Kylie Klein Nixon
It’s about time the time lord became a time lady.
Afew years ago I went on RNZ to talk about Marvel comics making Thor a girl. I was excited, because people usually avoid getting stuck in a small room talking to me about comics. But they asked, so I got my talking points in order: Thor’s brother Loki’s done it; Captain Marvel’s done it, twice; comics are fiction, gender is a construct, limits are for losers. Yadda yadda, yay Thor!
Thor’s been a space horse and a frog before, so why fuss about him going girl? Boobs would be a cake walk after webbed feet.
Meanwhile over on the internet where all the calm rational people hang out, Thor’s lady parts were the first sign of the Apocalypse.
It’s been that way for every gender flipped character ever since: they’re an assault on masculinity, harbingers of a world where males will be kept in boxes at the back of our cultural closet, only to be talked about in embarrassed whispers.
As you can see, this has clearly been the case.
Just jokes. According to the Centre for the Study of Women in Television and Film, things have actually become worse for women. In 2017 just 24 per cent of roles in the top 100 films were for us. In 2016, we got 29 per cent. That’s five whole percentage points fewer women on our screens, Lady Thor, you ruiner.
Which brings me to Jodie Whittaker, who took over Doctor Who on Monday.
The world had the usual screaming match over this gender change when it was announced last year. Whittaker, who plays an alien that has been male for 12 castings, bore it with grace and good humour.
‘‘You haven’t even seen me do it yet,’’ she said days before the show’s first episode.
Well, I hope Whittaker had a ruddy good laugh about that all day on Tuesday, because they’ve seen her now, and it’s shut them all up.
In the UK, Who grabbed more than 40 per cent of all UK viewers – the biggest ratings surge for the show in 10 years – with Whittaker’s performance praised for her exhilarating take on the 50-year-old character.
Jodie ‘‘Knock-Out’’ Whittaker doesn’t need my angry hot-take to support her right to play the role she owned on Monday. Leaving me with almost nothing to write about.
So in lieu of a feminist rant, here are five reasons to watch Doctor Who that have nothing to do with gender:
Change is as good as a rest
Every time the Doctor regenerates the character gets richer. Christopher Eccleston brought him into the new millenium, David Tennant made him romantic, Matt Smith made him a hipster and Peter Capldi lent him some mature eccentricity. Whittaker managed to embody a bit of all of them, adding her own Yorkshire zing to the mix.
Whittaker’s mad skills
She can take you to the heights of hilarity and the depths of sadness. On Monday, she was whip-crack fast, a little zany and a lot of fun. Also, she nailed the action. So, basically she was the Doctor.
New pals
Fresh companions, fresh stories, fresh baddies. Character dynamics are like the Doctor’s favourite dish, custard and fish fingers – best served fresh.
New boss
I once saw a play by new showrunner Chris Chibnall, that was so good I still daydream about it 15 years later. He’s already shown his chops as a writer on the show, and his first episode in the hot seat does some serious heavy lifting for the season to come. It’s in good hands.
No more daleks
How many more times will the Doctor have to defeat the ultimate enemies of the Timelords? According to Chris Chibnall, no more times! Huzzah! The big baddie in Whittaker’s first episode was creeptastic and completely new. More please!