The power on prime

[drwitch]

Not sure whether to post here or on telly addicts but thought here as interested in "terfy" reading of it. Anyone watched? Thoughts? Premise is a mutation that enabled teenaged girls to create electricity/lightening through their hands

This article explains how the show is going to handle it (minor show spoilers) https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-power-author-talks-adding-a-transgender-character-to-her-story-and-introducing-more-diversity-into-the-series

So she basically got bullied by aspects of the fanbase.

Also if the power is because of estrogen in the body,what's to stop men taking estrogen?

Yes that's silly and negates the whole story.

There'd be a massive spike in young men identifying out of manhood and taking estrogen. It'd be, oh I don't know, a social contagion let's say. And probably with quite a rapid onset among friendship groups...

Except unlike with young women now, there'd actually be a good reason to do it and men genuinely would be identifying into womanhood, and actually gaining the benefits of being the stronger sex.

And what's more, the book makes it clear that men remain bigger and stronger than women. So once men got the power they'd be more powerful than women.

It's silly and negates the whole story.

You know how the book ends? You can easily incorporate this last bit into the discussion between the writer and the editor

They wouldn't need to, they already have some oestrogen. Levels are usually lower in adult males than in women but interestingly post menopausal women can have lower levels of oestrogen than men and oestrogen levels in men rise with age.

It's a story line which fucks up the whole plot.

Well, for me, this thread has been a rollercoaster. A book I enjoyed is now a series! Yay! Wait it's a bit twaw, but there's a reasonable explanation. Yay! Nope- that explanation is thrown, instead men are accommodated and prioritised yet again, throwing the original premise and idea that so spoke to me out the bloody window . Urgh

I haven't seen the series but I read the book. I actually unnerved myself by how cathartic the earlier parts were - and then (not trying to give spoilers) by how it gradually turns sour and you are left feeling a bit Oh right OK then.

@namitynamechange I really enjoyed the book but I had a very similar response to both the beginning and the ending. I think the reason for this is that the author is actually a genderist and she gave a us a genderist ending. I found that very frustrating as the power of the book (forgive the pun) lies in the fact that it shows how power is relative to physical strength, while illustrating that human nature is universal. The ending...doesn't. For all that I enjoyed this book, for me, it is a chronicle of the confusion at the heart of moden feminism.

I remember when this book came out. There was quite a bit of discussion on it on mumsnet then. I read it and didn’t think it was quite as good as all the hype made out. I’m always interested to see how books pan out when made into a tv series/film. DH and I are watching it together, he’s not read the book and I’ve forgotten some of the details but we both think it’s silly/ cruel to change it to have a TW character.

I enjpyed the book for much of the way through it, but by the end I can remember thinking what a strangely superficial and implausible analysis it seemed to have. It seemed to say that the single explanation for women being exploited and harmed in our society was their relative physical weakness, and that if they aquired greater physical power than men they would become 'just like men' - just as violent an exploitative.
I don't think that the only reason for women's less violent and controlling behaviour is our lesser physical strength.

Having learned fro this thread that the TV adaptation levers in a trans character I'll probably give it a miss. Not because I don't want a story about a trans person, but because I just don't trust anyone involved in making a tv programme to handle this issue without facile preaching

I thought the point of the book was that power corrupts and that regardless of sex, whoever holds the upper hand will abuse - generally speaking.

The series does go hard in to emphasize the evil women too, as did the book.

It is an interesting thought experiment, though to me it stalls with human cruelty. Humans are an exceptionally cruel and aggressive species. We invade and colonise every single habitat on earth (bar thermal vents, to exaggerate a smidgen). Now we are off to the Moon and Mars.

Can you tell I don’t think it would be better if women ruled the world? It would be more of the same.

Read the first half of the book when it came out and really disliked it. Felt like the author had an idea but didn't know how to really use it to create an engaging story. Will give the adaptation a miss.

Thanks for the heads up OP, have started watching. Just done the first episode so far and am enjoying it

I read the book a couple of years ago and have watched the first three episodes. I thought the quality of the show was pretty high, with some excellent actors (love Toni Collette) so I was surprised by the IMDB rating of 5.4 when the show started (it's now 5.9). Given the feminist leaning of the book, I wonder if there's a campaign to downgrade it?

Re the TW character I did roll my eyes at that, especially given there’s no TM counter character (so far). It did feel like the TW character was being used to fill in some of the world building narrative and won’t be a central character, so no harm. I will throw my remote through the screen if the TW gets The Power however!

The TW will get the power. Naomi Alderman wouldn’t dare not give it to him, as that would be saying TW are not women.
It makes a complete nonsense of the premise, which is why I won’t be watching it, though I enjoyed the book.

Am REALLY enjoying the parts where both the women in Saudi and the Eastern European trafficked women use their powers to turn the tables on their oppressors! Real punching the air moment. As for the TW, can't we have ANYTHING that is just for us women...?

And the boyfriend says he's intersex and also has the power? I can't remember, was this in the novel, or something else that was added on?

There was no «intersex» boyfriend in the book.
And to be honest that bit there put me right off the whole series. At least until I’ve watched the New season of Sweet Tooth and Bridgerton.

»Intersex» is not a thing. No one is!

grr.

Im watching it with my 16 yr old son, he is really enjoying it, its contemporary, an interesting mix of characters and social issues tackled, some likeable males and the music is cool too. Although he did groan at the 'intersex' boyfriend and said oh no do they have to ruin everything with this crap. Made me laugh as Ive not discussed any of that with him. The 'intersex' thing was bad though, the actor said Ive got both parts (ie a penis and vagina) which is not possible in reality and I felt quite shocked such misinformation would be presented like that. He also called himself intersex which is considered a slur by people with a DSD.