The Future: Missing Children, Time Travel, and Post-Nuclear Apocalypse in the Dark Series (Netflix)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

The article in question centers on German time-travelling and nuclear disaster series ”Dark”, analyzing it as an iteration of posttraumatic and postapocalyptic cinema. The argument the writer makes, with support of a plethora of previous research in both genres, is that ”Dark” criticizes technological optimism, yet does so by using familiar tropes of personal anguish, hurt, and the prevention of trauma. It is the pain of individuals that sets the events of the plot in motion, rather than the seemingly crucial nuclear waste. The author links ”Dark” to the decision by the German chancellor Angela Merkel to shut down all of Germany’s nuclear plants as a response to the Fukushima disaster in 2011. That decision, too, was fuelled by a desire to prevent future trauma ­– just like the desperate decisions made by the characters in the ”Dark” series, who are primarily trying to evade personal loss. Indeed, in an age where many regimes are re-introducing nuclear power on the political agenda (as a way to ameliorate climate change while maintaining a high consumption of energy), the article’s focus on cyclic ”amnesia”, optimism, and fear with regards to the futurity of nuclear power and its implications for future generations is apt and timely. The article can be situated within the field of energy humanities, tying into (pre)trauma studies.

 

The suggested revisions are mostly on the level of legibility and clarity. Stylistically, the text is quite dense, containing ample references to previous research. Perhaps the author could revise some of the quotations, using paraphrase rather than direct quote to help the reader? The argumentation is convincing enough without quite as many quotes, which now serve to convince the reader of the author’s knowledge rather than of the particular case they are making. Perhaps some more lines could be devoted to ”Dark”, and to exemplify the somewhat general statements about the series being an example of trauma fiction? The examples from the primary material are quite scarce in this version of the text. Also, this reviewer would like to see a more technical analysis of some of the devices deployed by the series. Even if they are staple, and conventional, they are worth some discussion in order to specify. Could we identify some cinematic devices that embody the argument that this is trauma fiction, rather than nuclear fiction, or do these devices occur only on the level of plot? The first paragraph that introduces the topic by way of a German post-hardcore band, is also somewhat superfluous. Perhaps that space could be devoted to an exemplifying analysis of the source material, so that the reader has some perception of what unites ”Dark” with other time-travel cinema, and what sets it apart? The initial quote from a dialogue between protagonist Jonas and himself, in his future (and past) form, is not connected to the analysis per se, but could be put to use as an introduction to the storyworld and its particularities of trauma, trauma prevention, and nuclear energy. In addition, the notes contain superfluous numbering, and the reference list looks a tad strange. And is there a reason why the author does not name Jantje Friese as a co-creator of ”Dark”, when other sources do?

 

To sum up, this reviewer recommends the article to be published with minor revisions

Author Response

I have paraphrased most of the quotations from other sources to make the text flow better. The opening reference to a music video is mostly a rhetorical device.

Since "Dark" has been construed as a time-travel narrative in the existing criticism (Holt, Batori, Blank, Lickhardt), I decided to devote more attention to what seems an overlooked aspect of the series, namely its contribution to an ongoing discussion about energy regimes. In my opinion, it is crucial to refer to popular representations of energy as they convey the fears and hopes of societies in the West. In the short term, phasing out nuclear power in Germany boosted emissions from burning coal.

The numbering issues stem from a quirk in the template on my computer and will be rectified in the published version of the text. The omission of Jantje Friese has been rectified.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

To be honest, I am pretty positive about this article, more positive than the qualifications of 'average' may suggest. To start with, as a non native speaker in English, I always write 'not qualified to assess the quality of the English', but my impression is that this text is well-written. I have only a few minor issues with this text, and when these issues are addressed, I am absolutely fine with the article.

Here are my minor issues:

The opening paragraph addresses a music video, and contains a question: 'Why would a dressed-to-the-nines businessman ...?' (lines 33-35). But the article never returns to the music video (which is not a problem), but it leaves the question unanswered. What exactly then is the relevance of asking the question?

Line 49: 'content with a universal appeal' for the series Dark. In the subsequent section, the text continues with lengthy discussions of a German-historical context for the series and it even emphasizes that 'one needs to contextualize the story told in Dark'. I absolutely agree with this, but this requirement always sits a bit awkward with any claim on a 'universal appeal'. I would restrict myself to claiming that the series has been internationally successful as well. I realize that I use quite a number of words to say that I am fairly allergic to the term 'universal appeal'

Line 114: page reference to Hirsch 2004 is missing

I have no issues with the theoretical parts (the temporality of trauma and so on), but I was wondering why the television series Dark was selected as a case-study. On the one hand, the series is referenced as basically an 'illustration' of theories, given such terms as an 'apt review', 'text-book example', 'handbook' throughout this draft. On the other hand - and this is I guess more substantial and problematic - the author is pretty critical of Dark. The point is not that the author's argument do not make sense - I think they do - but the point is why dedicate so much space to a series which seems to be less challenging than several of the other titles that were discussed in passing (La jetée, among others). Let me just quote the final words: [it] cannot be a serious exercise in human freedom' (a quote from Payne). So, the article gives a convincing theoretical outline of trauma studies, energy humanities, etc., but discusses a case which in fact hardly contributes anything substantial to the theory. I have the impression that Dark is selected because of its huge popularity, but it has to be emphasized at a much earlier stage that this is the main motivation for discussing the series plus that it has to be added (e.g. at the end of the Introduction) that popular fiction films tend to fall short on offering promising alternatives to already existing theories, because they have the tendency to avoid all too gloomy perspectives (something like that). 

Last minor point: the numbers of the end notes are peculiar

Author Response

In lines 33-35 the question is used for rhetorical purposes.

In line 49 this phrase has been reworded.

Dark was picked as a case study because it addresses the threats and concerns felt both in academia and in the creative industries. Unfortunately, neither a popular series nor a growing body of work in energy humanities (or eco-criticism and other related fields) are able to solve the crises of energy-hungry late modernity on their own. Despite the fact that I'm a sceptic in this regard, I still believe that popular fiction films and series have a great part to play in adding an affective dimension to cultural analyses and energy policy. Interestingly, scholars studying resistance to the energy transition point out the fact that the major obstacle to adopting "green energy" is how to present these changes as a positive change rather than an existential necessity. The all-encompassing pessimism of climate catastrophe may be counterproductive as a political strategy but it has been naturalized by the creative industries as a visual attraction. In my personal opinion, Dark is a well-written and produced series and, for due to that, I fully understand its popular success. This praise doesn't invalidate my larger concerns regarding the cultural and environmental status of audiovisual media (requiring energy to produce, store, and distribute).

The numbering issues stem from a quirk in the template on my computer and will be rectified in the published version of the text.