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Harris's List: Harlots in the Media

OtterMommy

By OtterMommy
in Harlots [V]

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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

That news makes me really happy.  The first season certainly was not without its flaws, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this show that quietly succeeded in the shadow of the much much higher profile Handmaid's Tale on the same streaming service.   Probably because it took a subject that typically exists in drama for male titillation and put the focus squarely on the female experience and gaze and left it there without beating you over the head with how revolutionary or edgy it was being in doing so.

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tongueincheek

tongueincheek

Fabulous news!

18 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

That news makes me really happy.  The first season certainly was not without its flaws, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this show that quietly succeeded in the shadow of the much much higher profile Handmaid's Tale on the same streaming service.   Probably because it took a subject that typically exists in drama for male titillation and put the focus squarely on the female experience and gaze and left it there without beating you over the head with how revolutionary or edgy it was being in doing so.

Echoing this to also shout out that their entire creative team is all women. 

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kieyra

kieyra

22 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

That news makes me really happy.  The first season certainly was not without its flaws, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this show that quietly succeeded in the shadow of the much much higher profile Handmaid's Tale on the same streaming service.   Probably because it took a subject that typically exists in drama for male titillation and put the focus squarely on the female experience and gaze and left it there without beating you over the head with how revolutionary or edgy it was being in doing so.

There was something very "two sides of the same coin" about Handmaid's Tale and Harlots' co-existence on Hulu. 

Very happy to see it renewed. 

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CelticBlackCat

CelticBlackCat

2 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Season 2 will start July 11!

While I'm bummed to wait a bit longer for it, I'm actually happy that it is giving me something to watch during the summer months...

Thanks for the update!  I keep seeing my Harlots show saved in my Roku as "All Caught Up" and was wondering when, or even IF, there'd be another season!  It will be fun to revisit these gals (and guys) again in the summertime!

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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

How ‘Harlots’ Gives Women A Break From Having To Translate Their Stories From The Male Gaze

Found this while looking to see who's writing about the new season.  This makes brief mention of S02E03, but nothing particularly spoilery.  It sums up what gives this show such a pleasantly unique feeling.

Quote

"Literally the middle man is taken out," Owen says about how the female gaze operates on the show. "It enables you to do less work, and enjoy the experience in a really strange way. [...] It was like a warm bath, going, 'Oh I can just watch this as if it's coming from my brain and my experience as a woman on this planet, even though it's 18th century. I can just feel I am one of these women.'"

 

Harlots is the other woman-driven Hulu show everyone should be talking about

Doesn't cover a ton of new ground but I appreciate any bit of writing that acknowledges how much fun and thought-provoking this show is while not being as heavy or taking itself as seriously as The Handmaid's Tale does.

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

Any news on whether or not Harlots is getting a season 3? It bugs me that Handmaid's Tale gets all the attention for Hulu. I enjoy Harlots so much more and I think it's a shame that it doesn't get more recognition. 

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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

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That is a fascinating article and, honestly, the sex scenes are the least fascinating thing about it.  I love how this show is so respectful of the actresses (and actors) and I think that really shows in their performances.

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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

I'm honestly amused a lot of the time how the only thing you see in so many of the sex scenes is the occasional bare male ass.

I can't remember now which article it was or I'd find it and link to it that specifically mentioned the scene in the first episode of this season where Margaret is kicking Harriet out of the house and it intercuts with all the other women servicing clients but clearly preoccupied in listening to the fight.  The comment was that the scene likely never would have happened that way had it been written or staged by men, but because the show is strictly from the women's point of view where sex is a transactional thing we get to see that isn't where their focus is at all. 

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ferjy

ferjy

On 8/1/2018 at 4:04 PM, Avaleigh said:

Any news on whether or not Harlots is getting a season 3? It bugs me that Handmaid's Tale gets all the attention for Hulu. I enjoy Harlots so much more and I think it's a shame that it doesn't get more recognition. 

When it first started, I read a comment saying they couldn’t watch a show with so much sex. I remember thinking “Erm... ‘Harlots!’ What did you expect it to be about?” But it really is more about their jobs and their lives than sex itself. I love all the bored looks or their interest elsewhere while they’re in the middle of it. That person missed the whole point of the series, I thought. 

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ElizaD

ElizaD

I'm so surprised and so, so thrilled! Even though Harlots should be exactly my thing (historical + women-focused), somehow there was so little promotion and buzz that I didn't start watching until season 2 and then it quickly became my #2 favorite of all shows currently airing. Because I heard so little about Harlots and the season 2 finale seemed like a nice "just in case we're canceled" wrap-up, I thought there was almost no hope for a renewal. More than anything I want a return to the season 1 vibe (which I found even better than season 2 after I binged it) with Charlotte spending less time chasing serial killers and more on figuring out how to run a business. I love the whole cast, really, and the potential of where the finale left them,

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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

Mildly spoilery, but a good review for season 3 nonetheless.

Hulu's erotic drama exploring the lives of 18th-century sex workers remains as thrilling and intelligent as ever in its third season.

This is also a seriously terrific review about what makes this show tick.

Why Hulu’s Harlots Is the Best Period Drama You’ve Never Seen

Quote

More modern shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and Westworld have grappled with ideas of sex work, desire, and what sort of women are allowed agency and self-determination in their own lives. Harlots addresses the topic more directly—it is a show about prostitutes, after all—by using the oldest profession to ask probing questions about power, violence, solidarity and safety in ways that are explicitly connected to the experience of being female.

In doing so, Harlots manages to give voice to a very specific kind of female anger and frustration, one which both accurately reflects the rapidly changing social structure of the Georgian period and provides an interesting lens through which to view our modern day time period. This is a historical story, to be sure, but its themes are universal, and its female characters face problems and concerns that are still deeply familiar to women today.

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nodorothyparker

nodorothyparker

Inside ‘Harlots’: A Rousing Celebration of Sex Work—and Women’s Sexual Power

Pretty good interview with the show's creators about their thought process behind the show and their expanding vision for it.

Quote

It’s rare to see a sex worker portrayed in mainstream media as more than just a side character or a punchline, let alone a series that acknowledges that sex work is work from the very start. In Harlots, it’s not the job that oppresses workers in the sex industry—it’s hypocritical politicians, violent constables, and punitive laws. Sex work criminalization and stigmatization still kill, making the issues and injustices that Harlots explores more relevant now than ever. Buffini told The Daily Beast that current activism around sex workers’ rights and recent pushes for decriminalization are “much discussed in the writer’s room,” reiterating, “this is a current show disguised as a costume drama.” She continued, “We were extremely glad to discover that sex workers watched our show and liked it. The stigma around sex work is frankly Victorian and weird. Why is it so hard to respect someone for doing this difficult job with such precarious rights?”

“We haven’t received any criticism from sex workers—but if we did, we’d listen.”

This one's a little spoilery both in text and pictures. 

Harlots season three – smutty sex-trade drama is a feminist triumph

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chaifan

chaifan

(edited)

Does anyone know why IMDB isn't giving any information for season 3 episodes?  3/1 has just a few cast members listed, nothing for 3/2. 

Edited by chaifan
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heckkitty

heckkitty

19 hours ago, chaifan said:

Does anyone know why IMDB isn't giving any information for season 3 episodes?  3/1 has just a few cast members listed, nothing for 3/2. 

I noticed the same thing. No idea why.

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

So did this not get renewed for season 4? No info about it being cancelled or renewed. I wonder what's happening? I'll be so bummed if this show doesn't come back. I feel like there's enough material where you could easily get five or six seasons out of it especially since they only do 8 episode seasons. 

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OtterMommy

OtterMommy

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1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

So did this not get renewed for season 4? No info about it being cancelled or renewed. I wonder what's happening? I'll be so bummed if this show doesn't come back. I feel like there's enough material where you could easily get five or six seasons out of it especially since they only do 8 episode seasons. 

There still has not been an announcement either way...which is strange...

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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

On 4/9/2020 at 12:39 AM, CrystalBlue said:

Not an official announcement, but I found this.

https://lifekino.club/harlots-season-4.html

If true, we're looking at July 2020 for another 10 episodes!

I love how they called Joe an “African American”.....hes British. 
 

I wonder if we will still get the episodes with the shutdown. Perhaps given with a July releasing filming might have been done before March. 

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CrystalBlue

CrystalBlue

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I love how they called Joe an “African American”.....hes British. 
 

I wonder if we will still get the episodes with the shutdown. Perhaps given with a July releasing filming might have been done before March. 

Yeah, label failure there.  At least they didn't call him an AA.  Might lead someone to believe he's a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, not that there's anything wrong with that.

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chaifan

chaifan

That sucks.

If you like Harlots and you're not watching The Great, you should be.  It's also a fun romp, bawdy at times, great period costumes.  But I'd say Harlots is more historically accurate.

 

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Avaleigh

Avaleigh

I had a feeling. Too much time went by without any news plus actors moving on to other projects. Oh well, it was fine while it lasted.

I'm looking forward to seeing Lesley Manville play Princess Margaret in The Crown. 

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