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Eliezer Martinez-Palafox
Professor Bachelter
UNST 254

TV Analysis: The Fibonacci Recursion

The age of television brought forth a new level of entertainment that radio or print
formats could not achieve. While Television is significantly has recently fallen in popularity, it is
important to analyze many of the thematic structures within some shows and their effects on the
American way of life. Even though recent trends suggest internet base television has increasing
momentum, much of traditional TV media is still widely popular. Scorpion, one of the shows
that have recently risen to popularity, hosted on the CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System)
network, presents a set of four central characters with high levels of intelligence as they coalesce
together in a company also named Scorpion. The leader known as Walter OBrien is an actual
individual with the highest recorded IQ in history. Through their intelligence and the help of a
special government agent and a civilian, they solve high profile cases of national security. The
show is known to expose themes of intellectualism and its conflict with interpersonal
communication. In the show, characters must deal with their acentric personalities in order to
deal with issues that Paige (the civilian) must deal with and resolve. This paper aims to analyze
the cultural dialectic of the representations of intellectualism in popular media through the lens
of Scorpion and subsequent research.
The initial impression of what a nerd should be is often represented unequivocally in the
same manner regardless of their presence on the show as a lesser weaker character. While power
relations are often not the concept of what intellectualism is or should be; we recognize that they

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are important aspects to the geek or nerd genre. The concept that nerds are in a faction
system that serve as the only source of information for the general populous, is not only
erroneous but dangerous.
[] characters are constructed in televisual dialogue with recourse to stereotypes shared
by audiences; a brief discussion of the relation between televisual text and audience as well as of
stereotypes may be useful. Firstly, like other mediated texts, there is a 'double articulation', that
is, an interaction between the on-screen televisual characters on the one hand, and an interaction
between the characters and the audience on the other (qtd. in B. Monika, 202)
This double articulation is a clear indicator of the disparity between the separation of
reality and our construct of on-screen characters. It would seem that while we like to think of the
more obtainable characters that appeal to the general populous as complex; we still fail to
execute the same procedures with intellectuals. It is maybe this cultural normalization of a
nerd, that prevents people (Americans in particular) to view intellectualism as something more
than what is presented on the screen. In the pilot episode of the show, we are presented with
Walter (the leader) breaking up with his girlfriend because he cannot meet her emotional needs,
in term leading him to use a document to deal with the breakup. It is this scene that reinforces
stereotypes of the capability of intellectuals to have meaningful relationships. While some
aspects of intellectualism important problems to address the normalization and lack of
separations of many of these stereotypes still hurts our empathy towards human beings who are
indeed as varied as if they were not intellectuals.
In the progression of intellectualism, the broader question to ask is if the problems that
are faced are a function of the perceived ideologies or unmet notions of success. I believe that a
very American ideal is this notion of the underdog, or the one who is trying to make it. This very

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American idea is functionally what makes us root for the nerd, therefore constructing
narratives in which this trope is always at a disadvantage. Professor of communication Christine
Quail speaks of this construction when she writes,
Not all nerds are televisually represented as the equal friend of a cool kid. Rather, the
more popular imagining of the hip/square dialectic is in the unfriendly, competitive antagonism
between the nerd and the jock or cool kid (462)
I do not believe that there is a single instance in which our emotions and construction of
reality about these individuals is nothing short of noble, but the premise in which they are
constructed has many of the issues of presumed personalities that were discussed earlier. It is
again important to reiterate that it is valuable to recognize these flaws of character as a way to
resolve issues, but indeed they are causing more harm than good. In the show the detective
serves a father role for Walter and much of the team. He serves as the almighty All American
jock who reveres teamwork and authority. It is this notion of power, that while Walter is
significantly more intelligent than him, he is still to fallow the order of agent Gallows, further
establishing Walter as the pseudo-antagonist of the plot.
Finally, many of these preconceived notions are only common narratives because of the
platforms and cultures that have put them there. I allow this show to stream in my computer and
therefore am granting some level of compliance with the content; in doing so I expose myself to
the ideologies and agendas of the creator of the show.
Cultivation theorists assume that television, in particular, both selectively mirrors and
leads society and that patterned representations and narratives on television operate as a form of
social control and status quo maintenance (qto. in Holderman, Lisa 46)

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This is an argument far too heavy for this essay, but the important concept to be aware of,
is that while we enjoy the content that is presented to us, the internal biases will ultimately make
themselves into the show and ultimately unto yourself. Whether we like to admit it or not, all the
things we consume whether it is cereal or The Big Bang Theory they are all factors that make up
the perception or status quo that Holdernman speaks of. In scorpion, the conflict of
governmental intrusion and manipulation is often quoted by the psychologist of the team. While I
may not agree with many of the statements, the positive associations and close bonds we create
with the characters ultimately influence the way we create and construct reality conscious or
unconsciously.
The show Scorpion has been an important turning point in the way we see intellectuals in
our society, that until recently was monopolized by The Big Bang Theory. While it serves as a
new light to see how intellectuals can be placed in the Hero trope, there is still much work to be
done in relation towards its adequate and proper representation of humanity. Popular media does
a great deal of molding our perceptions of smart people, but this should not be a limitation on
our own ability to create perceptions that are far beyond fictional worlds. It is not easy to do this,
as sometimes the stereotypes are representations of closely identified, yet it is an important
discourse to have as we go forth in our understanding of popular culture as a whole.

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Works Cited
Bednarek, Monika. "Constructing 'nerdiness': characterisation in The Big Bang Theory."
Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication 31.2-3
(2012): 199+. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Holderman, Lisa B. "Media-Constructed Anti-Intellectualism: The Portrayal Of Experts In
Popular US Television Talk Shows." New Jersey Journal Of Communication 11.1 (2003):
45-62. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Quail, Christine. "Nerds, geeks, and the hip/square dialectic in contemporary television."
Television & New Media 12.5 (2011): 460-482.
"Scorpion." Woodrow, Danielle . Scorpion. Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS, New York
City. 22 Oct. 2014. Television.