GAMES: GameSpot GameFAQs MOVIES: Metacritic Movietome Comic-Con
Tuesday, Sep 22, 2009

Wonderfalls is a show that has garnered a cult following. Following the exploits of young woman Jaye Tyler who is smart and witty, it at first glance appears to be a positive show with the right intentions. Jaye has a philosophy degree and seemingly the world at her finger tips, yet if we look a little closer we find that Jaye is working as a sales clerk and living in a trailer park. Her sister, who is a lesbian, and her mother who looks and acts like the perfect 1950s housewife are the only two women in the show with any success.



Note the devil horns above her symbolising her female-inborn sin. Please.

Yet Jaye isn't happy in her position of failure in life, so maybe it's not all bad? But alas, it is! In a fit of mental illness brought about by finding out that Alec, a young teenage boy in high school, was promoted instead of her, she begins talking to inanimate objects. Wait, this is still sounding very reasonable isn't it? This is the sort of injustice that woman suffer through every day of their lives.

Maybe her mental illness will inspire her to try that little harder (just as all woman must) to try and find some semblance of success. But no, instead it inspires in her her maternal instinct, encouraging her to help others, rather than develop the cut throat attitude required for women to succeed in a modern patriarchal society.

She sets about blindly following what these objects tell her to do, as if following her own instincts, and thus ignoring her rational female-mind. Meanwhile she meets Eric Gotts at a bar (Jaye is an alcoholic) and is immediately infatuated. The show goes on to reveal that Jaye has spent her life breaking men's hearts, yet it presents this in a negative way, while also using her relationship with Eric as a catalyst for her to 'mend' her ways and become a good little housewife, ready to ignore her own desires and needs for her man.

Ironically it is this love that the show says she needs to get her out of her slump—out of the trailer park and into the kitchen?—and find success. Indeed, when the conniving, brain dead bimbo wins back her husband, she falls into an even deeper stupor, spending the day crying and pining over her lost love.

Her love for him also seems to be more maternal than carnal, encouraging him to be happy even if it's without her, and the sex in the show (excluding sex involving her black friend Mahendra and a Russian mail order bride, I say excluding for a reason) is a scene in which Eric's wife is seen pleasuring a bellboy, thus showing that sex is something designed solely for a man's pleasure.



As you can see here she is leaning forward to ready herself to be 'punished' by her boss, and once again this symbolises that she does not in any way enjoy sexual intercourse, even with a younger man.

Yet when they do fall into each others arms by the end of the series we find that she has found happiness, and that there may be the opportunity for success, showing that only through a man could she possibly be able to be anything more than a sales clerk ordered around by teenage boys.

Her lesbian sister symbolises this in the basest of ways—if a woman cannot find success through a man, but still wants to find success, she must become a man to do so. But it's not just rampant sexism that Wonderfalls displays. I mentioned the mail order bride and black friend earlier.

Now, it goes without saying that a mail order bride is inherently sexist, but this mail order bride is one so stupid and desperate for love that she fell in love with the man buying and selling her like meat. And who was that man? A twelve year old boy. And what became of her? She ended up with his father—once again showing that a woman can only find happiness by fulfilling their most basest of instincts—maternity.

But she also enjoys sex, something only demonstrated with non-white females. Mahendra, Jaye's friend, also enjoys sex. Clearly demonstrating the belief that blacks are of an inferior race to whites and ruled by carnal desires. In fact, all the non-white characters in the show are portrayed in a negative light, from the abusive, obese black female police officer in Crime Dog to the young black thief in Caged Bird.

That's not your imagination. She does look like a watermelon.

While Caged Bird does feature a bank robber who is white, it is worth noting that they state explicitly that he is not evil because he is an organ donor, yet none of the black characters are treated in such a way.

Not only that but in the episode Totem Mole native Americans are portrayed as greedy, money hungry, superstitious imbeciles. Indeed, the highly successful female native lawyer Deanna Lightfoot develops a delusion after Jaye's lesbian sister succumbs to her male instinct of violence and locks her in a sauna. After developing the delusion, she emerges nude from the sauna, much to the enjoyment of the lesbian and male onlooker, thus further demonstrating what a woman's worth really is.

Indeed, she then leaves her career as a lawyer to become a Native American seer and thus the heterosexual, unmarried, successful woman has successfully been put back in her rightful place in society, both as a native and woman.
This is the final nail in the sexist and racist coffin for Wonderfalls. The show is full of hatred and suppression and should not be seen by any clear-thinking woman, and should be rightfully shunned and detested.

Again with the devil horns. Apparently they've not heard of subtelty or cIass.

All is wonderful in Wonderfalls; but only if you are a misogynist, racist man. For once the highly sexist Fox network made a decision that actually benefited women, instead of further lining the pockets of their all male board.
And I didn't even mention the exorcism.


Category: Editorial
Posted by Foolz3h, 4:38am
33 Comments | Post a Comment

Comments

Page 1 
« prev  |  next »
Wow. I really hope this blog is an elaborate joke. If it's serious, I could not disagree with you more. Wonderfalls is one of my favorite shows.
Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:22 am PT
Ok, now I don't know who's joking, but I can say with confidence that I couldn't STAND Wonderfalls... although not for the listed reasons lol. That said, I'm with Johnsteed7 and hoping that this is more of your razor wit, because if not... um... sometimes what you think when you've eaten the mushrooms doesn't really mean anything.
Posted Sep 22, 2009 2:44 pm PT
@johnsteed7
Come now! Do you even need to ask? Sometimes I wonder how people can wonder if the blogs like these are serious or not, though, then I remember some feminist literature I've read and it all becomes clear.

And then I wonder wonder why the wonder falls.

@Frame_Dragger
You hated it?! Why?
Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:05 pm PT
It has sex scenes?!? Wait, what were your arguments about not watching this show again?
Posted Sep 22, 2009 8:08 pm PT
@bacchus2
The major argument was that there weren't enough sex scenes and the only sex scene wasn't explicit enough.

or something like that.
Posted Sep 22, 2009 11:12 pm PT
Ohh. It's a joke. Cause I was about to say, 'Whaaaaat?'

I have to agree with others that the show isn't my favorite. Compared to his two other shows, Dead Like Me(first season only) and the great Pushing Daisies, it kind of pales in comparison.

But it was great fun!
Posted Sep 23, 2009 9:01 am PT
I agree with all of this.
Posted Sep 23, 2009 9:22 am PT
@Foolz3h: Eh... I'm a cranky guy sometimes. Something about that show was too... hopeful. Then again, I apparently didn't say for the sex scenes. I feel... robbed somehow.
Posted Sep 23, 2009 3:56 pm PT
@J_Knolling
Interesting, I've heard a lot of people say Pushing Daises and Dead Like Me pale in comparison. But i've not seen either.

@aaronmullan
Finally, someone who understands!

@Frame_Dragger
There you go believing me again! Tsk tsk. Yes, it can absolutely appear like that at the beginning. I stayed for the awesome shots, and it toned down the script that was trying to be to funny, and got a lot less happy...well, mostly!
Posted Sep 23, 2009 7:55 pm PT
@Foolz3h: I'm suing you for libido-whiplash.
Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:09 am PT
@Frame_Dragger
Becareful, those "don't pay legal fees if we win" applies only if you win more than the legal fees cost!

I'd be more than happy to settle out court, though. I'd be happy to help you out in your smut endevaours but I am afraid X-Rated pornography is illegal in Victoria, so you'll just have to head out to St. Kilda for a prostitute. And no, you can't then sue when you stand on a syringe! I clearly stated that there would be no liability.
Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:31 am PT
I didn't notice the sexism, but I think most American TV portrays that sort of racial stereotyping you describe. Its a very segregated society still. I bought it on DVD, as it wasn't broadcast at all in the UK, but I thought it was quite enjoyable. Maybe I should watch it again in light of what you say!
Posted Sep 24, 2009 7:49 am PT
@Joker_Wylde
Absoutely, though I wouldn't necessarily say it was present in Wonderfalls. Certainly on as far as blacks go (a black policewoman in and of itself somewhat goes against stereotypes!) and as for the Indians I felt that was more making fun of political correctness than portraying Indians as greedy as anything.

I too very much enjoyed it, so bear in mind that the blog wasn't serious.
Posted Sep 24, 2009 7:53 pm PT
I've never seen this show, but HOT SCENES!!!*Goes to check it out*.
Posted Sep 25, 2009 3:17 am PT
@Paul939
Prepare to be disappointed by the lack of smut, but appapointed by the show!
Posted Sep 25, 2009 4:37 am PT
Obviously your humor is too subtle and nuanced for us

@bacchus2 - if the show had it's star Caroline Dhaveras in some sex scene every episode, I have no doubt it would still be on the air.
Posted Sep 25, 2009 5:54 am PT
@johnsteed7
And they would slowly build up until they finally had an orgy involving the entire female cast and the 12 year old boy.

Then they would immediately be cancelled.
Posted Sep 25, 2009 8:01 pm PT
So I take it you've set your Tivo up to get season 2?
Posted Sep 29, 2009 1:21 am PT
@mjcowley
Now you've depressed! It was cancelled after the first season.

And I have no tivo.
Posted Sep 29, 2009 4:16 am PT
INNNNNTEEERREEEESTTTIIINNG. I personally didn't completely love Wonderfalls, from the few episodes I saw. Especially watermelon face. My childhood fear of fruit is no light matter!
Posted Sep 29, 2009 10:00 am PT
@floristandbicyc
I don't think I really started to enjoy it for a few episodes in. The script was trying very hard to be funny early on, and as such taking away from the humour of the scenes.
Posted Sep 29, 2009 7:35 pm PT
Interesting blog -- though I can't say I have ever seen, less even heard of this show before
Posted Oct 7, 2009 4:15 am PT
@Blindshot5
Shame on you! It's a Canadian-Americna co-production! No wonder it was cancelled.
Posted Oct 8, 2009 7:37 pm PT
I have never heard of it, but I get the feeling that those women want to eat me.
Posted Oct 9, 2009 5:26 am PT
@kingkilla3
They are lesbians, and most lesbians have cannibalistic tendancies.
Posted Oct 9, 2009 5:30 am PT
Intriguing premise for a show. Women find success by succumbing to the male-driven norms of society? Would it be the antonym of "Desperate Housewives"?
Posted Oct 9, 2009 3:08 pm PT
@31160618
Desperate Housewive is also down on women. Yes, it shows that they are indeed depressed in their 1950s American housewife roll, yet as they try to gain back more power it inevitably only leads to more and more mysery, showing that women are incapable of finding happiness through self empowerement or self depowerement.
Posted Oct 9, 2009 6:32 pm PT
The show sounds a little boring though.
Posted Oct 25, 2009 8:26 pm PT
@Lonelynight
Well I liked it!
Posted Oct 27, 2009 7:34 pm PT
I'll check it out if I'm really bored and have a lot of free time. Which is probably never.
Posted Oct 28, 2009 1:46 am PT
I love this blog so much it hurts. I think it's time to visit the doctor.
Posted Nov 4, 2009 4:34 pm PT
Hmmm, I actually liked this show... I liked the theme song, it was catchy... never caught any of this, sounds kinda like Yahtzee nitpicking!
Posted Nov 4, 2009 6:44 pm PT
@lonelynight
Maybe you could watch it while practising piano!

@Aberinkulas
I love you too...err, I...oh crap...

@Azure-Dreamer
I'll take that as a compliment then. You didn't notice ti cause it wasn't there. It's one of my favourite shows in fact!
Posted Nov 5, 2009 5:37 pm PT
Page 1 
« prev  |  next »
  • Foolz3h
  • Level: 1 (0%)
  • Rank: Mogwai
  • Forum Posts: 12281
  • Messages Read: 0


advertisement
Click Here

Friends

My Friends