The Breakfast Scene

THE BREAKFAST SCENE
- Hyperreality = families don't normally all sit down together - sit like that on holiday. 
- stereotypical and subversive family = Mattie is a very subversive character, calls her brother "crusty sheets" 
- representation of cyborg 
- representation of women 

 -Anita's laugh = simulacra = representation of laugh  
To what extent can it be argued that Humans is a postmodern media product? 
...I shall argue humans is a fundamental postmodern media product, and in particular is an excellent exploration of the concepts of hyperreality and simulacrum...

 One particularly convincing example of hyperreality occurs during the breakfast scene:

 The breakfast itself. MES: arrangement of toast, "the jam is in a...a thing!" Sophies excitement can be explained by the fact that she clearly recognises such scenes from films and tv shows. Her excitement insinuates that this is different from how breakfast usually is in the Hawkins household. Joe: "this is what breakfast is supposed to be like!" clearly happy and excited. Excitement is hyperreal construction, a fantasy. The breakfast resembles a hotel breakfast, or a breakfast in a film or tv show. Characters within a TV show discussing the nature of reality is a highly hyperreal, postmodern aspect.

 Anita herself. A hyperreal construction. More hegemonically attractive. She is a hyperreal construction of hegemonic female attractiveness. 
More hegemonically attractive than Laura and forms a powerful diametric opposition. While Laura has skin blemishes, wrinkles, ginger and slightly larger frame constructs her as less hegemonically attractive. For Laura, Anita is a hyperreal version of herself, stealing her life. Not only does Anita read stories to Sophie and do the ironing, she also constructs a fabulous hyperreal breakfast. 

 Anita's laughter is also an example of a hyperreal construction. Joe tells an appalling pun that normally would be met with groans. When prompted, Anita reacts with a fake, empty, repetitive and creepy laugh. By doing what she is told in an exact way, Anita reinforces the patriarchal hegemony wielded by Joe and inflates his ego. Disturbingly, this theme is returned to later on in the series when Joe essentially demands sex off Anita, presenting her with the 18+ card. 

 After the first episode, Anita has already stolen the family - takes the kid, she has stolen the husband through her sexual charms, steals the son - he is sexually attracted, she steals the housework etc.

 Even more confusingly, Anita is not even Anita, but a brainwashed synth called Mia. She is a copy of a copy of a copy. 

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