Page - 19 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

episode of the series as a feature film but then opted for a serial form and has stated: “We’re making the show as if we were making a feature. Every episode is kind of a short film.”14 Nevertheless, the contemporary serial form is arguably more than just a longer and more complex narrative, even if enabled by the “catch-up” technol- ogy of streaming or box-set, which allows for a more complete viewer engage- ment. It also points to a kind of acceleration of the ritualized experience that defined the traditional format of the weekly show that was universal up until only a few years ago. Sitting down as a family to watch a scheduled TV show, or the earlier listening together to the radio, has, much like weekly attendance at church, largely passed out of Western culture. Its departure came with the vastly expanded technology of fragmented and privatized consumption, now further engineered by the algorithmic engines of platforms such as Netflix.15 Nevertheless, we can look for traces that remain of the habitual practice of rep- etition and routine that enabled this process of engagement. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the dynamics of habit as a mechanism of consciousness and the question as to whether it should be considered as a limitation on thinking or, conversely, as the ground from which creativity itself springs forth.16 It is useful to briefly consider this discussion in relation to recent neuroscience research that shows the powerful effects of the complex range of cerebral processes at work when watching something like TV serial drama.17 Complex dramas stimulate multiple parts of the brain simultane- ously to produce an exhilarating sense of being immersed in a fictional world.18 In her book What Shall We Do with Our Brains?, Catherine Malabou provides a powerful critique of the ideological forces at work in the emergent network society, where neuronal functioning and social function become increasingly indeterminable. Today, there is a concerted struggle over the dynamic and cre- ative aspects of the human mind, driven by its profound adaptability, to cap- ture this potential and divert it exclusively to the needs of capital. On one side, Malabou proposes that capitalism seeks to define this redirecting as a personal responsibility for flexibility and adaptability, whilst on the other, she offers the concept of plasticity, with a transformative power able to generate a liberating pathway. As she says: 14 Barr 2015. 15 The map of contemporary viewing habits is a complex one with traditional broadcast of national events still significant whilst streaming platforms have a mix of staggered weekly release of shows, often on a provider such as HBO, even as others, such as Netflix, release entire seasons at once to foster a practice of ‘binge’ watching. There is no doubt, however, the traditional model of consumption has been superseded. 16 Grosz 2013. 17 Ellison 2015. 18 Gaines Lewis 2014. Mr Robot: Hacking the Apocalypse | 19www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 15–30