Luther Crime Drama Narrative Theory Analysis -

Propp:

• Anti-hero: DCI John Luther (a hero who acts in occasional immoral ways)
• The Helper: George Cornelius (a crime boss who helps Luther solve part of a case)
• The Helper: DS Emma Lane (a police officer who works with Luther)
• Villain: Steven Rose (a serial killer known for his cannibalism)
• The Dispatcher: Megan the 'clairvoyant' (provides the message from 'Alice' to Luther)

Straus:

• Binary opposites of good and evil
• The opposites of the police and the criminals
• Opposites between the anti-hero DCI Luther and the villain of each episode, for example the criminal, in this case Steven Rose.
• Conflicting opposites in Luther's mind between morality and action governed by violation of his position as a police officer.

Barthes:

• The crime drama is open and able to unravel in a variety of different ways.
• Enigma code: who killed Alice Morgan, where were the diamonds hidden, what made the murderer the way he is, why did the murderer kill those specific people, why did the murderer eat specific parts of each victim.
• Action code: the murderer killing the first victim leading to the investigation and the death of the cannibal killer, Luther coming back onto the scene after Alice's death, Luther kidnapping the crime boss which leads to him being targeted by hitmen.  
• Semantic code: blood connoting death and the dismembering of bodies, the sudden death of the pigeon which the first murder victim mistakes for an intruder.