Quantico: Film Analysis

As members of the audience, we are constantly bombarded by messages from the media. Once we receive these messages, we then interpret the messages and give them meaning. Sociologists refer to this process as the social construction of reality (Croteau, Hoynes, & Milan, 2012, p. 8). The media plays an important role in what messages we receive, and this can alter the meanings we develop in order to construct our reality. One form of media that has a major part in this process are television programs. Television programs relay many messages to the audience, and an important aspect of these messages is how the program portrays race and ethnicity. The depictions of race and ethnicity in television shows has an effect on how we interpret these

messages. Three television dramas that provide examples of this process are Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico, and East Los High. The main cast of Grey’s Anatomy is made up of a mixture of European Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans; therefore, most races are represented. The races mentioned previously as well as a Middle Eastern character and an Asian Indian character are portrayed on Quantico. Furthermore, East Los High is an English language program that is composed of only Latino actors and actresses. It has been noted that “studies reveal that whites tend to be overrepresented in primetime programming on the major networks” (Khanna & Harris, 2015, p. 40). These programs are unique in that the diversity of the cast of Grey’s Anatomy and Quantico and the all Latino cast of East Los High challenge stereotypical notions regarding race and ethnicity. This essay will analyze the aforementioned shows in order to demonstrate the impact that the depictions of race and ethnicity on television programs has on how we as audience members interpret messages about race and construct our beliefs and realities.
To begin with, Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama that follows the lives of surgeons at a hospital in Seattle, Washington. Unlike other mainstream television programs, Grey’s Anatomy is representative of multiple races and ethnicities, and this is evident in the diversity of the cast. The producer of the show, Shonda Rhimes, is a very successful African American female producer. She is the producer of many television dramas, with Grey’s Anatomy being one of her more well-known shows. One reason the cast of Grey’s Anatomy is so diverse is because Rhimes has employed a method of casting known as blindcasting. Blindcasting is when a producer does not specifically list a race and ethnicity for a character (Warner, 2015, p. 636). Therefore, the actors and actresses are not chosen for roles because of their race and ethnicity. The use of blindcasting also allows Rhimes to attempt to normalize race and ethnicity as an issue on Grey’s Anatomy. For example, in the episode “Into You Like a Train” from Season 2, there is a train accident that causes two people, a young white woman and an older black man, to both be impaled on a metal pole. The surgeons can only save one of them, and this presents a dilemma. It may seem obvious that race could play a major role in this dilemma; however, Rhimes diverts the discourse away from the topic of race. Warner writes, “by focusing on their difference in age and not race, Rhimes can plausibly deny her choice to make the black man the hero who sacrifices his life for hers, by stressing that it is not his racial identity—or the cultural attitudes associated with that identity—that informs his decision but rather that he is old and content with the life he has lived” (Warner, 2015, p. 639). Furthermore, many notions of race and ethnicity are challenged on Grey’s Anatomy. This can be seen by examining the race of those in high power positions. For instance, when the series begins, the chief of surgery, a senior resident, and a top surgeon are all portrayed by African Americans. By presenting a diverse cast, Grey’s Anatomy is able to try to normalize race and ethnicity and challenge audience members to see beyond the race of the characters to identify other issues that impact the storyline.
The next show that will be discussed, Quantico, is a drama that focuses on FBI trainees during and after their training.

Like Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico offers a diverse cast that also includes other underrepresented races such as a Middle Eastern and an Asian Indian character. The show is also the first of its kind, because it is the first American television drama to star an Indian actress as the lead (Bhagwati, 2015). This is an important aspect of the show because, “Asians often are used as "background color"—assigned to such minor roles as waiters, cooks, servants, laundry workers, peasants, or gardeners” (Mok, 1998, p. 186). Quantico, however, has an Asian actress as the lead role, and she is depicted as hardworking, tough, and determined. Additionally, Quantico uses its unique cast to challenge stereotypes regarding race and ethnicity. For example, the show jumps back and forth from the past, during the FBI training, to the present, when the training is complete. During the present, a bomb was set off at Grand Central Station, and the suspect is the lead character Alex Parrish, played by Priyanka Chopra. Although the suspected terrorist is still a foreigner, the show challenges the stereotype of the Middle Eastern or Arab as the terrorist. The show features Middle Eastern twins, Nimah and Raina Amin; however, Quantico does not depict them as terrorist suspects. Gerhauser states, “In the United States, mass media seems to feature Arab-American and Muslims consistently in a negative light. The portrayal of these negative images takes place by constructing an image of Islam in conjunction with terrorism, violence, extremism and hatred toward America” (Gerhauser, 2014, p. 7). Because of the tragedy of 9/11, this stereotype of Middle Easterners being affiliated with terrorism and violence has been spread with the help of mass media. Quantico breaks this notion by casting a Middle Eastern actress and not depicting her as the suspect of a terrorist act. Quantico

challenges stereotypes regarding race by casting an Asian Indian actress as the lead character and not portraying a Middle Eastern actress as a terrorist.
Lastly, East Los High is a drama that follows the lives of teenagers who live and go to high school in East Los Angeles. East Los High, a Hulu Original, is the first English speaking television program that consists of a Latino only cast. This demographic makes sense for the show because the population of East Los Angeles is mostly Hispanic (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). This Latino only cast is unique because Latinos are underrepresented in media, and the depictions of Latinos are frequently stereotypical (Rivadeneyra, Ward, & Gordon, 2007). The producer of East Los High, Carlos Portugal, has made it his mission to use the show to challenge stereotypes regarding Latinos. Portugal was quoted saying, “The cast of “East Los High” will have no gardeners, no gang members and no maids” (Castro, 2013). East Los High portrays Latinos differently than most shows because, “on primetime television, Latino characters are more likely than characters of other ethnic groups to be cast as having low-status occupations” (Rivadeneyra, Ward, & Gordon, 2007, p. 263). Instead, the show portrays Latinos in other professions such as doctors, restaurant owners, police officers, and students. For example, the main character’s cousin, Paulina Martinez, is the vice president of a fashion company. Paulina attended the same high school as the students on the show, and at the graduation ceremony in the first season she gives a speech. During the speech, Paulina remarks that she knows how hard the students worked to get to where they are today and that she had to work hard to become the vice president of the fashion company. This motivational speech sends a positive message to the young Latino viewers. This positive message is unlike the negative message that the media often portrays about Latinos. The youth may come to believe this negativity in accordance with cultivation theory. This theory suggests, “heavy television viewers internalize many of the distorted views of the social and political world presented by television” (Croteau, Hoynes, & Milan, 2012, p. 236). By casting only Latinos and portraying them in a positive light, East Los High is able to challenge stereotypes that are often depicted by the media.
Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico, and East Los High are three current television programs that use the uniqueness of their cast and how they portray the characters to challenge racial and ethnic stereotypes. In Grey’s Anatomy, the producer Shonda Rhimes employs blindcasting, and this process allows for the show to have a diverse cast as well as an attempt at neutralizing race and ethnicity issues. The cast of Quantico is also diverse, and the show portrays an Asian Indian and a Middle Eastern character, both of which are underrepresented in the media. Furthermore, East Los High consists of a Latino only cast, and this allows the show to defy the stereotypes that the media often depict about Latinos. These three television dramas portray race and ethnicity in a way that challenges the portrayals that most television shows offer. Because of this, it can be concluded that the methods that the media use to depict race and ethnicity are improving. Instead of perpetuating negative stereotypes regarding race and ethnicity, Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico, and East Los High depict different races and ethnicities in a more positive light. Therefore, positive messages regarding race and ethnicity are illustrated to the audience, and this can have a positive effect on how the audience then interprets these messages. Grey’s Anatomy, Quantico, and East Los High are unique in comparison to most television shows today, and they are paving the way for the media to better portray race and ethnicity.