Mrs. America
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Some viewers may approachMrs.
Blanchett has been Galadriel in theLord of the Ringsmovies.
Shes been Katharine Hepburn inThe Aviator.
Shes beenCarol, for Gods sake.
To put it more bluntly: Shes the worst kind of white woman.
In the first episode, Blanchett projects, above all else, how slippery and canny Schlafly is.
She does that most effectively in a key scene that takes place on Capitol Hill.
Handsy Illinois congressman Phil Crane (James Marsden) Are you ladies decent?
invites Phyllis to D.C. to meet with Senator Barry Goldwater and some of his congressional colleagues.
Ive never been discriminated against, she tells Goldwater confidently, as though she speaks for her entire gender.
I think some women like to blame sexism for their failures instead of admitting they didnt try hard enough.
Shes the only woman in the room; therefore, she has to be the secretary.
[Cups hands around mouth]:HEY, PHYLLIS.
ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST?
BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
Phyllis agrees to take minutes and leaves the room to ask the assistant for a pad and pen.
Its Mrs. Schlafly, says Phyllis, all haughty and hell-bent on asserting her status before this young thing.
Im so sorry, Mrs. Schlafly, the aide replies.
In real life, Schlaflys mental political calculus probably didnt happen in such a flash.
Its maddening, but also fascinating.
There are other moments in this episode that show how easily Phyllis can do a heel turn.
But then she adds that her mother will be moving in with them, which is news to Fred.
You think youre in charge here, it says.
That gotcha moment makes you admire Phyllis alittle.
But then: heel turn.
(Hi, Phyllis.
Youre holding a tea in your expansive home and using a full waitstaff to do it.)
The worst part is that some of what Phyllis says has actually turned out to be true.
Its going to make us think.
And thats a good thing.
We know their joy will be short-lived.
But its still fun to see the joy.
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