- As we watch the episode, notice how the different plot lines are woven together, how the editing links them and how the characters develop. The programme is much more than a series of police cases - although the excitement, tension and drama drives the narrative along. The audience also starts to empathise with the individual police officers and in some cases the people that they are dealing with.
- Who do we start to empathise with?
I start to empathise with some of the police officers as more of their character is revealed and we see them in difficult and uncomfortable situations. Firstly, when Jake is prompted to make his first arrest we see him get spat on and completely embarrassed. I really empathise with him at that point because that was not an ideal start to the job and you can see the panic in his face as a crowd starts to form around him.
As well as that, I found myself understand and empathise with Ryan when I saw him vulnerable as Benson almost attacks him. You can see Ryan in a different light, he is no longer the strong and bossy mentor. Instead we can see him alone in danger and in need of protection and support.
Good. You note the way that the reaction shots and close-ups reveal Jake's panic and discomfiture during his first attempt to make an arrest. You also go straight to the key scene, the climax to the programme, in which Jake's life is on the line and the audience have to witness his very real vulnerability and terror as he faces Benson's blood lust. You have understood that the audience are invited to see things from the police's point of view.
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