Taming old age in “The Green Glove Gang”

Abstract

The Green Glove Gang is an interesting series due to its numerous references to other cultural texts. Intertextuality is revealed on many levels of Tadeusz Śliwa’s production. The protagonists resemble American superheroes (but also the protagonists of Sylwia Chutnik’s novel Cwaniary [The Hustlers]) fighting to defend the defenceless and the marginalised. The interventions they undertake are a clear exemplification of the problems faced by elderly people exposed to dishonest entrepreneurs, pawnshop owners or self-proclaimed healers. Śliwa’s series is an important contribution to the discourse on the place and role of pensioners in today’s consumerist world. The showrunner breaks with common stereotypes about old age, but also familiarises viewers with the inevitable ageing process. The protagonists of the Green Glove Gang prove that old age does not have to be a passive period; it can also be a time for discovering and developing new passions — which one is often not able to pursue due to the lack of time inherent to being professionally active.