Audrey Parker on Haven [Female Protagonists on SciFi TV]

Oct 222010

Audrey Parker – An FBI agent who ends up in Haven, Maine on a routine case only to end up staying when she finds an old newspaper clipping with a picture of a woman named Lucy who looks just like her with the heading “Who Killed The Colorado Kid?”. The woman is suspected of being her mother, however, this has not been confirmed, but other evidence shows that maybe Lucy is someone else in relation to Audrey. Audrey grew up an orphan in Ohio. She is a friendly person to most of Haven and tries very hard to help those who are afflicted with “The Troubles”. After a visit of her superior, she quits the FBI and takes Chief Wournos’ job offer in Haven PD. Recently though, evidence has cropped up that shows that she is the woman in the photo, as the arrival of an FBI agent named ‘Audrey Parker’ shows that Audrey may in fact be Lucy.

Haven is a new series very loosely based on Stephen Kings Hardboiled mystery novella The Colorado Kid.

Audrey is an interesting character played by Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters, ER). Much of my interest in the show comes from the dynamic between her and her reliable police partner Nathan and the mysterious and dangerous Duke. It seems like both of them have feelings for her and she for them. A love interest like this alway spices up a series in my opinion.

A similar dynamic exists between her and the city of Haven. Is there a connection between her returning to Haven and that ‘the troubles’ resurfaces? The town is filled with delightfully quirky people. And it rubs off on Audrey.

Audry’s past before she came/returned to Haven is more mysterious but it is clear that her FBI boss is somehow involved in the troubles.

The show started a bit formalistic but got better and better as the season continued and the season finale was surprising and a great buildup for another season even if a slightly longer season where they could have explored the hard packed finale wouldn’t have damaged the show in my opinion.

The team behind Haven is heavily from The Dead Zone team but you hardly notice any influence from there besides the obvious setting in Maine.

I am looking forward to season two and hope we get to know more of the Circle People and which role the Reverent plays in the power struggle that seems to be going on under the surface.

Character: Audrey Parker

Played by: Emily Rose
Series: Haven
Original Network: Syfy 2010
Status: Returning Series, Season 2 premieres summer 2011.

Audrey Parker is a the shrewd and confident FBI agent with a lost past who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve the murder of a local ex-con. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are afflicted with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.

Emily Rose

Holds an M.F.A in Acting from UCLA (Class of 2006).
Graduated from Vanguard University of Southern California with a degree in Theater Arts.
Skilled Equestrian in both English and Western riding. Looking forward to a role where her character rides horses.
Seattle native.
Studied Theatre/Shakespeare at Oxford for a summer.

Videos

Haven 1.07 – Sketchy [TV Review] August 22, 2010
Haven 1.06 – Fur [Review] August 15, 2010
Haven 1.05 – Ball and Chain [Review] August 8, 2010
Haven 1.04 – Consumed (Review) July 31, 2010
Haven 1.03 – Harmony (Review) July 24, 2010
Haven 1.02 – Butterfly (Review) July 20, 2010
Haven – New Series Premieres Friday July 9 July 2, 2010
Haven – New Stephen King based TV Series on SyFy this Summer! March 31 2010

Series Index

Share|

Chloe on Stargate Universe [Female Protagonists on SciFi TV]

TV Series 3 Responses »

Aug 212010

Chloe is one of the more controversial characters on Stargate Universe (SGU) and that’s one of the reasons I chose her to represent first. There are one or two more females there I would like to follow up with later. TJ is a given but I am still figuring out if I should include Wray and Lt James, what do you think?

Back to Chloe. She is the daughter of Senator Armstrong and she came aboard the Destiny as his political aide and he dies in episode one saving Destiny. One of the things some fans have complained about is that she is whinny, don’t contribute much, strings Elli along and doing obvious stupid things like “hostile aliens drill a hole, lets go there and look up”.

Some even goes as long as saying they want her dead.

But they forgot that the writers makes the characters play the story they write. I understand why Syfy renewed SGU for a second season so early. No one would have dared take the risks they did to build characters in a realistic way unless they knew they had the time to follow through. The only other way I see would be to start the series one year into the voyage and use flashbacks to what happened before. Chloe father is dead, they are all trapped in a wast unknown traveling toward an equally unknown destiny on a ship they have no control over and it is obviously failing. She is sad, scared and lonely. And Elyse Levesque does a good job at portraying that.

In my opinion the one thing the writers missed with Chloe was to make her so passive the whole season. I would like to see a little more female empowerment in general on SGU but especially with Chloe. She used to be the one pushing the IKAROS project for her father. I enjoy seeing her doing things, taking part, making things happen and going places.

Those alien mind reading machines she was connected to gave her some knowledge or power I also would like to see more of. One thing at least some of us did was enjoying seeing more of Chloe. She was the first one on Destiny to use the showers Elli found. And she made him keep watch outside while she did.

And Elli handed her a light when the power went down.

During the crews time down on that forest planet she wet herself in the lake. that must have been cold.

I really enjoyed that episode they seemed to have fun down there. Some even thought about staying, TJ was one of them and I though she and Chloe had a good report there. The whole crew had fun for the first time I think.

The characters on SGU are not uncomplicated whitehats or blackhats and Chloe is no exception. I was disturbed when she took the civilians’ side when Wray and Rush staged a coup, against Elli and her boyfriend Scott. She can be strong and determined. In a way I can understand it with Scott because he seems to be a player that so far hasn’t showed any deeper feelings for any of his lady friends. He does care about his kid though. I think many of us were fooled to expect the nerd (Elli) to get the girl and not the jock (Scott) because that’s almost a rule in this kind of show. I have to admitt Chloe and Scott look good together.

Beside her relationship with Matthew Scott and her friendship with Elli she also have time for yoga.

And relaxing with the crew.

I love SGU and I would like to see more team and less brooding and noir. Please let the Lucian intrusion fuse the original crew more together in season two and let them have some fun now and then, like here.

Elyse can play on a wide range.

And she is eager to find a place for herself among the crew.

In the Season finale Chloe was shot in the leg during her escape from the Lucian Alliance attack on the ship, but is stranded in a compartment with thin air and severe blood loss.

But fear not, the spoiler faeries tell me she is cast for a full season two.

In the hiatus between season one and two there has been some shameless promotion

Name: Chloe Armstrong

Portrayed by: Elyse Levesque
Series: Stargate Universe
Original Channel: Syfy
Status: Between seasons

Stargate Universe season 2

will premiere September 28

Key Episodes

Shamelessly copied by me from gateworld a wonderful site for everything Stargate.

Air, Part 1 – Chloe Armstrong accompanies her father to the Icarus Base to witness the activation of the ninth chevron, but is forced to evacuate with the rest of the personnel to an Ancient ship when the facility is attacked.
Air, Part 2 – Chloe’s father sacrifices himself so that she and the rest of the Icarus personnel may survive. For a time she holds Dr. Rush personally responsible.
Air, Part 3 – While a team is offworld hoping to solve Destiny’s life support problem, Chloe lends a hand helping TJ remove a bullet from Franklin’s arm. Her relationship with Matthew Scott deepens.
Light – Chloe and Scott make love on the eve of impending doom. When not selected in the shuttle lottery, she joins Eli on the observation deck to await their doom.
Earth – Using the communication stones again, Chloe returns home and takes Eli to a club with her friends, where she reacts poorly after learning her best friend is now dating her ex.
Space – When Destiny is attacked by aliens Chloe is taken captive, submerged in a tank of water and subjected to mental probing. She is rescued by Nicholas Rush.
Divided – Still reeling from her abduction, Chloe sides with Rush and Wray in a plan to seize control of Destiny from the military.
Lost – Chloe, Matt, Eli and Ron are trapped in an underground tunnel and left behind by the ship.
Pain – Infected with an alien tick, Chloe hallucinates her father — and, though she knows he isn’t really there, has a heart-to-heart conversation that gives her the chance to truly say goodbye.

Elyse Levesque

Elyse Levesque has been acting since an early age when she became part of the repertory company for the acclaimed children’s television series The Incredible Story Studio. In addition, she did commercial work and a number of small roles in television projects as well as a two-year stint playing the villainous Dr. Maxine Rich on the futuristic children’s series 2030 CE.

In 2003, Levesque moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to focus full time on an acting career. She enrolled in acting classes and has since landed a number of parts in both film and television. She has taken on diverse roles ranging from Virginia (Cissy) Poe, the ailing wife of Edgar Alan Poe, in the Masters of Horror episode “The Black Cat,” to a flame wielding bog witch in Flash Gordon. Levesque has also made guest appearances in Smallville and Men in Trees, in addition to playing lead dramatic roles in television movies and independent films. She has also had the privilege of working with acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Carl Bessai in Normal, the 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival Winner for Best Western Canadian Feature Film.

Videos

Elyse Levesque Q&A – Part 1

Elyse Levesque Q&A – Part 2 : Stargate Universe Q&A

Female Protagonists on SciFi TV - article series

Stargate Universe Posts

Watch the SGU Season Two Trailer August 2, 2010
Stargate Universe – Incursion – Season Finale June 12, 2010
Stargate Universe 1.18 – Subversion May 22, 2010
Stargate Universe 1.17 – Pain May 15, 2010
SGU 1.16 – Sabotage May 11, 2010
SGU 1.15 – Lost May 4, 2010
Stargate Universe 1.14 – Human April 24, 2010
Stargate Universe episode 1.13 – Faith a review April 20, 2010
First Contact in Stargate Universe Impress April 9, 2010
Stargate Universe MGM Spring Season Trailer March 11, 2010
Stargate Universe Teaser March 4, 2010
New Stargate Universe(SGU) Q&A February 3, 2010
Syfy renews Stargate Universe & Sanctuary December 14, 2009
SGU: Stargate Universe (TV Series) November 9, 2009
Stargate Universe Trailer March 24, 2009

Share|

Samantha ‘Sam’ Carter on Stargate SG-1 [Female Protagonists on SF TV]

TV Series 1 Response »

Aug 072010

I like female protagonists and this is homage to the ones on science fiction television. It is also an excellent excuse for showing off some of the most beautiful and talented actresses we have. I go back and re watch episodes and series all the time and I hope you will to.

Colonel Samantha Carter is one hell of a character. I still remember when she first joined the new SG-1 team as a young Captain, she has grown quite a lot since then. Before joining SG-1 she worked with the Pentagon trying to get the Stargate to work and she also fought in the Gulf War logging over than 100 hours in enemy airspace.

In SG-1 she quickly becomes one of the pivotal characters. She is a strong woman, a brilliant scientist and a convincing military leader. The series focus on their adventures but a large part is also character development and over the years we get to know her family, her past and her love affairs including the one she is not having. Wikipedia has a great article about Samantha Carter where you can read all the details. My favorite memories of Samantha is when she is joined with the Tok’ra Jolinar in season 2, when she is marooned alone on the starship Prometheus and the episode her father is about to die and she saves him with a Tok’ra symbiot. Which are your’s?

Stargate SG-1

This is one of my favorite SF series it got wonderful characters, humor and suspense. You know I like bickering and banter and here you get that in abundance.

SG-1 is the original Stargate series that follows the adventures of SG-1, an elite military unit in the secret Stargate Command. It continues the story from the 1994 film Stargate when the US explore the Stargate network left by the Ancient and fight the alien Goa’uld. The group is lead by Jack O’Neill played by the legendary Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver) and Samantha is their science officer.

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis takes the adventures to the Pegasus galaxy and the original City of Atlantis. The main enemy this time is the Wraith, a vampiric alien race. Lt Colonel Samantha is a recurring character until season four when she takes command over the city. In the fifth and final season she figures in a few episodes. The reason she left SGA was to pursue her new show Sanctuary.

Stargate Universe

SGU takes humanity further than ever before when a rag tag group of refugees from an exploding planet stumbles on to the Destiny; a starship powered by the stars themselves billions of light years from earth. Samantha guest stared in the pilot and in the assault on the Lucian Alliance Base in the season finale. SGU returns September 28 with season two.

Name: Samantha Carter
Portrayed by: Amanda Tapping

Shows: Stargate SG-1 (10 seasons) , Stargate Atlantis (Season 4, recurring 1-3,5 ), Stargate Universe (guest star 2 episodes)
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Channel: Syfy

Amanda Tapping

Amanda is one of my favorite actresses she currently portrays Dr. Helena Magnus in the Syfy channel series Sanctuary (see my post Dr. Helena Magnus on Sanctuary) that returns September 28.

Aditional photos

Dr. Helena Magnus on Sanctuary
Sanctuary Season Finale and Renewal January 19, 2010
Sanctuary 2.11 January 19, 2010
Syfy renews Stargate Universe & Sanctuary December 14, 2009
Tapping’s Sanctury will be back March 17, 201

Share|

Amy Pond on Doctor Who [Female Protagonists on SF TV]

TV Series 3 Responses »

Jul 302010

Amy Pond is the companion of the 11th Doctor. She first meets him as a little girl when the 11th reincarnation crashlands the TARDIS in her back yard. He behaves really weird even for the Doctor but I guess it is compelling to small children. Amy was cute as a child but that is nothing against what she looks like when she grows up.

Next time she meets him she is dressed as a police woman. She kicks the Doctor’s ass and make a citizen’s arrest because she is dressed like that for her kissogram job

The new companion has been a bit controversial, she is way too sexy for some and when she came on to the Doctor it was widely discussed especially since she was engaged. The Doctor sort it out and take the happy two on an extended honeymoon on the TARDIS. Executive producer Piers Wenger stated that Amy was intended to be “feisty and outspoken and a bit of a number. Amy is probably the wildest companion that the Doctor has travelled with, but she isn’t promiscuous.”

This installment of the Doctor feels more adult and grownup humor.

Name: Amy Pond
Portrayed by: Karen Gillian
TV show: Doctor Who, 11th Incarnation
Genre: Science Fiction
Status: She will return next season

Karen Gillian

Karen was born 28 November 1987 and is best known for her role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who. She was born and raised in Inverness, Scotland.

She did some model job before and also played in Fires of Pompeii

Share|

Echo on Dollhouse [Female Protagonists on SF TV]

TV Series 3 Responses »

Jul 232010

I really enjoyed Dollhouse even if it was a bit uneven and was sad to see it go. Echo played by the beautiful and talented Eliza Dushku was the main protagonist in Dollhouse. One of the problems with writing an article involving such a fandom icon as Eliza is that you can easily spend more time browsing and selecting pictures than writing. The show was also created by iconic writer-director Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) which doesn’t make it easier.

When we first meet Echo she is a ‘doll’ or as they say in the Dollhouse an ‘active’ as opposed to the passive state all the dolls are put in when they aren’t on missions. In either case she has no memories of her former life (at least not to so begin with) or the previous missions she has been on. But as season one develops she starts to remember previous missions. First it is only manners and short quotes but later it is even skills and whole careers and as she is sent on rather qualified missions she becomes quite formidable as the show continues.

The Dollhouse is a secret organization which on the surface hires out reprogrammed humans to wealthy clients for whatever use they have for them, such as escorts, fake girlfriends, hostage negotiators, mercenaries, cat burglars and other high risk endeavors. But the show unfolds that they have bigger plans than that. But their goals can have devastating repercussions on humanity as shown in the first season’s bonus episode Epitaph and in the series finale Epitaph 2.

The Actives serve for a five year period while their original memories are stored on hard drives in exchange for a vast amount of money and a solution to any other pressing problem they might have. Echo, however, is unique in remembering small amounts even after personality “wipes”, and gradually develops an increasingly cognizant self-awareness and personality. This emerging personality is even distinct in some ways from that of her original identity, college graduate Caroline Farrell.

I loved when Echo or one of the others actives took on a kick-ass personality. It do get a bit cheesy at times. Some of the roles were really memorable like when Echo where programmed with her boss’ dead friend’s personality;

or when she was a hostage negotiator;

that episode when she was this athletic tom-boy on a hike with her competitive boyfriend/client and it turned out he wanted to hunt her;

The dominatrix outfit was fine but I don’t think they made an episode on that;

When she is a backup singer is also a good episode.

The whole story line with Alpha the crazy ‘boyfriend’ was twisted but entertaining.

The other ‘boyfriend’ story with Paul was all over the place but was kind of compelling. What killed the series was in my opinion the lack of a clear path; this probably had something to do with too many chefs. The future world after the Dollhouse tried to take over was worth a series in itself.

Name: Echo
Portrayed by: Eliza Dushku
Show: Dollhouse
Original channel: Fox
Original run: 2009-2010
Status: Cancelled after 2 seasons

Eliza Dushku

I enjoyed Eliza Dushku in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and in Tru Calling.

Eliza was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, to an Albanian father and Danish mother, and raised in the LDS Church (though she is not actively practicing). She has three brothers, Aaron, Ben, and Nate, the latter of who is also an actor. Dushku lives in the Los Angeles area.

I did not know she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies.

After completing high school, Eliza returned to acting with the role of Faith, a Slayer much more troubled than the main character Buffy. Though initially planned as a five episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the entirety of the third season. She has also made guest appearances in Buffy’s spin-off, Angel.

In 2003 she also starred in a new Fox TV series, Tru Calling, where she played the main character, Tru Davies, a medical student whose grant is pulled out from under her, forcing her to take a job at a local morgue. There, she discovers that she has the power to “re-live” the previous day over again, an ability she used to right wrongful deaths. She also attempts to help her troubled family – a drug-addicted sister and a gambling-addicted brother.