Carmen is fairly recognizable as a variant of the stock character called the Magical Negro - she doesn't fit every single descriptor as outlined in that article, but she doesn't have to. The basic outline is that there's this black supporting cast member whose only purpose in the story is to sit around and make magical pronouncements to the white main character (yes, the Doctor is an alien, but he's a white-looking alien), whether to help him in particular or to forward the plot as a whole.
I liked the other characters of color in the episode, especially the Captain, but Carmen was so obvious that I actually went, "Oh, god, not a Magical Negro character!" at her first line. So. I don't know if that's what every single person complaining was thinking, but that was my problem.
I did like the episode very much, other than that, but jeez. I'm sure we could have had our creepy foreshadowing another way, RTD.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2009-04-13 05:57 pm (UTC)I liked the other characters of color in the episode, especially the Captain, but Carmen was so obvious that I actually went, "Oh, god, not a Magical Negro character!" at her first line. So. I don't know if that's what every single person complaining was thinking, but that was my problem.
I did like the episode very much, other than that, but jeez. I'm sure we could have had our creepy foreshadowing another way, RTD.