Yes, even the French had their own Kim Davis, but there’s an interesting plot twist here.
In this case, deputy mayor of Marseille, Sabrina Hout, was given a 5-month prison sentence for not officiating a same-sex wedding. It seems that there was no outright religious objection here, since she claimed that she was sick and there was plenty of apologetic remorse from her (although later the same day, she officiated THREE other weddings – all heterosexual).
And the plot twist is: She’s Muslim. Come at me, sharia-hating, radical right, Kim Davis-supporting Huckabees.
I initially reviewed the first two episodes, amazed by its great potential to create a fantastic miniseries on procedural politics that places less emphasis on power dynamics between different parties. Alas, I’m afraid that as the show progressed in the next four episodes, power dynamics became the centerpiece of Wasicsko’s story.
However, I do appreciate that the political drama is more acceptable in the sense that it can’t be as downright abhorrent and ridiculous as House of Cards politics, which is certainly entertaining to watch! For example, we don’t see the big guy towering over a meek politician demanding his “complete and absolute loyalty.” Instead, in reference to the show’s title, we watch the hero’s Greek tragedy play out as he falls from grace, while the powers that be claim responsibility for the success of the housing programs he pushed.
So let’s explore the entirety of the series itself. Based on a novel with the titular name, HBO’s Show Me a Hero is mostly about the government of Yonkers attempting to integrate the poor, mostly minority-occupied neighborhoods into the mostly white, middle-class areas through federally mandated public housing. In that process, the story centers around the young councilman (and soon mayor) Nick Wasicsko. His story was told initially in a very Milk-esque manner of storytelling. Yet as the newer episodes came through, his story is melted away to shine the spotlight on the other major characters, Doreen, Norma, Billie (black individuals who move from the projects to the new townhouses), and Mary (the white, middle-class activist whose ideologies are challenged by the forces that run the government and the mob mentality).
Initially, the first two episodes shied away from your traditional greasy, grimy-handed, stab-in-the-back, tit-for-tat power politics that you see in many popular political dramas today, including the likes of House of Cards, Boss, and Scandal. I described this process in my original review as aspirational politics in the first episode, and procedural politics in the second. The portrayal of the show’s procedural interactions is, in fact, a very closely replicated display of real-life procedure in typical mayor-council governments, rather than the hyped-out shady dealings we are so used to from House of Cards and the Ides of March.
Then comes the next four episodes, and here you see Wasicsko’s troublesome fight to be in the game again. That’s the part that irked me, because I truly thought that the show didn’t need to become “that political drama” just like many others. It brilliantly portrayed the mundane governmental proceedings as something exciting (and inherently flawed) in the first two episodes, and that’s the formula that would’ve finished the series beautifully had the creator kept it in the series. I do absolutely love Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Mayor Spallone, though. This actor never fails to deliver a brilliant performance.
What I do appreciate though is that the series maintained what I pointed out earlier: the great exchange between the mindset of policy-making/debating and the outcry of popular inclinations. Beautifully choreographed, the council chambers can suddenly be in uproars as all logic is thrown out of the window. Folks do not care about what makes sense anymore, as passions overtake reasons in a staunchly anti-Socratic fashion, something that we are so used to nowadays with Donald Trump’s theatrics and the Planned Parenthood fiasco. This was later underlined beautifully by Wasicsko’s comment on the “silent majority” later.
There’s not a lack of humanism in this show either. Personal flaws are explored in each of the individuals affected by the housing program, and we see them grow and eventually overcome their challenges and superstitions. Also, I can’t help shake the feeling that perhaps the creator intends to send a message to viewers stating that yes, the silent majority ought to speak out and not let the superstitious loud minority drown out their voices (a great nod to Ferguson or the radical right outcries indeed).
There were certain moments when anyone who watched The Wire would recognize the big nod to the great show. For example, the scene of Judge Sand discussing the housing case with two other guys in a shot that is so reminiscent of McNulty’s interaction with his judge friend in the first episode, a Wire fan would be insane not to have noticed. Spallone’s photographic snapshots of black kids on the street doing “suspicious” things? Thank you Carver and Herc. Clark Peters (Lester Freamon) and Michael Potts (Brother Mouzone) also make nice appearances for all us Wire fanatics.
Of course, when all is said and done, we come back to our hero Wasicsko. While the rest of the world go about their daily lives, Nick is facing his own demons that no one understands. This show started with his aspirations, and then it ends with his demoralization. It is strange to think that such a guy who was introduced to us as a chill and infallible person can tremble for something as small as reputation. Maybe that’s the tragedy that F. Scott Fitzgerald told us about, but I have a hard time accepting it as realistic. It is based on a true story though, no? And maybe back in the 80s, reputation was all we cared about before the internet burst into scene (and celebrity trash).
Based on a novel with the titular name, HBO has recently released this miniseries called Show Me a Hero (in reference to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quote “Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy”). The series is mostly about the government of Yonkers attempting to integrate the poor, mostly minority-occupied neighborhoods into the mostly white, middle-class areas through federally mandated public housing. In that process, the story centers around the young councilman (and soon mayor) Nick Wasicsko in a very Milk-esque manner of storytelling.
Let’s talk about the substance of the matter now. I designed this review site to provide an insight on the political aspects of the film, as you the reader can read all about its artistic motif from other well-reputed sources. My job here is to try and convince you why you may or may not want to watch this show based on its political substance and portrayal, rather than its aesthetic prowess.
The show isn’t your traditional greasy, grimy-handed, stab-in-the-back, tit-for-tat power politics that you see in many popular political dramas today, including the likes of House of Cards, Boss, and Scandal. If anything, I would describe it in my own words as aspirational politics in the first episode, and procedural politics in the second. The portrayal of the show’s procedural interactions is, in fact, a very closely replicated display of real-life procedure in typical mayor-council governments, rather than the hyped-out shady dealings we are so used to from House of Cards and the Ides of March. Here’s the part that I most appreciate: a central principle the writers attempted to display is the great exchange between the mindset of policy-making/debating and the outcry of popular inclinations. Beautifully choreographed, the council chambers can suddenly be in uproars as all logic is thrown out of the window. Folks do not care about what makes sense anymore, as passions overtake reasons in a staunchly anti-Socratic fashion, something that we are so used to nowadays with Donald Trump’s theatrics and the Planned Parenthood fiasco.
The scenes of procedural politics are then shifted to display, naturally, the human aspects of the main characters of the series, namely: Wasicsko, a Hispanic mother working long hours, a loving African American couple facing drug-related issues, an old African American woman dealing with impending diabetic retinopathy, and an old white middle-class couple watching the scenes unfold on TV. While these scenes are irrelevant for my discussion purposes, it is important to note that the human aspects add depth to the characters and serve to paint the background of the overall themes of policy-and-life reciprocity, as well as bluntly explaining segregated neighborhoods. You can clearly observe the influence of the creator’s previous show The Wire, providing a brilliant and dynamic interplay between the policy world and the world of the regular folks.
But back to the politics, we can almost see the internal struggle within Wasicsko and the other councilmen on the issue of affordable housing. Portrayed in this show beautifully is the idea that sometimes, smart politics sometimes cannot play well with popular politics. Yet as we know, real-life decision-making can have an enormous impact on the everyday lives of unvoiced citizens. I believe that this part is actually a giant allegory to what is occurring in today’s politics (and indeed many reviewers believe that this is the case). It could be the creator’s intent to inform the audience that in the world outside our comfort zone, real people have real lives and worry about real issues. Institutionalized racism is indeed an enormous problem facing the United States, and it is epitomized in the show when a character declared that proliferating affordable housing means that “they” will inevitably bring the negative aspects of inner-city life, including drugs, crime, and thuggery.
That last interaction was a particularly powerful reflection of us as everyday constituents. It was the culmination of all the hatred and creed that all citizens of a representative democracy harbor. This was the moment that many voters crave: a one-on-one interaction with the big guy himself. Yet, it is most certain that our conversations will play out almost word-for-word like the scene displayed. I won’t say anymore than that; you very well must watch it play out yourself. Oscar Isaac really nails the part of the distraught Wasicsko, and I can see that this series will take political storytelling to a innovative, exciting, and more realistic level.
The Mayor of Tallinn and former acting PM Edgar Savisaar will likely appeal the recent court decision to reject his complaint over a hefty 115,000 euro fine for using public funds on political advertisements.
The poor guy had to have his leg amputated due to an infection! Well, at least that still didn’t stop him from having fun with his instruments…
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