a couple of weeks ago one of my friends told me that there was going to be a new TV series dramatizing the war in iraq. that information made me raise an eyebrow, but i didn't think much of it until the other night when i began to see previews for the show "over there" on FX.
i told my dad, anything to make money.
he reminded me that there have been other shows dramatizing war, or, in the case of the TV show M*A*S*H, humorizing it.
true, i conceded, but not while the war is still happening!
it feels like the producers are capitalizing on an unfortunate situation to make money. not that this would be the first time.
i don't doubt that the show's writers and producers want to present the soldiers in a compassionate way. maybe they won't always do the "right" things while they're "over there," but i imagine that the soldiers will be represented as complex people in a difficult situation.
i understand that one aspect of the show will be the relationships between the soldiers and their families back home; because of email and other technology, soldiers now have more ready communication with people they have left behind. an interesting emotional hook, especially for viewers who have soldiers abroad.
one of my main concerns is that the show will reinforce the rhetoric of george w. bush. that this is a war of good (us) versus evil (them). that it will reinforce to the american people what a "noble" cause we are fighting.
the article that i just read about this show insists that it does not present a political stance. as with all art, its intent, rather, is to ask provocative questions.
i'm suspicious, but i have to admit that i'm nervous to watch.
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1 comment:
Well, just look at the name of the show. Even though it's clear that it's meant to be a reference to the song, it nevertheless creates a sense of "over there" as being something very different from over here. (This is sounding like nonsense, but you, Jennifer, will know what I mean!)
What you also left unsaid, after you remarked that the soldiers will be portrayed as complex characters, albeit imperfect, is that Iraqis will not in all likelihood be depicted with a similar degree of complexity. Again, reinforcing the rhetoric of Us vs. Them.
I always hold out a small hope that a show like this will surprise me. But. This is TV, after all.
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