Fictional women we do like, and why?

[LoudRowdyDuck]

May we have a thread about good fictional female characters, please? Since Elephants' thread is reminding me how many 'feisty' (=patronized) women characters there are out there!

I'll start: I like CJ in the West Wing. I think she's fantastic and I like that towards the end when she's happily planning her future career and her new partner gets pissy she hasn't discussed it with him, her response isn't 'omg, how awful of me', it's 'oh. so I didn't, oops. Moving on!'

Merrily Watkins in Phil Rickman's books - vicar/exorcist, lone parent, peristent smoker.

She has a very outspoken daughter and a rather damaged boyfriend and lots of encounters with the paranormal. More interesting than my life!

Lyra in His Dark Materials.

Jo March. For loving books, rejecting Laurie and for cutting off her hair and selling it so her mother could her father home from war.

Also Becky Sharp.

I enjoyed the female characters in The Wire as they were flawed but strong and real.

Poor old Tess. And Jane Eyre although tis rather bitter sweet.

Also Juno.

Oh, I love Merrily Watkins too. Also, she's not the only great female character in the books - think of Sophie (utterly decent and possessed of huge inner stretnght older woman) and Jane is a terrific and convincing character as well.
Phil Rickman is like my other fave male author, Christopher Brookmyre, genuinely good at creating women who are not just cannon fodder, plot devices, or something for the hero to fuck 'fall in love with'
IN Brookmyre's books you've got Jenny the detective, Sarah (who starts out a bit 'love interest' but develops), Angelique De Xaviera, Maddy WItherson, and the various teens in A Tale Etched in Blood or Pandemonium come across as proper people,. even the minor players.

I love Juno as well. Showed it to my ten year old as antidote to all the rubbidge.

Even if Hermione began in law they would have to get her in to manage the giant weeing post Ron and Harry have made of Auring. I hope it was clear that Ron was occupying a lesser role in terms of his career.

Yup. Smart witches, FOOLISH choices.

"Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell's character in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)"

Yes Yes. And the book is awesome (and Lorelei is a lot more interesting in it.)

Ooh, yeah - Lyra is fantastic. I think Phillip Pullman did a pretty sound job of writing pretty much all of the female (and male) characters.

Smart witches. Foolish choices. Sieglinde - your Hermione analysis has made my day again.

Connie from Holby?

also love flora poste and becky sharp

Cagney and Lacey ! I could watch those all day. Juggling family with roughing up crims, with alcoholism, with a strong sense of justice and moral duty.

It was truly groundbreaking and my family loved it.

I love the film Practical Magic, with the sisters. I haven't seen it for ages so can't remember what happens but don't they kill the abusive bloke by putting something in his midnight marguerita? And then he haunts them, or something. I just liked the way the sisters stuck together in the film.

Yeah I remember that one BertieBotts. Think that's right. Reminds me of