I have chosen to write about the TV show Drop Dead Diva, since it is my latest Netflix obsession. I am almost done binge watching all six seasons, and I am hooked. The show itself is not what I would call violent, since it is about an aspiring model who is killed and returns as an overweight lawyer, and has to live out the rest of that life; it’s more of a girl’s comedy-drama.
In one of the episodes, Jane, who is the main character, is helping out a client who is trying to sue a “girls gone wild” producer for releasing a video of his 18 year old daughter showing her breasts. While in mediation, to try to settle, the producer makes a comment about his daughter that was repulsive and the father punched the producer in the face. He let out his anger, not only for is daughters negligence, but his anger towards the producer, through a violent act of physical harm. The show is based in California, at a law firm, and both the father and the producer in this scene are white male. The father seems to be in his 40’s and the producer in his 30’s. The scene takes place at the esteemed law firm, in the conference room.
Since this show is considered a drama, I think that, by having an angry father hit the producer, it is scratching a needed itch in this scenario. Nobody wants to see their child embarrassed, especially when it involves nudity that is about to be displayed in store worldwide. The producer is a jerk, and the comment about the daughter’s breasts were inappropriate. I think that the show wanted us to understand that father’s frustration, and to see that he would stand up for his daughter both legally and physically. The scene leading up to the punch left you anxious and upset that the father legally couldn’t do anything about it, since the daughter was 18 and signed a release. While feeling helpless and frustrated, the producer made a comment that sent viewers over the edge, but when the father punched the producer, it had me leaping from my chair. The producer deserved it and, though it was wrong, got what he rightfully deserved.
I think that the show had violence in this scene, because everyone likes to see the underdog win, even if it is only through the satisfaction of a deserving punch. There are two things most viewers like in a TV drama, conflict, and the element of surprise. This scene satisfied both, as the father was a very quiet and reserved person, who did not seem to be the physical type; he was a respectable business man and father. Another reason the show used violence could have been because they wanted us to side with the father. It seemed all hope was lost, so the father was trying to right the wrong in what little way he could.
Though this show is a really good one, it does have some scenes that add to the ever growing scenes of violence that are desensitizing our nation. This scene desensitizes, because it glorifies violence by making you feel good about the violent act, since the person being abused “deserved it”. Another way this scene is causing desensitization, is because it shows the main character silently condoning the behavior. This is sending out the message that as long as a person in an authoritarian tittle condones it, it’s acceptable. But, in no circumstances is it acceptable to act out in violence. When something as influential as a TV show depicts an act of violence as a heroic move, it is sending out the wrong message. I am guilty of falling for this sneaky form of desentization, since I was excited and happy he did it, even though I am a sensible woman who knows right from wrong.
The good thing about this show is that it is meant for a more mature group of people, not one for little, more impressionable kids. Adults are more likely to brush this influential behavior off, than impressionable young children. I wish this type of condoning violent behavior was only in adult TV shows, but unfortunately, it is in a lot of TV shows for all ages.

References

Drop Dead Diva. (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1280822/