You’ve got to own your freakiness before your freakiness owns you
Continuing my trip down The Guardian's Top 50 TV Shows of 2021.
#15 : We Are Lady Parts
A sitcom about an all-female, all-Muslim punk band, We Are Lady Parts is the sort of show a cynic might write off as tokenistic. Until they actually watched it, that is, because Nida Manzoor’s comedy was exactly that; a silly, giddy half hour that was actually designed to make people laugh. The band’s song names – Voldemort Under My Headscarf, Bashir With the Good Beard – were just a glorious bonus.
Yes, we're skipping ahead again because I decided to watch #14 from the beginning so it was taking me longer than expected anyway, but then I lost access to it and so I started this. And found myself watching it all very quickly...
I'd heard it was good but had never bothered checking it out because I suspected the cultural references would pass me by. But ten minutes in, after we've been introduced to the fierce members of a band bent on taking down the patriarchy through the power of punk, they're all rocking out to The Proclaimers "500 Miles" in a hatchback - so I was feeling pretty included in the cultural references. Yeah, they're all-female and all-Muslim but they're just as partial to a bit of the Reid twins as the rest of us.
It's basically a good natured comedy about trying to find your place in two clashing worlds - yes, the worlds here are Muslim and punk but they could be any worlds really. And obviously there are plenty of opportunities for comedic misunderstandings but they're backed up by some well fleshed-out and utterly charming characters. Everyone has their foibles (it's a sitcom, so of course they do) but they are (mostly) pretty relatable and it's a pleasure watching them trying to learn and grow as people (but not too much, obviously). And most importantly, it's funny - which is always good in a sitcom. Episode 5 does get heavier than you might expect, but that's required for the surprisingly emotional payoff in episode 6.
It's all well-acted - Anjana Vasan (who has the HUGEST eyes) has the central role as Amina but it's very much an ensemble piece and everyone deserves credit for playing their part. It took me ages to recognise Shobu Kapoor who plays her mum - she used to play Gita in Eastenders (a very long time ago now). I'm also going to give Sarah Kameela Impey and David Avery namechecks in their roles as Saira and Abdullah - they bring a real humanity to their attempts to navigate their relationship minefield ("you alright, dickhead?").
Wikipedia mentions that the pilot episode experienced a backlash on social media for mocking or misrepresenting Islam but I can't say I took it that way - I saw people experiencing normal problems within a Muslim frame of reference, but I appreciate that I'm not the best person to comment on the religious aspects of this (or anything, in fact). However, there's plenty of praise for the series online and sometimes it is the case, as Taylor Swift once wisely said, "haters gonna hate".
So, I'd ignore any fears of tokenism or cultural misunderstanding - just go in expecting a giggle or two as you go on a journey with some likeable characters and you'll be fine. It might not be your cup of tea but watch it to find out, like I should have done because, when I watched it, I found I enjoyed it. It's more lightweight than you might initially expect from the description (and that's not a criticism in the slightest), but it packs more emotional heft than you're expecting over the course of the season and the last episode left me with a very upbeat feeling, a smile on my face and (possibly) a tear in my eye.
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