Three Is Better Than None
So, I realized the other day that three out of four of my favourite shows of this TV season had something in common: strong, fierce, independent, working women of colour!
In slightly related news, my fourth favourite show of the TV season was Go On and I couldn't be more sad that NBC decided to cancel it. ;_; One of the funniest, most heart-warming, REAL shows I have ever watched
Here is my ode to my three favourite fabulous funny fashionista females!!
Olivia Pope played by Kerry Washington
Scandal
Olivia Pope is the epitome of fierce. She is a former White House Communications Director who now has devoted her life to protecting the public image of many members of the Washington elite. Her staff consists of friends who regard her with the utmost respect and loyalty because she has saved them all from extremely difficult situations. They call themselves Gladiators.
Olivia is the best at her job, there is no two ways about it. The drama, intrigue and complexity comes in with her romantic life. Yes, it's cliche that a strong woman's weakness is love but the show makes it clear that it's her lover's weakness as well. Her lover happens to be the very much married President of the United States. And even though she struggles with it time and again, work always comes first. Her responsibilities always trump the chance to settle for love.
She's a strong African American woman (you know this is the first show to have an African American female lead since 1974! I am so happy that it does incredibly well in the ratings) and yet her race very rarely if ever is a talking point in the show. Or the fact that the main relationship is an interracial one. It just is what it is.
Ok and along with all the other gals in this post, she has great fashion sense! I seriously spend half of each episode coveting everything she wears. :D Olivia Pope is more than just brains, she's got style and class to spare!
It's hard to truly describe Olivia Pope's greatness without you seeing her in action. That's where she shines. And what you have to realize is that she is the protagonist of Scandal, she is the person we see the world through, the pillar of central strength as everything happens around her. We understand the world of Scandal because it is happening to Olivia.
Plus look how this BAMFstress struts her stuff like the HBIC she is
Dr. Mindy Lahiri played by Mindy Kaling
The Mindy Project
Dr. Mindy Lahiri is probably the most realistic and relatable of these three women. She's a successful Indian-American Obstetrician who has romantic dreams about finding the perfect man, yet has fairly terrible luck when it comes to her love life. She's quirky and weird and makes way too many pop culture references but ultimately she's a good person who tries her best, even if she doesn't always succeed. I see so much of myself in her that I even tweeted so at Mindy Kaling and she retweeted it. Lol. Which is in and of itself something Mindy Lahiri would do and then tell everyone about! XD
I kinda don't even want to write about her because the gifs all speak for themselves, to be quite honest...
Another thing I love about Mindy and this entire show is that, well, it so accurately represents me and my friends. I never thought I would see a show about US, young women of colour who are just a little bit mad, tons of fun and making our ways through the world. I don't have a single non-white female friend who is in medicine who doesn't watch and love this show. :D
And just like the other gals I adore, she has excellent fashion sense!
Ultimately, she is me and I am her and she is the new generation of young professional girls of the world and I really really hope this show sticks around
Dr. Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu
Elementary
It's already so incredible that they took the well-known story of Sherlock Holmes and Watson and turned Watson into a Chinese-American female. But then they cast Lucy Liu as this re-invented Watson and gave her so much respect as a character in their show and everything fell into place, elevating Elementary above your regular everyday procedural into something I now deeply love and appreciate.
As with all incarnations of Holmes, he's a bit of a jerk (though way less than House was to Wilson, this Holmes is rather sweet in his own way) and Watson never hesitates to put him in his place. She never backs down and though she often does become persuaded by his logic she doesn't let him get away with things that would either push himself over the edge or put others in harm's way. Also, she's a badass former surgeon!
Watson started off as Holmes' sober companion, but when he no longer required one, she came to realize she herself had an affinity for investigative work. Her family and friends have a lot of trouble understanding her career choices ever since she resigned from medicine following a mistake she made which cost a patient their life. Her mother is confused by her acting as a sober companion and her friends are even more perplexed by her becoming an investigator after that, but she sticks to her ambitions and stays on. Oh and she was the valedictorian of her class at medical school. That is so BAMF I can't even deal.
Last but definitely not least, Holmes and Watson still very much maintain their epic bromance in Elementary. Probably one of my favourite parts of the story is this dynamic. I personally don't read a single thing romantic in it; they are the epitome of platonic soulmates. They openly care for and worry about each other but also challenge each other appropriately. They are basically Mulder and Scully if David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's crazy chemistry hadn't gotten in the way hahahaha. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu have this quiet caring chemistry along with admiration that fits their characters perfectly.
Look at these BFFs working out together hee hee
All in all, Joan is a very welcome addition to the Sherlock Holmes lore and the annals of Kickass Women of Television history. I look forward to seeing her character take shape and continue to grow over the series. This first season has laid the perfect groundwork by not only respecting the character but also respecting its audience.
The first season also gave us Joan hitting Sherlock in the face with a ball
In slightly related news, my fourth favourite show of the TV season was Go On and I couldn't be more sad that NBC decided to cancel it. ;_; One of the funniest, most heart-warming, REAL shows I have ever watched
Here is my ode to my three favourite fabulous funny fashionista females!!
Olivia Pope played by Kerry Washington
Scandal
Olivia Pope is the epitome of fierce. She is a former White House Communications Director who now has devoted her life to protecting the public image of many members of the Washington elite. Her staff consists of friends who regard her with the utmost respect and loyalty because she has saved them all from extremely difficult situations. They call themselves Gladiators.
Olivia is the best at her job, there is no two ways about it. The drama, intrigue and complexity comes in with her romantic life. Yes, it's cliche that a strong woman's weakness is love but the show makes it clear that it's her lover's weakness as well. Her lover happens to be the very much married President of the United States. And even though she struggles with it time and again, work always comes first. Her responsibilities always trump the chance to settle for love.
She's a strong African American woman (you know this is the first show to have an African American female lead since 1974! I am so happy that it does incredibly well in the ratings) and yet her race very rarely if ever is a talking point in the show. Or the fact that the main relationship is an interracial one. It just is what it is.
Ok and along with all the other gals in this post, she has great fashion sense! I seriously spend half of each episode coveting everything she wears. :D Olivia Pope is more than just brains, she's got style and class to spare!
It's hard to truly describe Olivia Pope's greatness without you seeing her in action. That's where she shines. And what you have to realize is that she is the protagonist of Scandal, she is the person we see the world through, the pillar of central strength as everything happens around her. We understand the world of Scandal because it is happening to Olivia.
Plus look how this BAMFstress struts her stuff like the HBIC she is
Dr. Mindy Lahiri played by Mindy Kaling
The Mindy Project
Dr. Mindy Lahiri is probably the most realistic and relatable of these three women. She's a successful Indian-American Obstetrician who has romantic dreams about finding the perfect man, yet has fairly terrible luck when it comes to her love life. She's quirky and weird and makes way too many pop culture references but ultimately she's a good person who tries her best, even if she doesn't always succeed. I see so much of myself in her that I even tweeted so at Mindy Kaling and she retweeted it. Lol. Which is in and of itself something Mindy Lahiri would do and then tell everyone about! XD
I kinda don't even want to write about her because the gifs all speak for themselves, to be quite honest...
Another thing I love about Mindy and this entire show is that, well, it so accurately represents me and my friends. I never thought I would see a show about US, young women of colour who are just a little bit mad, tons of fun and making our ways through the world. I don't have a single non-white female friend who is in medicine who doesn't watch and love this show. :D
And just like the other gals I adore, she has excellent fashion sense!
Ultimately, she is me and I am her and she is the new generation of young professional girls of the world and I really really hope this show sticks around
Dr. Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu
Elementary
It's already so incredible that they took the well-known story of Sherlock Holmes and Watson and turned Watson into a Chinese-American female. But then they cast Lucy Liu as this re-invented Watson and gave her so much respect as a character in their show and everything fell into place, elevating Elementary above your regular everyday procedural into something I now deeply love and appreciate.
As with all incarnations of Holmes, he's a bit of a jerk (though way less than House was to Wilson, this Holmes is rather sweet in his own way) and Watson never hesitates to put him in his place. She never backs down and though she often does become persuaded by his logic she doesn't let him get away with things that would either push himself over the edge or put others in harm's way. Also, she's a badass former surgeon!
Watson started off as Holmes' sober companion, but when he no longer required one, she came to realize she herself had an affinity for investigative work. Her family and friends have a lot of trouble understanding her career choices ever since she resigned from medicine following a mistake she made which cost a patient their life. Her mother is confused by her acting as a sober companion and her friends are even more perplexed by her becoming an investigator after that, but she sticks to her ambitions and stays on. Oh and she was the valedictorian of her class at medical school. That is so BAMF I can't even deal.
Last but definitely not least, Holmes and Watson still very much maintain their epic bromance in Elementary. Probably one of my favourite parts of the story is this dynamic. I personally don't read a single thing romantic in it; they are the epitome of platonic soulmates. They openly care for and worry about each other but also challenge each other appropriately. They are basically Mulder and Scully if David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's crazy chemistry hadn't gotten in the way hahahaha. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu have this quiet caring chemistry along with admiration that fits their characters perfectly.
Look at these BFFs working out together hee hee
All in all, Joan is a very welcome addition to the Sherlock Holmes lore and the annals of Kickass Women of Television history. I look forward to seeing her character take shape and continue to grow over the series. This first season has laid the perfect groundwork by not only respecting the character but also respecting its audience.
The first season also gave us Joan hitting Sherlock in the face with a ball