The Traitor Trope

Has the idea of 'Betrayal' become too normalised in mainstream media (and society).

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night until the end of January, you’ll find me and my husband-to-be, snuggled up on the sofa at 9pm, glued to the hit BBC show, Traitors. In fact over 5 million people watched the first episode of the third season on New Year’s Day, so it’s got quite the following.

The basic premise? A group of ordinary people head to a gorgeous castle in the Scottish Highlands to play a high-stakes game of deception with a hefty cash prize waiting for them should they have what it takes to get to the very end. Some of these people are secretly chosen as Traitors, while the rest are secretly declared as Faithfuls. The Faithfuls must work together to unmask the Traitors and banish them from the game. Meanwhile, the Traitors, who are supposed to blend in with the faithfuls, are given extra powers to “murder” Faithfuls in secret, whittling down the numbers. No one knows who is who, but we the audience do as we get to watch the game unfold before us. The game then culminates in a dramatic finale, where either any remaining Traitors have the power to steal the cash prize for themselves or the Faithfuls prevail and share it.

It’s intense, addictive, and utterly fabulous. Claudia Winkleman strides around in tartan and capes, channeling a modern-day Miss Marple with a fringe. There’s a big, ominous Medieval style round table, peacocks strutting about the grounds, and breathtaking Highland views that make this murder mystery-esque show all the more captivating.

I guess you could say Traitors is like an extreme board game. And the word “game” is key here- because beneath all the sneaking suspicion and paranoia about who might be a Traitor, these are just regular people. Strangers, yes, but strangers who leave knowing that it’s just a game and it’s not all that deep.

So, we can all rest assured that this isn’t some dystopian British Squid game whereby the contestants are sentenced to death by Claudia Winkleman; they just get eliminated and return to their normal lives. Of course, the potential cash prize makes this much more serious to the contestants who obviously want to win a sum of life-changing money. And that’s where people’s true colours really come out. Despite it just being a game, it’s all taken very seriously. The paranoia, the alliances, the betrayals—it does push people to their limits. Throughout the show, you can see the unravelling of the contestants and how far someone will go to win. You also get a good sense of how they handle suspicion, and whether they crack under pressure or thrive in the chaos. It’s fascinating to watch how the dynamics unfold, and it’s part of what makes the show so compelling.

Like I said, it’s great TV.

Over Christmas, my fiancé’s family and I actually played a board game remarkably similar to Traitors. There was a lead traitor with their loyal followers, while the rest of the faithfuls had to work out who wasn’t being truthful. Spoiler. It was me. I was the traitor and you know what, it was really fun being the bad guy for a short, innocent while. It is obviously something I don’t do in my day-to-day life, which is why it was probably all the more fun. So in saying that I can see how a giant, fever dream board game on a BBC budget can make things all the more intense or how the power could go to people’s heads given the opportunity.

This format is not only fun to watch but also a fascinating dive into human psychology. It brings out so much about how we, as humans, perceive trust, handle suspicion, and group dynamics under pressure. But has the trope of the "traitor" gone too far in mainstream media? It’s not just about Traitors either because this theme of betrayal and deception seems to have become relentles in so many shows and films in recent times. Weaving itself deeply into stories- It has almost become so normalized that it doesn’t really faze us anymore.

Take a recent episode of Traitors, for example. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Kasim, a faithful, was banished from the castle after whispers among splinttered groups that he was a traitor, turned into full-blown accusations. Fingers were pointed, suspicions swirled, and poor Dr. Kasim found himself on the receiving end of what ended up feeling more personal than just gameplay.

Who knew that his background as a doctor would even be enough reason to suspect him of being a tratorish guy. In the same vein, there is a priest and an ex-soldier lying about their occupations, so maybe that is reason enough to play your cards close to your chest. There’s also a London girl, pretending to be Welsh, but we’ll skirt over that. Anyway, back to Kas in his final day in the castle. We began to see the groups splintering off into hidden corners to meet and discuss their views of the other players. Kas’ name was repeatedly thrown into the mix, as a potential traitor. The pack mentality around him then started to feel much more personal. As if everyone uttering his name had forgotten they were simply playing a game. This was even more aparent when he became ostracized from the group, to the point that he left the room to eat alone.

It was uncomfortable to watch because it seemed like the group had descended into some sort of Lord of the Flies behavious, forgetting that they were just on a reality show. They became so deeply engrossed that their actions started to blur the lines between strategy and genuine playground cruelty. It’s moments like these that remind us how easy it is to get swept up in groupthink—and how quickly we can lose perspective when the stakes feel high, even if those stakes, put into perspective, are just a cash prize and not life itself.

It’s understandable that for these people who are living and breathing a game that it would start to feel real, but I, like many, couldn’t help feel bad for Kasim, who was clearly banished beyond on a more societal basis. In the end Kas took to the stand and declared to his fellow faithfuls that he was indeed one of them, the weight instantly lifted from his shoulders as he rejoined the real world. For the rest of the group who were firmly still in the game, the damage had been done, before it descended further into chaos and more names became thrown around.

I’m sure all of the contestants will be on friendly terms at the wrap party, and who knows, it might even be down to the clever trickery of reality TV editing, but in the case of kas, it didn’t feel like just an innocent game.

It got me thinking about shows like The Traitors—as great as it is—and how the whole ‘traitor’ trope has become so normalized in mainstream media. Betrayal and deception are everywhere on TV shows and in films, filling the lyrics of songs and adding a layer of intrigue to our stories. It’s almost become so ingrained that we’ve come to expect it, craving the thrill of secrets unraveling and lies being exposed. I have certainly watched the Traitors in the past and hoped that the traitors would succeed in their mission. Not because I want ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ to win in normal life, but because in a game like that, there is something intriguing about the way people behave. It is thrilling to see how they work in such situations.

In a show like the Traitors it is almost easier to be a ‘traitor’ when you’re in a situation with strangers—after all, people tend to naturally look out for number one. But this isn’t just a phenomenon between unfamiliar faces; deception often starts closer to home, with the people you know well. And it’s those betrayals—within families, friendships, or relationships—that can truly tear people apart. So when people develop friendships in a gameshow, the more they begin to back stab, the more hurt is caused.

And this idea of betraying those close to you has been a common theme in a flood of shows and films—delving into deception—whether it’s infidelity in marriage, backstabbing friends, or hidden motives lurking beneath the surface within families.

Think about it: from plot twists in dramas to backstabbing alliances in reality TV, betrayal is everywhere. It’s thrilling, yes, and often makes for great storytelling. But when every other character is double-crossing someone or every plot hinges on a shocking deception, it starts to feel a little... predictable. Worse, it risks desensitizing us to the emotional weight of betrayal in real life.

Three, four, even five hundred years ago, being a traitor could get you locked in a tower or branded as an enemy of your country for treason. Growing up in the UK, we’re steeped in that history—the Tower of London, the Gunpowder Plot, and countless others. It’s all part of our gory past, filled with real stories of betrayal. To be a traitor today on a more personal level doesn’t come with the same severe consequences—it won’t get you shunned from society, and perhaps it shouldn’t. But what often gets overlooked is that there aren’t many, if any, real repercussions for breaking someone’s trust. You can hope the person you’ve wronged is forgiving, but more often than not, it’s the one left on the receiving end of that betrayal who carries the lasting scar.

Betryal is nothing new. In fact it’s as old as humankind. One of the best examples are the great works of minds like Shakespeare, who immortalized betrayal in his play Hamlet, one of the most famous revenge plays. But to be a traitor in its truest sense means you’ve done something harmful to another person, and I think it’s time we examined our relationship with that trope. Sure, it’s far more thrilling to watch people deceive one another than to witness everyone getting along peacefully, but it points to something deeper—something about trust, loyalty, and the fragility of human connection. Especially when it spills over into real and becomes personal.

Perhaps we’ve leaned into this trope so heavily because it taps into a primal fear—being lied to, used, or manipulated. Maybe we’re all on tenterhooks because of it. And perhaps this fixation on deception even when in the context of a game show, can actually heighten our anxiety, making us more cautious and skeptical in our own relationships—distrusting those closest to us, fearing betrayal even where there may be none.

Then when it becomes the norm in entertainment, it begs the question: are we glorifying these behaviours? Are we subtly teaching ourselves that deception is just part of the game, whether in a castle in the Scottish Highlands or in everyday life?

At the end of the day, The Traitors is a great gameshow concept and one of the freshest in a while. In that respect, the whole ‘traitor’ trope isn’t that deep, but when it becomes real and personal or reflects real life, that may be where we have a problem.

Look at other popular shows like Succession, which is all about a family back-stabbing each other to get to the top. And that is based on reality, the Murdoch family specifically. Then there are other reality shows like Love Island, which literally work to mess with people’s emotions by encouraging people who are coupled up to look outside of their relationship and have their head turned. While they don’t all get their heads turned, many do. Cue relationship and trust breakdown.

I very much doubt the traitor trope is going anywhere. And honestly, it shouldn’t, because as much as it can be dark and painful, it also reflects an essential part of the human experience. Betrayal, deception, and the fallout from broken trust are timeless aspects of how we interact with one another—woven deeply into our stories, our relationships, and our shared history. It’s a part of who we are, and as long as humans navigate relationships, the idea of a ‘traitor’ will continue to resonate. While betrayal and deception will always have a place in storytelling however—they’re older than Hamlet or Othello—maybe it’s time we balance them out.

It’s a tricky one, because shows like The Traitors rightly have their place in popular culture. Every cliff hanger leaves us wanting more and I’m sure it wouldn’t have that impact it everything was nice and pleasant. But maybe we also need more stories of trust, loyalty, and redemption alongside it. So maybe, just maybe the best way forward would be for the faithful’s to win the Traitors this year!