Downton Abbey, Season 2 Episode 8 (25:39-27:10)

Title: Downton Abbey, Season 2 Episode 8 (25:39-27:10)

Tags: Power Elites, Power Positions, Social hierarchy, Social norms, social structure, Access to power, 

Author: T. Stachowiak

Date: April 27th, 2015

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Downton Abbey:

The PBS and BBC Masterpiece drama, Downton Abbey, focuses on the Crawley family and residents of the household during 1912-1924. It is a perfect example of Mills classical power display, focusing on how the aristocracy and the household staff interact. Focusing on Mills’ Theory of Balance and how the characters uphold and challenge their society’s social structures. “It is very difficult to give up the old model of power as an automatic balance, with its assumptions of a plurality of independent, relatively equal, and conflicting groups of the balancing society.” (p.234) Thus, we can see Mills’ theories enacted in which all social classes work to maintain the norm. Mills’ theory of balance includes Tom Branson, a chauffeur, and Lady Sybil, daughter of Lord Grantham. They, unlike Carson, challenge the balance because they fall in love and want to be married. They try to change the minds of the aristocracy, however Lord Grantham greatly opposes because he thinks he knows what is best for Sybil. In his efforts to stop the marriage he tries to pay off Tom so he will leave the family alone. Tom doesn’t take the money and he states that he will not take the money because not everyone can be paid off like ‘people of his kind’ think is possible for every situation. This statement also shows that Branson tries to show that he deserves social power although he is 'under' Lord Grantham. This scene also displays the transition of power happening during the time. 

Game of Thrones: Season 2, Episode 1

Title: Game of Thrones: Season 2, Episode 1
Tags: Positions, Three-Dimensional Power, False Consciousness, Latent Conflict
Authors: N. Wolosker, K. Alem, Z. Piskacova
Date: March 23, 2015

Summary:
This episode of Game of Thrones, entitled "The North Remembers," begins with the seven kingdoms at war, mostly as a result of the decapitation of Ned Stark, lord of Winterfell, by King Joffrey. Ned Stark's daughters Arya and Sansa became pawns in the war after his death, resulting in Arya's fleeing and disappearing from King's Landing. Upon realizing the gravity that follows her disappearance, Cersei, the queen mother, asks Lord Petyr Baelish to locate Arya. Baelish, a self-made man with all the right connections and great amount of influence and power, agrees, but their exchange reflects the tensions of the times, and Cersei insults him. As retribution, Lord Baelish, who manages to know all secrets, suggests to Cersei that he knows of her affair with her brother and the possibility of Joffrey's parentage not being that which everyone believes. As a result, Cersei makes an overt display of power that cements both their positions in the power hierarchy.

Analysis:

Mills’ concept of “positions” is prominent in this excerpt. According to Mills, a powerful position refers to the possession of wealth, prestige, and connections, which make one powerful regardless of one’s competence (Mills, 2000, p. 369). Here, despite Baelish’s awareness of Cersei’s compromising incestuous relationship and his claim that “knowledge is power”, Cersei demonstrates that her position as queen makes her more powerful because she is able to mobilize the guards to obey her every whims, reflected in her control of Baelish’s life. As Mills asserts, “Power is not of a man… to have power requires access to major institutions…” (2000, p.11). With her position, Cersei monopolizes wealth, prestige, and power, closing elite rank to ambitious people like Baelish (Mills, 2000, p. 12). The Lannister family’s position is powerful as the incest repeatedly fails to become common knowledge. However, this excerpt fails to acknowledge the potential of the self-made man. Although Baelish is portrayed as inferior to Cersei due to their different “titles”, Baelish’s knowledge do grant him great power eventually. The elite circle is not really closed because as positions can stay fixed, the people occupying those positions can change since position on its own is not enough to secure power. Cersei has an upper hand now because of her position and her strong and smart character while Baelish currently possesses only qualities without position. Established upper-class position vs. newcomers often meet in tension as the newcomer (Baelish) seeks the prestige of the former while the established upper-class (Cersei) views the newcomer as “lacking the cultured life befitting the [upper] ranks” (Mills, 2000, p. 34.).

Another concept that this particular scene demonstrates is the consequence of a poor performance of what Steven Lukes calls three-dimensional power, which “allows for consideration of the many ways in which potential issues are kept out of politics,” (Lukes, 2005, p. 28). Baelish’s remark of Cersei’s improper relationship questions the legitimacy of her power as a queen mother and indicates the Lannister’s partial failure in creating a false consciousness. If the Lannister’s policy was successful, no one would have been aware of the latent conflict at hand. As Lukes explains, latent conflict “consists in a contradiction between the interests of those exercising power and the real interests of those they exclude.” (2005, p. 28). While Cersei’s main interest is to stay in the power, the non-decision makers’ interest lies in having a legitimate ruler. Yet unlike Baelish, the majority of the population is affected by the Lannister’s indoctrination and therefore are not aware of their real interest. Consequently, the Westeros peasants do not question the ruler’s legitimacy. In order to keep this partial sense of ignorance, Cersei resorts to a demonstration of behavioural power to suppress any potential for vocalization. In doing so, she secures the compliance of the people through shaping their beliefs.