Category: Final Exam Journalism

Who’s Laughing Now?

Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel shows the world modern feminism through a comedic lens.

Comedy is fueled by oppression, by the lack of power, by sadness and disappointment, by abandonment and humiliation … Judging by those standards, only women should be funny.
– Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel

Usually, when you think of the late 50s and New York you picture a bunch of white dudes talking about business. Not even any business in particular. You just picture smoking and drinking and a lot of backward comments and then maybe laughing and handshaking and breadwinning.

What you don’t think of is a woman successfully fighting her way into one of the most male-dominated industries of all time: comedy. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tells just that story: a complacent upper-class Manhattan housewife is left by her husband and stumbles into comedy.

But what makes this show different from others that show women succeeding in entertainment is that the protagonist, Miriam “Midge” Maisel, isn’t fighting alone. Equally integral to her success is her manager Susie, a streetsmart woman who finds crafty ways to “get her girl to the top”.

The dynamic that Maisel shows us is unique for shows with female protagonists. A lot of shows try to be progressive by simply adding women to the show. But this creates the “sexy lamp” phenomenon. As described by Kelly Sue DeConnick during a 2013 interview with IGN, “ if you can remove a female character from your plot and replace her with a sexy lamp and your story still works, you’re a hack.”

The other classic motif is the leading lady who is constantly influenced by all the male characters. Jocelyn Nichole Murphy of the University of Arkansas describes this issue in the world of cinema, saying that “female characters [ofter are] centered in ‘themes of self-sacrifice, defined…in relationship to children or to men.’” Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series is the perfect example. She is strong in her own right but her character is always constantly linked to male love interests like Peeta and Gale.

Then we have the “independent feminist”: a trope that tries to define their character by making every male character an antagonist the woman has to defeat or overcome. This trope is most “inspiring” and often is the most progressive. Oftentimes the woman is a lone hero who takes revenge on the men who have wronged her, such as in 2017’s Revenge or 2020’s Promising Young Woman.

But the goal of modern feminism, like any equality movement, is to allow women and men to not be in competition. While we may root for the independent feminist trope and enjoy seeing women be able to finally take action against their abusers, that can’t be the only way strong women are depicted in the media. The adversarial relationship often demonstrated in the independent feminist trope still makes an “us vs. them” mentality that isn’t sustainable for long term equality.

Maisel shows us a female protagonist who competes with both men and women. As much as Midge has to prove herself to sexist male club owners, she also competes with fellow female comic Sophie Lennon. At the same time, Midge isn’t ever made to ignore her traditionally female stereotypes. She still loves to shop and wear dresses and continues to cook and take care of her kids. And most importantly, she is still shown to be reliant on others. Midge has to turn to her family for financial support, and she relies on Susie to actually succeed in comedy.

And that’s the secret sauce that makes the show so successful. Midge is a smart and successful character in her own right, but she isn’t depicted as a superwoman who doesn’t need help. And when she does need help, often she turns to other women to help her. And there are many times where she is made to choose between her career and her comfortable life and she chooses her career.

Midge Maisel creates a new kind of female protagonist who works as an equal to men and who is allowed to rely on both men and women to support her. She is the epitome of modern feminism because she isn’t shown to be “different from other girls”. Just as she is succeeding, she inspires one friend to advance herself by becoming financially independent as a typist and inspires her mother to turn down her family’s wealth on feminist principles of inclusion.

As the fight for equal rights quietly continues, it’s important for us to recognize the power of media in shaping the psyche of the masses. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel found the magical recipe for how to somehow accurately depict feminism in the 1950s while also being a hysterical binge-worthy show. And that, friends, is simply marvelous.

The 5 Best Shows to Binge During Your Quarantine

Post author By jkelly5503
Post date April 17, 2020
No Comments on The 5 Best Shows to Binge During Your Quarantine

Now a month into our lovely extended break courtesy of COVID-19, many people have hit a wall in terms of their TV binge sessions. Everyone is caught up on those shows they’ve been dying to see for months. Reruns of The Office and Friends are creeping their way back into people’s “Continue Watching” tabs.

But fear not, weary binge-watchers! After a few weeks of intense research, here are the top five shows to binge during your quarantine. Regardless of the kinds of shows you like, these top hits are sure to keep you glued to your couch.

#1: Westworld (HBO)

It’s really hard to find good science fiction shows. Oftentimes the genre fits the stereotype of being nerdy, or worse uses a really interesting premise to cover up cheap gimmicks and plot holes.

Westworld manages to avoid falling prey to the same traps its predecessors may have by focusing on its characters and their development. The story is in many ways a coming of age tale about people finding themselves on a hero’s journey. Only this time, there is also advanced AI that is slowly becoming self-aware.

That perfect balance of action and storyline makes the show great to binge with a friend and discuss the depth and subtleties of the ethical implications of creating consciousness. That, or maybe just enjoying the western style shooter scenes and cool graphics.

#2: The Witcher (Netflix)

The Witcher is a one-of-a-kind franchise. After starting as a book series, it became a popular video game before Netflix bought the rights to produce the show. The series is wildly successful. It became Netflix’s most popular show of 2019 (second only to Stranger Things) despite being released only a month before the end of the year.

The show manages to combine the monster-hunting action of the video games with the fantastic world-building of the novels to create a surprisingly unique fantasy hit. The multiple timelines allow for exploration into so many more characters while increasing the mystery of the show. All in all, The Witcher adds up to be a delightful weekend binge for when you just need to be whisked off into a world of monster-slaying and dramatic deaths.

#3: The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel (Prime)

Telling the story of a struggling comedian has become pretty mainstream in the past few years. It’s sort of becoming a way for comedians to fictionalize their experiences.

The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel takes a completely different route. It centers on Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a divorced Jewish housewife in the 1960s who upends social norms as she pursues a career in comedy. The show not only leaves viewers buckled over laughing, but it also makes a serious commentary about women in the comedic industry. Midge and her manager Suzie are wildly entertaining as they climb the ladder of success and deal with constant setbacks. A good binge of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel is the perfect way to lighten the mood in this stressful time.

#4: Big Mouth (Netflix)

The concept of puberty has been taboo in the television community because of it’s close ties to sex. Netflix started a revolution though when it released a show entirely about growing up and becoming an adult.

Series creators Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg created the animated series loosely based on their own lives to depict what it’s like for teenagers to go through puberty. The result is a raunchy comedy that is as educational as it is funny. Characters deal with issues as light as body odor and as heavy as divorce and pregnancy scare.

The most entertaining part of the show, however, is the fictional “Hormone Monsters” assigned to each child. The interactions the characters have with their hormone monsters are hysterical (and maybe a touch inappropriate for the family), but make the process of puberty somehow entertaining. Big Mouth makes for a fantastic binge, with awesome voice actors and great writing.

#5: Ozark (Netflix)

It was devastating when Breaking Bad finally ended. The crime drama from the perspective of an average guy-turned-criminal was a hit and took crime shows in a completely new direction.

It’s no surprise then that Netflix took that model for its own show with Ozark. The show about a financial planner who is forced to launder money in the Ozark mountains is a high energy hit. Jason Bateman plays the role of Marty fantastically even after years of much lighter shows under the actor’s belt (Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses, etc).

With season 3 just released a few weeks ago, now is the perfect time to get caught up. The writing will leave you clicking “Still Watching” for hours as Bateman learns how to become a major criminal.

Final Exam Journalism HBO

It’s Alive!

HBO’s Westworld confronts the nature of Artificial Intelligence and the ethics of conscious machines.

We humans are alone in this world for a reason. We murdered and butchered anything that challenged our primacy.
Dr. Robert Ford

Westworld is a weird show. And I love it.

It finds a way to combine a cowboy western adventure with a sci-fi artificial intelligence narrative in the effortless way only the makers of GOT know how to do. One second James Marsden is galloping across a dusty terrain saving damsels, and the next second Anthony Hopkins is discussing consciousness with one of his eerily human-looking robots.

But that’s what makes Westworld unique from a western/sci-fi point of view. Usually in the classic Cowboys vs Aliens style western the divide between the past and the future is distinct. Two very separate worlds interact in often violent ways. In Westworld however, the technology is integrated into the cowboy world.

The basic premise of the show follows a Western theme park where wealthy patrons can interact with hyper-realistic AI hosts. The humans get all the thrill of the gun-slinging, liquor-sipping, sex-partaking West with no danger. Meanwhile, the hosts are killed, raped, and then mind-wiped to do it all over again. As the hosts begin to gain consciousness, serious ethical questions are brought up about the morality of creating AI, and whether consciousness is a luxury reserved only for organic creatures.

The first AI was created in 1951; a behemoth of a machine consisting of 3000 vacuum tubes to simulate a neural network of 40 neurons. For context, jellyfish have approximately 5,600 neuronshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_by_number_of_neurons. In the 69 years since then, however, we have come much further. In 2016, Sophia the Robot was first activated by Hong Kong robotics company Hanson Robotics. And while its capabilities beyond its programming are nonexistent, to the unknowing observer the robot appears fully alive and conscious.

According to The Next Web and Futurism, the science of AI, however, is still years behind human-level AI (HLAI). Most advanced AI runs on Deep Learning but has yet to run using Deep Understanding. In other words, the machines can learn how to perform a task, but they can’t understand what they’re doing. This is the biggest limiter to cognition currently, and it will take years and billions of dollars to have a chance of ever getting to that point.

So now the question we are left to ponder is the big “What if?” If we suddenly do create conscious robots parallel to those of Westworld, what rights do we owe them? If we control them, is that enslavement? Can we morally hinder the development of conscious robots to keep them subdued?

All of these questions, as ridiculous as they may sound current, are worth considering. Just think back to the ideas regarding privacy in the digital age. If you talked to someone in the 1970s about internet privacy rights and the moral implications, would they not call you crazy? When technology isn’t known of it is dismissed as science fiction. But eventually, we are faced with problems from new technology that require new approaches to ethics and to lawmaking.

Hugh McLachlan of the Independent writes what seems to be a very simple answer to these complex questions: “To deny conscious persons moral respect and consideration on the grounds that they had artificial rather than natural bodies would seem to be arbitrary and whimsical. It would require a justification, and it is not obvious what that might be.”

More difficult to answer though could be the questions posed by Nick Bostrom and Eliezer Yudkowsky from Cambridge University. What would it be like for AI that process faster than the human brain? If they were to perceive the world in slow motion, how would that impact our interactions? Would they receive first treatment if injured compared to humans because they would experience more time?
A lot of these questions are super confusing, but that’s the whole point. Once AI gains consciousness, everything we’ve ever known is redefined. What we can hope, however, is that humanity tries to remain moral. Hopefully, we don’t make the same mistakes as the humans of Westworld, and maybe at the same time, we’ll prevent our very own robot uprising.

Final Exam Journalism Netflix

Stranger Danger

Netflix’s You sheds light on the dangers of stalkers in the digital age

Love isn’t a strong enough word. Sometimes, it scares me to love someone so completely and not have them love you back.
— Joe Goldberg.

Aren’t dating apps great?

Like, just imagine how hard it was for people to meet up before they had their phones. You and a bunch of your friends had to dress up, and go out to a bar or a club and then pay way too much for drinks. And that was just to get you a shot at going home with a special someone.

Nowadays thanks to your handy dandy cellular device it’s as easy to get a date as it is to order Chipotle. A simple swipe, a few flirty texts, and maybe a quick Instagram stalk later you can be in a new relationship if you really want to be.

But how safe is this anyway? Catfishing on dating apps is increasingly common with UK news site Metro reporting that 28% of women and 43% of men admitted to being catfished in 2018.

Recently Netflix shined a light on the dangers of stalkers and the internet in their hit show You. Transplanted from Lifetime after receiving major ratings boost on the streaming platform to the stalker thriller takes a unique look at what it means to be a creep in 2019.

The main protagonist Joe Goldberg is a love addict obsessed with finding a romantic connection with the women he stalks. And while Joe himself starts the series off shunning the use of social media, he frequents it to find information on his prey. The woman of Joe’s fixation in season one, Guenivere Beck, is shown to leave all her accounts to be public. Expectedly, Joe takes this to mean Beck “want[s] to be seen. Heard. Known. Of course I obliged.”

Even in the next season, Joe once again stalks his new fixation, Love Quinn, through the same means. Combing through her and her social circle’s Instagram feeds, he builds profiles on all of them which he uses to his advantage when trying to seduce his love interest.

While the storylines of You are definitely far-reaching in terms of the ability of most stalkers to also be handsome and charming casanovas, the depiction of how social media is used is frighteningly real.

Now, the occasional Insta-stalk is nothing rare. According to MSN, 76% of people surveyed admitted to having stalked an ex online. But while most of us stalk with harmless intentions, there are plenty of horror stories even worse than the deadly ends Netflix depicts.

Esquire covered this exact sort of situation — a budding romance turned to cyberstalk — in their April 2015 issue. It describes the horrifying story of a woman who got into an online relationship with a man that quickly became creepy, and when she tried to end it began receiving daily if not more frequent emails of disgusting harassment.

A Netflix show like You may tell this kind of story for our entertainment, but when we see things like this happening in the real world it becomes clear just how easily we could all face our very own Joe Goldberg.

The question then becomes how do we fight an enemy we don’t even know? Oftentimes those who are stalked don’t realize it’s happening until it’s too late, but keeping accounts private and controlling who can follow you can be a major deterrent to petty stalking.

More importantly, though, the stigma of coming forward must be overcome. Like USCNews writes, “Victims often second-guess themselves or believe they’re overreacting.” Addressing the issue and educating people on internet safety are both essential steps to protecting loved ones online.

While it may seem like You is just a fantastically gripping show to binge on a lazy weekend, the depth of the premise goes far beyond what most viewers realize. The concept of stalking has been redefined in the age of social media, and You does an amazing job of depicting how our digital lives can be weaponized in the wrong hands.

Final Exam Journalism

Welcome to Midbrow

We live in a digital age.

I promise you that will be the first and last cliche you will read here.

But in all seriousness, the internet has rapidly transformed our consumption of media. Gone are the days of 4 channels on the TV. No longer do kids have to settle for Disney Channel or Nickelodeon when they get home from school. Primetime shows from the major networks aren’t always the topic of water-cooler conversation the next day at the office.

When early original content like Netflix’s House of Cards or HBO’s Game of Thrones became popular in the early 2010s, there was no telling how the streaming industry would react. To many people this was a fluke; occasionally a hit would be produced by a streaming service but the best shows were always broadcasted first. I still remember seeing the little “Netflix Original” icon on a show and immediately assuming it was cheap, poorly made, or too eclectic to be good. Flash forward to today and I now look to original content first because I know and trust the brands behind it.

The beauty of content made directly for streaming is found in the little things, like how the length and number of episodes tend to be adapted to fit the storyline as opposed to the other way around (where commercial time and scheduling forces writers to craft a narrative around 50 car ads). Even the fact that characters are allowed to engage in whatever their version of sex, drugs, and rock and roll is is unique to this form of content. The streaming giants aren’t barred by the same restrictive rules as network TV. They’re free to let their characters drop the occasional F-bomb when they’re angry, or act in adult ways when the story calls for it.

What’s most important about “made for streaming” content as a genre, however, is the fact that it can tackle real issues through storytelling. TV has always been seen as a relatively low brow form of media. Novels had depth and worldliness, the theater had the convention of human emotion, and cinema worked as this magical fusion between the wonderous possibilities of novels and the human impact of the theater.

What I think has happened today is a revolution in television. I think that streaming content has invented a new degree of “sophistication” in media: midbrow. It’s not classy melodramatic highbrow content, but it’s also not sophomoric lowbrow content either. Instead, these shows combine the great production and writing of highbrow with the human experience of lowbrow to form this new thing. I’ve decided to call it midbrow, which is also what I’m naming this blog.

As I post to this blog every week I’ll take a look at some of the most popular midbrow shows from the most popular streaming platforms. I’ll discuss them, share my recommendations, and then focus on what I feel are some of the most culturally relevant themes. From the portrayal of women in Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to the witty and yet educational content of Netflix’s Big Mouth and Sex Education, we’ll tackle it all; one midbrow at a time.