Marvel's Agent Carter Matters- And Here's Why

If you're like me, you've almost certainly seen the ubiquitous ads for ABC's upcoming Marvel miniseries, Agent Carter. And if you're like me, you've also almost certainly found the early trailers a little bit irritating, or at the very least quite cliché. "The best man for the job... is a woman." Come on- that's the best they could come up with? In all seriousness, though, ABC's PR department might not be the subtlest, but they certainly know what to play up about this new series. After 10 films (and counting) and one TV series with male leads, directors, writers, et al., Agent Carter will be the first property in the multi-platform Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature a female lead- and a female-led creative team to boot. For a somewhat nerdy female writer like me, there could be no better news. But this show isn't just a milestone for a major synergistic story. It's a lot more than that.

Hayley Atwell in Captain America, (c) Marvel/Disney

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Gender, Power, and the Megamusical in the Land of Oz. Part 2

In the first part of this series, we looked at the female characters in Oz and what they symbolize, both on a dramatic and musical level and a theoretical level. Now, let's take a look at these women's relationships and the remarkable (and unusual) use of female friendship to structure the show. But first, just to wrap up the gendered character analysis, let's also take a quick look at the men of Oz, particularly the men of Wicked.

Dear Broadway: Not Every Movie Needs To Be A Musical

If you've been paying any attention to Broadway these days, you might have noticed a few familiar titles. Or more than a few. In recent seasons, the theater world has been overrun by "new" musicals that are based on existing stories, particularly films. Some (Once) have been great. Others (Ghost, anybody?), not so much. Now, adaptation has been the bread and butter of book musicals since Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted Green Grow The Lilacs, a play with 64 Broadway performances to its name, into one of the most popular and groundbreaking musicals in theater history: Oklahoma! The difference is, the adaptations we're seeing today are not true adaptations of a story into something new for the theater. Instead, it feels like producers go down a list of popular movies and try to shoehorn them into a milieu that simply doesn't work. I love musical theater, but here's the thing: not everything should be a musical.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Gender, Power, and the Megamusical in the Land of Oz. Part 1

I thought I'd try something a little different for this post, something a little more academic. But not dry, I promise! The musical I love best in the world is Wicked, and I've always had a fascination with the world of Oz. As I've grown older and learned more about the story and its contexts over time, I wanted to do some research into the power and gender dynamics in the story. This particular commentary ended up pretty long, so I'm dividing it into sections. (Note: I'll put references at the bottom of each post in case anyone wants to take a look at some of my sources). First up: a character analysis of the ladies of Oz.

Calling all Cortexifans: Here's a successor to Fringe- and you should be watching!

"You are my favorite thing, Peter. My very favorite thing." And for five glorious seasons, Fringe was a favorite thing for millions of fans who loved its unique blend of outrageously creative and creepy sci-fi mythology, thoughtful philosophy, and emotionally rich character arcs. In today's TV milieu, dominated by anti-hero cable dramas and sharp-tongued sitcoms, there is little, if anything, that captures a similar spirit of adventure and darkness alongside a healthy dose of hope. But with last season's breakout hit Sleepy Hollow, it seems the spirit (no pun intended) of Fringe may once again be on our TVs. Here's four reasons why you should be watching, Fringe fan or not.

Sleepy Hollow cast, image (c) Fox

Ma'am, Yes, Ma'am: Women and Institutionalized Authority on TV

There is really no argument that modern television screens are full to the brim with strong female characters. From the fiery antiheroines of Homeland, Revenge, The Sopranos, and Game of Thrones to the funny professional ladies on 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation, to the steely-tough heroines found throughout sci-fi from Buffy Summers up through Alias, Fringe, and the modern companions of Doctor Who, there’s no shortage of strong females, no matter what your tastes are. But no matter how amazingly fierce and capable they are, there’s still one thing missing from nearly every one of them: institutionalized authority. Why is it that nearly every female character must answer to an authority personified by men? This isn’t meant as a slam on capable, clever, worthy male authority figures. I have always been a pretty low-key, middle-of-the-road feminist who has no problem with men. The problem I see is when these things become a pattern.

Let’s break this down by a few genres: drama/procedural, comedy, and sci-fi.

The Fan's Guide to the Elements of Writing: Chekov's (or John Watson's) Gun

As I've gone through writing courses, I've learned a great deal about seemingly simple devices that recur in many works and that can prove very useful, whether you're analyzing a story or writing one of your own. This is the first in what will be a recurring series on The Storyologist: The Fan's Guide to the Elements of Writing. We're going to look at these devices and their uses through the lenses of films, TV shows, books, and theater that many of you are probably familiar with.

We're going to start with a very well-known device used in foreshadowing: Chekov's Gun. Or, as I'm going to look at it here, John Watson's Gun.
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