Just got finished watching Big Little Lies. And in some ways the saddest thing about it is that it’s really good. It’s very well written, brilliantly acted, with a really fresh aesthetic. In fact, you could argue it has an inherently conservative message, emphasizing how flawed we all are. And yet, even in a show as good as this, it seems that the TV industry just can’t get over its innate hostility toward masculinity. There’s not one man in this show that you’d want your son to adopt as a role model. They’re all either posturing, whiney wimps or toxic bullies or abusers. Yes, of course, the female characters are all flawed, too. But they also all have redeeming moments and qualities of nobility, courage and principle. The male characters are all self-absorbed and ineffectual.
SPOILER ALERT THROUGHOUT THIS PARAGRAPH: The one telling exception is the event, which provides the main story arch, from the first episode, in which a little boy is accused of assaulting a little girl. But, we know from the start that he’s innocent of the accusation, because in this world of Monterrey, rich fat cats, his is the only poor family in the story. The poor, as we know, are noble and will inherit the earth. And, along similar PC lines, in the climax, the main villain in the story cannot be subdued by the group of white Monterrey women he has directly (and maybe even indirectly) been abusing, even acting in unison. But it’s the “socially conscious” black woman, who has had nothing to do this guy throughout the series, who magically appears and puts him down for good.
So, yeah, even in a show as good as this, you still have to hold your nose through a bunch of SWJ nonsense. But I guess that’s entertainment in the age of #resistance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDrorj8nlWg
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