Suburban Dad Pop

In contemporary America, different voices are valued differently. As a 46-year-old, white man in America, my voice and opinions are listened to and valued – especially by law enforcement, advertisers, and lenders . Regardless of whether the words coming out of my mouth are gibberish or on the very rare occasion are insightful, the things that I say carry weight.

Not every American has that luxury.

Different voices having different weight is a dominant theme of both the most recent season of True Detective (HBO) and Fargo (FX). Respectively taking place in the bleak ruralness of the Alaskan Arctic Circle and in more conventionally rural North Dakota, these vastly different shows give voice to the voiceless and allow the victims of domestic violence to be both heard and seen.

In the most recent installment of True Detective, law enforcement officials Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) navigate the Alaskan wilderness while finding themselves entangled in multiple investigations revolving around the murder of an indigenous woman and social activist named Annie, who before falling victim to domestic violence, was on the brink of exposing the dark secrets of fictional town Ennis.

In Fargo, the incomparable Juno Temple plays protagonist Nadine Tillman, a physically abused former child bride who is perpetually on the run from ex-husband and rural North Dakota Sherriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm); A Cliven Bundy like character who has a penchant for violence, a fondness for quoting the bible, and a disdain for the federal government. Nadine, a survivor in every sense of the word, has started a new life in Minnesota under an alias, but as Roy and his henchmen start to close in, Nadine has not choice but to defend herself and her family from Tillman’s Christian Nationalist retribution.

Of course, you may be saying to yourself, that these are works of fiction and not to be taken literally. While these very particular characters may not have existed in the real world, the sad truth of the matter is that women, particularly indigenous women, suffer high rates of domestic violence and even murder, and that they often have no champion to listen to them. In the rural and lower 48, the statistics aren’t much better.

These types of stories need to be told and the showrunners, producers, and creators should be lauded for their storytelling and their willingness to give women like Nadine and Annie a voice.

Issa Lopez, creator, director, writer, producer, and showrunner of TDNC while not indigenous, is of Latin descent, which gives her a unique and nuanced view of the tribulations minority women face around the world and her visual storytelling of the was nothing short of remarkable and managed to simultaneously feel like, with its framing, pacing, and use of light, a perfect blend of classic cinema and contemporary horror.

This who-done-it, Alaskan noir, through its use of women detectives solving Annie’s case, alert and remind the viewer that women’s lives, especially the lives of those that are indigenous, are worth less than those of men. In the barren frozen plains of America’s 49^th state, no one is coming to save them and more times than not, these women have to save themselves and avenge their fallen sisters.

Fargo season five creator, writer, director, producer, and show runner Noah Hawley does an equally impressive job giving voice to women who are married as children, scarred by sexual and physical abuse, and broken by psychological torment. Hawley, at least in my view as a suburban and middle-aged dad and husband, does his best to capture these horrors as well as the cultural systemic morays that allow, and even encourage, these abuses to occur.

These cultures are at the root of the abuse as the abusers have no one to hold them accountable and in the case of Fargo, are the law. This is perfectly portrayed in the waning moments of True Detective when an indigenous ‘Auntie’ named Bea when asked why she didn’t report more of what she saw. Her annoyed response, ‘To who? The cops?’, perfectly encapsulates this plight.

Of course, class is involved in both stories as well, because this is America and class, police protection, and domestic violence are intertwined. In Ennis, the poorer citizens, who are of course largely indigenous, are being disproportionally affected by the pollution from a local mine. This pollution causes higher cancer rates, stillbirths, and other health impairments. Eventually, the townspeople riot against these aggressions only to beaten by police and private security hired by a local mining company.

In North Dakota, the viewer is treated to a sublime and supernatural subplot involving a commoner named Ole Munch (Sam Spurell) who has survived for centuries by eating the sins of the wealthy. Ole’s centuries old curse comes to a mid-season crescendo when he finds himself involved in a domestic violence situation revolving around a mother/son relationship. It is Fargo, so of course bloody, over the top violence ensues.

So, as viewers and connoisseurs, of stories, what can we do to help? A good place to start would be taking the messages these stories convey seriously, regardless of how over-the-top and sprinkled they supernatural they are. Another step, would be leaving positive and detailed reviews for these shows so their aggregate scores are improved and as a result more likely to show up in recommended algorithms.

The third, and most important helping step would be listening to the stories women tell and helping their voice carry as much weight as their male counterparts.

BISQUIK AND BULLETS

• Previous to the most recent season of Fargo, I was only familiar with Juno Temple as the talented and bubbly Keely Jones in Ted Lasso. I had no idea she had this gear and am looking forward to further diving in to her filmogrophy.
• Kali Ries, is a star in the making, and was one of the more enjoyable characters in True Detective and I can’t wait to see where her acting career takes her.
• Noah Hawley has never shied away from taking chances and no where is this more clear than in Episode 7. Titled Linda, this episode tugs at the heartstrings via puppet show. Believe me and just watch it.
• Click on this link for the National Domestic Abuse Hotline and call 800-799-7233 for help.