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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Best Female Spy Movies & TV Shows to Watch After Black Widow

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Black Widow is out, bringing the women-led spy genre to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film follows Natasha Romanov in the time between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War as she works to bring down the Red Room, aka the Soviet-affiliated program that took her as a baby and brainwashed her into becoming an assassin. While the women-centric spy drama may be new for the MCU, it’s has been one of the most prolific and entertaining action sub-genres over the past few decades. If you’ve watched Black Widow and you’re looking for more taut and emotional spy thrillers to check out, we have some TV and film suggestions for you…

Hanna

Many have seen the 2011 action feature directed by Joe Wright and starring Saoirse Ronan as a girl assassin raised in the wilderness by her spy father Eric Bana, but the TV series based on the film is even better. Currently moving towards its third season, the Amazon Prime series has so much more room to delve into the nuances of the film’s premise, especially in its second season, which moves completely past the events of the movie. While the first season leans into the coming-of-age themes inherent in Hanna venturing out into the world for the very first time, the second season chooses to delve further into the spy drama of it all, expanding the series’ focus to center some of the other teen super soldiers born into the same program Hanna was rescued from as a baby. If you would have liked to learn more about the other Widows Natasha and Yelena are working to save in Black Widow, then Hanna is the show for you.

Atomic Blonde

Stylish and featuring some of the best fight scenes this side of John Wick (the film’s director David Leitch, also worked on John Wick), Atomic Blonde stars the incomparable Charlize Theron as a spy tasked with finding a lost of double agents that is being smuggled into the West on the eve of the Berlin Wall’s collapse. Like Black Widow, Atomic Blonde only has so much narrative time to delve into the complexities of this set up and setting and, maybe sensing it won’t be able to do them justice, instead leans into the aesthetic and action of this world. It works, thanks in no small part to performers like Theron, James McAvoy, and Sofia Boutella, who bring to life the stress, violence, and desperation of this intersection of place and time far better than its script.

Queen Sono

American and British spy dramas often have white westerners traveling to other, poorer nations for missions, depicting a real-life colonial power structure while rarely interrogating it. Queen Sono, billed as Netflix‘s first African original series (it is a South African series, specifically), is a spy drama that centers Black characters and community in fun and powerful ways, bringing the familiar tropes of the genre to what will probably be a new setting for most American viewers. Queen Sono follows South African spy Queen (Pearl Thusi) as she works to balance her dangerous and clandestine missions with her personal life. Funny, emotional, and action-packed, Queen Sono is a must-see for any spy drama lover looking for something new—and it’s a damn shame Netflix won’t be moving forward with a second season.

Alias

To me, Alias will always be the original. The female-led spy drama was on network television when I was a teenager, and its combination (especially in the first season and a half) of fierce fight sequences, tense spycraft, and character-driven drama made it my favorite show. Like Black Widow, Alias is grounded in family drama, most especially the father-daughter relationship between Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) and spy dad Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), but later bringing in other familial dynamics as well. The series starts as your classic double agent story, as Sydney decides to take down the agency she works for after they have her fiance killed, but, in classic J.J. Abrams style, the plot really spirals out from there—for better and worse. Airing for five season and more than 105 episodes, if you’re looking for more family-driven spy drama, Alias is the show for you.

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Deutschland 86

All three “seasons” of this excellent German-language Cold War spy series that follows an East German boy forced to become a spy in West Germany are worth watching, but the second installment, set in 1986, gives us viewers many more lady spy characters to be impressed by compared to the original Deutschland 83 story. Main character Jonas remains the protagonist of this tale, but his Aunt Lenora, probably the best spy in the entire show, takes an even bigger role in Deutschland 1986 and the subsequent Deutschland 89, as does her lover/partner Rose, a South African operative working for the African National Congress and played by the MCU’s Florence Kasumba. Throw in Jonas’ baby mama Annett, back in East Germany working as a junior intelligence agent, and the mysterious Brigitte, and you have a second season teeming with complex and cutthroat women spies.

Nikita

This highly underrated spy series ran for four action-packed seasons on The CW before totally sticking its landing in 2013. Technically an adaptation of the 1997 La Femme Nikita TV series, which was in turn an adaptation of Luc Besson’s 1990 action film of the same name, Nikita quickly surpassed both originals to become one of the best female-led spy stories of all time. Starring Maggie Q as the titular Nikita, the series began after the former spy has vowed to take down the secret agency that trained her, known as the Division. Our story begins when Nikita plants her protege, Alex, within Division, with a plan to work together to take the agency down. Of course, going undercover comes with its own emotional and ethical complications, and Alex may not know all that there is to know about her mentor Nikita, and Nikita’s role in Alex’s tragic past. With a stellar supporting cast that includes Melinda Clarke and Xander Berkeley, Nikita was far better than it needed to be and, if your a fan of the action spy genre, is definitely worth watching.

Killing Eve

Maybe it was the Russian accent, but Yelena has mad Villanelle vibes in Black Widow, and I mean that in the least psychopathic way possible. Unless you live under a rock, you’re probably aware of this BBC America series starring Sandra Oh as a bored MI-5 agent and Jodie Comer as the spy-assassin she becomes obsessed with catching, but if you haven’t yet checked it out and are looking for another female-driven spy story with plenty of banter, then Killing Eve is the show for you. The second season gets a little rocky, but with a riveting season three and the announcement that season four will be the show’s last, now is the time to jump on the Killing Eve bandwagon.

Little Drummer Girl

In terms of tone or style, Little Drummer Girl shares little with Black Widow—it’s much more geopolitical thriller than superhero action—but I’m including the British spy series on the list because it does share a star with Black Widow. Yelena’s Florence Pugh plays an aspiring actress named Charlie who is recruited by Mossad to infiltrate a Palestinian group planning an attack in Europe. Based on a novel of the same name by acclaimed spy author John le Carré, the six-episode series is directed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and co-stars Michael Shannon and Alexander Skarsgård, and the talent is not wasted. The miniseries delves much more into the ethics of spycraft than Black Widow is able or comfortable doing, asking difficult questions about how violence and manipulation are used and justified across national lines. If you’re looking for a spy drama that isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions, then Little Drummer Girl is for you.

Gunpowder Milkshake

OK, this one is more of an assassin drama than a spy drama, but the cast is too good not to include it on the list. Starring Doctor Who‘s Karen Gillan and Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey as a pair of daughter/mother assassins, Gunpowder Milkshake is another action thriller that is all in with the familial dynamics. Past the two stars, Gunpowder Milkshake also features the iconic Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino, rounding out the cast of action women. The film doesn’t drop on Netflix (in the U.S.) and theaters (elsewhere) until Friday, but you’ll be ready.

The post Best Female Spy Movies & TV Shows to Watch After Black Widow appeared first on Den of Geek.

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spilledcoffeefrommy · 4 years

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Nikita kicking ass forever.🤘🏻Maggie Q. will still and forever be my gold standard for female action stars. Fan girl forevuuur.✨ 2020 anyone?🤗

Also, if you enjoy action movies, here are some of her movies that I recommend.

Naked Weapon (Lemme just say this, not for kids ya hear haha. But this is the first movie where I saw her portray a role, and her moves/stunts were flawless. I mean, she trained under the great Jackie Chan so.. no explanation needed.)

Mission: Impossible III

Live Free or Die Hard

Balls of Fury

Series: I’ve only watched Nikita and Stalker, both I loved! Still debating on Designated Survivor ‘coz she is not the lead—lead.😅

#nikita #maggieq.#action #ninjawarrior #2020 #femmefatale #stalker #hollywood #thecwshows #SporadicallyIntrovert

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shotsbyshae · 5 years

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Control

Summary

A Lexi Wilson Story. A much needed girl's night out goes according to plan for Charlie and Lexi until a pretty face catches the eye of the red-head, a new friend calls Lexi out on her bullshit, and an unexpected phone call changes her life.

A/N: Trying to slowly post all the Lexi fics I have in my collection.

Some girls are full of heartache and poetry and those are the kind of girls who try to save wolves instead of running away from them. – Nikita Gill

Word Count: 4074

OC Cast: Lexi Wilson - Chloe Bennet; Evan Clark - Chris Evans

The dark-haired girl is asleep on the infirmary bed while Rowena carefully places a stone amulet around her neck. She gently touches the girl’s shoulder comfortingly before she exits the room, worry evident on her face. The witch stops in the doorway of the kitchen as two sets of eyes look at her expectantly.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” the red-head begins, “the magic inside her…”

Rowena shakes her head as she tries to figure out her next words.

“What?” Dean questions.

“It’s more than just natural magic,” Rowena finally says.

Dean shares a look with his brother and Sam glances back to the red-head, “What’s that even mean?”

“I don’t have the answers you’re looking for,” Rowena responds with a shrug of her shoulders, “I’ve given her a binding amulet, it’s equivalent to the handcuffs you were using, until she can learn to control it…I’ll be happy to help guide her in any way that I can, but it’s up to her.”

“Are you saying she’s more powerful than you?” Dean questions her with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m not answering that question,” Rowena remarks, pointing a stern finger at the brother, “but I’ll stay until she wakes up. Where’d the pretty one go?”

Both brothers give the red-headed woman looks of disapproval as Sam states, “He had to go, something about his friend killing him over the mess he left at her house. He said he’d check in later.”

“Pretty one,” Dean remarks, “really?”

Rowena gives him a smirk and a shrug of her shoulders before she turns to go check on Lexi.

A few weeks later

“At least it looks nice,” Charlie says as she points at the blue pendant resting at the base of Lexi’s neck, “and it works?”

“No magic,” the girl responds wiggling her fingers at this alternate version of her friend, “until I can master it on my own.”

The red-head smiles as she pulls open the door to the bar, “After you Sabrina.”

Lexi rolls her eyes at the comment, the loud music and smell of alcohol hitting her like a wall as soon as Charlie had opened the door. She smiles at the atmosphere and grabs Charlie’s hand as the two of them make their way to the bar. It was the red-head’s idea for a girl’s night and Lexi couldn’t agree more. Drinks, dancing, and blowing off steam after a very stressful last few weeks was exactly what she needed, just a night of not thinking about life, consequences, and fate.

There’s probably anywhere from fifty to sixty people crammed inside bar, some seated along the wall or at the bar, some are dancing, while some gather around the pool tables which occupy the far end of the room.

Charlie looks at Lexi with a devious smile, “What kind of night are we having? Whiskey…rum…tequila?”

The dark-haired girl ponders for a moment, then the corners of lips curl up mischievously as she and Charlie both say simultaneously, “Tequila.”

After several mini dance parties, a few stronger than usual margaritas (thanks Joe), and an impromptu sing-along session of “Just a Girl” in the women’s restroom, Lexi is now watching Charlie hustle a twenty-something frat boy in a game of pool, while the girl she’s been flirting with stands close by watching with admiration. Lexi’s vaguely listening to the frat guy’s friend who is standing beside her, obviously trying to flirt, but she’s too busy watching Charlie expertly run the table.

“Of all the bars in Kansas,” Lexi hears a voice say and she closes her eyes, Oh shit.

She tilts her head slowly to look up at the person who’s leaning against the metal column beside her and sees Evan smirking back at her. It had been a couple weeks since she’d seen him last.

“Well,” she raises a curious eyebrow, “this is my bar, so what are you doing here?”

“Your bar?” he looks confused, as frat boy dejectedly turns away from the situation.

“I work here,” she responds, then holds up her drink, “not tonight though.”

“I see,” Evan responds and nods his head, “well, this wasn’t my choice.”

“Ooohhhh,” Lexi turns trying to look past him as she says quietly, “you’re on a date.”

“More like I agreed to meet someone here,” he replies quickly, looking over his shoulder, “and I shouldn’t have.”

“Like ex-girlfriend?” she questions.

Evan takes a deep breath, then looks at her with a little bit of shame apparent on his face, “More like a girl I used to hang out with...on occasion that I forgot was very, very, clingy.”

“Booty call,” Lexi states trying not to laugh.

“What?”

“The term is booty call,” she continues, then pats his chest reassuringly, “rookie move, texting a clinger. Have fun with that.”

Lexi turns back to continue watching Charlie’s game of pool and she takes a long sip from her drink. She watches her friend for a moment before she realizes Evan is still standing there and she glances back up at him.

“Do me a favor?” he questions, his expression begging for her help, “Please.”

Lexi makes her way to the bar where Evan is standing next to a blonde-haired woman who stands just a few inches taller than herself. The dark-haired girl walks with determination up to the other woman and gently places a reassuring hand on the middle of her back and greets her with a warm smile.

“Hi,” Lexi says politely to the blonde, then she turns a stern face toward Evan, “Someone’s being naughty.”

There’s a momentary flash of panic in Evan’s eyes at the tone of voice Lexi’s using with him, where’s she going with this?

“What?” the blonde woman questions.

“Oh,” Lexi glances back at her, she doesn’t even recognize the tone of voice she’s using, “sweetie. You don’t know?”

The woman looks utterly confused at the situation and Lexi leans close to her in order to say quietly, “See, the thing is, Evan’s found that he really likes to answer to someone, if you catch my kink?”

“Shit,” Evan says under his breath as he drops his eyes to the bar in front of him.

She looks at Lexi smiling but still not understanding her, “I don’t.”

I wasn’t planning on giving a lecture on the subject, Lexi thinks to herself.

“Well,” Lexi begins, glancing back to Evan momentarily, completely satisfied with the level of uncomfortableness on his face, “have you ever heard of a dominatrix?”

“Oh,” the girl’s eyes light up, “like Elena was to Christian in the books?”

“Exactly!” Lexi smiles seductively to her, then gives her a wink, “So, you are kind of a pawn in this little game he likes to play, and when I find out he’s with another woman, I can punish him to the fullest extent of my abilities, isn’t that right babe?”

Evan looks over to Lexi, “Yes mistress.”

Lexi snaps her fingers authoritatively at him, “Did I say you could look at me?”

Evan jerks his eyes back down to the bar, “No mistress.”

“That’s messed up,” the blonde looks a little upset, but then she smirks, “but hot.”

She grins appreciatively to Lexi as she grabs her coat and leaves the bar. The dark-haired hunter turns her mischievous smirk over to Evan who gives her a sidelong glance, “I deserved that.”

“Bet your ass you did,” she replies, then nods her head back toward the pool tables in the back, “now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a girl’s night to get back to.”

“Understood,” Evan states, “Thanks again for the save.”

“No problem,” she gives a wave of her hand as makes her way through the bar.

Charlie walks over to her inquisitively as she gets closer, “Where’d you go?”

“Saw someone I knew,” Lexi replies with a grin, “went over to say hi.”

The red-head wiggles her eyebrows playfully, “Like flirty hi? Because if the hot J. Law look alike keeps her game up, I’m sorry, but I’m not going home with you.”

Lexi laughs out loud at the comment and she replies, “You do you boo. No judgement here, she is hot.”

“Right,” Charlie’s smirk is priceless as she continues, “So, I need you to get your flirt on, that way I don’t feel too bad when I ditch you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Lexi replies with a smile, then looks past Charlie to the small table she and Charlie had their drinks on, “where’s my drink?”

“Oh,” the red-head responds, “yea, she drank it by mistake.”

“Do you even know her name?” Lexi questions with a grin.

“Jen?” Charlie shrugs her shoulders, “No, I’m pretty sure it’s Molly…or Maggie.”

Lexi shakes her head, “I’m going for another drink then, would you like one?”

“No,” her friend holds her hand up, “I’m riding the good buzz right now.”

The dark-haired girl nods her understanding before she turns and heads back towards the bar. Evan is still sitting on the bar stool where she’d left him moments ago, except now he has a beer in his hand. He smirks when he sees her walking back towards him, “Couldn’t stay away?”

“No,” she narrows her eyes at him for a brief moment, before she stretches up on her tip toes to lean across the bar top, “Joe, I need a refill when you get a chance please.”

The bartender gives her a wink, letting her know he heard her order over the music and constant chatter of the other customers at the bar. Lexi turns her back to the bar and leans against it slightly as she waits on her drink.

“Girl’s night huh?” Evan questions.

“It was,” Lexi says, “but my friend seems to have found someone to take home, so…”

“Ahhh,” he replies, “she’s dumping you.”

“Yea, I don’t blame her though.”

She hears Joe place a glass on the bar behind her and she turns around to grab it. She takes a sip, letting the sweet and sour taste wrinkle her face, as Charlie’s voice rings out from behind her, “Hey Lex, we’re going to take off.”

That was quick.

Lexi turns around and sees Charlie standing there with Molly/Maggie and she smiles, giving her friend a quick hug, “Okay, be careful. Text me when you get wherever you’re going.”

“Charlie,” Molly/Maggie says in sad tone, obviously a little tipsy “we don’t have to leave your friend by herself.”

The brunette pushes Lexi’s hair behind her ear in a flirty fashion as Lexi giggles uncomfortably, “No…no, I’m good.”

Charlie looks amused at her friend’s unease at the situation, so she adds, “Are you sure? Three’s better than two.”

Evan nearly chokes on his beer as Lexi shoots Charlie a death glare, but Molly/Maggie moves closer and her lips are on Lexi’s before the dark-haired girl can register what’s happening. Evan doesn’t feel bad for watching this moment transpire, because Joe is glancing over too, as well as everyone else within five feet of them.

When the brunette pulls away from Lexi, she smiles seductively at her, “Sure you don’t wanna come with us?”

“I will,” a stranger from the bar mutters.

“Look,” Evan leans in on the conversation, looking at the brunette with a smirk “I thought she and I were having a moment, how the hell am I supposed to compete with you?”

The woman looks genuinely upset, “Oh no! I’m sorry. A moment? Aww, that’s adorable, Charlie look how handsome he is.”

“Yea,” Charlie’s trying to contain her laughter, “Lexi’s in good hands, let’s go.”

Lexi gives a nod of her head to the woman and she can still see the amusement on Charlie’s face as she turns to walk with the brunette out of the bar.

“Wow!” Evan says as Lexi turns back to the bar still in disbelief.

“Right,” she replies as she moves her hand to her mouth and pulls something out, “this isn’t my gum.”

She sticks the souvenir on a napkin and takes a long sip from her drink as Evan closes his eyes tightly, a smile permanently plastered to his face at the moment, “So, so many comments.”

“Keep them to yourself,” she remarks.

He nods, then takes a sip of his beer as he watches the girl tap the side of her glass absent mindedly with her index finger.

“What’s the game plan now?” he questions her.

Lexi snaps out her thoughts and glances over at him, “I think I’m going to hang out for a while, you?”

He cocks an eyebrow, “Is that an invitation?”

Lexi narrows her eyes at him playfully, “No handsome, it’s not. I know what your game plan was tonight with blondie…and I’m not your consolation prize.”

Evan scoffs in offense, “Get over yourself Wilson.”

“Excuse you?” her smirk falls.

“I’m not stupid,” he turns on the stool to face her, a small grin on his face, “I’ve seen the way you look at him.”

Lexi stares at him for a moment, then glances down at her glass as he continues, “Hell, I’m pretty sure if it came down to it, and it had been left up to me and I wasn’t able to bring you back, he would have killed me. So, I get it, you’re complicated.”

“More now, than before,” she says quietly, still staring at the ice in her glass.

He waits a moment before saying, “I’m listening.”

Lexi hesitates, but she’s not been able to talk with Jody or Donna about the events of that day and Charlie’s great, but she’s still not her Charlie. What the hell? “When Laura ordered me to kill Sam that day…I saw the hatred in Dean’s eyes, the hatred for me. I wanted to unbind my powers to have the advantage over Laura and look where that got me? I killed Logan, I almost killed Sam, I caused more damage than anything, and now…now I can’t even freakin’ control it. They look at me like I’m sick or…worse, like I’m broken now.”

She chews on her bottom lip for a moment, swallowing the lump in her throat before she continues, “I’m not broken, I know what broken feels like, I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been before, and I think that scares them. I was supposed to go to a family game night a couple nights ago. Mary called to invite me, but I couldn’t make myself go.”

“Lexi, they care about you,” he says reassuringly, “that’s obvious.”

“I know,” she replies quietly, “but I’m not the same person I was, and that’s obvious too.”

Evan waits a beat before he questions her, “How’s the training coming along?”

“Good,” she replies quickly, “it’s good.”

He stares at her curiously for a moment, seeing her sudden uneasiness. Lexi looks over at him and sighs as she drops her head back down, “Okay, I haven’t been training. Rowena’s tried, but I keep putting it off.”

“Seriously?” Evan questions her, then pulls his wallet out of his pocket. He digs some cash out and lays it on the bar beside his empty bottle, “Fine, come on.”

“What?” she questions in confusion.

“Come on,” he repeats himself, “I’m driving.”

Lexi thinks about protesting as he offers her his arm, but instead she loops her arm through his and remarks, “Fine, but I’m only going because I’m hungry and we’re stopping for food at some point.”

“Deal,” he laughs as they make their way out of the bar.

“What are we doing here?” Lexi sounds annoyed as she looks at the dark empty field scattered with round haybales in front of her.

Evan lowers the tailgate of his truck and hops up to sit on it as he says nonchalantly, “Training.”

“WHAT?!” She spins around to face him.

“You heard me,” he smirks.

“No,” she replies, “I’m not.”

“I’m sorry,” Evan responds as he folds his arms across his chest, “Earlier you were saying how you think your friends might be scared of you, but what I’m thinking is…you’re scared of yourself.”

Lexi puts her hands on her hips defiantly, “That’s not it…I’m not...”

“Then take the amulet off,” Evan responds, “You have a choice Lexi, you can either fear it or learn to control it.”

“I could hurt you,” she replies quickly.

He holds up his hands, wiggling his fingers, “I can protect myself, take the amulet off or I’ll do it for you.”

Lexi’s heart starts to race, but she takes a deep breath as she reaches up to unclasp the necklace from around her neck, then carefully lays it on the tailgate beside Evan.

“Now what,” she questions.

“Focus,” he says, leaning to put his elbows on his knees, “focus your energy on one of those bales.”

Lexi turns to look back into the field and she clenches her hands into fists tightly, feeling the strange power rushing through her veins. She raises her right hand up outstretched towards one of the hay bales as she focuses her mind, imaging the haybale exploding into a million stray pieces of cut grass, then she watches in delight as her vision begins a realization.

“I did it,” she says proudly, turning to look at Evan who’s smiling as well.

“I know,” he replies, “You were given these powers for a reason Lexi. You own them, they don’t own you. You shouldn’t have to keep trying to fight them or bind them, you have to own them. Now, try again.”

She nods her understanding and turns back around, centering herself and focusing on the next haybale for a moment before it explodes as well. Then carefully she moves her hand from haybale to haybale exploding the seven remaining visible bales in the field.

Lexi turns around proudly as Evan slides off the tailgate, “Well done grasshopper.”

Her cellphone begins to ring from the back pocket of her jeans and Lexi pulls it out, realizing it’s not quite as late as she thought it was and sees the name on the screen Sam W.

“Hello,” she answers, placing the phone to her ear.

“Lex,” Sam says softly, “I should have called you sooner.”

Her heart immediately drops from the tone in his voice, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Mom…she’s uh…” his voice breaks, “gone.”

The tears welling up in her eyes burn, so she closes them as she drops her head, “Where are you?”

“Bunker.”

“I’m on my way,” she replies before ending the call. She slips the phone back in her pocket as she picks the amulet up and reaches up to slip it back around her neck, her gaze meeting Evan’s.

“What’s wrong?” He questions, concern apparent on his face.

“Their mom,” Lexi begins, trying to keep her tears at bay, “she died, I need to go. Can you take me?”

“Of course,” he responds before lifting the tailgate shut.

“I’ll wait here,” Evan says as he parks the truck outside of the bunker.

The dark-haired girl nods her head in understanding as she opens the door, “Thank you.”

He nods then watches her close the door and descend the steps leading into the bunker.

Lexi makes her way through the door and down the staircase, her eyes red from the tears she’s let silently fall on the drive over. Mary Winchester wasn’t her mother, but she was one of the first women to treat her like a daughter. It feels as if someone has ripped her heart out of her chest and the pain only intensifies when her gaze falls on Sam, who’s walking across the war room to greet her, and she sees the pain and grief on his face.

He pulls her into a hug, and they cling to each other for longer than normal, silent tears falling from both of them. Dean makes his way to the doorway from the kitchen and stops upon seeing them. When they release each other, they notice the older brother watching and Lexi gives him a small sad smile as she walks over to hug him as well. He wraps his arms around her for a moment before pulling away and Lexi can tell immediately tell he’s not reached the level of acceptance that his brother has.

“Come on,” he says to her, “I’ll get you a beer.”

He turns and heads toward the kitchen and Lexi glances back at Sam with concern.

Lexi takes a sip of her beer as she processes her thoughts after Sam explains to her what happened with Jack and Mary.

“Where’s he now?” she questions.

“We don’t know,” Sam replies.

“We’ll find him,” Dean says sternly.

“And then what?” Lexi questions, glancing at him with concern.

“We do what we have to?” Dean responds.

“I bet,” Lexi scoffs with a shake of her head.

“I’m sorry?” Dean cocks an eyebrow at her.

“He’s still family Dean,” she responds angrily, “we don’t know what happened, maybe it wasn’t his fault, maybe it was an accident.”

“Killing someone’s an accident?” the older brother’s tone is harsh.

“Dean,” Sam tries to diffuse the situation as Lexi glances down at the bottle in front of her for a moment before she turns an icy gaze back to the man standing by the bar.

“So, you’re saying I killed Logan on purpose?”

Dean’s whole posture softens as he sees the comparison she’s making, “That’s not what I meant Lexi. You know that. Jack is different, he’s dangerous.”

“So am I,” she replies coldly.

“Lex,” the younger brother says, a pleading tone in his voice. Tensions are high enough without the two of them fighting right now.

“Sorry Sam,” Lexi looks at him for a moment, sadness in her eyes, “I should go.”

“Don’t,” he shakes his head.

“I’m sorry,” she responds, knowing she can’t sit here and argue with her friend. They all deserve time to mourn, they don’t need to be arguing right now. She pats Sam’s hand gently as she stands up, “I’ll call you later.”

Lexi turns to leave, her gaze stopping on Dean for a moment. He’s not angry with her, he’s angry with the situation and his face softens as he gives her a soft nod in understanding. She returns it and makes her way out of the room.

Lexi opens the truck door and Evan doesn’t comment on the fresh stream of tears on her cheeks as she climbs in and fastens her seatbelt.

“Take me home,” she says quietly without looking over at him, “please.”

He doesn’t respond only turns the key in the ignition and puts the truck in drive as she stares at the passenger window fighting back the surge of emotions.

A few days later

The knock from Lexi’s door surprises her and she pauses the TV before she stands up to make her way over to answer it. She looks through the peep hole and quickly opens the door to allow her friend inside. His eyes are red and slightly puffy, a clear sign he’s been crying, but she doesn’t say anything. Lexi closes the door as he walks over to sit in one of her chairs in the living room, he leans forward elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. She knows this isn’t about the argument from the other night, this is him finally accepting what’s happened. The dark-haired girl moves to stand beside him and runs a comforting hand from the top his head to the base of his neck.

The man looks up at her for a moment as he places his hand on her waist, guiding her to stand in front of him. She’s seen a multitude of emotions in her friend’s green eyes over the years: anger, bliss, fear, sadness, disgust, need, and desire. This one she knows, and she lays her arms across the tops of his shoulders as he rests his head against her abdomen and envelopes her hips in his arms. Her heart breaks as she feels the tears seeping through the fabric of her t-shirt, leaving a cool damp spot on her skin. She moves her hand to the back of his head and runs her fingers through his hair. She would stand here and hold him for as long as he needed, because they were each other’s person, complicated as it may be.

#supernatural fanfiction #supernatural #dean winchester #Sam Winchester #chris evans #OC #witches #hurt/comfort #friendship

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low-budget-korra · 5 years

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Resident Evil Fancast

Fancast just for fun, reflecting my current view of these characters I've been following since childhood

It was a little hard to choose because the characters have changed so much over the years, it was almost like every game was a different face. So I took into consideration the faces that I see the fans like the most and really see as "okay, this is the character" and i'm also ignoring the age difference between character and actors

Chris Redfield

Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth

I chose both as an option for the character because both actors convey to me an air of maturity, responsibility and seriousness without losses they sensibility and the layers i think the character had. And both Captain America and Thor have this, when you look closer to the character you can see the layers in the interpretation of both of the actors

Jill Valentine

Lyndsy Fonseca or Lauren Cohan

One thing I believe stood out in Jill after the RE Remake's new face was the eyes, the piercing gaze. So i choose them becaude i think they both have really expressive eyes. And after seeing their work in Nikita and TWD, i mean, they know how to make a survivor

Claire Redfield

Emilia Clarke or Naomi Scott

I also chose the eyes, as Claire has a genuinely kind eyes and feature. And looking at both actresses I have this same vibe, from someone kind, fun, caring. Claire is a lioness when is about to help who she loves and she is not afraid of defend her ideas, just like Daenerys Targaryen and Jasmine

Leon S. Kennedy

Jacob Elordi or Zac Efron

Leon gives me a cool bad boy vibe. That kind of person that you think is just tough and insensitive but may actually be someone very cute and companion. The look of the character gives me that. And also both of the actors are seen just as pretty face until they have the chance to prove to be way more than that, just like Leon

Albert Wesker

Antony Starr or Alexander Skarsgard

I chose both because i think they would be amazing selling Wesker's "cold eyes" and evil with elegance and after seeing Antony as Homelander, he became my fan fave for the character. I mean, Homelander is basically Wesker with mommy issues

Barry Burton

Just David Harbour. That’s it

Ada Wong

Maggie Q or Karen Fukuhara

Since Nikita i cant imagine someone better them Maggie Q for the role. But after seeing Karen in The Boys, i like the idea of her playing the role

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How The Protégé Brings Maggie Q and Michael Keaton Back to Their Action Hero Roots

https://ift.tt/3kfI4AN

The Protégé is the story of three deadly assassins, trained killers for seemingly their entire lives, whose paths cross in unexpected ways. Maggie Q plays Anna, who was rescued as a child by Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and raised by him to become the world’s most dangerous killer for hire. When her father figure/mentor himself is slaughtered, she goes after those responsible — but has to go through a mysterious man named Rembrandt (Michael Keaton), himself a professional assassin with whom a mutual yet suspicious attraction develops.

The Protégé is directed by Martin Campbell, the New Zealand-born filmmaker best known for two of the biggest James Bond films of all time, 1995’s GoldenEye with Pierce Brosnan and 2006’s Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. Campbell, whose other credits include the groundbreaking 1985 UK series Edge of Darkness, 1998’s The Mask of Zorro, and the 2017 Jackie Chan thriller The Foreigner, knows the action genre inside and out but was drawn to The Protégé by several unique elements.

“There were two things,” he tells Den of Geek. “I thought the story was really interesting, there are surprises in it, and it’s quite complex. But secondly, the relationships between Anna and the Sam Jackson character and Anna and the Michael Keaton character, Rembrandt — it was those relationships, plus the narrative itself. Plus, it’s sort of sprinkled with a sense of humor throughout the whole thing. So it was a combination of all of those.”

Campbell says he was also eager to work in this genre with a female protagonist. In Maggie Q, whose credits include the CW series Nikita and films like Rush Hour 2, Divergent, Mission: Impossible III and Fantasy Island, he just happened to team up with an actress known for her own considerable action abilities — although he wasn’t aware of that when she came onto his radar.

“Ironically I knew nothing about [her action chops] when I cast her,” Campbell says. “I actually saw a clip with Ethan Hawke — a love story, I think — and her performance was excellent. So I based it on that. And her ability with action, I had no clue about until afterwards, so obviously, that was a real plus.”

Working with a star who’s very capable of doing much of her own stunt work has its pros and cons, says the director, citing both the flexibility it gives him as a director while also being aware that one misstep can land his star in the hospital and set back the entire production.

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“She did most of her stunts herself,” he reveals. “I think these days with face replacement and so forth, everyone thinks those things are digitally enhanced. But for me, I was just very lucky that she could do all that. I barely had to double her throughout the whole movie. That was a huge advantage. It always is, because inevitably when you double, of course, you end up having to do face replacement.”

While Maggie was a known quantity in terms of her ability to handle action, Campbell says he was most surprised by Keaton. Nearly 30 years removed from his last stint as Batman (until now, as we all know), Keaton has gravitated more toward dramatic roles in recent years and even his villainous turn as the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming was largely digital when it came to the action. But that was not the case with The Protégé.

“Michael is clearly not as trained as [Maggie] is,” says Campbell. “But again, with all that sort of action, what you need is really commitment from the actors to go for it and rehearse it and train for, and he did. He did well. Of course, I had to double him a little bit more than Maggie, but he really stepped up to it. I think he was determined to prove that he can do it all justice the same way as Maggie.”

Campbell adds that whether it’s the action scenes or the dramatic turns that the story takes, having actors like Keaton, Jackson and Maggie Q all playing off each other elevates the game for all of them — especially when it comes to the friction between Keaton’s coolly lethal killer and Maggie’s vengeance-driven one-woman army.

“The great thing about the script is the sort of competitive edge between them,” Campbell says. “I mean, [Keaton and Maggie] are both assassins and both equally good. She’s certainly equal to him. There’s sexual tension between [Keaton and Maggie], but there is this competitive edge all throughout the film, which clearly at the end has to be resolved one way or another. I thought Richard Wenk, the writer, did a great job in terms of making that relationship work.”

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Without giving away too much, it’s safe to say that Anna’s quest ends with her in a different place than where she started — but there’s room for Maggie Q to take the character into new territory should the opportunity arise. “Nobody’s talked about a franchise with this,” says Campbell about the possibility of continuing Anna’s story. “It’s a kind of one-off, but in this industry, anything that even smells of a franchise they leap on and want to do Part 2. And I think Maggie would be terrific doing a sequel.”

The Protégé is out in theaters this Friday (August 20).

The post How The Protégé Brings Maggie Q and Michael Keaton Back to Their Action Hero Roots appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2XITp4G

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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pass-the-bechdel · 7 years

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La Femme Nikita s01e01 ‘Nikita’

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, four times.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Three (50%)

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Three (50%)

Positive Content Rating:

Two

General Episode Quality:

Dated, and more interesting than good.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

The episode first passes precisely at seven minutes, with a minute-and-a-half conversation where Madeline explains to Nikita what Section One is, and talks about the power of femininity. It passes again, at twenty-five minutes, between Nikita and Carla, who welcomes Nikita to the building and introduces herself. Not long after, Nikita and Madeline pass twice in quick succession during the prelude to a mission.

Female Characters:

Nikita

Madeline

Carla

Male Characters:

Michael

Operations

Gideon Van Vactor

Other Notes:

Nikita, we’re reminded in the ending credits, is based on characters of the Luc Besson film of the same name. While technically true, many of its elements are actually taken from this 1997 – 2001 series, the first TV adaptation of the film, which took several of the film’s throwaway characters and concepts and used them to create a foundation for both itself and the CW series.

For those watching Nikita: Madeline (who is played by Alberta Watson, a.k.a. Senator Madeline Pierce in the CW series) is this show’s version of Amanda, while Operations is the closest thing to its Percy. Carla, despite the name, is more akin to Nathan, without the romantic element—she’s Nikita’s new neighbor, whom she meets not long after she’s assigned an apartment. Michael is Michael. Division is called Section One here. Alex, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found: she was created for the CW show to fill the “new agent” role usually held by Nikita herself.

Real-world groups Shining Path and Hezbollah are name-dropped, and described simply as anti-Western terrorist groups. It feels a bit eyebrow-raising, in a show that aired in 1997.

Carla, much to her mother’s chagrin, is a carpenter. Hers is a thankless character so far, but I like her.

The two other regular characters in the show, Birkhoff and Walter (Section One’s quartermaster) appear in the episode and have lines, but aren’t actually named within it.

Like the original film, La Femme Nikita is set during Nikita’s time with Division / Section One, making this episode feel, at times, like a pseudo-prequel to the Maggie Q version.

That said, this episode is not quite that, with several key differences that fundamentally alter the story. This take on Nikita is neither a killer nor drug addict when brought into the Section (she’s been wrongfully convicted of murder) and the series plays up her innocence in ways no prior or subsequent version of the story do. Second, Section One, despite being more openly dehumanizing and abusive than Division ever was—Madeline gives the game away early on, bluntly letting Nikita know that “they own you now"—is not presented as Nikita’s antagonist: the series’ chief conflict isn’t the fight against the Section, but the struggle to live as part of it. And while other versions of the story consistently present Nikita (and Alex) as someone who lived within Division on her own terms, this version, at least at this point, is much more…helpless. Her only visible form or resistance in her two years in the Section (this first episode spans the time from her initial kidnapping all the way to her first kill) is a single quickly-foiled assault on Michael at the very beginning, some ineffective sniping, and her initial inability to kill, which gets taken away her by the end. While Operations notes at one point that Nikita lacks the discipline required to be a Section agent, we’re not afforded much opportunity to see that for ourselves, as her training is covered in the span of a montage, and the final cut of the episode gives us no context to determine how atypical it is.

This makes this episode tricky to evaluate. On one hand, it is hard to consider this version of Nikita a badass, or at least a badass in the action heroine mold, when her reaction being kidnapped and erased by people who seemingly find nothing wrong with “no matter what state of mind you’re in, you have to be able to perform” is to attempt to obey them without question. On the other, she’s a woman trapped in an abusive institution, and so one needs to be careful to ensure that critique doesn’t become criticism of women who choose / see themselves forced to remain in those. At the same time, Nikita’s situation feels singular enough—she’s a trained spyssassin whose role within the Section is to risk her life until she’s killed, and who prior to that existence seemed content being homeless (and boy, there’s a lot that can be said about how that detail informs, or doesn’t inform, Nikita’s character)—that I’m not certain how useful the abuse framework is here. Especially since it’s not even clear that that’s the framework the show is using.

Take the scene where Michael takes Nikita out for dinner—the first time she’s been out of the Section in two years, we’re led to believe. Despite the lack of precedent for the situation, Nikita, with two years of training under her belt, suspects nothing, and when she says that she feels happy, there’s no indication that she’s telling Michael what he wants to hear, and every indication that she’s speaking earnestly. When Michael, a minute later, tells her that dinner was simply the prelude to her life-or-death final exam, to be performed immediately and without preparation, she is distraught and betrayed (but notably, not enraged, or at least to the point of being dangerous—the episode never depicts Nikita as a danger to the Section) and more than anything, surprised that the people who kidnapped her and see her as “material” don’t care about her. This is not the reaction of a person who has thought about her situation, or who has learned the lessons of abuse. It’s not even the reaction of someone who thinks that the relative stability and comfort of the Section is worth everything else, after years in the streets / prison. It seriously makes me question the thought the (uniformly male) writers and producers have put into this.

Still, I’d be willing to give the episode a three, despite this, if it weren’t for another scene, where Madeline explains to Nikita that “you can learn to shoot, and you can learn to fight, but there’s no weapon as powerful as your femininity”. The idea is adapted from the original film (where the line is the superficially more badass “There are two things that are infinite: femininity and means to take advantage of it”) and the concept that one can weaponize femininity is essential to the lady spy genre and to the concept of femme fatales in general, but at the same time…the greatest weapon? Not her smarts, or the incorrect assumptions that come from sexism? If nothing else, femininity is too big, too complex a concept to be dropped out of the blue and left to stand without elaboration, and acting like it’s self-explanatory leaves behind only one possible interpretation: femininity, in this context, means satisfying traditional standards of female beauty and behavior. Amanda’s statement in Nikita’s version of the scene, “Sometimes vulnerability can be our greatest weapon,” manages to convey similar ideas without the essentialist and limiting implications. What’s more, where Amanda’s unambiguous status as a villain grants her statement the implication that it doesn’t need to be taken at face value, Madeline’s more indeterminate position within the narrative gives her’s the weight of truth.

That said,there is an ambiguity to the production that makes an otherwise not-great hour of TV—it is seriously lacking in fun, and the action set pieces do not impress—somehow enthralling, even twenty years later. The marketing of the series bills it as a standard lady spy action fare—"The fatal femme you can’t take your eyes from” according to the DVD set back cover—but that’s either clearly not what they were actually going for, or their ideas of what that means are drastically different from mine. There are no easy answers to be found, and I can’t help but find that impressive.

Still, you could always read The Handmaid’s Tale instead.

#La Femme Nikita #Nikita #Bechdel Test #female representation #La Femme Nikita season one #submissions #mimeparadox #submission

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