Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘The Power’ follows the story of a set of characters who witness a momentous change in the world order as the power dynamics shift. Teenage girls develop the ability to create electricity from their fingertips. This power puts them on the top of the food chain, shaking the foundation of patriarchy and rewriting the social hierarchy as we know it. Through its sci-fi premise, the story examines the importance of power and how it decides who rules the world.
With women getting the upper hand on men, we get to see what the world would look like if women ruled it. Considering that we live in a patriarchal world, you might want to know about the time period in which this story takes place. Here’s all you need to know about where and when ‘The Power’ is set.
The Power Takes Place in Contemporary Times
‘The Power’ takes place in contemporary times, making the story relevant and relatable to the viewers. The story starts in the world we live in and, with each episode, turns the tide in favor of women, marking a drastic shift in how things change when they take the reins of the world into their hands. By the end of the story, the world starts to look a little dystopian, with a radical change in how men are treated in the new society.
Interestingly, the story plays with our definition of a dystopia and what’s considered normal for whom. This subjectivity also allows ‘The Power’ to toy from minor stuff like gender stereotypes to severe issues like violent crimes. The story’s contemporary setting also gives us an unfiltered perspective on what power means to people. Social media and news outlets become instrumental in breaking the story, connecting people, and changing the world.
The show uses all the things that are happening today and gives the viewer a different lens to view them through. For women, it is a world where they are not the weaker sex anymore, where they decide what happens to the world. It is a fantasy come true (initially, at least.) For men, it is a full-blown dystopia, their version of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ Keeping the story in and around 2023 heightens the thrill and the horror (based on your perspective.) Had the story been set in the future, it probably wouldn’t have been as impactful when one is forced to consider an overnight shift in their status.
Global Settings: Alabama, Seattle, Nigeria, London, Moldova
‘The Power’ connects the lives of people living in different parts of the world. The story begins with Allie, a young Black girl in foster care in Alabama, who starts hearing a voice in her head. After she acquires the power, she kills her abusive foster father and runs away to find a place for herself in the new world. Around the same time, things start to change in Seattle, as mayor Margot Cleary-Lopez notices an increase in fire and blackout incidents in the city. Her daughter, Jos, develops the power and starts experimenting with it.
In Nigeria, Tunde Ojo discovers a group of women who have power. He becomes the point person to cover the story when he captures a video of a woman electrocuting his friend. His quest to understand and document the phenomena takes him all over the world. Meanwhile, in London, a young Roxy’s life is changed when her mother is killed in front of her. Roxy’s father, who is a gangster, lets her into the business when she exhibits power, but things get complicated when she starts to exert more control than her father would like.
Another character who becomes central to presenting the state of the new world order is Tatiana Moskalev. A former gymnast, Tatiana is married to the President of Moldova, who is much older than her. As the power starts to surface in every woman in the world, Tatiana becomes an important figure in controlling the political situation in her country. Her and Moldova’s situation changes drastically, and the rest of the world soon follows in their footsteps.
