FX's 'Mrs America': Review

A star-studded, nuanced and captivating examination of the 1970s US, equal rights movement, one which trades conventional vilification for sophiscated character study

Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly in 'Mrs America' (CREDIT: FX/Hulu) 

by Jack Linsdell

Back in April this year, FX (through sister streaming service Hulu) debuted Dahvi Waller's nine-part miniseries Mrs America to universal acclaim in America. This month, the BBC picked up distribution rights for the UK, and fellow Brits have been able to catch it weekly on BBC Two, or binge the whole lot in their own time on iPlayer. And, the result is a fresh wave of acclaim from this side of the Atlantic.

The 1970s-set, political drama is a fascinating and layered examination of the equal rights movement in America. Set around the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA; which still hasn't been passed today), a piece of ground-breaking legislation that aimed to protect women (and other marginalised groups) from discrimination, the series charts the battle between the women that want it passed, and those who object it. On one side, we have Phyllis Schlafly (played with brilliant judgement by Cate Blanchett; whose also an executive producer on the show) who led a campaign against the ERA by mobilising the housemakers of the country. Her opponents are the popular pioneers of the second-wave feminist movement, Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), Betty Friedman (Tracey Ullman) and Bella Abzug (Margo Martindale) amongst others. I won't spell out all of the detail (of which there's a lot), neither will I tell you how it ends. But, I can tell you that Mrs America is (flaws and all) a very engaging and very well-executed drama, that somehow appeals to those who aren't politically-savvy or have any such interest/understanding in/off the political history of America. 

The series is unusually structured wherein each 45-minute episode is focussed on one key character from either the opposition or ratification side, whilst still finding enough time to continue telling the stories of all the other major characters too. A standout episode, "Houston" (number 8) is a particular highlight. Written by Waller and directed with craft by Janicza Bravo, the episode follows Schlafly's fictional wing-woman and friend Alice Macray at the 1977 National Women's Conference as she slowly discovers how she's been overpowered and brainwashed by Schlafly for many years. It's a remarkable piece of character-study, to the point that the perfect harmony of script, performance and direction come together to show Alice's "change" in a subtle and nuanced way. 

Elsewhere, the writing somehow manages to remain captivating even if it's at times a little over-complicated and exposition-heavy. If criticisms were to me made, then the first two episodes chuck the audience right in at the deep end, which if you don't know a lot about politics (or the history behind the ERA) can seem very overwhelming and confusing. After a while, you understand exactly who's who and what's what, but the fact that it expects you as the audience to be there from the start is a big oversight. But, unusually, even when you don't understand what's going on, you're still gripped and fascinated and chomping at the bit to watch another episode. It's strange, but even at it's most flawed, Mrs America still remains a very engrossing show. 

And, that's mostly because of an exceptional, star-studded cast. Blanchett finds humanity in Schlafly, whose (to the credit of her and the writers) never presented as villainous or venial, becoming an intriguing complex character. She's driven by relatable emotions, yet her views and judgements make us, as a modern day audience, wince and scathe. We also have to mention the interesting cast pairings, which are, in my view, somewhat responsible for the insanely good chemistry between the actors. Rose Byrne and Margo Martindale worked together on Sean Anders' superb Instant Family last year, and their relationship feels deeper as a result. Mrs America marks the third collaboration between Blanchett and Paulson (after Todd Hayne's Carol and Gary Ross' Ocean's 8), and that chemistry elevates the relationship between their characters immensely as a result. Other shout outs include Tracey Ullman (who, I'm still amazed became a part of such a "big" project in the first place) and John Slattery (who I loved in The Adjustment Bureau). 

Mrs America is a breath of fresh air in modern streaming TV. It's a limited series, telling a one-off story, that's not depressing, nor funny either. It examines, and sheds, an important light on a whole struggle for equality no one of this generation even knew about, and it's release date (coinciding with the BLM protests and the like) somehow makes this an even more topical. A star studded cast, led by Blanchett and Byrne, shine brightly, captivating us even when the series leaves us behind or confused. Mrs America is exactly the show for "right now". Go and watch it. 

4/5 STARS