The ISTJ is an genre to focus on people, especially women, that are determined to make their mark on the world around them, that aren’t content to stick with the way things are.
Of course, not all period dramas focus on the same thing, and so there are obviously quite a few that the ISTJ will love, but also more than a few that they absolutely will hate.
Love: Gentleman Jack
Part of what makes the period drama such an eternally popular genre is the fact that it brings women’s history to life. Gentleman Jack takes that convention of the genre and adds in an additional layer, exploring the issue of same-sex desire in 19th century Britain.
Its main character, a landowner named Anne Lister, is exactly the type of woman that the ISTJ will ire, especially considering that she manages to be a woman of means in an era in which women were often reliant on their husbands for financial stability.
Hate: The Borgias
Set in the tumultuous, sex-filled, and bloody world of Renaissance Italy, The Borgias is everything that an ISTJ is bound to hate. Very few of the characters are very honest and, to be quite honest, they aren’t terribly responsible or practical, either.
While the family patriarch Rodrigo is arguably the most sensible of the family, he is motivated almost exclusively by avarice and greed, rather than anything remotely resembling the dignity and sanctity of his holy office.
Love: Mary Queen of Scots
The story of the tragic and doomed Mary, Queen of Scots has been told many times on screen, most recently in this adaptation starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as Mary and Queen Elizabeth I, respectively. Each actress brings her considerable talents to bear in their portrayal of these two extraordinary women who were queens in an era in which men were almost always the monarch.
The ISTJ will appreciate that each of them, in their different ways, is strong-willed and dutiful, at least to those who deserve it.
Hate: The Duchess
Keira Knightley earned quite a few rave reviews for her portrayal of the titular duchess of this film, Georgiana Cavendish. Cavendish is, of course, one of those women of period dramas who refuses to play by the rules of the world that surrounds her. Though the strong-willed ISTJ will no doubt find themselves responding to Georgiana’s wilfulness, they’ll no doubt be more than a little distressed at the ways in which she flouts tradition.
Love: Outlander
Even before it came to Starz, the Claire’s no-nonsense demeanor and her endless practicality, both of which serve her in good stead as she struggles to survive in an utterly alien world.
Hate: Dickinson
The life of Emily Dickinson has proven again and again to be a particularly fertile source for filmmakers and writers of all kinds, most recently in the television series Dickinson. It takes a rather playful approach to the genre. Whereas most period dramas are rather elevated in their diction and their approach to the material, this series has a very modern approach. However, it’s precisely the mixing of these two s that makes it unlikely that the ISTJ will enjoy it very much.
Love: Elizabeth
Cate Blanchett earned rave reviews for her performance as one of England’s most famous queens in this film. Here, Elizabeth is a young woman who finally ascends to the throne, where she must finally decide once and for all whether she will follow her heart or follow her head (needless to say, she follows the latter).
The ISTJ, who loves it when things are done by the book and according to the rules, will definitely appreciate that Elizabeth comes to understand the true burden she bears as the queen.
Hate: Chocolat
Chocolat, with a narrative as infectious and as delicious as its title, is nevertheless not a good fit for the traditional and straight-laced ISTJ. The film focuses on a chocolatier whose unexpected arrival in a small French town begins to loosen up the strict moral code that has been imposed by the repressive (and repressed mayor). Needless to say, the film is firmly on the side of this agent of change, something the ISTJ is unlikely to appreciate.
Love: The Crown
From the moment that it began streaming on Netflix, The Crown became something of a sensation. Better than perhaps any other television series or drama, it really allows the viewer to understand what makes Queen Elizabeth tick. As the series makes clear, she is a woman who takes her duties as the monarch seriously, who knows that she is a strong presence of continuity and stability in a world that is always in the midst of change. This series’ Elizabeth is someone that the ISTJ can definitely cheer for.
Hate: Shakespeare in Love
The conceit at the heart of this classic period drama is that William Shakespeare, the most famous author in the history of the English language, had a true love that was doomed to tragedy. Needless to say, the film’s version of the playwright is a man who doesn’t play by the rules, and he is portrayed with rakish charm by the ever-talented Joseph Fiennes. However, it is precisely Shakespeare’s unwillingness to abide by the strictures of Elizabeth society that makes this an unlikely fit for the tradition-oriented ISTJ.
