interaction in the club. The MES of her bottle of coke suggests she is inexperienced with drinking , and the roving tracking that follows her through the club sees her enter the childish world of the video games. This symbolically anchors the complex narrative of this episode, which sees Yorkie trapped in a state of permanent childhood and unable to progress in her life. 

The title card is plain white on a stark black background, a binary opposition that could encode a sense of optimism and happiness. However, the selection of the bland and straightforward font constructs a powerful hermeneutic code, with no suggestion as to the theme of the episode 

Kelly is wearing the MES of a flashy, golden cross. Symbolic of Christianity, the gold infers wealth and value, and connotes that Kelly values her faith and her appearance equally. In fact, due to Kelly’s highly hegemonically attractive appearance and her outgoing, extroverted costume, with the MES of leather suggesting danger, yet the new age hippy blazer in bright purple suggests a warm and outgoing personality. For Kelly, dressing beautifully is much like a religious ritual. This complicated set of conflicting codes and ideological perspective constructs Kelly as a complex and important character. However, additionally, Kelly’s cross presents a controversial and problematic element of the narrative. Situated in a virtual reality ‘heaven’ that is based around casual sex and getting drunk, it symbolises Kelly’s conflicted nature towards monogamy, marriage and religion

Postmodern readings - hyperreality and the ‘crossing over’ scene in San Junipero

The 'crossing over' sequence in San Junipero is probably the most emotionally harrowing in the show, especially as the reality of Yorkie's existence is made apparent to the audience. We are forced to confront our own notion of reality and hyperreality. For Yorkie, San Junipero is clearly the most real and tangible aspect of her life!

The notion of simulation is fundamental to understanding the narrative of San Junipero, and this is perhaps best evidenced through the dramatic and upsetting scene where Yorkie chooses to be euthanised. The MES of the button being fixed to her head constructs a futuristic mode of address, and suggests and remind the audience that we cannot simply enter a simulated state. Therefore, we remain confuses, anxious and even upset by this episode. 

In this emotional montage, Yorkie is finally able to organise her own assisted death. Transported to the beach of San Junipero, itself a simulated version of reality, media language constructs a hyperreal representation of an actual location. The setting is completely deserted, which connotes a sense of peace and calm isolation. The colour is is washed out, which symbolically encodes a dreamy and ethereal conception of reality. The light is both intense yet soft, which connotes a sense of heaven and a religious epiphany. The footage is softly and purposefully blurred connoting the perfect and dreamlike quality of the scenario. The anchorage of the birds and the waves constructs a soothing, hyperreal representation. The close up of the sand on Yorkie’s toes constructs an intense sense of reality that further anchors the audience in to Yorkie’s experiences. However, this is a pure simulation, a world that doesn’t exist . Furthermore, the entire narrative is a fiction, and this scene clearly and carefully outlines the impact and dangers of hyperreality. This scene, like every other scene, is a complete construction. 

This beautiful and poignant scene reminds the audience that nothing is real, and our lives have no meaning. The audience are therefore positioned in a confusing mode of address that ultimately makes them feel empty and power.

Postmodern readings - Hyperreality and the opening montage of San Junipero

Tuckers, the non-threatening nightclub in San Junipero presents a hyperreal representation of clubs, nightlife, and their situation within narrative media. As as audience, we implicitly realise that Tuckers is far from a realistic representation of a club. In fact, it only superficially resembles a 'real' nightclub. Yet we are so accustomed to these hyperreal representations through films and television shows and videogames that we are able to instantly accept this simulacra as more real that that which is being represented...

Hyperreality - where the representation is more real than the thing that is being represented. Yes, 'more real', not 'seems more real'...

Hyperreality refers to how a constructed representation ends up being more real than that which it represents. Unlike real clubs, Yorkie is able to perfectly move through the club in a single tracking shot, without being shoved, impeded, terrified, and she is able to positively interact with her environment. Furthermore, the club Tuckers can be seen to be a hyperreal simulacrum through the MES of sparse crowds who are all enjoying themselves. Their movements are exaggerated, which symbolically encodes their happiness, however, nobody is impeding on anyone else’s space. The actors are young and hegemonically attractive, with furthermore constructs an idealised version of a perfect club that does not in fact exists. Nobody is fighting, facial expressions connote a sense of happiness and inclusivity. While a few people dance by themselves, their performance encodes confidence. While most people are drinking, nobody is drunk. There is no visible confrontation, no vomit, and no embarrassing behaviour. Finally, the music that’s playing is popular, upbeat, and not distorted at all. The volume is at a perfect level for communication, and the sound even becomes quieter to allow this to happen. Not only is this situation deeply unrealistic, it is also clearly hyperreal.

The implosion of meaning itself is suggested through the setting of San Junipero itself. It is not a real location, but instead is a hyperreal simulacrum with no illness, intoxication or even bad weather. 

San Junipero fixates on the collapse of metanarratives, by fixating acutely on the concept of life after death. The notion of heaven here is radically different from the biblical ideal of heaven, and instead resembles a middle-of-road club night. Furthermore, even this simulacrum is completely simulated, as both Yorkie and Kelly instead exist in a computer simulation, hooked up to the cloud

A perfect example of the postmodern condition is the sense of anxiety that pervades this episode. For example, Yorkie is a particularly anxious person, and does not like crowded places. Yorkie’s dislike of crowded places symbolises her fear of society itself, and their opinions on her as a lesbian. 

A hyperreal simulacrum is constructed through the representation of Tuckers, a middle of the road club that presents a version of reality that is clearly preferable to the reality of clubbing. For example, the music in tuckers is at an agreeable volume, and the volume of music seems to turn down when the dialogue for Kelly and Yorkie becomes important. Th9is editing technique not only forces us to pay more attention to these main characters, it also explicitly informs the audience that this representation is far from realistic. Yorkie is able to easily walk in to the club, with no discriminatory dress codes etc. Yorkie is able to walk through the club easily, which is symbolically reinforced through the smooth and elegant tracking shot. Finally, while most patrons seem to be drinking, no one is visibly drunk, and no one is behaving in a threatening way, and everyone is healthy, young and hegemonically attractive. All these elements combine to construct a hyperreal construction of reality. By way of contrast, The Quagmire, a far more realistic club, based in an actual goth and industrial club (Elecrowerkz in Angel) seems far less real, and fills Yorkie with horror and revulsion. 

Real life is awful, and only the hyperreal is perfect.

Hyperreality, gender performativity and the marriage scene in San Junipero

A 'meet cute' refers to the highly telegraphed and cliched first encounter between romantic partners in a variety of genres, but most notably the romantic comedy genre. It is a blunt yet cute way of introducing the audience to the relationship of these two characters, perhaps by having them bump in to one another, perhaps by seeing them have a gentle disagreement that develops quickly in to love. San Junipero makes explicit use of the meet cute as a narrative device by seeing Yorkie and Kelly thrust together by circumstance, with Yorkie playing along with Kelly's ruse to put off annoying suiter 'Wes'. However, the bluntness of this narrative conceit is yet another example of hyperreal simulacra; another use of implicit intertextuality that reinforces the notion that San Junipero is not a real world, but instead a simulation based on a complex set of references to other fictious worlds... a copy of a copy of a copy! Alternatively, I don't know, maybe it's just cute?

Romantic comedies typically end immediately after the first kiss between the characters, or a declaration of love. The film typically ends before any real intimacy, a relationship being shown etc. This reinforces the ideologically perspective that the run up to romance is more exciting, and being in a relationship is boring. Kids, mortgages, arguments, these things are all boring. True love is the start of a relationship. It is real, it is exciting, it is hyperreal. In the marriage scene in San Junipero, we see a hyperreal representation of love, romance, arguments and relationships. 

Yorkie has chosen to live in the hyperreal simulacrum that is San Junipero. A simulacra is a representation of something that never existed in the first place. San Junipero is constructed from stereotypical and archetypal representations that already exist in films, television shows, videogames and songs. It is a representation of a representation of a representation. It is completely divorced from reality. However Yorkie claims this world is real, and for her, it is more real than anything she has experienced . Yorkie holds up her wedding ring, and argues that the coded simulation is real. This reinforces the postmodern ideology that is central to this episode. Since nothing means anything, nothing is real, and nothing matters, then she can actually do anything.

The colour of Yorkie’s and Kelley’s wedding dresses is not hegemonically conventional or appropriate to a traditional wedding ceremony. They are silver and shiny, neither black or white, which symbolically encodes their complex gender identity. Y’s wedding dress is more traditional and conservative with puffy sleeves, while Kelly’s dress is more modern and floofy and significantly shorter, which demonstrates the binary opposition that exists between these two women. This constructs a highly complex set of gender performance codes, which clearly shapes the world around them. 

The MES of the twinkling lights in the background represent a vibrant and exciting world. However, in this simulation, there appear to be only 2 locations: Tuckers and The Quagmire. This reinforces the hyperreal nature of this world, and the fact that it is a simulation. The location where the argument occurs appears to be in a completely separate world. This hyperreal construction therefore presents a perfect world where there are no distractions and no annoying people ruining the perfect moment. 

While K&Y have an argument, even their argument is hyperreal and perfect. Their argument is serious. Well articulated and dramatic.  Rather than arguing about petty things, they have a deeply philosophical argument about life and death and the concrete existence of an afterlife. They are able to share their emotions in an articulate way, and when things get too much, Kelly is simply able to exit the simulation

• “Pass over!”
• “Who can even make sense of forever?”
• “It’s real. This is real. And this”.
• “I was with him for 49 years…you can’t know the boredom, commitment, the laughter…the fucking love of it” - From K’s perspective, it is bad things as well as good things that make our lives worth living. Life is complex!
• “You think you’re the only one who’s ever suffered? Go fuck yourself”
• “This fucking graveyard you love so much…” - Kelly views SJ as a graveyard, contradicting the ideological perspective that SJ might be giving them more life, or even just a life, or even that this world is heaven. Kelly swears frequently, demonstrating an atypical representation of femininity. Her gender performativity is clearly constructing a site of conflict that intimidates and clearly upsets Yorkie. However, Kelley swears not to insult Yorkie but to demonstrate her own passion. She is passionate about the world and this is something which clearly attracts Yorkie
• “You want to spend forever where nothing matters?”

Hyperreality, gender performativity and the sex scene in San Junipero

Through the heavy use of intertextual relay, the sex scene in San Junipero constructs a highly mediated and hyperreal reconstruction of sex itself. We cut from the commencement of the sexual act to a cliched shot of waves crashing on a shore to a slow zoom-out of Kelly and Yorkie in bed. Such a montage is highly familiar to audiences, who will recognise not only the symbolic implication of the montage, but also the unrealistic, idealist depiction of sex. To put it simply, sex in films and television shows feels far more 'real' than sex in real life, which is a symptom of postmodern existence...

Romantic comedies typically end immediately after the first kiss between the characters, or a declaration of love. The film typically ends before any real intimacy, a relationship being shown etc. This reinforces the ideologically perspective that the run up to romance is more exciting, and being in a relationship is boring. Kids, mortgages, arguments, these things are all boring. True love is the start of a relationship. It is real, it is exciting, it is hyperreal. In the sex scene in San Junipero, we see a hyperreal representation of sex, romance and relationships. 

The MES of the women’s costumes is hegemonically attractive and perfect. Costumes in TV shows are made to fit actors, altered by teams of costume designers and other people. This emphasises and symbolically constructs the idea that these women are both perfect and hegemonically attractive, however they are so completely different. By selecting attractive characters, not only do they appeal to Van Zoonen’s idea of the male gaze, they may also appeal to a smaller and more niche lesbian audience. These women reinforce and cultivate certain beauty standards. Finally, attractive people look good, are more relatable, and are easier to accept for the mainstream. This hegemonic expectation that everybody is beautiful is a classic example of hyperreality, the idea that the representation is more real than the thing being representation

The music that starts to play as K&Y start to kiss is somewhat atypical. The use of synthesiser is connotative of the sci-fi genre. This non-diegetic music anchors a sense of intensity to the emotions of these characters and smooths out the sense of awkwardness and voyeurism that comes from the audience’s intimate positioning. Furthermore, we cut instantly from the scene scene to the shot of waves crashing on a beach. Not only does this symbolise calmness and contentment, it also symbolises the orgasm. By not showing the characters having an orgasm, a hyperreal representation of sex is constructed, where the sex itself is not shown., Instead, a brief montage, including a jump cut of Yorkie’s jeans being unfastened, reinforces the intent to have sex, and also the romantic intensity of this sequence

Gender performativity - how our performance of gender affects the world around us

• Yorkie (discussing Kelly’s flat) - “It’s so big” - Kelly’s power is reinforced through her monetary capital. In Hollywood films, everyone is rich, and if they are not, they are marked by their poverty. 
• Yorkie “Is this your mother?” (Kelly kisses Yorkie) - Kelly’s gender performance here is at odds with Yorkie’s here. Yorkie is asking in order to become more intimate with Kelly, yet Kelley shuts down the conversation by kissing Yorkie. Not only does this take advantage of Yorkie’s naivety, it also exemplifies Kelly’s gender performativity and her use of her own sexuality to achieve her own goals
• “You have to show me” - Yorkie here puts Kelley  in control of the situation, and becomes submissive, partly due to her own inexperience. 
• “You never slept with a woman before… that was fucking awesome” - the idea that Yorkie is instantly good at having sex constructs a hyperreal representation, and avoids all awareness and embarrassment that can be associated with losing one's virginity
• “When did you know you liked women?” - Yorkie asking Kelly about her sexuality may symbolise that she is scared of her own sexuality. Contradicting heteronormative assumptions of media products, Yorkie is clearly interrogating Kelly as she is confused about her sexuality and wishes to know more. Yorkie is clearly confused about her gender performance and what to do with it. 
• “I like men too” - By responding like this, Kelly is clearly avoiding the question. Yorkie’s gender performativity, as a naive, innocent and young woman actually makes Kelley awkward and uncomfortable. This personal and intimate mode of address is completely at odds with Kelly’s own performance of gender. 
• “I never acted on any of it. I never did anything. I was in love with him. I really was in love with him”
• “I’m passing though, before I leave, I’m going to have a good time” - Kelly clearly wants something else from this world than Yorkie, and uses her dominance and assertive nature in order to get it. 
• The gender performativity that exists between these two characters is highly complex. Lesbians are often represented in a highly sexualised and even fetishistic way for the enjoyment of a heterosexual male audience. 

This sequence contains a number of intertextual references to other films and television shows. These references are implicit and not explicit. The MES of the duvets hugging the bodies of the actors not only preserves their modesty, but also constructs a hyperreal representation of sex. This is highly common in romantic films. The pillow talk sequence, with the actors facing and chatting with each other, is also highly familiar. Kelley lives in a lovely house, on the beach, white expensive, freshly laundered sheets, the cliche of the waves crashing on the beach… all these elements combine to construct a hyperreal simulation, a representation of something that doesn’t actually exist, that will mean more to the audience than their own experiences of sex.

• Diegesis - in the world of the narrative
• Diegetic sound - sound that exists in the world of the narrative
• Non-diegetic sound - sound that exists outside the world of the narrative