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The Get Down

The Get Down‘s first six episodes landed on Netflix this month to a lot of fanfare, and yet no one is talking about what goes down in the midseason finale. The astounding episode features an array of insane scenes — there’s a triumphant song-and-dance number, the rise of Ed Koch, and a welcome dip into the underground LGBT community — that includes a harrowing female-on-male rape scene. What’s fascinating about this particular scene is how clear everyone is about what precisely is going on. Instead of hedging the horror of the transgression (or languishing in it), The Get Down simply spells it out explicitly. The rape is not just a part of nature or a culture; It’s an aggressive act of vengeance and a clear delineation of power.

Let’s set the scene: Disgraced, drug-addicted producer Jackie Moreno has cut a brilliant disco track with young Mylene. However, it doesn’t matter how good it is. If tastemaker Leslie Lesgold doesn’t recommend it to the cities’ DJs at one of her listening parties, the track will go nowhere. Her word is the only word that matters.

The problem is Leslie Lesgold was once Marion Schwartz from Scarsdale, Jackie Moreno’s intern. He coerced her into giving him oral sex and then fired her. It was not only rape, but workplace sexual harassment. Still steaming about it after all these years, Leslie wants her revenge. Without it, Mylene Cruz’s music career and Jackie’s comeback go nowhere. What precisely is that revenge? The Get Down makes it extraordinarily clear:

Jackie: Okay, you got me. You win. Touché. What do you want me to do?

Leslie: I’m gonna exploit you like you exploited me. I’m gonna abuse my power like you abused yours. And if you’re compliant, then… we’ll see.

Leslie’s friend then locks the door and we watch as Jackie is brought to his knees and forced to give Leslie oral sex. This disturbing scene is interwoven with other scenes about the dark quest for power: Shaolin is being goaded into shooting one of Annie’s enemies and Books is making a deal to join the corrupt world of NYC politics with former “Moses Man” Mr. Gunns. The message is clear: Leslie’s demand is indeed about the abuse of power.

After all is said and done, Leslie still refuses to help. Jackie is horrified. He calls out that she just raped him and Leslie and her friend laugh in his face. Their defense? It would be too emasculating for him to ever admit to being raped for him to do anything about it. And besides, Leslie says she was raped, too.

The Get Down doesn’t pretend that this is anything but rape. The Get Down also doesn’t try to sidestep what’s really at play here: This isn’t about sex as much as it’s about power. The reversal of traditional roles only highlights the dark truth. The Get Down is a bold show in many ways. It’s full of bright colors, exuberant pacing, and incredibly campy moments. It also seems to be one of the few shows on television that doesn’t want to fetishize sexual violence, but rather portray it as the abuse of power it intrinsically is.

[Watch The Get Down on Netflix]