Princeton, Not Prison: The Good Wife's Take on Rape Culture

**Trigger Warning: Rape**

The Good Wife usually does it's ripped-from-the-headlines episodes, and this was no exception. Except, it's ridiculously timely. The actual references are Bitcoin, "women can't get pregnant from rape", Aaron Swartz, the recent rape cases such as Stubenville, as well as Anonymous. But Anonymous made headlines last week with the Parson's rape case (which you can learn more about here and here) in a similar fashion to this case. But this only happened a week ago and could not have been the reason The Good Wife included this storyline.  They are just so on the nose that coincidences like this happen, especially when it comes to news and events that involve technology. Unfortunately, The Good Wife gets criticized for how topical it is (an example is here)  I think this an unfair assessment  because the show uses popular media brilliantly and is not appropriating the storyline because they can, but rather they are making a statement on these events. . In the world of the 24-hour-news cycle, which has majorly screwed up recently (see: The Boston Marathon), The Good Wife shows us intricacies of these cases that are not just focused on "who?". This is not something the show should be criticized for, but celebrated. This episode really highlighted the writer's way of taking complicated, real-life situations, and making them into a great (feminist) episode of television.

But before I get into the major themes, I wanted to point out a tiny portion of the episode. A small detail that I liked is that the police officer asked if she said yes to sex, not if she said no. The difference between 'yes' and 'not saying no' is incredibly important when it comes to rape and that is something lost on the media. We often hear 'no means no' but really, it should be 'only yes means yes'.

The lawyers on The Good Wife generally win their cases. This was pointed out to me by my mother, and I realized that I hadn't paid attention to the firm's win-loss record. Although the verdict is important, The Good Wife is not about whether the client is guilty or innocent or if they got the justice they deserved. Every once and awhile, sure, the show chooses to focus on a client winning who deserves to win. But most of the time? We don't know. Take Lamond Bishop or Colin Sweeney for example. They are complicated characters who bring complicated cases to the firm and the writer allow us to decide if they are guilty or not. This perception is filtered through the lawyer who represents them, and it usually is Alicia. This means that we see the good side of people, even if they aren't, because that's who Alicia is. The important part is that the writers let us decide rather than try to one-up the viewer by having an innocent-looking client be guilty. In last weeks episode the focus was on whether or not Sweeney committed a crime, and we were shown fairly conclusively that he didn't. This week, the focus changed from if it happened to how it was covered up. The show does this wonderfully by telling us that the question was not if the client was raped. The first scene of the entire show sends the message: this was rape.  The show did not delve into a "maybe she was lying" portion. He did it. He got away with it. And now he needs to pay. This is such a refreshing change of pace from shows that either use rape as a story device or treat possible rape victims like they might be asking for it. The Good Wife is showing us what rape culture looks like in the legal system.

First Shot.

The show opens with Rainey being held in contempt for tweeting about what the perpetrator did to her. Then, evidence was thrown out on technicalities, even though it showed that the perpetrator was guilty and most of the evidence relied on technology. It modernized it (I mean, the title of the episode had 'modern' in it), by showing how technology plays a part in rape. We can see this in the Stubenville rape, as pictures played heavily in convicting the two boys. .(Sidenote: Because this episode relied so heavily on technology, here's a fantastic article by Emily Bussbaum at The New Yorker about how important the relationship between technology and "The Good Wife" really is.)

In that case, even though there is photographic evidence showing exactly what happened to the victim, people still believe them to be innocent. And that is a major part of rape culture. The episode illustrated it with the video discussing the perpetrator wanting to shove things into the victim's vagina. Yes, how Anonymous gave the information to the firm was questionable, but it was evidence of what had happened. At the end, we feel like we won, as we watch Alicia (longingly) watch Will hug Rainey in a slightly hopeful ending to this case as she is no longer held in contempt.. I hope The Good Wife takes this case us again in the future, because we still do not have a conclusion to this case. Even if we don't, The Good Wife has provided us with an analysis of rape culture in the legal system that needs to change.

Idealism vs. Realism-The Good Wife 4X20

I thought that the case in this episode was extremely timely and important, and will have a whole post dedicated to it. This portion is about the rest of the episode.

Diane/Will

Diane continues to be vetted for the Supreme Court position, and the investigator starts meeting with her. My favorite parts:

1. The concern over her business proceedings over her romantic life
2.  The confusion over the word 'partner'. I love that it was interpreted to mean romantic, not business. 
3. Kalinda's surprised face. It takes a lot to surprise her.

Surprise!

I'm glad that Diane defended Will. Even though on the outside he looks like a bad guy, we as the viewer know that he is generally a decent guy. The difference between Will and Peter is that Will doesn't pretend to be a fantastic person, whereas Peter thinks himself to be great. It does mean that Diane may not be on the Supreme Court, but I don't think the show is willing to give up Diane and she can't be a large part of the show and on the Supreme Court.

Cary/Kalinda/Staff

What are you up to?

I'm not sure if this new firm thing is going to hold out. I think Cary will be made partner at Lockhart Gardner instead to appease the 4th year uprising. They did it once, they could do it again. And I'm not sure Robyn os going to stay, I think she'll stay if the new firm is created because Kalinda would follow Cary.

I Will Be Your Pocahontas, Climb Into My Papoose-Parks and Recreation 5X18

Parks and Recreation usually gives me all the feminist feels, and this episode was no exception.

But first, Animal Control.
Based on my experience with animal control (which is little to none, only stories), I wouldn't surprised if it was actually run by two stoners. This explains the Raccoon problem!

It's a cat. Or maybe a possum. 

And this gave us insight into Jerry's educational status, Orin in general, and the creepiness of a few of the Pawnee residents. I love these side episodes that are almost an ethnography of Pawnee. We see why Leslie is the way she is and why Pawnee is the greatest city in the world (suck it, Eagleton).

Who gave Ron a Sharpie?

Ron trying to eat the banana may have been the comedy highlight of this episode. Having him and Ann pair up as often as possible is awesome, and I really love how they show Ron's dedication to his girlfriend and her kids. It would be so easy to have him be either Ross Gellar from Friends or have him be a twice-divorced jerk who puts no effort into relationships because he doesn't see the point. Instead, we get a well rounded character who just has a slight paranoia about the government.

P&R did a great job of mirroring what we have seen in recent congressional sessions, particularly those of Supreme Court Justice hearings. Men are not judged for their indiscretions, however women are scrutinized and asked extremely personal questions. Case in point: April vs. Teeth dude. Teeth dude had no qualifications whatsoever, and was only asked about that. And his teeth. April was bombarded with questions about emails sent to her husband and her personal life and not her qualifications. She was demonized as a pervert and a slut while Teeth dude was totally an idiot. I loved the moment where she suggested a change

All of the feels, feminist and otherwise

The shining portion of this episode was Leslie and April. I love that all the women in this show are supportive of each other, espeically Leslie with everyone else. My favorite exchange:

 April: How did you make this plaque so quickly?
Leslie: I had it made your first week here. I knew you were going places.

I love that on this show women are allowed to be proud of each other and appreciate each other and show their unabashed support of one another through personal and professional moments. Even though April and Ann have some sort of a feud, they still have a more positive female friendship than most shows on television. We need more portrayals of friendship like Parks and Recreation, cause I for one am tired of the fighting and girl hate that permeates modern culture.


Friends. Waffles. Work. We need to remember what's important in life.



Episode Grade? B. Solid, funny, good character development

What would you give the episode?

Like, Voldemort Bad- Lost Girl 3X13

Well that was one hell of a cliffhanger and now we have to wait until 2014 to get the answers. So all my character breakdown is going to be ending in questions because I have all of them

Tamsin
Tamsin in Valkyrie form is such a bad ass.

I want a back story episode for Tamsin where we see her taking out armies and the like.

 I knew that Tamsin what going to succumb to her concious that has been driving her to drink for the past two episodes. I want' expecting her to actually fight Bo. In all honesty, I thought she was going to get rid of the bottle and avoid the fisticuffs. I enjoyed her change from crying about her confusion to driving through The Wanderer, even though she then drove off a cliff. A part of me thought she was going to die, and I'm glad we get to follow this wonderfully complicated character for another season.Will Tamsin (and Dyson) get out of the car alive? Will Tamsin die? What happens when Valkyries die?

Bo
 I'm enjoying the crime-fighting duo of Bo and Tamsin. Maybe once everything settles down next season, we see them paired together more often.

Don't mess.

But only in a friend sort of way. The show has hinted to Tamsin having feelings for her, but I think that's how Tamsin's confused concious manifested itself. I think by the end of next season Lauren and Bo will be back together, because the show has coded them as the OTP, rather than Dyson and Bo. Bo's focus has been on Lauren since day 1, and they have that star-crossed lover thing going on. But Bo's family might get in the way of that. I enjoyed that they brought Bo's mother back especially with the introduction of her father. And of course her mother is still evil. It would be way too easy to have her die, and now Bo thinks she's A) dead and B) a martyr. But first we have to deal with "The Wanderer" a.k.a Bo's Dad.Who is Bo's father? Is she stuck in a card or in another plane? How did he have/start a relationship with Bo's mother?

Kenzi
First off, I love Bruce. Can he stick around next year? PhD, muscle-y AND totally in love with Kenzi? Brillinat combination. Also, if he has a PhD, why is he working for The Morrigan?

I'm sensing a dynamic duo situation brewing

I thought Hale put a key in Kenzi's pocket, I'm glad it was a protection-thing instead. So I guess the big question for next season is if Kenzi will become Fae? This episode proved it's possible, so what does that mean for the rest of the show. Will Lauren become Fae? Or has she already?

Lauren
My thought process for her arc this episode went a little something like this:
Beginning: She's totally fucking with Bo. She's still on our side, she won't hurt Dyson
Later on: Okay, maybe Lauren is evil. Is she going to die then?
Before surgery: Phew. Still on our side. That death glare has to mean that right?!
Seeing the newly formed half-human: Lauren. What. You gave him what he wanted. What. I don't know what is happening.
Dyson's reveal: *gigantic sigh of relief* I totally knew it! (No I didn't).

Death Stare 

I'm so glad Lauren's not evil. But the show had me going for a little while. Now where is she? Did she use the process to fix the 'human-fae relationship' problem? Will the light fae (and Bo) take her back?

Hale
Glad to see him back and like himself. He's been MIA all season and I hadn't realized how much I missed him. Will there be more Hale next year now that he isn't the Ash?! And who is the Ash now?

This isn't foreboding AT ALL. /sarcasm/

What did you think of the episode? Overall, I would give it an A.

What would you give the episode?

Dude, I Live in My Truck-Lost Girl 3x12

Tamsin
Tamsin is spiraling out of control and it is so entertaining. I mean, I'm sad for Tamsin that she is so torn about her duty to her side and her feelings for Bo, but watching Tamsin climb into the bath with Bo while fully clothed and basically drunkely confess her feelings for her may have been my favorite scene of the night. The sad part comes in at Lauren's apartment, where Bo has to wrestle the bottle of alcohol from Tamsin's hands. Girl is living in her car and cannot deal. As I've said before, I hope she doesn't die next episode so we can see her redemption and her dealing with her feeling for Bo.

Only on Lost Girl y'all.

Bo
Speaking of feeling for Bo, I feel bad for Lauren. I knew something was up with scientist guy, he seemed a little too perfect and then became really. fucking. creepy. in a matter of days. I hate how Dyson tore her apart at the end, because it isn't Lauren's fault. She was lied to and emotionally manipulated by  BOTH the Fae and scientist dude. I hope next season there is a lot of apologizing, because I have a feeling Lauren is going to save all their asses.

Detective Bo is the best Bo.

Kenzi
Lost Girl is generally exists in such a feminist utopia that when it breaks that I'm a little taken aback. Last episode Bo referred to Lauren as 'Laurence' and now the rape culture-yness of Random Fae Dude (I don't remember his name. Did they even tell us?) manipulating a kiss out of Kenzi. I was slightly confused, I thought the show was alluding to them getting together, not Fae Dude working with Tamsin. But they kind of cleared it up with Hale sort of expressing his feeling towards Kenzi and kissing her. I'm glad the point wasn't just to kiss Kenzi, but I feel like the show could have chosen a less cheap and less non-feminist way for us to get there.

Kenzi was spot-on with the dick comments

I'm glad Hale finally kissed her. This has been building for so many seasons and I want Hale, as the Ash, to have a relationship with a human. But Hale is still being a douche. But also not? It's a little weird that he's been MIA for the entire season and then such a major portion of the plot.

Lauren and Dyson
Poor Lauren. I knew something was up with the lab she was working at, and I'm glad she tried to figure it out. I'n not happy that Dyson blamed everything on her, RIGHT AFTER Dr. Felt admitted to using her. Really Dyson? I thought we had made so much progress with you two drinking after Lauren broke up with Bo.

So this was a creep and foreboding shot

I really hope that next season addresses the...racism that the Fae have been exhibiting. This has been why Trick and Dyson, characters we believe to be on our side, have made comments about Kenzi and Lauren's life expectancy and whether or not they are one of them. Those comments had felt off to me all season, but now I understand they were building to this.

Miscellaneous
Can the Morrigan make a law in a Light Fae ceremony? I know that the Morrigan and the Ash were trying to work things out, but this clearly stinks of a Dark Fae plan.

Next week is the season finale. I can see this ending in multiple ways, what do you think is going to happen in the finale?

The Good Wife 4X19- The Good Wife is Actually a Comedy

 That is the only way to explain a show that treats Vampire Diaries fanfiction, a father's political scandal and a birther love interest with the same amount of concern. The scene in which Kalinda reads the fanfiction aloud is so good because it treats it so seriously. Other shows would jokingly reference fanfiction, but the Good Wife sees it as a serious matter. And we get this exchange:

Kalinda: Elena and Damon have sex in the end in a pickup truck

Diane: I'm happy for them.

This is literally her reaction. I. Love. This. Show

Said with a completely straight face. There's never going to be another show like The Good Wife, is there?

The Case
Sweeney is always a joy to have back on the show. I mean 'joy' in that he creates interesting storylines, not that he has a refreshing personality. Mostly, he's just creepy. Case in point: telling Will that it's okay Will helps out on his only if Will tells him details about sleeping with Laura. Another case in point? His girlfriend/fiance.

Alicia: You know she's going to cheat you.

Sweeney: I know. It's okay, I'll just kill her.

Will my husband kill me? You married Sweeney, so probably.

I love Morena Baccarin in this role. I loved her in Firefly and love her in Homeland currently, but it's nice to see her play a slightly more evil role. I mean, she was good in V, but it wasn't good enough of a show for me to keep watching. I hope her and Dylan Baker can resume these roles sometimes in the future, because they pull them off so well.

Laura, Will and Alicia

Other than being harassed by Sweeney's girlfriend and picking out new fabric for her couch in her HUGE office, Alicia had very little to do in this episode. Except the scene where she has to tell Laura she and Will had a thing. The fact that this show isn't dragging out the whole "Alicia-slept-with-Will-but-is-giving-Laura-advice-about-dating-Will" thing shows how highly the show thinks of it's viewers. To go into that would be a tired storyline, and I'm glad the show avoided it. I'm also glad they didn't add to the current love triangle and had Laura break up with Will. But you know the guy she mentioned totally doesn't exist, so that makes me wonder what she is going to tell Alicia. I mean, if Alicia's her friend, wouldn't they have conversations that may include this dude? I'm intrigued to see how this is going to play out in the last few episodes.

Carey and Robyn

If you haven't fallen in love with Robyn yet, watch this episode. I mean, look at her face.

Kalinda is funny because of how people react to her. Kalinda does not always respond in a socially acceptable human fashion, and the audience loves her for it. Everyone else, however, is not accustomed to her Kalinda-ness are are often put-off in a humorous fashion. Robyn, on the other hand, is funny because she plays along and tries to be as serious as possible. She's nice and generally up-beat, and just has smart as Kalinda, but she does not have the cold exterior that Kalinda does. The dynamic between these two should be interesting to explore for the rest of the season, but I kind of want Robyn and Kalinda to become a kick-ass investigative team who feed off of each other rather than argue with each other.

Diane
Here's another reason I love The Good Wife: the female characters like Diane. After spending the episode digging through her past so she can become a state Supreme Court Justice, she proposes to Kurt. This is not shown to be the 'safe' option, just her choice. And she pursues her choice. But most importantly, she's the one who proposes. Very few shows let their female characters do that, currently the only one that comes to mind is Gilmore Girls. Kurt is the one with doubts, Diane is the one who is all for it, even if it may be a difficult marriage and fuck anyone who would consider her birther boyfriend/fiance/husband a tarnish on her record. Vampire Diaries fanfiction and her father's indiscretions, sure. But not who she decides to be with.

There are only a few more episodes left in this season, and I'm excited to see what happens.



35ZCD3CEYUW2

The Importance of Scandal in the Media

While on MSNBC.com, I found a video of Melissa Harris-Perry discussing Scandal.


Melissa Harris-Perry has an awesome news show on MSNBC, but takes the time to discuss pop culture. She points out that Scandal, while a little ridiculous, is also ridiculously important.
Beyond that, I think it's really important that she is taking the time to discuss this show on a news channel. It's important because:

A) It's media promoting other good media. Too often the stories are about the reality television shows that generally portray harmful images of women. But to have Scandal being discussed in such an environment and how Olivia Pope is a well-written female character is a promotion of continuing writing well-written characters.

B) Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, and other 'soap-y' shows like them are dismissed as "Women's Shows", like they aren't as well made as other shows (See: basically every popular show of the past 5 years. Many shows use soap elements in order to tell a compelling dramatic story). To have a such discussed in such a 'serious', 'male-oriented' area highlights how important this show is. It also highlights Shonda Rimes, who is currently one of the most powerful showrunners and a woman.

And C) They're drinking wine. And watching TV and drinking wine are two of my favorite hobbies.

Here's the video. Enjoy!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Those Bitches are Witches-Lost Girl 3X11

This episode was a return to the classic Lost Girl style that permeated the first and second season. It was a standard case, although those women *ahem* witches were in way over their heads with they decided to have Bo join them. The case was kind of secondary to the other overarching storylines, but it was nice to see Kenzi and Bo doing their BFF-crime-solving thing again.

You know what we need? A webseries of Kenzi babysitting

Back in Fae-land, dude from last episode who bought Lauren a drink blackmails her into joining a research project. Does anyone else think that her past isn't true? They have not hinted to Lauren having such a sordid past and I think that's it the Fae's cover. It would make a lot of sense to have this be her cover story, because once someone finds it they wouldn't look any deeper. It also clearly explains why Lauren is under the radar for such a brilliant scientist.

Maybe Lauren was just running away from that hair

 It was nice to see Hale again, but his position as the Ash has changed him. At least he tried to make it seem like Lauren wasn't a prisoner. I loved her portion of the episode where she takes off the necklace, symbolising her break away from the Fae. I think she'll be back though, but I'm excited to see her journey of self-discovery beyond her servitude to the Fae.

Could you sit any more douche-y?

Tamsin. Girl needs some sleep. Or fewer drinks. Having to turn Bo over to dark fae is really eating her up. I think by the end she will switch to Bo's side in the apparent forthcoming battle. It's very clear that she's, at the very least, become friends with Bo. One could even argue that she's in love with her. She has also gained a lot more respect for Dyson as this season has progressed, so maybe she will change sides? That would be an interesting storyline for the show to explore. Bo may be the unaligned succubus, but could Tamsin become the traitor Valkyrie?

No big deal. Just a bunch of dead Fae

Also, mass grave? Creepy. Bo's dad is coming, and he looks scary.

I think these storylines are foreshadowing the theme for the next season: redemption. Assuming Tamsin survives this season, her betrayal of Bo will have to be dealt with. And assuming she changes sides during the fight, her betrayal of the Dark will also be a problem. Lauren will have to get back in with the Fae after leaving, and maybe seeing Hale all of a sudden means we will see him next season trying to un-become a huge douche. Next week, the penultimate episode of season 3!

Revenge 2X18-Dark and Light

I knew you could do it Daniel.

I knew you could figure out that your mother was the one threatening you, not the Initiative. Because they do not give a fuck about Emily, really, and your mother totally does. And score one for Emily, finally getting one on Victoria. I feel like a lot of her plans go awry, and I'm glad to see one seem to work.

The final showdown for these two should prove to be interesting and entertaining.

Poor Nolan. I was really hoping that Padma would be alive and we could see these two love birds reunite. But no, Revenge is not that show that will give you a happy ending. It will crush your heart and blow your mind simultaneously. I loved the scene where Emily comforts Nolan. Their friendship is kind of wonderful, and I love that she was willing to abandon her plans to be with him. I also love how this show uses these moments to show us Amanda. I've always thought that Emily VanCamp is the best actress on the show as she allows us to see Amanda's emotional reactions to a scenario before "The Ice Queen" Emily take over. But then the show gives us these moments of Amanda caring for Nolan, or her relationship with Aiden, and the audience gets a look into the opposite of the Ice Queen. Amanda is a character made up of many extreme and competing emotions; Emily is not. And I love that this show lets us get to know both of these characters.

Feels.

Speaking of Aiden, I'm not always sold on their relationship. Sometimes I really enjoy them and sometimes I find him obnoxious. I understand that he's jealous of Daniel and all, but when he first came on the show he was willing to do anything to get his sister back. Didn't he even betray Amanda when they were learning how to be Revengers? But now he become all overprotective and cold with Emily? What the hell dude? Hopefully we'll be seeing less of him as Emily and Daniel become closer. I'm really curious about Emily and Daniel. She seems to care for him, but her goal is Victoria. So is she trying to make Victoria angry by going after Daniel?

I'm not sure how I feel about these two.

Other thoughts:
-I used to be ambivalent about Charlotte, but I like her more after she punched that girl.
-I'm glad Nolan could help advance not only Jack's plan, but Emily's as well
-I also like that Ashley may have something to do on this show besides serve the Graysons.
-So Trask is gone, and that's who I thought Falcon was, so now who could it be? Are they going to introduce a new character or have it be a current character?

Grey's Anatomy 9X18- This Girl is on Fire

Okay, one dude is on fire. And Webber's reaction: priceless. He has been really good for the comedic relief.

That dude is on fire.

You know what I love about this show? That we don't have to labor through Meredith talking about how she's a mother and that's why she gets Sarah Chalke's position over Jo. The show know what's up, and more importantly they know you know what's up.

Sarah Chalke was a great guest star.

Jackson and Cute EMT was just...the best thing. Ever. Cute EMT is half naked and Jackson is taking care of it, like a plastic surgeon does, and April keeps coming in and out of the room in the most awkward of ways. Cute EMT is nice and all, I don't hate him like Jo's man (UGHH), but Jackson was able to comfort April in a way that EMT could not. This show just keeps foreshadowing this break up.

Awkward. 

Speaking of Jo's boyfriend. What. An. Asshole. Alex went to go tell the family about a patient's death that wasn't even his fucking patient and Boyfriend won't go even though she was his patient. Don't worry Alex, you are one of the sensitive guys. And good with kids? Remember when Alex held babies (shirtless, I may add) to keep them calm? Alex and Jo will be together by the end of the season. Her boyfriend has become too much of an ass to stay.

Owen and the child. I see what you're doing here show. Owen will decide that he wants kids again and Owen and Christina will break up. I could even see him adopting this kid because both his parents die. Which would be a cute storyline for Owen, but Christina will not be happy. And I do not want her to suddenly be okay with this child, and I know Shonda Rhimes is too much of a feminist to do that. Well, I hope she is anyways.

Cute kid. But Christina will hate it.

Mousy vs. Happy (or Mac vs. Smash)
Why do I think this is going to end up with them as a couple? Happy may have his eyes on Neuro, but Mousy is clearly not playing any games. But I did enjoy Derek randomly throwing things at her throughout the episode. And Happy needs to experience other specialities, so he should really get over it. But that won't happen, they will compete and bicker and it will end in lots of sex.

Other notes:
-I don't like Jackson and the intern. Mostly, I don't like the intern.
-I love that Arizona and Callie are back to their happy ways. And I would totally watch Callie's TED Talk
-I'm glad Meredith and Zola are getting their genes mapped, they were the only ones with legitimate reasons.