Because we are naturally distanced from the characters, fiction can be an incredibly powerful tool for drawing attention to issues in society. We can be more objective in our judgement than when we are examining our own lives. Writers can craft intricate stories that highlight many different sides of these issues by using multiple characters’ perspectives. Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories add an extra level of distance because they exist in worlds that are so different from our own. We can do things like explore interracial relationships between aliens when audiences might not be receptive to real-world interracial relationships.
Stories become a part of our shared culture and are thus able to influence how we view and interact with the world. So often, the critical media focuses on the ways in which our entertainment is damaging to society, with sex and violence usually topping that list. Certainly those elements have impact, but there are also so many positive ways that the media can influence us as a community. It is especially gratifying when a popular series tackles a difficult topic with respect, compassion, and nuance.
I’m talking about Thea Queen’s storyline on the third season of ARROW. I might be reaching, and I have no idea if this was the intention of the writers, but my first thought when her storyline kicked into gear was that this was a date rape allegory. I’m not a fan of the term “date rape” because it suggests this is somehow a different kind of rape than whatever “rape rape” is. I’m using it here because most people recognize the term and because it is often specific to a violation committed by someone known to the victim and/or committed with the assistance of some mind-altering substance.
In the show, Malcolm Merlyn gives Thea a drug made from the Votura plant, which makes her compliant but leaves her with no memory of what she did while under the plant’s influence. He then has Thea kill Sara Lance. With no memory of committing that murder, she might never have known of her role in Sara’s death had there not been a video of the incident that clearly shows her shooting Sara. She is understandably shaken upon learning what she did. Her trust in Malcolm is broken. She feels guilty for having trusted him in the first place. She blames herself.
And then something amazing happens.
Everyone tells Thea that this was not her fault. Laurel stands by her. Nyssa, Sara’s lover, doesn’t believe Thea is the true killer. No one feels that Thea is culpable. The blame is squarely placed on Malcolm, as it should be.
This isn’t a 1-to-1 metaphor, but there are obvious parallels to known-assailant and “roofie” rape. Thea was given a drug not dissimilar to the various kinds used to roofie victims. She was put into the situation by a person she had trusted. She was forced to do something that she was unable to consent to. And she had a very real reaction to learning what happened. What is different about her story from the reality many people face is that she was supported by the people around her. She was not told that she shouldn’t have worn that dress or that she should have kept a better eye on her drink or that she shouldn’t have spoken to that guy.
This is important.
While I might be the only person that saw this allegory in the story, I hope that below the surface, other viewers will internalize the idea that no one is to blame for the crime committed upon them. Victims of sexual violence and people in abusive relationships are not responsible for their assaults and abuse. The guilt, the blame, and the responsibility lie with the perpetrator. Thank you, ARROW, for reinforcing this truth.
