Sitcom Analysis

Character Analysis

Within this season 3, episode 1 of The Inbetweeners, I will be analysing the four main characters, Simon, Neil, Jay and Will. Within this group of for friends there is almost a family element even though they are not related.

Simon – When he is talking to his parents he acts like Jay – blowing things out of proportion, like storming out of the house and going sitting on top of the shed. But this is reversed when he is with his friends, as he becomes the responsible figure.

Neil – he is the most socially accepted character out of the group. He is a very vacant character, not really offending anyone when he speaks, but he can say intelligent things every so often. Within the group he is probably the father figure of the group.

Jay – is the most childish person out of the group, he’s immature and irresponsible, like when he is driving and pulls out onto the roundabout. He and Neil are basically the children of the group.

Will – is the most mature out of the group, he is the mother figure of the group and is concerned about everyone. He’s intimidated by people he doesn’t know, or isn’t comfortable with. He also provides a voiceover for some scenes as it is basically following his journey into a public school, this also add to the point that he is the father figure as he is providing a voice over to the show.

With these four main characters they almost make up a family without actually being related to one another, as they all have different roles within their friendship group.

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure of this episode of The Inbetweeners runs with two vital plot points. The first one in this episode was when the head teacher took Will into the office to tell him that he would be in charge of money for the charity fashion show. Letting him know that he had the responsibility to look after a large amount of money.

The second plot point in the episode was the scene where Simon is asked to walk down the catwalk in the pair of Speedos, resulting in an embarrassing accident for Simon.

It usually follows a story of firstly showing the characters in their normal life, at home etc., then going to school or destination where the first plot point will be introduced, next the group will discuss their options trying to find a resolution to a problem then the second plot point will be introduced and then we’ll see the ending which is when everything has been resolved and we see the characters heading home.

Technical Elements

There are many technical elements in this episode, such as simple jump cuts. There are many varied shots in this show, such as mid shots, long shots and close ups. Shot reverse shots are also used to show conversation between multiple characters. Also panning shots are used to shows an object moving, like when someone is driving in a car. The sound in this show is mainly all diegetic as everything that we hear is what we can see on screen. We hear background music occasionally, such as music for the fashion show, and occasionally a voiceover a scene from Will.