Thank you Invidia for that diatribe - I saw the word "patriarchal" (in bold capitals no less) and realized I didn't need to read any farther. I've now finished the entire first season and have re-evaluated my first impression - Campion most definitely hates men and sees them as ineffectual, evil or both. Mostly choice number three.

@Invidia Wow, sorry but there is NO WAY I'm wading through ALL THAT reading (your caps are infectious). I'm sure you went through a lot of work to write that Thesis on the Patriarchy (or maybe not, maybe you're one of those people who has a ton of crap bookmarked on your browser for just such an occasion) but I 'm not at all inclined to read through something that's not going to change my mind. I can see why you like this series so much - both you and Campion take way too long to say something that can be said in a much shorter time. In fact I'm fairly certain I could have gotten just as much out of this series by simply watching only the first and last episodes (anything else of slight importance I'm sure is covered in the "Previously on Top Of The Lake" bit at the beginning of the last episode). But, I will address two of your points. Firstly, procreating with someone doesn't mean Campion likes or even respects someone, it just means she wanted a kid. Secondly, you're confusing "flawed" with either incomplete , undeveloped, two dimensional and/or stereotype.