Look, y’all, I’m not saying that you can’t like Tara King, or that you can’t like her better than Emma or Cathy. You can like her all you want, and prefer her all you want. That’s totally up to you.
What I am saying is that there are structural problems with her character and with her relationship to Steed, problems that are evinced in almost every episode.
What I am saying is that there is evidence within the show itself that Steed is much more comfortable in his relationships with Cathy and Emma, that that comfort is objectively shown on screen, and that those relationships are objectively stronger and more mature than the one he has with Tara.
What I am saying is that Tara is not the equal of either Emma or Cathy, either in terms of her professional life or in her relationship to Steed, and that this is also objectively shown throughout the show.
What I am saying is that patriarchal norms are a huge issue in the structure of Tara’s character and of her relationship to Steed, and that these are barriers both to the relationship and to her own development as a character, whereas the feminist tenor of Steed’s relationships to the other women makes an enormous difference both to the strength of their relationships and to the strength of the characters as a whole, as does Steed’s own feminism and the feminism of Cathy and Emma themselves.
Which brings us to a really hot tip:
None of that has to do with liking or not liking the character.
It’s okay to have faves that are problematic. What’s not okay is pretending those problems don’t exist.
Which brings us to another really hot tip:
It is possible to point out problems with characters or plot or theme and still like the characters and the plots and the show.
It’s not a betrayal of any of those to be aware of issues that arise from them, and it’s also not a betrayal to speak up about them.
Because sometimes faves are problematic. It’s just part of life. Humans create art that reflects who they are, and humans are complicated, problematic critters.
So yeah, I’mma speak up about problematic stuff, even if it’s in a show I really love. And if you want to debate that with me, I’m down with that. But if you come to my yard for a conversation, I expect you to come to that battle of wits armed with evidence for your own views. I expect you to be cool with having those views challenged, just like I’m cool with folks expressing opinions that differ from mine, and I expect you to conduct yourself with civility. That’s how debate works here. And we can all debate stuff and point out problems and disagree and still love the things we love, and still respect each other when the debating’s done.
