"I’m also wary of art that panders to my biases, and I can’t deny there were times in these episodes (including the finale) where I rolled my eyes at how hard Hawley and company were hitting their points."
I respect this. And generally, I agree. It's not that I think the show's message is off the mark, but there's enough rhetoric out ther…
"I’m also wary of art that panders to my biases, and I can’t deny there were times in these episodes (including the finale) where I rolled my eyes at how hard Hawley and company were hitting their points."
I respect this. And generally, I agree. It's not that I think the show's message is off the mark, but there's enough rhetoric out there, and I prefer my art with a side of nuance. I want it to ask more of me than just reaffirming my beliefs.
But I'm not sure I felt that here. Neither Lyon nor Tillman felt like obvious Trump stand-ins, liberal boogeymen, or anything that hyperbolic. They represent opposite sides of American authoritarianism—Tillman by force, Lyon by finance. She may present herself as a conservative caricature, but she is much more in the neoliberal vein of picking people's pockets with full impunity. I think they both made great villains, and while I could quibble with the resolution that one is worse than the other, the house always wins, and the more I think about it, the more it seems obvious Tillman never stood a chance against her. I think you were on the money last week when you talked about debt being the primary theme of the season, and I think Hawley's politics here are more nuanced than he initially presents them. Just my take, of course.
"I’m also wary of art that panders to my biases, and I can’t deny there were times in these episodes (including the finale) where I rolled my eyes at how hard Hawley and company were hitting their points."
I respect this. And generally, I agree. It's not that I think the show's message is off the mark, but there's enough rhetoric out there, and I prefer my art with a side of nuance. I want it to ask more of me than just reaffirming my beliefs.
But I'm not sure I felt that here. Neither Lyon nor Tillman felt like obvious Trump stand-ins, liberal boogeymen, or anything that hyperbolic. They represent opposite sides of American authoritarianism—Tillman by force, Lyon by finance. She may present herself as a conservative caricature, but she is much more in the neoliberal vein of picking people's pockets with full impunity. I think they both made great villains, and while I could quibble with the resolution that one is worse than the other, the house always wins, and the more I think about it, the more it seems obvious Tillman never stood a chance against her. I think you were on the money last week when you talked about debt being the primary theme of the season, and I think Hawley's politics here are more nuanced than he initially presents them. Just my take, of course.