On Girl Power

Hi! It's Willow.

I'm a member of quite a few fandoms (just ask Citali!) and one thing I've come to notice that more than a few of the female characters in most works of fiction are rather underestimated. This is somewhat irritating, so I decided to write a post showcasing a few of those characters. Disclaimer: I might rant a bit, so be careful.

Wow, that was an awkward introduction, wasn't it? Told you I'm bad at them. :-)

Let's get going.

• Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter, portrayed in the movies by Maggie Smith
  
• From the first book to the last, McGonagall was solemn, strict, and severe. (Ooh! Alliteration!) She's one of Dumbledore's greatest and most loyal supporters, even becoming headmistress in his absence. 
• She has the courage and strength of will to stay at Hogwarts after Snape and the Carrows took over, speaking out against their evil ways. 
• Harry himself has so much respect for this incredible woman that he casts an Unforgivable Curse just because a Death Eater spat at her.
• Not to mention the numerous moments throughout the series when she makes her point with acerbic sharpness! ;-)
• Here's an example: "'You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off today. I assure you that if you do die, you need not turn it in.'"
• Arwen Evenstar, The Lord of the Rings, portrayed in the movies by Liv Tyler

• Let me just say, I've got nothing against the other heroines of Middle-earth. Eowyn, Galadriel, and (yes, even) Tauriel (I know she wasn't in the book, but she's actually a decent character; more on that later) are all... *precious* to me. But the thing is, most people don't see her as too important. Eowyn killed the Witch-King, Galadriel is powerful beyond belief, and Tauriel is a superb fighter. Arwen's just "the love interest"... isn't she?
• Nope. While it is true that Arwen and Aragorn's connection is romantic, Arwen is so much more. Aragorn's every word, thought, and deed during the War of the Ring is affected by her. 
• Arwen and Aragorn do love each other beyond measure, and that only serves to emphasize her strength of character.  
• Sauron's darkness is killing her and she has a chance to escape to the Undying Lands, yet she does not. 
• Her loyalty towards Aragorn ensures that she stays in Middle-earth, at perhaps the cost of her life.
• She chooses a mortal life for him. She could have lived for thousands of years more with her own kind, yet she stays behind with him, knowing full well that both of them are doomed to die. If that's not courage, what is? She made the greatest sacrifice of all.
• While we're on that train of thought, let's talk about Tauriel (The Hobbit, played by Evangeline Lilly)
  
• She wasn't in the book. I am aware of that. I'm talking in terms of the movie for this one.
• Tauriel is a captain of the guard in the Elvenking Thranduil's kingdom. She's formed a rather strong bond with Legolas, his son (spoiler alert: Poor Leggi fancies her.) Naturally, Thranduil doesn't approve, leading to quite a bit of drama.
• On her own, she's a strong, independent character. A bit more rebellious and passionate than most elves we've seen, she doesn't have the detached wisdom we've come to expect from Elrond, Galadriel, and even Legolas. She has a good heart and speaks her mind. Plus, she's brilliant with a pair of daggers.
• Wonderful, right? Not quite. Enter Kili the (somewhat good-looking) dwarf, nephew of Thorin Oakenshield. The duo flirt through the bars of a prison cell, exchange a few lines of witty banter, and BOOM! They're in love. 
• That's where things begin to go downhill for Tauriel. She falls in love with a dwarf after maybe four conversations with him-- seriously, people? The romance is mildly sweet but unrealistic. (Didn't stop me crying when he died, though.)
• The filmmakers focused on Tauriel's love triangle (Legolas or Kili?) far too much. Had they expanded on her actual character a bit more, the movies would've been far better.

Didn't I tell you it would get rant-y? Apologies. Let's continue. Two more left.

• Martha Jones, Doctor Who, played by Freema Agyeman

• Hard-core Whovians, forgive me if I get something wrong; I'm relatively new to the Whoniverse.
• As opposed to most of the Doctor's companions (Donna Noble, I'm looking at you), Martha hits the ground running. When first confronted with hostile aliens, Martha spends far less time asking stupid questions and calling the Doctor crazy than most. She makes intelligent comments and takes the Doctor to task when he needs it.
• She has the intelligence to "retire" from the TARDIS after the Master's brief reign over the world, understanding that her unrequited crush on the Doctor is going to get her nowhere. For Martha, her damaged family comes first.
• Padme Amidala, Star Wars prequels, played by Natalie Portman
  
• Padme always was mature, empathetic, and brave for her age.
• In the events of Episode I, she's a teenager, yet she's the queen of her planet. That takes a certain level of intelligence and charisma.
• She's sweet and kind but not gullible. She sees the world clearly from an unbiased point of view, often acting as Anakin Skywalker's moral compass (that is, when Obi-Wan isn't around.)
• Padme's also a pretty good shot! She's no damsel in distress; she can defend herself well. 
• Long after Obi-Wan accepts that Anakin is lost and must be taken down, she continues to hope that there is still some good in him.

That's all for today! Happy reading and/or watching and/or doing both and complaining about how much better the book is! :-)

~Willow