Old wine in new bottles. Narrative complexity in the dawn of Netflix Originals (2013-2017)

Abstract

This article explores how the first five years of Netflix Originals dramatic storytelling fit the “Complex TV” label that Mittell defined, with its innovative season-drop delivery strategy. We focus on one narratological device: the delimited flashback, the predominant type of analepsis in the 33 pilot episodes that made up our sample. Although the delimited flashbacks analyzed are semantically diverse, the discussion combines quantitative data with a qualitative analysis focusing on three key elements: the objects and places that trigger the characters’ memories, the contradictory or parallel relationship between timeframes, and the violation of boundaries between narrative layers.