'The Returned'- applying Stuart Hall's reception theory

What is the preferred meaning of ‘The Returned’?

‘The Returned’ is a French television show which presents family struggles after relatives and loved ones come back from the dead and return home. The show has many atypical elements for the supernatural/ zombie genre. Firstly, those who return are fully functioning and look as though they did when they died. This is atypical to the usual ‘brain-eating’ zombies often presented in these texts. Secondly, the show features the French Poetic Realism genre which offers little dialogue and many aesthetically pleasing scenes. Arguably, I believe these atypical conventions affect the audience’s meaning of the text. I would argue that the preferred meaning of the text is that although it hurts to say goodbye to loved ones, they should remain passed away and the dead should not be interfered with.

How is this encoded?

I encoded this through the disruption that affects the show after the equilibrium has been established. This structure was proposed by Tzvetan Todorov and shows that a text needs disruption in order to create a story line. The disruption in ‘The Returned’ is the dead coming back; this then leads to many problems such as the returned decaying, problems surrounding relationships and attempting to protect those who have returned due to controversies of their unexpected arrival. These problems would not have occurred had the dead not returned, reflecting the message that those who die should not come back to life. This is also a message emphasised in many texts through history which often teach that ‘playing God’ will lead to an unbalanced universe and will have consequences. Our own cultural capitals surrounding this topic continues to highlight the preferred meaning.

What other readings might this text generate?

Although a preferred meaning is established, audience members may disagree with this and create their own negotiated or oppositional meaning. This is dependent on their own upbringing, environment and mood at the time of viewing.  Due to the religious connotations of the water in ‘The Returned’ symbolising biblical ideas of purity, rebirth and cleansing some audience members may argue that the text is encouraging resurrection. This once again links to the audience member’s cultural capital surrounding Christianity or other religions which feature water as a means of revival. Perhaps one of the most well-known Christian stories from the Bible is Jesus’ resurrection, therefore some Christian viewers may support this belief and believe the television show promotes the idea of the dead returning to us. Furthermore, audience members may disagree with the concept of the show fully and see it as unrealistic and therefore not enjoy it. Some audience members may see rebirth as impossible causing them to be against the text and remove themselves from that element of escapism established through the Uses and Gratifications model. Contrastingly, members may simply see the text as a means of relaxation and enjoyment and not encode any meaning at all. Once again, this may be due to their cultural capital or their mood when watching the show. Audience members may watch it passively and allow the symbolism and foreshadowing to pass them. This also links to the Uses and Gratifications theory as it recognises that some members may choose to watch television for enjoyment and escapism rather than using it as a mystery text to analyse and decipher through enigmas.