So, I am a firm believer in Women's Rights. Cate Blanchett is someone you love to hate but feel sorry for. It makes clear at the onset of the show that the male politicians were never going to take her seriously. The only reason Marsden's character was willing to introduce her was to try to get into her pants/skirt. She dealt with him handily and I give her kudos for that. I think it's clear that her ultimate goal was to have a say in defense matters. Unfortunately by not supporting the ERA, and leading the opposition to it she basically shot herself in the foot. If she had allied herself with Jill Ruckelshaus instead she might have been Secretary of Defense or State one day. In the latest episode another weakness of the movement is driven home. That there could have been middle ground. That is a lesson to be learned, but there are also lessons to be learned by those who supported the ERA. Those who choose to be housewives should not be vilified, just as women who want a career that is their own rather than a husband should not be vilified. How one person chooses to live isn't right for everyone. The two greatest female monarchs never married, they just took lovers as it suited them, though Catherine The Great at least, still had children. What this show and the history behind it does prove is that on both sides there were women who were formidable and smart and most importantly, they were women who were capable of leading. It makes me wonder what would have happened if Phyllis Schlafley had aligned with Jill? Would Reagan ever have been President? Would we have already had our first female Secretary of Defense? I think it's a question that we will never know the answer to but also one that needs to be asked.
Review of Mrs. America
