Cabin Pressure 4x03, "Vaduz"

[kindkit]

I love Cabin Pressure, really I do. And I enjoyed "Vaduz." And yet I can't help being a little bothered by the realization that every character--every single one--is shown as being heterosexual. There's long been room to read Martin as bisexual, due to his vagueness on the subject of relationships and his tendency to use gender-neutral pronouns when talking about people he's dated. "Vaduz" took that away. Martin's exes are ex-girlfriends. There was a moment when I honestly expected, as Martin flailed towards an answer to Douglas's question, that he might say, "Well, I could have a bobsled team if you included my ex-boyfriend as well." But he didn't.

(And yes, I realize that fanfic can still make Martin or any of the characters bi! I've written fanfic for ten years. I know how it works. I also realize that the canon itself could still show any of them as bi. But this seems very unlikely now, and it's that foreclosure of the possibility for canonically queer characters that is saddening me. There haven't even been any minor characters identified as queer. It's the World Without Gay People, yet again. And considering John Finnemore has at least once tried to create a sitcom about a gay couple [unfortunately the Beeb passed on it], I would have expected better.)

I still love Cabin Pressure. I'm even happy in a way about Martin's new relationship, because Theresa is pretty cool. Finnemore can write het relationships in a non-clichéd way in which both partners have personalities and no one is "the love interest" (witness Herc and Carolyn, whom I adore separately and together). It's not that the straightness on the show is bad, it's just that there isn't anything else.

Comments

[inamac]

To be fair, according to the last ONS survey, only 2.2% of the population is gay, and even if that is an under-estimate the chances are that in a small sample like the Cabin Pressure crew there won't be any gay characters (or, statistics being what they are they could all be gay). In that sense CP reflects the population.

Though, statistically, the CP crew do (as this episode pointed out) have a much higher divorce/ex-spouse percentage than the norm.

I like to think that Arthur is asexual (but no one has ever told him that the option exists).

[kindkit]

only 2.2% of the population is gay, and even if that is an under-estimate the chances are that in a small sample like the Cabin Pressure crew there won't be any gay character

*headdesk*

[st_aurafina]

I came to bring hugs, because I know that feeling even if I don't know the canon. But then I noticed something else.

KIT, KIT, THE FAIL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!

[lilacsigil]

Canon queerness is the best, but I do like there to be at least *space* for canon queerness.

[king_touchy]

There's long been room to read Martin as bisexual, due to his vagueness on the subject of relationships and his tendency to use gender-neutral pronouns when talking about people he's dated.

Interesting! I always noticed his fumbling, not the pronouns. Maybe I'll have to listen again -- which is so not a chore. :D

I very much enjoy the relationships as they're developing this last episode. Herc and Carolyn fumbling toward togetherness is a dance worth watching. And then there is the Princess and the Pilot, and they are (so far! it's early days yet) good together>. I love how she saves him from the dragon.

[kindkit]

In the episode--I think it's "Fitton"--where Douglas encourages Martin to try dating websites, Martin keeps saying "person" and "someone" and other unspecific terms. I think there are other examples too. Of course it's also clear from some episodes that he's interested in women, but the possibility of him being interested in men too was never excluded before.

As I said, I do like Theresa the dragon-slaying princess, and it's nice to see something go right for Martin. But I'm a little bit nervous about this tendency to pair everyone off. I'm a bit worried that this series is going to end up like the epilogue to Harry Potter--nothing but heterosexual matrimony as far as the eye can see.

[king_touchy]

I'm a bit worried that this series is going to end up like the epilogue to Harry Potter-

Yeah, that was painful. I found the fate of Remus and Sirius in particular upsetting.

[kindkit]

The whole Remus/Tonks storyline was bad for every character involved, I thought, including Tonks, who after being awesome in the first book she was in, spent one book pining stupidly and then got shuffled offstage to be wife-and-mommy. And when I think about the actual epilogue, with every character's place in heterosexual reproduction being carefully delineated, I still get furious.