The Newsroom
I’ve been a little puzzled lately at the portrayal of female characters in television. I know we have a reputation for being crazy, emotional , hormonal, etc., in the same way men are stereotyped as beer-guzzling loafs, but really? How many times do we have to see a woman completely lose it when a man provokes her the tiniest bit? Is this reality, or are we turning female characters into caricatures?
Let me give you an example. I have been watching Aaron Sorkin’s latest series The Newsroom. There are two main female characters: one an executive producer and one a lowly assistant producer.
Anyway, let’s take the assistant, Maggie Jordan. In the first episode, she is a nervous, fearful and naive kid who stumbles around and makes mistakes because she is overwhelmed. By the second episode, she has saved an entire news broadcast with her hard work in uncovering a breaking news story – now suddenly full of confidence. This is quickly diminished by the fact that her boyfriend doesn’t want to meet her parents, and isn’t even sure if he really wants to date her properly. She becomes an emotional basketcase. Then by the third episode, she has a panic attack in the middle of a pitch meeting and runs outside, only to be saved by a co-worker who has a crush on her. By this time, her boyfriend has broken up and gotten back together with her three or four times. I can’t really keep track, and I don’t see the appeal. Regardless, she is a fragile woman needing to be saved, even when she is kicking ass at her job.
Then there is the exec producer, Mackenzie McHale, or “Mac.” She is a former war correspondent, and supposedly one tough chick. But she becomes unhinged like a 16-year-old girl when her ex boyfriend and the show’s anchor starts dating other women, or even bringing up their past relationship. (She also doesn’t know how to email without copying the whole staff. WTF?) She runs around most of the time, chasing after and screaming at her ex. It’s like she becomes so fragile you’re afraid she’s going to explode at the slightest provocation.
Sigh.
Then there’s Louis CK. I admit the show is a little dark as well as funny, but I was puzzled by this latest episode. He was on a date with a woman he really wasn’t attracted to, but they had a good time together. She went down on him at the end of it, and then expected the same in return. He said no, because he wasn’t into it. Fair enough. But then she goes ballistic and forces him on her. She admonishes him because he isn’t returning the favor – a favor that she feels she is owed. Another crazy female that needs to be calmed down or appeased, even though the context is all wrong, wrong, wrong.
I guess all I’m asking for – listen up TV writers – is a little bit of fairness and character depth. We are not so fragile, or crazy, or one-dimensional, no matter what makes for a good scene. In all fairness, give us female roles we can relate to, or at least explore a little more deeply. That’s all.
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
I know what you mean by this “look” that some men have about women, but I think these stereotypes are worse in the movies. On a side note, on my last job I worked for a powerful woman, like the one portrayed here, and she didn’t know how to send an email without copying the whole stuff… To make it worse, once she had to be “saved” by her boyfriend, that is quite a piece of work and for sure doesn’t deserve to be with someone as smart as this woman.