'The Order' Season 2: Why the Netflix supernatural drama needs to treat its diverse characters better
Spoilers for Season 2 of 'The Order'
In Netflix's 'The Order', the main character is Jack Morton, who enrolls into Belgrave University as a freshman in Season 1 and joins the titular Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose in order to avenge his mother. Jack is white, as is his love interest, Alyssa Drake (Sarah Grey). When it comes to diverse characters, Season 1 did not have anything significant to boast of. There was Gabrielle Dupres (Louriza Tronco) who joins the Order with Jack. Tronco is a Canadian actress and the daughter of two Filipino immigrants. Then there is Lilith Bathory, played by Devery Jacobs who is an indigenous Canadian actress.
Neither Lilith nor Gabrielle were one of the central characters in Season 1, though, arguably, Gabrielle became more important in the second season. The same cannot be said of Lilith who goes missing in the fourth episode of Season 2, only to return in the second half of Season 2's finale. While 'The Order' has shown much improvement in its treatment of Gabrielle — who actually shows growth in the second season — its other characters of color suffer. We are introduced to two new acolytes this season — Nicole (Anesha Bailey) and Angus, both of whom are Black.
Lilith's disappearance is more unfortunate considering the show was just starting to explore her relationship with Nicole — making her one of the first main characters to experience a non-heterosexual relationship. Moreover, we barely know anything about Nicole outside of her friendship/relationship with Lilith.
Instead of giving the two characters enough time to figure out their feelings for each other and get to know each other — especially after Nicole learns that Lilith knew the truth about the Order wiping their memories — both characters are relegated to the sidelines, with one character disappearing completely.
Gabrielle, meanwhile, is given a bigger storyline this season, especially when she takes on the werewolf hide of Midnight. However, when she is in the Collective Unconscious, she is bombarded with racist stereotypes of her parents who think she is not achieving enough and needs to do more. Outside that, Gabrielle's Asian heritage never comes into the picture. The same way neither is Jacobs' heritage reflected in Lilith.
To be honest, 'The Order' seems more like a relic from five years ago given its lily-white cast and very few diverse storylines. While fantasy shows of today incorporate more diversity ('The Magicians', 'Wynonna Earp'), 'The Order' seems satisfied with sticking to the old status quo of casting. We are certain that incorporating more racial and sexual diversity in 'The Order' will only help in expanding what the show can give its viewers.
When Lilith comes back from the demon realm, she has been turned into a demon. We hope this does not pave a way for the producers to write off the character but instead would expand Lilith's role within the show and as a Knight of Saint Christopher. This would also mean that Nicole gets a bigger starring role, and we hope to see her as an independent character.
We also hope we get to see a different side of Gabrielle should the show get a third season (and it should, given its potential), one that explores why Gabrielle is the way she is, besides her insecurity stemming from "tiger parents". All episodes of Season 2 of 'The Order' are now streaming on Netflix.