Because I know that everyone has different opinions and not everyone watches the same TV as I do, I asked what other people thought about their Favourite Female Character. My friend Sara jumped at the chance. Her top female character is Debra Morgan from Dexter:
5 Reason Why Debra Morgan is awesome:
1- She Doesn’t Know Everything:
If she’s at a crime scene she doesn’t go up to the body and know everything they need, she gets the coroner, someone whose job it is to know that sort of stuff. When there’s forensic evidence she doesn’t run it herself, she gets a lab tech. This doesn’t make her dense or bad at her job, it makes her a better rounded character and someone you could met in real life and not want to shoot them in the head five minutes into a conversation.
Here’s the thing. I’m trying to be a writer and imagine if I put into one of my stories: my characters were in a sinking ship and the only way to unlock the door to safety was by diving into the already flooded depths to find the key. It would take at least ten minutes. They’re doomed! But, oh, wait. There’s the main female character. And although she never discussed it or mentioned it in any way, shape or form all these years, she spent eight months working as a deep sea oyster diver. She can hold her breath for fifteen minutes! They’re saved!
Who would buy that as an ending? But apparently many now think that if you do it repeatedly it makes a female character awesome. It does not. It makes her irritating and completely fake.
2- She Knows Her Short Comings:
So what’s a girl to do when she’s not perfect? In Deb’s case she delegates, she learns, and she prioritises. She knows herself well enough to know what she’s good at and what she just plain hardcore sucks at and doesn’t let her pride get in the way. Since she is a homicide detective I find this especially awesome. They mention that she is one of the youngest officers to ever make detective and yet she doesn’t swagger about taking charge when she has no right to. If she needs help she’ll ask for it, and the same goes for her personal life, ego and image be damned.
The writers did this very well seeming that when we first saw Debra she had the drive and intelligence to be a great cop but just didn’t have the confidence. Over the seasons they grew and developed her. She still has shitty confidence in some situations but in so many ways you’ve watched her come into her own.
3- She Doesn’t Give Up:
When Deb is on a case she’ll be the last one out of the office each night. She will track down any lead, no matter how small, and will devote her all no matter how many knock backs she up against. She’ll shift through mind numbing paper work ask a million defensive witnesses if there’s a glimmer of hope that one will talk to her. And if all the leads run dry she’ll go right back to the beginning to see if there is anything she missed.
I admire that conviction and dedication.
She's had a lot go wrong in her personal life that would make anyone choose a life of celibacy and cats by now, but not Deb. Dear Debra Morgan is willing to go another round and take another leap for love. I only wish I could do that, and I don’t have all that baggage.
4- She Doesn’t Continuously Bring Up That She’s a Woman:
This happens quite a lot: Writers want to have a strong female character so they set her up in a job that is predominately a men’s domain, and then she or someone else mentions at least once an episode that is does, in fact, lack a y-chromosome.
To me this is particularly irritating since it always hits my ears like they’re saying her mediocre achievements should now be considered awesome because of her "handicap". It’s like they’re trying to justify how her actions could possibly be awesome. Deb doesn’t fall into this category.
Sure, she’s a female cop, she’s also the youngest one there and no one cares. You know why? It’s not because she constantly spots off that she has a uterus. She shows up, she works hard and she gets the job done. And not once have I seen her grandstand about how difficult it is.
My mother was once in the army (she was actually one of the first women who were trained up and eligible to be sent into the battlefield if war was to breakout) and she was posted at a base where she did outrank a lot of the men. After seeing so many shows with so called strong female characters boasting about their trials I went up to her and asked her if it was tough, being in such a position as a woman. She looked puzzled for a second and then told me that it didn’t matter that she was a woman. That all she did was conducted herself in a manner that said ‘I respect you, so you respect me’ and it had never been an issue. That has always stuck with me. Not just as a girl interacting with men but as a human being interacting with others. Don’t demand more than you’re willing to give, but don’t accept less than what you have given. I guess this is why when writers pull this stunt it always just leaves me feeling offended.
5- She’s a Survivor:
Emotionally neglectful and absent father.
Under estimated by most people in her life.
Kidnapped and almost dissected by serial killer.
Shot.
Watched her boyfriend die. . .
And she just keeps going
-Give the girl a hand!
So what does everyone else think? Does Deb deserve Sara's number one spot, or is this all Deb-Delusion? Comment below and let me know.
Sara
Themes: Jennifer Carpenter, Debra Morgan, Dexter, Top Female Characters on TV, Favourite Female Characters, Top Female Characters on TV, Guest Blogger
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