Has anyone else noticed that in television and literature these days there is a rise in popularity, especially in science fiction and fantasy, of the notion of a Female Messiah or Saviour of the Human Race? I have just finished watching the opening episode to Series 5 of Being Human. They have killed off three of the four main characters and now all that remains is Leona Crichlow's character Annie, the vampire-slayer werewolf warrior Tom, (Who regular viewers will remember from the last series), and the human/werewolf hybrid baby newly christened 'Eve'.
Now, while this is only the first episode and everything is still a little ambiguous, (You need to watch it to understand why), it appears that George and Nina's daughter is the saviour of all human-kind as she will supposedly rid the planet of the vampires. In flash-forwards to twenty-five years into the future depict a bleak world in which, it appears, the beautiful Eve adorned with crucifixes and leading the human resistance against the vampires sacrifices herself in order to 'saves' humanity. By killing herself.
This seems to be a popular thread for quite a few television shows. It is a relatively new concept and one that in the case of British television finds its route in the mother of all British fantasy: Doctor Who. Anyone who watched last year's series which chronicles the love story of the Doctor and River Song will know that River Song herself is also a 'female saviour', Melody Pond. To the Silence, she is the warrior who will destroy the Doctor. To the Doctor, she is the woman who will save him. It should also be said that there are distinct parallels between the Being Human storyline with George and Nina's daughter and the Doctor Who storyline with Amy and Rory's daughter. They are both female children born to two of the protagonists of both shows; they are both feared and sought after by 'The Enemy' (The Silence/The Vampires); they are both human-plus (i.e. they possess supernatural qualities: a Child of the TARDIS/a Child of the Moon), and they both have to make ultimate sacrifices for the greater good. River gives her regenerations to the Doctor so that he could live, and Eve gives up her life to apparently complete the prophecy.
Given that Toby Whitehouse is the creator of Being Human, and has also written for Doctor Who, it is possible that the two shows have been influenced by each other. But is it more than that? Is this part of a growing trend that Woman is now the new Messiah for Man, rather than a man?
A quick look at the pre-Moffat era when Doctor Who was in the hands of Russell T Davis, there was still a hint of the Female Saviour. Rose Tyler took the Heart of the TARDIS into her head and destroyed a Dalek fleet; Martha Jones became known as the only person on Earth who could kill the tyrannical Master and defeated him with just the power of her words; and Donna Noble rehashed Rose Tyler, only instead of taking the TARDIS into her brain, she took the Doctor's consciousness. Three Women of the Doctor, all of them noted for being Messiahs. Martha Jones and Donna Noble in particular had legends circulated about them during their 'period of fame'.
But where did this trend of the Female Saviour and Messiah come from? Most people would argue that the first was Buffy. Yes, there have been many, many, many other female superheroes but the image of the Modern Female Saviour probably began with her. Even if you think it began earlier, you cannot deny that it has been heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy, the blonde action-hero who saved the world countless times from demons and magical forced, died twice and rose again twice, and who kicked the stereotype that the pretty cheerleader in horror films always gets it first into the dirt.
It's not just Buffy either. Her best friend Willow was often totted as being more powerful than not only Buffy herself but the forces that created her powers in the first place. In the final episode of BTVS, Willow used her magic to change the natural laws that had determined that only one girl is chosen to be a slayer by making all potential slayers powerful. It should be noted that she is changing the law of men and, in effect, becomes a goddess. Cordelia, initially an air-headed yet gentle-natured cheerleader, matured into a sensible, self-sacrificing woman in Angel. The popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel almost certainly helped promote this idea of Women as Saviours.
The next question is this: where does it go from here? So far the only big show in the UK not to produce a Female Messiah I can think of is Merlin. It is really one of the few examples at the moment where the Saviour is still a man - Merlin himself - rather than a newborn girl child destined to smite the evil. Yet that isn't to say there is no room for them to go down this route also. It has been established that Arthur and Merlin will reunite Albion, but that Morgana and Mordred will bring about its destruction by killing Arthur. There must be some for of 'setting the world right'. This is probably the room for yet another girl-child destined to save the world when all else fails. Arthur and Guinevere have just got married; babies are the next course of action and the show-makers have suggested they might try to continue to show past Series 5, which was said to be the final series, airing next year. Moreover since the turn of the 21st century the notion of giving the fames King and Queen a female heir is steadily becoming more and more popular.
So there is room for the birth of a Female Messiah who will finish Merlin's work by avenging her father and destroying Mordred. We will have to wait and see. Either way, I see room for more and more Messiahs in TV shows because there is a market for it. The world is steadily becoming harsher and the religious believe we are entering the Reckoning. The idea of a saviour coming to Earth to save us all is something we all hope and dream of.
Moreover, in this day and age, there is no denying that women make for more appealing figure-heads and saviours.
Now, while this is only the first episode and everything is still a little ambiguous, (You need to watch it to understand why), it appears that George and Nina's daughter is the saviour of all human-kind as she will supposedly rid the planet of the vampires. In flash-forwards to twenty-five years into the future depict a bleak world in which, it appears, the beautiful Eve adorned with crucifixes and leading the human resistance against the vampires sacrifices herself in order to 'saves' humanity. By killing herself.
This seems to be a popular thread for quite a few television shows. It is a relatively new concept and one that in the case of British television finds its route in the mother of all British fantasy: Doctor Who. Anyone who watched last year's series which chronicles the love story of the Doctor and River Song will know that River Song herself is also a 'female saviour', Melody Pond. To the Silence, she is the warrior who will destroy the Doctor. To the Doctor, she is the woman who will save him. It should also be said that there are distinct parallels between the Being Human storyline with George and Nina's daughter and the Doctor Who storyline with Amy and Rory's daughter. They are both female children born to two of the protagonists of both shows; they are both feared and sought after by 'The Enemy' (The Silence/The Vampires); they are both human-plus (i.e. they possess supernatural qualities: a Child of the TARDIS/a Child of the Moon), and they both have to make ultimate sacrifices for the greater good. River gives her regenerations to the Doctor so that he could live, and Eve gives up her life to apparently complete the prophecy.
Given that Toby Whitehouse is the creator of Being Human, and has also written for Doctor Who, it is possible that the two shows have been influenced by each other. But is it more than that? Is this part of a growing trend that Woman is now the new Messiah for Man, rather than a man?
A quick look at the pre-Moffat era when Doctor Who was in the hands of Russell T Davis, there was still a hint of the Female Saviour. Rose Tyler took the Heart of the TARDIS into her head and destroyed a Dalek fleet; Martha Jones became known as the only person on Earth who could kill the tyrannical Master and defeated him with just the power of her words; and Donna Noble rehashed Rose Tyler, only instead of taking the TARDIS into her brain, she took the Doctor's consciousness. Three Women of the Doctor, all of them noted for being Messiahs. Martha Jones and Donna Noble in particular had legends circulated about them during their 'period of fame'.
But where did this trend of the Female Saviour and Messiah come from? Most people would argue that the first was Buffy. Yes, there have been many, many, many other female superheroes but the image of the Modern Female Saviour probably began with her. Even if you think it began earlier, you cannot deny that it has been heavily influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy, the blonde action-hero who saved the world countless times from demons and magical forced, died twice and rose again twice, and who kicked the stereotype that the pretty cheerleader in horror films always gets it first into the dirt.
It's not just Buffy either. Her best friend Willow was often totted as being more powerful than not only Buffy herself but the forces that created her powers in the first place. In the final episode of BTVS, Willow used her magic to change the natural laws that had determined that only one girl is chosen to be a slayer by making all potential slayers powerful. It should be noted that she is changing the law of men and, in effect, becomes a goddess. Cordelia, initially an air-headed yet gentle-natured cheerleader, matured into a sensible, self-sacrificing woman in Angel. The popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel almost certainly helped promote this idea of Women as Saviours.
The next question is this: where does it go from here? So far the only big show in the UK not to produce a Female Messiah I can think of is Merlin. It is really one of the few examples at the moment where the Saviour is still a man - Merlin himself - rather than a newborn girl child destined to smite the evil. Yet that isn't to say there is no room for them to go down this route also. It has been established that Arthur and Merlin will reunite Albion, but that Morgana and Mordred will bring about its destruction by killing Arthur. There must be some for of 'setting the world right'. This is probably the room for yet another girl-child destined to save the world when all else fails. Arthur and Guinevere have just got married; babies are the next course of action and the show-makers have suggested they might try to continue to show past Series 5, which was said to be the final series, airing next year. Moreover since the turn of the 21st century the notion of giving the fames King and Queen a female heir is steadily becoming more and more popular.
So there is room for the birth of a Female Messiah who will finish Merlin's work by avenging her father and destroying Mordred. We will have to wait and see. Either way, I see room for more and more Messiahs in TV shows because there is a market for it. The world is steadily becoming harsher and the religious believe we are entering the Reckoning. The idea of a saviour coming to Earth to save us all is something we all hope and dream of.
Moreover, in this day and age, there is no denying that women make for more appealing figure-heads and saviours.
