{"id":9532,"date":"2022-01-05T12:06:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T11:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1544411"},"modified":"2022-01-05T12:31:10","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T11:31:10","slug":"doctor-who-is-yazs-gay-awakening-too-little-too-late","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-is-yazs-gay-awakening-too-little-too-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who: Is Yaz\u2019s gay awakening too little too late?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Molly Moss\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 05 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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After months of teasing fans with long-simmering chemistry between Doctor Who\u2019s Yaz and the Doctor, and not canonising that they\u2019re totally gay for each other (even after that<\/em> hologram scene), fans were ostensibly given what they\u2019ve been asking for in the Doctor Who New Year special<\/a>, titled Eve of the Daleks<\/a>. In Jodie Whittaker\u2019s latest episode, Yaz finally admitted her romantic feelings for the Doctor. But, as Yaz\u2019s gay awakening aired, accusations began flying that, given we\u2019re approaching the end of days for this Doctor now, it was simply too little, too late.<\/p>\n

Stuck in a time loop with a handful of vengeful Daleks in a storage unit, Dan spotted Yaz pining after the Doctor. \u201cHave you told her?\u201d he asked. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you mean,\u201d Yaz said, before adding: \u201cIs it that obvious? I don\u2019t know what to do, Dan. I\u2019ve never told anyone. Not even myself.\u201d And that was kind of it, though Dan did later tell everything to the Doctor, who insisted she had no idea what he was talking about.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see why such a last-minute development could be seen as tokenistic \u2013 a way of keeping Queer fans happy without having to depict an actual romance between the pair, because there simply won\u2019t be enough time now. But could it be that a romantic attraction between Yaz and the Doctor was never planned by writer Chris Chibnall, and that it just emerged from natural chemistry between the actors? And if so, is that such a crime?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not forget that Doctor Who has a good track record when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation, and it seems unlikely that the show would shy away from creating positive gay role models when it\u2019s done exactly that before. There have been a handful of Queer characters over the years including bisexual time traveller Captain Jack Harkness, lesbian lizard-woman Madame Vastra and, most notably, Doctor Who\u2019s first openly gay companion<\/a>, Bill Potts, who was introduced during Peter Capaldi\u2019s final season as the Time Lord.<\/p>\n

Of course, strong representation on a show once before shouldn\u2019t give it an easy ride forever. But we\u2019re forgetting something else: there aren\u2019t supposed to be any shenanigans aboard the TARDIS. Haven\u2019t all incarnations of the Doctor tried to rise above earthly desire? One thing is for sure: when they haven\u2019t, they\u2019ve been woefully bad at navigating their emotions. Things might have got complicated (though they remained celibate) between Rose and her Doctors, but since then Martha and Amy\u2019s adorations were unrequited and Donna and the Time Lord were no more than squabbling friends. When you think of it this way, Yaz and the Doctor aren\u2019t getting such a bad deal.<\/p>\n

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LGBTQ+ fans are always going to be on guard when it comes to Queer narratives \u2013 and understandably so. Beyond queer-baiting, the gay characters we do get on mainstream TV are usually designed for a straight audience who may not be comfortable seeing gay people prosper. As a result, queer characters often lead miserable lives, struggle for acceptance from their straight counterparts, or even wind up dead.<\/p>\n

So of course, it\u2019s unfortunate that Yaz\u2019s gay awakening for the Doctor didn\u2019t happen earlier on in their storyline arc \u2013 and that we weren\u2019t given time to root for a full-blown Queer romance. But what was the alternative? To continue depicting their relationship as a platonic friendship with romantic subtext? Instead of being criticised for what it doesn\u2019t do, Eve of the Daleks should be praised for what it does do on the page \u2013 acknowledging Yaz\u2019s queerness and feelings for the Doctor (whether requited or not) and, in doing so, steering the ship away from queer-baiting. Because that is a step in the right direction, even if it isn\u2019t as progressive as some may want.<\/p>\n

So even if Yaz and the Doctor don\u2019t have time to explore their feelings any further in the upcoming spring special<\/a> because the Time Lord is fighting off Sea Devils or, I don\u2019t know, saving the planet, believe me \u2013 I won\u2019t even mind.<\/p>

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