S01.E03: Shirley

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Shirley Chisholm makes a historic run for president, while Gloria struggles to play politics at the DNC. Phyllis takes her new anti-ERA organization national. Written by Tanya Barfield; directed by Amma Asante.

Original air date: 4/15/20

[IndyMischa]

Did anyone else think Uzo was overacting in this ep? I loved her Chisholm the first two episodes, but kept falling into "stop being Suzanne" in this one. 

[leighdear]

On 4/15/2020 at 3:47 PM, IndyMischa said:

Did anyone else think Uzo was overacting in this ep? I loved her Chisholm the first two episodes, but kept falling into "stop being Suzanne" in this one. 

Yep, and I think it was also the paranoia, looking for hidden microphones & the like.  Definitely the "crazy eyes" looks we know from OITNB.  

[bmoore4026]

Three episodes in my mom and I are all in.  Loving the acting for the most part and the women are fascinating.  Schlafly was not a good woman but she was smart and organized and knew how to mobilize.  I was amazed how fast she was able to turn things around with the Southern women on the fly like that. 

Compare that with how the Women's Rights leaders are doing.  They're constantly needling each other, bickering with each other, and being undermined by political forces they are unprepared to deal with.  Were they really so politically unsavvy? 

I can't go further into this because I'm sure to put my foot in my mouth and I'm sure I will given I don't know the whole story behind this.  I do find it fascinating that Schlafly hasn't even reached the national spotlight yet and the ERA is already floundering.  To me, it's obvious that Schlafly didn't need to do much.  Abzug, Steinman, and Friedan were fine at torpedoing things all by themselves.

[IndyMischa]

21 hours ago, leighdear said:

Yep, and I think it was also the paranoia, looking for hidden microphones & the like.  Definitely the "crazy eyes" looks we know from OITNB.  

Thank you! I kept thinking "hi, Suzanne" and getting pulled out of the story.

[Zima]

Ugh. The scene where STOP ERA was holding their meeting, and that woman said she didn't want men and women to integrate the way that the whites and the "coloreds" had. I know that things like that are still being said today, and we haven't come as far as we think we have. I noticed that Phyllis interrupted her, and I can't help but wonder if the show is trying to paint her in a more sympathetic light by implying that she wasn't racist (which I highly doubt. I'm sure she shared the same sentiments as other white women of privilege).

[tennisgurl]

I agree that Shirley was going rather over the top, and while I can get that things were heating up and she was increasingly pissed off, but she started going a bit too crazy eyes. 

So both the pro and against ERA women struggle with internal conflict this episode and the struggles between different factions inside of their movements. The EPA women fight over their candidate and how much to ask for, from both their party and from their opposition, while the Anti EPA women meet with their deep south counterparts, who are so out and obviously racist, that even Phyllis and her people are uncomfortable. They are also certainly on the racist side as well, but presumably more of the "hiding behind a veneer of politeness" sort, and not the "lets just turn this into a KKK rally" sort. But while Phyllis manages to get things back on track, the ERA women just about implode in their own internal bickering. Phyllis might be a terrible person, but that lady could sure organize! 

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On 4/20/2020 at 2:45 AM, Zima said:

Ugh. The scene where STOP ERA was holding their meeting, and that woman said she didn't want men and women to integrate the way that the whites and the "coloreds" had. I know that things like that are still being said today, and we haven't come as far as we think we have. I noticed that Phyllis interrupted her, and I can't help but wonder if the show is trying to paint her in a more sympathetic light by implying that she wasn't racist (which I highly doubt. I'm sure she shared the same sentiments as other white women of privilege).

It was less about Phyllis not being racist and more about Phyllis being cognizant enough to know that being THAT openly racist was not a good look for their group. 

[Elbow]

On 4/15/2020 at 4:47 PM, IndyMischa said:

Did anyone else think Uzo was overacting in this ep? I loved her Chisholm the first two episodes, but kept falling into "stop being Suzanne" in this one. 

She’s a horrible actress. Eventually, people will realize Crazy Eyes was just her being her own phony self.

[mommalib]

Black feminist need to watch this episode. When it's really time to ride your on your own and your "white sisters" gonna put their interest before yours or just ignore your interest altogether. 

And I thought Uzo was great this episode, especially when expressing her heartbreak that she wasn't getting the support she thought she would.

Edited April 28, 2020 by mommalib

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in Mrs. America, Episodes 1-3

[Marley]

Shirley was definitely overacting and all I could think of was crazy eyes the whole time. Kind of ruined the episode for me.

[Zima]

On 4/27/2020 at 8:02 PM, mommalib said:

Black feminist need to watch this episode. When it's really time to ride your on your own and your "white sisters" gonna put their interest before yours or just ignore your interest altogether. 

And I thought Uzo was great this episode, especially when expressing her heartbreak that she wasn't getting the support she thought she would.

I totally agree! White feminists will never understand the struggles that women of color face, and will even get offended when confronted with the fact that they have extra struggles that have to do with race and not just womanhood.

I thought Uzo has been great the entire series, and don't understand all of the hate for her acting. 

[Commando Cody]

I thought her acting was great.  

The only thing that takes me out of the episode is whoever plays Gloria.  All I thought about, whenever she was on screen, is what a miscast she she is.  That wig  - really terrible and distracting. 

Otherwise, I think the casting of this show was really well done.  I think the acting is really good. I almost didn't watch after the second episode, but Hulu queued it up after something else I was watching. So I went with it. 

I also think that whenever Margo Martindale's name is in the credits, it should be written as "Beloved Character Actress Margo Martindale".  

Those women for the ERA sure knew how to undermine each other. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Shirley tells it like it is

 

[Cruella]

I think they also showed that black men as political force weren't supportive of poc women's issues either. While you'd think they witnessed them firsthand, not to mention being part of the problem. Which is how it happened IRL with Shirley. 

[rollacoaster]

I loved this episode! It really brought home the impossible situation that Shirley was in. As a women, not being able to get the support of men, either Black or white; and as a Black woman, not being able to count on the support of white women. I thought Uzo portrayed all the conflicting emotions really well. She made me feel Shirley's pain and frustration as she watched all her political dreams crumble. 

On 5/6/2020 at 9:37 AM, Commando Cody said:

That wig  - really terrible and distracting. 

It pretty much looks like Gloria's hair from that time. 

[Blakeston]

So what did people make of the ending, with the revelation that Phyllis has a bunker? Did that have some kind of symbolism, or direct relevance to the plot?

[Kirkydee]

20 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

So what did people make of the ending, with the revelation that Phyllis has a bunker? Did that have some kind of symbolism, or direct relevance to the plot?

I thought it was Phyllis getting back to her roots.  Her main issue prior to the ERA was national security.  Particularly the red scare.  I'll bet she was very pro McCarthy and feared the Russians were coming at any time

[SlovakPrincess]

On 4/15/2020 at 4:47 PM, IndyMischa said:

Did anyone else think Uzo was overacting in this ep? I loved her Chisholm the first two episodes, but kept falling into "stop being Suzanne" in this one. 

Ha, maybe this is where not having seen much OITNB helps me.  I don't really see overacting from Uzo in this episode.  I do think feeling like nobody was really in her corner started to make Shirley a little paranoid by the end.  

I got really verklempt at the end when the women cheered for Shirley on the stage -- even though it was basically a consolation prize to get that small bit of recognition.  It was a bittersweet moment, like they were seeing what might have been if Shirley had won the nomination.  And maybe some regret that they underestimated and didn't support her.  

[lovinbob]

When I saw Niecy Nash onscreen I kept thinking I would have liked to see what she could have done with the Shirley Chisholm role.