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I tend to like male fictional characters more than the female ones. There’s a lot of reasons for that but mostly its because I like certain character traits and those traits are more often given to male characters. And that's a shame. However, there’s been a rash of posts that talk about the female characters that people love and I thought that I would join in and list women that I adore.
Zoe Washburne – Firefly/Serenity. Zoe is very me. Or, rather, she is the me I'd like to be. Strong, independent, loyal, intelligent. Her feelings run deep but she's always in control of them. And she has a kick ass outfit. What more could you ask for – except for maybe not living in a Joss Whedon universe.
Pepper Potts (1.0) – the Iron Man movie. I adored the movie Pepper from the first moment she spoke. I loved her more when she remained calm in the face of sure discovery in Stane's office and her quick thinking to use SHIELD to get out of the building and stop Stane. She became my hero at the end when she initiated the self-destruct even though she knew that it would most likely kill Tony.
Pepper Potts (2.0) – the Iron Man: Armored Adventures animated series. In this incarnation Pepper is an overly talkative 16-year-old seems to produce her own unending supply of caffeine. She's smart, resourceful and courageous. She often reminds me of my daughter.
Alexis Castle – Castle. The second teenager on my list! She is the composite of teenagers who are never written in fiction: She is independent while still having a good relationship with the adults in her life. She is a "good girl" without being weak. She is smart without having to be a smart ass. She is her own person without the anger, fear and angst that writers usually give teenage characters. She also often reminds me of my daughter.
Stella Bonasara – CSI:NY. Cut from the "tough, in charge female detective" mold, Stella is a wonderful mixture of tough and soft. She is extremely self-aware and doesn't shy away from who she is – and who she wants to be. Like Zoe, she is able to be tough and a woman at the same time. She's both emotion and strength, a combination that is rarely seen in female characters. Kate Beckett from Castle also seems to fit this description, and I'm hoping that she continues along those lines in the next season.
Grace Van Pelt – The Mentalist. I love Grace Van Pelt. She is conservative without being stupid. She has faith in people, religion and the supernatural without being shown as weak-minded. She is polite, yet can stand up to Jane and has the innate ability to be mean, even if she regrets it afterward. I love that she is allowed to be physically strong. I love that fact that she is self-conscious about her tomboy background and of her natural good looks, but doesn't actively do anything to deny either. I'm hoping that I can keep loving her. Not only is she a minor character but she also has the unfortunate role of being shipped with Rigsby. I really want to see her develop into a complete independent character – one that doesn't include being reduced to "/Grace".
Wendy Watson and Lacey Thornfield – Middleman. While I adore both these characters separately, it's together that they really shine. It's rare on television to have a friendship between women that deals with more than clothes, sex or men. Even when the conversation did include those topics, there was a depth of philosophy and independent character that is missing in a great many other television friendships between women. Besides individually, they kicked ass, too.
Fiona Glennanne – Burn Notice. Fiona is wonderful – and I say this despite the fact that she is, based on looks, exactly the type of character I wouldn't like. As with all the characters on the show, she is fully developed and extremely complex. She manages to be both a cold-blooded ex-IRA terrorist and a loyal, caring friend. She would kill you in a heartbeat if she thought you were a danger to her or her friends, and yet would risk her life to help you in the street if she thought she could help.
Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat – X-Men. I fell in love with Kitty in the comics and adored her in X-Men 3. She has the inherent drawback of being part of a comic book world, which means she is subjected to more drama than a soap opera, but through it all Kitty is strong, intelligent and, even when wallowing in angst, pro-active. More than anything else, I would love to see the next Wolverine movie be based in Japan and somehow cover the happenings in the “Kitty Pryde and Wolverine” limited series (even though I greatly fear the fanfic that would come out of such a movie).
Sam Carter – SG1. Ah, Sam. It should surprise no one that I love Sam for her soldier side. I love the kick-ass and take names Samantha Carter. I’ve heard people say that they don’t understand the “daredevil” side of Sam because it doesn’t mesh with her scientific side. To me her brilliance in the scientific fields is as much due to her willingness to take risk and make huge intuitive (and improvable) jumps in logic as it is due to her undeniable genius. It’s that risk it all quality that I love about Sam, whether she’s fighting one of Anubis's super-soldiers or blowing up a sun to stop Apophis.
Amanda King – Scarecrow and Mrs. King. One from the past. I love Amanda because she was unabashedly herself – she never made apologies for who she was and she never changed who she was in order to please anyone else. She never wavered from what she knew was right, nor did she ever sacrifice her morals or ideals. She was wonderful.
Oh, and GIP.
Zoe Washburne – Firefly/Serenity. Zoe is very me. Or, rather, she is the me I'd like to be. Strong, independent, loyal, intelligent. Her feelings run deep but she's always in control of them. And she has a kick ass outfit. What more could you ask for – except for maybe not living in a Joss Whedon universe.
Pepper Potts (1.0) – the Iron Man movie. I adored the movie Pepper from the first moment she spoke. I loved her more when she remained calm in the face of sure discovery in Stane's office and her quick thinking to use SHIELD to get out of the building and stop Stane. She became my hero at the end when she initiated the self-destruct even though she knew that it would most likely kill Tony.
Pepper Potts (2.0) – the Iron Man: Armored Adventures animated series. In this incarnation Pepper is an overly talkative 16-year-old seems to produce her own unending supply of caffeine. She's smart, resourceful and courageous. She often reminds me of my daughter.
Alexis Castle – Castle. The second teenager on my list! She is the composite of teenagers who are never written in fiction: She is independent while still having a good relationship with the adults in her life. She is a "good girl" without being weak. She is smart without having to be a smart ass. She is her own person without the anger, fear and angst that writers usually give teenage characters. She also often reminds me of my daughter.
Stella Bonasara – CSI:NY. Cut from the "tough, in charge female detective" mold, Stella is a wonderful mixture of tough and soft. She is extremely self-aware and doesn't shy away from who she is – and who she wants to be. Like Zoe, she is able to be tough and a woman at the same time. She's both emotion and strength, a combination that is rarely seen in female characters. Kate Beckett from Castle also seems to fit this description, and I'm hoping that she continues along those lines in the next season.
Grace Van Pelt – The Mentalist. I love Grace Van Pelt. She is conservative without being stupid. She has faith in people, religion and the supernatural without being shown as weak-minded. She is polite, yet can stand up to Jane and has the innate ability to be mean, even if she regrets it afterward. I love that she is allowed to be physically strong. I love that fact that she is self-conscious about her tomboy background and of her natural good looks, but doesn't actively do anything to deny either. I'm hoping that I can keep loving her. Not only is she a minor character but she also has the unfortunate role of being shipped with Rigsby. I really want to see her develop into a complete independent character – one that doesn't include being reduced to "/Grace".
Wendy Watson and Lacey Thornfield – Middleman. While I adore both these characters separately, it's together that they really shine. It's rare on television to have a friendship between women that deals with more than clothes, sex or men. Even when the conversation did include those topics, there was a depth of philosophy and independent character that is missing in a great many other television friendships between women. Besides individually, they kicked ass, too.
Fiona Glennanne – Burn Notice. Fiona is wonderful – and I say this despite the fact that she is, based on looks, exactly the type of character I wouldn't like. As with all the characters on the show, she is fully developed and extremely complex. She manages to be both a cold-blooded ex-IRA terrorist and a loyal, caring friend. She would kill you in a heartbeat if she thought you were a danger to her or her friends, and yet would risk her life to help you in the street if she thought she could help.
Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat – X-Men. I fell in love with Kitty in the comics and adored her in X-Men 3. She has the inherent drawback of being part of a comic book world, which means she is subjected to more drama than a soap opera, but through it all Kitty is strong, intelligent and, even when wallowing in angst, pro-active. More than anything else, I would love to see the next Wolverine movie be based in Japan and somehow cover the happenings in the “Kitty Pryde and Wolverine” limited series (even though I greatly fear the fanfic that would come out of such a movie).
Sam Carter – SG1. Ah, Sam. It should surprise no one that I love Sam for her soldier side. I love the kick-ass and take names Samantha Carter. I’ve heard people say that they don’t understand the “daredevil” side of Sam because it doesn’t mesh with her scientific side. To me her brilliance in the scientific fields is as much due to her willingness to take risk and make huge intuitive (and improvable) jumps in logic as it is due to her undeniable genius. It’s that risk it all quality that I love about Sam, whether she’s fighting one of Anubis's super-soldiers or blowing up a sun to stop Apophis.
Amanda King – Scarecrow and Mrs. King. One from the past. I love Amanda because she was unabashedly herself – she never made apologies for who she was and she never changed who she was in order to please anyone else. She never wavered from what she knew was right, nor did she ever sacrifice her morals or ideals. She was wonderful.
Oh, and GIP.
