Trish Walker: The Catty Best Friend

[JayKay]

I only just read the news about Patsy Walker. I cannot believe it but I'm about 200% more psyched for this series. Never thought I'd see the day when that character appeared on a tv show.

[FurryFury]

I only just read the news about Patsy Walker. I cannot believe it but I'm about 200% more psyched for this series. Never thought I'd see the day when that character appeared on a tv show.

Who's Patsy Walker? I'm not that interested in the comics to google, I guess (and I don't want to spoiler myself for the show, just in case).

Edited April 15, 2015 by FurryFury

[Dandesun]

Patsy Walker started out as a heroine in teen romance series. Seriously, Google the images on that because they are hilarious and not spoilery. Then she got converted into the superhero comics somehow. She's known as Hellcat and has some powers but it's anyone's guess as to what they're going to do with her on the show.

 

I'm curious, though. She probably will take the place of Carol... and possibly Jean as well if it comes to that. Who knows?!

[JayKay]

Yup, thanks for explaining, Dandesun. I'm going to hop over to the anticipation thread before I start rambling.

[FurryFury]

Patsy Walker started out as a heroine in teen romance series. Then she got converted into the superhero comics somehow.

 

That sounds pretty awesome. Looking forward to this!

[The Crazed Spruce]

The conceit was that Patsy Walker's mother wrote the comics that she appeared in, and based it off of her and her friends. She was later brought into The Avengers as a supporting character because the writer at the time was a fan of her old comics and wanted to bring the character back.  (And she'd already cameoed in an early issue of The Fantastic Four in the 60's, so she was established as part of the main Marvel Universe.) Eventually, she started wearing a catsuit that enhanced her strength, speed, and agility, and joined The Avengers under the name Hellcat. (The suit itself was worn by the character Tigra (then known as The Cat) before she became a cat-human hybrid. I'm assuming it was at least dry-cleaned in the interim.)

[The Crazed Spruce]

Placeholder title 'til we see the character in the show. (I mean, they could just be casual acquaintances....)

[FurryFury]

Hope she'll be a friend, I'm all for awesome female friendships in shows I watch. I mean, Daredevil is a good show, but there really wasn't much of that. Agent Carter, meanwhile, made an effort to show Peggy interact and form relationships with both men and women, which I really appreciate. (Meanwhile, female representation on, say, The Flash, makes it look like it came straight from the 50s).

[Dandesun]

Daredevil has the Matt/Foggy friendship which is very definitely necessary for the mythos. You cannot have Matt without Foggy, it just doesn't work.

 

As they seem to be basing this off the Alias run, Jessica had a few friendships that were important... Carol being one and the developing one with Luke as the other. Since they seem to be saving Carol for her own gig, they still need Jessica to have a friend she can bounce off and argue with and all that. I do hope that's what Patsy is. They did a good job with Agent Carter and I hope they recognize that the female relationships in that series mattered a great deal and give Jessica the same thing.

[starri]

I'm just hoping for regular passing of the Bechdel Test.  Agent Carter was shockingly good at that, which I really appreciated.

[Kel Varnsen]

Patsy Walker started out as a heroine in teen romance series. Seriously, Google the images on that because they are hilarious and not spoilery. Then she got converted into the superhero comics somehow. She's known as Hellcat and has some powers but it's anyone's guess as to what they're going to do with her on the show.

 

I'm curious, though. She probably will take the place of Carol... and possibly Jean as well if it comes to that. Who knows?!

From what I remember from my comic reading days she is one of the few marvel characters from the golden age that is still being used.  She was created only a few years after Captain America back in the 40's.

[starri]

According to some of the coverage of the premiere of the first episode at NYCC this weekend, they're calling her Trish Walker, not Patsy.

[The Crazed Spruce]

According to some of the coverage of the premiere of the first episode at NYCC this weekend, they're calling her Trish Walker, not Patsy.

Duly noted.

[AimingforYoko]

They're both nicknames for Patricia, I guess Patsy is considered old-fashioned?

[starri]

Even stranger, they announced a new "Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat!" comic literally a month ago.

[Cthulhudrew]

Maybe she'll end up being Killgrave's "Patsy."

 

I crack me up.

[quangtran]

This spoiler free review actually names Trish as the MVP of the upcoming series, which I find very surprising given that they've yet to show any signs of her Hellcat persona and because I usually find Rachel Taylor to be a very bland actress (she made very impression in 666 Par Avenue).  But good on the show if they were able to properly service all the characters, because so far I've been hearing a lot of nice things about Kristen, Mike and now Rachel.

[Danny Franks]

In the first three episodes, while I wouldn't quite call Trish the MVP, she's certainly proving to be awesome.

 

Confident, capable, successful, and also finding the time to learn crazy ass ninja skills because she has no intention of being anyone's victim. I like her as Jessica's long-suffering friend, their chemistry is very convincing. And I like that she's not hesitant, even reckless, about putting herself in danger to help people. Her anger on Jessica's behalf over what Kilgrave did feels so genuine.

[kdm07]

I love her. I absolutely love her. There's not many characters that I genuinely love as much as I do with Trish Walker right now (Clarke Griffin from The 100 is another).

They could've easily played her as the "normal" side-kick with all the clichés that come with that but they didn't. Not only does she take her own childhood abuse and try and conquer it without being self-destructive, but she also protects herself knowing that having a superhero friend always leads to danger for those around them. I also get the feeling that she safety-proofed her apartment for Jess as well (if she ever decided to move back in). She's a little reckless but her loyalty to Jess and her willingness to try even with all her limitations have endeared her to me.

Her friendship with Jess feels real, more real than most TV friendships on TV these days. I'm not sure if the actresses knew each other beforehand but they make me believe that they've known each other for years. So far, the show gets an A+ on her characterisation.

Edited November 23, 2015 by kdm07

[AimingforYoko]

She was adorable when she met Luke. She was so happy that Jessica had found someone she was like a schoolgirl.

[Chaos Theory]

Trish is definetly the MVP. Her story starts slowish and what could have been a cliche best frien roll quickly turns into a lot more. The friendship between Trush and Jessica becomes central to the story. What I loved most about the show is that it's a friendship between two women that is central not any single love affair.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[dippydee]

I loved Trish. This was the first time I've ever liked the actress (she was particularly bland when having to act against Gillian Anderson in Crisis). It seems she just needed the right role. I'm hoping if we get a season 2 it involves Trish taking steps to becoming the costumed hero she is in her heart.

I loved that Trish/Jess was pretty much the central relationship in the show. Their friendship was so believable- I liked that they both took turns to call each other out on their bad decisions. It always came across as very equal and balanced, they both keep saving each other in different ways.

[Xena]

Dear Netflix,

Please give Trish Walker a giant bottle of red pills (and some blues to bring her back down), then give her her own show.

Sincerely,

Everybody

 

[Chaos Theory]

Dear Netflix,

Please give Trish Walker a giant bottle of red pills (and some blues to bring her back down), then give her her own show.

Sincerely,

Everybody

 

Yes please and thank you.   I would love this.    Especially since I think Trish is based off Hellcat  

 

Instead of full on Hellcat I would love a storyline with the pills.  Because that would be awesome.

[Cranberry]

Oh, she's for sure Hellcat! And I'd also like to see what she'd be like on the pills. I don't think she'd go all rage-monster like Simpson -- I assume they amplify a person's core personality, and she seems to be an innately kind, rational person.

[Danny Franks]

Trish's empathy and caring for Jessica throughout this season has really been one of the highlights. It's so genuine and feels like the real heart of the show. I was amazed at how strong a showing Trish got, after being an afterthought in much of the pre-release publicity. 

 

But I don't want Trish to have her own show, because I love the Jessica/Trish relationship. I love watching how Jessica can't help but lighten up and relax in Trish's company (just look at her affectionate eye roll at the end of the scene where Trish demonstrated her Krav Maga skills), and I love watching Trish's yearning to help people and be a hero. So they need to just make season 2 the Jess and Trish Show, with Malcolm as their assistant.

 

Hopefully, Trish will appear in the eventual Defenders show that's being planned. Every group needs a clear-headed, empathetic member who doesn't lose sight of their goals. That's Trish.

[inyourmarrow]

When Krysten Ritter was first cast, and preliminary info had been released regarding the show, I was so excited because I LOVE KR, and expected that I'd love Jessica and KR in the role.

 

Trish has been the biggest surprise for me (as has the dynamic between her and Jessica, which has been such a welcomed focus of the show). She is far and away my favorite character to emerge from this season because I've been completely blindsided. Rachael Taylor's performance was also a wonderful surprise, as I had never been especially impressed by her in anything I'd seen her in previously.

 

I love that the writers completely deviated from conventional genre tropes with her character (that fact that she is Hellcat notwithstanding). I've actually seen quite a bit of internet chatter comparing Trish to "Gone Girl's" Amy Dunne -- albeit much more sane and benevolent, of course -- it's a comparison I kind of love. Could also be that Rachael certainly has some similarities to Rosamund Pike. 

Edited November 29, 2015 by inyourmarrow

[starri]

Hopefully, Trish will appear in the eventual Defenders show that's being planned. Every group needs a clear-headed, empathetic member who doesn't lose sight of their goals. That's Trish.

I said this elsewhere, but once they cycle through all of the shows, I really, really want them to do a Heroes for Hire series.  There was a version of that in the mid-00s that starred Luke's sidekick Misty Knight and Iron Fist's sidekick Colleen Wing and had appearance from Black Cat who could so easily be replaced by Trish since she's tied up with Spider Man.

[midge]

Was it ever revealed why she turned her apartment into a fortress?  I get that her mother is awful (I have a feeling that JJ tellng her she was Trish's "Pimp" was more literal than figurative) but it seemed a little extreme for a former child star/talk show host. 

[Kel Varnsen]

Was it ever revealed why she turned her apartment into a fortress?  I get that her mother is awful (I have a feeling that JJ tellng her she was Trish's "Pimp" was more literal than figurative) but it seemed a little extreme for a former child star/talk show host. 

Considering the abusive mother she had I can see how she might have all kinds of issues feeling safe in her own home. It seemed every flashback we got young Trish had different bruises (which in itself kind of surprised me since you would think Mama Walker, knowing that Patsy was her meal ticket would make sure any bruises or scars from abuse wouldn't be in areas that could be visible on camera).

Edited December 3, 2015 by Kel Varnsen

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, I think the apartment fortress was an indicator of Trish needing to feel like she was in control of her own life. She built literal walls, rather than the emotional ones Jessica built, which is actually a really smart choice by the writers. Jessica doesn’t need the physical protection, which is why she can live in a crappy apartment with a broken door, and Trish doesn’t need the emotional protection, which is why she has a radio talk show, where anyone can phone in and talk to her.

 

While Jessica said that Trish had no defences against her mother, I don’t think that’s quite true, by the time we get to this show. Sure, Trish is vulnerable to her mother’s wiles, but she never felt like she would actually fall for them. At least, not by the point in the season when her mother showed up. The only reason she didn't immediately kick her out was because of the dangling temptation of being able to help Jessica.

 

Anyway, we see her control issues through the security she has, through the way she knows what she wants on her show and tells her staff to make it happen, and through the way she has sex. The two scenes we saw showed her as very much the dominant, controlling partner in the bedroom. She wasn’t prepared to cede control to Simpson at all.

 

She has the same fears of being controlled as Jessica does, but they stem from her childhood traumas of early stardom and domineering mother. It’s another reason why Trish and Jessica work so well as friends. Neither are happy-go-lucky, and Trish could never be the cheerleader from the sidelines, there to support and cajole her friend into action.

 

It’s when they both lose that control that you see them really shaken. Trish, for the purposes of this thread, when Simpson almost kills her and when she gets tazed and can’t help fight off Kilgrave’s goons.

[Xena]

I hope in Season 2 (there really must be a Season 2) that we get another segment on Trish Talk with the rock-flutist to discuss more of her memoir 'Blowing'.

[KatWay]

So I just realised today that Patsy and Trish are both short for Patricia. It just randomly popped into my head and I am wondering how on earth I could be so slow on the uptake. I swear, I thought Trish had just chosen that name at random after shedding the Patsy identity. 

[methodwriter85]

It's going to be really interesting to see how Trish can possibly make it up to Jessica after shooting her mother in the head.

One thing I did like about her arc in season 2 is that this show actually explored what it would be like for someone like Trish, a former child star who had a wild Lindsey Lohan phase. People either expect her to be Patsy, or they expect her to be a trainwreck. A successful radio show isn't going to erase either of those two images from people's minds. Her desperation to become a hero makes more sense if you think about it.

Edited March 12, 2018 by methodwriter85