The T&A Character
Apr. 28th, 2007 12:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusWhile I'm waiting for the next Supernatural episode I thought I'd ramble on about Teyla in Atlantis.
I keep hearing people talk about how unrealistic and flat Teyla's characterization is. At the same time I hear chatter about the actress being pregnant and how that's going to be written into the show. There is speculation about who they're going to have as the father -- will it be Ronon? John? A mysterious Athosian?
What I have to say about Teyla and her role in SGA is going to piss off many women, feminists and non-feminists alike, but this particular female role has been pissing off women for decades -- so why should we be any different?
I predict that Teyla will be impregnated through some sort of miraculous means, Ancient technology, Wraith beam, nano virus, you name it, because Teyla is the T&A* character. She exists solely as a blank female body for hormonal teenage boys to project their fantasies onto, like the women in Charlie's Angels back in the 80s. Nothing can disrupt the green screen. Hell, Charlie's Angels even gave the boys three women to choose from, in blond and two shades of brunette.
The T&A character is not allowed any flaws (except maybe a few cute ones) for this would force complexity into fantasy, spoiling it. Instead of imagining her naked and available, the fantasy would then have to come up with a scenario to deal with her personality. Fortunately, the garden variety T&A character doesn't have a personality, or at least no more than what you'd expect from an expensive call girl: charming perfection, where nothing can ripple that calm exterior, fitting the stereotype (whichever one she's supposed to be) perfectly.
The T&A character cannot have any romantic attachments, as this too destroys the fantasy: instead of imagining her naked and all for you, [insert name of teenage boy here], the fantasy would have to account for Ronon beating the shit out of you later, or John Sheppard having you fragged.
Thus, none of the male leads can be the father of Teyla's baby because that implies a serious committment (marriage or not), spoiling Teyla's T&A potential for good.
But, you say, Teyla has flirted with John and Ronon. And she's been attracted to an "anonymous off-screen Marine" and even been teased about it.
Of course. The girls in Charlie's Angels were always coming home from dates, too. The T&A character can't be too untouchable. There needs to be a whiff of sexuality, of availability. An off-screen romance is okay, because it could be you, [insert name of teenage boy] that she's dating. See how that works with the fantasy?
There isn't a chance that Teyla got knocked up by mistake -- whoopsie, Athosians don't use birth control. The T&A character has to be -- prepare for total disgust, ladies -- worthy and virtuous.
Yes, the T&A character has to walk the line between the virgin and the whore. Anything complicated and human, such as a mistake, spoils the fantasy. It turns her into a human being, forcing the fantasy to become more involved -- instead of Teyla naked and willing, you have to, um, be comforting her in her time of need. Um. Due to a problem she brought on herself which... oh, suddenly it's not just about sex anymore. You have ethics involved, you have to decide how you feel about this, and now you're picturing an entire relationship. Which isn't the point of the T&A character.
So Teyla will have to be completely blameless in this pregnancy, to the point of it practically being an immaculate conception. Therefore: accident with alien technology, anyone?
Finally, to maintain Teyla's prime T&A potential, the resulting baby has to be removed from the picture. Ascend. Taken by druids. In order to keep the fantasy easy to imagine, you can't have a kid hanging around because that means responsibility, and--and stuff, spoiling everything.
Mark my words. Teyla's characterization is lame for a reason, and I very much doubt the writers will change it.
*T&A: Tits and Ass.
I keep hearing people talk about how unrealistic and flat Teyla's characterization is. At the same time I hear chatter about the actress being pregnant and how that's going to be written into the show. There is speculation about who they're going to have as the father -- will it be Ronon? John? A mysterious Athosian?
What I have to say about Teyla and her role in SGA is going to piss off many women, feminists and non-feminists alike, but this particular female role has been pissing off women for decades -- so why should we be any different?
I predict that Teyla will be impregnated through some sort of miraculous means, Ancient technology, Wraith beam, nano virus, you name it, because Teyla is the T&A* character. She exists solely as a blank female body for hormonal teenage boys to project their fantasies onto, like the women in Charlie's Angels back in the 80s. Nothing can disrupt the green screen. Hell, Charlie's Angels even gave the boys three women to choose from, in blond and two shades of brunette.
The T&A character is not allowed any flaws (except maybe a few cute ones) for this would force complexity into fantasy, spoiling it. Instead of imagining her naked and available, the fantasy would then have to come up with a scenario to deal with her personality. Fortunately, the garden variety T&A character doesn't have a personality, or at least no more than what you'd expect from an expensive call girl: charming perfection, where nothing can ripple that calm exterior, fitting the stereotype (whichever one she's supposed to be) perfectly.
The T&A character cannot have any romantic attachments, as this too destroys the fantasy: instead of imagining her naked and all for you, [insert name of teenage boy here], the fantasy would have to account for Ronon beating the shit out of you later, or John Sheppard having you fragged.
Thus, none of the male leads can be the father of Teyla's baby because that implies a serious committment (marriage or not), spoiling Teyla's T&A potential for good.
But, you say, Teyla has flirted with John and Ronon. And she's been attracted to an "anonymous off-screen Marine" and even been teased about it.
Of course. The girls in Charlie's Angels were always coming home from dates, too. The T&A character can't be too untouchable. There needs to be a whiff of sexuality, of availability. An off-screen romance is okay, because it could be you, [insert name of teenage boy] that she's dating. See how that works with the fantasy?
There isn't a chance that Teyla got knocked up by mistake -- whoopsie, Athosians don't use birth control. The T&A character has to be -- prepare for total disgust, ladies -- worthy and virtuous.
Yes, the T&A character has to walk the line between the virgin and the whore. Anything complicated and human, such as a mistake, spoils the fantasy. It turns her into a human being, forcing the fantasy to become more involved -- instead of Teyla naked and willing, you have to, um, be comforting her in her time of need. Um. Due to a problem she brought on herself which... oh, suddenly it's not just about sex anymore. You have ethics involved, you have to decide how you feel about this, and now you're picturing an entire relationship. Which isn't the point of the T&A character.
So Teyla will have to be completely blameless in this pregnancy, to the point of it practically being an immaculate conception. Therefore: accident with alien technology, anyone?
Finally, to maintain Teyla's prime T&A potential, the resulting baby has to be removed from the picture. Ascend. Taken by druids. In order to keep the fantasy easy to imagine, you can't have a kid hanging around because that means responsibility, and--and stuff, spoiling everything.
Mark my words. Teyla's characterization is lame for a reason, and I very much doubt the writers will change it.
*T&A: Tits and Ass.
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Date: 2007-04-29 04:40 am (UTC)I guess, for me, I've always just kept in mind that it's a show written by guys for guys. It's an action sci fi show. It's not a drama like BSG. It's an action show with technobabble. And explosions. And lots of guns and aliens and hot chicks in corsets.