Leading Women on TV: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
"Defining conventions for her time she's charming, not ashamed of her sexuality, smart and highly skilled and doing all that with an impeccable sense of style."
Lately I've been bothered by the lack of female characters on TV that I can relate to, that I consider real, complex, that look like me. I am a feminist, I don't conform to the traditional gender roles assigned to women. I am sick and tired of seeing women as victims on TV. I have a penchant for watching detective shows. Many times in these shows, in most TV shows on TV really, there's a male lead and women always play second fiddles or victims. A male lead that's genius but broken. Unable to maintain relationships, full of secrets that need to be unraveled, we tune in to figure him out- often times a white man. Lately I've grown tired of that. Women are often times the victims of male perpetrators rather then heroes who bring victims to justice. What about smart, independent women who have complex personalities? Where are they?
I am a huge fan of BBC's Sherlock and was looking for Detective shows like it and found Miss Fisher's Detective Mysteries. Set in the 1920's Australia this TV show follows the adventures of Phryne Fisher. Phryne is a well to do single, fashionable woman who finds herself in the scene of many crimes as she works with the local police department to solve murders with her talents of observation, character analysis, courage, charm and willingness to break the law to investigate crimes.
She embraces her sexuality engaging in sexual relationships with any man that she deems worthy of an adventure in bed with her. She does it shamelessly, normalizing behavior that women often get labeled and oppressed for but that men are glorified for- the right to have sex with whoever you want for pleasure. It's empowering to see this kind of woman on TV because this is defying the labeling that women get of being whores for enjoying sex as if our bodies were only made to reproduce. Guess what? we are human, we feel!
Phryne is an example of a feminist woman whose known tragedy and who uses her pain as motivation to help others get justice, safety and closure. Phryne's sister Janey was abducted by a man and murdered. She was able to help put the man behind bars and keep him there but is haunted by not knowing what exactly happened to her sister. She is haunted by memories of Janey and uses that pain to be a pillar of support for the characters she encounters throughout the show. In spite of this she does not live in fear of being herself she develops skills to be able to protect herself physically. She's quick to put herself in the path of danger , she's not vulnerable in need of protection even after such scary experience with her sister and that's inspiring. We are strong, we are not just victims.
The romance between Phryne and Detective Jack Robinson is very fun to watch and a relationship unlike any I've seen on TV. Often times we see a male lead who has a way of being and won't compromise it to be with a woman that clearly loves him and that he's clearly in love with. In this show it is the other way around- Phryne is unwilling to change to have a relationship with Jack. Jack is not asking her to change but she would have to leave her single life and some measure of freedom to investigate and all that to be with him in a relationship. Phryne is clear with Jack that she won't change for him. Doesn't mean she wouldn't like a romp in the sack with him as she's constantly flirting with him, making clear her desire for more then just a co- detectives relationship. In TV shows as in our society women's lives change the most when two people are in a relationship. Not that both parties don't make alterations to their lifestyles but none more than women- they change their last name in marriage for God's sake! It was refreshing to see a woman be so uncompromising, it made me think about the time I've compromised in relationships with men and felt like they weren't willing to make the same kind of compromises for me or the relationship. I've actually decided that when I get married I won't take my husbands last name, why should I? Unless he's willing to take mine, it makes no sense. It's like I'm saying I'm his property it would be erasing my family, my history.
This show touches on a lot of things that I struggle with as a woman. In just trying to be myself, feels like I have to fight with the world to be seen as worthy of respect and of the same kind of treatment that men take for granted daily. Men and women have different natures, but our ways of being are both equally valuable to society. I am not weak because I am emotional, that makes me compassionate that allows me to make more educated decisions, to build relationships, maintain families and societies going. In the show Phryne comes across sexist people who often judge her or make things harder for her because of her ways of being, it's things that women deal with everyday. I'm glad there's a show out there addressing these issues!
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