I Want My Filler Episodes Back

“When he died the ravens sat in the trees outside for a week, watching. Taking turns. A horde of raccoons tried to break into the house every night, tearing at the siding. Eventually they gave up, but it was unsettling.”

It screams, "We (and by We I mean the writers, the studio, David f*cking Ellison, etc) don't trust our non-white cast to carry a season on their own". For the first three seasons of Evolution, Luke was given absolutely nothing to do, and then, the second he gets a storyline, Tara's story is pushed into the background as well. There's also the fact that Luke and Tara haven't had a single meaningful conversation with each other in years. That's especially wild because Adam and Aisha were friends before either one of them was on Criminal Minds. They have a built-in chemistry, and the writers refuse to take advantage of it.

The later seasons of the original run weren't perfect when it came to representation, but it did feel like there was an active attempt to push the show's diversity and inclusion further. And it is a big deal that Evolution made Tara the first Queer character on the show. I don't want to diminish that. At the same time though, Evolution has also taken massive steps backwards when it comes to how they handle their BIPOC cast members and that can't be ignored either.

Tara as a black woman is not allowed to be in stable and happy relationship and have that be shown on screen. In her previous relationships she was assaulted by her white husband and abandoned by her black fiancé (and I do think their races say something as well). And in evolution, she has the chance for real happiness. She even says as much: that she’s “never been this happy before”. And that gets taken from her too. And we see that fallout. We see that fight as the audience. We see the bickering and the digs at each other. But we don’t see any of the make up. In fact, all we get is Tara in a life and death situation and Rebecca not wanting to be alone after that. Then, we are told that they are back together again because they “are more miserable apart than they were together”. Why did that have to be the description and reasoning we are given as an audience? Why can’t it be that “never been this happy” again? Why is it that even when they are together, we still see that tension around the inability to let each other in? And it’s only after Tara almost dies that they get engaged. We are only given a bit of happiness to cheer for after she goes through a major trauma. And then we don’t even see the wedding. We barely even see them interact after getting engaged. No small touches, quick kisses, nothing. And yet when you look at other relationships that are shown on the show, you get the couple against the problem (see JJ and Will, Rossi and Krystall, Matt and Kristy to name a few). You get to see sweet moments between them and light touches and kisses and everything else you expect from married couples!!! What is the difference??? Oh, maybe that they are an interracial sapphic couple??? I mean we’ve all already noticed that the two off screen weddings were the black people on the show. Is it because they would have to hire people of color to be background actors and not suffer in some way, shape, or form?? And before you telling me it’s not that deep, it fucking is, okay. And it sucks. It sucks for us. It sucks for Aisha and Nicole and all the other people of color who get shunted to the side but are expected to take it because at least they have a job on one of the most streamed shows in the world. And so while white men and white couples get to have full feasts. Everyone else is expected to be grateful for fucking crumbs.

Penelope has arguably been given the third most fullness to her character. But even she feels like she’s just drifting around unanchored.

I mean, Tara has Rebecca, but we’ve really only been allowed to see her pain, because god forbid a black woman have happiness. And I actually have a lot to say about that but it’ll be it’s own post.