kindkit | Cabin Pressure 4x03, "Vaduz"

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.