I loved ‘Furious’ and ‘Lucky’ for so many reasons, but both series depict female characters who make up stories about being attacked in order to get sympathy. Even though I’m a fan of these new series, here on ReelGirl, we’re tracking times when we see women tell fake stories of victimhood. As consumers of fictional media—books, movies, series etc— we’re so used to witnessing women lie in the imaginary world, we’re trained to reflexively distrust women’s stories. This bias is a liability that leaks into the real world when we hear women speak out about rape and assault. The characters in Furious and Lucy ARE victims of violence and they also create imaginary instances where they were attacked, the message being we can’t trust them to tell the truth.
In ‘Furious,’ serial killer, Catherine, lies about an abusive boyfriend in order to be admitted to a women’s shelter. In the series, Catherine has a long history of multiple rapes, it’s lazy writing to see her lie for sympathy.
Lucky, played by Anna Taylor Joy, applies make-up so it looks like she has. a black eye, then tells a truck driver that she’s got an abusive boyfriend to convince him to give her a ride.
Finally, last night, my family watched the finale of Stranger Things. Those three days of waiting to see it after the show dropped December 31 felt pretty brutal; we basically had to avoid social media. But my kids grew up on this show—and they had their own New Year’s Eve plans and next night plans—so if I wanted us to see it together, I had to tolerate the delay.
It was totally worth it!
I made nachos. One thing I love about being a grown-up is I can make nachos, nothing else, and call that dinner. My husband made a fire. Walter, the dog, joined us, and while it poured rain outside, we settled in for two cozy hours together.
This final season was my favorite of them all. You know I rate shows based on the criteria of how females are represented, and Stranger Things just got better and better for its women and girl characters. The addition of Holly in a main role was so satisfying, we got to watch her grow from scared little sister to heroic leader. Not only that, Holly bonded with Max, and they worked together to save the world, a girl-girl partnership that is too often invisible from series created for kids.
Another female character to celebrate is Linda Hamilton’s Dr. Kay. I’ve idolized Hamilton since her Terminator days when she broke stereotypes playing Sarah Connor, not only the mother of the protagonist, John Connor, in that movie, but she was the mother of all humanity. Unlike most depictions of mothers back then, Hamilton’s matriarch was driven, focused, violent, and she had muscles. In Stranger Things, Hamilton is once again driven, focused, and violent, and her body breaks stereotypes because though she’s no longer buff, she’s old. Hamilton’s gloriously natural face gives the necessary depth and authenticity to her character. Part of me feels ridiculous writing that, because of course, the same gratitude isn’t standard or expected for older male actors with wrinkles, but my hope is Hamilton’s portrayal ushers in a new era for older actresses.
Another female who gets to shine in this last season is El’s sister, Kali. She’s strategic, kind, and seeing sisters work together is iconic.
Nancy also comes into her own this season, racing into battle, fully armed, so courageous she seemed to be playing tribute to Sarah Connor’s legacy.
Robin’s character also filled out this season. As always, Robin is witty and smart, providing a comic break but with an edge, and her lesbian romance continues to blossom. Though what happened to her girlfriend? Did I miss something? Tell me if you know where Vickie disappeared to.
Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler are two fierce moms who know how to rescue, fight for, and love their kids. For these characters, being a mother in and of itself, is a superpower.
El, of course, is the bad-ass hero of the show.
Finally, my favorite character, Max, was pretty much the dominant character of this season, besides Will. Sadie Sink is one of the most talented young actresses today. I’m excited to follow her career, I predict great, stranger things.
Reel Girl rates Stranger Things Season 5 ***GGG*** TRIPLE G for most GIRLPOWER
