Show brings consent to TV
Dramedy iZombie creates platform for ‘checking in,’ makes topic easy to digest
If you’ve ever binged iZombie, the CW dramedy about a 20-something zombie who solves crime by eating the brains of murder victims, you’ve probably wondered what you would do if you, too, were a sexually active zombie.
(Season 4 begins streaming on Netflix in Canada Feb. 27, with new episodes weekly.)
The character Liv Moore (Rose McIver) struggles with this dilemma constantly. She’s a zombie; her boyfriend is not. Sexual activity leads to the passing of the zombie virus. It’s not just swapping body fluids through sex, a simple scratch initiates the transfer. Kissing is OK; biting is not. Condoms won’t stop it, either.
And under the influence of zombie brains, Liv isn’t quite herself, adopting some of the tendencies and perception of her latest meal. (Her past victims have included a dominatrix, an erotica-writing librarian and a hedonistic artist.)
There’s an upside, though — at least for the audience. The consequences of Liv’s meals create a platform for the characters to frequently check in. They acknowledge lapses in reason, work to find mutual comfort levels and have ongoing discussions about what consensual sex within a complex relationship can look like. Mainstream TV has a consent problem and it’s more than just #problematic. Crime shows blur the humanity of sexual-assault victims. Romantic comedies translate gaslighting and stalking as acts of love. Often, when consent is blatantly woven into the narrative, its nuances are lost. Frequently neglected: the “checking in” factor, things such as “Are you OK?” “Does this feel good?” “What does it mean if we do this?”
The dire consequences of turning someone into a supernatural or monstrous being serve as a natural catalyst for these conversations. Widely, the conscientious monsters, creatures and spirits of contemporary fantasy and horror TV figure out how to navigate healthy sexual relationships with their mortal romantic counterparts. Not just because of the risks involved, but because it solidifies their partnership in the eyes of the viewer and, in turn, makes them more human.
While not perfect, the layers of fantasy and metaphor can make these conversations easier to digest.
“We can talk about consent when it’s a zombie and laugh,” says Jaclyn Friedman, author of Unscrewed: Women, Sex, Power, and How to Stop Letting the System Screw Us All.
“But to say each of us has a responsibility to our partner’s happiness, it contains a nugget of truth that if we don’t pay attention to our partner, we can hurt them.”
It is the many shades around what leads to considerate, responsible sexual activity that may pay off.
“Regardless of age, most people don’t have good examples of what affirmative consent or good sexual communication should look like,” Friedman says. “If we had a robust tapestry of couples talking about sex in infinitely different ways, it would all seem more natural.”