Television Reviews..
Dec. 1st, 2019 04:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. All caught up now on Batwoman -- have one episode left in the queue. This is a breath of fresh air in the superhero television verse. It also explains why the Batgirl film was scrapped -- thank god. Batwoman features Kate Kane in the titular role, and Kate, a former sharp-shooter and military cadet, who'd trained to join her father's top of the line security company -- the Crows, is a lesbian. She gets thrown out of the academy because she's a lesbian and had an affair with another female cadet and refused to deny who she was. Her father sends her overseas for two years for training. She comes back and chooses not to work under her former girl-friend, Sophie, who betrayed her and got married to a man. Kate is not the pretty male eye-candy that we so often see on these shows. She's slight in build, doesn't have big boobs, is all lean muscle, high cheekbones, and can be mistaken for a boy if you don't look to close. She wears pants, jeans, leather jackets, earrings, and has multiple tattoos. Tough as nails.
And her love interests are women. The villain, Alice, with her bleached blond wig, turns out to possibly be Kate's twin sister, Beth, who was lost years ago and presumed dead. Alice has an odd relationship with Kate, she's protecting her in a way and not at the same time. While on the surface Alice feels like a female take on the Joker -- she really isn't, there's actually more depth to the character and ambiguity, where there isn't any of that with the Joker. The villains here are in some respects more interesting and far less black and white.
Also the good guys are far from pristine. Dougray Scott plays Kate's father who runs the Crows -- a security detail, and hates Batman. He's not all that fond of the replacement either, Batwoman. And there's her step-mother, Kathrine Hamilton, who runs a top-notch weapons development lab, and developed a weapon that can kill Batman or Batwoman. Rounding out the cast, are Mary, Kate's sister who runs her own medical unit for the under-privileged, which no one but Kate knows about. Luke Fox, the son of the now deceased Lucius Fox. Along with Sophie, Kate's ex, who now is Dougray's Scott's second in command. The last name Kane is homage to Bob Kane who created Batman.
Batman himself has long since disappeared.
What's refreshing about this series is the focus is on strong women, here the men are the sidekicks, the fathers, the husbands, pushed more or less on the periphery.
And in doing so, the series makes a strong commentary about the Batman comic verse and what was wrong with it -- you can do noir without being misogynistic and chauvinistic at the same time. This series has a heavy noir undertone. And a strong feminist message.
It's also a series that would never have seen the light of day a mere ten years ago.
2. Having now seen more than five episodes of all the new series, the below is the list of the keepers and the one's I'm still on the fence about. (Broadcast shows only.)
* Prodigal Son -- the relationship drama and wackadoodle investigations keep this one entertaining. Not to mention the stellar cast.
* Stumptown Coby Smulders and the noirish procedural keep it a float. The relationship drama is, however, problematic.
* Nancy Drew -- among the more addictive and entertaining of the new CW series in recent years. The ghosts and Nancy, and the mystery at the center of the series keeps me invested. I also rather like the female characters, the male characters however...need work.
* Emergence -- I'm in it for the cast mainly. The plot is...well, hap-hazard. Although at least they wrapped up the main villain arc rather quickly. Disposing of the boring villain by the less boring and more ambiguous one. It is however poorly paced.
* Batwoman - possibly the best superhero series I've seen in a long while, and definitely the best female superhero television series. It one-ups Jessica Jones in providing a series that empowers women as opposed to continuing to put them at the mercy of male assholes, often through rape or being battered, in a misguided effort towards empowerment. Batwoman is the superior series.
* Bob Hearts Abishola -- an interesting family dramedy, focusing on the interracial romance between heavy set Bob (who reminds me a lot of Jackie Gleason in the looks department) and Nigerian Abishola. It depicts the quagmire race relations has become in the US, with humor and empathy...and clever satirical bits. One of the more clever sitcoms to debut in recent years.
* All Rise -- is that rare thing, a half-way decent courthouse work place drama. We see very little of the characters home lives, most of the action is focused on what is going on in the court house -- and not necessarily case of the week but more on the inner workings of judging cases, dealing with clients in a court house...and the characters are diverse and likable. I'm admittedly watching because I've a crush on the male prosecuting attorney, Mark (who was the same reason I watched a full season of the cringe inducing Heart of Dixie). Also I adore Lola (played the same actress who played Misty Knight in the Luke Cage series) and Marge Helgenberger who plays Lola's boss. It's a female heavy court-room procedural, a rare thing in this day and age.
What's refreshing about all the series listed above, with the possible exception of Prodigal Son (although I'd include it as well) are the strong female roles in each one. Some even place a female character in the lead -- such as Nancy Drew, Batwoman, Emergence, All Rise, Stumptown...and Bob Hearts Abishola. Abishola is the strong one in the relationship.
I think we're winning the culture wars!
And her love interests are women. The villain, Alice, with her bleached blond wig, turns out to possibly be Kate's twin sister, Beth, who was lost years ago and presumed dead. Alice has an odd relationship with Kate, she's protecting her in a way and not at the same time. While on the surface Alice feels like a female take on the Joker -- she really isn't, there's actually more depth to the character and ambiguity, where there isn't any of that with the Joker. The villains here are in some respects more interesting and far less black and white.
Also the good guys are far from pristine. Dougray Scott plays Kate's father who runs the Crows -- a security detail, and hates Batman. He's not all that fond of the replacement either, Batwoman. And there's her step-mother, Kathrine Hamilton, who runs a top-notch weapons development lab, and developed a weapon that can kill Batman or Batwoman. Rounding out the cast, are Mary, Kate's sister who runs her own medical unit for the under-privileged, which no one but Kate knows about. Luke Fox, the son of the now deceased Lucius Fox. Along with Sophie, Kate's ex, who now is Dougray's Scott's second in command. The last name Kane is homage to Bob Kane who created Batman.
Batman himself has long since disappeared.
What's refreshing about this series is the focus is on strong women, here the men are the sidekicks, the fathers, the husbands, pushed more or less on the periphery.
And in doing so, the series makes a strong commentary about the Batman comic verse and what was wrong with it -- you can do noir without being misogynistic and chauvinistic at the same time. This series has a heavy noir undertone. And a strong feminist message.
It's also a series that would never have seen the light of day a mere ten years ago.
2. Having now seen more than five episodes of all the new series, the below is the list of the keepers and the one's I'm still on the fence about. (Broadcast shows only.)
* Prodigal Son -- the relationship drama and wackadoodle investigations keep this one entertaining. Not to mention the stellar cast.
* Stumptown Coby Smulders and the noirish procedural keep it a float. The relationship drama is, however, problematic.
* Nancy Drew -- among the more addictive and entertaining of the new CW series in recent years. The ghosts and Nancy, and the mystery at the center of the series keeps me invested. I also rather like the female characters, the male characters however...need work.
* Emergence -- I'm in it for the cast mainly. The plot is...well, hap-hazard. Although at least they wrapped up the main villain arc rather quickly. Disposing of the boring villain by the less boring and more ambiguous one. It is however poorly paced.
* Batwoman - possibly the best superhero series I've seen in a long while, and definitely the best female superhero television series. It one-ups Jessica Jones in providing a series that empowers women as opposed to continuing to put them at the mercy of male assholes, often through rape or being battered, in a misguided effort towards empowerment. Batwoman is the superior series.
* Bob Hearts Abishola -- an interesting family dramedy, focusing on the interracial romance between heavy set Bob (who reminds me a lot of Jackie Gleason in the looks department) and Nigerian Abishola. It depicts the quagmire race relations has become in the US, with humor and empathy...and clever satirical bits. One of the more clever sitcoms to debut in recent years.
* All Rise -- is that rare thing, a half-way decent courthouse work place drama. We see very little of the characters home lives, most of the action is focused on what is going on in the court house -- and not necessarily case of the week but more on the inner workings of judging cases, dealing with clients in a court house...and the characters are diverse and likable. I'm admittedly watching because I've a crush on the male prosecuting attorney, Mark (who was the same reason I watched a full season of the cringe inducing Heart of Dixie). Also I adore Lola (played the same actress who played Misty Knight in the Luke Cage series) and Marge Helgenberger who plays Lola's boss. It's a female heavy court-room procedural, a rare thing in this day and age.
What's refreshing about all the series listed above, with the possible exception of Prodigal Son (although I'd include it as well) are the strong female roles in each one. Some even place a female character in the lead -- such as Nancy Drew, Batwoman, Emergence, All Rise, Stumptown...and Bob Hearts Abishola. Abishola is the strong one in the relationship.
I think we're winning the culture wars!
no subject
Date: 2019-12-02 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-02 02:35 am (UTC)Still in my queue? His Dark Materials, The Irish Man, the rest of Modern Love, Marriage Story, Kominsky Method, Heartstrings...
And next year...yes, there will be more television shows...whether or not they are any good or interesting is a different matter.