A Disappointing Three Women Adaptation Spotlights One Woman Too Many

For a work of literary nonfiction to thrill readers the way Lisa Taddeo’s 2019 best-seller Three Women has done, it must offer more than just rich subject matter. There has to be chemistry between the author and the story; readers have to feel her intimate understanding of its characters and sense the unique perspective she brings to their predicaments. Fittingly, given that Three Women is a triptych portrait of female desire in 21st century America, there’s an element of seduction. Taddeo closes the deal by closing the space that separates herself from the women whose sex lives she chronicles. Their minds, hearts, and libidos speak so loudly, you might forget she’s even there.

That such a feverish read was adapted into a steamy yet sad premium-cable drama is no surprise. Yet the 10-episode series, created by Taddeo for Showtime then shelved and picked up by Starz, breaks the book’s sweaty spell. Like the text spun through a centrifuge, this version of Three Women, premiering Sept. 13, pairs retellings of the subjects’ stories with the tale of a fourth woman: the Taddeo-esque journalist (Shailene Woodley’s Gia) traveling the country to collect characters. Despite bold performances and sensitive directing that centers women’s subjective experiences of sex and their bodies, the show’s disjointed structure and flimsy frame narrative suggest that the book might not have been so ripe for TV after all.

Taddeo establishes the storyline by depicting an interaction between Gia and James Talese, a renowned journalist known for his book about sexuality in the 1970s, “Thy Neighbor’s Wife.” Gia aims to modernize this work, but many viewers under 60 might not fully appreciate Talese’s cultural impact and tough-guy image. Talese, who served as a questionable mentor in the book’s marketing narrative, declares, “You’re going out there to sleep with married men.” However, Gia doesn’t do this, partly because she understands that when it comes to matters of sex, love, and particularly desire, women are more captivating.

The opening scene presents three main characters: Lina, portrayed passionately by Betty Gilpin as a housewife from Indiana who longs for affection from her husband (Sean Meehan); Sloane, brilliantly played by DeWanda Wise, a socialite on Martha’s Vineyard whose desires lead her to unusual relationships with her spouse (Blair Underwood) and others; and Maggie, a 23-year-old waitress from North Dakota (Gabrielle Creevy), who was affected deeply by an extramarital affair she had years ago with her high school English teacher (Jason Ralph). He later received the title of ‘Teacher of the Year’, prompting Maggie to take action.

Gia shares with us, in a voice-over that seems more inspirational than Taddeo’s work usually allows for subtlety, that all the characters shared a daring belief: they felt entitled to something better. However, the disjointed structure of the series, which sometimes focuses on individual characters and other times blends stories about two or more, suggests that these women don’t quite fit together seamlessly. Lina, played exceptionally by Gilpin, stands out with her raw vulnerability, embodying a woman struggling with unspoken desires in a relatable way. The story of Maggie, tainted by its resemblance to numerous teacher-student boundary-crossing narratives seen on television before, is less impactful due to this similarity. Additionally, the character of Sloane, originally a New England WASP but now portrayed as a wealthy Black woman, appears to be an attempt at diversity within the series, yet her arc feels underdeveloped, focusing mainly on the implications of her identity change without delving deeper.

Most incongruous is the Gia storyline. The new character forces viewers to make sense of a convoluted, ultimately inessential timeline of the reporting process; her point of entry into Lina’s life is especially confusing. And instead of offering much insight into what might motivate a journalist to stake her career on a cross-country quest to illuminate women’s sexuality, Three Women gives Gia an inexplicably devoted love interest (John Patrick Amedori) and embroils them in a progressively farther-fetched conflict between his commitment and her avoidance.

It’s not hard to understand why Taddeo felt compelled to tweak the structure for TV or to add a semi-autobiographical character who could shed light on a remarkable feat of reportage. But in decoupling her voice from those of her subjects, the series severs the mind-meld connection that made Three Women electrifying.

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2024-09-03 15:07