Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Check out what we’ve been reading this week–and let us know what you’ve been reading/writing in the comments!

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The Curious Case of ‘Empire’ and its Representation of Black Life on TV by Kenya Carlton at For Harriet

Are Divergents Feminists in Disguise? by Natalie Wilson at Ms. blog

Watch Ava DuVernay’s Rousing SXSW Keynote Address by Tambay A. Obenson at Shadow and Act

Cookie and Co.: The Women of ‘Empire’

Fox’s midseason drama ‘Empire’ is a huge hit, and it is easy to see why. The gloriously soapy family melodrama is chockablock with “watercooler moments” (are those still a thing?), many provided by the series’s breakout character Cookie Lyon, played with obvious joy by Taraji P. Henson. But despite all the well-deserved attention Cookie is getting, she’s not the only great female character ‘Empire’ has to offer.


Written by Robin Hitchcock.


FOX’s midseason drama Empire is a huge hit, and it is easy to see why. The gloriously soapy family melodrama is chockablock with “watercooler moments” (are those still a thing?), many provided by the series’s breakout character Cookie Lyon, played with obvious joy by Taraji P. Henson.

Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon in 'Empire'
Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon in Empire

Cookie, the ex-wife of legendary hip hop mogul Lucious Lyon (and mother the three sons vying to inherit his empire), has just been released from a 17-year stint in prison. She co-founded the company (somewhat clunkily called Empire) with Lucious, and wants the riches, fame, and power she was denied when she took the fall for the drug dealing that financed the company in its early days. Surrounded by schemers, Cookie in contrast works to get what she wants by sheer force of will. And an abundance of charisma floating on her fearlessness, brazenness, and enviable style.  Cookie is glorious.

Cookie is glorious.
Cookie is glorious.

Despite all the well-deserved attention Cookie is getting, she’s not the only great female character Empire has to offer. This is a refreshing surprise, given co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong (the same creative team behind The Butler, a movie I loved) pitch the series as “King Lear in the hip hop world,” but swapped daughters Regan, Goneril, and Cordelia for sons. These sons are all compelling characters: business-focused Andre, struggling with bipolar disorder; and promising artists Jamal, whose favor with Lucious is challenged by his homosexuality; and Hakeem, whose favor with Lucious is challenged by his tendency to be a little shit.  And it does seem more true to the character of Lucious to want to leave his legacy in the hands of a male heir. But part of me will always be disappointed we couldn’t have female versions of Andre, Jamal, and Hakeem.

But, as I said, Empire still delivers a range of complex female characters to love and love to hate.

Anika (Grace Gealy) is "a bitch who can slice your throat without even disturbing her pearls"
Anika (Grace Gealy) is “a ho who can slice your throat without even disturbing her pearls”

Anika (Grace Gealy), is head of Empire A&R and Lucious’s new woman. Anika and Cookie immediately strike up a fierce rivalry, first for power in the company (Anika backing Hakeem’s rising star, Cookie pushing for Jamal), and inevitably for Lucious’s affections. The rivalry works because each woman is equally savvy, but with opposing styles: where Cookie is all unbridled assertiveness, Anika is cool-headed and graceful even at her most sinister. It’s pretty much impossible not to root for Cookie, but Anika commands respect as a worthy opponent.

Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda in 'Empire'
Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda in Empire

Another schemer is Andre’s wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday), who also lusts for power through the proxy of her husband. Rhonda at first seems completely unsympathetic, seeking to put Jamal and Hakeem “at war” with each other to benefit Andre. The Lyon family find Rhonda inherently suspect because she’s a highly educated upper class white woman. When Andre defends his wife as “brilliant,” Cookie responds “Pretty white girls always are, even when they ain’t.” Lucious straight-up tells Andre, “the moment you brought that white woman into my house, I knew I couldn’t trust you. I knew then that you didn’t want to be part of my family.” But Rhonda truly cares for Andre and is in many ways a good match for him (as he also has a mind for business). And her alternating support of and frustration with her mentally ill partner shows her at her most genuine.

Lucious (Terrence Howard) being typically dismissive of his assistant Becky (Gabourey Sidibe)
Lucious (Terrence Howard) being typically dismissive of his assistant Becky (Gabourey Sidibe)

While not major characters, I would be remiss not to mention Lucious and Cookie’s all-star assistants. Gabourey Sidibe plays Becky, Lucious’s long-suffering but resilient PA. Becky expertly anticipates Lucious’s needs and exudes stunning patience with his routine dismissal of her. Cookie’s assistant Porsha (Ta’Rhonda Jones) is somewhat less competent (although nowhere near as inept as Cookie’s constant berating would have you believe). Porsha wins the audience’s respect by becoming something of a double agent after Anika asks her to betray Cookie. She can clearly hold her own in Empire‘s tangled web of manipulation.

Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) with his older paramour Camilla (Naomi Campbell)
Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) with his older paramour Camilla (Naomi Campbell)

Even Empire‘s most minor female characters are interesting. Hakeem’s love interests Tiana (Serayah) and Camilla (Naomi Campbell) both have their gif-able moments. When Hakeem catches Tiana cheating on him with a woman, she points out he also has “a side piece” and asks him if her indiscretion bothers him more because it was with a woman. She then demands respect for her girlfriend, making space for her on the set of a music video shoot. Older woman Camilla calls Hakeem out on the Oedipal element to their trysts (Hakeem was a baby when Cookie went to jail, so he grew up without a mother figure), and manages to hold her own in a showdown with Lucious, refusing his offer to pay her off to leave Hakeem.

So despite swapping its King Lear‘s daughters for sons, Empire manages to present an array of strong female characters. Cookie Lyon is a force of nature and an undeniable gift to pop culture, but the other women of Empire aren’t entirely eclipsed by her awesomeness. Which is really saying something. Here’s one more gif to prove it:

Cookie says "The streets aren't made for everybody. That's why they invented sidewalks."
Cookie says “The streets aren’t made for everybody. That’s why they invented sidewalks.”

 


Robin Hitchcock is an American writer living in Cape Town who hopes to one day be 1% as fabulous as Cookie Lyon.

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Check out what we’ve been reading this week–and let us know what you’ve been reading/writing in the comments!

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Diversity Wins Big at SAG Awards by Anita Little at Ms. blog

With shows like ‘Empire,’ ‘Black-ish’ and ‘Cristela,’ TV is more diverse than ever by Cecilia King at The Washington Post

‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot Sets All-Female Cast, Release Date by Daniel Kreps at Rolling Stone

Let’s Not Stop at Ghostbusters—Let’s Remake ALL Movies with Just Women by Lindy West at GQ

On Wealth and Women on TV by Sady Doyle at The Baffler

Iranian-American Filmmaker Breaks Out Of Boxes, Into The Box Office by Shereen Marisol Meraji at NPR

How the Media Exacerbates and Erases Black Women’s Suffering by Jenn M. Jackson at For Harriet

The best films we saw at Sundance by Claudia Puig at USA TODAY 

What have you been reading/writing this week? Tell us in the comments!

Bitch Flicks’ Weekly Picks

Check out what we’ve been reading this week–and let us know what you’ve been reading/writing in the comments!

recommended-red-714x300-1

The Many Truths of “Selma” by Zillah Eisenstein at Ms. blog

The Melissa Harris-Perry Syllabus 1.11.15 at msnbc

The ‘Selma’ “Controversy” Isn’t About History; It’s About Oscars by Jason Bailey at Flavorwire

The real American Sniper was a hate-filled killer. Why are simplistic patriots treating him as a hero? by Lindy West at The Guardian

Geena Davis Is Launching A Film Festival That Celebrates Women And Diversity by Ada Guzman at BUST

To get nominated for an Oscar, it’s still best to be a mediocre movie about a white guy by Todd VanDerWerff at Vox

Of Femmes, Films and Fatales by Regan Reid at Paste Magazine

Let 2015 Be the Year the Female Fuckup Goes Mainstream by Sarah Seltzer at Flavorwire

Being a “Difficult” Woman on TV and the Refreshing Brilliance of ‘The Comeback’ by Harry Waksberg at Splitsider

Allison Williams Says Tracy Flick Was the Inspiration for Marnie on Girls by Nate Jones at Vulture

Gender in Comedy by Boring Old Raphael on Tumblr

The 2015 Athena Film Festival Trailer Is Here! by Inkoo Kang at Women and Hollywood

 

What have you been reading/writing this week? Tell us in the comments!