30 days of CM take two: day one
Day 1 - Favorite female character
It's me, so you guys have to know what's coming. Uh-huh.
Elle Greenaway
I suppose I could've written a blurb about why I love her (which is what I did the first time around on this meme), but because I am a crazy person, I decided to instead write a long, detailed analysis of Elle's character and narrative arc. In fact, this went so long I decided to split it up over two days, with an appendix of sorts (Elle's narrative arc post-"The Fisher King") as the answer to day 26's question, "Canon I would alter."
This essay is part defense, part analysis, written mostly as a means to articulate my thoughts on this character and to convey the reasons why I am so fascinated by her, despite her being gone for years (in my defense, I am new to the show and to the fandom, so she is fresh in my mind). I started watching CM over winter break '09 and caught up mainly via A&E reruns (they air the episodes all out of order). So I got to know the newer cast members at about the same rate as the older ones, and Elle always intrigued me and quickly became my favorite girl. I had to spoil myself and find out when she left the show, and I was disappointed we didn't have more time with her. When I finished catching up, I was also deeply disappointed with the way her narrative ended. However, this does not diminish the fact that I loved (and still love) everything this character chooses to be.
So kids, I hope you've got a caffeinated beverage and are comfortable, because this is some serious tl;dr. Here we go.
"Here's to Winning:" Elle Greenaway as Tragic Heroine
Elle the Agent (pun intended)
From her first appearance on the show, Elle is presented as a series of contradictions. Granted she is hardly unique in this respect--CM is fond of employing archetypes and turning them on their sides--but it is especially important (and fascinating) in Elle's case because of the issues it addresses in terms of gender performance and feminism. From her very first episode, it is clear she is not what she seems. Her very first scene paints her as an innocent bystander, a potential victim (which eerily mirrors the scene predicating her victimization in "The Fisher King" and later in "Aftermath"). But the tables are quickly turned as--in an act demonstrating physical toughness and quick thinking--she arrests a suspect, takes control of the situation, and is revealed to be an FBI agent. She impresses Gideon with her capability and skill, earning her a coveted spot on the then all-male BAU (while JJ and Garcia are technically members of the team, they aren't profilers).
Elle exhibits a fascinating duality in that she clearly codes as feminine in terms of her dress, mannerisms and general appearance (not to mention that her name, in French, literally means "she"); yet much of her character traits code as traditionally male. I say traditionally because while these traits are not necessarily gendered, they are most often assigned to male characters in crime dramas. From the pilot she is established as tough, smart, and a bit impetuous; she approaches her work with straightforward no-BS attitude. Gideon says that the trait most often cited on her file is impatience, suggesting her as the brash young up-and-comer to Gideon's wise older mentor--a relationship that is almost exclusively male-male in this genre. She's definitely the most hot-headed of her colleagues; she's often among the first through the door in raids and can be intimidating as hell in an interrogation room. As the only female profiler on the BAU, she is placed on equal footing with the men professionally, and narratively as well. She gets a lot of screentime and does as much of the heavy lifting as the guys; in fact, the only bullet fired in the pilot comes from her gun--saving Gideon's life and stopping the unsub at the same time.
However, it is important to note that Elle never slips into the unfortunate stereotype of the cold, sexless, male-identified career woman (see also: Erin Strauss). Her attire is not overtly girlish--you'd never catch her in one of JJ's pencil skirts or Garcia's retro dresses--but still feminine. Her style favors figure-hugging jeans, slacks, cardigans, and blazers; her hair is nearly always worn long and loose. Yet despite being played by a strikingly beautiful actress, Elle is never objectified nor exploited; she never uses her looks to her advantage.
This is not to say Elle's femaleness is never a plot point--in "Broken Mirror" Shyer writes her off as the token chick, only to be reminded just how wrong he is. She is frequently seen comforting and counseling female victims or their friends/relatives. In "Plain Sight," she challenges the male detectives' insensitive attitudes toward a female rape victim by saying bluntly, "she's surrounded by men." In "Broken Mirror," she adopts an almost maternal role toward Cheryl, whose mother is absent from the narrative. In "Machismo," she uses her bilingual skills to speak to female rape victims and encourage them to come forward in a culture that has pressured them into silence. Her specialty--sex crimes--is also tied to her gender. As most victims of sex crimes are women, Elle likely aligns herself with them, and is very passionate in her desire to protect women. An early casting side posits that she herself was a rape victim (the assailant was never caught) and while this info was never addressed in canon, it jives with her dedication to protecting women as well as her issues with victimization. In "Unfinished Business," she manhandles and arrests a serial killer, challenging his arrogance. "What's the matter, Scotty?" she taunts. "Can't deal with a woman who's not afraid of you?"
What is mildly troubling about this aspect of Elle's characterization is that it engages an all-too-common trope of female characters becoming heroes through victimization (if she was indeed raped) ¹. In fact, of all the female characters on Criminal Minds, Elle is the one most often placed in the position of victim--either as an actual victim, or posing as one. The victimization of Elle becomes a serious problem post-"The Fisher King." Pre-TFK, however, she successfully resists victimization, enacting her agency and establishing herself as a survivor. She is clearly a woman very much in control of her life and her fate.
Elle the Person
Thus far I have discussed Elle in a professional context; now, I discuss her in a personal one. This is also an important part of her narrative; by showing her as a complex character with complex motivations, she moves from being a "strong female character" to being a "strong character, female." ²
We know very little of Elle's background, although CM tends to be spare in giving details of the characters' personal lives. We rarely see them outside of work. We do learn that Elle is from Brooklyn ("A Real Rain"), that she is fluent in Spanish ("Machismo"), her father was in law enforcement and killed in the line of duty when she was very young ("The Fisher King"), and her mother is Cuban ("Machismo"--this is also an interesting plot point in that it positions her as the only woman of color on the main cast until Jordan Todd, although most of the time she is coded as white and goes by her white father's surname). It is implied through an offhand remark in that she doesn't get along with her family, although it could have been her being her typical dry, snarky self, so I'm not sure how much stock to put in it. It is also implied that her background is not a privileged one, as she imparts in "P911" that she learned to pick locks from growing up in Brooklyn.
Elle's relationships with her colleagues are generally positive. She has an amiable working relationship with all of them, and is probably closest to Morgan. They are already acquainted in the pilot and clearly comfortable with each other; when Morgan makes a sexist joke, she affectionately sets him straight. They joke and bicker and tease each other, but it's always with an undercurrent of affection and without a trace of sexual tension. They even go on vacation together in "The Fisher King." Her next closest relationship--and among the most important in terms of her narrative--is with Hotch, who becomes something of a mentor figure to her. In "Unfinished Business," she comes to him for advice on balancing her professional life and her personal one; this scene is particularly eerie to watch in light of their eventual fates (particularly given how closely their narratives come to mirror each other). But there's also a lighter side to their relationship; they joke and flirt on more than one occasion. His fondness of her extends to a sense of protectiveness; we see it in the concern he expresses toward her in "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "The Fisher King." In turn, she comes to trust him to protect her; her feelings of resentment and betrayal toward him following TFK reflect that. We see less interaction with Gideon and Reid, but it's clear that she respects Gideon for his skills and reputation, and that she gets along with Reid as well.
Elle's relationships with her female colleagues also seem positive, judging by what little screentime they are given. When Elle and JJ meet for the first time in episode two, they are both impressed by the other's considerable skills and a mutual respect is established. In "Won't Get Fooled Again," Elle teases Hotch about his former nerdhood and as soon as he looks away, Elle and JJ exchange a smirk. So we can infer that they're good enough friends to joke around with each other. We see less interaction between Elle and Garcia, although what we do get implies that they get along. I wish we could have seen more interaction between the female characters but I attribute this less to Elle herself and more to JJ's and Garcia's micromini roles and the fact that CM's writing of female-female relationships has never been strong.
We are not shown much in the way of romantic relationships. Elle is most likely straight--she could be bisexual, but there's nothing in canon to prove or disprove that. Her only canon sexual relationship is with a man, in "The Fisher King." In "Charm and Harm" Morgan teases her about a boyfriend, but she never confirms his suspicions and this boyfriend is never mentioned again. From her brief romance in "The Fisher King" we can infer that Elle has a healthy attitude toward romance and sex, and it is yet another arena in which she expresses her confidence and assertiveness.
Here's to Winning
Unfortunately, "The Fisher King" presents a turning point in Elle's narrative, and not for the better. It gives us the one (canonical) incidence in which Elle takes control over her body in a positive manner (a presumably enjoyable sexual encounter)... and she is immediately punished for it. Her partner is brutally murdered and his head sent to Gideon; Elle is framed for the crime and subsequently arrested. Her agency is entirely taken from her; her protests go unheeded and Morgan cannot help her. It is only through Hotch's assistance she is able to regain her freedom and dignity. She again tries to assert her agency by assisting with the case, but her exhaustion prevents her from doing so, and Hotch sends her home. Here she is once again victimized and violated in a scene of metaphorical rape--the attacker reaches into her bullet wound to write on the wall with her blood. Thus Elle's body is a site of constant flux between two dichotomies: male and female (in terms of gender performance), victim and survivor.
The problem is, after "The Fisher King," she is never allowed to regain survivor status. Her attack transforms her from active subject to passive object; her narrative is absorbed into the larger narrative of the team. She spends the majority of TFK: Part 2 in a hospital fighting for her life as her colleagues work on the case. Here, we are given another mini-narrative that takes place in Elle's mind, featuring a dream-vision of her father. But this narrative once again places her fate in the hands of a man, implying that her very decision to live to live or die is contingent upon forgiveness from her father's dream-manifestation. OK, show... I ain't asking for something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "Restless," but you writers seriously mean to tell us your strongest female character's decision to live or die revolves around daddy issues? Seriously? Furthermore, Elle is deprived the opportunity of bringing her own attacker to justice--this falls to her colleagues while she is in the hospital. Reid misses this point entirely in "Aftermath" when she says "You're here, he's not... you won." Elle, however, knows what's up--she sardonically replies, "Here's to winning."
When Elle finally does enact her agency and take control over her body (and presumably, the bodies of the women she's protecting), it is presented by the narrative as bad, wrong, unlawful. She is not a victim reasserting herself as survivor; she is a vigilante killer. Yet, what other choice is there for her? The law isn't on her side--it's not going to protect her, nor is it going to protect Lee's future victims. She does the only thing she can do to enforce justice. Her choice brings to mind the "vigilante feminist" narratives of the 70s, and while its outcome rings true in the sense that "vigilante feminism" rarely ends well, it also reifies the very patriarchal structures that allow men like Lee to escape and that Elle's character subverted so well pre-TFK. The only choices left to her now are relinquishing her newly-won agency by turning herself in, or enacting her agency by walking away. Elle chooses the latter, but either way, she must necessarily exit the narrative; her voice is silenced.
Here is about when the haters say, "But if she hadn't botched the operation, they could've made the charges stick!" Yes, but "not botching the operation" requires Elle to essentially relive the most horrific event to befall her yet--being attacked in her own home by a killer/rapist. The success of the operation is entirely contingent on how well and how completely she can play the victim. It is contingent on her absolute trust in the team to protect her--a trust that was broken in "The Fisher King." It echoes a situation in which she was deprived the opportunity to face her attacker and to bring him to justice. In a way, Lee becomes something of a surrogate for TFK, which is why it is essential for Elle to face him herself, not to stand idly by while the team takes care of him for her.
Furthermore, the issues raised by Elle's failed "vigilante feminism" are further negated when her arc is contrasted with the show's two most prominent narratives of male rape. These narratives belong to Morgan and to Hotch (while it is debatable that Hotch is actually raped, he is physically violated in a horrific scene with overt sexual overtones; it is a metaphorical rape if not a literal one). Both men bring their attackers to justice themselves; they triumph through their own agency. In Hotch's case, he beats Foyet to death with his bare hands--a scene far more violent and brutal than Elle's shooting Lee. However, it is presented as justified and lawful; it is self-defense, it effectively ends this particular arc and restores Hotch his rightful position as team leader. Similarly, Morgan faces and triumphs over his own attacker in "Profiler, Profiled" and again in "The Longest Night." It is worth noting that in "The Longest Night" Morgan also kills the unsub; however, it is once again presented as self-defense and as lawful. The audience is encouraged to root for and sympathize with him. It would be erroneous to say neither man suffers lasting trauma from these events (although canon gives us little evidence of this), but the important thing is that they resist victimization, reassert their agency, and are justified by the narrative. They are no longer victims. They do not need to be silenced.
I examine Elle's final arc in greater depth on day 26, but for now, here is where her story--and this essay--must end. I'll not discuss Elle's downfall any further here, because it upsets me (as you can see) and it is one plotline I simply cannot justify. I know the fandom prefers to remember Elle in the most negative way possible, but fuck that noise. That ain't what this essay is about. I choose to remember her as the agent, the survivor, the tragic heroine who went down fighting the good fight. Elle Greenaway, you were magnificent.
---
Notes:
1. For further info, see this essay: The Victim Dilemma
2. For further info, see this essay: Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad For Women
It's me, so you guys have to know what's coming. Uh-huh.
Elle Greenaway
I suppose I could've written a blurb about why I love her (which is what I did the first time around on this meme), but because I am a crazy person, I decided to instead write a long, detailed analysis of Elle's character and narrative arc. In fact, this went so long I decided to split it up over two days, with an appendix of sorts (Elle's narrative arc post-"The Fisher King") as the answer to day 26's question, "Canon I would alter."
This essay is part defense, part analysis, written mostly as a means to articulate my thoughts on this character and to convey the reasons why I am so fascinated by her, despite her being gone for years (in my defense, I am new to the show and to the fandom, so she is fresh in my mind). I started watching CM over winter break '09 and caught up mainly via A&E reruns (they air the episodes all out of order). So I got to know the newer cast members at about the same rate as the older ones, and Elle always intrigued me and quickly became my favorite girl. I had to spoil myself and find out when she left the show, and I was disappointed we didn't have more time with her. When I finished catching up, I was also deeply disappointed with the way her narrative ended. However, this does not diminish the fact that I loved (and still love) everything this character chooses to be.
So kids, I hope you've got a caffeinated beverage and are comfortable, because this is some serious tl;dr. Here we go.
"Here's to Winning:" Elle Greenaway as Tragic Heroine
Elle the Agent (pun intended)
From her first appearance on the show, Elle is presented as a series of contradictions. Granted she is hardly unique in this respect--CM is fond of employing archetypes and turning them on their sides--but it is especially important (and fascinating) in Elle's case because of the issues it addresses in terms of gender performance and feminism. From her very first episode, it is clear she is not what she seems. Her very first scene paints her as an innocent bystander, a potential victim (which eerily mirrors the scene predicating her victimization in "The Fisher King" and later in "Aftermath"). But the tables are quickly turned as--in an act demonstrating physical toughness and quick thinking--she arrests a suspect, takes control of the situation, and is revealed to be an FBI agent. She impresses Gideon with her capability and skill, earning her a coveted spot on the then all-male BAU (while JJ and Garcia are technically members of the team, they aren't profilers).
Elle exhibits a fascinating duality in that she clearly codes as feminine in terms of her dress, mannerisms and general appearance (not to mention that her name, in French, literally means "she"); yet much of her character traits code as traditionally male. I say traditionally because while these traits are not necessarily gendered, they are most often assigned to male characters in crime dramas. From the pilot she is established as tough, smart, and a bit impetuous; she approaches her work with straightforward no-BS attitude. Gideon says that the trait most often cited on her file is impatience, suggesting her as the brash young up-and-comer to Gideon's wise older mentor--a relationship that is almost exclusively male-male in this genre. She's definitely the most hot-headed of her colleagues; she's often among the first through the door in raids and can be intimidating as hell in an interrogation room. As the only female profiler on the BAU, she is placed on equal footing with the men professionally, and narratively as well. She gets a lot of screentime and does as much of the heavy lifting as the guys; in fact, the only bullet fired in the pilot comes from her gun--saving Gideon's life and stopping the unsub at the same time.
However, it is important to note that Elle never slips into the unfortunate stereotype of the cold, sexless, male-identified career woman (see also: Erin Strauss). Her attire is not overtly girlish--you'd never catch her in one of JJ's pencil skirts or Garcia's retro dresses--but still feminine. Her style favors figure-hugging jeans, slacks, cardigans, and blazers; her hair is nearly always worn long and loose. Yet despite being played by a strikingly beautiful actress, Elle is never objectified nor exploited; she never uses her looks to her advantage.
This is not to say Elle's femaleness is never a plot point--in "Broken Mirror" Shyer writes her off as the token chick, only to be reminded just how wrong he is. She is frequently seen comforting and counseling female victims or their friends/relatives. In "Plain Sight," she challenges the male detectives' insensitive attitudes toward a female rape victim by saying bluntly, "she's surrounded by men." In "Broken Mirror," she adopts an almost maternal role toward Cheryl, whose mother is absent from the narrative. In "Machismo," she uses her bilingual skills to speak to female rape victims and encourage them to come forward in a culture that has pressured them into silence. Her specialty--sex crimes--is also tied to her gender. As most victims of sex crimes are women, Elle likely aligns herself with them, and is very passionate in her desire to protect women. An early casting side posits that she herself was a rape victim (the assailant was never caught) and while this info was never addressed in canon, it jives with her dedication to protecting women as well as her issues with victimization. In "Unfinished Business," she manhandles and arrests a serial killer, challenging his arrogance. "What's the matter, Scotty?" she taunts. "Can't deal with a woman who's not afraid of you?"
What is mildly troubling about this aspect of Elle's characterization is that it engages an all-too-common trope of female characters becoming heroes through victimization (if she was indeed raped) ¹. In fact, of all the female characters on Criminal Minds, Elle is the one most often placed in the position of victim--either as an actual victim, or posing as one. The victimization of Elle becomes a serious problem post-"The Fisher King." Pre-TFK, however, she successfully resists victimization, enacting her agency and establishing herself as a survivor. She is clearly a woman very much in control of her life and her fate.
Elle the Person
Thus far I have discussed Elle in a professional context; now, I discuss her in a personal one. This is also an important part of her narrative; by showing her as a complex character with complex motivations, she moves from being a "strong female character" to being a "strong character, female." ²
We know very little of Elle's background, although CM tends to be spare in giving details of the characters' personal lives. We rarely see them outside of work. We do learn that Elle is from Brooklyn ("A Real Rain"), that she is fluent in Spanish ("Machismo"), her father was in law enforcement and killed in the line of duty when she was very young ("The Fisher King"), and her mother is Cuban ("Machismo"--this is also an interesting plot point in that it positions her as the only woman of color on the main cast until Jordan Todd, although most of the time she is coded as white and goes by her white father's surname). It is implied through an offhand remark in that she doesn't get along with her family, although it could have been her being her typical dry, snarky self, so I'm not sure how much stock to put in it. It is also implied that her background is not a privileged one, as she imparts in "P911" that she learned to pick locks from growing up in Brooklyn.
Elle's relationships with her colleagues are generally positive. She has an amiable working relationship with all of them, and is probably closest to Morgan. They are already acquainted in the pilot and clearly comfortable with each other; when Morgan makes a sexist joke, she affectionately sets him straight. They joke and bicker and tease each other, but it's always with an undercurrent of affection and without a trace of sexual tension. They even go on vacation together in "The Fisher King." Her next closest relationship--and among the most important in terms of her narrative--is with Hotch, who becomes something of a mentor figure to her. In "Unfinished Business," she comes to him for advice on balancing her professional life and her personal one; this scene is particularly eerie to watch in light of their eventual fates (particularly given how closely their narratives come to mirror each other). But there's also a lighter side to their relationship; they joke and flirt on more than one occasion. His fondness of her extends to a sense of protectiveness; we see it in the concern he expresses toward her in "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "The Fisher King." In turn, she comes to trust him to protect her; her feelings of resentment and betrayal toward him following TFK reflect that. We see less interaction with Gideon and Reid, but it's clear that she respects Gideon for his skills and reputation, and that she gets along with Reid as well.
Elle's relationships with her female colleagues also seem positive, judging by what little screentime they are given. When Elle and JJ meet for the first time in episode two, they are both impressed by the other's considerable skills and a mutual respect is established. In "Won't Get Fooled Again," Elle teases Hotch about his former nerdhood and as soon as he looks away, Elle and JJ exchange a smirk. So we can infer that they're good enough friends to joke around with each other. We see less interaction between Elle and Garcia, although what we do get implies that they get along. I wish we could have seen more interaction between the female characters but I attribute this less to Elle herself and more to JJ's and Garcia's micromini roles and the fact that CM's writing of female-female relationships has never been strong.
We are not shown much in the way of romantic relationships. Elle is most likely straight--she could be bisexual, but there's nothing in canon to prove or disprove that. Her only canon sexual relationship is with a man, in "The Fisher King." In "Charm and Harm" Morgan teases her about a boyfriend, but she never confirms his suspicions and this boyfriend is never mentioned again. From her brief romance in "The Fisher King" we can infer that Elle has a healthy attitude toward romance and sex, and it is yet another arena in which she expresses her confidence and assertiveness.
Here's to Winning
Unfortunately, "The Fisher King" presents a turning point in Elle's narrative, and not for the better. It gives us the one (canonical) incidence in which Elle takes control over her body in a positive manner (a presumably enjoyable sexual encounter)... and she is immediately punished for it. Her partner is brutally murdered and his head sent to Gideon; Elle is framed for the crime and subsequently arrested. Her agency is entirely taken from her; her protests go unheeded and Morgan cannot help her. It is only through Hotch's assistance she is able to regain her freedom and dignity. She again tries to assert her agency by assisting with the case, but her exhaustion prevents her from doing so, and Hotch sends her home. Here she is once again victimized and violated in a scene of metaphorical rape--the attacker reaches into her bullet wound to write on the wall with her blood. Thus Elle's body is a site of constant flux between two dichotomies: male and female (in terms of gender performance), victim and survivor.
The problem is, after "The Fisher King," she is never allowed to regain survivor status. Her attack transforms her from active subject to passive object; her narrative is absorbed into the larger narrative of the team. She spends the majority of TFK: Part 2 in a hospital fighting for her life as her colleagues work on the case. Here, we are given another mini-narrative that takes place in Elle's mind, featuring a dream-vision of her father. But this narrative once again places her fate in the hands of a man, implying that her very decision to live to live or die is contingent upon forgiveness from her father's dream-manifestation. OK, show... I ain't asking for something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "Restless," but you writers seriously mean to tell us your strongest female character's decision to live or die revolves around daddy issues? Seriously? Furthermore, Elle is deprived the opportunity of bringing her own attacker to justice--this falls to her colleagues while she is in the hospital. Reid misses this point entirely in "Aftermath" when she says "You're here, he's not... you won." Elle, however, knows what's up--she sardonically replies, "Here's to winning."
When Elle finally does enact her agency and take control over her body (and presumably, the bodies of the women she's protecting), it is presented by the narrative as bad, wrong, unlawful. She is not a victim reasserting herself as survivor; she is a vigilante killer. Yet, what other choice is there for her? The law isn't on her side--it's not going to protect her, nor is it going to protect Lee's future victims. She does the only thing she can do to enforce justice. Her choice brings to mind the "vigilante feminist" narratives of the 70s, and while its outcome rings true in the sense that "vigilante feminism" rarely ends well, it also reifies the very patriarchal structures that allow men like Lee to escape and that Elle's character subverted so well pre-TFK. The only choices left to her now are relinquishing her newly-won agency by turning herself in, or enacting her agency by walking away. Elle chooses the latter, but either way, she must necessarily exit the narrative; her voice is silenced.
Here is about when the haters say, "But if she hadn't botched the operation, they could've made the charges stick!" Yes, but "not botching the operation" requires Elle to essentially relive the most horrific event to befall her yet--being attacked in her own home by a killer/rapist. The success of the operation is entirely contingent on how well and how completely she can play the victim. It is contingent on her absolute trust in the team to protect her--a trust that was broken in "The Fisher King." It echoes a situation in which she was deprived the opportunity to face her attacker and to bring him to justice. In a way, Lee becomes something of a surrogate for TFK, which is why it is essential for Elle to face him herself, not to stand idly by while the team takes care of him for her.
Furthermore, the issues raised by Elle's failed "vigilante feminism" are further negated when her arc is contrasted with the show's two most prominent narratives of male rape. These narratives belong to Morgan and to Hotch (while it is debatable that Hotch is actually raped, he is physically violated in a horrific scene with overt sexual overtones; it is a metaphorical rape if not a literal one). Both men bring their attackers to justice themselves; they triumph through their own agency. In Hotch's case, he beats Foyet to death with his bare hands--a scene far more violent and brutal than Elle's shooting Lee. However, it is presented as justified and lawful; it is self-defense, it effectively ends this particular arc and restores Hotch his rightful position as team leader. Similarly, Morgan faces and triumphs over his own attacker in "Profiler, Profiled" and again in "The Longest Night." It is worth noting that in "The Longest Night" Morgan also kills the unsub; however, it is once again presented as self-defense and as lawful. The audience is encouraged to root for and sympathize with him. It would be erroneous to say neither man suffers lasting trauma from these events (although canon gives us little evidence of this), but the important thing is that they resist victimization, reassert their agency, and are justified by the narrative. They are no longer victims. They do not need to be silenced.
I examine Elle's final arc in greater depth on day 26, but for now, here is where her story--and this essay--must end. I'll not discuss Elle's downfall any further here, because it upsets me (as you can see) and it is one plotline I simply cannot justify. I know the fandom prefers to remember Elle in the most negative way possible, but fuck that noise. That ain't what this essay is about. I choose to remember her as the agent, the survivor, the tragic heroine who went down fighting the good fight. Elle Greenaway, you were magnificent.
---
Notes:
1. For further info, see this essay: The Victim Dilemma
2. For further info, see this essay: Why Strong Female Characters Are Bad For Women