Finding the Lost Colony in modern media
Analysis of the story of Roanoke as represented in three different forms of
television.
Sophie Pieters
Student number: 11754613
Master Television and Cross-Media Culture University of Amsterdam
Index
Introduction 2-5
Chapter 1 Historical Representation in three Different Genres: 6-15
Three different approaches to the representation of the The Lost Colony.
Chapter 2 The “Mystery” Element: 16-27
A discussion of how the case studies make use of factual history and fiction to fill in the gap in knowledge.
Chapter 3 Utopia and Dystopia of the Colonies: 28-39
A closer look at the case studies’ representation of utopia and dystopia with regards to the Roanoke Colony.
Conclusion 40-43
Introduction
In 1585 Sir Walter Raleigh funded an expedition to Roanoke. The expedition was a failure, mostly because of hostile relations with nearby Native Americans, and the expedition members stayed in what is now North Carolina for less than a year. The persistent belief that Roanoke was a good location for a colony led England to attempt once again to build a British colony in the same location, and thus, in July 1587, a group of a little over one hundred people was sent to Roanoke to build a life in the New World. This new colony was also financed by Sir Walter Raleigh and was led by mapmaker and artist John White. Indeed, the Lost Colony was not the first attempt at settlement in Roanoke, but it is the most well known. These settlers were some of the first English colonists in America, and Virgina Dare was the first child of English parents to be born and baptized in America. In August, shortly after the colonists had settled, supplies ran low and John White returned to England to get the much needed supplies. For various reasons, such as war, “privateering,” or storms, White could not return to the colony. In the meantime, drought and starvation worsened the conditions in the colony. When White finally returned to the colony after three years, in 1590, the colonists had disappeared. The only clue left behind was the word “Croatoan” or the letters “CRO” carved into a tree or a post. While he had wanted to search for the colonists longer, John White left the colony and travelled back to England in September 1590 when the crew of the fleet refused to stay. After his return to England, White wrote about the voyage in 1587 and a map of the settlement and the surrounding area made by White exists. The colony indeed seems to have been lost, as not even John White, who was the only known survivor of the Lost Colony, knew what happened to the other colonists.
Despite the amount of time and resources put into attempting to find an explanation, “more than 400 years later, we still hear this question: What happened to the Roanoke colony, to the first English settlers?” (Wood 178) Not only have scholars in fields such as archeology, history, climatology and genetic genealogy looked into what could have happened to the colony and presented those findings in academic literature, the case also has its fair share of representations in the world of entertainment. Indeed, the story of Roanoke can be found in fictional and “factual” novels, graphic novels, documentaries, television series and movies. Scholars from various academic fields seem to have taken to the world of entertainment in order to share their ideas about the history of this particular case. Indeed, documentary series discussing the fate of the Roanoke Colony not only feature hosts with a background in acting, such as well known actor Leonard
Nimoy (“The Lost Colony of Roanoke,” 1979), multiple documentary series also feature hosts that have history in other fields such as forensic geologist Scott Wolter (“Mystery of Roanoke,” 2013), and explorer, author, and wilderness educator Josh Bernstein (“Roanoke: The Lost Colony,” 2006), as well as documentary TV movies featuring for instance stonemason and writer Jim Vieira and his brother and Bill Vieira (Return to Roanoke: Search for the Seven, 2017). Yet, there are also many versions and representations of the Roanoke story to be found on the fictional side of entertainment. In the sixth season of American Horror Story, aptly called “Roanoke,” the popular television series revisits America’s “oldest ghost story.” Moreover, already in the shows’ first season AHS veteran Sarah Paulson’s character “recounts the story, claiming that the settlers were slaughtered and their ghosts were banished by a Native American spell” (Lovitt). Yet, while in 2016 AHS “made the lost colony a pop culture phenomenon again for a couple of months” (Colavito “Review of “Return to Roanoke: Search for the Seven””), this was certainly not the first or the last representation of the case in modern pop culture. “Many other series, books, movies, comics, and even video games have referenced Roanoke in some way, shape, or form.” (Grant) For example, in television series
Supernatural (2005-present) the colony appears to have been wiped out by a demonic virus, in Seth
Grahame-Smith’s novel The Last American Vampire (2015) the colony was murdered by a vampire, and in television series Sleepy Hollow (2013-2017) the colony’s disappearance is connected to the plague. Perhaps similar to AHS’ documentary style episodes, “complete with talking head segments and reenactments” (Reilly), “mockumentary” web series BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural (2016-present) discusses multiple theories that could be an explanation for the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony. Other representations or references in popular culture are a group of detectives in DC comics called the “Croatoans” or the many fates Virginia Dare seems to suffer a variety of books and movies. Examples are Mary Virginia Wall’s 1908 novel The Daughter of Virginia Dare in which Pocahontas is Virginia Dare’s daughter, Philip José Farmer's 1965 novel Dare, in which Virginia and the other colonists are abducted by aliens, and 2007 TV movie Wraiths of Roanoke, in which Virginia is the only survivor after Old Norse ghosts killed the rest of the colonists.
From the many representations it seems clear that the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony is not merely a story that makes for interesting content. It is a story that on the one hand originated from real events and therefore has a solid background in factual history and for that reason also in academic literature, while on the other hand it is a story of which so little is known that many fictional details have been added to fill in the gaps in knowledge. In this thesis I will look into the way three different genres deal with the representation of such a historical event that is on the one hand based on fact, and on the other hand based on fiction. In order to do this, I will focus on three
case studies, each of which contains a different representation of the Roanoke case, namely America
Unearthed episode “Mystery of Roanoke” (2013), Supernatural episode “Croatoan” (2006) and BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural episode “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke
Colony” (2017). Each case study consists of one episode of a series, each one of the three belonging to a different genre, respectively documentary, fiction and a hybrid genre that could be considered a mix of both documentary and fiction, or “mockumentary.” Looking into how these three case studies deal with the Roanoke case means looking at three different ways to fill in the gaps in knowledge, and relating back to their respective genres in turn allows for a better understanding of each case study’s way of dealing with the Roanoke case. Since the story of the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony is rooted in both fact and fiction, the analysis of three different genres that, similar to the story itself, find their roots in fact, fiction, as well as a combination of both, will make for an interesting discussion of the differences between the three genres with regards to the representation of this historical event. Moreover, analyzing the Roanoke case from a television perspective creates a more complex image of this case that is based on both fact and fiction. For this thesis I consider
BuzzFeed Unsolved, though it is uploaded to YouTube, to be a television series as it resembles
television series with its separate seasons and weekly air dates.
America Unearthed, which aired thirty-nine episodes between 2012 and 2015, features
presenter and forensic geologist Scott Wolter, who “investigates mysterious sites, artifacts, mysteries that involve relics” (Awes in Carlson Gustafson). Wolter states in the introduction of each episode that “the history that we were all taught growing up is wrong” (00:00:57-00:00:59) and that “there is a hidden history in this country nobody knows about” (00:01:05-00:01:07). In order to find the “right” history, each week another mystery is re-examined, often including re-enactments and locally filmed scenes in labs and sites important to the mystery. Wolter looks into mysteries with geologic elements, and in “Mystery of Roanoke” (2013), the episode discussed in this thesis, that geologic element comes in the form of forty-eight Dare Stones, which could contain important clues with regards to the fate of the Roanoke Colony. “He goes out, gets clues, investigates these mysteries and then comes to some sort of conclusion,” explains Maria Awes, co-owner of Committee Films, which produces America Unearthed.
Drama, fantasy, horror series Supernatural (2005-present), with its thirteen seasons and two-hundred and ninety-seven episodes, is one of the longest-running scripted U.S. primetime television series. The first episode aired in 2005 and since then main characters Dean and Sam Winchester, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, have spent their time hunting supernatural monsters and saving the world. Whereas in earlier seasons of the series the brothers hunted a new monster
each week, such as ghosts, werewolves and ghouls, the later seasons often revolve around only a few monsters, such as season thirteen’s Prince of Hell Asmodeus, and archangels Lucifer and Michael. In the episode discussed in this thesis, “Croatoan” (2006), the story of the Roanoke Colony is given a fictional twist, as Sam and Dean encounter a demonic virus referred to as the “Croatoan Virus” and it is implied that this is the reason for the Roanoke Colony’s disappearance.
Webseries BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural’s first episode aired in 2016 on YouTube channel BuzzFeedBlue. The series is divided into BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural, which deals with paranormal mysteries, and BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime, which deals with unsolved crimes. The show is hosted by “believer” Ryan Bergara and “skeptic” Shane Madej. In most episodes Bergara starts with an explanation of the case at hand, after which both hosts delve into several theories and discuss the possibility and plausibility of those explanations. Though containing several documentary characteristics, such as re-enactments, interviews and discussions of historical facts, it seems that the series cannot accurately be described as a documentary as it is often focused at least partly on speculative theories or complete fiction, as well as on the comedy aspect of the series. In the episode discussed in this thesis, “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony” (2017), Bergara and Madej look into the Roanoke case and mention theories with origins in both fact and fiction, all of which could perhaps be an explanation for the colony’s disappearance.
How do these three case studies fill in the gaps in knowledge surrounding the case, and how do these three different representations alter the story, and the history, the present and the future of the Roanoke case? In order to get a better understanding of exactly how the three case studies, and therefore the genres, deal with the representation of a historical event that is rooted in fact, the first chapter of this thesis will take a deeper look into how each case study represents, and with that either preserves or alters, historical facts surrounding the Roanoke case. In the second chapter I will take a closer look at how the different case studies deal with the “mystery” element of the case at hand, in other words, I will take a look at how the case studies tackle the gap in knowledge that exists with regards to the Roanoke case, and how this translates to different reconstructions of the history of the case. The third chapter of this thesis will consist of an analysis of utopia and dystopia in the three case studies and how this translates to a commentary on society. In this chapter I will look into the Roanoke case and its function as a utopian story, and accordingly its interpretation of the present and the future of the story. Thus, while chapter two deals with a discussion of the historical side of the case, chapter three will be focused on the possibility of the Roanoke case being a commentary on the future.
Chapter 1
Historical Representation in three Different Genres:
Three different approaches to the representation of the The Lost Colony.
Often described as America’s first or oldest mystery, the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony has still, to this day, never been explained. The fact that there is no conclusive answer to the question of how over a hundred settlers could have vanished, makes the case highly contested, and therefore an interesting subject for history and literature, as well as for several television genres. Although the three case studies discussed in this thesis cannot be seen as exclusively representative for the genres as a whole, the particular episodes can be seen as exemplary for the genres they belong to.
Looking at how the three case studies discussed in this thesis deal with the subject of the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony, allows for a deeper understanding of the genres they belong to and how they deal with factual history. In other words, discussing how the three case studies make use of well-known, generally accepted, and factually correct historical details about the case can thus show how the different genres deal with the historical aspect of the Roanoke case. This provides for a better understanding of factual history on television, as it seems that each genre deals with factual history from a different perspective and seemingly with different intentions.
Firstly, the use of factual history in documentary series America Unearthed episode “Mystery of Roanoke” will be discussed. This genre is often seen as the most factual, which allows for an interesting take on factual history on television. Secondly, fictional television series
Supernatural episode “Croatoan” and the use of factual history about The Lost Colony in this
episode will be discussed. Fiction by definition often means unreal or imaginary, which makes for an interesting discussion since in the case of “Croatoan,” fiction finds its roots in fact, which allows for a discussion with regards to the factual nature of the historical links within the episode. Thirdly, mockumentary series BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural episode “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony” will be discussed. This type of series can be seen as a combination of both fact and fiction, allowing for a discussion of the representation of factual history in a genre that lies somewhere between documentary and fiction.
Documentation of factual history
The fact that fiction does not always adhere to a completely true representation of factual history, while history as a concept, relates to the “documentation of reality after the fact” (Mee and Walker 200), provides a ground for debate among academics with regards to history on television. While some argue that fiction can be as useful as documentary (Pearson and Simpson 305), others assume that “‘history in words’ is more accurate and complete than ‘history in images’ and as masters of the printed word the historian’s interpretation of history should be deferred to” (Williams 137). As Steve F. Anderson explains, the way television deals with certain historical events, such as the repetition of images of the Challenger exploding in 1986, influences what the television audience considers history and how it is remembered (52). This means that, although history on television can be as accurate and correct as “history in words,” the way it is represented can, and often does, influence the audience’s opinion and thoughts.
However, “television is an important agent and mediator in this search for national identity and meaning fed by popular history” (Ebbrecht 102). The emergence of new technological developments in the twentieth century, under which television, made it possible to spread ideas faster and wider. Since then, cinema and television have a very prominent potential as historical evidence, as both are able to show what the past looked like, as well as “the way of seeing the world that binds the people of an historical period or a geographical area together” (Pearson and Simpson 305).
Indeed, rather than fiction, the most logical genre for representing factual history seems to be documentary. The documentary genre has several advantages when it comes to representation of facts. The content of documentaries is often the real (Corner), or the world we live in (Nichols,
Introduction to Documentary), and the lack of a particular style allows for a sense of trust or
credibility to arise among the audience (Corner). This sense of trust and credibility makes it easier for the audience to assume what is being said is also true, which in turn relates to the idea that history is being shaped by visual media, while at the same time visual media is shaped by history, as becomes clear from the high number of films and television programs with historical events as their subject.
In the documentary discussed in this thesis, presenter and forensic geologist Scott Wolter visits several places related to The Lost Colony, such as Brenau University, GA, where he analyses the Dare Stone Collection, and the Lost Colony Settlement Site in Fort Raleigh, NC. Acting like a historian, Wolter seems to adhere to Laura Mee and Johnny Walker’s definition of history, as he documents reality after the fact (200), analyzing several pieces of evidence and trying to uncover
the truth of what happened in Roanoke. Wolter looks into the authenticity of the Dare Stone Collection, which is a collection of stones that were found during the Great Depression and could hold clues to what happened to the colonists. The stones were allegedly carved by Eleanor Dare, who was one of the colonists, and were found south of Roanoke. Wolter explains that the stones were found within a period of four years, and that this short period of time led scholars to declare t h e s t o n e s f a k e . H o w e v e r, a s Wo l t e r s a y s , “ a c a d e m i c s h a v e b e e n w r o n g before” (00:03:02-00:03:03). This leads to Wolter deciding to do his own research into the story of The Lost Colony. Still, he seems to use evidence, which he presumes is historically accurate, as a guideline for his own research into the truth behind the story of Roanoke.
It is interesting, with regards to representation of factual history, that this documentary does not shy away from showing several different interpretations of the existing facts. Moreover, it implies that next to “fact,” interpretation is a matter of equal importance. An example is the conversation Wolter has with historian Scott Dawson at the Histories and Mysteries Museum on what used to be Croatoan Island but today is called Hatteras Island, NC. Wolter is trying to find out if the colonists had actually been there, something Dawson is sure of. Dawson shows Wolter several items, such as glass trade beads and window glass, that can roughly indicate the time the English settlers might have been on Croatoan Island. Wolter argues that these items are not definitive proof, and while Dawson firmly believes that the Roanoke Colony was never lost but merely went to Croatoan Island and that the Dare Stones are fake, Wolter suggests that the colonists may have split up. “Don’t know much about the stones,” Dawson says during the conversation with Wolter, “I don’t put a lot of weight in the things that come after the fact. You can argue that they split up and different things and all of that is just speculation.” (00:21:00-00:21:10)
Besides the fact that this documentary is based on facts and its goal seems to be to confirm or deny accuracy of the evidence surrounding a historical event, there is also a clear focus on the audience. For the documentary discussed in this thesis it is clear that the makers have let go of the earlier documentary style that featured a presenter, lecturing the audience about facts about a certain subject. The “increasing interest in public history as a source of collective identity” (Ebbrecht 101) of the last few decades, as Tobias Ebbrecht explains, resulted in a change regarding the representation of history on television. The way history is represented on television has undergone a stylistic change, moving away from the “presenter-led lantern lecture” (101), to elaborate television programs that include features such as reenactments or computer generated imagery. The television audience became more demanding with regards to television narration, and thus also the documentary genre adapted to fit the demands of the audience (Korda 84). Jakub Korda explains
this as a “television of attractions” (83), arguing that it is a development that has brought the documentary genre to a new level of audience engagement by using new techniques, such as computer simulations, to enable the viewers to see things they would normally not be able to see. “Today, therefore, television is one of the most important agents for communicating historical events.” (Ebbrecht 101) This episode of America Unearthed also seems to perfectly fit into what Korda explained as a “television of attractions.” There is a frequent use of all kinds of techniques that function to hold the audience’s attention and work towards a higher level of audience engagement. “Events presented by increasingly elaborate technologies have a much stronger emotional value than their mere verbal description, which can be defined as a major criterion of ‘edutainment.’” (Korda 83) Indeed, while still featuring a single presenter of the facts, America
Unearthed also makes use of computer graphics (fig. 1), reenactments (fig. 2), interview segments
and an overall narrative that keeps the documentary going. These characteristics of America
Unearthed all add to its function as a “television of attractions,” as they emphasize the
documentary’s ability to show something. Here, some fiction seems to enter the documentary. Though still based on facts, the reenactments and CGI represent actions and situations that often have not been proven as true, they are often debated, and, as Dawson said, might as well be speculation. “The documentary may seem closer to fact, but fiction almost always enters it in generous amounts — the most obvious example being the use of generic, illustrative images from the past that are not specifically of the scenes they purport to depict.” (Barta 153)
As a genre that originates from the documentation of reality, documentary seems indeed the most suitable genre for the representation of factual history. Besides America Unearthed presenter Scott Wolter using historical facts to attempt to find out what happened to the Roanoke Colony, the documentary also makes use of certain characteristics that add to its role as “edutainment” and a higher level of audience engagement.
Fig. 2. Colonists with Native Americans from “Mystery of Roanoke.” America Unearthed, 2013.
Fig. 1. Enumeration of clues to the Lost Colony from “Mystery of Roanoke.” America Unearthed, 2013.
Metaphorical approach to history
Unlike America Unearthed, Supernatural gives a very different spin to the existing story, or at least to what has been found through research. Where historians draw a clear boundary between what is fact and what is fiction (Williams 137), Supernatural seems to create a fictional story while also incorporating factual history. The television series tells the story of brothers Dean and Sam Winchester, who hunt supernatural creatures of all shapes and sizes. In this particular episode, accurately called “Croatoan” (2.09), Sam has visions about his brother Dean killing a man. The brothers go to the town from Sam’s vision, and see the word “Croatoan” carved in a telephone pole. They find out a virus has infected people and is turning them into murderous creatures via blood to blood contact. Hiding in a medical clinic, the brothers meet a doctor who has tested infected blood. The blood showed traces of sulfur, an element that in Supernatural is a marker of demonic manifestation. It is clear that the virus has to do with demons, rather than it being a non-supernatural disease. Three other episodes of the television series deal with the subjects of Roanoke and Croatoan as well, though these will not be discussed in depth in this thesis since the link to Roanoke is first made in “Croatoan.” In “The End” (5.04), older brother Dean ends up in an alternate future which shows a worldwide outbreak of the “croatoan virus” after Lucifer has released the virus in 2014. In “The Devil You Know” (5.20) Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, has been causing Swine Flu outbreaks and is planning a mass outbreak of the “croatoan virus.” In “Two Minutes To Midnight” (5.21), the brothers discover the Swine Flu vaccine that is distributed is the “croatoan virus.”
SAM: Roanoke was one of the first English colonies in America, late 1500s?
DEAN: Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. Croatoan.
SAM: Yeah. And I mean, there were theories — Indian raid, disease, but nobody knows what really happened. They were all just gone. I mean, wiped out overnight.
DEAN: You don't think that's what's going on here, I mean . . . (00:06:08-00:06:30)
Though this is an obvious link to the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, the further use of historical facts is limited. Sam’s explanation of what is known about Roanoke is indeed true, but the creators of the shows seem to have given their own explanation of what happened, which is in turn linked to a rather well-known idea, or fantasy, that Roanoke is actually the only recorded case of a zombie outbreak. Though the “croats,” as the infected individuals are called, are not exactly like the popular Frankenstein-esque zombie, their mindlessness, savagery, and willingness to attack and kill other people, do remind of the popular kind of undead. The lack of any evidence that war, famine, or anything else wiped out the colony raises questions, leading some to believe that there were indeed zombies.
Though based on a historical event, it is clear that Supernatural has made use of a widespread belief of what could have happened. As Roberta Pearson and Phillip Simpson argue, “fictional texts can prove every bit as useful as documentary ones” (305). Giving comparisons between Star Trek (1966) and John F. President Kennedy and the Cold War, Pearson and Simpson clearly show that works of fiction indeed have the ability to represent history (305-306). Though it may not all be factual, it seems that a mere resemblance is often already enough to remind of a certain time or event in history. This also seems to case for Supernatural, as there has never been a documented zombie outbreak, but it reminds of mass outbreaks of disease and death, which is a common fear still to this day. Kat Eschner explains that zombies have been used to comment on things such as race, as the idea of zombies traces back to Haitian slaves in the eighteenth century, or climate change. Indeed, according to Jeffrey Cohen, “like all monsters, zombies are metaphors” (qtd. in Eschner n.p.). Rather than representing only factual history, Supernatural seems to choose a less direct representation of history. Although based on a real event, the television show uses a metaphorical approach to show the fears and anxiety that have existed in the past, and still exist today.
Moreover, zombies are a very popular subject for works of fiction, and they have been used in films, books and television series. Examples are George A. Romero’s film Night of the Living
Dead (1968), Jonathan Levine’s romantic zombie comedy Warm Bodies (2013), Seth
Grahame-Smith’s novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009), and The CW’s television series iZombie (2015). As well as non-traditional zombie stories, such as Stephen King’s apocalyptic horror novel
Cell (2006), in which the majority of people have turned into mindless, zombie-like creatures after
hearing a mysterious signal through their cellphones. Not only has the subject of zombies been used many times before, the idea that the Roanoke colony disappeared due to zombieism has been used in other works of fiction as well, such as in Max Brooks’ The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete
Protection from the Living Dead (2003). There are many historians that criticize visual media and
claim that written history is “more accurate and complete” (Williams 137). However, it is important to realize that “media practitioners, including mainstream fictional film and drama producers and historical novelists, are also committed to objectivity in the collection and selection of the facts” (137). Clearly, this theory is considered very unlikely by many people, and there is no definitive factual proof for the idea that what happened in Roanoke was a very well contained zombie outbreak. However, Harvard archeologist Lawrence Stager, has discovered evidence for mass cannibalism at the Roanoke site (Mogk 205). Many people believe this is “unofficial” evidence for a zombie outbreak, arguing that there was no other reason the settlers could have had for eating each other, as there was enough food to feed everyone. The story of the Roanoke colony is not called “the biggest mystery in early American history” (Howcast) for no reason.
Discussing theories, from plausible to outlandish
Rooted in documentary, the mockumentary takes several recognizable features from its more factual predecessor, but often does not base its content on historically accurate information, therefore creating a mix of fact and fiction. Craig Hight explains the concept of mockumentary as “a fictional audiovisual text, such as a feature film or television program, that looks and sounds like a documentary” (qtd. in Nardi 73). The mockumentary genre allows for a lot of debates, since it is often neither complete fiction, nor a complete representation of factual history. Generally, a mockumentary contains several characteristics that originally belong to the documentary genre, such as informative titles and the use of hand-held camera footage (Campbell 54).
The mockumentary discussed in this thesis, BuzzFeed Unsolved, makes use of several documentary characteristics, such as the before mentioned informative titles and use of hand-held camera footage, as well as computer graphics and reenactments that belong to the way of documentary making that Korda linked to his “television of attractions.” However, if we were to take Hight’s definition as the only correct one, it would not be correct to place BuzzFeed Unsolved within the mockumentary genre. Like many mockumentaries, BuzzFeed Unsolved looks and sounds like a documentary, however, unlike Hight’s idea of the mockumentary, BuzzFeed Unsolved is rooted in factual history, not in fiction. Perhaps most applicable to the case study under scrutiny here is Carlo Nardi’s explanation of how fact and fiction function in a mockumentary. “Mockumentary tackles common topics of non-fiction but changes the rules of the game for comedic purposes,” says Nardi, “In doing so, it adopts the formal features of documentary while rejecting two of its main assumptions: that the facts depicted are factual and that they deserve
serious attention” (73). Important to remember, though, is that Buzzfeed Unsolved does not reject the assumption that the facts that are depicted are factual. Yet, this mockumentary series does not solely depict factual facts, as the episodes also occasionally include speculations and assumptions.
The episodes of the series exist out of three separate parts. Firstly, there is the part in which the facts are presented (fig. 3-4). Usually, these facts are provided with a clear historical background, in chronological order, and with help of computer graphics and images, such as timelines, pictures, drawings, and occasionally also reenactments. A second part consists of theorizing about possible explanations. Often, these theories are well-known and have already been discussed elsewhere. The discussion of the theories usually starts with the most logical one, and ends with one or more that seem rather unlikely, but are still believed by some people. The third part, interwoven with the first and second parts, consists of Bergara and Madej discussing the facts and theories. Bergara, who is usually not opposed to the theories that are more unlikely and are based more on myth or superstition rather than factual history, is the one that does the research and explains the facts and theories. Madej, who is more skeptical, gives his opinion and ideas on Bergara’s explanations and often tries to find the logic behind what is being said.
After finishing explaining basic information such as who the settlers were and where exactly they sailed to (fig. 5-6), Bergara goes over some of the existing theories that could possibly be an explanation for what happened to The Lost Colony. The first theory argues that the settlers were murdered by a local native American tribe, which, seeing the colonists invaded the land, is not an unlikely explanation. The second theory argues that the settlers joined a nearby friendly native American tribe. Several other sources mentioned in the episode also talk about Native Americans with light eyes, indicating that this theory might have some truth to it. The third theory argues that the settlers did not move to Croatoan Island but instead moved inland. This is the theory that Scott Wolter in America Unearthed wants to prove to a certain extent, as he claims that the colonists
Fig. 3. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke
might have split up, several of them moving to Croatoan Island, and the others moving inland where the Dare Stones were found. The fourth theory argues that the colonists’ disappearance was an instance of mass abduction by aliens. Finally, the fifth theory argues that the Lost Colony of Roanoke disappeared due to a zombie plague.
RYAN: Shockingly, aliens is not the most outlandish theory.
SHANE: What is … Wait … There’s … I d— … Wait … Hang on … It didn’t even occur … I didn’t even … I didn’t even hear the words that you were saying when you said what brings us to our next theory. ‘Cause I thought that was as dumb as it was gonna get.
RYAN: I told you, you have no idea where this is going. (00:19:40-00:19:57)
Bergara explains every theory in detail, while Madej gives the occasional remark and mainly seems to function as a voice of reason. Bergara and Madej, though joking at the seemingly outlandish fourth and fifth theories, do still explain why there could be some truth hiding in them, as well as giving arguments why they might not be true.
Conclusion
This chapter has consisted of a discussion of how three television series, as representations of their respective genres, deal with factual history. Similar for each case study is the fact that they are based on the same historical event, about which surprisingly little is known. However, when looking at how, and to what extent, each television series incorporates factual history, there are
Fig. 5. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke
significant differences, and each case study seems to have its own manner of dealing with the representation of factual history. Where America Unearthed presenter Scott Wolter makes use of historical facts to find out more about the event and find out more about the nation’s collective identity, Supernatural metaphorically uses a “fantasy” explanation for what happened to The Lost Colony, pursuing a fictional story based on preexisting fears rather than searching for a factually correct explanation. BuzzFeed Unsolved has yet another use for history, presenting the facts and giving a list of possibly explanations together with the hosts’ reactions and opinions of the several theories of what could have happened, and in this way presenting an overview of both fact and fiction about the mystery of the Roanoke Colony.
The discussion of the three different case studies and their way of dealing with the representation of factual history in this chapter not only shows that the three genres deal with factual history in a very different way, it also shows that “fact” exists together with a notion of “interpretation.” Indeed, America Unearthed, Supernatural, and BuzzFeed Unsolved, though the level of adherence differs, all represent an interpretation of factual history.
Chapter 2
The “Mystery” Element:
A discussion of how the case studies make use of factual history and fiction
to fill in the gap in knowledge.
Even with modern day’s advanced technology, there is still no definitive proof about what happened in Roanoke. It is neither known what caused the colonists to vanish, nor are there factually correct and generally accepted answers to “simpler” questions, such as which way they travelled or why someone carved the word “Croatoan” near the settlement. Information about the case is missing, which on the one hand creates a gap in knowledge, while on the other hand it creates space for each genre to give its own interpretation to what is missing. The impossibility to answer questions with regards to the Roanoke case effects how the case is represented, as each genre may have different answers to the same questions. Indeed, how do the case studies deal with the gap in knowledge that exists when it comes to the disappearance of the Roanoke settlers?
In this chapter I will look into how different genres give different explanations to the same questions. In each case I will focus on the word “Croatoan,” and the different explanation each genre gives as to why it was, or might have been carved near the settlement. First I will look at the documentary genre, as it is important to get a better understanding of how this factual genre deals with a subject that is as mysterious as the story of The Lost Colony. Secondly, I will discuss fiction in order to understand how, with regards to this particular case, this genre is able to make use of the “mystery” surrounding a historical event and giving a fictional spin to an event based in factual history. Third, I will discuss the mockumentary genre. It seems that this genre, especially with a mystery as its subject, is similar to both documentary and fiction, yet also differs from both when it comes to finding an explanation for the Roanoke case.
Mystery as a lack of knowledge
Bill Nichols argues that “the world as we see it through a documentary window is heightened, telescoped, dramatized, reconstructed, fetishized, miniaturized, or otherwise modified” (Introduction to Documentary, 113). This is also the case for America Unearthed, as the compilation of information, presented through for instance conversations, re-enactments, or
computer images, shows the viewer that the Roanoke case does not have one factually correct explanation. Indeed, as Nichols continues:
The mystery or magic stems from the re-presentation, the documentary’s apparent ability to mechanically reproduce the world as it is, in all its historical uniqueness, again and again in the service of representations or arguments, often recycling images of never-to-be-repeated events in the service of sharply divergent points of view. (114)
Documentary as a genre seems focused on presenting information, “re-presentation,” rather than creating suspense. However, when it comes to discussing the Roanoke Colony, it seems that even this fact-based genre is forced to add a “mystery” element. A documentary about the disappearance of The Lost Colony is not factually correct, or remotely accurate, if the makers claim that what they present is the only factually correct explanation for what happened. Indeed, there is no one factually correct explanation and America Unearthed presenter Scott Wolter does not deny this. Moreover, he uses his knowledge as a forensic geologist to try to find out what happened. It is a very bold mission and, though the viewer gets to know more and more about what could have happened in Roanoke, by the end of the episode Wolter has not found a definitive clue that could lead to one generally accepted explanation. The episode, rather than being a simple “re-presentation” of the information about Roanoke, seems to be a discussion and exploration of this information. Added to this are Wolter’s own ideas, as well as those of others he meets on his trips to various locations related to the Roanoke case.
Though it seems that individuals featured in the documentary have their own ideas and convictions about what happened, Wolter shows that there is not just one side to the story. Wolter presents multiple possible explanations, as well as several objects or certain knowledge that could possibly form an explanation to the mystery when tied together. This reminds of the “this is so, isn’t it?” proposition that, according to Bill Nichols, can often be recognized in documentaries. The representation of the world in the documentary “is so,” and the credibility of the representation is what prompts the question “isn’t it?”. Nichols calls this “the basic proposition made by realism” (Representing Reality, 114). What is presented to viewers of documentaries is, however, “colored” by the makers of the documentary. “What it includes and excludes, what it proposes and surpasses remain issues of significance.” (Representing Reality, 140) What viewers see can be used as a guide or orientation, but it is also not unlikely that viewers’ beliefs align with what is presented
in the documentary. The “knowledge” presented is not “a knowledge,” it is “a view on knowledge.” As Nichols argues, then “the work of rhetoric is to move us to answer” (Representing Reality, 140).
Yet, for America Unearthed it seems that this is not the case. Wolter presents information that is built up out of multiple different opinions, beliefs, and even what some consider to be factual evidence. It would seem that rather than “a view on knowledge,” Wolter presents “a knowledge,” and the audience has the opportunity to form their own view on that knowledge. This is possible because America Unearthed does not present knowledge that is factual history, and instead presents knowledge that is highly debated. For instance, Wolter visits Scotch Hall Preserve in Windsor, North Carolina. While Wolter seems convinced that the Roanoke Colony was supposed to move to a fort where the golf course is located currently, Scotch Hall spokesman Jim Hughes seems less convinced of the possibility of a hidden fort located at the golf course. Still, America Unearthed presents both Wolter’s belief that there could have been a fort and that at least some of the colonists could have made it to that fort, and Hughes’ explanation that no evidence of colonial activity has been found when the golf course was built. Rather than presenting a question, or “a view on knowledge,” such as “the colonists did move to the location of the fort on White’s map, didn’t they?” America Unearthed presents “a knowledge,” which is that there is a map with a possible location for a fort, and that no evidence has been found at that location. The fact that the documentary proposition “this is so, isn’t it?” cannot lead to a conclusive answer on the side of the viewers when it comes to this case study, allows for the “mystery” element to sneak in. “Gaps and fissures suggest that something exceeds the grasp of the text and its ability to secure agreement,” explains Nichols (Representing Reality, 140-141). Indeed, the “mystery” element to this case study appears to be the lack of “a view on knowledge” that is conclusive and could possibly answer the documentary proposition “this is so, isn’t it?”.
Another example is the way Wolter deals with the word Croatoan carved near the colonists’ settlement. Wolter visits “the place where the colonists were last seen alive” (00:11:57-00:12:00), the Lost Colony settlement site in Fort Raleigh, North Carolina. When Wolter asks National Park Service Ranger, Rob Bolling, about other clues about the colonists that were found at the settlement site, Bolling mentions the carving of the word Croatoan (fig. 7). “We’ve got the clues left behind by those colonists evidently. Large letters C, R, O, A, T, O, A, N, along the north
Fig. 7. Re-creation of Croatoan carving. “Mystery of Roanoke.” America Unearthed, 2013.
shoreline on a palisade post that surrounded the location of the houses,” says Bolling (00:15:30-00:15:45). Wolter then explains he knows about the neighboring Native American tribe that carried the name Croatoan and was friendly to the colonists. Wolter also says Croatoan was the name of a physical place somewhere in North Carolina, and then travels to that place, today’s Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. “I need to know if the colonists actually came here, and if they did, how this clue connects with the dare stones,” says Wolter with regards to the carving of Croatoan (00:17:15-00:17:23). In Cape Hatteras, historian Scott Dawson explains more about the carving, arguing that because it stood around the settlement and served for protection, a palisade was the most obvious place to leave a message. Dawson clearly believes that the colonists were never lost and merely moved to Croatoan, while Wolter seems to stick to his own beliefs that the Dare Stones are also real which leads him to the idea that the colonists might have split up. Again, rather than presenting “a view on knowledge,” America Unearthed presents “a knowledge” that consists of different views on the same case and regarding which the audience can form their own answers.
Indeed, though Wolter clearly has his own opinions about the case, he does not shy away from presenting other opinions and arguments that might oppose, or sometimes might even seem to disprove, his own. Moreover, by visiting the various locations that have links with The Lost Colony, Wolter seems to bring back to life some of the mystery, as these locations cannot provide a factually correct explanation to Wolter’s questions. Nichols’ documentary proposition “this is so, isn’t it?” does not seem to apply to this particular documentary, as Wolter presents “a knowledge,” looked at from different angles and taking into account multiple aspects regarding the case without giving a definitive answer as to what might have happened. America Unearthed presents a gap in knowledge, clearly stating that there are details that are not known, and provides the viewers with different possible solutions for that gap in knowledge, without stating that one particular explanation “is so.”
Mystery as horror
The mystery element of the Roanoke case can be seen as a disadvantage for the viewers trying to seek out what really happened. However, to some it might be the opposite. For a fictional television show such as Supernatural, the uncertainty seems to be an advantage. Supernatural is often categorized as belonging to several different genres, such as fantasy and drama, including mystery and horror elements. In Horror Television in the Age of Consumption: Binging on Fear, Kimberly Jackson and Linda Belau explore the popularity and recent increase of horror television series, and argue that the term “mystery” in the case of horror television also includes the “uncanny” or the
“strange.” In addition, Lorna Jowett and Stacey Abbott mention Supernatural in their TV Horror:
Investigating the Dark Side of the Small Screen, explaining that the premise of the series, which is
two brothers hunting supernatural creatures, translates into repetitive horror, and Ashley Walton argues that Supernatural has “overt and subtle references to Gothic and horror tropes, characters, and plots” (qtd. in Edmundson 117).
Indeed, it seems that for Supernatural, there is a certain “mystery” element that does not specifically have something to do with the “unknown,” but rather it seems to focus on the creation of an uncanny and strange feeling that lasts throughout the episode. This feeling spreads from Sam’s vision, to the quarantined city, to the word “Croatoan” carved into a telephone pole (fig. 21), to the spread of the actual virus. Mystery in this case is converted into the uncanny.
Where America Unearthed seems to lack “a view on knowledge,” Supernatural also seems to lack “a knowledge” in the first part of the episode. The Winchester brothers do not know what is going on, allowing for the “unknown” mystery element to enter, while later in the episode the brothers know what is going on but the explanation creates the “uncanny” mystery element. As Melissa Edmundson explains, “the series is directly tied to Gothic concerns about anxiety, the monstrous, family/generational trauma, and, of course, the supernatural itself” (3). For this thesis, the monstrous and supernatural concerns are most relevant, and again, these relate to fictional representations of cultural fears and anxieties. Supernatural’s creator Eric Kripke argues that the urban myth the series deals with are connected to society, and these tales reflect the fears of a culture at a particular time (Edmundson 1). “Kripke wanted the series to emphasize the brothers’ quest and the genuine fear that exists in a seemingly quiet suburban setting.” (1) Indeed, in many
Supernatural episodes a regular human falls victim to a supernatural power, and “taking the
supernatural out of the castle into average, ordinary homes taps into a whole new set of fears, especially contemporary anxieties about the average, ordinary home being invaded by unpredictable violent forces and bad things happening to seemingly good people” (1-2). As Edmundson explains, “by populating their universe with characters with actual folkloric origins, the creators of
Supernatural tap into existing cultural fears and beliefs, lending an air of authenticity and
familiarity to the tales being shared.” Edmundson continues, adding that “the series has focused a number of episodes on cannibalistic monsters, including the notorious wendigo, and the ever-popular zombie” (80). For example a wendigo in an episode by the same name (1.02), people raised from the dead as a zombie in “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things” (2.04), loved ones coming back to life, at first appearing peaceful, but later turning to “the more familiar, mindless, cannibalistic creatures that populate traditional narratives” (82) in “Dead Men Don’t Wear
Plaid” (5.15), and zombies coming to life because of “Demon of Halloween” Samhain in “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester” (4.07). With regards to the “Croats,” Edmundson explains that “this scenario features the popular zombie trope that a disease is at the center of the bizarre resurrection” (82). Edmundson neatly sums up these various occasions zombies or zombie-like creatures appear in Supernatural, explaining that “the fact that they are so familiar and seemingly normal is what is most frightening and dangerous” (82).
It is this folklore, and these legends and mythologies that feature so prominently in
Supernatural that already form the basis of the mystery, because they are not based on factual
information or events. The lack of factual evidence that either proves or disproves these tales and myths adds the “unknown” element, and provides Supernatural with the room to think of its own explanations, which in turn often refer back to the actual tales, legends and myths, including horror and Gothic elements to stress the “uncanny” element. Yet again the zombie forms an interesting explanation, this time for the mystery, both unknown and uncanny, element in the series.
Once more, a collective fear plays an important role in this case study. Indeed, the show seems to focus mainly on fear, as the Winchester brothers travel from to to town on their monster-hunting road trip in order to “protect others from the evil that lurks in small towns across America” (Fernandez 1). “People have heard these stories, but they're all part of this great mythology of America that speaks to the unique fears we have in America,” explains Kripke, “They’re every bit as relevant today as when they were originally told because if there's any one cultural zeitgeist at the moment it is that we're living in the age of anxiety.” (qtd. in Fernandez 1) Moreover, the mysterious side of the Roanoke case seems to work perfectly for Supernatural, because the series in general is based on the unreal and unknown. The fact that there is only little factually correct information known about the Roanoke case leaves enough room for the makers of the show to fill these gaps with their own story. While it is factual knowledge that someone carved the word “Croatoan” in wood somewhere near the settlement, it is not known why that specific word was left behind, if it was a message, or even who exactly carved the word. The answers to these questions are open for interpretation, and the Supernatural writers seem to make good use of the fact that there is no known factually correct answer. The creators of Supernatural seem to have decided to interpret it as a warning sign, making younger brother Sam briefly explain to older brother Dean what is known about Roanoke. Dean then remembers and says that “the only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. Croatoan.” (00:06:11-00:06:15) Sam stresses the fact that the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony is strange to say the least, and Dean seems to consider the idea that what happened in Roanoke might be happening where they are too. When
there is no cell phone signal and a payphone is not working either, Dean argues that if he were planning to massacre a town, that would be his first step. This seems to be a first sign of the writers’ interpretation of the story of Roanoke, as later turns out that there is indeed a plan to wipe the town out. Not much later the brothers find out there is some kind of demonic virus in town that is making the people go crazy. Sam tells Dean that he found something about the Roanoke colony in their father’s journal. He explains their father always had a theory about Croatoan, that is was a demon’s name. “A demon of plague and pestilence,” according to Sam (00:20:05-00:20:06), and Dean says “it’s like a biblical plague” (00:19:49-00:19:50). When suddenly everyone in the town has vanished, the telephone pole with Croatoan carved in it is shown again, creating a strong link between the Roanoke case and this particular fictional disappearance. “I swear I’m gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean why here? Why now? Where the hell did everybody go? It’s not like they just freakin’ melted,” says Dean near the end of the episode (00:35:58-00:36:04). Indeed, at that point it seems that the makers have been inspired by the Roanoke case as there is no explanation whatsoever to the questions Dean asks. However, opposed to the little knowledge there is about the Roanoke case, the
Supernatural makers have added an element that seems to form an explanation to the
disappearance. Besides Sam and Dean there are three other survivors, a doctor, an ex-marine, and a young man whose family had been infected and was either killed or disappeared. The doctor stays behind when Sam and Dean, and also the two men decide to leave the town. The young man asks the ex-marine to stop the car on their way away from the town as he wants to make a call. The call turns out to be one to a demon, and the young man slits the ex-marine’s throat to get the blood necessary to make the call. He then tells whoever he is calling that no further testing is needed, that Sam is immune to the virus, and eventually that there is “nothing left behind” (00:37:49-00:37:50). The viewer can see the young man’s eyes have turned completely black, which means that he is possessed by a demon (fig. 8). It is implied that demons have cleaned up the town, and the demon’s conversation heavily suggests that the town’s people have been wiped out to leave no trace behind of the field test of the Croatoan virus.
The gap in knowledge could also be interpreted differently, as the fictional representation of zombies seems to be metaphorical in more than one way. Though in this episode zombies could symbolically stand for a fear of disease, there is another metaphor to be found. Greg Garrett
mentions the “narrative of creeping assimilation,” and argues that Supernatural centers on this fear, as “zombies can also represent the fear of losing one’s identity, of being assimilated.” (33) Indeed, in a later episode called “The End” (5.04), in which Dean is transported to the future of an alternate universe, his future self explains that demons planned to eradicate the human race by releasing the Croatoan virus and creating a worldwide outbreak. According to Garrett, the future of an uncontained zombie outbreak seems to be an apocalyptic one, much like the world shown in “The End.” However, “perhaps only a small town or remote outpost is suffering through an outbreak of the undead” (4) and the world is only at the edge of the Apocalypse, as is shown in “Croatoan.” Still, there is a fear of creeping assimilation present in many zombie stories that can also be found in this episode of Supernatural. Indeed, these stories do not only reflect anxieties and fears about current events, such as epidemics, “they also express some of our most deep-seated fears” the fear of non-existence; the fear of being helpless; the fear of being forced to change; the fear of being unable to change” (Garrett 34).
Thus, it seems that not only do the makers of Supernatural provide a fictional explanation for this episode’s version of the Roanoke case, it is also presented in a way so that it seems that what happened in this episode might have been what happened with regards to the actual Roanoke disappearance as well. Moreover, this combines both the unknown and the uncanny elements which find their origin in the lack of factual evidence about the case, and the tales, myths and legends, including horror and Gothic elements, that are often used to fill the gap in knowledge. Furthermore, the unknown and uncanny that is represented through the infected individuals, the “Croats,” could be interpreted as metaphor for the fear of “creeping assimilation.”
Mystery as a mix of fact and fiction
Joe Nicholas and John Price mention two main ways in which documentary differs from fictional drama. The first is that “fictional drama uses actors, whereas documentary uses ‘real people’ who carry on with their lives whether the camera is there or not”, and the second one argues that “fictional drama comes from the imagination and experience of its writer (or writers), and may only reflect what goes on in the writer’s head” (132). America Unearthed then seems to fit clearly in the documentary categorization, while Supernatural fits in the fictional drama categorization. BuzzFeed
Unsolved, both True Crime and Supernatural as they are very similar when it comes to format, is a
more difficult case, as the creators make use of both actors and “real people,” and while much is based on factual history, there are also several instances in each episode where ideas seem to come from the creators of the show. This allows the series to belong to both categories to a certain extent.
Nicholas and Price argue that these “drama documentary hybrids” can be controversial, as dramatizations of what could have happened or what could happen are often made up out of a mix fact and fiction, which could confuse the audience. It would seem that, when distinguishing between documentary and fictional drama, mockumentary is again somewhere in the middle.
However, though seemingly belonging somewhere between documentary and fiction, mockumentary series BuzzFeed Unsolved, with its use of documentary techniques, occasional reenactments, voice overs, and interviews, reminds of a specific type of documentary making, namely “true-crime.” It seems that the role of the mockumentary, like that of many documentaries, is to make a particular subject at least to some extent less mysterious. Jean Murley explains that the role of the host in documentary true-crime programs “is to guide the viewer’s perceptions about the various characters and to metaphorically hold back the curtain on the murder-drama, making visible that which had been hidden” (117). The Roanoke case is different from more recent murder-dramas indeed, however, the role of the host seems to be the same in both cases, as Bergara and Madej show the viewers things that they might not have seen, or been able to see before. It seems that this does not only concern what can be seen literally, as the BuzzFeed Unsolved hosts also “hold back the curtain” when it comes to the probability of the theories they discuss.
Interestingly, from here on the mockumentary seems to become more and more “mysterious.” Jean Murley argues that the first true-crime documentary series, Unsolved Mysteries (1987-2002, 2008-2010), “represented a major departure from the standard true-crime trope of narrating only cases that had been solved, relying instead on viewer interactivity and interest in a “mystery” formulation” (117). Like Unsolved Mysteries, BuzzFeed Unsolved does not focus specifically on finding a solution. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper (Today) argues that “unlike fictional crime shows, true-crime tales don't always wrap things up in 60 minutes with a nice bow, oftentimes, the criminal is not caught and the case remains open.” In addition, Fashingbauer Cooper has argued elsewhere that “true-crime shows are a much purer form of mystery than their fictional counterparts” (qtd. in Murley 117). The hosts of the show, Bergara and Madej, are the only recurring individuals in the series, there are no other, fictional, recurring characters or protagonists, no relationships or other issues that could distract from the case at hand. This adds to the “mystery” element, because the lack of fiction stresses the strangeness and mysteriousness of reality.
It seems that with respect to the “mystery” element, the mockumentary discussed in this thesis has more in common with documentary than fiction. Yet, where America Unearthed presenter Scott Wolter tries to find an explanation by doing his own research, BuzzFeed Unsolved hosts Bergara and Madej merely read out and discuss the existing theories (fig. 9). It is the witty banter
between the two hosts and the other, more recent, documentary characteristics, such as the reenactments and the computer generated images (fig. 10-11), that distinguishes BuzzFeed Unsolved from earlier documentaries in which a presenter lectured the audience about certain facts (Ebbrecht 101). BuzzFeed Unsolved does not try to give an explanation to fill the gaps in factual knowledge about the Roanoke case, neither factual nor fictional.
Perhaps the biggest contributing factor to the mystery in BuzzFeed Unsolved is the fact that the hosts mention five separate theories, adding evidence to show how each theory could possibly be an explanation for the disappearance of The Lost Colony. Mockumentary series BuzzFeed
Unsolved, with similarities to a drama documentary hybrid, as well as documentary true-crime
programs, seems to combine documentary and fiction, representing the “mystery” element as a lack of fiction, while simultaneously including theories that find their origin in fact, as well as fiction.
An example can be found in the way BuzzFeed Unsolved discusses the word Croatoan being carved near the settlement. Bergara says that “the only clue left behind was the word Croatoan carved into a fence post, and Cro, carved into a tree.” (00:02:34-00:02:38) Both Bergara and Madej then discuss this aspect of the mystery (fig. 12-13). When Bergara asks “if they had the foresight to w r i t e t h a t c l u e , w h y n o t l e a v e m o r e clues?” (00:02:41-00:02:45), both hosts joke about the idea of leaving only one word behind being curious, while actually making a fair point. The hosts later give possible explanations for what could have happened to the colonists, and with that they also seem to give possible answers to why someone might have carved Croatoan
Fig. 9. BuzzFeed Unsolved hosts Madej (left) and Bergara. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony.” BuzzFeed Unsolved, 2017.
Fig. 10. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony.” BuzzFeed Unsolved, 2017.
Fig. 11. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony.” BuzzFeed Unsolved, 2017.
into a fence post. Madej argues that with John White having left to get supplies, the settlers might have encountered Native Americans, possibly from the Croatoan tribe, and since they might not have had the means to defend themselves it is a possibility that the Native Americans killed the settlers. Bergara mentions that one theory about the disappearance claims that the settlers joined a nearby Native American tribe. A Native American Ambassador, Manteo, who was from the Croatoan tribe and had closer relations with the settlers, was declared chief of the Roanoke and Croatoan tribes by John White. Manteo could not control the Roanoke tribe and went back to Croatoan Island with his people, “possibly returning at some point to Roanoke to take the colonists with him to Croatoan Island.” (00:09:18-00:09:23) Though the possible theories mentioned by Bergara and Madej involve elements of fiction, such as Madej’s idea that the Native Americans could have told the settlers to jump into the ocean, they seem to find their origin in fact, as for example the theory Bergara mentions is supported by the historical fact that “in 1888, 54 Croatoan Native Americans petitioned congress for aid, describing themselves as a remnant of White’s lost colony” (00:09:23-00:09:32) and it was indeed thought that “traces of white blood could be discovered among the Indians, some of they having gray eyes.” (00:09:39-00:09:44)
BuzzFeed Unsolved does then indeed consist of a combination of fact and fiction, as their
representation of the Roanoke case is similar to both America Unearthed and Supernatural. The theories based on historical facts are reminiscent of those discussed by documentary presenter Scott Wolter, and oftentimes Bergara and Madej’s discussion of these theories involves taking into account factual history that Wolter also takes into consideration. Yet, similar to the fictional
Supernatural, Bergara and Madej also discuss theories that seem to find their origin in fiction, such
as the theory that the colonists were abduction by aliens, or, as also presented in Supernatural, the theory that a zombie outbreak wiped out the colony. It seems that exactly this mixing of historical facts, their probability and fiction, and the series’ premise of cases being, and staying, unsolved, is
Fig. 12. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke
