2023 · Based on 1 season, 10 episodes through July 27, 2023 ·
The Crowded Room is a dark psychological thriller set in Manhattan during the summer of 1979. The story follows Danny Sullivan, a young man arrested after a shooting at Rockefeller Center. A psychologist named Rya Goodwin interviews Danny, slowly discovering that he suffers from a mental illness that splits his mind into multiple personalities. The series is filled with mystery, trauma, and tense legal battles as Danny tries to survive. Viewers will easily notice several strong progressive themes throughout the season. Danny's female alter-ego, Ariana, leads to a highly graphic same-sex encounter that highlights gender and sexual fluidity. Rya Goodwin's subplot also focuses on feminist themes, showing her struggle against sexism in a male-dominated academic world. Finally, the series heavily sanitizes the real-life rapist it is based on to make him a sympathetic figure of trauma.
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Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Crowded Room.
Woke representation / casting
The cast features Sasha Lane, a biracial and queer actress, as Danny's female alter-ego. Elijah Jones plays Jerome, her gay partner. Amanda Seyfried plays Rya Goodwin, a female psychologist who struggles against sexist male bosses at her university. These casting choices put a clear emphasis on diversity and gender representation. Because of these distinct queer and feminist casting choices, this factor receives an elevated score.
55%
Woke political dialogue
The show does not have heavy activist speeches. Still, it includes noticeable feminist and gender dialogues. Rya often defends her work against sexist male bosses who try to dismiss her. In later episodes, characters talk about sexuality and gender fluidity. They discuss how Danny shares his body with a female identity who loves men. This dialogue brings modern ideas of gender identity into a historical setting.
35%
Identity-driven story themes
The story focuses heavily on gender fluidity and queer identity. Danny has a female alter-ego named Ariana. She has a romance with a man named Jerome. This leads to an explicit same-sex scene that highlights non-traditional gender ideas. In addition, Rya's story focuses on feminist struggles. She has to fight for respect as a working single mother in a world run by men. Both plotlines make identity a central theme of the show.
68%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The show critiques traditional Western institutions. It portrays the legal system, the police, and universities as cold and sexist. Rya's male bosses are shown as dismissive men who do not respect her work. Traditional family life is also shown as dangerous. Danny's stepfather is an abusive villain who represents male entitlement. His mother fails to protect him from this abuse. The show frames traditional households as unsafe and flawed.
55%
Woke character or canon changes
The series makes massive changes to the real story. The real-life criminal was a convicted rapist. The writers change this completely. They turn his crimes into a public shooting to make him look like a sympathetic victim. His real-life lesbian alter, who committed the actual rapes, is renamed Ariana. She is rewritten as a gentle victim who has a consensual queer romance. Fictional psychologist Rya Goodwin is also created to add a feminist subplot about sexism.
75%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
The show faced massive online backlash over an explicit same-sex scene. Many viewers were shocked and used the hashtag 'NotMySpiderman' to criticize actor Tom Holland. Anti-woke critics accused the show of emasculating a famous male action star. They argued that the series was pushing a queer political agenda. This controversy dominated social media and led to many negative reviews from conservative viewers who felt the scene was forced.
82%
Creator track record context
The creative team has a moderate history with progressive themes. Writer Daniel Keyes and creator Akiva Goldsman have low, neutral scores. However, several directors and writers on the team have strong activist track records. Director Mona Fastvold and writer Henrietta Ashworth score high for their past queer and feminist projects. Producer Kata Weber also focuses on feminist stories. These progressive track records bring the overall crew average to a moderate score.
34%
Production
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