"The Law according to Lydia Poet" does not demand much from the viewer, and not in a bad way - voila! culture

Trailer for the series "The Law According to Lydia Poet" (Netflix)

"The Law According to Lydia Poit" opens with a passionate sex scene, which does not necessarily connect us with a historical series about lawyers.

This is probably a choice of the creators, to immediately present the heroine of the story, Lydia Poet in her dignity and herself, as a woman above all.

And not just any woman, but one who defies convention at the end of the 19th century, and even more so in conservative Italy.

Right from the opening, one gets the impression that Lydia (the lovely Matilda De Angelis, "You Should Have Knew") is a free girl, who is not afraid to develop a non-committal sexual relationship with a man she likes, and to live as a debauched bachelor in a time when she is expected to get married as soon as possible and certainly not to be sexual

In the very next scene, Lydia meets a client who heard that she is a "lawyer woman" and therefore her salary is low - and that's how we actually got the whole story of our heroine on one foot.

This series is based, probably quite loosely, on the life of a real historical figure, who was ahead of her time and fought for her right to practice law in Turin, Italy, almost 150 years ago.

The real Lydia was the first female lawyer in Italy, and her long struggle against the male system to get her license sparked a stormy debate for years about the place of women in public positions and as job holders in general.

In the end this case changed the law in Italy and gave legal status to professional women there.

lovely

Matilda de Angelis, "The Law According to Lydia Poet" (Photo: Lucia Iuorio/Netflix)

Stories about women who break conventions can be difficult or frustrating to watch, because you have to "live" through them all the injustice that women have gone through in the past, and remember all the ways in which we still struggle to gain equality.

Lydia's struggle could have seemed hopeless, if she hadn't been built as such a fearless and determined character.

The truth is that Lidia in the series is still so far from the glass ceiling that not only she can't break it, she can't even take the first step on the ground floor.

Despite this, "The Law According to Lidia Poët" manages to show the struggle with a wink and lightness that make it a fluid and easy to watch series.

Episode follows episode, with each one having a case that Lydia investigates in an attempt to protect her clients.

Don't worry, this is not a suspense or mystery series.

The crime mysteries are not oppressive, not particularly sophisticated and not stupid and predictable - they are exactly what is needed to frame the rest of the plots that continue throughout the season.

Solving the crime is not the focus of the series, and her private life is more interesting than her professional life.

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Still not close to the glass ceiling.

"The Law According to Lydia Poet" (Photo: Lucia Iuorio/Netflix)

The lightness of the drama is reinforced by the music, which is completely modern and uses different genres from our time to enhance the tense, romantic and intense moments.

A moment of panic was registered at the end of the first episode, when Lydia seemed to look at the camera with a very meaningful look, and for a moment it seemed that this series was also falling into the trap of "Netflixization of the historical drama" (you know, when there are often elements that are not faithful to the period that serve as a wink to the modern audience, it is no longer clear what the reason for producing a historical series).

Happily, the excellent music is the only modern element present in the series, and apart from the fact that Lydia tries to open the minds of her colleagues to modern methods of crime investigation, such as "taking fingerprints", the series maintains a reasonable distance from everything that does not belong to the 19th century.

At the beginning of the story it becomes clear to us that Lydia's stubbornness to live in a way that is true to herself has already cost her a heavy price in her youth, not only professionally but also in front of her family.

When she loses her license to practice law and is forced to turn to her brother Enrico, a respected lawyer, so that through him she can continue helping her clients, the tension between the two brothers is clear.

But even though his sister's free spirit doesn't suit his lifestyle and business at all, her brother relents and agrees to help her.

Over time we witness the love that exists between the two, despite the different choices they made.

Unexpectedly, the relationship between them is one of the strongest parts of the plot.

We can recognize this dynamic from our own lives, with our brothers or sisters - the teasing, the expectations, the sense of mutual responsibility, and of course the inside humor.

It's lovely to see Lydia and Enrico soften towards each other and the family tension turns into warmth and support.

No less interesting is the romantic plot, because although she chooses a non-committal sexual relationship with a friend, Lydia finds herself attracted to Jacopo, her sister-in-law's brother, who is also a journalist with revolutionary views.

It's actually a love story of two people who don't want to feel feelings for each other, because each of them is on their own path that is not suitable for sharing with a partner.

The two team up to solve the murder plots, and although neither of them are interested in a real relationship, they continue to grow closer.

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Empathize.

Eduardo Scarpetta, Matilda De Angelis and Pier Luigi Pezzino, "The Law According to Lydia Poet" (Photo: Lucia Iuorio/Netflix)

The casting does a great job for the series - the three main roles evoke empathy and draw us in.

Eduardo Scarpetta who plays Jacopo, and Pier Luigi Pezzino who plays Enrico, as well as the other characters, are of course only help against Matilda de Angelis.

She does a wonderful job not only as the powerful and turbulent heroine but also in the small moments between scenes, when Lydia tries to collect herself, swallow her pride and carry on despite everything.

Her personal charm is not negligible, as befits such a character.

Lydia will try throughout the series to regain her professional status, while repeatedly breaking the rules, taking risks and annoying the men around her as she repeatedly proves that she is better than them in the profession.

She could easily come across as righteous and annoy the viewer, but De Angelis has created a character of a sexy and fierce woman who also evokes sympathy, because although she is independent and fearless, she is also sensitive and vulnerable.

"The Law according to Lydia Poet" is a perfect binge series - short but tight, without unnecessary parts, its plot is fluid and the characters are charming.

It does not demand much from the viewer, but not because it is not intelligent, but because it beautifully balances the dramatic themes with a light direction that speaks to the modern audience.

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