Art School Drama
This episode introduces us to Josephine Webster, a 20-year-old American art student in Montreal in the late spring of 1960. As her final year of art college draws to a close, she and her friends are caught up in the cultural and political ferment of the city, coinciding with the upcoming election for the Prime Minister of Quebec. Jean Lesage, running on a platform of "Quiet Revolution," promises to shake up the province's traditional, sleepy nature. Josephine, who is half-Blackfeet, finds herself navigating the tension between the English world and the French Canadian life in Montreal.
In this episode:
- Art and Identity: Josephine struggles with her final bronze sculpture—a figure of her late, full-blood Blackfeet father, depicted as a mighty hunter with a spear. Her instructor, Gerard Fontainbleu, both praises the "primitive art" and questions whether she has found her artistic "voice". Her friend Julie Hathaway moves beyond a "nice" presentation of her bison figures to make a statement by painting them with flags and symbols, seeking "contrast, tension and drama".
- Political Awakening: Josephine and Julie get drawn into the political scene, witnessing the contrast between the conservative Union Nationale protest, led by Josephine's boyfriend, Otto, and the Liberal rally for Jean Lesage. Lesage's powerful speech, arguing that the "status quo" perpetuates poverty for French Canadians and gives control of the economy to outsiders, prompts Josephine and Julie to shed their "Conservative" hats.
- A Love Triangle & Heartbreak: Josephine breaks up with Otto, realizing he's an "ordinary guy" who just wants a "pretty little wife". She turns to Jean-Luc, a French-Canadian philosophy student who both criticizes her need for official art world approval and shows her genuine passion and empathy after her bronze casting goes awry. However, she learns from Louisa St. Ann that Jean-Luc is a notorious flirt.
- The Power Shift: On the day of their graduation showcase, the newly elected Prime Minister Lesage appears and uses Josephine's bronze figure to make a political statement for the press, seeing it as the "man who looks at the English world and says 'Non!'". Lesage makes a proposition, and in the episode's final moments, Josephine, choosing ambition and the pursuit of "the top" with Julie, decides to accept his invitation, stepping through the "open door".
Major Themes
- The Quiet Revolution: The story is set on the cusp of a major political and social shift in Quebec, represented by Jean Lesage's campaign. This political revolution mirrors the personal awakenings of the main characters.
- Personal and Artistic Voice: Josephine and Julie are seeking their own voices—literally, as American and Albertan students in a French-English city, and figuratively, through their art. They grapple with finding meaning beyond institutional approval and convention.
- The English-French Divide: The language barrier and cultural differences in Montreal are constant sources of tension, evident in the characters' political affiliations, arguments, and even the debate over art colors.
- Ambition vs. Convention: Josephine rejects the conventional path of marriage to Otto to pursue a life of artistic and personal ambition with Julie, culminating in her decision to meet the new Prime Minister.
