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SFF: Big Finish's ATA Girl
So, as many of you will know, I have a thing for pilots, especially female pilots. And probably especially, those who did shit during WW2.
So when I found out BF was putting out an original drama about the women of the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary-women pilots ferried planes to various locations during the war, and helped a great deal in the war effort in England. They were the inspiration for the WASPs in the US), I listened to the trailer and went "Well, why not. Also, FUCK YES." On top of it being about the women of the ATA, it was also produced, directed & written by women. Even better. (Link here, for those interested)
And then I forgot about it entirely until last week when I was poking through BF for River Song s4 and 5 (which are neither of them out yet), and realized it was in my downloads. So I downloaded it for a listen at work.
I listened to in on Wednesday, and it was so good I was really annoyed that there wasn't immediately more.
Post-listening, I do have my quibbles and dislikes. But while I was listening (bar one story-line which annoyed me and I will rant about in a bit), I was completely enthralled.
Minor spoilers (and a content warning for the third episode) follow.
The first episode is set-up, but also a lovely piece about estranged sisters, and the lengths people will go to save one life. It also sets up the current-day surrounding plot-line (though it's not a "And this is what happened" narrative. It's more the grandmother remembering from something triggering the memories).
Amelia is our flow-through/plot lead, but she's not a lead until the last episode.
The second episode is about the Kara Thrace of the ATA, Mina. And Mina is a brat and a party girl, and a damn good pilot, and fucking hot, ok. I reallllly like women pilots with sass and arrogance, and she has that in spades.
Counter-pointing her in this episode is Amelia's more mellow approach to life and a new American girl recruit, who is very good with engines and just as sassy as Mina. Jeanette is an excellent pilot, and a bit of a fish out of water at first (there's a less than polite mocking of the differences in Brit and American English, and Jeanette comes out on top).
It should surprise absolutely no one that I was already shipping the fuck out of Jeanette and Mina before the climax of the episode. It will also surprise no one that the conversation there really annoyed me, even if it was very true to the period.
There is one dropped thread from this episode that (maybe) will be followed up on in a season two (please, BF, please).
The third episode is a different tone, so it's a little jarring. It's light and fluffy until it isn't. This is an episode that I wish I'd had more detail about the Adult Content warning, as it's really not the sort of thing I wanted to listen to. But that said, I appreciated a LOT of things about this episode and the handling of the plot (for one thing, that it WENT there. And also that it didn't pull punches AT ALL). That said, I really disliked that it felt like Judith was being punished for sleeping around, in the end? But I also felt like the episode wasn't really judging her for it until then.
So I could just be extra sensitive.
(AS a content warning, if you have watched at least two seasons of Call the Midwife, you should be all right. THAT SAID, it is still absolutely shocking in and of itself - you can highlight the below to read, which hopefully works)
Episode three also has more lines for a male character, but it's mostly balanced. Plus what could be considered attempted rape.
So. Episode four. I liked most of this episode (if you've seen the Foyle's War episode from the end of season one, it felt a bit like that episode, if that makes sense? idk).
Anyway, I liked the focus on Amelia and Widdley, and I love their friendship (and yes, I also ship them). We also checked back in with Mina and Jeanette (who are stuck in a closet together). And the youngest girl has a bad morning after/walk of shame.
Unfortunately, episode four spends an entire plot line on a dude named Walter who is having a shellshock/guilt breakdown. And frankly it is a fucking waste of time. We have read and seen Walter's story a fucking billion times, and spending ANY time on it was stupid. We didn't need to hear about yet another fragile male character, when male characters are STILL GETTING THE BULK OF THE NARRATIVE EVERYWHERE.
I was very angry that a radio drama that is about the WOMEN of the ATA spent at least ten minutes on this whiny dude. I get that war and trauma affected men as well, but I DO NOT CARE. THAT WAS NOT WHY I WAS THERE, FFS.
The write could SO EASILY have replaced Walter with one of the women pilots having a breakdown with Amelia there, and the ending could have been exactly the same! ARGH. It was such a wasted plot line.
Even worse, there's no way to fast-forward audio easily, unlike TV which has visuals.
(it's been almost two days and I am STILL PISSED about it)
ANYWAY.
To wrap it up: I really enjoyed this radio drama. And if you're a fan of Foyle's War or Bletchley Circle, you probably will, too.
So when I found out BF was putting out an original drama about the women of the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary-women pilots ferried planes to various locations during the war, and helped a great deal in the war effort in England. They were the inspiration for the WASPs in the US), I listened to the trailer and went "Well, why not. Also, FUCK YES." On top of it being about the women of the ATA, it was also produced, directed & written by women. Even better. (Link here, for those interested)
And then I forgot about it entirely until last week when I was poking through BF for River Song s4 and 5 (which are neither of them out yet), and realized it was in my downloads. So I downloaded it for a listen at work.
I listened to in on Wednesday, and it was so good I was really annoyed that there wasn't immediately more.
Post-listening, I do have my quibbles and dislikes. But while I was listening (bar one story-line which annoyed me and I will rant about in a bit), I was completely enthralled.
Minor spoilers (and a content warning for the third episode) follow.
The first episode is set-up, but also a lovely piece about estranged sisters, and the lengths people will go to save one life. It also sets up the current-day surrounding plot-line (though it's not a "And this is what happened" narrative. It's more the grandmother remembering from something triggering the memories).
Amelia is our flow-through/plot lead, but she's not a lead until the last episode.
The second episode is about the Kara Thrace of the ATA, Mina. And Mina is a brat and a party girl, and a damn good pilot, and fucking hot, ok. I reallllly like women pilots with sass and arrogance, and she has that in spades.
Counter-pointing her in this episode is Amelia's more mellow approach to life and a new American girl recruit, who is very good with engines and just as sassy as Mina. Jeanette is an excellent pilot, and a bit of a fish out of water at first (there's a less than polite mocking of the differences in Brit and American English, and Jeanette comes out on top).
It should surprise absolutely no one that I was already shipping the fuck out of Jeanette and Mina before the climax of the episode. It will also surprise no one that the conversation there really annoyed me, even if it was very true to the period.
There is one dropped thread from this episode that (maybe) will be followed up on in a season two (please, BF, please).
The third episode is a different tone, so it's a little jarring. It's light and fluffy until it isn't. This is an episode that I wish I'd had more detail about the Adult Content warning, as it's really not the sort of thing I wanted to listen to. But that said, I appreciated a LOT of things about this episode and the handling of the plot (for one thing, that it WENT there. And also that it didn't pull punches AT ALL). That said, I really disliked that it felt like Judith was being punished for sleeping around, in the end? But I also felt like the episode wasn't really judging her for it until then.
So I could just be extra sensitive.
(AS a content warning, if you have watched at least two seasons of Call the Midwife, you should be all right. THAT SAID, it is still absolutely shocking in and of itself - you can highlight the below to read, which hopefully works)
One of the characters gets an abortion, and it's not just "hey, I'm getting an abortion", it is literally, quack has her strip and lay on a table and starts going to work. It is gross to listen to. |
Episode three also has more lines for a male character, but it's mostly balanced. Plus what could be considered attempted rape.
So. Episode four. I liked most of this episode (if you've seen the Foyle's War episode from the end of season one, it felt a bit like that episode, if that makes sense? idk).
Anyway, I liked the focus on Amelia and Widdley, and I love their friendship (and yes, I also ship them). We also checked back in with Mina and Jeanette (who are stuck in a closet together). And the youngest girl has a bad morning after/walk of shame.
Unfortunately, episode four spends an entire plot line on a dude named Walter who is having a shellshock/guilt breakdown. And frankly it is a fucking waste of time. We have read and seen Walter's story a fucking billion times, and spending ANY time on it was stupid. We didn't need to hear about yet another fragile male character, when male characters are STILL GETTING THE BULK OF THE NARRATIVE EVERYWHERE.
I was very angry that a radio drama that is about the WOMEN of the ATA spent at least ten minutes on this whiny dude. I get that war and trauma affected men as well, but I DO NOT CARE. THAT WAS NOT WHY I WAS THERE, FFS.
The write could SO EASILY have replaced Walter with one of the women pilots having a breakdown with Amelia there, and the ending could have been exactly the same! ARGH. It was such a wasted plot line.
Even worse, there's no way to fast-forward audio easily, unlike TV which has visuals.
(it's been almost two days and I am STILL PISSED about it)
ANYWAY.
To wrap it up: I really enjoyed this radio drama. And if you're a fan of Foyle's War or Bletchley Circle, you probably will, too.
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I hadn't really thought much of the Walter storyline but now you mention it, it could easily have been a shell-shocked woman instead. (But maybe it's a way of showing that women dealing with that shit had to pick up the pieces of the men who couldn't deal with that shit?)