On television characters come and go constantly, at the whim of ruthlessly cold blooded writers. This time of year is particularly bad, with series finales dropping left and right and Game of Thrones about to land. As this year’s storylines wrap up though, things feel different. In the last month a critical mass of female characters have been handed the pink slip, with exits that look increasingly dumb and frustrating.
Let’s be clear though. None of the shows we’re talking about here are necessarily bad. All of them have been or used to be pretty fun to watch. Somehow though, even talented writers can get gender tunnel vision – especially white dudes. I think history proves that we’re just the worst.
Anyway, welcome to the TV hall of fuck ups 2016. Spoilers ahead, obviously – don’t be dense.
1. Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cji71yIFoE
What do you do when you’ve soured the best new series of 2013? Kill off its main character, apparently. The story of Abbie Mills and her lost-in-time sidekick Ichabod Crane was a surprise hit when it first aired, but things have gotten increasingly sideways since season two. Somehow, despite being the protagonist of the series, Abbie (Nicole Beharie) has seen reduced screen time and character development the longer the show has gone on.
In the finale for season, three the writers took this to its logical conclusion. Not only was Abbie killed off, her death acted as both sacrifice and motivation for her male co-lead. Beharie has reportedly had creative issues with the show for a longish while now, but her character’s exit could have been managed so much better than this. Season four has not been confirmed, and with the heart and soul of the show ripped out, the writers of Sleepy Hollow may have written their show into oblivion.
2. Kate Beckett (Castle)
Another case of the week show that relies on the back-and-forth of its male and female lead. Except once again the female lead has been jettisoned – this time due to ‘financial reasons’.
If you’ve never seen Castle it goes a little something like this: Rick Castle is a mystery writer who becomes a consultant to the NYPD. The detective saddled with him is Kate Beckett, who initially dislikes him. There’s plenty of school yard back-and-forth while they solve cases together, before they finally realise they’re madly in love and want to jump each other’s bones.
Now though, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Stana Katick (who plays Beckett) and long time supporting star Tamala Jones are out as ABC tries to ‘reduce costs’. Interesting that it’s the show’s female cast that are most expendable to the network. Sure, the show’s named after Nathan Fillion’s Rick Castle, but the whole thing worked because Beckett was there as his foil and equal. Throwing together a ninth season without her feels like jumping the shark, misjudging it and winding up with your face in a shark’s digestive system.
3. Laurel Lance (Arrow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjMSDn1IuCc
If you’ve got a passing knowledge of comic book history (which is probably about half of all humans these days) you might know that Oliver Queen’s Green Arrow and Laurel Lance’s Black Canary are like totally the OTP of DC comics. Unfortunately the arrival of Felicity Smoak (20 per cent Gilmore Girl, 10 per cent computer nerd, 70 per cent sass) quickly cost Laurel Lance her place as Arrow‘s primary love interest.
Except, of course, a female character’s value shouldn’t ever be based on whether they’re banging the show’s protagonist. For a while there the writers of Arrow seemed to realise this. Laurel went through some interesting character arcs. She became part of the district attorney’s office, battled a serious drinking problem then rebounded enough to start fighting crime as the Black Canary.
Sadly, Oliver Queen can’t be allowed to run out of fuel for the giant brooding furnace in his brain. No longer a love interest for the show’s hero, Laurel’s vagina evidently became surplus to requirements. Actress Katie Cassidy was never exactly popular with the Arrow fanbase, but I think even die hards will have to admit she and Laurel deserved better.
4. Lexa (The 100)
Let’s get this out there on the table first: The 100 is the best genre show on television right now. For what began as a throwaway sci-fi dystopia show it’s become thoughtful, addicting and ruthless in where it’s prepared to take its story and characters. Unfortunately it may have missed the wood for the trees a few weeks back.
See, over the course of season two and three the show’s female hero, Clarke, fell in love with Lexa, the leader of the grounders. Lexa was a powerful leader and a fierce warrior. She was also a lesbian character getting regular screentime on a network drama – something that’s still quite a rarity even in 2016. Actress Alycia Debnam-Carey, however, was already contracted to appear in Fear The Walking Dead, so the writers of The 100 decided to kill her off in the dumbest way possible. After finally doing the dirty with Clarke, Lexa bought it from a stray bullet meant for the show’s hero. Weak sauce guys.
It was a dumb way to write out one of the most intensely interesting characters on the show, in a way that felt unearned and unsatisfying. Isn’t it only in horror films where people who have sex immediately die? Anyway, going forward it feels a lot like the writers of The 100 will have there work cut out giving Clarke any kind of new love interest, given how many shippers were on board with #Clexa by the time it went down.
Yes, I am one of those shippers. Shut the hell up.
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