i keep seeing comments that the writers et al have made about the reaction from the finale being unfounded, because it’s “just fiction”.
for so many reasons, this is wrong- working in the visual arts, you as writers should be advocates against this rhetoric. art is everything! art is power! art is hope! art is meaningful! you should know this! what passion led you down this path? where is it now?
and television is an extremely forceful art form. it holds cultural power; it can change things. more than this, when handling queer characters, it is your duty and responsibility to at the very least do your research. understand your characters, and understand your audience. there is a history here- and you’re entwined in its future histories as a writer. there is a history of queer erasure- how many queer narratives have been destroyed or hidden throughout time? you need look no further than even another bbc show- gentleman jack- to witness first hand the true to life story of anne lister, who had to write her diary in code because of the queer nature of it. and there is history in queer death- my god, so much history. not just the tropes, such as bury your gays, but the real life history too. all the horror we as a community have faced, from the AIDS crisis to the tragically low life expectancy for our trans siblings, to youth homelessness and suicide rates.
so killing eve, as a show with two queer protagonists, one of them a person of colour, is definitely more than just fiction. we know what is make believe. like, sure, the espionage and the mysteries were fantastical. but at its heart, killing eve was so incredibly human. so intimate and personal.
take eve- she’s on a journey of self discovery, exploring all of her shades- light, dark, rainbow. and take villanelle- she’s constantly searching. for who she really is, for hope, for someone to truly see her.
and aren’t we all exploring our many shades? aren’t we all searching for hope? to be seen? these particularly deep, raw, human hungers are especially pertinent to queer communities.
how many queer youth saw themselves in villanelle’s troubled family life? how many queer youth have just wanted to have their hair stroked and be held like villanelle does? and how many queer adults have felt the pain and desperation eve has felt whilst learning that she’s different? that she needs to create her own normal, because she doesn’t fit in?
that’s why the joy and connection of these two characters is so important. it embodies the sentiment of not being alone. eve found a new normal with villanelle, and she could picture a life of excitement, of thrills, but also of comfort and protection with her. villanelle found acceptance, understanding, and a place to call home- finally- in eve. together, they were possibility for each other.
we, the queer community, need to see possibility. we need to see hope. must i really explain why, when the world around us aches and screams out? must i really explain why, with the don’t say gay bill happening right now? when simply existing as a gay person is still illegal in 69 countries- 40 more than where gay marriage is even legal. when in the UK, conversion therapy is in discussion to be banned- but not for trans people (a ban with exclusions is not a ban). the UK!!!!!!! this is just a smattering of the things we face. a raindrop in the ocean.
so to take hope and crush it is a terrible thing. this is why that finale matters. this is why killing eve as a whole matters. this is why it is more than just fiction.
because the blood, the guts and the gore may not have been real, but the human stories were. because eve and villanelle were real to their queer audience.
because they were mosaics of all of us.
turnnoffyourmind
tangentwithtanner
dailybridgerton
amandla
vaporwave
