When I see the numbers we trended with today – 120k tweets – I’d just like to wave that at Jroth and say

‘Here, look, you – look what you threw away.  We would have loved you.  We would have raised this show to the stars.  For a brief time you had the happiest, funniest, most joyful fandom and you threw it away.  It meant nothing to you.  Did you honestly think it would last once the extent of your queerbaiting had been revealed?  Did you really think we were all going to go Wow, what an amazing story this was, she had an AI all along!  Let’s keep watching to see what other further enticement there be.

Your queerbaiting might have been just naive arrogance.  Your willingness to kill off the lesbian beacon of fan’s dreams might have been a massive misunderstanding of her importance.  You didn’t see it or you simply didn’t care.  I refuse to believe you didn’t know.  You saw the tweets, you engaged with many of them.  You saw the artwork.  You saw how fan’s were celebrating her and somehow it meant nothing to you.  A story you hadn’t even thought through fully meant more to you.  That’s fine, really.  That’s what  a writer is, ultimately, right?

Except you’re not just a writer, are you?  You’re the show runner.  You’re the one responsible for everything that goes on with your show, including the actions of your cast and crew.  It’s your job to know everything that goes on, so you can sell it, make it work for your network, make them money. 

Did no one at your network see the rising fandom? Did no one see the raising of the social media profile?  Did no one else pay attention to the tweeting and tumblr posts and the like?  Did no one say to you – there it is, Jason.  The audience this show has been waiting for.  Treat them with care.  We don’t want to lose that.  Did no one delight in our delight?  Did no one think Yes, we’ve made people happy and let’s go on doing that because it’s going to make us money? 

That last bit, really.  It’s a business, of course.  You are the manager in charge of one of their properties.  You lost them a potential fortune with your behaviour, with your inability to keep your audience.  Why were you not sacked? 

If I were in charge of a huge department that brought in millions then suddenly dried up, I’d have to account for myself, for the loss, and either prove I can make up for it – or lose my job. 

So series 4 is where you show them you can still ‘bring it?’  How is that going for you, really? 

We would have loved you.  You could have had a huge success, one with a grateful and joyous fandom that would follow you anywhere.  You proved to not only be bad at business – not recognising your customers – but bad in the aftermath, too.  You made yourself look ridiculous.  No one, not in this crowd, is ever going to take you seriously again.  They’ll never buy anything that has you associated with it. They hate you.  You are, really, a liability for anyone you work for. 

But it was art, I get it.  Your half-arsed story was more important to you.  The half-arsed story you came up with on the fly as you were making series 3.  That’s how important it was. The half-arsed story that borrowed from so many other, better products.  You were determined to show off, weren’t you?  Bit you in the arse, didn’t it? 

You hurt people, Jason Rothenberg.  You hurt them and you didn’t have the decency of character to look those people in the eye and apologise, or try to learn about their pain and, maybe, if you could, ease it or make up for it – or, in your own vernacular – overcome it.  You sat behind the screen like so many men of your privilege do, knowing your experiences and point of view are superior to theirs.  These are just wanky, whingey kids.  Ignore them, boss. 

And we were, ignored by you and your bosses.  Only – I don’t think that’s really true.  The more you refused to talk about it, the more your bosses refused to acknowledge it – the more I think it really did get to you.  I think it does bother them.  I think they were paying attention.  Not just to us, but to the negative media you received. To the dwindling numbers.  Someone did say what the fuck is this? 

But it doesn’t matter now.  We’re all moving on in one way or another.  You’ve helped galvanise a generation of queer youth to taking over your industry one day. Congratulations on that.  I hope I live to see it. 

It’s kind of funny, these days, especially, since Dump took office.  The world is galvanised against him.  We all want better, we all deserve better than the standard-issue white heteronormative, patriarchal bullshit we’ve been fighting against for so long.  Believe it or not, you represent that bullshit.  You are one of many.  A liability to the whole world. 

Think about that, if nothing else.  You could have been loved, admired – an agent of change for many.  You certainly wanted us to think you were.  You’ll never fool anyone again.  And these fans that trended so hard for their hero today?  They will never let you forget.