Hub 126 by Various

Author:Various
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
Publisher: Right Hand Publishing

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On Being Scully and SyFy’s New Series, Haven

by ro smith

I often think about what The X Files did for us. Many factors undoubtedly contributed to the rapid resurgence of sci-fi and fantasy onto our screens, which started in the mid-90s and hasn’t really gone away – not least the rapid improvements in special effects. However, I still believe the unique and compelling phenomenon that was The X Files had a lot to do with it. One thing I tend to forget about these days, though, is Scully, and what a revolution she was. SyFy’s Haven reminded of me of this.

Here’s the thing about Scully: as a female lover of science fiction, science, and logic, I didn’t realise how good I had it with Scully, and we’ve rarely seen the like of her since. There are a lot of things The X Files did for us, but it’s easy to forget what it did for women in science fiction, nor less, women in scientific careers. Not only was Scully a strong woman in a man’s world; not only was she the voice of logic and reason over her impulsive and intuitive male companion; not only was she able to bring down bad guys single-handed, and do the FBI roll; not only was she undeniably sexy without having to wear impractical clothes; she was an equal to her male counter-part, not only within the FBI, but in having a lead role. OK, no question, it was Mulder and Scully, rather than Scully and Mulder, but they were a team. Well do I remember how my school girl crush on David Duchovny was frustrated by having to cut Gillian Anderson out of all the photos I clipped from the Radio Times. They were everywhere, and they were together, whilst keeping their sexual tension unresolved. I hated it at the time, but I now recognise that it not only kept the show going, it maintained Scully’s independence.

To maintain dynamism once a relationship is established on TV, it is often necessary to make the relationship unequal in some manner. All too often this is cashed out through gender stereotypes. The woman will be too needy, the man will be poor at expressing his feelings, the woman will want children whilst the man does not etc. etc. One thing the latest series of Doctor Who should be credited for is the far more interesting dynamic between Amy and Rory. Although Amy does fall into the frustratingly familiar tendency for female companions to lust after the Doctor, who remains aloof, this is balanced by Rory’s position as the romantic, more emotionally needy and domestically inclined partner. But such examples are few and far between, and still concern only supporting characters.

Here’s the thing: there are virtually no female leads in modern television. This is not to say there are no female role models, and ensemble casts have given us the odd excellent example. One of the many, many things that are to Battlestar Galactica’ s credit are its plentiful and varied strong female characters.

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