‘Mrs. America': Feminist Saga Has Cate Blanchett in Deliciously Devilish Form [Review]

I am six episodes in on the nine-episode FX/Hulu miniseries “Mrs. America,” a re-enactment of the ’70s battle over the Equal Rights Amendment and how second-wave feminists (including Gloria Steinem) fought conservative Middle American anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) who opposed and openly debated for the passage to be ratified.

Let me just get it out of the way, the show itself is compulsively watchable and that I wouldn’t miss an episode from here on. I had skepticism going into it, about just how compassionate show creator Dahvi Waller (“Mad Men”) would be in his portrayal of Schlafly. The answer is, actually, quite sympathetic. The trailers led us to believe that Schlafly would not only be a cardboard villain, but also the centerpiece of “Mrs. America,” but Blanchett ends up sharing her screen time with some commendable actresses.

Rose Byrne is perfectly cast as Steinem, the most popular and endearing feminist of the second wave, but also not without her fair share of flaws. When Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), aims to be the first major-party African-American candidate to run for the U.S. Presidency, Steinem is torn between supporting the right candidate or following along party lines and supporting semi-establishment figure George McGovern for the Presidency. It’s a progressive issue that still plagues ultra-progressive politicians even today, , mostly Bernie Sanders supporters, as they painstakingly decide to endorse Joe Biden.

There’s a great scene recreating the 1973 debate between Schlafly and first-wave feminist leader Betty Friedan (Tracy Ullmann) at Illinois State University in Bloomington. Schlafly, a fairly well-versed debater, tries to get under Friedan’s skin and calls ERA feminists “a bunch of bitter women seeking a constitutional cure for their personal problems.” Of course, Friedan, already a hothead, responds by saying “I’d like to burn you at the stake” and “I consider you a traitor to your sex…I consider you an Aunt Tom.” Suffice to say, this would spell the inevitable demise of Friedan, both at the debate stage and as the overall leader of the feminist movement, handing the second-wave baton to Steinem. It’s the ballsiest and most poignant scene of the entire series because the issues Schlafly/Friedan were having more than 47 years ago is still being debated today.

The directing duo of Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (“Little Miss Sunshine”) direct four of the episodes, including the first and last, Amma Asante (“A United Kingdom”), and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (“The Mustang”) direct two each and Janicza Bravo (“Lemonade”) directs one. It’s an ensemble of filmmakers that maintain the beautifully realized ‘70s look of the series, but never goes beyond the conventional storytelling.

There is not much risk-taking in “Mrs. America,” Waller opts to tell his story in a fairly straightforward fashion and that can sometimes result in a rather dullish affair, but it mostly works due to the amalgam of fascinating personalities and performances assembled here, primarily the women. One can see Blanchett, Byrne, and Tracy Ullman being Emmy-nominated. [B]