She's Got It: Favorite Female Characters

[Danny Franks]

Battlestar Galactica has probably the largest number of strong female characters both good and evil I have ever seen in a single show. Love them, hate them, or love to hate them, they come in all kinds. They are never boring.

 

And only about half of them were played by Tricia Helfer. That was something I loved about the BSG world, though. There was no sexism at all, it was all completely equal. A woman was the best pilot in the fleet, and it was treated as completely normal and not even worth comment.

 

Different kinds of strength, as well. The political smarts and ideals of Laura Roslin, the physical toughness and fighting prowess of Starbuck, the determination and resolution of Athena, the scheming and self-sacrifice of Caprica Six, Natalie and others.

[selkie]

I'm developing a real fondness for Donna from 'Halt and Catch Fire'- the soccer mom computer genius in a twinset. She's tried hard to find a balance in life between family and having a career she loves, even if she admits to hiding in the bathtub sometimes to get away from her kids.  And another balance at work in an early tech start up where she wants to have the freedom to explore an area where she thinks the company can make a whole bunch of money while doing something that seems really cool and yet she finds herself forced into a joint CEO role with Cameron because no one else seems to be interested in keeping the business side of Mutiny going in a stable way that will literally keep the lights on and servers powered up.

 

She is totally suburban, and in her own quiet way is being shown as quite bad ass. If Mutiny manages to become a major player in the early years of online services, it will largely be because of her seeing the possibilities beyond primitive online gaming.

[anna0852]

I have a total girl crush on Kensi Blye from NCIS:LA and I'll swoon over Peggy Carter. 

[Mars477]

I've never gotten my hands on the original series, but I really like Captain Elise Wasserman in the Anglo-French adaptation The Tunnel. Clemence Poesy portrays this perfect blend of brusque aloofness and detachment in emotional matters without descending into the outright naïveté of Diane Kruger's Sonya Cross from the US/Mexican The Bridge. The slow development of her friendship with her counterpart Inspector Karl Roebuck is fascinating to watch. She also lands some amazing zingers on him as their relationship warms up, it's great.

Plus she's a badass in a way that Det. Cross never manages to accomplish.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Mars477

[bmasters9]

One of my most favorites is Jennifer Hart, wife of Jonathan on Hart to Hart. Why? It is because Jennifer and Jonathan really seemed to be in love as they were portrayed.

[Spartan Girl]

Melinda May on Agents of SHIELD. Proof that a woman at 50 can look good and kick ass. 

[Domestic Assassin]

Daria Morgendorffer - Daria

Lisa Miller - Newsradio

Lilith Sternin - Cheers

CJ Craig - The West Wing

Elliot Reid -Scrubs

Liz Lemon - 30 Rock

Joan Holloway Harris - Mad Men

Martha Hanson - The Americans

Nora Durst - The Leftovers

Princess Carolyn - Bojack Horseman

[Bookish Jen]

6 hours ago, bmasters9 said:

One of my most favorites is Jennifer Hart, wife of Jonathan on Hart to Hart. Why? It is because Jennifer and Jonathan really seemed to be in love as they were portrayed.

I loved this show so much as a kid. You're right. Jennifer and Jonathan seemed like a true blue couple and I loved how they worked together as a team to solve crime week after week. And they were so damn classy and sophisticated about it, well, at least to this girl growing up in a small town where my redneck classmates spit up chewing tobacco into the drinking fountains.

Plus, she was named Jennifer and she's a fellow redhead. How could I not like her?

[rcc]

Any character played by Lucy Lawless. Xena, no. 3 in Battlestar, Lucretia in Spartacus, Countess Marburg in Salem, Ruby in Ash vs Evil Dead. She can play any strong woman.

Edited September 3, 2016 by rcc

[Bookish Jen]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2014 at 11:58 AM, Cobalt Stargazer said:

 

Since you've mentioned Emily, I can use that as a springboard to bring up her predecessor, Elle Greenaway. Elle was a little more consistently characterized, and despite only having been on the show for its first twenty-eight episodes, her departure remains the one that's like getting hit in the stomach. Emily was softer, and that's not a bad thing, but it's prickly, difficult Elle that really resonates with me.

And then there is the third member of the Holy Trinity of CM brunettes-Alex Blake. I loved how cerebral and academic she was, but there was a warmth and kindness to her. I always thought Emily, Elle and Alex would make great co-workers.

[zxy556575]

I love coolly intelligent female characters! No whimpering in corners and relying on someone else to save them.

Kiera Cameron in Continuum. Clever, shrewd, determined, courageous and super kickass.

I'm currently entranced by Android on Dark Matter. Her internal struggles, both electronic and emotional, are extremely well played by Zoie Palmer. The characters of Two and Five on that show are also appealing to me -- fierce and unafraid to make hard decisions.

Eleven in Stranger Things is empathetic and smart beyond her years, despite a horrific life.

Spoiler

Girl saved an entire town! (So far, at least.)

But ultimately yes, who I'd want to be is Miss Phryne Fisher, the shining epitome of a woman who knows and follows her own damned mind.

Edited September 4, 2016 by lordonia

[Winter Rose]

Sybil Crawley (Downton Abbey) – Her death hit me harder than Matthew's. She rebelled against old-fashioned mindsets without being obnoxious about it. She was kind to everybody and only wanted to give others their chance.

Mary Morstan (Sherlock) – There's a past we don't know, that I'm interested in. I don't think shooting Sherlock made people turn on her, she seems to get hate just for existing, I think it's given "justification" in hating her. But she didn't set out to kill Sherlock, and he understood it was the circumstances, that neither expected the other to be a part of. She also manages to both love John and respect his friendship with Sherlock. I don't see a third wheel among any of them.

Morgana (Merlin) – I won't deny the writing for her sucked when she became evil but being lied to all her life about her magic, her family, being ignored and drugged when she had visions, I think her anger and, seemingly quick, change of sides was understandable. And she at least tried to stick up for herself and magic-kind, unlike the "hero" who hid his magic till the last episode, even paid lip service to all magic being bad, despite being out to change that notion.

Gwen (Merlin) – I liked her so much when she was allowed to do something besides tell Arthur what a great king he was. She was smart, level-headed, she didn't even seek retribution for her father's murder because she knew it wouldn't change anything, and it would've only made her a murderer too. I can't help thinking Camelot's better off with just her ruling than with her idiot husband alive.

Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls) – It wasn't until I rewatched the show as an adult that I really appreciated her character. Things she said or did may have seemed cold but I think she was just hurt by the strain on her relationship with Lorelai and was desperate to fill the void. At times I also felt she made much more of an effort to improve her relationship with Lorelai and Lorelai was just being petty.

Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones) – She's come such a long way from the person she was at the start. She's been through hell and back and didn't let it keep her down. Especially this season, she's learned a lot about how to play the game and proven herself capable that I think she should be Queen in the North.

[maraleia]

Mine are Aussie characters Miss Phryne Fisher, Janet King and Franky Doyle, Bridget Westfall and Bea Smith of Wentworth.

I also love Eleven from Stranger Things, Jessica Jones and Trish Walker of Jessica Jones, Lagertha from the Vikings, Grace and Frankie, Kara and Alex Danvers of Supergirl, Stef and Lena Adams Foster of The Fosters, Jane, Xo and Alba Villanueva and Petra Solano of Jane the Virgin and all the women characters on Sense8.

European show characters Dicte Svendsen of Dicte, Birgitte Nyborg of Borgen, Catherine Cawood of Happy Valley, Stella Gibson of The Fall, Rita Madsen of Rita, Laure Berthaud and Joséphine Karlsson of Spiral,

[bmasters9]

Another of my favorites: Della Street of Perry Mason (Barbara Hale, still alive at 94). The teamwork of her, Paul Drake, and Perry Mason was a big reason why I have enjoyed that 1957-66 CBS legal series so much so that I have seven seasons' worth of it on DVD.

Edited September 4, 2016 by bmasters9
Italicizing title

[GreekGeek]

Sophia Petrillo (The Golden Girls), played by the late great Estelle Getty. I can't find the quote right now but someone referred to her as Estelle Parsons. That was Roseanne's mom, Beverly, who was also a good character until someone arbitrarily decided to turn her into a lesbian. Speaking of Roseanne, I thought the best character on that show was Darlene, even when I wanted to smack her.

Ellen Morgan, the first out of the closet lesbian protagonist, even if it took a while to get up the courage to make her one and the show became preachier and less funny afterwards.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Murphy Brown yet. Tough and smart and yet a screw-up in many ways.

Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory). I love her plainness and nerdiness. You can totally believe she would love someone like Sheldon.

Peggy and Joan get most of the love from Mad Men watchers, but I had a lot of sympathy and affection for Betty Draper Francis. There was so much pressure on her to be "perfect," (from her mother and the culture of the day) and yet she always fell short: she married the wrong man and then divorced him, she gained weight, her kids acted up. And she was the only one of the core cast denied a happy ending. Claire Dunphy (Modern Family) is the comedic contemporary equivalent. I especially love her "You will have fun MY way!" moments.

Going way back, there were Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz (I Love Lucy, of course). Their friendship and goofy schemes were the core of the show, arguably even more so than the Lucy/Ricky relationship.

Edited September 4, 2016 by GreekGeek

[zxy556575]

2 hours ago, GreekGeek said:

Amy Farrah Fowler (The Big Bang Theory). I love her plainness and nerdiness. You can totally believe she would love someone like Sheldon.

I forgot Amy! She's far from perfect but she's her own person and damn the world. I kind of adore her.

Along those same comedic lines, I'm quite admiring and fond of Phoebe Buffay, with her purposeful spaciness. Despite a sad childhood, she maintained an upbeat sheen and stayed true to her own convictions no matter what.

[atomationage]

Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley.

[lostandfound]

Juliet O'Hara (Psych) is one of my favorite characters ever! I love how spirited, exuberant, sunny and warm she is without being depicted as a shallow ditz like many other enthusiastic, cheerful characters are. Instead, we see that she's very meticulous, smart and competent. She's not a Mary Sue, however, and has some pretty consistent weaknesses: an excessive need to please and be liked, doesn't react well to criticism, a tendency to idealize others and expect too much of herself and then get too disappointed when people invaraibly fall short of her high expectations, gets a little fixated, obsessive and perfectionistic to the point where she loses perspective, and sometimes remains in deliberate denial and sees what she needs to rather than what's there. As a bonus, she loves murder mysteries as much as I do  :-) 

Some other favorites that have already been mentioned: Buffy Summers, the Halliwell sisters on Charmed, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in the show's earlier seasons, Sookie St. James, Juliet Burke.  

This is a terrific thread idea. Female characters are often relegated to just "significant other" status and deserve more love and appreciation! 

[Winter Rose]

I love both Brienne and Cersei in Game of Thrones. I didn't so much like Cersei as one of the political players but I love her just embracing her madness and her DGAF attitude. Without her children, she has nothing left to lose and I think there's nothing more dangerous. Even if she goes down, I'm looking forward to the chaos. Meanwhile, I love Brienne for her honor and loyalty. Jaime also becomes an instantly better character in Brienne's presence.

I wouldn't be able to deal with her in real life, at least not in large doses, but Paris Gellar of Gilmore Girls is great as a character. While intense, she stays true to herself and doesn't apologize for it. I also don't think anyone in that show's as much of a hard worker as Paris, she puts her all into everything she does.

[Blergh]

I know its classic but can I nominate Emily Hartley from "Bob Newhart Show" played by the electrifying late Suzanne Pleshette? Not only was she gorgeous but she was smart, loyal, classy and never was without surprises! IMO, no list of fave characters is complete without her!

[Minneapple]

Every single female character on Agents of SHIELD. They're all awesome!

[partofme]

Mine will always be Ziva David from NCIS.  She was kick ass.  And I love that she always wore her hair back to crime scenes and wore appropriate shoes.

[bmasters9]

On 5/16/2017 at 0:17 PM, Blergh said:

I know its classic but can I nominate Emily Hartley from "Bob Newhart Show" played by the electrifying late Suzanne Pleshette? Not only was she gorgeous but she was smart, loyal, classy and never was without surprises! IMO, no list of fave characters is complete without her!

Oh yes, very definitely-- not just Emily, but also Suzanne Pleshette! And BTW, another favorite of mine is Maggie Petrocelli, wife of defense attorney Tony Petrocelli, in the 1974-76 NBC legal series Petrocelli. Susan Howard was Maggie here, and played her very well to Barry Newman's Tony, IMO (she would, of course, be Donna about 5 years later on Dallas). 

Attached are both versions of Susan's title credit on Petrocelli (captured from CBS DVD/VEI release of that 1974-76 NBC series).

[proserpina65]

6 hours ago, partofme said:

Mine will always be Ziva David from NCIS.  She was kick ass.  And I love that she always wore her hair back to crime scenes and wore appropriate shoes.

I wasn't a fan of Ziva (or, more accurately, all of Ziva's daddy drama), but I did appreciate that she dressed appropriately for crime scenes.

[anna0852]

Speaking of CBS crime fighters,  I adore Kensi Blye on NCIS:Los Angeles. 

[kiddo82]

Every female series regular on Parks and Rec in their own way but a special shout out to Kathryn Hahn's Jen Barkley.  Funny, blunt, jaded, driven, confident, secure.  I found myself so happy whenever she'd show up.  

[Macbeth]

My favorite female characters are from the 70s - when I was growing up.

1. Jamie Sommers - The Bionic Woman, played by Lindsay Wagner .  She was a fantastic strong female character that had a great deal of empathy.  She didn't have to be in bikinis like Charlie's Angels to bring down the bad guys.  She was amazing.  I remember Lindsay Wagner had a very TV  Q-rating at the time, but that never translated to more roles for her.  That was a shame.

2.  Mary Richards from, of course The Mary Tyler Moore show.  She was a role model for me that said I didn't need to marry and/or have kids to have a fulfilling life.  That was a freeing concept for me.

[roamyn]

On 7/2/2017 at 5:56 PM, Macbeth said:

My favorite female characters are from the 70s - when I was growing up.

1. Jamie Sommers - The Bionic Woman, played by Lindsay Wagner .  She was a fantastic strong female character that had a great deal of empathy.  She didn't have to be in bikinis like Charlie's Angels to bring down the bad guys.  She was amazing.  I remember Lindsay Wagner had a very TV  Q-rating at the time, but that never translated to more roles for her.  That was a shame.

2.  Mary Richards from, of course The Mary Tyler Moore show.  She was a role model for me that said I didn't need to marry and/or have kids to have a fulfilling life.  That was a freeing concept for me.

Or the fabulous Lynda Carter.  Yes, she wore a bathing suit - but it was one piece.  And she was a badass, always rescuing Lionel, not the other way around.

Marlo Thomas, probably the first feminist on tv.  She didn't need to get married to Donald, to know who she was as a woman.

[ABay]

Emma Peel.

[unicorn23]

Olivia Dunham (Fringe): Olivia is my favorite character ever and I don't foresee anyone coming close to usurping her number one spot on my list. I have been marathoning Fringe for several weeks now (I'm about to start S4 soon) and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing this character be her quietly badass self wearing her sensible shoes, wearing her dark suits, and her hair tied in a ponytail. I have fallen in love with her all over again. What I loved about her is that she always went about life as if it's her responsibility to protect the innocent and to set everything right. I also loved how she seemed serious most of the time and so stoic and was all about business and so focused on her job. We need more Olivia Dunhams in this world!

My other favorite characters include:

Dani Reese (Life): She's very similar to Olivia Dunham and she's probably my second favorite character ever.

Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars): Probably my third favorite character ever. It's funny how my top three characters are all detective-types.

Joan Girardi (Joan of Arcadia): She's kinda like Veronica Mars with her attitude. I need to rewatch this show again.

CJ Cregg and Donna Moss (The West Wing): TWW is my favorite show ever and these two characters are a huge part of that.

Felicity Smoak (Arrow): The best character on any CW show.

Clarke Griffin (The 100): I have loved seeing her growth as a character in every season especially during season two.

Joan Watson (Elementary): As brilliant as Sherlock Holmes.

Trish Walker (Jessica Jones): I love JJ, but Trish was the one who I fell in love with more after watching the first season.

Alex Kerkovich (Happy Endings): I love Jane, but it was Alex who won my heart.

Beth Childs (Orphan Black): She will always be my favorite clone/sestra.

[Proclone]

I've been trying to catch up on SyFy's (still a stupid name) Wynonna Earp and I've been struck by how much I like all the female characters on the show in different ways.  For those unfamiliar with the show, it's about a Wynonna Earp a direct descendant of Wyatt Earp who has inherited the "Earp Curse." When the heir of Wyatt Earp turns 27 all the people Wyatt killed come back from hell (they're called revenants on the show) and the heir must send them back to hell using Wyatt's gun Peacemaker.  Wynonna is a very funny, super sarcastic, and deeply screwed up woman  who likes to solve her problems by getting drunk and occasionally sleeping with inappropriate men (Including Doc Holliday who was cursed by a witch and made immortal, it's that kind of show).  She wasn't originally meant to become the heir, her older sister Willa was, but when revenants attacked their home when Wynonna was just a kid, her sister was taken and Wynonna accidentally shot and killed their father (the previous heir) with Peacemaker attempting to defend their home.  She then spent most of her teen years in and out of juvie.  Needless to say that she's a bit of a loose cannon.  The character is often very funny (I think I may have made the show on a whole sound darker then it actually is, it's something close to Lost Girl by the same show runner, in terms of tone) and so is Melanie Scrofano who plays her, but she also manages to pull off the drama really well.  She was really good in a recent scene (without spoilers) were she breaks down to her younger sister Waverly about how the curse has given her no choice in the direction  of her life.  I really liked the character from the first episode when it became clear that despite hating being the heir that she would always in the end do the right thing even if it was hard.

 

Waverly Earp is Wynonna's younger sister.  She was taken in by friends of the family after Wynonna accidentally killed their father.  She grew up resenting Wynonna for being the heir and actually wished she was it but oddly enough never blamed Wynonna for their father's death (unlike Wynonna herself).  She always wanted to be special.  Of the three main female characters on the show, she's probably my least favorite (but I still really like her, just not as much as the others).  She's pretty much the polar opposite of Wynonna. She's perky and sweet and everyone likes her.  I do really like how loyal she is to everyone she cares about, especially Wynonna.  And while she does start out the first season being resentful of Wynonna they ultimately become really close and I really like their relationship on the show.  Also quite a bit of her arc in the first season centers around her discovering her sexuality, but it's not super angsty which I liked. It's simply her realizing that most of the choices she's made in her life including her choice of partners has been done to make other people happy and have them like her.  She finally decides to do what makes her happy.  She says to Nicole, "When I think about what I want to do most in the world it's you...That sounded so much more romantic in my head."

 

The final main female character on the show that I really like (and honestly is probably my favorite) is Nicole Haught.  She winds up becoming Waverly's girlfriend by the end of the first season.  I'm not sure the character could be the center of the show, but I find it refreshing how normal and average she seems.  She a nice and friendly to just about all the other characters.  So far there has been no dark twisted past revealed about her.  Yes, she's gay, but it's never a big deal.  She openly flirts with Waverly when she meets her and never makes it a secret that she's in to her without it being overbearing or creepy.  She's a new deputy sheriff in town at the start of the show and one the characters out loop on the supernatural goings on, but she's never dumb and never just accepts the rather inept explanations she's given for events and when she's finally brought into the know her reactions is "That makes sense," and she grabs a shotgun to go kill some bad guys.  She's also shown to be a really good, fair cop, who can kick some serious butt when the occasion calls for it.  She and Waverly are also really quite cute together.  To quote Wynonna, "You two (Nicole and Waverly) make the Notebook look bleak."  Like I said I don't think that Nicole could carry a show because we tend to like protagonists who are dark and twisty, but it's oddly refreshing to see an interesting character that is an average person.  She's certainly someone I could meet in real life and wind up really liking hanging out with.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Proclone

[festivus]

I've been thinking about watching Wynonna Earp and you're making a good case for it. I'll have to see if they put it on Netflix when the season ends like they do some of the other SyFy shows.

[Proclone]

On 7/22/2017 at 6:22 PM, festivus said:

I've been thinking about watching Wynonna Earp and you're making a good case for it. I'll have to see if they put it on Netflix when the season ends like they do some of the other SyFy shows.

I'm super late in replying, but I just noticed that Wynonna Earp's first season is on Netflix now.  If you're so inclined, I would recommend it.  It's a usually funny, sometimes dramatic, sometimes legit creepy, show.  And while I really like all the female characters (since that is this topic), I do want to mention also like all the male ones as well.  And I like that all the male characters (at least the main male characters) all seem to have a deep respect for all the female characters and their abilities.  There's no, "I'll protect you, little lady," vibe from any of them.  Even Doc Holliday, who is older than the state of Colorado.  Even the town sheriff, who you have some preconceived notions about, turns out to be really very fair and decent and have almost a fatherly (or at least a mentor) relationship with Nicole.  Going so far as to feed her cat when she's injured, even though the cat "doesn't like men."  And it amused me to no end the character of Dolls (a federal marshal) who seems so cold and closed off, is the only person to ever notice Nicole and Waverly's longing looks or obvious sexual tension.  Also to add, while I wouldn't recommend looking on youtube, unless you don't mind being spoiled for a major plot point of season two, I have seen some interviews with the cast and they all seem like truly delightful people in real life.  And it has been renewed for a third season.  So if your up for a Canadian flavored (it's never expressly stated what side of the border Purgatory is on, but the town's homecoming game is hockey not football) Western with supernatural elements, then I would say it's the show for you.

[festivus]

It does sound interesting. I'm always looking for shows with good women characters and I prefer things in the sc-fi and supernatural type genres. 

[Haleth]

One of my current favorite women lately is Maeve on Westworld.  (Of course she's a robot and not a real woman.)  All season she was on a journey of self discovery with the intention of breaking out of prescribed role and creating her own future.  Thandi Newton's portrayal is outstanding.  I can't wait to see what season 2 holds in store for her.

[Chaos Theory]

10 hours ago, festivus said:

It does sound interesting. I'm always looking for shows with good women characters and I prefer things in the sc-fi and supernatural type genres. 

Normally I don't recommend shows to anyone because my tastes are...my tastes but if you have Netflix you should try Salem. It uses the Salem witch trials as a backdrop but tells a vastly different story.  Be warned though it is very explicit and does take a few episodes to get started.  It does however have a very strong female cast.  Including Lucy Lawless who shows up in the second season.  

[festivus]

4 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Normally I don't recommend shows to anyone because my tastes are...my tastes but if you have Netflix you should try Salem. It uses the Salem witch trials as a backdrop but tells a vastly different story.  Be warned though it is very explicit and does take a few episodes to get started.  It does however have a very strong female cast.  Including Lucy Lawless who shows up in the second season.  

I forgot about this show. This is the kind of show that's right up my alley but I wouldn't watch it before because of a really petty reason. When I used to have cable, they showed commercials for this show all the time and I HATED them. I think I'm over it now, lol. I'll give it a try. Love Lucy Lawless.

[Cherry Bomb]

Here is a few that I have been lucky to watch there performances on DVD.

1. Angela Chase:(My So Called Life) Played by Clare Danes and she played the awkward teen who did so many things to fit in fantastic. It was too bad the show didn't last.

2. Lindsay Weir:(Freaks and Geeks) Played by Linda Cardellini who played the intelligent but teen who was rebelling in every way so well.

3. Amy Juergens:(The Secret Life of the American Teenager) Played by Shailene Woodley who had so many emotions to play in the 5 years the show was on air. She was outstanding.

[DollEyes]

This list is not complete without Game Of Thrones' awesome Lady Olenna, aka "the Queen Of Thorns," played by the equally awesome Diana Rigg.  Olenna not only gave great snark, she got things done in her own way, for better or for worse. Case in point: when Olenna had King Joffrey assassinated and his father/uncle Jaime heard about it, she not only didn't feel a shred of remorse for killing the sociopathic little shit, she proudly drank the poison that Jaime gave her as an act of mercy, instead of giving her a slow and painful death like Joffrey's mother/aunt Queen Cersei would have wanted, proving that Olenna was a badass in life and in death. 

Edited August 19, 2017 by DollEyes

[ABay]

Two, Five, the Android, and Commander Truffault on Dark Matter, ass-kickers, one and all. For the 1st 2 seasons, I was really surprised that Mallozzi and Mullie were doing so well by the women considering some of their past work. Sadly, but aptly in a show that is partly about whether people can change their old ways, they seem to be backsliding a bit in season 3. 

[CoderLady]

2 hours ago, ABay said:

Two, Five, the Android, and Commander Truffault on Dark Matter, ass-kickers, one and all. For the 1st 2 seasons, I was really surprised that Mallozzi and Mullie were doing so well by the women considering some of their past work. Sadly, but aptly in a show that is partly about whether people can change their old ways, they seem to be backsliding a bit in season 3. 

A huge "Yes!!" to the women on Dark Matter. At one point I noticed that the majority of the crew members getting shit done on the good ship Raza and thereabouts were women. Women! And it was the most natural thing in the world.

It totally goes against the standard that requires that action teams sci-fi and otherwise be 50% white men and the other half made up of everyone else. Even other earlier Mallozzi & Mullie works like the Stargates follow the rule. This one with its action, humor and great women characters makes me very happy.

[ABay]

@CoderLady, one of the highlights of the 1st season of DM was in 1.11 (?). All of the guys were prisoners in the vault and One gives this loopy speech (hypoxia has taken hold) about showing the bad guys what the men of the Raza are made of. Meanwhile, Two is laying waste to every villain on the ship with an assist from Five. 

The female villains, however, except for Tash (esp. AU Tash who obviously knows what's good) and all versions of Portia, are pretty bad.  Misaki and The Empress  share one expression between them, Reynaud was just a cliche waste of time, I think I'm forgetting someone...oh, Amber or whatever her name was. They could also do with more women in the background, as GA, Mikkei and Ferrous people, etc. I don't whether it was the writing or the acting but Nyx never really fit even with 13 episodes to work with, and Solara came and went so quickly I had to look up her name.

But Two, Five, Anbdroid, and Truffault (who I would really like more of) are fantastic.

I'm disappointed with season 3 for several reasons, a couple realted to gender: 1. Why is it always, and only, women who are gay or bi? Was I the only person who was shouting "just fuck already!" when One and Three were at each other's throats? Could Six not have had a husband instead of a wife? Or inaddition to a wife? Or have something going with Anders? 2. Liquid Goa'uld. *sigh* Why does every damn genre show on TV have to go global or universal conspiracy? Would it have been so bad to follow a different, smaller, path like Leverage in Space or something? 3. VR Sarah's Sexy Times Play House. They seem to have used up the entire season's lighting budget on that set, if the last episode is anything to go by. (Dear M&M--you have a guy who can suffer exquisitely. Buy some freaking lightbulbs so I can enjoy it!). And do not wussify Three to the point where I wish they'd send him to a farm upstate and bring in AU Boone permanently--and he can be an even bigger jackass than Three fresh out of stasis, which is both a hell of an achievement and hell of an indicator of how much I dislike where they've gone with Three. He was perfect in season 2. 

The reason I characterize some of this as backsliding is that I had a lot of issues with SG; Atlantis--removing Wier, sidelining Teyla, adding Jewel Staite's character and forcing the relationship with McKay when she had more chemistry in 5 minutes with Ronan than an entire season with McKay, the "funny" rape episodes. I couldn't even sit through an episode of SG: Universe. And I loved Sam Carter to bits, Vala somewhat less, but there were some questionable moments on SG-1.

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by ABay
Portia!

[RealHousewife]

Charlotte York

I love her wardrobe, how feminine she is in every way, and that she’s generally a sweet, good person. 

[anna0852]

Victoria Hughes on Station 19.  she's turned out to be one of the most interesting and complex characters On what is a fairly standard nighttime soap.

[Spartan Girl]

Despite the fact that the final episodes of Game of Thrones have ruined her character, I will always love Daenerys Targaryen.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Spartan Girl

[kiddo82]

On 10/14/2014 at 10:43 AM, TaraS1 said:

Abby Lockhart, ER - I don't care that she moped, I don't care that she had a crazy mother and brother who annoyed everyone, I don't care that people thought she ate up too much airtime.  She was awesome, and Maura was stunningly brilliant in that role (ten billion times better than anything the vastly overrated Marguiles ever did on that show).  I just adored her, and I was thrilled that after all the years of misery, she finally got a happy ending with Luka and Joe.

This is from way back but so much word.  You can tell me all the reasons why you don't like Abby and I can't disagree but I also don't care.  I think most of the credit goes to Maura Tierney who I agree was aces on that show.  Maybe in the hands of a different actress I'd feel differently but as it stands, I still pretty much love Abby Lockhart.

And speaking of terrific performances making me love a character, and the reason I stumbled in here, I am rewatching the Office and Jenna Fischer is letter perfect as Pam Beesly.  I mean, I always liked Pam well enough but I am just now appreciating her reactions to her conversations with Michael.  I just saw the episode where Michael tells Pam he wants to adopt a child and she is measured and appropriately uneasy while at the same time not entirely surprised and she never once tips her hand.  It's a master class.  As a result, I've gone from indifferent to Pam to kind of loving her.

[piccadilly83]

Lorelai Gilmore. Yeah, I know she wasn't perfect. Many felt she cheated on Luke, and her interactions with her mom did not always leave her looking mature; but I will always love her for the no-nonsense way she managed to raise her daughter while still being her best friend.  She was almost always supportive of Rory, and she really knew how to boost the self esteem of a kid who didn't have much to speak of on her own. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by piccadilly83

[roamyn]

On 5/16/2019 at 12:32 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Despite the fact that the final episodes of Game of Thrones have ruined her character, I will always love Daenerys Targaryen.

GOT did not ruin her character.  She was always impulsive to action w/o thinking, mean, obsessed, and GRRM said that’s how he plans on ending the books.

Mr. Roamyn & I binge watched the show over a month, and it’s very clear from Viserys’s death that she was a cold bitch w/hardness & bloodthirsty-ness in her.

 I do think it could’ve been less subtle, tho.

[Spartan Girl]

Here's an oldie but a goodie: Penny from Inspector Gadget. She was smart, tech savvy, took down Dr. Claw on a regular basis, and never cared about not getting credit for any of it. She also had more patience than I would have to put up with an pompous idiot like Gadget for an uncle.

[Annber03]

Hell, yeah, Penny! I loved her as a kid-I wanted a computer book like hers, and I wore my hair in pigtails for a time because of her as well :D. She was up there along with Lydia from the "Beetlejuice" cartoon in terms of characters I thought were so cool and wanted to be like :).