Spin-off fun
I've been away from home, with limited internet access, so I had no opportunity to post my thoughts about The Bletchley Circle San Francisco, episode 1 until now.
While waiting for the show to air, I was chortling over the fact that The Bletchley Circle, of all things, was ranchising like it’s CSI and other crime shows. I sat down expecting to be pleased, and there was this lovely warm glow about how the show was shot, even though it is about hunting down a serial killer. I can see how they are hoping that it will be a spin-off that can stand on its own two feet. I did have an inkling that were I less tired and invested, there might be things I would quibble about, such as how characters seemed to know a lot of stuff that I didn’t remember other characters telling them. I’m pretending they were told offscreen. I never loved the fact that the viewer had a good idea of who the killer was in the original two series either. And the numerical clues in the letters - would he really drop them in? A bit too easy, whereas the deduction by sugar cube was cool.
However, there were familiar elements - brilliant women who had served their countries in the war, now that much older, being patronised and underestimated by the men they’d had to move aside for, whether they merited it or not, using their brains for good. They also added in new and interesting elements, partly because of the setting. In one sense, they might as well have called it The Bletchley Circle Intersectionality, with Jean’s disability, but mainly forgerounding race.
The San Francisco setting was vital (inevitable culture clash humour aside), with the sense of it being a naval city, the (racist) gentrification and the Pacific element. Iris is The Susan despite being Jean’s equivalent, but Olivia is even more interesting as an Asian-American - is she Japanese-American? Because if so, would she have been allowed to do intelligence work for the US? I am fully aware that I know nothing about American women's warwork in this field. That little moment with the awful detective and her telling Iris who she’s had to make herself be to survive were painful. I don’t remember the youngest one’s name, but she brings a bouncy nature and different background to add to the dynamics.
Millie was, as ever, the spark. Jean’s treatment by the FO guy was egregious, and as a mediocre man failed to see what his service could have got, we thought she should take the chance to Do Something Abroad Millie was offering. Actually, Millie’s position was also depressing, trying to teach an entitled brat who was so sure he’d be running the country. (The child actor’s accent was not quite what it should have been.) We got a too brief update of everyone else’s lives, and the single ladies went to San Fran.
The personal link to the case worked, if it was all a bit telegraphed - but the point about Anglo-American tensions even during the war effort was interesting. Claire was obnoxious, but nobody deserves her end. Millie and Jean felt responsible, but let’s put it down to the serial killer. What I slightly held against Millie was that she asked Claire out to the party and didn’t ensure she got home safely. But the point stands, people should be able to get home safely. It's just that they don't, especially women, and in this case, Claire really didn't.
Iris, her family and community were sketched out well. I liked that they exploited the music and maths connection. There was some nuance to how her husband clearly loved her, but was the publicly successful face of the marriage, while her war work meant nothing, and she was expected to be The Housewife, and both faced discrimination because of racism.
We had entitled ex-soldiers, one of whom was the son of privilege (his ambitious father stifling his wife, an interesting scene given the ‘silencing’ motif with the killer). The rationale for anger that a younger generation were protesting their homes being taken away from them instead of appreciating what the older generation fought for escaped me. As I guess it was meant to.
Anyway, the case looks like being a hook for lots of interesting stuff, and it is great to see these women come together and use their brilliance for good, which was the mothershow's appeal, too.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/339402.html.
While waiting for the show to air, I was chortling over the fact that The Bletchley Circle, of all things, was ranchising like it’s CSI and other crime shows. I sat down expecting to be pleased, and there was this lovely warm glow about how the show was shot, even though it is about hunting down a serial killer. I can see how they are hoping that it will be a spin-off that can stand on its own two feet. I did have an inkling that were I less tired and invested, there might be things I would quibble about, such as how characters seemed to know a lot of stuff that I didn’t remember other characters telling them. I’m pretending they were told offscreen. I never loved the fact that the viewer had a good idea of who the killer was in the original two series either. And the numerical clues in the letters - would he really drop them in? A bit too easy, whereas the deduction by sugar cube was cool.
However, there were familiar elements - brilliant women who had served their countries in the war, now that much older, being patronised and underestimated by the men they’d had to move aside for, whether they merited it or not, using their brains for good. They also added in new and interesting elements, partly because of the setting. In one sense, they might as well have called it The Bletchley Circle Intersectionality, with Jean’s disability, but mainly forgerounding race.
The San Francisco setting was vital (inevitable culture clash humour aside), with the sense of it being a naval city, the (racist) gentrification and the Pacific element. Iris is The Susan despite being Jean’s equivalent, but Olivia is even more interesting as an Asian-American - is she Japanese-American? Because if so, would she have been allowed to do intelligence work for the US? I am fully aware that I know nothing about American women's warwork in this field. That little moment with the awful detective and her telling Iris who she’s had to make herself be to survive were painful. I don’t remember the youngest one’s name, but she brings a bouncy nature and different background to add to the dynamics.
Millie was, as ever, the spark. Jean’s treatment by the FO guy was egregious, and as a mediocre man failed to see what his service could have got, we thought she should take the chance to Do Something Abroad Millie was offering. Actually, Millie’s position was also depressing, trying to teach an entitled brat who was so sure he’d be running the country. (The child actor’s accent was not quite what it should have been.) We got a too brief update of everyone else’s lives, and the single ladies went to San Fran.
The personal link to the case worked, if it was all a bit telegraphed - but the point about Anglo-American tensions even during the war effort was interesting. Claire was obnoxious, but nobody deserves her end. Millie and Jean felt responsible, but let’s put it down to the serial killer. What I slightly held against Millie was that she asked Claire out to the party and didn’t ensure she got home safely. But the point stands, people should be able to get home safely. It's just that they don't, especially women, and in this case, Claire really didn't.
Iris, her family and community were sketched out well. I liked that they exploited the music and maths connection. There was some nuance to how her husband clearly loved her, but was the publicly successful face of the marriage, while her war work meant nothing, and she was expected to be The Housewife, and both faced discrimination because of racism.
We had entitled ex-soldiers, one of whom was the son of privilege (his ambitious father stifling his wife, an interesting scene given the ‘silencing’ motif with the killer). The rationale for anger that a younger generation were protesting their homes being taken away from them instead of appreciating what the older generation fought for escaped me. As I guess it was meant to.
Anyway, the case looks like being a hook for lots of interesting stuff, and it is great to see these women come together and use their brilliance for good, which was the mothershow's appeal, too.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/339402.html.