What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T10 WHATS UP! February 25 - March 3, 2018 the difficulties these women are facing, challenges not sim- ply bound to gender and relat- able to a large segment of North America's working class. With sleek production and a plot built on action, emotion and a nice dash of sarcasm, "Good Girls" is as in- triguing as it is inviting. Despite being a broadly relat- able show, the emphasis on fe- males and the lives of women is clear and cannot be denied. Creator and screenwriter Jenna Bans, known for her work on both "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," had a clear vision for "Good Girls." While discussing the series during an NBC pro- mo, Bans delved into the con- cept behind the show: "What I really tried to get at with this script is the idea of female empowerment — the idea that you wake up, as a woman in your late 30s, early 40s, and go, 'Oh my God, where did my power go?' Whether it's having a bunch of kids, or a husband that doesn't really see you anymore, or these financial restrictions that these women are under." This desire to see real, com- plex relationships between women come to life on the small screen was a huge driving force for Bans. The fact that the relatability factor is so high, de- spite the fact that most women will never commit a robbery to resolve their own financial and marital woes, speaks to the care Bans has put into the develop- ment of "Good Girls." These sentiments are deeply reflective of modern times, as even the show's title itself forc- es viewers to re-examine their notions of what it means to be "good girls." Rather than shying away and committing to out- dated stereotypes, women are increasingly opening up about the challenges and trauma they've faced, along with the need for more visible, empow- ered role models. While discussing the series with NBC's promotional team, Whitman explained "Good Girls" achieves this, as it is "a great show, with excellent women at the helm of it," and it's been a long time coming "for there to be way more shows with the females being the leads ... especially right now, with everything that's go- ing on." For Whitman, there's "never been a more important time for there to be strong, in- dependent, quirky, interesting, different, real, full women, tell- ing their stories and being heard." The potential for success with "Good Girls" is not merely in its historically relevant tim- ing, but the fact that these women truly are reflective of the lives so many women lead daily. To have a series willing to encourage support and solidar- ity over catfights and jealousy is reflective of how broad- reaching social change can be. Women are standing up and de- manding to be heard, just as Beth, Annie and Ruth are de- manding to have control over their own lives, finances and families' futures. It seems unfortunate that feminism has had to experience so many waves, yet so little ero- sion has occurred along the shoreline. Thankfully, the wa- ter may finally be carving out the stones of resistance, with more and more women taking the helm of productions on both the big and small screen. It's important to remember, however, that this series and other female-led productions aren't looking for a takeover, rather simply desiring for ac- ceptance and respect. Ambi- tious, engaging and humorous, "Good Girls" is on course to make quite the impact when the series premieres Monday, Feb. 26, on NBC. Reno Wilson stars in "Good Girls" continued from page T2 Done with desperation: Three moms are tired of being 'Good Girls' Leaf Guard 5 x 5 TV FEATURE LeafGuard is the ONLY one-piece seamless debris-shedding gutter 1-800-LEAFGUARD or 479-221-9516 leafguardandmore.com