Picture the world we live in now: A world where female politicians are critiqued for every aspect of their being, from their shoes to the expression on their face. Where women can’t get access to information or care for their bodies. Where schools don’t feel safe and girls are told to calm down when they try to express their emotions. Based on the 2016 novel by Naomi Alderman by the same name, Prime Video’s new series “The Power” places these real-world issues at its forefront, but with one vital twist: What if women were forced to evolve in order to survive? In “The Power,” young women between the ages of 12 and 19 develop an organ like that of an electric eel, which allows them to create their own electrical pulses. Once this mutation is discovered it sparks a wave that will permanently change the power dynamics of society.
In the hands of a different creative team, this premise could’ve easily become cheesy, too much like your average superhero story. Or, it might have seemed a bit too close to the many young adult dystopian stories already out there. In reality, yes, the development of this power is a bit contrived and the science behind it is likely very weak. But there is a shocking amount of nuance here. The setting of the story isn’t some far off future or a colorful comic book. It is a world just like our own, facing the same issues as our own. These women aren’t superheroes or villains; they are just people trying to survive in a world where the odds are stacked against them. While the show’s focus could have easily been placed on how the mutation first developed, “The Power” instead examines what happens in the aftermath of the girls’ discovery.
As it turns out, the fallout was complicated. There was no single response, as each community and person reacts differently to the life-altering events. Rather than honing in on one family’s story, the series takes a global perspective, with distinct plotlines examining perspectives from women all around the world. It is easy in ensemble shows such as this for one setting or performance to fall flat, but that is not the case in “The Power.” Equal attention and devotion has been given to each storyline explored. No setting feels under-developed or lacking, from the family of a crime boss in London, England, to a journalist in the metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria and even to a convent of ex-communicated activist nuns in South Carolina. Ria Zmitrowicz (“Foresight”) delivers a powerful performance as the daughter of said crime boss, while Halle Bush (debut) has a fantastic on-screen presence as Allison, a girl running away from her foster family. In Seattle, Auli’i Cravalho (“Moana”) convincingly plays strong-minded teen Jos, as she pushes away her politician mother, Margot (Toni Collette, “The Estate”). The developments of the electrical power in these women affect each specific character differently. Yet “The Power” doesn’t just gloss over this fact, but instead embraces it and succeeds because of it.
What makes “The Power” work unbelievably well is its theorization of how events like these would disrupt and alter our way of life. These women aren’t celebrated, or even feared exactly; instead, they become even more controlled. At the outset of the series, this power isn’t a gift, but a threat. Schools force their students to report classmates with the power, and then detain the affected girls in the gym. The FBI investigates a 12-year-old girl as they would a terrorist because of a power she didn’t even know she had. The male governor of Washington state tries to cover up the cases in order to save his senate campaign, but in doing so denies women access to information about the developments in their bodies. These first three episodes provide a scathing examination of women’s place in society. The story may be implausible, but if the power was in fact a reality, who’s to say our real world wouldn’t respond in the same way?
But throughout the premiere episodes, there are also meaningful moments of these women seizing their power amongst the confusion and continuing attempts at control. This is where the storytelling of “The Power” feels its strongest. As women, we are already used to narratives of control and manipulation, and seeing them on screen in “The Power” can possibly feel like overkill, repeating in fiction the issues we deal with everyday. But “The Power” also allows its women to embody their rage: Their electricity is a vessel for catharsis. It gives them a tool they need to survive in their world; whether it’s escaping an abusive foster father, fighting off attackers or simply building one’s self confidence, their power gives them a way to take their lives into their own hands.
It will be interesting to see how the gender dynamic continues to develop and change in the upcoming episodes. Hopefully the victories of the women in “The Power” will grow from only personal wins into sweeping policy and social change across the whole world. Regardless, if “The Power” wants to continue to succeed, it should keep leaning into its global perspective on the events and posing questions that make viewers think critically about how these stories are reflected in the real world.
Daily Arts Writer Mallory Edgell can be reached at medgell@umich.edu.