Doctor, Who Cares?
As many of you are aware, the new season of Doctor Who starts this weekend.
And while I'll most likely tune in, the truth of the matter is that I couldn't care less.
The fact is, I've felt this way for quite some time and alluded to such sentiments about a year ago.
But before I go any further, let me make something abundantly clear, I've got nothing against the new cast. I think each of them are pretty and brilliant and immensely talented actors. I've seen some of their other work, and I can't stop singing their praises. For actors not David Tennant and co., they were the best choice. So no, I'm not hating on the new cast.
My biggest beef is the new direction of the series, which last season virtually erased POCs and LGBTQs from a franchise that had traditionally been most inclusive.
As a double minority, there aren't many examples in the media that portray people like me (be it people of color or queer). At best, we're the sidekick, the background dressing. At best most shows might sprinkle a token here and there to show that they tolerate us.
There's a difference between tolerance and being welcomed.
So what is tolerance anyway? Tim Wise said it best: As I see it, tolerance means I don't burn your church down, or tie you to a fence and leave you to die, or drag you down a dirt road behind my pickup. It means I tolerate your existence and little else. I let you live and breathe for another day. How nice of me.
Former Who Exec Russell T. Davies actually made it a priority to make minorities feel welcomed. In doing so, he made me personally invested in the franchise because I was welcomed.
Interracial couples were shown in a matter of fact manner and not as a controversial plotpoint for sweeps as is the case here in the states. It showed a blueprint of how the world could/should be in that regard. LGBTQs could be the ass-kicking leads and an omnisexual male from 51st century could be featured as a leading man. A black woman proved herself to be the equal of any timelord. The themes of diversity and inclusiveness were reiterated time and time again.
This was not only empowering for those of us who too often are marginalized and ignored in the media, but it was also educational to the masses.
Did Davies get everything right? No. Were there areas of opportunity in his narrative? Ya damn skippy. But I'll take his storytelling over 98 percent of the crap that's in the media right now. I'll sure as hell take his work over NuWho anyday.
With the possible exception of the blink and you miss aunts in the season finale, there were no queer characters. And while at least we got Liz 10 and Dr. Nasreen Chaudhry, the POC contingent was all but erased as well.
I suspect this is the executive producers' way of making Dr. Who more universal to audiences and doing away with that icky PC agenda that mean ole Davies's kept pushing. And isn't funny how when minorities are expressing our issues or our visibility, we're pushing a PC liberal agenda, but when straight white folks are erasing us from existence, they're never pushing a homophobic white supremacist agenda.
What made Doctor Who, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures international hits was because they reached out to a marginalized ignored and untapped audience who were all too eager to support programming that represented them with respect.
And speaking of SJA, with Elisabeth Sladen passing, that's what irks me all the more. Because that's one more progressive show we've lost. And when I look at NuWho, I'm just left wondering, why bother?
The stories have also gotten immensely lazy and derivative. I was stoked when Steve Moffat took over as executive producer because this is the genius who gave us Blink. But even the ball with the two-parter featuring the weeping angels went straight to hell.
And the huge ratings tank for the season finale, that should be telling in itself.
*Sighs*
I'll tune in. And hopefully things will be different. Maybe better. I'm not holding my breath. It would just be nice to not be tolerated, but actually welcomed.