The "badass female lead" is a hotly debated topic. Some love her, while others are insulted by her. Many think that by portraying a woman as a badass, it takes away from her other qualities, her more feminine ones, which in turn, makes her less relatable. They are sick of these characters and want less of them.
I disagree.
What we need in television is not fewer badass women, just better-written ones.
We need more Kate Becketts.
Detective Captain Kate Beckett from "Castle" is one of the most badass TV characters of all time. This woman has gone through the unthinkable and still comes out on top.
Every. Single. Time.
She uses her every struggle as fuel to motivate her to be even better than she already is. There are countless examples of why she is a badass and a great role model, but there are certain reasons that stand out from the rest.
1. She's a phenomenal detective.
Not only is Kate amazing at getting justice for her victims, but she is also the only woman on her team. As if that isn't enough, she is the leader of said team and is chosen to become captain of the 12th precinct.
Boom. Talk about #goals.
2. She takes a bullet to the chest and survives.
The list of near death experiences Beckett encounters in the eight seasons of "Castle" is insane, but this one tops the list. Also worth mentioning, is the time she was on the run and had to stitch up her own stomach and don't forget about the time she almost froze to death or the time she had to stand on top of a bomb for hours.
Seriously, how is this woman still alive?
3. She's a champ in the interrogation room.
Beckett can get anyone to crack. She can get into the heads of some of the scariest people in New York City. She barely ever loses her cool, but when she does it just makes it that much more entertaining.
4. She's the "fastest gun in the east."
Castle was right when he called her this on their honeymoon, when Kate and her quick shooting saved his life for well over the 200th time.
This girl can shoot.
5) She gave up her dreams to become a cop and avenge her mother's murder.
Johanna's murder is the fire that drove Kate to become a cop and she spent years trying to overcome her obsession with it. In the end, she figured it out and took down Senator Bracken and LOKSAT, which was just about the most unlikely thing ever, unless your Katherine Beckett, then your fans expect nothing less.
6. That time she worked for the FBI.
When LOKSAT came hunting for her again, her entire AG team was killed and she was the only one who survived.
7. She is secretly a Richard Castle fangirl.
She gives him such crap for basing his books on her, but deep down, she thinks he's ruggedly handsome too. Just like the rest of us.
8) That time Castle went missing on their wedding day.
She handled finding his car in flames on the side of the road on their wedding day pretty well considering, and then spent the next three months relentlessly searching for him. She mostly kept her cool, except for the time she almost shot the janitor for moving his chair.
9. She never follows any rules.
Every time Castle, Ryan, or Espo are in trouble, Kate completely ignores protocol to save them and gets everyone else in the precinct to back her up. Also, dating Castle is totally against the rules and she continues to give him information on her cases after he's been banned from the precinct.
Basically, she never listens to anybody.
10. Her relationship with Castle.
The insane amount of sexual tension between Castle and Beckett is what makes the story work. They bicker and tease each other, finish each other's sentences, and catch killers together, even on their honeymoon, which was in the wild, wild, west. It takes her years to finally admit that she has feelings for him, but when she finally does, they become a total power couple.
They define relationship goals.
11. She's fearless.
Kate isn't afraid of anything, except losing Castle. She may also be slightly afraid of his mother, Martha, but who could blame her?
12. She loves fully.
It isn't hard to see in her eyes how much she loves Castle, his daughter, their friends, and (spoiler alert) their kids. Beckett has suffered so much loss, but never stops putting herself out there for the people she cares about.
That takes some serious guts.
13. Torture doesn't phase her.
Beckett has survived being water boarded and being dangled off the side of a building in New York, but these aren't even the scariest thing to happen to her. Remember that time she was kidnapped and when help finally showed up, she had already freed herself from the restraints and kicked everyone's asses? Still not totally sure how that even happened.
14. Her captain's review.
When she took took the captain's test, they attacked her for being an "unfit detective," citing the way she often breaks the rules to catch a killer. She responded, "In every case you have referenced, I have not only successfully brought the killer to justice but I did so with the utmost respect for the law and for the department I represent...by doing my job better than anyone else and getting results. I don’t cross the line. I put myself on it. And if you have any other questions, then you can ask the families of the victims that I have served" and walked out.
So, no don't take badass female leads off of Television. Make them better. Give us more fearless leaders like Katherine Beckett.
