Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Comeback Finale

I wish the feminist blog world would have adopted The Comeback as a cause célèbre like they have Girls or any whichever ostensibly feminist-leaning show is polarizing its audience these days.  During its scant eight episodes this season, The Comeback has had some of the sharpest writing. That alone should have The Comeback garnering more than a cult-following, but there's so much more.


To humiliate your primary character week after week is a risky move even by HBO's standards. That it's filmed to look like a documentary as it's being filmed is extremely effective, but makes for some uncomfortable watching. Valerie is painful to watch. She's hyper-aware and in tight control of the image she projects in a way that seems old-fashioned at least compared to the warts-and-all ease of young celebrities. For the final scene of the season (series?) finale, the camera crew that's followed her around for the entire show was abandoned which allowed Valerie to let down her guard and show her "real self," which isn't really that different from the face she wears on camera, but shows that she has a heart and actually cares for the people closest to her. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. It was a great scene, but it follows the script that all ambitious women need to be humanized.