[Discussion] Flawed canon and "bad" characters

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Who are your favourite "guilty pleasure" female characters? The ones who aren't good examples of what can be done with female characters, but who you deeply love anyway?

Have you spent hours creating backstory for a female character whose sole purpose in canon is to provide eyecandy for fanboys? Do you feel wildly passionate about a woman from a badly written, sexist series? Is your OTC a woman who died in the first episode of a new series, before the opening credits even began to roll?

Comments

[serrico.livejournal.com]

In the world of House, I've always thought Cameron was dealt a pretty poor hand. She was pigeonholed pretty early on as House's cares-about-everyone opposite to whom he should (*obviously!*) be attracted, when to *my* eyes, the most compelling aspect of her character was the way she mirrored Wilson: she was a person who needed to be needed, yet unlike Wilson, she purposely put herself into relationships that had a definite expiry date (her husband who was dying when she met him is the most obvious example, but the sex-only relationship with Chase counts, too: she thought she might have contracted HIV when she first bedded him). After her s1 storyline--which turned her into a deeply unprofessional predator, basically, who kept chasing House despite the myriad number of reasons why such a chase *actually made for problematic story*--she's had a few minor subplots, but always as a adjunct to House, Chase, or Foreman. And, of course, this season, we're seeing next to nothing of her.

My love for the original characterisation of Smallville's Lana Lang is not a secret; I think I may be almost alone in preferring the early-season Lana who was hopelessly mired in small-town mundanity to the Successful Businesswoman/Ex-Luthor/"I'd Kill To Help You, Clark" version we're getting now. I think there was *so much* story to be told by keeping Lana small-town-centred--because to tell that story, the show would've had to explore who Lana was as a person *and* as the keynote of the life Clark chooses to give up when he becomes Superman, despite his great love of that life/Lana. Such a story wouldn't have needed her to remain small--it would've needed to give her *detail*.

Pretty much all the female characters on Heroes, but especially Claire, Niki, Heidi and Monica. I'm sure I don't need to explain myself, here. *g*

I really wish Supernatural hadn't given up on Jo so friggin' quickly. They had a good actress, they had a good character concept--but, of course, they also had no interest in putting Jo on a level playing field with the boys, and immediate poor reception from some rabid viewers, so *obviously* dropping her like a hot potato was their best option. *eyeroll*

I...could go on. But maybe I'll stop here.

[geekturnedvamp.livejournal.com]

And you haven't even touched on the soap operas yet!

[serrico.livejournal.com]

Oh, god.

Yeaaaaaaaaah. Where to even *begin* with the soap operas? (No, actually, I know where I'd begin: Alexis. Followed up by Laura, then Lulu, then Kate, then Epiphany [freakin' HELL, writers, COME ON], then Robin, then Georgie, then Tracy then Faith then...)

I'd probably work in a tirade on the dumbass closing shot of the credits with all the guys in tuxes, too. Wherefore the women? WHEREFORE??

...but, see, this is why I stopped where I did. 'Cause once the discussion begins on women-in-soaps these days, it will NEVER END. *bitter*

[geekturnedvamp.livejournal.com]

I KNOW. I think the only thing that could possibly top the biterness of the women-in-soaps discussion might be the women in mainstream comics discussion, but maybe not *sigh*. (Man, I had a moment of deja vu as I typed this, and I would bet money I have probably said the exact same thing in your comments at least once!) And now I wish I had thought to ask you to do a post pimping the (past) awesomeness of the women in our favorite soaps.

[serrico.livejournal.com]

And now I wish I had thought to ask you to do a post pimping the (past) awesomeness of the women in our favorite soaps.

Eh, I'm not sure I would've had time this go-round to do the soap ladies justice, anyway. But run this puppy again at some point, and I will definitely schedule time to do a roundup of the GH Women Who Rock(ed). (Because there used to be so *many*! Sigh. Bitter, bitter sigh.)

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I love Cameron... I think she did get short shrift from the writers and definitely from the fandom. I think she did improve as far as realizing that she needed to get over House or at least take a more mature approach to her feelings but then she was gone. :P

[serrico.livejournal.com]

One of the things that kills me about this season is the way they kept suggesting--very obviously--that Cameron still has Issues when it comes to House (and when it comes to her relationship with Chase)...but due to the new guys, there's no opportunity to explore meaningful character arcs for any of the old guard (*potentially* excepting Foreman, who we at least still get to see every week), so these Issues will apparently never have anything made of them. Not that I'm hugely eager to revisit one of the most ill-advised workplace "romances" in the history of ever...but still. You know?

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I agree. I have to admit I like House/Cameron in fanfic myself, but I don't really want them to go back there in canon (unless they could do a much better job). But this way it's even worse because they want to hint around that she still likes House, not explain what's going on with Chase one way or the other, and pretty much ignore her otherwise. I never held out much hope that they'd develop much about her besides the non-relationship with House, but this is very frustrating.

Maybe she'll start dating 13. OK, probably not.