Peak Practise Analysis

Peak Practise

By Stephanie Rallison

     From the clip from Peak Practise there is a theme of gender, the main character Dr Glover, a female doctor, helps a drug addicted man who is in prison. The female character goes against the stereotype about female doctors however  the vulnerable side of a female is shown clearly as the patient in prison shoves Dr Glover  to the ground, with the male guards rushing in to control the prisoner we see a fragile moment of Dr Glover, her facial expression shows fear and shock. The camera is slightly above her so we can see how small the doctor is at this moment.  Throughout the scene in the prison there is no sound being played in the background, only the sound of the keys being used by the guard, this represents loneliness of being locked away, being hidden from everyone else. The uniform being worn by the prisoner is the same as everyone else’s showing no individuality and blue to represent grief. He grieves for his friend who died and the fact he wasn’t allowed to pay his respect at the funeral makes him believe it was his fault for the death. The prisoner begs Dr Glover “please make it go away” this is emotive language allowing the audience to connect with this character and to make the audience think about is it his fault, the death of his friend and his addiction to the drug his body is so used to. The quote can also refer to the prisoners pain of losing his best friend and his addiction also it can suggest the prisoner believes everything can be taken away by medication the pain can disappear if he has a form of drug.

      In the opening scene the camera slowly zooms in on Dr Glover and her partner Jack this symbolises the growth of their relationship.  We see Dr Glover with her husband Jack, he stands over her as he talks suggesting his level of authority in the relationship. Even when Jack shows his care for Dr Glover he stands behind her but still above her, with his arms around her also symbolising his power over her and his authority in the relationship. There is no background music during the clip this could be for the audience to hear what is happening, how the characters are feeling clearly and to hear what the characters are hearing. The only sounds we hear are actions in the background and in the scene, the keys being used to open the cell door and the knock on the office door which interrupts Dr Glover’s time with her husband. We don’t know much about Jack or his role in the clip, all we can tell is the fact he is married to the main character.

      Dr Glover is the only women in the whole clip compared to the many male characters in the camera shot, this can symbolise a women struggling in a male society and how she has to prove she deserves to be a respected doctor and this can explain why she went to the prison to treat the drug addicted patient even though she would known the risks. Dr Glover is knocked down physically and mentally in the last scene showing the true face of an innocent victim, a fragile women and a women trying to earn the same rights and respect as a man, the guards had to drag the prisoner back to his cell while Dr Glover sat in shock at what had happened, this gives the argument on what a man would of done in that situation, would he of fought back, defended himself or got back up straight away. The fact that Dr Glover done none of these actions shows the reality she is a women and she was able to go down so easily that it frightens her.

     In conclusion this clip was interesting however not much editing had been done in the making of it leaving the clip uneventful, in my own opinion I believe this show was not very appealing to the audience compared to the drama shows we have now. The clip only suggests the theme but doesn’t enforce it unlike most dramas today however the clip does leave the audience wanting to watch more and to find out how3 Dr Glover develops from this shocking experience bringing her back to reality of the argument of women vs. men.