After six seasons, the hugely popular series District 31 bows out. The closer the end approaches, the more the author Luc Dionne, the production as well as the actors and actresses receive well-deserved praise. It is a creative series that has succeeded in intelligently dealing with several social issues. We got very attached to the characters.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Even if I really liked this series, and at the risk of being treated as a killjoy, I would still like to bring a downside. Mainly, I would say that this very good series, despite all its qualities, inappropriately evaded the issues of a heterogeneous society. Here, the normative Quebecer is a “native” Quebecer.
The representation of diversity, although very real in Quebec, was not part of the imagination of the series. Many say the series was educational. Yes, in several respects. But unlike a series like Can you hear me, District 31 presents a Quebec of yesteryear. I would even dare to say that this is one of the reasons why this series has been so popular. It presents a comforting image of the Quebec of yesteryear.
I doubt that the visible minorities of Quebec recognized themselves in this series, as Asian minorities do with the series Kim’s Convenience. In his acceptance speech after being named Best Actor in a Comedy Series, South Korean-Canadian actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee1 talked about the importance and impact of the representation of minorities in our series. “When people and communities see themselves on screen, they have an inspiring moment…they feel like they exist, they feel less marginalized and have a hopeful path…”
With its multiple character changes, the series District 31 could have introduced more “colorful” main characters. It could have offered a counterweight to the dominant stereotypes. With such an audience, we could have spoken of a real education in living together.
In 2018, I published a text in The Press where I criticized an episode which, in my opinion, conveyed prejudices about people of Arab origin2. In response to my text, people said I had to take it easy because it’s “just fiction” and “just entertainment.” In the process, we like to say that District 31 is a realistic series. I would say it’s more of a two-speed realism.
In my review, I wrote that “the narrative is never neutral”. It is never “just a story”. It reflects societal values… It shapes our perceptions… It makes us experience intense emotions while giving us “boundaries to think about”. Certainly, the creator’s primary mission is to entertain us. But he must not for all that dissociate himself from the social and moral context which surrounds him. It’s not about censorship here, but rather about encouraging even more creative fiction.
There really are police officers from visible minorities in Quebec, even high-ranking police officers. In addition to better representing today’s reality, a lieutenant of Arab origin, for example, could have fueled several intrigues, especially last year when the intrigues tended to turn in circles.
I’m a fan of District 31. I’ve been watching the series since the very beginning. I will surely have a heavy heart after watching the last episode. To ease my pain, I intend to watch the first episodes of the first season. At the same time, I will certainly have a twinge in my heart, having the conviction that this very good series has missed several opportunities to broaden our social imagination. I would have liked to watch the conclusion with the feeling that we are really all watching together.