"Riot Women," The TV Show That Got it Wrong
Sally Wainwright's latest drama, "Riot Women," boasts a premise that could have been the perfect vehicle to celebrate the pioneering spirit of women in music. Instead, what we get is a shallow, conventional show that feels more like a sitcom than a serious drama about the riot grrrl movement.
The show centers around Beth (Joanna Scanlan), Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore), and other middle-aged women who form a punk rock band, covering songs from iconic bands like Hole. While the idea of these women rocking out to Riot Grrrl anthems is undeniably cool, Wainwright barely scratches the surface of what it means to be part of this movement.
For context, riot grrrl was a feminist punk movement that emerged in the 1990s in cities like Seattle and Olympia. It was characterized by its DIY ethos, queer inclusivity, and a passion for music as activism. The scene was founded on principles of sisterhood, mutual support, and a rejection of patriarchal norms.
Instead of embracing this rich history, Wainwright's show reduces the riot grrrl movement to a backdrop for her characters' midlife crises. The music is barely used as more than a plot device, and the queer aspects of the movement are largely absent. Even when the show does touch on queer themes, it's done in a cartoonish and superficial way that feels like a punchline rather than an authentic exploration.
Wainwright has proven herself to be a talented writer-director with shows like "Happy Valley" and "Last Tango in Halifax." But here, she's missed the mark. The show's lack of depth and its failure to represent queer characters authentically make it feel more like a shallow exercise than a serious drama.
As someone who grew up on Riot Grrrl music, I was disappointed by this misstep. The movement's legacy is one of fierce activism, community, and creativity – not the kind of thing that gets reduced to a sitcom plot device or cartoonish queer stereotypes. Wainwright should have been more careful in her portrayal of this important chapter in feminist history.
In the end, "Riot Women" feels like a missed opportunity. With a bit more care and attention, it could have been a powerful exploration of what it means to be part of a movement that changed the face of punk rock forever. Instead, we're left with a shallow, conventional show that fails to capture the spirit of something truly important.
Sally Wainwright's latest drama, "Riot Women," boasts a premise that could have been the perfect vehicle to celebrate the pioneering spirit of women in music. Instead, what we get is a shallow, conventional show that feels more like a sitcom than a serious drama about the riot grrrl movement.
The show centers around Beth (Joanna Scanlan), Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore), and other middle-aged women who form a punk rock band, covering songs from iconic bands like Hole. While the idea of these women rocking out to Riot Grrrl anthems is undeniably cool, Wainwright barely scratches the surface of what it means to be part of this movement.
For context, riot grrrl was a feminist punk movement that emerged in the 1990s in cities like Seattle and Olympia. It was characterized by its DIY ethos, queer inclusivity, and a passion for music as activism. The scene was founded on principles of sisterhood, mutual support, and a rejection of patriarchal norms.
Instead of embracing this rich history, Wainwright's show reduces the riot grrrl movement to a backdrop for her characters' midlife crises. The music is barely used as more than a plot device, and the queer aspects of the movement are largely absent. Even when the show does touch on queer themes, it's done in a cartoonish and superficial way that feels like a punchline rather than an authentic exploration.
Wainwright has proven herself to be a talented writer-director with shows like "Happy Valley" and "Last Tango in Halifax." But here, she's missed the mark. The show's lack of depth and its failure to represent queer characters authentically make it feel more like a shallow exercise than a serious drama.
As someone who grew up on Riot Grrrl music, I was disappointed by this misstep. The movement's legacy is one of fierce activism, community, and creativity – not the kind of thing that gets reduced to a sitcom plot device or cartoonish queer stereotypes. Wainwright should have been more careful in her portrayal of this important chapter in feminist history.
In the end, "Riot Women" feels like a missed opportunity. With a bit more care and attention, it could have been a powerful exploration of what it means to be part of a movement that changed the face of punk rock forever. Instead, we're left with a shallow, conventional show that fails to capture the spirit of something truly important.
u must've been really looking forward 2 see a show that celebrated riot grrrl & its impact on music. instead, it sounds like wainwright watered down the movement's message 2 fit her own vision of midlife crises in a band 
. i get that not every story can be perfect, but when u got so much potential, it's hard 2 see it get squandered 
. do u think its fair 2 say wainwright should've done more research on the movement & its history? 
. The music is so central to the riot grrrl movement, and this show barely even uses it in a meaningful way. It's like, what's the point of having Beth and Yvonne on stage if they're just going to sing these iconic songs without any real emotional connection?
. It was about community, activism, and challenging the status quo.
. She's proven herself to be a talented writer-director with some amazing shows under her belt. Maybe next time she'll get it right 
.
i mean, what happened to embracing that DIY ethos and queer inclusivity? 
the music was barely even used for anything meaningful... just playing in the background while the girls hang out and gossip 
the show felt like it was more focused on making a midlife crisis sitcom than actually exploring the riot grrrl movement 
wainwright is a talented writer-director, but this one was a major misstep for me 
. Where's the depth? Where's the representation? It's like they took all the passion and activism of the movement and replaced it with some generic female friendships 
. And don't even get me started on the queer aspects - it felt like they were just tacking them on as a tokenistic attempt to seem cool 
. I was expecting so much more from Sally Wainwright, but this feels like a total misstep 
. Can't we do better than this? 
. It's like she couldn't decide on a tone or anything. And don't even get me started on how the queer characters are handled... 
. I mean, think about it, if Sally Wainwright wanted to really celebrate the Riot Grrrl movement, she should've taken a more nuanced approach, not just reduced it to a midlife crisis sitcom plot device 
. But this TV show just feels like they're tokenizing the movement instead of actually getting into what made it so special 
. It's not about midlife crises or shallow band politics...it's about sisterhood and mutual support 
. I was really looking forward to seeing this show, but now I'm just sad that it didn't do justice to the movement 
perched on top of a tea shop! Anyway, back to this show... can't believe they messed up riot grrrl's legacy like that 
. Artisanal doesn't mean it's any better, right?