Feminism from the Heart of Geekdom: Moffat vs. Kripke: Or why I love Supernatural and feel no shame

If you are on Tumblr, or alive, you have heard of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Supernatural. The first is a show proclaimed as fun for the whole family and praised for its strong female characters. The second is a modern-day adaptation of Holmes praised for the emotion and relationship between the two main characters. The third is a TV show consistently derided for being a sexist, racist, and possibly homophobic piece of shit. Which one is my favorite?

We love us some (slightly incestuous) man pain, and damn that's some fine plaid!

Why? Because it wears what kind of show it is proudly on its sleeve. The writers may be plagued by recurring bouts of sexism (although a woman was show-runner for a couple of years) but no one starts this show with any illusions. Monster-hunting brothers traveling the country in a classic car. This is a show about manly men, and it will be populated by and pay homage to people with dicks. I got that from the first episode and you know what? As a queer woman, I still fucking loved it. Even thinking about it seriously from a feminist perspective, I don't feel guilty for enjoying it.
I can't say the same for Sherlock and Seasons 5-7 of Doctor Who. (For those unfamiliar with the details, Steven Moffat co-wrote Sherlock and became the show-runner for Doctor Who at the beginning of Season 5.) Let's take a look at these two pieces of work, and we'll come back to Supernatural.

What do you mean women can be interesting in their own right?

If you're a Whovian, you're going to say: But what about Amy? And River? Aren't they strong female characters? The short answer is no. If you want details, check out these two blog posts on the women of Steven Moffat's creations:

http://theidiotboxx.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/am-i-a-real-person-stephen-moffat-says-no/

http://mindingandmattering.blogspot.com/2011/05/doctor-who-and-its-discontents-part-i.html#more

The authors discuss both Sherlock and Doctor Who but we're going to focus on the latter first. A summary of why Moffat's Doctor Who is anti-feminist through a look at the characters:
Amy Pond is a woman who is unfaithful (probably sexually and definitely emotionally) to her hen-pecked and emasculated husband, and she rarely gets to be a figure of action. Things happen to Amy (often without her knowledge), including her bizarre pregnancy. She is responsible for restoring the Doctor to the universe, but only because he planted the idea in her head while she was unconscious. Verdict: failed female character due to perpetuation of negative stereotypes (slut, bitch) and passivity.
River Song is seemingly the ultimate powerful woman because she expresses free sexuality, she carries a gun, and she has sass. The principal problems with River Song are that 1) she is hyper-sexual and 2) she has no control over the progression of her own life. 1) River's character derives the vast majority of her perceived power from her sexuality and feminine "mystery" and her ability to emotionally manipulate the Doctor. 2)The main issue for River is that she actually has no control over the direction of her own life. She spends a great deal of time locked in the Storm Cage facility waiting for the Doctor to take her out on a date, and every time she meets him he knows less and less about her. Verdict: a combination of slut and damsel in distress, combined with a healthy dose of emasculating.
Clara is the newest companion and the least interesting woman seen on the show since Moffat took over. She is supposed to be interesting to the Doctor, and by extension to the fans, because of the mystery of her repeated deaths. The problem with this premise for an interesting character is that her mystery is completely unknown to her. She is an object of interest to the Doctor, but her actual actions are really irrelevant. He just keeps her around so he can find out who she is. Verdict: passive, she's nothing more than a plot-vessel with no real personality or agency.

If you want more than that (and a much more eloquent description) please read the two blog posts above.
Moving on to Sherlock...

Dicks before chicks!

The basic premise of Moffat's Sherlock is that a man is made more powerful with a minimal number of emotional entanglements. Sherlock is permitted to form an emotional connection with John and a minimal attachment to Mrs. Hudson as a kind of mother figure. Sherlock is not permitted, however, to express sexual attraction towards or romantic attachment to any women. The entire episode "A Scandal in Belgravia" plays off of the premise that sexuality will bring about your downfall (especially if you're a woman).
Irene Adler is also another expression of Moffat's "female mystery" card. Femininity and sexuality are her weapons against Sherlock and it is his ability to withstand her womanly wiles that make him the hero.
As for the other female characters, we have a sad mix. Mrs. Hudson: the prudish matron, too old to have sexual feelings. Molly Hooper: the nerdy and emotionally desperate girl who just needs a man to notice her to be a full person. Sally Donovan: the bitch, because a competent female police officer cannot possibly be a nice person.
Add this to the lack of women in visible positions of power within the show and you have quite a potent stereotype weapon wrapped in very pretty paper. Thanks a million, Moffat!

Team Cis-het White Dudes!

That caption basically says it all about the principal demographic makeup of Supernatural. But it does have a few fabulous people going on in the ladies department, the main problem is that most of them are evil or dead.
[NOTE: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SUPERNATURAL SEASONS 0-INFINITY!]

Think this crowbar is gonna do shit to an angel?

Anna Milton: This chick was questionable, but she kicked ass for her brief run. Deceased.

Gotta love this face.

Ruby v2.0: Kickin' ass and taking names. Also, evil. But she got to make her own decisions and had choices in her life. Deceased.

My Queen!

Meg v2.0: Is she evil? Is she good? Doesn't really matter. She is powerful and awesome and takes shit from no one. Deceased.

Bradbury is back, bitch!

Charlie Bradbury: Is there anything about Charlie that is not perfect? She's nerdy, lesbian, and brave. She doesn't display any need for a man to keep her safe; she rescues the damsels in distress rather than being one. Miraculously not deceased! (And returning in Season 9.)

The other family in the same business, with fewer penises.

Ellen and Jo Harvelle: If you don't think Ellen and Jo are the most important female characters in Supernatural and also awesome, you are wrong. These two never needed any man to save them and they could handle a gun as well as the Winchester boys. Also, they gave their lives to save the Winchesters. Deceased.
Also, a casual reminder that Mary Campbell/Winchester was a hunter long before John.

Lookit! Manly love!

Perhaps one of Dean Winchester's most famous lines is: "No chick flick moments." This is a lie. Supernatural is an 8+ season chick flick about two brothers who love each other more than the world, literally. They experience emotions! And the miracle of the show is that their expressions of emotion and their tears are never emasculating or shown as a sign of weakness. Sam and Dean cry when they are sad and they hug when they need to. The exclusion of female characters is, to a large (although somewhat insulting, to a woman) degree a result of the fact that their relationship is "dangerously, erotically codependent" and they have extreme difficulty letting other people into their lives. Also, their love for each other literally saved the world. And then it may have fucked the world...
But this show has never pretended to be about anything other than two brothers who really love each other and fight monsters. I expected a little sexism and I wasn't disappointed. But I never felt that I had been lied to, that I had looked for role models and found stereotypes. The sexism may be stupid, but Supernatural wears that on its face.
Moffat is dangerous because he has wrapped his antiquated and repulsive views of women into characters we might want to emulate, until we look just a little bit closer. And I cannot stand that.

Bonus: Supernatural comes with 1000% more glitter and unicorns! And plaid! And man pain!