It’s been several years since Joss Whedon’s last female-centric television project, but praise be to network gods because he’s finally back—and not a moment too soon. I don’t know about the rest of you lady-people, but it’s a damn miracle that any of us have survived this long without Joss Whedon exploring the issues of women-folk through his signature blend of action, sci-fi, and horny boy dweebs who are definitely not meant to be avatars for himself at all. Thankfully, Variety has revealed that Peak Whedon is imminent, as Outlander’s Laura Donnelly has signed on to play the lead role in The Nevers, Whedon’s upcoming sci-fi series for HBO. The series—which is set in the Victorian era and will inevitably feature a strong female character bemoaning the restrictive misogynist nature of corsets through Whedon’s vaguely uncomfortable male gaze—centers on a “gang” of women who suddenly develop extraordinary abilities, fight bad guys, have to save the world, etc., etc..
Donnelly will be playing apex Whedon heroin Amalia True, who’s described as (Jesus, take the wheel) “the most reckless, impulsive, emotionally damaged hero of her time,” and “A menace to stuffy Victorian society, she would die for the cause and kill for a drink.” Not just reckless, impulsive, and (sigh) emotionally damaged, but the most reckless, impulsive, and emotionally damaged. Gird your girdles, ladies, because our time is now. And our savior is, apparently, Joss Whedon. And it’s not TV. It’s HBO.