This new
television show features a fading country music legend (Rayna James) and her up
and coming competition (Juliette Barnes.
The show sets the two up for an on-going power struggle for the
spotlight.
Until this point in time I have not watched an episode of the
new ABC show, Nashville. While I love a
good new show, this would not be a show I would typically have taken up
watching. One thing I noticed in watching the show was that many scenes are shot in the kitchen or around instruments or musical settings. Thing is shows the South’s focus on food.
The show could not be set anywhere other
than Nashville. The rich music heritage
of Nashville provides an immediate backdrop for the drama that plays out
throughout the season. There are few
places in the United States where people compete for fame as they do in Nashville. There is no other place in the South that
could play host to the show because there is no other city that births as many
stars as Music City. The industry, here,
is continually growing and evolving insisting a constant out with the old, in
with the new.
Rayna is an incredibly successful woman, regardless of her
recent decline in fame; yet, she is still shown preparing meals in the
kitchen. This is interesting in that
even though she is a successful woman and could be self-reliant financially,
she can’t seem to get herself out of the kitchen. She is not exempt from the southern female
stereotype. I can’t promise that I will
continue to keep up with this tv show, but it does have some interesting
qualities. I do like Hayden Panettiere,
however, so I might give it another try. - Lauren Copeland
I think it's interesting that the show is staged primarily in the kitchen. I guess it would look back at the "typical" southern belle's need to raise a home, care for a family, and cook a good meal. The location and title of the show is also interesting. Nashville is known for being the headquarters of country music. The audience, as a result, is already primed for a sort of "down home" feel. I thought this was an interesting analysis. I don't think I'll be watching the show much either, but if I hear Paual Dean is making a guest appearance, I won't be surprised either.
ReplyDeleteI'm personally happy that the South is getting its own notoriety on the business and culture end of things. The country music industry has been huge and prominent even since the very early beginnings of the music industry. I haven't seen the show yet, but what I can gather from the entry is that any attempt to portray stereotypical elements of Southern life is more subtle than anything else, like the kitchen things. No, its not perfect, and can probably even be viewed as offensive in the right context, but it's better than having something out there and over the top in an attempt to directly satirize the culture (or at least what people think is the culture) in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael in the sense that the South is gaining a little public notoriety and recognition for the rich musical history of the south. However, I can't say that this would necessarily be the most positive representation of the South based on the fact that the show solely revolves around female drama.
ReplyDeleteI believe I briefly caught the Pilot to Nashville, but country music has never been my thing so this show does not really prove to be interesting to me. However, I do remember the kitchen. Not a lot of feministic qualities in this show. When famous, powerful women are reduced to kitchen association on such a numerous occasion, not a whole lot of power is going to be seen with the ladies of Nashville. I do agree with Michael though - a show like Nashville is a better representation of the South then a show like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo or even The Office episode in which we are heavily satirized. It's hard to demand a perfect picture of the South that is realistic and believable yet positive in its portrayal. But if you are interested in a more realistic South, turn the TV to FX in January for Justified or AMC in February for The Walking Dead.
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