The Crime Genre is Being Led by Women
The crime genre is in the midst of a reboot, and it’s female as hell. From Widows and Ocean’s 8 on the big screen, to Big Little Lies being one of the most anticipated shows to return on television, women in crime are having a moment, but it’s shows like Killing Eve and Good Girls that are taking the genre and turning it into something completely new. While the theme of strong-woman-does-crime has been a hot commodity in the past–Weeds was nominated for 20 Emmys throughout its seven-year run–Killing Eve and Good Girls have taken the niche novelty out of it and morphed it into two of the most nuanced depictions of female complexities to date.
The true appeal of these shows comes from the fact that aside from the domino effect of ridiculous situations the protagonists bring on themselves, the focal point continues to be the epiphany that the taboo thing they’re not supposed to be into, is exactly what they’re into. It’s a very Marie Kondo approach to accessing that dorment darkness they didn’t know they could tap into to begin with, let alone enjoy. In that, Killing Eve and Good Girls have managed to make a statement about, not just the strength and perseverance of women, but about the multifaceted layers of the female experience. Additionally, it’s just nice to see women contemplate money laundering and/or murder, and not be put-off by the allure of it because “girls don’t do that”. I mean, sure, passing the Bechdel Test is nice, but does it also spark joy?
Both shows sure have a tongue-in-cheek approach to femininity that is reflective of the fight for female autonomy in today’s society. Beth Boland (Christina Hendricks) is an apron wearing, stay at home mother of four; a master organizer of school fundraisers and bake sales, never a hair out of place, and she also has an appetite for money laundering and power, while Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is a relatively normal person with a relatively trivial job, and a relatively normal marriage to a normal guy who also has an affinity for grisly murders and the beautiful young couture-wearing assassin that commits them.
The fact that there are two separate shows about women committing criminal acts and liking it, not to mention being openly attracted to individuals who represent the seedy, dirty, violent underbelly of society whilst being dirty and violent themselves, is no longer a commodity, but a welcome change to the representation of women in mainstream media. Writing two perceivably average women with average lives that not only long for, but ambitiously reach for the unexpected is less about romance novel storytelling, and more about the reality of being human and needing more.
About the author: Alex Velázquez is a writer, photographer, and queer Mexican living in Los Angeles. Alex’s work has appeared on Shondaland, Radical Notion, and Into More.
