Joker, Empty Fathers and the Darkness Within

In this episode Andrew Sweeny and Owen dissect Joker, relating it to themes increasingly being discussed in the alternative media. We note how Joker represents the "death of the superhero movie", existing at the fringe of the comic book universe in a world where the line between good and evil, hero and villain is no longer clear. We connect this to the postmodern idea of the end of grand narratives, and the existential inertia and loss that is suffered as a result. We explore how Arthur Fleck is an overgrown child remaining forever in his childish fantasies with little contact with reality. We note his lack of authentic parental figures; his father is gone, and his mother manipulates him showers him with overbearing materal affection and undeserved praise, which is ultimately meaningless and only further infantilises him. We explore how in the place of an authentic father (or other older male role model) he worships the TV talk show host, who seems to promise the world but ultimately is only interested in ratings. We discuss how this reflects our world where fathers are often absent and many aspire to be the faces in the media. We also explore how the movie forces us to reflect on the darkness and capacity for destruction that exists within us all, and how it serves as a warning that if young men lack authentic elders and lose contact with reality, retreating instead into their delusions of grandeur and fantasies of wielding power, we are left with a formula for nightmare, and chaos.