Women, Water, and Femininity (potential spoilers for 7/8/9)

Women being in water in times of crises seems to be a recurring theme this season. Helly was nearly drowned, Gemma stood under the shower head during the miscarriage scene, water was featured prominently on screen while Cobel lay weeping and moaning in her mother’s deathbed, and Helena is swimming right before eating eggs in front of her creepy father. I continue to feel like water is signifying some kind of rebirth—be it scientific or emotional. I’m so fascinated by the themes of femininity that have been portrayed all season, particularly the sharp contrast between eps. 7 & 8. Seven featured so much light and color, beautiful & sumptuous music, and Gemma framed so gorgeously in almost every frame, even when the content was incredibly dark. Contrast this with 8 which featured an almost cowboy-like figure in Hampton, ending his final scene with the words of some kind of action hero, far more rhythmic & harder music (sung by men), and the cold, sharp and unrelenting shots of Ms. Cobel looking tired and unkempt (in fact, by ep. 9 we see she once again has her hair smoothed and makeup applied). The dichotomy between 7 & 8–feminine v. masculine—feels entirely purposeful and was such a tremendous juxtaposition. I’d love to know when production decided to approach these episodes this way. It was beautifully executed.