Dawn Slusher
Something magical appears to have been gifted to us out of the writers’ strike that gripped Hollywood for five months and delayed fall and winter show premieres – we are seeing much less liberal propaganda as these delayed shows finally roll out. Perhaps the writers have been too busy playing catch up to be working in cahoots with leftist groups such as Planned Parenthood, among others, and inserting liberal lectures as they normally do.
In the case of Amazon Prime’s hit drama Expats, there was actually a very pro-life moment in the season finale that definitely wouldn’t have aired if Planned Parenthood’s television advisors had any say in it. Based on the 2016 novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, Expats takes place in Hong Kong and stars heavy hitters Nicole Kidman as Margaret Woo, Sarayu Blue as Margaret’s best friend Hilary Starr and Ji-young Yoo as Mercy – three women dealing with the fallout of Margaret’s missing little boy Gus (Connor James) who was taken from a crowded market one fateful evening under Mercy’s watch.
After Mercy has an affair with Hilary’s alcoholic husband David (Jack Huston) in the midst of her grief, she finds herself pregnant. She’s unsure at first whether she wants to choose life for her baby and is wracked with guilt that she’s carrying a child after losing Margaret’s.
Not wanting to face her pregnancy, Mercy puts off making any decisions or going to a doctor until David gives her a check to see a reputable ob/gyn in episode 6, “Home.” Mercy finally makes an appointment and finds herself in awe when she comes face to face with her baby on the sonogram screen:
Dr. Leung: Mercy Kim. Twenty-five. Can you tell me the date of your last period? It’s blank on the form.
Mercy: Um… It’s not something I usually keep track of. I’m more like moon to moon.
Dr. Leung: I see. Well, I guess the baby will have to tell us.
Nurse: Please lie back.
Dr. Leung: We’re going to open your robe.
Mercy: Maybe you should buy me dinner first. Okay.
Dr. Leung: Great. Relax. Have you been taking good care of yourself? Folic acid? Prenatals?
Mercy: Does the OJ in a screwdriver count?
Dr. Leung: No. We take some measurements to see how many weeks you’re at. Oh, you’re quite far along. Have you not seen a doctor?
Mercy: It’s been on my to-do list.
Dr. Leung: Well, you must start taking supplements. Here’s your baby.
Mercy: That’s my baby?
Dr. Leung: I’d say you’re about 23 weeks along.
Mercy: I can’t feel it, but it’s totally moving. That’s so weird.
Dr. Leung: Everything looks normal. Luckily, you’re young.
I faced a crisis pregnancy myself when I was a teenager. I’ll never forget the first time I saw my baby on a sonogram. There really aren’t any words to describe the emotions that came over me and the shock I felt seeing this little person growing inside of me.
I had never considered an abortion, but that moment is one reason I strongly feel women should be given a sonogram before choosing abortion. How tragic it must be for women who never got to see their child moving or see the baby’s heart beating strongly, only to find out after it’s too late, such as in a future pregnancy when they see a sonogram for the first time.
Isn’t it more pro-woman and pro-choice to have a woman be fully informed before making such a life and death decision? Hopefully one day, the atrocity of abortion won’t be permitted at all. But until that time, give women the full truth.
Thankfully, Mercy chooses life for her baby and makes peace with both Margaret and Hilary by the end of the episode. Aside from Margaret’s disdain for Christianity, the show was free of any leftist tropes and therefore was intriguing and entertaining to watch, as Hollywood productions should be.
Let’s hope it’s a long time before leftist political propaganda fully returns to entertainment. With a presidential election nearing, however, we won’t get our hopes up too high.
