Crime
Wayward
Wayward tries to make a statement about intergenerational trauma, but it comes with a lot of content issues that will make the show a nonstarter for many.
How much can a woman take before she just… explodes? Well, that depends on the woman.
Take the case of the three older teens at the core of The Power.
Roxy feels like she’s near exploding all of the time–something her father has duly noted. She is “too emotional,” he says. That’s why he won’t give her a real position in his mob dealings. And although she can’t deny these accusations, she’d probably feel different if her father would just stop acting like she’s an illegitimate leach. She’d also feel different if her father wouldn’t have left her and her mother for another woman and forgotten that they exist.
Jos is sort of teetering on the edge. She’s sick of her mother, tired of poverty and is quick to use social media as an outlet to comment on political hypocrisy because, well, it’s easier to comment on a post than speak your mind.
And then there’s Allie. Well, Allie has been silent for six months. Six long months of sexual abuse from her foster father. And she’s done being silent. She’s done sitting back and allowing evil to happen to her. She’s far past exploding.
But for these women, the idea of exploding isn’t just emotional. It isn’t just mental. There’s something surging through these women’s veins–some electric force that has the power to seriously hurt others, especially those who have mistreated them. Where did the power come from? And how long until it’s used in all its pulsing glory?
Well, like I said before, that depends on the woman.
What happens when women are belittled, gaslighted, abused and made to feel less than?
Amazon Prime has an imaginative answer.
The Power, a TV-16+ rated show, begins to dive into the abuse, misogyny and mistreatment that it says women undergo from men on a daily basis.
It wants to tell its audience that true power comes when women have had enough. And, in this case, the power is an electric shock that women develop in their hands as their lives worsen. A power they will use to bring about change.
At the beginning, as the show follows each of these girls’ lives, no one can figure out what’s happening. The only thing that is clear is that a power is forming across the world and with each offense and mistreatment, it grows.
Men are, generally, the villains here. They sexually abuse, manipulate, mistreat and gaslight the women around them. Never mind that women can do all of these things as well. The only thing we see and hear is that women are victims. And they’re sick of it.
From the first episode, it’s not clear what that may include in its entirety. But what viewers do see is that tension is rising and women are going to unite. They also see a near-rape scene (one that is insinuated but strong enough to disturb viewers), microaggressions, plenty of violence, dismissive attitudes toward Christianity and a same-sex interlude. They hear harsh profanity and references to both drugs and alcohol, as well.
One main character says that “every revolution begins with a spark.” And that’s where this is headed–right down a road that will probably go up in problematic flames.
The opening episode follows the lives of three teen girls (Allie, Roxy, Jos) as they learn about their new power. Allie uses her power to overcome sexual abuse from her foster father; Roxy attempts to use her powers to help her mother, but she’s too late; Jos begins to uncover her power with the help of a friend. Meanwhile, Tunde, a teen boy, researches this power as he strives to become a journalist.
Tunde swims shirtless and makes out with a young woman, but their makeout session is cut short when she accidentally electrocutes his backside. A few young women sport cleavage-baring tops. Roxy asks why her stepbrother is “sweating like a rapist.” Roxy’s father asks her if she’s interested in boys or girls. Later, we see Roxy making out with a young woman as the two drink hard liquor. A young man sees borderline pornographic images online. Roxy says that her father cheated on her mother.
Allie’s foster father takes his belt off and pushes her to the ground. It appears that he attempts to rape her, but she electrocutes him with her hands and kills him. (It’s clear that this is a common event for her and that the foster mother knows about it, but she habitually ignores that it’s happening.) Two men break into Roxy’s flat, knock Roxy out and slit her mother’s throat (we see her lying in a pool of her own blood). A woman gets electrocuted and begins convulsing.
The Christian faith is used as a mockery in two scenes, one in which Allie’s stepfather uses it to cover his life of abuse and sin, and the other at a wedding where Roxy is made to feel like an outcast by her own father.
Men and women alike drink hard alcohol. Women smoke cigarettes. Roxy tells a friend that she helps her brother locate drugs for himself and his friends.
The f-word is used over ten times, while the s-word is heard nearly five times. Other profanity includes the c-word used once, along with words like “h—,” “b–ch,” “slut” and “a–”.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
Wayward tries to make a statement about intergenerational trauma, but it comes with a lot of content issues that will make the show a nonstarter for many.
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