Four Little Problems with "The Power"

Prime's "The Power" is a great series that attempts to show what would happen to Society if women and girls were to gain the ability to project and control electricity. While it is definitely one of the more provocative shows being streamed today, there are some interesting uestions that need to be answered.

How Long Until Insulators Become Part of Clothing?

The women are using electricity for a variety of effects ranging from electrical blasts to mind control. If a person is wearing undamaged rubber-soled boots and you're not touching anything else, it becomes harder to shock you. That is, because the insulator (the rubber) prevents you from being grounded, the electricity is prevented from shocking you. Given the wide range of possible insulators that could be converted to fibers and thus used in clothing; at the very least, rubber-soled shoes would become a major seller.

If the military was already designing exoskeletons, then they would increase the inner insulation and use metal on the outside, sort of how a car works in a lightning storm. It's even possible that there would be civilian versions, and the technology could be modified for civilian wear. It's even possible that you could have jackets that soak up the electricity and store it in batteries, allowing for the wearer to not only resist the electricity, but throw it back while powering the wearer's devices.

It should also be interesting to see how long until someone develops some sort of collar, belt, or even wristband capable of effectively removing the power.

[It should be noted that there is no evidence that the electricity is completing a circuit in and of itself. That is, the electricity is not arcing to the person and then arcing back to the person, thus completing the circuit. This is essentially how a taser works: The power shoots forward to the target via the probes and then returns back to the taser, completing the circuit and shocking the target.]

When Do Water Pistols Become Necessary Accessories? 

The women are not immune to the electrical effects of either themselves or others. Thus, all other things being equal, the faster power-wielder should win the fight. However, this lack of immunity makes it easier for those trying to defend against the power-wielders as well; this means that not only do tasers lose their sting, but it also means that getting the power-wielder wet becomes a very effective means of self-defense, especially as the electricity is looking for the easiest path of resistance. It also makes rubber-soled boots useless (being wet hurts their ability to resist electricity).

This means that even a simple plastic water pistol or filled water balloon becomes very dangerous to the power-wielder.

[It should be noted that the women aren't immune to standard bullets, but there is the problem that gunpowder is easily ignited; one electrical blast and the gun becomes dangerous to everyone as the bullets explode (doing lots of damage to the person wearing the gun) but would also go in random directions, possibly hitting others in the vicinity. This makes firearms even more dangerous to possess.]

But What About Smartphones?

Electrical protection for devices will become a major necessity; just consider what happens when you hit a device with a taser. However, until it does, smartphones become problematic for power-wielders. This applies double to laptops or any other electronic device. For that matter, there is the question of what happens when new power-wielders have accidental discharges; with current devices, this is either going to destroy them or at least wipe their memories.

Until that protection happens, it's going to be interesting to see if companies will increase the insurance if a known power-wielder is to be the user or deny it altogether.

Lawyers Are Going to Have a Field Day 

Obviously, companies refusing insurance for power-wielders are going to make for some interesting legal cases. Past that, this is seriously going to actually ramp up discrimination against women: If you carry a firearm on your person at all times, wouldn't you face employment issues? Why wouldn't that apply to someone who can electrocute people with a glance? Modern businesses require computers and smartphones to do most of their business; how would they feel about someone who is a walking taser among their electronics?

With half of your hormone-fueled student body being effectively armed at all times, this is going to make schools very dangerous. Remember: Both boys and girls are slaves to their hormones in their teen years, so it's just a matter of time before some boy says the wrong thing and gets zapped for it.

This is going to make for some interesting litigation as those who see the potential for danger to life and property fight those who see the potential for sex-based discrimination fight it out in the courts and legislative bodies. This is going to make life interesting for quite a few years.

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While I'm definitely looking forward to the second season of "The Power", I'd like to see some of these questions answered; if nothing else, it would add to the immersion factor. Nonetheless, as the acting and cinematography are excellent, and the special effects never become the centerpiece but add to the show, this is definitely a show worth watching.