'Mrs America' Episode 6 will see Phyllis Schafly meet her match in Republican feminist Jill Ruckelshaus
FX’s miniseries ‘Mrs America’ chronicles the battle for the Equal Rights Amendment. On one side were second-wave feminists like Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Betty Friedan, Brenda Feigen-Fasteau, Shirley Chisholm, and more. On the other side was the army of white Christian housewives led by the vocal anti-communist conservative pundit Phyllis Schlafly. So far, the story has focussed on the feminists who had associations with Democrats. Which gives the story the color of a Democrats versus Republicans fight. But it wasn’t so. Not throughout. And Episode 6 will bear witness to that.
Titled ‘Jill’, it focuses on a character that has been introduced but hasn’t received much screen time so far. Jill Ruckelshaus, played by Elizabeth Banks will be at the center of the plot. Per IMDb’s synopsis of the episode: With a pro-ERA Republican in the White House, Phyllis protests her own party, which puts her in conflict with Republican Feminist leader, Jill Ruckelshaus.”
So, who was Ruckelshaus? One of the founders of the National Women's Political Caucus, she was a progressive within the GOP. As if being a woman in politics wasn’t already an uphill battle. A pro-choice Republican, she was appointed by President Gerald Ford to help push for the ratification of the ERA. She also served on the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Despite her efforts, the ERA was defeated by the women of the anti-feminist movement. But that did not stop Ruckelshaus. She would continue to fight against the conservative Christian Right taking over the Republican Party, arguing that the government could be doing much more in the areas of civil rights and women’s issues.
In what little we have seen on the show so far, Ruckelshaus already comes across as a worthy challenger to Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) in matters of debate and ferocity. But how will Schlafly respond to another member of the conservative party fighting against her? The show’s promo for Episode 6 provides some meaningful insight into that department.
It begins with Ruckelshaus telling Schlafly that she was playing herself by contesting the ERA. Without mincing words, Ruckelshaus says, “You want to get ahead, climbing on the shoulders on men, Phyllis? Just know, they’re looking right up your skirt.”
The promo shifts to a conversation between Ruckelshaus and her husband, who informs her that “they are worried about the Reaganites” -- advocates of the principles and policies of Ronald Reagan. What comes next is emblematic of Schlafly’s fear in the face of the tough opposition she was receiving at the hands of the “libbers” and the feminists. We saw in the last episode how she was humiliated in a debate on national television.
It only makes sense then that she would join forces with the might of the Christian evangelicals. She can be seen telling the women of the evangelical banner that they all serve the same Lord and they should come together to fight a common cause: likely feminist and the ERA. The promo shows her going even on a hunting trip with the leader of the evangelicals and ends with her in the confession box, narrating her frustrations with god: “Why would God put all this fire in me if he didn’t want me to act?”
Episode 6 is going to be a game-changer in the story from what it seems.
'Mrs America' drops new episodes weekly every Wednesday only on Hulu.