Forgotten Femmes

I watch a lot of TV, which has been more than adequately expressed/bemoaned in this space before. And I am happy to say that more and more great roles are being written for women on the so-called small screen. So much so that, because of the bias towards males in our society or because of the focus on other characters in their shows, there are some great actresses playing fantastic characters on television who are not often written about. As I prepare for the premiere of season three of Banshee tonight, which stars my favorite underserved female character, I wanted to single out a few such actresses who I feel are somewhat unheralded when these shows are discussed.

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier on The Walking Dead

One could argue that, by virtue of TWD being so popular, no one is overlooked, but I'd disagree. The Walking Dead is certainly an enjoyable show, but it often mistakes character death with story growth. With Rick, Michonne, and breakout sensation Daryl getting most of the screen time and the action bits, it's easy to forget that the character who has gone through the most actual change, and the actress who has most clearly and compassionately communicated that journey, is Melissa McBride. Characters tend to disappear for episodes at a time on The Walking Dead, but when I see McBride I always know at least a portion of that episode is going to be really damn good.

Azure Parsons as Gloriana Embry on Salem

When one discusses Salem, the conversation begins and continues for a good long while with Janet Montgomery. It would be easy to just write a little about Montgomery, because not a lot of people have yet discovered Salem, and she's certainly doing amazing service to a show that's essentially an entertainingly schlocky supernatural melodrama. But one shouldn't ignore the heartfelt and heartbreaking turn by Parsons as a prostitute caught in the middle of an impossible family struggle. Though Gloriana was written out of the show, I believe her return could only help a program still finding its identity in many respects.

Kerry Bishé as Donna Clark on Halt and Catch Fire 

The showy female part on this AMC drama is Mackenzie Davis' Cameron Howe, but the one I came to love is Donna Clark.  On paper, Donna is the most thankless role on the show, the wife to a genius engineer who must keep their household together while he grinds toward something great. The thing is, Donna is just as smart as Gordon and, in her way, just as wildly creative.  Unlike many shows where a female is seen as the harpy preventing the male character from achieving some sort of greatness, Donna is the one clearly in the right of any familial argument. Even a potentially troubling storyline involving a possible affair takes an unexpected zigzag, and the misdirection works because Bishé has succeeded in making Donna so sympathetic and dynamic a character.

Robin McLeavy as Eva Ferguson on Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels is a curious case for me. It does some things really well, particularly allowing Anson Mount to play a taciturn Western hero, and has some amazing actors in the cast. But Hell of Wheels also dealt with a serious creative shake-up halfway through its existence, and often runs into the problem of forcing square characters into round scenes on any given week in order to move the story along.  Best case, a strong actor can shine a light on a different facet of the character. Worst case, it's just a mess. Happily, Hell on Wheels has Robin McLeavy, who is the best of the best case.  I don't think any actor on the show has had to sell sharp story turns as often as McLeavy, but she makes Eva grounded, believable, and powerful even in defeat and tragedy. Mount is the star of the show, but McLeavy is the team MVP.

Annet Mahendru as Nina Sergeevna on The Americans

I can't wait for the third season on The Americans, because the first two were so damn good and the potential is there for this to be an all-time great show.  It nails its character melodrama perfectly, and it's period details are both fun and lived-in all at once. Keri Russell is the star and deserves all her due praise, but the conceit of the show means Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings won't be caught in their spy game anytime soon.  So while the show is a thriller, knowing the lead characters won't be discovered undercuts the thrills ever so slightly.  Fortunately we have Nina, a Soviet embassy employee compromised by the FBI . Though she has no interaction with the ostensible lead characters, much of the drama on the show has centered around which side Nina is going to choose and if she'll survive the choice. Mahendru slyly underplays many of her scenes, refusing to telegraph which way Nina is going to swerve, but you always see the gears turning in her head. A lot of shows tread water when the leads are away and the B and C plots take over, but Mahendru makes the show's primary subplot compelling as hell.

Trieste Kelly Dunn as Siobhan Kelly on Banshee

Banshee is such an all-in show filled with such eccentric characters that I feel one of its strongest performers is frequently lost in the shuffle.  With Ivana Milicevic doing amazing work as the clear leading lady of the show and Lili Simmons sexually carpet bombing the town, Dunn's soulful, grounded woman-coming-into-her-own Siobhan Kelly, though certainly kickass and sexy all in her own right, seems overlooked at times.  Which is a damn shame, because she's become the moral center of the show and the beacon of normalcy for not-really-the-sheriff Lucas Hood. I know that with a sprawling cast and so many characters to serve, Siobhan may not get a spotlight every week, but when she's been asked to take it (season one's "The Kindred" and season two's "The Thunder Man"), she owns the screen.  Dunn is a legitimately great actress, and I hope Siobhan is well-represented in season three.

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