I just saw the first disc of the season 1 set. Peter and Linc always send Julie away when the violence is coming. Made me laugh to think in a few years, women characters would jump into fights with reckless abandon.
shareI don't think Julie would've lasted too long jumping into fistfights.
bumscorner.com
myspace.com/porfle
hkfilmnews.blogspot.com
I was just thinking the same thing, Adam. I've only some of the first season, though, so I don't know if they keep her this helpless through-out the show. To me, so far, there doesn't seem to be much reason for her to be there, she always gets caught, she can't be around if there's even a chance of a gun and she doesn't get much valuable information either. I'm having a hard time seeing what the real point of Julie being there really is, I just don't see how she's a vauable asset as an undercover cop. I don't buy that they would actually hire her out in the field.
Does her character evolve or does she keep on playing the damsel in distress all the way through the show?
I doubt if getting into punchouts and shootouts is the main part of an undercover cop's job. Julie is valuable to the team because she's able to pose as various characters--hippie girls, nuns, etc.--in order to get information and access to certain situations. I wouldn't like her character any more if they gave her unrealistic fighting skills as in the CHARLIE'S ANGELS movies.
bumscorner.com
myspace.com/porfle
hkfilmnews.blogspot.com
I see your point, but I don't mean she should have some sort of kung fu skills or be able to take down men twice her size, like say Jaclyn Smith could do on Charlie's Angels. I just feel that she should be able to at least handle a gun, to be able to face that situation if it came, and it did all the time. "I doubt if getting into punchouts and shootouts is the main part of an undercover cop's job." Probably not, but it was on this show, and that's why I have such a hard time believing that they would hire her as a valuable asset. As far as information, I personally don't feel I've seen her get much important info on the show yet, just get caught/kidnapped. Now, again, I haven't seen more than half of the first season, so I couldn't say if that's the case for the whole show.
shareI was just noticing how funny it was to see the sexism of the show. If Linc & the rich dude are concerned about Julie being hurt, have her quit the squad. She's jsut there to be "the girl." Eye candy for the male audience. She had a tough swagger in that first scene when she wised off to the cops. I'm not saying she has to kung fu guys but there are ways for her to handle a violent confrontation smartly without punching guys out. Or they could have had her in a catfight (hmmm...).
shareThis was the 60's. Television still had very traditional views on the roles that men and women played. Despite the fact that women's lib was taking off in the real world at the time "The Mod Squad" originally aired, it would be the following decade in the 70's before American television would start depicting women as being able to handle themselves physically when the going got tough.
Shows like "Police Woman", "The Bionic Woman", "Wonder Woman" & "Charlie's Angels" would usher in a new era of female characters gracing the small screen.
But if you want to know which show broke ground first, look no further than the British spy series "The Avengers" which was made in the 60's and predates "The Mod Squad" and was the first television series that showed women could be smart, tough and resourceful without having to play second fiddle to a man......
[deleted]
Not at all. She was smart and resourceful but often the scripts relied on Linc and/or Pete to bail her out whenever a heavy/bad guy would physically threaten her.
"The Avengers" on the other hand allowed it various leading ladies to be smart, resourceful and tough without waiting around for the man to sweep in and rescue them all the time.
"Police Woman" seemed to have Angie Dickinson needing rescuing quite a bit, also. In some episodes she's strong and holds her own and even handles a gun, but she seems to need the guys quite a lot. Which is actually realistic. Cops rely heavily on back-up in real life. TV cops often go into situations alone when thy would never do that if possible. Julie does seem excessively helpless, though, and she's afraid of guns. She'd never make it as an undercover cop in real life, not even close.
share[deleted]
The problem with "Police Woman" is that Pepper rarely (if ever) rescued her male colleagues whenever they were in trouble. The scripts were always set up so that Pepper would be thrown into peril which would result in the guys charging into save her.
It weakened her character because she was never really seen as someone who could hold their own under pressure (ie: wait until the men arrive to help me out), despite being a caring and competent officer who did her job well.
Julie was reflective of the television attitude that prevailed at the time. She couldn't be seen as a ball busting, nose punching, gut kicking, gun toting chick. American television would have to wait some time before they caught on to this concept. Nowadays, it quite commonplace
[deleted]
[deleted]
With The Avengers there was no reason to have hesitated to have made Julie stronger.
Otherwise why have her as a part of the show?
What would the producers have to lose?
[deleted]
And don't forget 99 (Barbara Feldon) on Get Smart. She was the sensible, smart one who kept Max from getting too far deep into trouble.
shareYou can even see that in the show's intro. Poor Julie is weak and exhausted, so Pete and Linc have to carry her out of harm's way. Oh my how the times have changed.
So it goes.
"Honey west" was made to exactly resemble honor Blackman, from "the avengers'
there would have been no honey without "pussy galore"'
Solid.
Was just watching season 4, second episode about the retarded boy Julie is working with, Corky or Chipper or whatever. Because the boy can identify a murderer, he is tracked down and just about to be killed when Julie appears and takes a flying leap at the killer, knocking them both to the ground. Made me sit up in my seat and go, "Wow!". Of course the the six footer then proceeds to treat Julie like a ragamuffin before Pete & Linc come to the rescue, but still it was nice to finally see Julie get into it.
share