I love Bella Swan. And Katniss Everdeen. And Nikita (and Alex, and Amanda, and Sonya, and even poor little Jaden and the probably never-going-to-recur-Jill). I love Buffy. And Willow. And Cordelia Chase. I love Special Agent Sydney Bristow. And Irina Derevekho. And Nadia Santos. And (I might be the only person who ever loved) Lauren Reed. I love Kahlan Amnell. And Cara. And Nikki. And Denna. I love Lucy Pevensie. And Susan. And Jill Pole. And Polly Plummer. I adore Aravis Tarkheena, Queen of Archenland. I love Hermione Granger (but hate the Harry Potter series). I love Emily Thorne. And Ashley. And Charlotte. And “Amanda Clarke”. I even love-to-hate Victoria, but that’s the point I think. I’m one of the few people who think Padme Amidala is the most interesting character in the Star Wars ‘verse.
I don’t think it has to be Twilight vs. The Hunger Games. Or Nikita vs. Alias. Or Hermione vs. Lucy. If there is one thing I am grateful for with Twilight/Bella Swan/Stephenie Meyer, it’s that it proved once and for all that hell yeah, women can not only carry… they can also make a franchise. Hermione Granger might be the most interesting character in Harry’s story… but it’s still Harry Potter’s story. Kahlan Amnell might be to all intents and purposes the co-protagonist of Legend of the Seeker, but it’s still Legend of the Seeker (Richard). And while Buffy and Alias are cult classics, there’s been too much emphasis on the “cult” and not on the “classic” and the idea that while female-protagonist-shows can be critically acclaimed, they just don’t make blockbusters.
