I admit that during the time I’ve been on vacation (one of those that I’ve tired of more than resting) I didn’t have in my plans to see ‘They give the blow‘ (a League of Their Own), the reimagining of the Penny Marshall film, with Tom HanksMadonna and Geena Davis in the cast, about the formation of a women’s baseball league during World War II.
However, once I got up to speed on everything, It became a big unfinished business. an absolute priority. And yes, it’s well worth it because the Amazon Prime Video series is one of the great surprises we’ve had this summer.
Co-created and starring abby jacobson (Bean’s voice in ‘(Dis)enchantment’) as Carson Shaw, we go back to 1940s Illinois to see the formation of the Rockford Peacheswho will have in their ranks a heterogeneous group of women passionate about this sport who will find themselves being questioned and judged at all times.
Parallel to the formation of this team, we will have the story of Max (Chanté Adams), an African-American girl who is dying to get her big break as a pitcher on a baseball team. Unfortunately, he is the wrong breed and will face continual rejection.. Both plots run parallel, only touching sometimes, something I’ll talk about later.
a dream team
As you can imagine, here we have a whole new crop of Peaches, with little or nothing to do with that of the 90s movie. Nor in terms of themes, which expands beyond sexism (you can also see the difference in dealing with this three decades later) and addresses issues such as homophobia and racism.
All this while being aware that it is a (hilarious) sports comedy and, therefore, emphasizes the importance of the team and how being part of one influences the lives, doubts, dreams, sorrows and joys of its members.
Jacobson and Will Graham’s screenplay effortlessly weaves together the stories of each of these women, forming a dramatis personae really exciting. It also helps some witty dialogues and a staging by Jamie Babbit who has taken many notes from his brief stint in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’.
Aesthetically and in tone, it is quite reminiscent of the Amy Sherman-Palladino serieswanting to give an optimistic and good-natured light to the adventures of these sportswomen, their romances and their daily dilemmas.
Parallel stories of two passionate
Perhaps what this fiction suffers from the most is the syndrome of being two series in one. The first, the plot of the Peaches with Carson in the center; the second, the attempts of Max for playing the sport he loves. Even justified, for reasons that we will go into later, the few points in common between both plots at the plot level (not thematic) cause that feeling of separation.
This makes sense, especially for highlight the separate worlds in which both series headliners live. No matter how good intentions there are, the institutional racism of the moment means that the paths of one and the other cannot converge. Fortunately, both sides are so interesting that one doesn’t miss the other when the script decides to focus more on one of them.
Where I think the triumph of ‘Ellas dan el coup’ really lies as a great summer series is in a spectacular cast. stand out D’Arcy Cardenwho exudes charisma like Greta; Melanie Field like Jo, her best friend; either Gbemisola Ikumelowhich serves as a wonderful retort to Max.
The key here is that even though it is clear that Carson and Max are the main protagonists, Jacobson and Graham take time for us to get to know (and fall in love with) each of the Peaches, in such a way that they feel like a real team and not like half a dozen random high schools.
In short, ‘They give the blow’ it has been quite a surprise, already being one of the best Amazon series this year. A fun dramedy that picks up the tradition and tropes of the sports genre and builds something great with it. If you miss ‘GLOW’, this can be an excellent replacement.