‘Three Women’ Recap: ‘three women’

9/14/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Shailene Woodley as Gia in Episode 101 of ‘Three Women’ – ‘three women’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Three Women’.

Whether we like to admit it or not, the citizens of the United States of American live under quite the false pretense. Specifically, that everyone in the USA is treated equally in 2024. Which is a statement that will immediately roll some eyes but think about it for a moment. After all, there is still incredible prejudice and racism alive in America, and people are still looked down upon and shunned for their sexual preferences and the discovery that they are not comfortable with their gender. Not to mention… women are treated like second class citizens.

For women are denied something as simple as body autonomy in the USA, and they are paid less than their male counterparts for the same work, decried (incorrectly) as always being too emotional and have high and strange expectations upon them. Yet there are so many who continue to claim life Is great for women in America, and well… the big question that remains at this point… is how do we wake everyone up to the fact that things are not equal in this day and age? Well storytelling is one way, since it can add perspective and that is why the new STARZ series, Three Women, is of note. Since it manages to accomplish just that in its pilot episode.

For ‘three women’ is a story that introduces us to a struggling writer named Gia who is looking for the right human story to tell, one that truly showcases something powerful, and after receiving some absolutely awful advice from her writing mentor, she sets out into the countryside to find her story and what she uncovers is quite incredible. For she meets three women with stunning stories of inequality to tell. For instance, there is Lina, a housewife from Indiana who is… a housewife from Indiana. One starved for touch, intimacy, and is desperate to be seen and desired. Plus, there’s Sloane. A well to do woman with plenty riding for her, but she lacks respect in this life and is seen more often than not as an object of desire over someone of substance.

Betty Gilpin as Lina in Episode 101 of ‘Three Women’ – ‘three women’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Lastly, there’s Maggie, an everyday small-town woman that has seen her future be derailed by way of a scandalous affair with the town’s most cherished teacher. A man that everyone sees as a pillar of the community, but clearly enjoys abusing his standing. Since his machinations have deeply rattled Maggie and well, that’s quite the setup for this story. For this truly showcases three lives of three women that make up the real fabric of America. For there are so many who wish to be more than the norms that are demanded of them, like Lina, and want to be desired and cherished. Plus, there are so many women akin to Sloane that are reviled for being successful in a nation where we prize that, but let’s be honest… only for men.

Of course, Maggie represents one of the worst ways that women are treated and viewed in this country. For she happened to be an object of desire, one to be cast off when the charm and allure of using her faded. All of which truly explores corners of American life that we don’t think about and don’t care to. Because there is comfort to be found in just believing that progress has taken place, and all is well. But the hard reality is that women are still seen and preferred to not be heard and are denied agency far more often than they should and well, that’s why hearing their stories, and the stories present here are critical. So that at last, the opposite can take place. All of which brings about an amazing series premiere, one that truly paints an incredible and unsettling picture of life in the United States of America and makes clear that equality is a joke in 2024.

But as this premiere implies, that doesn’t have to be the norm and with some learning and some push… perhaps we can get there. Yet while that alone would be enough to carry this premiere and this series, we’d be remiss to not point out that the amazing actors present here only add to the wonder of this story. Since Shailene Woodley (Gia), Betty Gilpin (Leah), DeWanda Wise (Sloane), and Gabrielle Creevy (Maggie) add incredible gravity to every single moment, and well, all of this makes for a must-see series. For this is that rare show that captures the human condition and offers nothing but honesty, and it will be interesting to see what other truths lie ahead as this series continue along. Until next time.

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