Review: The Lady and the Dale

The Lady and The Dale
HBO

If someone pitched this as a movie, it would likely get rejected as being too far fetched, and when it's laid out in four action-packed episodes, the never-less-than-eventful life of Elizabeth 'Liz' Carmichael does stretch credulity. 

After an early life as a smalltown grifter, Liz (who was assigned male at birth) begins a double-layered transition. She undergoes surgery and begins to live as a woman (all the time with the complete support of her wife, children and close friends) and she spearheads the creation and manufacture of a revolutionary, three-wheeled car model, The Dale. 

Both aspects of her life are remarkable. She lives with apparent fearlessness as a trans woman, having to put up with intrusive reporting and dangerous insinuation as her profile becomes more and more public. She also has to fight the hostile reaction from a patriarchal car industry that hates competition, and added into that mix there's also the fact that she's entering a business from dabbling in various 'get-rich-quick schemes'. 

The twists are so compelling that it would be a shame to spoil them here, but for a variety of reasons, the legality of the car venture is called into question and Liz has to fight on all fronts as commercial, legal and personal tensions reach a breaking point.

The conclusions about Liz's intentions are left to the viewer and there's discussions to be had as to whether she was a well-meaning entrepreneur or a scheming con artist, her devotion to libertarian politics notwithstanding. What's not in question is her absolute rejection of society's judgements and her unswerving devotion to her family. 

This limited series is, in turn, an analysis of the motor industry, a crime caper, a look at what it meant to be trans in the 1970s and 80s, and a portrait of a charismatic dreamer whose drive, whichever way you look at it, was remarkable.

Various trans commentators put events into an accessible political and social context, and  the jaw-dropping moments of hubris, valor and humanity make for an incredible ride. Liz Carmichael was an amazing woman, not least because she would not care one jot about your opinion of her ambition - to make automotive history while looking after her kids.