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In the first episode of season one in the Netflix series, Good Girls, the central themes of crime and female empowerment are represented. The show is a feminist crime drama about three independent women Beth, her sister Annie and their best friend Ruby, who take part in illegal activities to gain financial safety, in desperation to support their families. The show presents women in Detroit dealing with real relatable situations. Beth is a perfect housewife and mother who cares for her four children like no other, but her cheating husband has put their whole family in financial debt. Her little sister, Annie is a single mother, who is caught up in a custody case with her ex, who wants full rights over her child. Lastly, Ruby is a mother of two married to a policeman, but unfortunately can’t afford to pay for her daughter’s drugs and medical bills, as she is very ill and on a waiting list for a kidney transplant. In episode one of the show, Annie suggests that they rob “Fine and Frugal” the grocery store where she works, under the impression that it will only be a one time thing, and a great opportunity to get rid of all of their life problems at once. Halfway through the pilot, when the women have successfully robbed hundreds and thousands of dollars from the cash vault, they realize they have escaped with way more money than possible. Later on, they find out that the manager of the store has been secretly involved in laundering money to a gang. Throughout the entire show, the three women stick together as they are forced into doing suspicious crimes with a shady gang, in order to not get caught and risk losing everything; their kids, their homes or each other.
In the past recent years, women have usually been exploited on television. Women or females in crime television are so often portrayed as more vulnerable and insecure than males. However, in Good Girls, the three protagonists, appear as fierce, bold and passionate women who would do anything for their families. The crime performed in the pilot is represented as one of the only options to settle all three of their problems at once. It’s their desperation for money that encourages them to proceed with such a robbery. Nonetheless, there is not one moment in the show where the “good girls” are presented or viewed as criminals even though they are guilty of illegal activity that could get them in prison for at least ten years. In fact, it’s almost as if they got the benefit of the doubt, because of their circumstances and intentions. Is it okay to do something illegal when it’s a matter of life or death for your child? If these women are as clever as the series presents them to be, it appears a bit odd and out of character for them to think they could execute a heist without any consequences especially with fake, toy pistols. The fact that they are using fake guns to frighten and threaten people in the store emphasizes the humorous and playful representation of crime in the show. Even at one moment of the heist, Beth momentarily forgets she’s in the middle of a crime and aims to start a conversation with a little girl under the cashier. She asks, “How old are you?” and whether or not she watches Doc Mcstuffins. The girl of course, doesn’t answer as she is tightly holding on to her mother, traumatized. There is nothing foolish about what these women are doing, yet the way Beth gets distracted in such a serious situation, represents the crime in a comedic and amusing way, as if the audience is supposed to laugh.
The series, depicts how real feminism and women empowerment work and should be. Throughout the whole show the three women are always focused on each other’s problems and how they can help each other out to accomplish their goal. A perfect example of this is the official robbing of the grocery store itself. They risk their whole lives getting involved in a crime knowing they are going in it together, therefore they all need to find a way out. However, the show does not portray the relationship amongst these women as a competition. It’s not about who’s problem is more severe than another, but about being there for each other in hard circumstances. In the beginning of the series, the women are represented as powerless, hopeless, and characters who are dominated and play a less significant role in the world than men. This is clear when each of them are no longer in control of their lives. For example; when Annie knows she is going to lose her child because she can’t afford a lawyer to fight against her ex in court. Another example, when Beth realizes her husband has been cheating on her and she is going to lose her home due to his irresponsibility. However, during the heist there is a sudden character development where the rebellious women realize they need to act tougher and take full control of the situation, in order to accomplish it. An example of this is in the scene where the women march into the supermarket asking for the manager. Annie screams, “I need you to get your manager up here.” After looking around the store and not receiving a response or a reaction from anyone she repeats, “I said you need to get a manager up here right now.” Once again, no one responds or moves, giving the audience the assumption that she is acting too soft and not being taken seriously. Beth then immediately arrives to reclaim some power. She screams at the top of her lungs, “I better get a manager up here right now or I will start capping people! Now! Now! Now!” From then on, the manager came forward and they proceeded to the back, to the cash vault. In this moment, we can see the clear change in the way the hostages and the audience view the three women. They are now actually viewed as capable and very determined.
Another example of women being represented as powerful is in the screenshot above, all three of the women are seen wearing ski masks and yellow gloves, while holding fake pistols in their hands. While their faces are identifiable, the way in which they are standing and holding their guns represents their confidence and strength. Their standing up straight, in a pressuring way with Annie slightly in front and Beth and Ruby slightly behind her. Although it isn’t supposed to be intention, the position is meant to intimidate the people inside, to carry out a successful heist.
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