The latest comedy series from HBO Max, Minx, takes place in the midst of second-wave feminism in the 1970s. The show's protagonist is portrayed by Ophelia Lovibond, better known for her role as Carina in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, last appearing in the What If...? series, which is set to return later this year. Along with Lovibond, the series also stars Jake Johnson, who is known for his role as Nick Miller in the comedy series, New Girl.

The series incorporates elements of workplace comedy around feminist erotica with Lovidond's character, Joyce Prigger, hoping to publish a serious feminist magazine but instead ends up working with Johnson's low-rent publisher, Doug Renetti, to create the first erotic magazine for women. Their partnership is proven to be tremulous with Joyce trying to stay true to her ideals, while also dealing with the challenges that the patriarchy and capitalism bring. The series succeeds in putting feminism front and center by deeply examining each main character through a modern feminist lens. Most importantly, the show is able to have fun with both Joyce and her feministic stance without ever devaluing the character or her ideals.

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Minx does a great job of using modern feminist perspectives to not only explore how patriarchy has affected the behaviors of the male characters but also the behaviors of the women on the show. The series puts Joyce under the same lens it uses to examine the rest of the characters, exploring her own pitfalls through comical circumstances. However, it never attempts to shame the character or ridicule her beliefs even though she sometimes finds herself in rather embarrassing situations. Instead, Minx creates narratives that reaffirm Joyce's feminist ideas as she learns valuable lessons from her mistakes.

One of the earlier episodes of the season showed Joyce being interested in Shane Brody, a fireman and the magazine's first nude model. While Shane seemed to be really interested in Joyce, she was only attracted to him physically. After they became intimate, Joyce realized that she took advantage of Shane, knowing that he had feelings for her while she didn't. This realization made her understand that it is not just men who can take advantage of women but also the opposite. The show used this storyline to put Joyce on the opposite end of what she preaches, which ended up becoming an important leaning experience for the character. Through this specific portrayal of Joyce, Minx shows the value of feministic rhetoric even when used to critique a feminist.

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Another element of the show that helps Joyce grow is the narratives of sexual freedom. At first, Joyce seemed to be unwilling to work with Doug because she found the porn industry exploitive for women. For that reason, she questioned both Doug's morality and that of the people working for him. However, Joyce eventually saw the value that characters like Doug, Bambi and Richie brought, as they proved to be much more moral, honest and supportive of her than her higher-class friends. Bambi and Richie helped Joyce become more open with herself and her sexuality, which helped her gain more confidence. This allowed Joyce to face her own biases directly and become a better person, a better friend and, as a consequence, a better feminist.

The way Minx has characterized Joyce is especially important due to the fact that she is not portrayed as all-knowing and perfect. As a matter of fact, while the character attempts to appear as such at first, the show quickly puts her through situations that prove she has flaws. This more realistic characterization conveys that Joyce is an imperfect individual, eager to continue learning from her experiences. Therefore, Minx's true victory is that its feminist protagonist goes through a real journey and comes out a better person and more secure in her feminist ideas, by the end of the season.

The first season of Minx is available to stream on HBO Max.