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SFF: Bletchley Circle San Francisco, Series 1
So, I hadn't actually been aware that a new series was in production. I found out when the first episode dropped on thevault, and was gleefully surprised. I love Bletchley Circle, and while I miss the other three women (ok, Hattie because she's hot, shut it), Millie and Jean are both of my favorites, as well.
While I downloaded it, I never got round to watching it. I purchased the DVDs, since I tend to buy things when I want more things like them (I was buying DeConnick's Captain Marvel run despite not really clicking with it, and Miss Marvel, too, though I liked that a bit better--I want more women writing comics!)
Er. ANYWAY.
As I was packing for Christmas this year, I shoved BC: SF in my things, as mom liked the first two series, too.
This was an excellent plan, as she hadn't seen it, either.
We marathonned it in about a day or so (I think there was a break in there), and I thoroughly enjoyed it (my mother is a bit conservative, so some of the bi/lesbian/gay stuff seemed to annoy her, but she didn't say anything aloud).
I loved so much about it, particularly how it played with peoples' perceptions. Millie and Jean are both aware of all the shit that women Can Do, and yet still fell into the trap of assuming it was Iris's husband they were meeting. There were further examples (the KGB episode!) of this, and I just. I really dug it--despite these being Amazing, Fabulous women, they were still very much a product of their times.
Not to mention that after Bletchley, after the war, so many women were shoved back into the This Is How A Woman Is box.
These women were nurses, spies, code-breakers, factory workers, chemists, bomb-makers, ambulance drivers, battlefield medics, pilots, Red Cross organizers, fighters in some instances, and so many more occupations simply because they had to be.
And then the men came back from the war, and all of that scope for their abilities was stifled and slapped down, and they were locked back into babies and taking care of the men-children in their lives. And so many of them couldn't tell anyone due to official secrets and oaths taken,
As you can guess, the episode with the suburban house-wives was one that I quite dug into, because the utter boredom and hopelessness was just so heart-breaking (and I feel like that was Susan's story, to some extent, too :/)
I loved that they made Iris such a central part of the series--I was so worried that she would be more of the secondary cast, and I was extra-worried that there would be multiple Iris Is Black In Case You Didn't Notice! episodes. And while they did lean on the racism of the time, and it was a part of the background for the setting, it wasn't the be-all and end-all of her life.
Her reluctance and her diffidence were so understandable, and I really loved how she slowly grew and changed over the course of the series. I feel that Jean had her own emotional journey, as did the other two.
But Iris was the linch-pin of the series.
I felt they could have done a little more with her children, but that is a minor complaint, and one that I'm a bit surprised by as I'm not usually a "tell us about this woman's children" person. But I did find her son a bratty political animal, and I'm not sure I ever got a good sense of her daughter, so.
Hailey (not Kaylee, though that is certainly the archetype they tapped for her), was mostly entertaining - I loved her relationship with Jean as the sort of mentor-mentee thing. Particularly Hailey introducing Jean to skinny-dipping in the bay. =D
The representation of multiple sexualities was a nice touch, too. And having Millie confirmed as bi, just, like, exploded me in joy (SUSAN WAS UNREQUITED AND REAL). ahem. I liked Millie's cousin, and that story-line a bit. I liked Hailey's confrontation and argument with Iris, and felt both their sides were painful, but real.
About my only complaint about Hailey was that her age doesn't track well. If she's 14ish when working for Iris 14 years prior, she's nearly 30 now. But she's still 21 or 22, if you base it on her manner/the actress's age.
Millie and her two boyfriends were somewhat entertaining, but I rather missed Millie flirting with girls.
It was refreshing to watch something where women were very much the drive and focus, and multiple points of view were considered.
OH GOD AND JEAN. I was forgetting Jean, and her encounter with the KGB, and just. OMG. She was so amazing and brilliant and I love her. And then I also love Millie and Hailey and their plan, and Iris and her brains and and--
And! Olivia! I knew I was forgetting someone. I really liked Olivia, too. And with Iris, I totally understand her reluctance and worries over getting involved.
The fact Iris and Olivia had more than one scene together where they talked plot and not about How Hard Being Non-White Is was also great.
Pretty much my only complaint about the series is that all of them need to learn better fighting techniques, goodness.
My fingers are crossed we'll get a second series.
Apparently, critics thought it was awful, though. So, y'know, what the fuck do I know about good tv?
I'm sure if this had been about white men being sexist and wearing good suits and struggling not to treat people with racist attitudes the critics would have tongued a lot of ass about how Amazing and Ground-Breaking it was.
While I downloaded it, I never got round to watching it. I purchased the DVDs, since I tend to buy things when I want more things like them (I was buying DeConnick's Captain Marvel run despite not really clicking with it, and Miss Marvel, too, though I liked that a bit better--I want more women writing comics!)
Er. ANYWAY.
As I was packing for Christmas this year, I shoved BC: SF in my things, as mom liked the first two series, too.
This was an excellent plan, as she hadn't seen it, either.
We marathonned it in about a day or so (I think there was a break in there), and I thoroughly enjoyed it (my mother is a bit conservative, so some of the bi/lesbian/gay stuff seemed to annoy her, but she didn't say anything aloud).
I loved so much about it, particularly how it played with peoples' perceptions. Millie and Jean are both aware of all the shit that women Can Do, and yet still fell into the trap of assuming it was Iris's husband they were meeting. There were further examples (the KGB episode!) of this, and I just. I really dug it--despite these being Amazing, Fabulous women, they were still very much a product of their times.
Not to mention that after Bletchley, after the war, so many women were shoved back into the This Is How A Woman Is box.
These women were nurses, spies, code-breakers, factory workers, chemists, bomb-makers, ambulance drivers, battlefield medics, pilots, Red Cross organizers, fighters in some instances, and so many more occupations simply because they had to be.
And then the men came back from the war, and all of that scope for their abilities was stifled and slapped down, and they were locked back into babies and taking care of the men-children in their lives. And so many of them couldn't tell anyone due to official secrets and oaths taken,
As you can guess, the episode with the suburban house-wives was one that I quite dug into, because the utter boredom and hopelessness was just so heart-breaking (and I feel like that was Susan's story, to some extent, too :/)
I loved that they made Iris such a central part of the series--I was so worried that she would be more of the secondary cast, and I was extra-worried that there would be multiple Iris Is Black In Case You Didn't Notice! episodes. And while they did lean on the racism of the time, and it was a part of the background for the setting, it wasn't the be-all and end-all of her life.
Her reluctance and her diffidence were so understandable, and I really loved how she slowly grew and changed over the course of the series. I feel that Jean had her own emotional journey, as did the other two.
But Iris was the linch-pin of the series.
I felt they could have done a little more with her children, but that is a minor complaint, and one that I'm a bit surprised by as I'm not usually a "tell us about this woman's children" person. But I did find her son a bratty political animal, and I'm not sure I ever got a good sense of her daughter, so.
Hailey (not Kaylee, though that is certainly the archetype they tapped for her), was mostly entertaining - I loved her relationship with Jean as the sort of mentor-mentee thing. Particularly Hailey introducing Jean to skinny-dipping in the bay. =D
The representation of multiple sexualities was a nice touch, too. And having Millie confirmed as bi, just, like, exploded me in joy (SUSAN WAS UNREQUITED AND REAL). ahem. I liked Millie's cousin, and that story-line a bit. I liked Hailey's confrontation and argument with Iris, and felt both their sides were painful, but real.
About my only complaint about Hailey was that her age doesn't track well. If she's 14ish when working for Iris 14 years prior, she's nearly 30 now. But she's still 21 or 22, if you base it on her manner/the actress's age.
Millie and her two boyfriends were somewhat entertaining, but I rather missed Millie flirting with girls.
It was refreshing to watch something where women were very much the drive and focus, and multiple points of view were considered.
OH GOD AND JEAN. I was forgetting Jean, and her encounter with the KGB, and just. OMG. She was so amazing and brilliant and I love her. And then I also love Millie and Hailey and their plan, and Iris and her brains and and--
And! Olivia! I knew I was forgetting someone. I really liked Olivia, too. And with Iris, I totally understand her reluctance and worries over getting involved.
The fact Iris and Olivia had more than one scene together where they talked plot and not about How Hard Being Non-White Is was also great.
Pretty much my only complaint about the series is that all of them need to learn better fighting techniques, goodness.
My fingers are crossed we'll get a second series.
Apparently, critics thought it was awful, though. So, y'know, what the fuck do I know about good tv?
I'm sure if this had been about white men being sexist and wearing good suits and struggling not to treat people with racist attitudes the critics would have tongued a lot of ass about how Amazing and Ground-Breaking it was.