The Fall - S1E3 - Insolence and Wine

Previously The Fall, ‘Darkness Visible’ 

Oh daddy Paul – what a conflicting character. In one moment he is a patient, sweet father who kisses, hugs, and holds his children. The next moment he is contributing to his child’s psychosis. How sad was it that somehow daddy dearest has allowed for his child to be aware of the ‘naked woman in the ceiling’ or as I like to call it daddy’s scary scrapbook? When she mentioned this to her mom I was able to imagine the type of night terrors she was experiencing. How long has this child been terrified? That truly gave me the shivers.

A woman and her sexuality are also explored in this episode. How is the control of her sexuality viewed by others? And is it fair? At this point, we are halfway through the season, and after the murder of Mr. Meaningless Sex (aka James Olsen) we get a glimpse into the hypocrisy of Stella’s one night stand.

Once Stella finds out he was murdered, she contacts her superiors and is grilled - for lack of a better term - about it. It seems to be a really unfair place for her to be – was it her responsibility to know he was married with kids? Would we be asking this question if the roles were reversed? Of course not. It’s refreshing to see she is unapologetic of her sexuality. She has both a lack of remorse for her role, as well as a lack of an attachment to a man she spent a single night with. Another instance of her sexuality being explored is all the hoopla around her blouse being unbuttoned on camera. An honest mistake taken out of context and she was judged for it. Had she been a lessor woman it could have affected her confidence in front of others.

The Fall is dark and violent and often sad, but it’s also compelling, original, and thought provoking. Although it’s clearly a story framed around a brutal and sadistic rapist and killer – the lead female character Stella is one hell of a feminist. She has the best quotes hands down. I find myself constantly rooting for Stella to say something that will mentally kick some guy in the face. My favorite quote from this episode comes when Stella was being interrogated for her one night stand: “That’s what really bothers you isn’t it? The one night stand. ‘Man fucks woman’ Subject: man. Verb: fuck. Object: woman. That’s okay. ‘Woman fucks man’. Woman: subject. Man: object. That’s not so comfortable for you is it?”

Ugh. The stereotypes women are forced to live with. I call bullshit and I’m glad that Stella did too.