Television is a medium that promotes a sense of interconnectedness. This interconnectedness is formed through the process of narrativization, argues Ellis (1999). This process is a working-through of several “explanations and narratives which takes place in talk” (Ellis, 1999, 58). Ellis (1999) explains that the televisual apparatus first begins this narrativization from raw news broadcasts and then is expanded by “chat arenas” which “[encompass] serious discussions of current events” (Ellis, 1999, 59). These stages of “working through [as] an open process” (Ellis, 1999, 59) create outlets for salient topics in the news to develop. These chat arenas provide a unique experience to the viewer, a more intimate relationship and comes in the forms of soaps, documentaries, sports, and talk shows. Essentially, these chat arenas continue this narrativization discourses of particular political concerns at the time. Ellis (1999) argues that once salience is achieved in the news, it then transfers as the predominant topic of discussion throughout the aforementioned chat arenas. Ellis (1999) says that this “non-totalizing speculation” (58) is necessary for the continuation of an “information-rich environment” (58). Once these realms of narrative discourse are established in the aforementioned outlets, narrative becomes the primary vehicle that “complicates the emotional perspective” (Ellis, 1999, 60).

The Border is a Canadian television series drama that describes current and controversial aspects of Canadian security, its functions, and the issues that have gained salience in raw news today. The first episode of The Border showcased one of the most critical concerns in modern day — terrorism. More specifically, episode one of The Border brought into attention the fears of most Canadians, putting an innocent man to prison based on speculative charges of terrorism. Upon the capture of a known documented terrorist, an innocent Canadian bystander becomes insued in a federal case that relocates him to a Syrian prison that the characters of The Border begin to fight for his very survival and innocence.

Ellis (1999) asserted that the narrativization process begins with raw news data and works through the various outlets of soaps, dramas, sports, and films until the audience becomes saturated with a particular salient news topic. Once this saturation is complete, viewers become immersed in the world of chat arenas and they attend and view these arenas in spectacular discourse. Essentially, Ellis (1999) stated that it was “a process necessary for civilized life to remain possible” (58). This narrativization process can be seen in The Border as it re-enacts speculations of terrorist behaviour, justice, and the protection of civilians from terrorist activities. These narrativizations have led to the creation of The Border in which its entire purpose is to speculate about salient issues in raw news coverage.

The relevant sections that Ellis (1999) discusses with relationship to The Border are narrative forms. Ellis (1999) states that narrative forms provide a sophisticated commentary and analysis of salient issues in the media. Furthermore, he reveals that such issues are significantly elaborated upon and this speculation “[invites] the audience to use [their] psychological understandings” (Ellis, 1999, 66). However, such narrative forms create the polemic interpretations from chat arenas to form a single “narrative possibility [that] is followed through rather than several being offered” (Ellis, 1999, 66). Also, The Border is a “discontinuous soap” because the narrative structure comes back to the same characters, except with a different circumstance. Even when this serial is resolved after each episode, further narratives continue simply because of the “handy flow of individual incidents” that each character resolves independently. In this way, serials like The Border function thematically and such ambiguous themes such as terrorism prevention may never be resolved despite the resolution of the episode itself. Therefore, the chat arena created by serialization very rarely come to a complete closure.

The narrative strategies that The Border deploys are numerous. To create an intimate chat arena between newcomers to the show, The Border constructed its televisual format very similar to America’s most popular drama show 24. Through split-screening and hand-held moving cameras, the chat arena is intensified and so the dramatic performances between characters are heightened. Narratively, the chat arena is filled with ambiguity. Ellis (1999) stated that narrative forms create dillemnas and that is their primary chat arena, to decipher such dillemnas. The first dillemna in The Border is concerns immigrations officer and department leader Kessler who is perplexed by a Canadian citizen being held for speculative terrorist charges at a base in the United States. The second dillemna is the representation of Muslims in the media, particularly their relationship to terrorism after 9/11. These two narrative dillemnas recreate the issues that were of significant importance post-9/11. The Border recreated 9/11 within the first four minutes of the program, however, it only resolved the potential danger of a hijacking, but the wider story concerned the moral and ethical grounds of targeting an innocent bystander as a terrorist affiliate.

It is impractical to suggest that television helps to resolve uncertainty and contain information excess by providing speculation or explanations. Television merely repeats the concerns facing the population, but it in no way resolves issues as large as terrorism. These issues may only achieve contemplative glimpse about a hypothetical situation, but provides no explanation regarding the institutional and federal policies concerning the act of terrorism. Amnesty International (2008) reported that “Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri had been taken into US custody in 2002 and 2003. The three men were held at secret locations for more than three years before being transferred to the US Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba in September 2006, where they remain in indefinite military detention without charge or trial”. The Border merely states that the bystander was innocent in the terrorism case against the true terrorist of the episode, but it carefully strays away from inciting public controversy among Canadians. While these controversies may provide explanation and more in-depth speculation, The Border conveniently avoids these heart-wrenching details—these details will enable Canadians to improve their sense of understanding about the incarceration and mistreatments of innocent bystanders deemed “terrorists”. Near the end of the episode, characters of The Border simply rejoice after the innocent Canadian bystander is released from the US detention camp, but the conclusion was very poor because it did not explain, speculate or develop justification for that bystander’s release. As noted earlier, three detainees are still being held in Guantanamo Bay without any charges or trial and the ending in The Border was very unrealistic, amateurish and simply required a sense of closure to a very sophisticated argument—terrorism. Therefore, television merely reiterates popular notions of terrorism and concerns regarding innocent detainment, however restrains from providing a viable solution for the release of innocent individuals who have been detained. The Border does not resolve any uncertainties and lacks speculation and sophisticated explanation.

The Border undertakes a “working-through” that reflects Canadian culture, politics, and social values in a number of ways. Firstly, there is a nationalistic pride of Canadian identity and culture in The Border. There are frequent shots of the CN Tower, popular street names like Yonge Street. There are also frequent symbols of Canadian culture such as the maple leaf, beaver, and the flag. Secondly, there is significant realistic tension between Canadian immigration Officer Kessler and his American FBI counterpart that took the innocent Canadian bystander on charges of terrorism, although they were purely speculative. This shows the tension between Canadian-US relations and this tension is made very realistic through foreign policy differences. Thirdly, The Border reiterates major Canadian social values such as the peacekeeping unobtrusiveness of Canadian foreign policy relations versus the aggressive “guilty-before-innocent” authoritarian American foreign policies. From this analysis, The Border serves to recreate accurate depictions of Canadian-US relations, particularly the tension between decisions concerning terrorism. Many of these interpretations are held both internationally and domestically and, based on the way The Border is structured; it is a constant struggle to define Canadian identity as being opposite to American influence. Throughout the show, America is seen as the “other,” a feeling that several Canadians share, and Canadians are easily capable of sharing the economic, political, and social struggle to define against the United States.

Works Cited

Amnesty International. (2008, February 8). USA: Amnesty International calls for criminal investigation following CIA ‘waterboarding’ admission. Retrieved February 8, 2008, from Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/usa-amnesty-international-calls-criminal-investigation-following-cia-%E2%80%98wa

Ellis, J. (2008). Television as Working-Through. Readings Package: FILM 3P21 D3 , 55-70

Raymont, P., & Jones, E. (Directors). (2008). The Border, Episode 1 [Television Series].