Even cosy ITV cop drama VERA is at it now…

[LynneBenfield]

It has been giving the vibes for a while with a subtly (unspoken), possibly NB police officer side character and a few other bits and bobs. However they’ve laid just laid their cards clearly on the table. This week’s story involves a conversation with one of the side characters (a young male identifying as a girl) re domestic violence and use of women’s refuges. The character explains that they were devastated to be moved to a men’s refuge because someone complained that he was a threat to the women there. Cue Vera exclaiming, something along the lines of “Oh, a lass shouldn’t be with the men, pet”…

I know. Serves me right for watching such dross but it shows how it’s all just creeping in. The campaign for sympathy and the normalisation of intrusion into our women’s spaces.

Don't be so sure... That's 1950s and 1960s and the Mrs Maisel episode mentioned upthread is set it in 1960 and actually has Midge go to the news office and , finding out who L. Roy Dunham is, say "but you're a woman. And you've always been a woman". To a male actor.

This is the only argument the TRAs have, sentimental tosh in TV series, documentaries and magazines, but it is really, really effective

Could you tell me the episode, or the series that this is in? I've watched all the episodes and can't remember this. It's so out of context for the 1950/60s that I can't see how I could have missed it.

Unless I completely blocked it out because it annoyed me so much, and also I must admit that I found the most recent series a bit ho hum. I still persevered, and will continue to persevere when Series 5 appears because of the truly fabulous clothes.

I won't be watching any more Mrs Maisel either then.

Knew there'd be a thread here. "Fuck off" shouted very loudly at the TV last night. As someone said up thread, this will have been filmed ages ago and I do wonder if they might regret it after the recent Scottish nonsense.

But once again we get a fairly feminine trans character which just cements in people's minds the "vulnerable, born in the wrong body, was always meant to be a girl" type of transwoman. When most of us know the reality. And given that the character was supposed to be about the same age as the daughter (15), even though they clearly were much older, would definitely still be intact. Just not sure what the point of that character was, it felt shoehorned in.

Vera is still filmed in the North East btw not the Czech Republic.

This will have nothing to do with Ann Cleves and everything to do with the scriptwriter. Absolutely no surprise at all this was inserted into this particular episode of Vera.

"Th,is is the only argument the TRAs have, sentimental tosh in TV series, documentaries and magazines, but it is really, really effective"

Yet it only goes so far as we have in Scotland.

When the cold light of day hits it is exposed for the hogwash that it is.

Absolutely, it’s propaganda

L. Roy Dunham from the latest series.

MadameKali · Today 06:51

Vera is still filmed in the North East btw not the Czech Republic.

I'm glad to hear that, at least; they've filmed in our street twice and on the seafront at the bottom loads of times. I love it when I recognise places, especially when they are on the cliff at Seaton Sluice, then immediately on Blast Beach, at Seaham!

Exactly, it's just degrading.

They also cast a bloke as a woman teacher in Queen's Gambit, another drama from the same 50s/60s era, so there's precedence.

Vera, the show, has always been lightening fast to adopt whatever the cause of the moment is. There was one season when they had obviously been told to diversify the cast, and all of a sudden many of the old peripheral roles were gone, replaced by people who were members of identity groups.

And I think I remember at one point all smoking seemed to suddenly disappear.

I am astonished about the diversity of Vera ! I visit Newcastle quite often and it seems a lot less diverse....

It's everywhere,like dogshit.

JanieAllen · Today 16:55

I am astonished about the diversity of Vera ! I visit Newcastle quite often and it seems a lot less diverse....

You've never been to Benwell - Elswick - Fenham! It was very white, when I was young, in the 70s and 80s. I was amazed when I went to high school and there was a Sikh lad in my class.

I thought the plot lines in Vera were getting weaker. I only watched the first half last night as I wanted to watch Happy Valley. I did spot the character flouncing out of the estate agents and my immediate reaction was that they were male. I know DH will want to watch the second half tonight, but I think that will probably be the last Vera for me. (Unless I find some old episodes I’d missed). And sad that Paul Kay’s not in it anymore.

What channel is it on? I only ever see it on the rerun side.

Yes I was shouting at the telly too. It was so obviously contrived and no way would Vera have said something like that. Certainly not the Vera that Ann Cleeves writes about. I couldn't actually believe it.

The whole character felt unnecessary and the reason for the friendship seemed really implausible.

Spoiler alert re the murderer.
I think the conversation was around Rae being asked to leave a womens' hostel, not refuge, because another resident didn't feel safe. And therefore had to go to a mens' hostel where Conn looked out for Rae. Vera wanted to get more information from Rae about Conn. I was getting confused because I thought, when Rae turned up at the funeral, that Rae may have been in the army with the others. Rae was a trans woman, as is the actor.

The point that struck me was that they had a woman murderer (again?). Yes, I know it's fiction! You also know that the murderer isn't the first person who's arrested, because you've still got the best part of two hours to go.

Have I added much to the conversation?

Sigh. It’s everywhere isn’t it. Was so disappointed in seeing it in Vera.

yeah, I was too. I really enjoy Vera because it has quite complex plots which can be developed over 2 hrs and was always reasonably credible in terms of the relationships.

Newcastle itself is diverse but a lot of the rural areas aren’t. That I do find a bit incongruous on Vera.

This is what impressed me about JKR's handling of it in one of the strike books. Neither Strike not Robin were directly author's voice, Robin rather more "be nice" and strike realist to the point of coming across rough. Okay so the character had just attacked him and he may be more diplomatic in a different moment. But still, it seemed in synch with their respective ages and backgrounds.

I live in a very rural part of Northumberland. Diversity is certainly not much in evidence here.

I got the impression in Mrs Maisel the character wasn't actually meant to be a transwoman, but they'd hired a transwoman to play a woman's role. I could be wrong.

The 'you've always been a woman' was certainly quite jarring though!