When asked why she returned to television, so many years after Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gellar said that “all the amazing roles for women are on TV” and I’d have to agree. Bridesmaids made headlines because it had more women as main characters than most (read: any other) films; Haywire and Colombiana made headlines because they were the Bourne series with female leads; Salt made headlines because the character was originally written for Tom Cruise but Angelina Jolie took the role with little changes to the script. When a film comes out that treats women as equally badass as men, people cannot stop writing about it because it is still new and rare. Looking at the the pool of TV shows I watch, however, I could immediately think of scores of tough female characters.
Diane Lockhart and Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife (pic: TVfanatic.com)
I’m not just talking about the women who wear leather jackets and boots, and who have relationship issues (even though I love them the most), but women who are the smartest, quickest wits, with a great sense of humor. (Think Diane Lockhart from The Good Wife, or CJ Cregg from The West Wing, a series from which the title for this post is taken.) I’m certain we could come up with a long list of smart, talented, and independent women who are on TV every week. (Some spoiler-y plot discussions of Once Upon a Time and Warehouse 13, ahead.)
I would have preferred to read about this Snow White when I was a kid (pic: hypable.com)
We can easily think of some bad ass women in big action films; Michelle Rodriguez has built her entire career on them. However, so many of these actresses end up standing behind a man in the film posters, are created to satisfy the male gaze, or end up in films that just aren’t that great. TV can have women kicking ass, with a mix of some romance and action adventure, and the stories are actually good. To draw another example, I have recently started watching Once Upon a Time. I immediately latched on to Emma Swan played by Jennifer Morrison (the leather jacket and boots referenced above) but was surprised when I also fell for Ginnifer Goodwin’s Snow White/Mary Margaret, the sweet school teacher who is quick to serve hot cocoa to anyone who needs help, as well as proves to be tough. I especially love this new incarnation of Snow/Mary Margaret who has combined a lovely cardigan and a shortbow. Once may not be perfect, but the female main characters, Emma, Regina, and Snow are so different from each other, and each is a complicated, layered character. Score!
On TV, women like Mary Margaret get to be tough and take care of themselves, but also be warm and affectionate, and they’re showing up everywhere. When I first saw Bo in Lost Girl, I said to myself, “Boots! Leather! My favorite!” I was bracing myself for her being very guarded, but she doesn’t have problems letting people in. She’s actually very sweet; she loves her best friend, Kenzi, and all she really wants is to be with someone she loves. Her relationship issues are bred from her paranormal abilities, not because she isn’t vulnerable. I found this such a surprise that it is my own main reason I watch the show.
Women in recent seasons have also had really affecting redemption stories. Take Regina Mills, or the Evil Queen, on Once Upon a Time. She killed her father so she could get revenge on Snow White, but then she ends up in tears because she can’t make anyone, including her son, love her. It makes my heart seize. Also, it seems Regina is the only one who isn’t besotted with Prince Charming and that also makes my heart do something funny. I want so badly for Regina to redeem herself and be just a little less evil, but even when she is evil, she is terribly fun to watch.
Helena Wells (Warehouse 13)
Helena (HG) Wells on Warehouse 13 was a woman driven mad by her daughter’s murder and by working in the patriarchy of the 1890s. She plotted and nearly succeeded in destroying the world. In the end, she sabotaged herself because she didn’t really want to do it. That’s what her best friend Myka said anyway, and I am prone to believe her because I love HG Wells, that beautiful genius. Likewise, Claudia Donovan, at first glance a tech wiz kid who broke into the impenetrable Warehouse, is now being groomed to be the boss of the whole thing. Claudia’s character also had a maquette and more T shirts with her face on them before either of the supposedly main characters, Pete and Myka. Now that I think about it, both Warehouse 13 and Once Upon a Time boast more women than men in their casts, by a large margin.
I could go on and on about the programs that invest in complex, strong women because it is ultimately what draws me to a show and keeps me as a viewer. Who are some of your favorite women?
