The best series of the season recounts the untold story of the struggles behind the attempted passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s (made more compelling by the fact the fight is still going on).
And while all the big personalities of the feminist movement are represented (through some spectacular casting), the story of “Mrs. America” (Hulu, streaming) comes through the perspective of Phyllis Schlafly – the longtime conservative activist who mostly was concerned with the Red Menace before she got involved in organizing to defeat the ERA and, perhaps, along the way, helping ignite today’s right wing.
Cate Blanchett, one of the finest actresses today (especially after her spectacular turns in “I’m Not There” and “Manifesto”) may bring more of a glamor to Schlafly, the mother of six from Illinois, but she also brings more of a complexity to what could have been a one-dimensional activist.
A lot of credit goes to the series creator Dahvi Waller, who worked on “Mad Men,” who creates an entertaining but educational look at the movement and its various warring facets, using a dream casting that has Margo Martingale as Bella Abzug, Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan, Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem and Uzu Aruba as Shirley Chisholm. Wait, there’s more: with Elizabeth Banks as Jill Ruckelshaus and parts for John Slattery, Sarah Paulson, Melanie Lynskey, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Niecy Nash, among others.
And it’s not just a parade of faces, either. Like “Mad Men,” there’s quite a bit of period detail from the styling and costumes to the array of music choices. The political machinations of what to fight for and how are relevant to just about any organizing on either side.
Schlafly’s irony is that while she claimed to be fighting for women to stay at home, she was as busy working as any of her rivals.
It’s a well-built series, with a central issue to each episode as time marches on and only nine to watch. Since it was developed by FX, it seems like it should have the wider distribution of cable, but so far it’s a showcase for something called FX on Hulu, which seems to me to be just FX shows that are only available on the streaming service (such is the result of all of the corporate synergy).
Still, for those who bought subscriptions to Hulu for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Mrs. America” seems perfectly suited in both quality and topical relevance.