i think one of my favourite things about stalking jack the ripper is the well written way in which men influence audrey rose’s life and how that plays into her relationship with thomas
one of my favourite moments in the whole series is when she pulls the dagger out of the cane in ctd, and she says “thomas. my brilliant, cunning, prepared man.”
it’s the climax of HER series, and she’s fighting the final obstacle alone. there isn’t going to be some man who swoops in to save her and the day and fix everything, as it should be. but unlike so many other series that butcher the strong female trope, love and moments of weakness and relying on others are never seen as a bad thing. audrey so often saves the day, not because some some author has had a man do all the work and then pawn the victory on to the woman or because she’s some cold loner who refuses any sort of connection (which isn’t always a bad thing but something commonly criticized), but because she actively relies on people and eventually allows them in. throughout the whole series her mental impacts are acknowledged, she opens up to thomas, she relies on liza and daciana and ileana. and this is how the series is able to maintain an empowering tone despite its time period.
it’s through this willingness to let other people in that audrey is able to move through her worlds restrictions, and this is how the men in her life are written so well, (doing what they can in the context of the time they live in). from her uncle to her father, no man ever does anything for her. she’s simply given opportunities to prove herself (which are also huge privileges but we know how rare even that was in her time), to do what she’s always been able to do, but not always been able to have the stage to show it. in efh she acknowledges how her uncle and thomas have given her an opportunity, not just merely allowed her to be there on a whim but given her a way to prove its where she belongs, and given her their trust and faith in her skills.
and thats why i love that scene from ctd, its such a beautiful culmination of audrey rose and thomas’s relationship. its a blatant acknowledgment of how he learned to care for her in way that doesn’t smother her, how he actively learned and grew from their conflict in hpd. thomas doesn’t defeat the enemy for her, hell he isn’t even there, but he still finds a way to help her. he doesnt take over from her, doesnt tell her what to do, his love and care keep her up and give her what she needs to get things done on her own, a running theme in the series. the people she loves are consistently there for her, and give her the strength to get things done on her own. arguably the most beautiful symbol is the cane itself, how its existence is a reminder of thomas and it gives her strength, not because he’s there to take over for her, but because even a reminder of his love and support for her is enough to give her a boost to be successful in her own right
tl;dr i just really love how the men in the series don’t see women as fragile and in need of a saviour, but as capable people sometimes in need of a leg up or a shoulder to rely on
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