Textual Analysis

Textual analysis of Power

Power is a show that is known for its violent antics and the episode that I am going to be analysing has no exception. From what it seems to be a happily married couple, James and Tasha live an entirely different lifestyle from the usual person’s point of view. James, from what it looks to be is an entrepreneur of very well-known and popular clubs across the city also has the dark side of a murderous gang member and a high end drug dealer going by the name Ghost. Additionally, Tasha, a loyal wife that seems to be taking care of the family like a normal mother would do which could also mean that she is capable of doing anything, and I mean anything to protect her husband and her children. Knowing these facts, you could imagine that the show Power will be very problematic which also means that the way it is going to be filmed is very specific. 

I am going to be talking about episode 10 season 4. This episode shows us how the 2 parents are going to be coping from the previous episode which resulted to their daughter's death. Both James and Tasha want to take revenge upon the person that has killed their daughter but little did they know their son, Tariq is going to do that for them.

 This episode consists of a lot of rapid movements and a lot of emotions which will depend on the way it is filmed and how it is edited. When Ghost sees his son on his way to the killers apartment, all of the sudden everything seems to be very rushed. We see a lot of hand- held shot reverse shot's which makes the audience feel immersed, like we are rushing with James to save his son. Also, when the father is trying to make his way in to the building we hear non-diegetic fast hip- hop music playing loudly in the background that relates to the gang activity this TV show is filled with which almost helps to build up the tension to what is happening and make the audience wonder what is going to happen next. However, the fast editing and the way the episode is being filmed changes when Tariq confronts his beloved sister’s killer. The loud music in the background starts to fade which makes the audience wonder is Tariq having second thoughts about his decision and if he has the guts to shoot the killer? The murderer is trying to outsmart Tariq and all of the sudden the camera goes up to a high-angled shot from the son to the murderer which means that he is getting his lost superiority back. However after this encounter we hear a loud non-diegetic sound of a gun that was edited in and the camera cuts to the parent's reaction. This is done to make the audience worry for the characters and ask questions like who fired the gun or did anyone die? After, James, Tommy and Tasha enter the room and the camera goes to an establishing shot of the dead killer later cutting into a mid-shot of Tariq’s shocked face which is done to emphasise his emotions. After, the camera is quickly cutting to a shot reverse shot between all the characters because they are having a stressed out conversation. Furthermore, a faint non-diegetic sound of a police alarm starts to appear which is made to add to the stress levels the characters are feeling making the audience feel the same.

Power evidently shows how hard it is to film shows that consist of raw emotion as its editing always has to reflect exactly how the characters are feeling to the people that are watching at home.

(Source: Netflix 42:15-46:12)