TMonday, September 17, 2012 - 5A The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Why women still can't have it all on TV ummer is over, and with it went the simple, comfort- ing pleasures of summer reading. Perhaps you - like me - used the extra, textbookless time to drift away in some fic- tion or refill your maga- zine stockpile. But of all the things I read this summer, few were as pervasive as KAYLA a particular UPADHYAYA article in the Atlantic that was emailed, tweeted at and shared with me too many times to count: "Why Women Still Can't Have It All," by Anne- Marie Slaughter, former Director of Policy Planning for the State Department. Being both a feminist and a TV columnist, I've been think- ing about how Slaughter's argu- ment holds up on television. Are fictional women still confronted with obstacles in the workplace? The answer isn't as simple as no, but it's a far cry from a yes. So let's look at why women still can't have it all ... on television. First, some parameters. Slaughter's piece focuses on a very specific group of women - upper-class, educated, predomi- nantly white women in positions of power. She recognizes her nar- row scope, and while I see a lot of limitations to her viewpoint, I will look at a similarly privileged group of television's highest ranked female characters for the sake of consistency. Many women on television are either really good at their careers or really good at raising a family - rarely both. And if they prioritize their career, they're demonized. No example makes this clearer than Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) on FX's legal thrill- er "Damages." Patty made a firm choice early in life to place her legal career before everything else, and the other characters and the show itself paint her as quite the monster. She's a ruth- less ladder climber who bullies and manipulates her son Michael (in his words: "You wanted to completely control of my life, so you took away my free will. Some pretty terrific parenting, real mother-of-the-year type stuff.") and habitually forgets her grand- daughter's birthday. At first, Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) of "Damages" seems to be the anti-Patty. She is dedicated to her family and her career. She even turns down her initial inter- view with Patty's firm to attend her sister's wedding. But as the series continues, Ellen is forced to make difficult choices - and the second she starts placing the legal stuff over the personal stuff, she's criticized for it. In season four, her boyfriend tells her that there are tw: who w and th Ellen's emptin Yes, he her for Afte better fiction Diane. on "Po ingtol Weave who ha dent o very lo Clinto she's ri impres are col any de of "Th (Meln Wilhel liams), rilla) o Lynett from " and yo words in suc Wh th And media super na Me "Veep, (Cherr Florric of "Th wome what tI least to bitche strippe ered as wrong charac ites. Bu messa can't h "16] of "Pol a lot of cusses almost purpos argum her so hospit overdo husba they sp politic were t accord availab import child's journa Gugin sion to person o types of lawyers: the ones day and you realize that while ant "more" (kids, a family) you were being brazen making a e ones who want success. name for yourself, everyone made the latter, destined for a life." aess and regret later in life. Neither Elaine nor Susan literally breaks up with speak explicitly in terms of moth- being too ambitious. erhood or their gender. But even r all, "ambition looks in the super progressive world of on men." Or so says the "Political Animals," there isn't al Supreme Court Justice enough flexibility in the work- Nash (Vanessa Redgrave) place to allow women to have litical Animals." She's talk- both families and ascareer. And in Elaine Barrish (Sigourney the case of Susan, much like Ellen r), the secretary of state Parsons, people are uncomfort- as decided to run for presi- able with her desire to place work n the USA miniseries based before everything else. Sure, osely on the life of Hillary Elaine's other son Doug (James n. Diane's words sting, but Wolk) tells Susan during their ght. Ambitious men are . intimate, wine-infused flight that sive. Ambitious women he admires her courage - but the d and heartless. Look at entire reason Susan'saboyfriend scription on the internet gives for cheating on her is that e O.C."'s Julie Cooper she was too focused on her career da Clarke), "Ugly Betty"'s to pay any attention on him. mina Slater (Vanessa Wil- Some shows avoid the issue the Evil Queen (Lana Par- of women makingcompromises o "Once Upon a Time" or between their careers and their e Scavo (Felicity Huffman) families by eliminating the family Desperate Housewives," factor altogether. President Laura u're guaranteed to see the Roslin of"Battlestar Galactica" "ambitious" and "devious" has no children. Her compassion ession. for the Galactica fleet that she leads often seems matriarchal in nature, but her nurturing tenden- Sis it 1 cies are actually looked down y axways upon by much of her constitu- Le kitchen or ency, and she's disregarded as a simple "schoolteacher" - an the office? interesting choice of words for the secretary ofeducation - who is unfit for presidency. Then there's the opposite problem: *we see this distinction in female characters who are first all the time, even if it's not and foremost mothers or wives blatant. Vice President Seli- who fail whenever they try to yer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) of step out of these roles. It's some- " President Allison Taylor thing I've criticized "Modern y Jones) of "24," Alicia Family" for, but is also present on k (Julianna Margulies) "The Sopranos" with Carmella, e Good Wife" - all these "Entourage" with Melissa Gold n are powerful and good at (hell, most people only know her hey do. But they're also, at as 'Mrs. Ari'), and even Marge on some extent, calculating "The Simpsons." s. And some of them are Is the notion of women "hav ed of traits widely consid- ing it all" so elusive and improb- feminine. Don't get me able that we can't even make it ,these kind of ultra-bitch possible in fictional realms? I'm ters tend to be my favor- not suggesting that if women on at what's the underlying TV can have it all, the real world ge here? Career women will follow suit (if that logic ave any maternal qualities? worked, we'd have had a woman Hours," the fifth episode in the White House already). itical Animals" illustrates Slaughter makes it quite clear the issues Slaughter dis- that the road to women wielding - to the point where it enough power to create a society feels like the episode is a that works for all women isvery eful dramatization of her complicated. But breaking down ent. As Elaine sits next to some of the stereotypes of career n T.J.'s (Sebastian Stan) women seen on television is a step al bed after his cocaine in the right direction - and it'd se, she laments to her ex- be refreshing to see some of the nd Bud (Ciarin Hinds) that progressive changes to society tent too much time on their that Slaughter discusses imple- al careers when their sons mented on television. eenagers, a time when - I can think of one woman who ling to Slaughter - "being has it all: "Friday Night Lights" le as a parent is just as 's Tami Taylor. And I think few ant as in the first years of a would disagree that TV needs life." In the same episode, more Tami Taylors. The original deadhead. 'Norman enchants Cla tak( C Ma ing r sou rci studic ment of al for t ence. matte bunch year-( theatt retire who watch deser thoug ers. A innov audie attent "Pa to do come( werer audie eerie cant edly natur mates tymation zombie Fell ("The Tale of Despereaux") and Chris Butler ("Coraline") e not afraid to be had to have known they were gambling with the noticeably reepy and fun creepier story. What's surpris- ing - and slightly inspiring - is By AKSHAY SETH how brilliantly the risk pays off. Daily Arts Writer The narrative picks up with a bleak glimpse into the life of king a movie is about hav- Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit- espect - respect for the McPhee, "Let Me In"), an ostra- e material, respect for a cized and bullied outcast with an o's invest- uncanny ability to speak with the and most dead. It's "I see dead people," in 1, respect stop-motion. The only significant he audi- ParaNorman difference here is that Norman It doesn't doesn't choose to ignore his abili- 'r if it's a At Quality16 ty. More often than not, the ghosts h of five- and Rave that speak with him, such as his olds or a grandmother, are more approach- er full of Focus able than the living - a depress- es. People ing notion, but sadly relatable for spend time and money to anyone who has had the misfor- a a story unfold on screen tune of being a physical and verbal ve to know that they're not punching bag for a bully. ht of as a room full of suck- As the film progresses, Nor- nd get this - the films that man gets strange visions of a ate and challenge their witch who haunted the town nces are the ones that get centuries ago and was burned tion. at the stake for her crimes. Nor- araNorman" isn't afraid man's only friend, Neil (Tucker those things. Despite the Albrizzi, "Alvin and the Chip' die script, the filmmakers munks: Chipwrecked"), and n't afraid to unsettle their his seemingly deranged uncle nce with a surprisingly (John Goodman, "Monsters storyline. It's a signifi- Inc.") urge him to act on these risk considering the decid- visions by performing an ancient amicable and light-hearted ritual to protect the town from e of recent successful ani- an impending storm. Instead, d features. Directors Sam things inevitably go awry, zom- bies awaken and the fun begins. And by fun - it's a wickedly clever concoction of puppet animation and digital imagery that pushes the boundaries set by Laika Studio's previous film, "Coraline." The film's beauti- fully composed set pieces are a breath of fresh air in light of all the current children's fea- tures being dominated by a purely mechanical and sloppy digital form of animation. The sequence in which Norman comes into contact with his very first premonition is particularly well done. Even if you don't end up liking the film, you'll remem- ber this individual scene, with its wisps of greenish mist swirl- ing through the fine outlines of a dream - and then slowly you'll realize it's all done in clay. In addition, the action doesn't feel watered-down or tame just because it's a kids film. The directors and animators aren't afraid to showcase "Dawn of the Dead"-esque sequences fea- turing zombies tearing through flesh or getting their stomachs blown off with shotguns At the same time, things never really get too out af hand because the clay sculpting technique employed is itself so unique and notable. As a result, "ParaNor- man" is both a memorable and visually striking film - the type of movie that leaves you in awe. 'Evil' can't redeem franchise list Susan Berg (Carla o) also points to her deci- place her career before her al life: "You wake up one Upadhyaya is screaming about women to her housemates. To join, e-mail kaylau@umich.edu. Start-up Ideal Shaping & Pit Learn how to business idea a great invesi Today! 9/17, 6:3( Ross School of B Presented by the Z for Entrepreneurial, IT'S THE TWEET LIFE FOLLOW @MICHDAILYARTS LLS SCHOOL OFBUSINES S NTERE TE IN ELL I INTERESTED IN WRITING FOR oTHE DAILY? tion tching: COME TOA shape a MASS MEETING! a and create WED. SEPT.19 SUN. SEPT 23 PM 3usiness E0530 BOTH AT 7:30 P.M. ?ll Lurie Institute Studies 420 MAYNARD wwwzilbus.umichedu STREET By SEAN CZARNECKI Daily Arts Writer Of all the problems plaguing "Resident Evil: Retribution," its worst is its blatant plagiarism from greater films. * Like many of its con- Resident Evil: temporary Retribution cohorts, it owes a great At Quaity16 deal to "The and Rave Matrix." Thir- teen years Screen Gems since the suc- cess of the Wachowskis' accom- plishment, its innovations - its meshing of beautiful aesthetics, bullet-time, Hong Kong-esque cinematography and computer imagery - have been abused to the point that you wish Neo had taken cyanide instead of the red pill so "The Matrix" would've never happened. Then perhaps shameless hacks like "Resident Evil: Retribution" would've. never existed. The plot follows an "Inception"-esque formula: The characters trapped and sepa- rated in different environments that they must escape within a certain amount of time. But what made "Inception" work so well was the complex motives of each character and the always- present schedule imposed on them. That frantic atmosphere is nowhere to be found in this wannabe, where Alice (reprised by Milla Jovovich) must escape from an underwater facility. And that's the story: a 95-min- ute escape that, in a better film, would've taken 20-30 minutes. As a result, "Resident Evil: Ret- ribution" is only the beginning of a story. Also, had the screen- play, written by director Paul W.S. Anderson ("The Three "No YOU were supposed to pack the umbrella." Musketeers"), not focused com- are different. The film ends with pletely on prolonged bloody another bloody promise, this struggles, this movie might've time, in the form of a sequel: been exciting. A contrived film, The ultimate war for survival the characters are led by a leash is brewing. And you're invited from one area to the next, each to participate. Could they have scene linked together - and thus probably made "Resident Evil: the film propelled forward - by Retribution" and the series the promise of bloodshed. finale into one film? Well, that's no way to make money, is it? Efficiency is sacrificed without ' r still ceremony. This is not artful sto- rytelling - this is business sto- making these? rytelling. Why have one when you can have two? No stranger to the Holly- wood sequel machine, Jovovich The important characters are has now played this role for the protected by a "too-important- fifth time. This time, she has a to-die" invisible wall. Even when daughter in tow and is expected bullets fly and RPGs explode, to exhibit some form of mater- characters step out from cover, nal instinct. Despite some raised their body fully exposed, take expectations, rarely does she a few shots, then step back into ever convince the audience she's cover - and we're supposed anything but bored. to believe they're not all dead Then again, it's hard to criti- because the attackers are really cize acting in this film when just horrible shots, despite some acting means posing with a gun, of them being trained as com- putting on a "tough" face and mandos. Bullets, explosions, reciting horrible one-liners. The headshots, blood, guts - on to characters are stunted, lifeless the next area. Kill zombies/com- homunculi. Imagine a zombie mandos. Repeat. film played by unenthusiastic And repeat again - except hair models, and you've got "Res- this time, the enemies and area ident Evil: Retribution." Ugh.