Rosita and the real next Doctor

[strange_complex]

Having had a few hours to think about it, I've become more concerned than I was yesterday about the treatment of the character Rosita in yesterday's Christmas special.

When the story began, the opening scenes in the market showed at least one little black kid running around with the other urchins in the snow, and I thought "Ooh! It's not just Rosita, then. We have total colour-blind casting here. Exciting!" Except that the way Rosita was treated then made me wonder if colour-blind casting is really possible in Doctor Who, or indeed if the BBC have actually managed to achieve it here.

Apparently, it says somewhere on the official site that Rosita's name was meant to be a reference to both Rose and Martha. But as people in the thread I've linked to have pointed out, '-ita' is not really very much like '-tha'. So if the character is meant to be reminiscent of Martha in some way, and her name doesn't really convey that, we're left with the uncomfortable possibility that her resemblance to Martha actually rests in: the fact that the actress is black. Because all black people are clearly the same, yo. Would the BBC have suggested that Astrid in last year's special was meant to be a reference to Rose because they are both white? I don't think so.

Add onto that the fact that this character, who is played by a black actress, is a prostitute (not in the script, but also stated by the actress herself in clips on the website), gets to do precious little on her own initiative throughout the story, and at the end is conveniently slotted into the role of nursemaid and (implicitly) sexual partner because it suits the needs of the white man, and you're really treading on very thin ice indeed.

The problem at the end of the story, of course, is that the historical setting means that, if the actress' black skin-colour is taken into account, there is no other way to suggest a romantic happy ending for her and Jackson Lake. A white middle-class man of that era would never have dreamed of marrying a black woman - and the script-writers clearly felt that they could not carry colour-blindness far enough to have him do so. The result is that she is condemned to the racist Mammy stereotype.

And that's shoddy enough where Velile Tshabalala is concerned. But the reason this really worries me is because of the rumours flying around connecting Paterson Joseph with the role of the next Doctor. Currently, Who's production team are trying to be ethnically inclusive by casting black actors in the roles of characters who, ten or more years ago, would almost certainly be played by white actors. But they are still falling into the trap of then writing racist stereotypes into the portrayal of those characters.

If a black actor is truly to be cast as the next Doctor, a major leap forward needs to be taken first if these issues are going to be resolved. Are the Who team really ready to take such a step? On the basis of last night's special, Ah hae me doots.

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Comments

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the treatment of Rosita made me really uncomfortable, even before I picked up on the whole "reference to Rose and supposedly to Martha" thing-- she was just WAY too marginalised, particularly in a narrative where the big bad was driven to evil by a patriarchal society in which her only other option was glorified slavery. It was basically saying that that system was just fine for Rosita, in spite of what it had done to Miss Hattigan.

And then the whole race issue adds a completely new layer of creepiness to all of that.

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

I agree completely. That whole characterisation of Rosita made me feel really uncomfortable. I am firmly in the Paterson Joseph for the next Dr and completely agree with you Penny on whether they are actually ready to do so.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It would be great to feel that they are. It would be really positive and pioneering stuff - quite besides the fact that I've been really enjoying Paterson Joseph in Survivors and want MOAR! But it seems like it would need more attention and sensitivity than the script team are currently displaying, especially with stories set in past Earth contexts where racist attitudes were commonplace. Also, after my disappointment (http://purple-pen.livejournal.com/272506.html) with the character of Evangelista in Forest of the Dead, I am far from convinced that Steven Moffat is the man to guide them towards a really positive portrayal of a black Doctor. So I'm not really feeling very optimistic about it.

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

I adore Paterson Joseph, he's the only half-decent character in Survivors, plus he was fantastic as The Marquis de Carabas in the BBC adaptation of Neverwhere. Even Nik who absolutely hates Survivors really likes Pateron Joseph and thinks he would make a great Dr.

But I digress slightly with fangurl squee (sorry), I am not convinced Moffat will deliver a postive portrayl of a black doctor, 'though I do think he should do a better job than RTD.

By the way - have we heard anything about new companions? I've not seen anything.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

I've been loving Survivors all round, actually - but that may be largely because it just hooked me in at a time when I really needed some good escapism.

I've heard nothing about new companions at all - I think the standard practice is to wait until the Doctor is settled before thinking about that. Apparently he isn't going to have a regular companion during the specials - just a series of one-off characters like in all the previous Christmas specials. Which will probably be a really good thing, as it'll mean there's a chance for the air to clear of the memories of the three major companions so far by the time a new regular comes on the scene.

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

I really like the idea of "Survivors" - I'm a sucker for anything post-apocolypse, but have found a number of the characters really frustrating. I can't abide Abby she's so irritating. I quite like Anya and Najid, I've even warmed to Al over the last few episodes but Sarah is dreadful and Tom just gives me the creeps and disturbs me. I know that the end of the world probably would bring out the worst in people but I'd like to think people would be a bt better than some of the terrors in Survivors.

I think it probably will be a good idea to clear the air for a bit, especially given how integral the last 3 companions have been.

I'm quite intrigued as to where the next few episodes will go.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Ah, I quite like Abby myself. I suspect how much one likes the series rather hangs on that, as she is so central. As for Sarah and Tom - I find them both terrifying (in completely different ways), and every week I hope that somehow the rest of the group will shed them. But I guess that sort of tension is what keeps me coming back. I do think Sarah is a bit two-dimensional, though, and keep wishing she'd experience some character growth. She makes a poor contrast with Al, who's gradually changed quite a lot because of the sense of responsibility he feels towards Najid.

[gillywoo.livejournal.com]

"I do think Sarah is a bit two-dimensional, though, and keep wishing she'd experience some character growth. She makes a poor contrast with Al, who's gradually changed quite a lot because of the sense of responsibility he feels towards Najid."

I know exactly what you mean. It seems strange that they haven't bothered to develop her at all, I mean even Tom has experienced some character growth, but he's still very disturbing, Sarah is also disturbing, she's a nasty piece of work and you can't understand why the group would keep her especially after she grassed up Anya.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I think I need to watch it again now, in the knowledge of how the female characters' story-lines get wrapped up at the end. I've a feeling I may have been too generous in my review of it last night, and that what we're really looking at here is a story with some great elements (Doctor as own companion - tick, v. good) but some hideous gaping fatal flaws as well... :-(