Anirudh Arun

Mrs. America is one the best series of this year and perhaps of this decade. It deals with its subject with nuance, style and extremely interesting parallels with the world we live in. It does not shy away from showing the complexities of truly remarkable feminists like Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, Bella, Shirley Chisholm and so on. As a matter of fact in just two episodes, it sheds light on how well you can develop characters on t.v. showing their inner fears, regrets, conflicting emotions and thoughts. It's a masterclass in detail whether it's the performances or the production design, music, cinematography. Everything fits in like pieces of an ambitious story told in a sweeping and excellent way. Cate Blanchett ought to win an emmy for her portrayal of Phyllis Schafly, a deeply polarizing conservative who leads the backlash against ERA. Although we might never know what Phyllis actually thought, Cate Blanchett achieves the impossible by showing how deeply conflicting of a person she was. Her slightest eye gestures and face expression convey so much meaning. She is cunning, devious but never loses her sense of humanity. It's a performance that is worth praising. But it's Rose Byrne whose performance stayed with me the most. Gloria Steinem. The episode Gloria may not exactly do justice to Glorias arc as a person. But the episode is so splendid in conveying her feelings and frustrations. When Gloria watches Judy Garland in the t.v. singing "Sometime we're going to build a little home", our hearts break as she stops singing and springs into her 'tap dance'. The phone ( of probably her boyfriend) is ringing in the background. This weirdly eclectic moment is devastating and unique to say the least. Byrne is a revelation in this scene. She just let's go. Did Gloria ever want to have a family and a home? We will never know. Switch to her abortion scene (when she was 22). Byrne is by no means mimicking Gloria. She has just laid her complexities bare and it's the sign of a beautifully toned performance. Excellent is the comic timing of the legendary Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan, 'the mother of the second wave feminism.' So is Uzo Aduba( who I heard is next level in the third episode), Margo Martindale, Sarah Paulson, Jeanne Tripplehornand the others. Such moments define Mrs.America. Heartbraking on one end; riveting, sharp and critical on the other end. It's going to spark a lottt of multi faceted conversations about gender, feminism, intersectional feminsim, race and politics. 5 stars.