Netflix Originals have a theme—badass lady detectives.
by Kaylen Ralph
When you binge-watch enough Netflix, certain thematic patterns start to emerge. After reading an article about how “The Fall,” a serial murder drama series starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, is “the most feminist show on television,” and then watching it from start to finish, I started investigating what other feminist Netflix Original programming I might be missing out on. Netflix is slowly filling the feminist void that exists in popular programming at large (if you ignore the Asian-woman fetishizing that drips from Marco Polo). It was just announced that Netflix already snapped up the amateur porn industry documentary Hot Girls Wanted, produced by Rashida Jones in partnership with the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research, which is only the latest in a series of feminist documentaries available on the streaming website.
What makes me think that Netflix has staying power as a feminist powerhouse is that it’s not afraid to offer multiple shows with similar subject matter (leaving zero question as to whether their business plan revolves around one-offs that tackle one sexist trope before moving on to the next one). Specifically, there are three series currently streaming on Netflix that defy other networks’ portrayals of the male, “white knight” detective (think of the first season of “True Detective” on HBO or the FX hit “Justified”). “The Fall” and “Happy Valley” both originally aired on BBC; “The Killing” is the American remake of the Danish series Forbrydelsen, first picked up by AMC and then carried through the final season by Netflix. Of course all of these women have their individual flaws (and notably, there is not one WOC starring in any of these three shows), but their shared badassery makes me hopeful the next Netflix Original series might show what happens when the three of them combine forces and effectively achieve world domination.
1. Sarah Linden—“The Killing”
The one bone to pick with this show is that Liden (as portrayed by Mireille Enos) falls into the work-versus-family dilemma. As she gets more involved at work and more obsessed with her cases, her personal life crumbles, and she’s often portrayed as a bad mother. But moving on—in this blogpost originally published by Em & Lo, the show’s feminist triumphs are outlined in detail: lesbian characters (plural!), a male partner who doesn’t fall into the “macho cop” trap, and realistic styling choices that don’t downplay her age and profession (i.e. minimal makeup, functional clothing, etc.)
2. Catherine Cawood—“Happy Valley”
“Happy Valley” is a feminist triumph for two reasons. The first is for the same reason why “The Killing” and “The Fall” succeed. Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood (as portrayed by Sarah Lancashire) is an independent, professional woman who kicks ass at her job. The second reason, as pointed out by The Daily Beast’s Batya Ungar-Sargon, is that the show itself defies the way women are portrayed in crime shows:
“Written and directed by Sally Wainwright, the show has magically transformed the genre, decoupling the violence against women from the suspense that keeps us watching, without sacrificing the gripping absorption offered by the best crime dramas,” Ungar-Sargon writes. “It is a uniquely feminist approach to suspense, transforming the viewer’s experience by modifying all the tropes of the genre.”
The first six-episode season was released in August; the second is set for release later this year.
3. Stella Gibson—“The Fall”
“…the basic human form is female; maleness is a kind of birth defect.”
So says Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), an English detective brought into Belfast to lead an investigation surrounding a string of murders. Jamie Dornan plays a twisted predator named Paul Specter (50 Shades of Creepy, anyone?), who is selective in marking his prey. This acts as an unsettling, nightmare-inducing plot line, but Gibson’s complete and utter control of the situation at all times offsets the terror-inducing feelings. Specter’s deviant and adept at sidestepping the police’s efforts. He’s always thinking one step ahead, and she’s right there with him, anticipating his moves by building a profile of his pathologies and motivations, all while serving as the whip-smart and unwavering leader of her team. Plus, she’s got a badass wardrobe to boot (leather pencil skirts, heels all day, power blowouts, etc.). Rounding out the dominant female-led show is an eager assistant investigating officer, an established chief pathologist, and a 16-year-old siren whose infatuation with Specter has the potential to bring his carefully constructed master plan crashing down around him.
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Kaylen is one of The Riveter’s co-founders and the EIC. She moved to Minneapolis, MN after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism in August 2013. In addition to her editorial duties at The Riveter, Kaylen also works as a freelance researcher for The Sager Group. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter at @kaylenralph.
