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Why did they kill off Lancelot, never to be heard of again? Did the writers intend to return to his story? It seemed like the writers were going to be visiting Camelot again, but then they got the rights to Neverland, and it got passed over.
My guess is that it was too close on the heels of the UK’s Merlin series.
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PoC characters get disposed of proportionately far more often than white characters. I’d wager this is true of wider television too(it’s certainly true of queer characters).
I don't cause commotions, I am one.
Unintentional racism is still racism. Do I think A and E are setting out to be racist? No. Certainly not. But the way they write the PoC on this show does come across as being unintentionally racist, with no one it the writing room realizing it. It’s an issue when every single PoC on the show is being treated the way they are being treated.
I can see your point however I wouldn’t necessarily call it racism for the reason that racism is bullying based on someone’s race or skin colour. Bullying is the persistent and DELIBERATE intent to belittle and cause feelings of negativity and low self-worth in others. Whilst the lack of POC certainly does seem to be a recurring thing, if A&E aren’t deliberately doing it then it’s not bullying which means it’s not racism. But I can totally see why it does appear that way.
And the story they keep writing is that PoC are easily disposed of or secretly white people. It’s…an issue.
It is an issue but there also plenty of white characters that just disappear and what not so it’s not just an issue that’s relegated to POC characters.
Zelena being alive does not necessitate Marian dying in the way past, or as someone else put it, before the show actually had to deal with her in any meaningful way. She spent most of 4A passed out, and then in her big return: she’s been dead all along and is really a white woman. And on top of this, we actually saw a really strong woman in Marian in the EF flashbacks. It’s insult to injury.
Again I think it’s more a case of A&E didn’t know what to do with Marian beyond using her as an obstacle for OQ which backfired on them rather than them deliberately side-lining Marian because she’s a POC. Quote
ugh. i like that you used a white woman clapping too.
I don't cause commotions, I am one.
PoC characters get disposed of proportionately far more often than white characters. I’d wager this is true of wider television too(it’s certainly true of queer characters).
Too true. Mulan was the gay Asian woman on the show, and even she got written out. Case in point.
Does it happen to every white character? (and honestly after this question I shouldn’t have to ask more to show the difference in how the two sets of people are being treated) We’ve had plenty of example of white characters getting fulfilling happy endings. We’ve had one PoC get hers and it was in one episode and then she was instantly shuffled off to the side.
Actually, in addition to Ursula and her dad getting their happy reunion, Rapunzel and her parents were reunited, so technically, they got their happy ending, too, and they’re POC. But yeah, that was a one-episode arc, so I see your point. But plenty of white characters have been sidelined too, (see my list above: Ariel, Wendy, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ruby, Archie, Dr. Whale, all come to mind). And despite (some) of these characters having received “happy endings” I’d hardly call them satisfying, since most of them were one-episode long.
Is the majority of our regular cast made up of white people?
I totally agree with the sentiment that the core regular cast could and should be more racially diverse! A&E had every chance to bring in a POC when Neal was killed off, but instead chose to make Will Scarlett a regular (though to what end remains a big question).
Are all those white people most likely gong to get happy endings with other white people?
Probably, but then so will all of the non-white characters like Mulan (though admittedly that pool or non-white characters is very small).
Are those minor white people fleshed out more realistically than the PoC–like Cora, Pan, Walsh, the dwarves, the BF?
Yes. The writers are totally at fault for ditching amazing characters like Mulan, who was fleshed out in 9 or episodes she appeared him, and yet we never saw her back-story just because they got the rights to Peter Pan. But I will still maintain that Mulan wasn’t the only character to suffer, since interesting characters like Ruby, Philip and Aurora were also passed over. We never saw how Mulan and Aurora were able to save Philip from the Wraith. #ShinyToySyndrome
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
Actually, in addition to Ursula and her dad getting their happy reunion, Rapunzel and her parents were reunited, so technically, they got their happy ending, too, and they’re POC
In one episode where they were literally prop and filler characters. Her parents said maybe 5 words? Rapunzel was only there to prop up Charming’s story.
Neal,
Who according to A and E, got his happy ending
Ariel, Wendy, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ruby, Archie, Dr. Whale
All of these people got their happy endings (maybe not Dr. Whale…?) and have often come back to the show. They are not treated like props to be disposed of when the show is done. They keep coming back or being referenced in order to flesh them out more. Even recently, Ella was mentioned in passing. When was the last time we heard about Rapunzel?
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"However I stand by the point that it’s not just POC characters that get “disposed” of, it happens to white characters too.
Does it happen to every white character? (and honestly after this question I shouldn’t have to ask more to show the difference in how the two sets of people are being treated) We’ve had plenty of example of white characters getting fulfilling happy endings. We’ve had one PoC get hers and it was in one episode and then she was instantly shuffled off to the side. Is the majority of our regular cast made up of white people? Are all those white people most likely gong to get happy endings with other white people? Are those minor white people fleshed out more realistically than the PoC–like Cora, Pan, Walsh, the dwarves, the BF?
I really don’t think that necessarily means racism simply because a majority of the cast is white. This wasn’t a problem back in season one when we were introduced to these characters we all fell in love.
I think for the part, everyone is going to see what they want to but doesn’t make it true.
Haters are going to call Adam and Eddy homophobic, racist, any nasty word under the sun because they’re not happy about a plot point or a direction of the story.
I seriously don’t a difference with what’s going on this thread versus the Swan Queener’s question at SDCC two years ago. The day after Adam was attacked on twitter for replying to that question. Since then, we have questions screened to avoid such ugliness from happening again.
Is that Adam and Eddy need to do now with the fans? Screen plot points with the fans to make them happy, even though they really are not obligated to do so because it’s their story and they’re going to write it how they want to?
really important that everyone reads this with regards minority characters:
It puts a lot in perspective. When a queer or PoC characters gets offed or erased, it MATTERS, a lot.
I don't cause commotions, I am one.
In one episode where they were literally prop and filler characters. Her parents said maybe 5 words? Rapunzel was only there to prop up Charming’s story.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I acknowledge it was a short and quick story that was really more about Charming than Rapunzel. But so was Tinkerbell’s story really short and mostly more about Regina. So was Ariel’s story really short and used to flesh out more of Snow White, and later, Belle. So my point isn’t that there are tons of POC getting long, drawn-out happy endings…clearly, they’re not (and that’s problematic). Rather, my point was that there are tons of secondary characters who’re only used for one or a few episodes to flesh out the main characters. And that’s the real shame. It’s a shame there aren’t more PoC who’re regulars. As I wrote, A&E had a real chance to bring in a new character who was a PoC after Neal was killed, but instead brought in Will Scarlet, a white man. The shortcoming of the writers is two-fold: (1) shiny toy syndrome and (2) lack of racial diversity among the core cast.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
This wasn’t a problem back in season one when we were introduced to these characters we all fell in love.
Oooh yes it was. I remember quite a lot of snark about the fact that everyone was white and the first PoC we were got (Ella’s godmother) was killed within seconds of showing up.
Haters are going to call Adam and Eddy homophobic, racist, any nasty word under the sun because they’re not happy about a plot point or a direction of the story.
I cannot say this enough: NOONE is calling them that, and certainly not me. It’s unintentional racism. They are not actually racist or homophobic. They are falling into the same traps that media also falls into which is thinking that doing it the way it’s been done before it totally okay. It’s the perpetuation of media culture that is highly bothersome.
I also cannot say this enough: we have two African American’s on this forum who have spoken up and told everyone that they are hurt and uncomfortable with how their race is being presented on this show. We don’t get to dismiss that. If the PoC in this world are saying it’s a problem for them…then it’s a problem. The white people (in general) don’t get to dismiss it because it makes them uncomfortable.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Slurpeez wrote: Neal,
Who according to A and E, got his happy ending
Well, you of all people know that’s a joke
Slurpeez wrote: Ariel, Wendy, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ruby, Archie, Dr. Whale All of these people got their happy endings (maybe not Dr. Whale…?) and have often come back to the show. They are not treated like props to be disposed of when the show is done. They keep coming back or being referenced in order to flesh them out more. Even recently, Ella was mentioned in passing. When was the last time we heard about Rapunzel?
But my point was those “happy endings” were also rushed, sloppy and only served to prop up the core 6 characters. I’m not justifying the lack of racial diversity. My point though is that every secondary character is just a prop. The lack of diversity and the treatment of minority characters won’t improve until (1) the writers learn how to incorporate past characters (e.g. Lancelot, Mulan) and/or (2) cast a POC as a new regular next season (e.g. Aladin and Jasmine)
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
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