After a
long (long, long) wait, we’re finally going to be getting series 10 of Who this coming Saturday, and with it,
our new companion Bill. Although the
long hiatuses have a lot to do with it, this is actually our first companion
introduction in four years, and I’m
definitely ready to get a look at someone new.
Fingers crossed for a great, fun, healthy
dynamic between the Doctor and his new friend in Twelve’s last year on the
show. I’m excited for Bill, but even
some of the stuff I’m excited for has me a bit apprehensive (one
heavily-publicized spoiler about Bill’s character, along with a few from Sherlock’s “A Scandal in Belgravia.”)
The
trailers for series 10 have me mostly eager for the companion clean slate. Bill seems bright and curious, and she gives
every indication of actually being eager to travel in time and space, which
ought to make for a very welcome change.
I’m psyched to get a companion of color, and just in general, Bill’s
whole vibe appeals to me. If you keep up
with the Who grapevine, you’ve probably also heard that Bill is being touted as the show’s “first openly gay
companion,” a fact that I’m equal parts approving and wary of.
At face
value, I’m certainly all for a gay companion.
Representation is such a wonderful thing, and while Who has had its share of one-shot and recurring LGBTQ characters
(with Jack being the crown jewel to date, of course,) it has never gone all in
with a full-time companion; in fact, back when I looked over the show’s history
with queer characters, I commented that I didn’t see the show stepping outside
the box with a main companion’s sexuality any time soon, so I’m pleased to be
proven wrong on that point. And not for
nothing, having a gay woman in the TARDIS ought to mean no romantic whatever between the Doctor and his
companion, which I most definitely applaud.
At the
same time, though, I’m cautious. As much
as I want Bill’s representation to be done well, Moffat doesn’t have the
greatest track record when it comes to female queer identity. I’ve seen three shows run by him (Who, Sherlock,
and Coupling) and all three have had
uncomfortable moments on this front. In
Vastra and Jenny’s first appearance on Who,
Vastra makes some very approving eyes at Eleven, whom Jenny testily points out
is a man (technically, neither has explicitly identified their orientation, but
Jenny’s remark here makes me assume they both identify as gay.) In a later episode, Eleven plants a kiss on
Jenny in a moment of excitement, which doesn’t say anything about her but certainly paints our hero in a
bad light for rather enthusiastically kissing a lesbian woman with a
spouse. Meanwhile, on Sherlock, Irene expressly identifies as
gay, and yet she’s shown to be both sexually and romantically attracted to
Sherlock to the point that it leads to her downfall. On Coupling,
Jane’s “bisexuality” is an obvious joke throughout the series, a claim she
makes in order to titillate Steve (not to mention Steve, and the other guys’,
whole sexual preoccupation with lesbianism in general.) And Oswin on Who (not really a one-shot, since she’s the first Clara splinter we
meet) mentions the “phase” she went through with her first kiss, a girl named
Nina.
It’s true
that some of these moments are small notes within the larger characterizations –
while I have some complaints about Vastra and Jenny’s relationship, for
example, it’s generally a given that they’re very devoted to each other – but they
add up to a trend, and not an encouraging one.
Even when it’s in little moments, it works to subtly undermine the very
idea of LGBTQ women. The unspoken
implication? Gay women are bisexual (nothing wrong with being bi, absolutely
not, but gay and bi are two different identities that each deserves its own due,)
and bisexual women are straight women who are “pretending for attention” or “going
through a phase.” Can Moffat really
handle Bill’s orientation in a way that’s respectful? I’m not sure, and that worries me. Dig deep, Moffat – this is your last season
on the show. Make it a good one!
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