December 23, 2003
The Wheel
A young Chinese woman burns herself outside the apartment of a Chinese diplomat (13.9). Turns out she was strangled before she was burned, and that she's a member of the Falun Gong. The episode's first half is notable because it takes a very one-sided view of Falun Gong, basically repeating the Chinese government's position that the movement is a cult and that the members are deranged. This is balanced somewhat in the second half, but only because other characters decry the injustice of the why FG is treated in China. Only one very minor character actually defends FG on its merits, which surprised me a little. There is one great shot as Blondie ("Serena") leaves the courthouse after one of the hearings: About two dozen FG members are arrayed on the courthouse steps, posed in FG stances, staring blankly into space. Blondie has to work her way through them as she descends the steps, and she's creeped out by their passivity and uniformity.
Posted by adm at December 23, 2003 06:50 PM