is a nonserious show that through its four seasons has tried to deliver serious goods, often with a predictable, candy-coated outcome that makes you roll your eyes but still tune in for the fantasy of it all.
Kat’s character is one of the most underwritten, along with that of Alex Crawford , one of two visible Black men on the show. There’s a socialized self-preservation that she lacks, which makes it clear that white women created her in their own image, with a lot of righteous and unfocused political beliefs delivered as statements masquerading as rage, but which are toothless and have no practical application to her character maturation.
. “Despite my personal feelings about the choice, I tried my best to tell my story with honesty, even though the Kat I know and love would never make these choices.”Reading Dee’s note, her hesitation and careful every word placement were apparent. As a young, Black woman, tasked with being both the voice and representative of a multitude of realities, the actress is hyper-aware of the tenuous balance between her visibility and the importance of being vocal.
As long as Black women creators continue to be overlooked and left out of rooms where their stories make an appearance, Dee’s character will never be allowed to grow into the person both the actress and viewers know she could be.
This happens all the time with Black women characters - e.g. RoswellNM, VampireDiaries, Twisted, Legacies, Riverdale, SleepyHollow after S1, Siren, Suits (Jessica after S2), TheFlash, Titans - y'all in the media just rarely talk about it. 🤨🤨 BlackLivesMatter