Ignore the other reviewers, they're clearly jaded for some reason. This episode is at least a 6/10, rating it 1-4 is ludicrous.
4 Reviews
The Media's Favorite Version
caramia20029 February 2020
Yes, the same media who used all those carefully coded racist terms to describe her, which they most definitely did and was inexcusable. The experts are Didier Gailhaguet, Scott Hamilton, and Tara Lipinski. The last two are Olympic champions and very fluffy commentators (Scott commentated Surya) and have vested business interests in this subject. Didier Gailhaguet controlled French figure skating for decades, as an absolute dictator, emotionally abusing athletes (esp Surya, as he coached her personally for a time), and was involved in at least one judging scandal, the 2002 Olympics, when a French judge traded ice dance "votes" with the Russians which affected the Pairs' outcome (Didier was suspended and banned from the next Olympics, but soon bounced back into control of the French federation). That scandal resulted in the scoring and judging system being revamped into the point system we have today. Just the other day, Didier was forced to resign again after covering up egregious rape and sexual abuse by a French coach. In true Didier fashion, he resisted to the end. He is about the worst face of the sport there is, yet given a voice here. Unbelievable.
Was there racism in judging Surya? Of course, but by the time she was podium class, other factors were much, much bigger (and all in her control). She rarely gave the judges a chance to put her first. I thought they were generous to award her what they did. I wouldn't have. Her technique was terrible. It was not "new" and "needed", as this film claims. Her jumps were usually under-rotated, which negated her "superior" technical content. Even her simple skating turns were that of a rink skater as she never checked her body. Scott at least brought up that she horribly "telegraphed" her jumps (taking inordinately long to set up a jump, almost stopping). The judging standard said and says, "flow entering and exiting the jump with good speed (and transitions)" (paraphrasing). Surya did the exact opposite. Whether you agree with it or not, artistic expression is a huge part of skating (more then than now, arguably) and ties always broken with it (thus Nancy Kerrigan lost the Olympic gold to Oksana Baiul). Why this fact never got through to Surya will be a mystery forever. I imagine her mother and the insular world she inhabited convinced her that she was being cheated and discriminated against. Skating is not tumbling. Commentators said it, judges told her, coaches told her, to no avail. But Surya sullenly pulled that World Championship moment of bad sportsmanship, after she lost due to the same artistic tiebreaker which Nancy had a few weeks earlier (yet this film makes it sound like an arbitrary judging confab). It was as if she lived in another reality altogether. That the judges gave her another chance is quite amazing; they rarely have done that for anyone else (this was her second "sin", the first was a backflip during an Olympic practice session in front of the frontrunner, to intimidate her, which is not mentioned in this film). She was a three-time World silver medalist, five-time European champion, World Junior Champion, and a nine-time French national champion, so not sure what she is complaining about.
Was judging perfect? Of course not. It was corrupt and unclear, but not sure racism can be blamed in this case, and I'm usually very sensitive to anything even hinting of racism, but Surya's skating issues overshadowed any racism allegations. She was right up there on the podium, unless she fell (which she often did), and her chronic under-rotated jumps turned those triple triples into double doubles, etc, so the jump count didn't always tell the story. Oksana Baiul had chronic two-footed landings, but her artistry was a 6.0. If Oksana could stay on her (two) feet, she was going to beat Surya. Other skaters have had the same issues, and they were white. Irina Slutskaya comes to mind.
I never enjoyed watching Surya on TV, but did see her live in Champions on Ice. She was very exciting and entertaining in person. But exciting is not the same as a competition. As for that backflip...so what? I mean, it's great that a woman can do one, and better than the men, but beyond that what is it but a trick? She used it to give the finger to the judges in her last hurrah. Not very classy.
Surya would never be in the top few under today's scoring system (if she could do quads and triple axels, of course), which includes instant replay, which would expose Surya's many technical deficiencies. There are mandatory deductions for under-rotation and requirements for transitions (the skating around the jumps) and levels for the execution of each element. While artistry is no longer as important, the reasons Surya was not always a winner would be crystal clear today (well, mostly, there is still room for the judges to be political, although it's more difficult and a more fair system by far).
I didn't bother to watch any of the other episodes, since this one was so bad and so fluffy. I don't know enough about the other sports to know when the wool is being pulled over my eyes, as they are trying to do here. I am glad Surya has life and love after skating and wish her all the best. I just wish she had a more balanced and realistic view of her skating career (and better memories). Her tragedy is being under the influence of a monster like Didier and her skating mother from h*ll.
Was there racism in judging Surya? Of course, but by the time she was podium class, other factors were much, much bigger (and all in her control). She rarely gave the judges a chance to put her first. I thought they were generous to award her what they did. I wouldn't have. Her technique was terrible. It was not "new" and "needed", as this film claims. Her jumps were usually under-rotated, which negated her "superior" technical content. Even her simple skating turns were that of a rink skater as she never checked her body. Scott at least brought up that she horribly "telegraphed" her jumps (taking inordinately long to set up a jump, almost stopping). The judging standard said and says, "flow entering and exiting the jump with good speed (and transitions)" (paraphrasing). Surya did the exact opposite. Whether you agree with it or not, artistic expression is a huge part of skating (more then than now, arguably) and ties always broken with it (thus Nancy Kerrigan lost the Olympic gold to Oksana Baiul). Why this fact never got through to Surya will be a mystery forever. I imagine her mother and the insular world she inhabited convinced her that she was being cheated and discriminated against. Skating is not tumbling. Commentators said it, judges told her, coaches told her, to no avail. But Surya sullenly pulled that World Championship moment of bad sportsmanship, after she lost due to the same artistic tiebreaker which Nancy had a few weeks earlier (yet this film makes it sound like an arbitrary judging confab). It was as if she lived in another reality altogether. That the judges gave her another chance is quite amazing; they rarely have done that for anyone else (this was her second "sin", the first was a backflip during an Olympic practice session in front of the frontrunner, to intimidate her, which is not mentioned in this film). She was a three-time World silver medalist, five-time European champion, World Junior Champion, and a nine-time French national champion, so not sure what she is complaining about.
Was judging perfect? Of course not. It was corrupt and unclear, but not sure racism can be blamed in this case, and I'm usually very sensitive to anything even hinting of racism, but Surya's skating issues overshadowed any racism allegations. She was right up there on the podium, unless she fell (which she often did), and her chronic under-rotated jumps turned those triple triples into double doubles, etc, so the jump count didn't always tell the story. Oksana Baiul had chronic two-footed landings, but her artistry was a 6.0. If Oksana could stay on her (two) feet, she was going to beat Surya. Other skaters have had the same issues, and they were white. Irina Slutskaya comes to mind.
I never enjoyed watching Surya on TV, but did see her live in Champions on Ice. She was very exciting and entertaining in person. But exciting is not the same as a competition. As for that backflip...so what? I mean, it's great that a woman can do one, and better than the men, but beyond that what is it but a trick? She used it to give the finger to the judges in her last hurrah. Not very classy.
Surya would never be in the top few under today's scoring system (if she could do quads and triple axels, of course), which includes instant replay, which would expose Surya's many technical deficiencies. There are mandatory deductions for under-rotation and requirements for transitions (the skating around the jumps) and levels for the execution of each element. While artistry is no longer as important, the reasons Surya was not always a winner would be crystal clear today (well, mostly, there is still room for the judges to be political, although it's more difficult and a more fair system by far).
I didn't bother to watch any of the other episodes, since this one was so bad and so fluffy. I don't know enough about the other sports to know when the wool is being pulled over my eyes, as they are trying to do here. I am glad Surya has life and love after skating and wish her all the best. I just wish she had a more balanced and realistic view of her skating career (and better memories). Her tragedy is being under the influence of a monster like Didier and her skating mother from h*ll.
Good but.........
natemansur3 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a great episode but I must give it a thumbs down for the simple fact they didn't show Surya's 1998 backflip. Instead the director decided to use a cartoon. What a stupid move and not the only one in this episode. Who in their right mind puts white subtitles on white ice. I don't speak French and had to go watch a section a few times with subtitles on to try and follow the episode. There are too many mistakes that I cannot look past.
Two sides
scubawoman-373671 February 2021
I'm glad I read the previous review. It's difficult because you never know when something is biased. I think there was racism, especially in the beginning of her career. But there are certain rules in figure skating and you do need the artistry and a good attitude. And taking off a metal is just almost unforgivable I mean to take off a metal because you didn't get gold is deplorable. it wasn't necessarily because she is black but maybe she didn't deserve to win. I don't know there's no way to know the truth of it all.
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