March 2007 - Cult Fiction

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Cult Fiction - March 2007

Frontline - Heroes and Villains

March 30th 2007 07:23

Episode: 2.3 ‘Heroes and Villains’.

What Happens: A university professor releases a book of statistics that mentions racial backgrounds and the media jumps on it as sensationalist and racist propaganda. Sam tricks the professor into coming onto the show and gets Mike to attack him on air for being racist. Meanwhile, Brooke does a profile piece on a media-savvy doctor.

The Issues/Cliches of Current Affairs television: Media distorting the truth and demonising the professor, casting him as a ‘villain’ in the eyes of the public. Third-world child comes to Australia for a life-saving operation, the doctor who saves him is a miracle-working ‘hero’.

Elliot-Watch:
MIKE MOORE: (Laughs after Elliot does song dressed as a stereotypical ‘chinaman’) Aso Elliot, or ‘Erriot’, very clever.

Celebrities: None appear.

Celebrity mentions: None mentioned.

Quotes:
DOM: You want to hear this letter?
MIKE MOORE: Yeah, yeah.
DOM: ‘Dear editor, as a big fan of Frontline and in particular Mike Moore, I’m glad he’s back hosting the show. Brooke Vandenberg did a good job, but let’s face it – she’s no match for Mike.’
MIKE MOORE: Great. That’s fantastic.
DOM: You want me to mail it today?
MIKE MOORE: Yeah, oh, and Dom..
DOM: Use a fake name.
MIKE MOORE: Yeah.

SAM: Let me get this right. Emma is telling you, the host of a national current affairs program, what you should and shouldn’t say?

MIKE MOORE: It’s crazy isn’t it.
SAM: Yeah.
MIKE MOORE: So what should I say?

MARTIN DI STASIO: (Walking out on Mike’s speech at a gala event) I think I’ve got the bends.

SAM: Find out if he’s got any right wing affiliations. Political, social, does he like Wagner, parents German…

GEOFF: Really? Ratings were down?
MIKE MOORE: Oh yeah. Everyone thinks it’s cause Brooke was hosting the show while I was away. Ah, I don’t think so.
GEOFF: Nah, it’s probably not her fault.
MIKE MOORE: It might be.
GEOFF: Nah.
MIKE MOORE. It is. I was just playing it down.
GEOFF: You want me to play it down too?
MIKE MOORE: Yeah but, you can tell your friends.

(On professor’s allegedly racist book and Emma defending him)
MIKE MOORE: Emma, have you read the book?
EMMA: Yes.
MIKE MOORE: Well, I haven’t, so I’m still objective.

(After professor’s interview on Frontline)
MARTIN DI STASIO: We get the ethnic groups to attack him today. Tomorrow’s the government’s response… Thursday we get other scientists’ anger. His own peers kind of thing.
KATE: Right.
MARTIN DI STASIO: Friday…?
STU: His funeral?
MARTIN DI STASIO: That was last night. Now we’re just dancing on his grave.

MARTIN DI STASIO: So what was he like?
BROOKE: He was a bit up himself. Very comfortable with the spotlight.
MARTIN DI STASIO: So you two had a fair bit in common?

(Emma comes into office hungover)
JAN: Oh my god darling, whatever happened to you?
MARTY: I believe all the girls went out for a drink last night.
BROOKE: (Confused) No we didn’t.