Being Human
I watched S1 of Being Human over the last week or so at justinej's recommendation.
Toby Whithouse, the chief writer/creator of Being Human has written Doctor Who episode School Reunion and Torchwood episode Greeks Bearing Gifts -- these are both episodes that I find myself coming back to watch over and over, in spite of a good deal of FAIL insofar as representations of women, gender, and sexuality are concerned. Which is, I guess, my way of saying that I find him a compelling writer, but also a highly problematic one.
Being Human continues in this vein. The writing itself is sparkling -- witty, often dark but with just enough hope to keep you going, and the characters are endearing; I don't think anyone here will be surprised to know that I feel a particular fondness for George, played by Russell Tovey. I like the relationship between the three central protagonists, Mitchell (vampire), George (werewolf) and Annie (ghost/poltergeist) very much; they all clearly love one another, they (mostly) take care of each other, and each relationship within the trio is subtly different and meaningful.
Having said that, however, I have huge problems with the way this show represents gender: that is, all the men are configured as sexual predators, while all the women are victims of sexual/domestic violence in some way. In many ways, it's a story about men trying to contain their internal predators against the odds (a quest at which they will inevitably fail at least some of the time), and women trying to keep themselves safe from them. There should be room for Annie to develop a lot more agency in the second series, but as things stand now, the only subject position available to women in Whithouse's world is that of the victim. Being Human also does not pass the Bechdel Test very well -- I wasn't keeping count, but I do tend to notice when a scene passes, and it was very rare.
At the moment, I'm not feeling the desire to engage with this show in a fannish way, although I'm not ruling it out as a possibility. Part of me is simply scared to do so at the moment, particularly since George is clearly the most mortal of the central trio. I do not want a repeat of what happened with Children of Earth, thank you very much. Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to the second series, and I can't wait to see where they take the story next.
Toby Whithouse, the chief writer/creator of Being Human has written Doctor Who episode School Reunion and Torchwood episode Greeks Bearing Gifts -- these are both episodes that I find myself coming back to watch over and over, in spite of a good deal of FAIL insofar as representations of women, gender, and sexuality are concerned. Which is, I guess, my way of saying that I find him a compelling writer, but also a highly problematic one.
Being Human continues in this vein. The writing itself is sparkling -- witty, often dark but with just enough hope to keep you going, and the characters are endearing; I don't think anyone here will be surprised to know that I feel a particular fondness for George, played by Russell Tovey. I like the relationship between the three central protagonists, Mitchell (vampire), George (werewolf) and Annie (ghost/poltergeist) very much; they all clearly love one another, they (mostly) take care of each other, and each relationship within the trio is subtly different and meaningful.
Having said that, however, I have huge problems with the way this show represents gender: that is, all the men are configured as sexual predators, while all the women are victims of sexual/domestic violence in some way. In many ways, it's a story about men trying to contain their internal predators against the odds (a quest at which they will inevitably fail at least some of the time), and women trying to keep themselves safe from them. There should be room for Annie to develop a lot more agency in the second series, but as things stand now, the only subject position available to women in Whithouse's world is that of the victim. Being Human also does not pass the Bechdel Test very well -- I wasn't keeping count, but I do tend to notice when a scene passes, and it was very rare.
At the moment, I'm not feeling the desire to engage with this show in a fannish way, although I'm not ruling it out as a possibility. Part of me is simply scared to do so at the moment, particularly since George is clearly the most mortal of the central trio. I do not want a repeat of what happened with Children of Earth, thank you very much. Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to the second series, and I can't wait to see where they take the story next.