Bridgerton, The Wilds, and Ben Affleck photos

Horny and hormonal, plus culture notes about our Boston boy and more

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Jan 05, 2021

Hello!

On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss horny period drama Bridgerton (2020) and angsty young adult survival series The Wilds (2020).

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02:53 Bridgerton, the first big Shondaland x Netflix offering, is the epitome of a guilty pleasure, but its probing of race and relationships leaves much to be desired.

At first glance, the new series—based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels—appears to be the latest in the trend of period pieces embracing “color-blind” or “race-blind” casting (see: The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Great, Mary Queen of Scots), whether for the sake of multicultural fantasy or for subversion. A perfectly fine creative decision, for perfectly fine reasons.

But halfway through the season, this “color-blind” setting is totally upended by the revelation that this version of Regency-era England was previously “two separate societies divided by color,” until the white King George fell in love with the Black woman who would become Queen Charlotte (whose IRL legacy has been shaped in part by some claims that she had African ancestry). And then, I suppose, within a few years, racism was eradicated, the nobility expanded to allow non-white people, and that history seems to have zero effect on the dynamics of courtship and moving throughout high society? With just one scene, the show wrecked any sense of internal logic.

Bridgerton seems more interested in ideas of love, sex, and gender roles, than in muddling through questions of race. But even there, the series ultimately flounders, completely mishandling an instance of sexual consent violation (or more plainly: rape).

17:28 The Wilds, one of Amazon Prime Video’s few Youth Market shows, is both cringe-y and tender in its depiction of teen girls.

This YA survival series is definitely uneven, especially when it comes to dialogue—you could learn to write more convincing teen talk just by shotgunning TikTok for six hours straight—and some weak performances in an otherwise good ensemble cast. But for all its flaws, The Wilds is undeniably gripping, with enough calculated plot twists and turns to keep you hitting “play next episode.”

The show is also compelling because of its commitment to depicting the inner and outer lives of teenage girls with a surprising amount of sympathy and compassion. All the insecurities, anxieties, jealousies, and heartbreak that the characters experience in everyday life are replicated and amplified on the deserted island, making for satisfying — albeit heavy-handed — thematic resonances and scenes of growth.

Honestly, can’t wait to keep watching!

26:33 Plus, not one, but TWO culture notes!

The first about Ben “Believe in Boston” Affleck and his Dunkin’:

Frazier Tharpe II @The_SummerMan

He gave us one last gem for 2020 that’s love

Ben is back, and he’s looking

Genuinely

Out

Of his mind with

existential Despair :’)

(Here’s a MEL piece on the man, the myth, the meme that one half of BenAna has become in recent years.)

Secondly, here’s some TV to look forward to this year maybe, according to Pelin:

WandaVision (Disney+)
Return of Atlanta (FX), Barry (HBO), Better Call Saul (AMC), Insecure (HBO), Succession (HBO), Peaky Blinders (Netflix), HOPEFULLY?????
Gossip Girl reboot (HBO Max) (new character photos on the show’s Twitter)
David E. Kelley’s upcoming Nine Perfect Strangers starring, who else, Nicole Kidman
and more!