SHOW OF THE WEEK: We Are Lady Parts (June 9, 9 p.m., Showcase/StackTV)
There are plenty of reasons to watch “We Are Lady Parts,” among them its feminist underpinnings and the fact it treats its Muslim protagonists as individuals rather than stereotypes, but the most persuasive reason I can give is that it’s so much fun.
It’s also smart, witty and coherent with characters that are written like real human beings instead of caricatures, and plotting that feels rewarding even when we can see where it’s going.
And then there’s the music that the all-female band of the title plays, an assemblage of searing punk songs that series creator Nida Manzoor wrote with her siblings.
Our way into the story is through its narrator, Amina (Anjana Vasan), a PhD student in microbiology living in London’s Whitechapel district, whose main concern is to find a husband — contrary to the advice of her parents, who don’t understand her hurry. (Mom Seema suggests she look for a spouse who can fulfil her “feminine requirements, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.”)
It’s Amina’s man myopia that brings her into the orbit of Lady Parts when she swoons over the drummer’s brother, Ahsan (Zaqi Ismail), and his “lustrous facial hair indicating virility while maintaining boy-next-door adorableness with eyebrows you could hang onto” as he hands out flyers for a band audition.
The fact that accomplished guitarist Amina refuses to play in public, since it induces vomiting or diarrhea, is no obstacle for bull-headed lead singer Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), who’s determined to bring Amina into the fold — over the objections of drummer Ayesha (Juliette Motamed), bassist Bisma (Faith Omole) and manager Momtaz (Lucie Shorthouse).
Amina’s own objections go beyond rogue bodily functions to the fact playing in a band could interfere with her matrimonial quest, particularly one whose songs have names like “Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me” and “Voldemort Under My Head Scarf.”
But I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say a girl’s gotta rock, and Amina and Lady Parts do so to thrilling effect.
(As an aside, the women singing along to the Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” in Ayesha’s VW Golf is the best rocking-out-in-a-car scene since “Wayne’s World” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”)
The members of Lady Parts play loud music and swear and make dick jokes; they also pray and, except for Saira, wear head scarves. And you’ve never seen a woman on TV in a niqab like the constantly vaping, joint-smoking Momtaz, who sells women’s undies when she’s not trying to get Lady Parts gigs.
Saira, meanwhile, who works in a butcher shop, is estranged from her family and in a casual relationship with her boyfriend; Bisma is an aspiring cartoonist (her series is about women who get homicidal on their periods) who’s happily married with a daughter; and perpetually angry Uber driver Ayesha is still exploring her sexuality.
The point is that there’s more than one way to be a Muslim woman, or just a woman for that matter.
Saira says Lady Parts’ music isn’t about getting famous but about “representation.” The series has that in spades, but it’s also just really good television that’s worth your time.
Short Takes
Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries (June 7, Acorn)
I was initially skeptical of this Australian spinoff because of my devotion to the original “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” about an unconventional female private detective in 1920s Melbourne; I couldn’t imagine anything else comparing. Luckily, I discovered that “Ms. Fisher” is its own delightful thing, with free spirit Peregrine Fisher (Geraldine Hakewill), niece of Phryne, solving her own cases with her own band of endearing sidekicks, her own policeman love interest and oodles of 1960s fashions to ogle. In Season 2, Peregrine tackles new murder investigations while navigating modern womanhood in a patriarchal society and her feelings for Detective James Steed (Joel Jackson).
Cheese: A Love Story (June 9, 8 p.m., Food Network Canada/StackTV)
This Corus original docuseries falls into the category of shows you should never watch on an empty stomach. In it, Afrim Pristine, owner of Toronto’s Cheese Boutique and the world’s youngest maitre fromager, travels Canada and the world, learning about and sampling various cheeses. He starts with Switzerland, where he delves into the making of Gruyere, raclette and Emmental, and samples the dishes at a couple of Michelin-starred restaurants. The cheese made with coal might not get your mouth watering, but I’ll wager you’ll be searching your cupboards for your old fondue pot. Future episodes include visits to France, Greece, Toronto, Quebec and British Columbia.
Moloch (June 10, Sundance Now)
Set in an unnamed seaside town in France, this thriller is a blend of crime, psychological and horror drama. Citizens start spontaneously combusting, flummoxing the police and intriguing newbie journalist Louise (Marine Vacth), who gets drawn into the story in dangerous ways. Also in the mix are psychiatrist Gabriel (Olivier Gourmet) and two of his patients: Jimmy (Marc Zinga), a deeply religious bus driver, and Stella (Alice Verset), a young girl whose life is severely circumscribed by an incurable skin disease. Moloch is the name of an ancient deity that’s found written wherever a death has occurred, so that’s your warning that you’ll have to suspend your disbelief at the series’ conclusion.
Odds and Ends
“Flack,” Amazon’s drama about women behaving badly in the public relations industry, returns on June 11. Reviews are embargoed, but I can tell you Anna Paquin is back as Robyn, the fixer extraordinaire whose personal life is a disaster, alongside quip machine Eve (Lydia Wilson), sweetly ambitious Melody (Rebecca Benson) and icy boss Caroline (Sophie Okonedo). Guest stars this season include Sam Neill, Daniel Dae Kim, Martha Plimpton and Jane Horrocks (Bubble on “Absolutely Fabulous”). Paquin’s husband, Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”), directed two episodes.
The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series debuts with “Loki” on Disney Plus (June 9). Tom Hiddleston leads a cast that includes Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant. The series is set after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” and, yes, reviews are embargoed.
Netflix has the second part of the hit French drama “Lupin” (June 11), with Omar Sy as master criminal Assane Diop, who’s modelled himself after literary gentleman thief Arsene Lupin. Since Season 1 ended with both Assane and his son Raoul (Etan Simon) in peril, fans will no doubt welcome the show back, although I’m sure Assane will find a way out of both predicaments.
How time flies. “The Bachelorette” returns June 7 at 8 p.m. on Citytv (and ABC), the first of two seasons this year, this one starring Katie Thurston (with Michelle Young’s to air in the fall). Will the producers have learned anything after the recent disastrous season of “The Bachelor”? I wouldn’t bet on it.
If you’d like to brush up on your history of the American gay rights movement during Pride Month, check out “Equal” on Hollywood Suite (June 7, 9 p.m.), which profiles unsung heroes of the movement using a combination of archival interviews and re-enactments starring Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Rapp, Shannon Purser, Samira Wiley and other mostly gay or bisexual actors. Billy Porter of “Pose” narrates.
Recent Comments