It's not an agenda. It's life.
I tend to avoid race, gender, and sexuality discussions within fan forums and communities, because in our present age, people have forgotten or just don't know how to have a sensible, reasonable discussion about such serious and sensitive topics. That said, there's been a rather interesting discussion going on in the Doctor Who community over what many perceive to be a step backwards in diversity inclusion on the part of the writers as a body, but in particular on the part of show runner Steven Moffat.
I'm not going to re-hash what's been said, save to point out for those who don't know, that the previous show runner, Russell T. Davies, of Queer As Folk and Torchwood fame, was oft accused of promoting a "gay agenda" within the Doctor Who franchise. However, others commended his efforts in Series 1 through 4 to include GLBT (and omni-sexual) characters within his stories--even in passing--as well as his care in featuring people of color (POC) in major roles, the most notable being Mickey Smith, the boyfriend of companion Rose Tyler, and Martha Jones, the first POC to ever travel with the Doctor as a full-fledged companion.
Now, I've spent a good chunk of my summer re-watching Series 5, because I did enjoy it immensely (in no small part due to Matt Smith's brilliant acting work). However, I *have* been giving some thought to the show in its current incarnation as it relates to those of us on the "borders" of mainstream, privileged society, and I think I'm ready to speak my peace on these issues.
First, let me say that I hardly expect a straight, white, cis-gendered married family man to give a whole hell of a lot of special thought to including homosexual, non-white, trans-gendered non-married and childless characters in his storytelling. I mean, one of the first rules of writing is, "Write what you know." That said, the one thing that really stands out to me in this latest season is how WASP-y it all is. I mean, like, REALLY WASP-y, particularly in comparison to prior seasons. I mean, where'd all the POCs go? Where are the gays and lesbians? The transsexuals are still glaringly conspicuous by their absence. What's more, is that when Moffat and company get things right, they manage, somehow to get them wrong at the same time! Here are a few examples:
Liz Ten: If ever there was a bastion of White Privilege it would have to be England's Royal Family. Thus, the idea that in the distant future the Queen of England herself might be a woman of color with a working-class accent is really rather progressive! Likewise the idea that she would be so beloved as to merit the doctors slowing her body-clock so that she might reign for hundreds of years is also rather spectacular. Not only was she a major character in that particular story, but she also made a second appearance in the finale. Liz is brilliant, brave, strong, and sexy. She, like the Doctor, figures out the problem with the engines and even before he appears to lend his help, she's investigating, much like the Doctor would do on his own. Hell, she even saves the Doctor's bacon a time or two!
Still, I found serious problems with the way the character was handled in the context of the episode. This powerful woman of color is still only as powerful as the white man in control allows her to be (Hawthorne, the head of the Winder squad). He's constantly watching and monitoring her. He's the one who determines what she needs to know and when. He's the one in control of her journey towards the truth. He's the one who keeps the Forget/Abdicate aparatus in his dungeon HQ and it can be inferred that he's the one who would enforce her decision (i.e. feeding her to the Beast were she to make the wrong choice). To add insult to injury, the whole thing is justified by the "We work for you, ma'am," line, implying that her limitation is self-inflicted. She may be the highest authority, but the authority figure that everyone fears and respects is that iconic, smiling, white judge in the booths. Liz may be the bloody Queen, but she's a Straw Tiger, and everyone knows it. Now, I could argue that this portrayal of the Queen is a reflection of how royal politics have always worked insomuch as Her Majesty's Privy Councelors are more in charge than Her Majesty is. Likewise, I could argue that even today, the Queen is a figurehead without any real power, and that the true authorities are those in Parliament. But when I'm watching a fantasy show about the future of humanity, to be given the thrill of seeing someone like me in such a major position of power, only to realize that that power is false? To this woman of color, that's fiercely disappointing.
Guido and Isabella: Many people don't realize that during the Renaissance, Venice was one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, so when Vampires of Venice opened with two POCs directly involved in the main plot, I was both pleased and impressed that someone had given a thought to this historical reality. After all, it's only been very recently that UK actors of color could get ANY work at all in an historical costume drama other than playing servants, slaves, vagrants or tramp sailors in spite of the fact that history itself shows that POCs were part of all strata of society, whether they were "visible" in the mainstream or not. Likewise, these characters had enough status in society to be able to petition a noblewoman for admission into an exclusive school--albeit one with nefarious purposes--AND be accepted. Again, a step up from being a house servant. Furthermore, once the evil of the situation rears its head, Guido doesn't just shuffle off and keep his head down. He storms up to the gates, demands entrance, tries to work out a plan on his own to get his daughter out of danger. The man is so bad-ass, he even stores gunpowder in his house in the off chance he might have to blow some shit up!
And yet, the great potential with these characters is eaten up by one of the oldest race!fail tropes in film history! They both die, and what's worse, The Doctor pretty much lets them! They are completely and totally expendable in spite of all the self-righteous posturing to the contrary. The Doctor's cunning plan is hatched, presumably to get Isabella out of the school, and when it's time to get the hell out of Dodge, who's the LAST person out the door??? The one they supposedly went there to save! The one, I might add, who helps Amy's dumb ass out of the chair she's strapped into. Once Amy volunteers to be their "in" to the Calvieri compound, it suddenly becomes all about the Speshul White Gurl and how much danger *she's* in. The Doctor and Rory forget ALL about poor Isabella, because they're too busy cockfighting over Amy when anyone with EYES can see that they are SO hot for each other. Just sayin. Furthermore, they KNOW these girls don't like sunlight, so didn't anyone think to bring a blanket? A veil? A parasol? Couldn't Rory have thrown that enormous doublet over the girl's head??? The answer is, they weren't thinking about Isabella at all! THEN, the next thing we see is poor Isabella being fed to the monsters as a result of being left behind. And what's the Doctor doing? Sitting in Rosanna's chair waiting for her! Is he desperately trying to rectify his mistake, get back in and find Isabella? No. The better question would be, what would he have done had they managed to recue Isabella at the expense of leaving Amy behind? You'd best believe he wouldn't have been just chillaxin' and waiting for the evil vampire lady to show up so they could chat!
Maybe you think I'm reading too much into it, but lemme ask you a question: How often do the national news media go crazy over the disappearance of a young, attractive white woman? Next question: How often to the national news media go crazy over the disappearance of a young, attractive woman of color? We have always been and still ARE to a great extent invisible and deemed less important than our fair-skinned sisters. It hurts badly enough in reality. I don't need to see it reinforced by my favorite TV show.
Guido's death, at the very least, has the redeeming value of vendetta and sacrifice behind it. It makes sense from a character standpoint--his world, his daughter, is gone, and the fish from space killed her. He has no reason to live, and yet the fishy bitches must die. Thus, the fiery explosion. Still, it bothers me that two POCs, once again, die saving the white folk without so much as a "It's horrible what happened to them, don't you think, Doctor?" Don't EVEN get me started on the Race!Fail in The Time of the Angels. When the two black Clerics were the first to die at the hands of the Angel, I literally had to stop the video and yell, "WHAT THE FUCK!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" They even had one black guy left, and there was so much hope that at least ONE POC would make it out alive....but nope. He died, too! Now, I'll grant you, we knew the Clerics were Angel-fodder from go, but STILL...couldn't ya, just this once, have let the brothers LIVE???
Nasreen Chaudry: Maybe I'm the only one, but I was secretly hoping that Amy would get executed and the Doctor would whisk Nasreen and Rory off as his companions! Talk about a wonderful woman of color! Nasreen was intelligent, driven, determined, in charge of a major business operation, and also beautifully open minded and optimistic while being practical and responsible. I mean, she took everything going on with the Silurians and the Doctor completely in stride! In the negotiations with Eldane, *she* was the one in charge, while dumbass Amy Pond looked like she'd rather be painting her nails some other ridiculous color. (Can you tell I'm none too fond of this latest companion? Karen Gillan is a nice girl and a decent actress, but the character that was written for her is shallow, vapid and wholly unlikeable. Maybe they need to look back at Tegan Jovanka to remember how to write a strong-willed, sassy female companion.) My one lament with Nasreen is that she was only a one-off character! Here's the first woman since Donna who was truly WORTHY to travel with the Doctor, and sadly she didn't get the chance.
So now I'm gonna talk about The Lodger, because, as much as I loved this episode, I feel that it could have had so much more potential. The ONE reference to anything other than straight, cis-gendered relationships AT ALL this season was Craig's line where he tells the Doctor to just "shout" if he wants the apartment to himself, in the event he wants to bring over a girlfriend...or a boyfriend. Now, maybe the shape of this episode had more to do with the staff wanting James Corden to do an episode and wanting to cater to his tastes, preferences, etc, but the whole time I was wondering why "Craig and Sophie" couldn't have been "Craig and Sanjay" or "Catherine and Sophie". The story leant itself to featuring two upper-middle-class people rather than, say, people who lived in Council flats, but did they both have to be white people? Couldn't they have been a mixed race couple or even an Asian/ South Indian/ African couple? How nice would it have been to have a story about a guy who just can't tell his best friend--who's also a guy and obviously interested--that he loves him until their lives depend on it? How wonderful an opportunity would it have been to show a gay or lesbian relationship in a normal, everyday, non-sexualized context? Yes, it's a family show, but what's so wrong about showing kids and their parents that GLBT people fall in love and have the same anxieties and insecurities over the whole process as their straight, cis-gendered counterparts?
And this is where I really have to say that, as much as I prefer Moffat's team's style of storytelling, I really MISS seeing me and mine as part of the fabric of the Doctor Who universe. It's not that Davies went above and beyond, it's that he gave a sense that, in the present, past, AND future, gay people, people of color, and other "forgotten" members of society EXIST, and that the existence of these people is perfectly normal, mundane and acceptable. Even if it was just a passing remark, or a couple of side characters, the impression was that the universe was peopled by more than posh, middle-class, heterosexual white folks. Now, I realize that when we as human beings engage any medium, we view it through our own personal filters. As a bi-sexual woman of color, I'm going to see things (or notice the lack of things) that a straight, Caucasian man might not. Nevertheless, the fact remains that I'm not the only bi-sexual woman of color watching the show. In fact, there are a large number of GLBT POCs who watch Doctor Who. I don't think it's asking too much to have the show-runner acknowledge that we exist in the world, even if it's as part of the background tapestry. My hope is that now that this season's story arc focusing on Amy Pond and her relationship with and marriage to Rory Williams is concluded that maybe we'll see a greater amount of diversity in Season 6. Granted, it seems that the writing team is trying to steer the show back to stories and concepts that will appeal to *little* kids as well as teens and adults, but even if this is the case, what better opportunity and platform could there be to educate future generations about all of the wonderful diversity that exists in this world and all of the wonderful diversity that *could* exist in worlds beyond?
I'm not going to re-hash what's been said, save to point out for those who don't know, that the previous show runner, Russell T. Davies, of Queer As Folk and Torchwood fame, was oft accused of promoting a "gay agenda" within the Doctor Who franchise. However, others commended his efforts in Series 1 through 4 to include GLBT (and omni-sexual) characters within his stories--even in passing--as well as his care in featuring people of color (POC) in major roles, the most notable being Mickey Smith, the boyfriend of companion Rose Tyler, and Martha Jones, the first POC to ever travel with the Doctor as a full-fledged companion.
Now, I've spent a good chunk of my summer re-watching Series 5, because I did enjoy it immensely (in no small part due to Matt Smith's brilliant acting work). However, I *have* been giving some thought to the show in its current incarnation as it relates to those of us on the "borders" of mainstream, privileged society, and I think I'm ready to speak my peace on these issues.
First, let me say that I hardly expect a straight, white, cis-gendered married family man to give a whole hell of a lot of special thought to including homosexual, non-white, trans-gendered non-married and childless characters in his storytelling. I mean, one of the first rules of writing is, "Write what you know." That said, the one thing that really stands out to me in this latest season is how WASP-y it all is. I mean, like, REALLY WASP-y, particularly in comparison to prior seasons. I mean, where'd all the POCs go? Where are the gays and lesbians? The transsexuals are still glaringly conspicuous by their absence. What's more, is that when Moffat and company get things right, they manage, somehow to get them wrong at the same time! Here are a few examples:
Liz Ten: If ever there was a bastion of White Privilege it would have to be England's Royal Family. Thus, the idea that in the distant future the Queen of England herself might be a woman of color with a working-class accent is really rather progressive! Likewise the idea that she would be so beloved as to merit the doctors slowing her body-clock so that she might reign for hundreds of years is also rather spectacular. Not only was she a major character in that particular story, but she also made a second appearance in the finale. Liz is brilliant, brave, strong, and sexy. She, like the Doctor, figures out the problem with the engines and even before he appears to lend his help, she's investigating, much like the Doctor would do on his own. Hell, she even saves the Doctor's bacon a time or two!
Still, I found serious problems with the way the character was handled in the context of the episode. This powerful woman of color is still only as powerful as the white man in control allows her to be (Hawthorne, the head of the Winder squad). He's constantly watching and monitoring her. He's the one who determines what she needs to know and when. He's the one in control of her journey towards the truth. He's the one who keeps the Forget/Abdicate aparatus in his dungeon HQ and it can be inferred that he's the one who would enforce her decision (i.e. feeding her to the Beast were she to make the wrong choice). To add insult to injury, the whole thing is justified by the "We work for you, ma'am," line, implying that her limitation is self-inflicted. She may be the highest authority, but the authority figure that everyone fears and respects is that iconic, smiling, white judge in the booths. Liz may be the bloody Queen, but she's a Straw Tiger, and everyone knows it. Now, I could argue that this portrayal of the Queen is a reflection of how royal politics have always worked insomuch as Her Majesty's Privy Councelors are more in charge than Her Majesty is. Likewise, I could argue that even today, the Queen is a figurehead without any real power, and that the true authorities are those in Parliament. But when I'm watching a fantasy show about the future of humanity, to be given the thrill of seeing someone like me in such a major position of power, only to realize that that power is false? To this woman of color, that's fiercely disappointing.
Guido and Isabella: Many people don't realize that during the Renaissance, Venice was one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, so when Vampires of Venice opened with two POCs directly involved in the main plot, I was both pleased and impressed that someone had given a thought to this historical reality. After all, it's only been very recently that UK actors of color could get ANY work at all in an historical costume drama other than playing servants, slaves, vagrants or tramp sailors in spite of the fact that history itself shows that POCs were part of all strata of society, whether they were "visible" in the mainstream or not. Likewise, these characters had enough status in society to be able to petition a noblewoman for admission into an exclusive school--albeit one with nefarious purposes--AND be accepted. Again, a step up from being a house servant. Furthermore, once the evil of the situation rears its head, Guido doesn't just shuffle off and keep his head down. He storms up to the gates, demands entrance, tries to work out a plan on his own to get his daughter out of danger. The man is so bad-ass, he even stores gunpowder in his house in the off chance he might have to blow some shit up!
And yet, the great potential with these characters is eaten up by one of the oldest race!fail tropes in film history! They both die, and what's worse, The Doctor pretty much lets them! They are completely and totally expendable in spite of all the self-righteous posturing to the contrary. The Doctor's cunning plan is hatched, presumably to get Isabella out of the school, and when it's time to get the hell out of Dodge, who's the LAST person out the door??? The one they supposedly went there to save! The one, I might add, who helps Amy's dumb ass out of the chair she's strapped into. Once Amy volunteers to be their "in" to the Calvieri compound, it suddenly becomes all about the Speshul White Gurl and how much danger *she's* in. The Doctor and Rory forget ALL about poor Isabella, because they're too busy cockfighting over Amy when anyone with EYES can see that they are SO hot for each other. Just sayin. Furthermore, they KNOW these girls don't like sunlight, so didn't anyone think to bring a blanket? A veil? A parasol? Couldn't Rory have thrown that enormous doublet over the girl's head??? The answer is, they weren't thinking about Isabella at all! THEN, the next thing we see is poor Isabella being fed to the monsters as a result of being left behind. And what's the Doctor doing? Sitting in Rosanna's chair waiting for her! Is he desperately trying to rectify his mistake, get back in and find Isabella? No. The better question would be, what would he have done had they managed to recue Isabella at the expense of leaving Amy behind? You'd best believe he wouldn't have been just chillaxin' and waiting for the evil vampire lady to show up so they could chat!
Maybe you think I'm reading too much into it, but lemme ask you a question: How often do the national news media go crazy over the disappearance of a young, attractive white woman? Next question: How often to the national news media go crazy over the disappearance of a young, attractive woman of color? We have always been and still ARE to a great extent invisible and deemed less important than our fair-skinned sisters. It hurts badly enough in reality. I don't need to see it reinforced by my favorite TV show.
Guido's death, at the very least, has the redeeming value of vendetta and sacrifice behind it. It makes sense from a character standpoint--his world, his daughter, is gone, and the fish from space killed her. He has no reason to live, and yet the fishy bitches must die. Thus, the fiery explosion. Still, it bothers me that two POCs, once again, die saving the white folk without so much as a "It's horrible what happened to them, don't you think, Doctor?" Don't EVEN get me started on the Race!Fail in The Time of the Angels. When the two black Clerics were the first to die at the hands of the Angel, I literally had to stop the video and yell, "WHAT THE FUCK!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" They even had one black guy left, and there was so much hope that at least ONE POC would make it out alive....but nope. He died, too! Now, I'll grant you, we knew the Clerics were Angel-fodder from go, but STILL...couldn't ya, just this once, have let the brothers LIVE???
Nasreen Chaudry: Maybe I'm the only one, but I was secretly hoping that Amy would get executed and the Doctor would whisk Nasreen and Rory off as his companions! Talk about a wonderful woman of color! Nasreen was intelligent, driven, determined, in charge of a major business operation, and also beautifully open minded and optimistic while being practical and responsible. I mean, she took everything going on with the Silurians and the Doctor completely in stride! In the negotiations with Eldane, *she* was the one in charge, while dumbass Amy Pond looked like she'd rather be painting her nails some other ridiculous color. (Can you tell I'm none too fond of this latest companion? Karen Gillan is a nice girl and a decent actress, but the character that was written for her is shallow, vapid and wholly unlikeable. Maybe they need to look back at Tegan Jovanka to remember how to write a strong-willed, sassy female companion.) My one lament with Nasreen is that she was only a one-off character! Here's the first woman since Donna who was truly WORTHY to travel with the Doctor, and sadly she didn't get the chance.
So now I'm gonna talk about The Lodger, because, as much as I loved this episode, I feel that it could have had so much more potential. The ONE reference to anything other than straight, cis-gendered relationships AT ALL this season was Craig's line where he tells the Doctor to just "shout" if he wants the apartment to himself, in the event he wants to bring over a girlfriend...or a boyfriend. Now, maybe the shape of this episode had more to do with the staff wanting James Corden to do an episode and wanting to cater to his tastes, preferences, etc, but the whole time I was wondering why "Craig and Sophie" couldn't have been "Craig and Sanjay" or "Catherine and Sophie". The story leant itself to featuring two upper-middle-class people rather than, say, people who lived in Council flats, but did they both have to be white people? Couldn't they have been a mixed race couple or even an Asian/ South Indian/ African couple? How nice would it have been to have a story about a guy who just can't tell his best friend--who's also a guy and obviously interested--that he loves him until their lives depend on it? How wonderful an opportunity would it have been to show a gay or lesbian relationship in a normal, everyday, non-sexualized context? Yes, it's a family show, but what's so wrong about showing kids and their parents that GLBT people fall in love and have the same anxieties and insecurities over the whole process as their straight, cis-gendered counterparts?
And this is where I really have to say that, as much as I prefer Moffat's team's style of storytelling, I really MISS seeing me and mine as part of the fabric of the Doctor Who universe. It's not that Davies went above and beyond, it's that he gave a sense that, in the present, past, AND future, gay people, people of color, and other "forgotten" members of society EXIST, and that the existence of these people is perfectly normal, mundane and acceptable. Even if it was just a passing remark, or a couple of side characters, the impression was that the universe was peopled by more than posh, middle-class, heterosexual white folks. Now, I realize that when we as human beings engage any medium, we view it through our own personal filters. As a bi-sexual woman of color, I'm going to see things (or notice the lack of things) that a straight, Caucasian man might not. Nevertheless, the fact remains that I'm not the only bi-sexual woman of color watching the show. In fact, there are a large number of GLBT POCs who watch Doctor Who. I don't think it's asking too much to have the show-runner acknowledge that we exist in the world, even if it's as part of the background tapestry. My hope is that now that this season's story arc focusing on Amy Pond and her relationship with and marriage to Rory Williams is concluded that maybe we'll see a greater amount of diversity in Season 6. Granted, it seems that the writing team is trying to steer the show back to stories and concepts that will appeal to *little* kids as well as teens and adults, but even if this is the case, what better opportunity and platform could there be to educate future generations about all of the wonderful diversity that exists in this world and all of the wonderful diversity that *could* exist in worlds beyond?