BEST OF 2017: GODLESS

9.   GODLESS (NETFLIX)

I worry that my compliments to Godless are going to come out sounding weak and backhanded, because its strengths are quite simple – great acting and gorgeous cinematography – and what struck me about it were largely things it didn’t do.   But I have to be honest, hearing the premise had me a bit wary.  A western about a town populated almost entirely by women sounded at once like an interesting concept and one primed to be loaded with preachy feminist anachronism.  But I was surprised to find that while that description was accurate as to the setting, it’s not really what the show is about.  In fact, Godless is most surprising in how few revisionist elements it has to match that premise.  Rather than what I feared, which was a simplistic female empowerment fantasy, as written by a well-meaning dude* (so like The Force Awakens, but with horses), I found a surprisingly straightforward, traditional western that happened to have a diverse array of strong female characters populating it.

A couple of notes on those adjectives.  When I say “diverse”, I don’t mean that there are many non-white women featured prominently.  There are not.  But the women within that rather homogenous community are shown to have different, distinct perspectives that have a lot more nuance than “saintly advocate for progressive values” and “regressive gender-traitor”.  And when I say “strong”, I don’t mean they are uniformly courageous and highly competent action heroes.  Some are brave, some are not.  Some are more intelligent than others.  Some embrace the opportunity to step into the boots normally reserved for their husbands, while some are eager to bring men back to repopulate their traditional roles.  Some are religious, some are gay, some are caring, some are independent, some are sexy, some are hardened, and they feel like actual people as opposed to avatars for a specific demographic.  And that seems more remarkable lately, as it feels increasingly common for creators to either mistake positive representation for strong characterization, or to simply prioritize the former over the latter.  

Godless doesn’t mistake its premise for a story, however, or a thematic statement for a character.  Rather, it carefully develops a familiar but rousing story in the Seven Samurai mold, of a vulnerable community banding together to fight off an inevitable incursion by dangerous bandits, and inhabits it with great actors giving great performances.  Jeff Daniels brings a wonderful intelligence to the Big Bad, such that you can tell he almost buys his own religious hype even as he’s committing undeniable atrocities.  After spending a few seasons not leaving a much of an impression on Game Of Thrones, Thomas Brodie-Sangster brings surprising depth and soul to a role that could have been just a dim-witted sidekick.  But the absolute standouts are Merritt Weaver, as the woman most eager for the town to forge a new identity independent of patriarchal influence, and Michelle Dockery, as the one who is just doing it her own self without waiting for the rest of the gals to catch up.  Frame those people against some epic western landscapes and get them all shooting at each other, and you got yourself a hearty western stew goin’.   That Godless managed to do this with such without overcomplicating itself, or succumbing to the customary Netflix bloat by stretching its 7 episode run to 13, is enough to make you second-guess the title. 

 

Watch It For:  The beautiful cinematography and epic climactic shootout.