When it comes to TV characters my favorites are always the strong female characters who are relatable. Below are a 5 of my favorite characters from a couple of my favorite shows.

1. Effy Stonem ("Skins UK")

Played by: Kaya Scodelario

Effy is an important character in the first four seasons of the British television show "Skins". In the beginning of the show Effy doesn’t speak but in season 3, you see more of Effy. She is the “bad girl” out of the 2^nd generation and is very mysterious. She parties a lot and gets in between friends in a love triangle. She keeps herself distant and doesn’t let anyone in. Effy refuses to open herself up to the guy she likes, Freddie because she was afraid to open up to somebody. After her and Freddie finally get together, you find out more about Effy and it explains why she acted so distant and cold at times. Effy Stonem has psychotic depression and begins to have psychotic episodes and ends up in a mental hospital. She explains the reason she cut herself off from the world was because if she were close to somebody she wouldn’t be as strong and wouldn’t be able to fight her demons. She seemed unattached to all she knew but she was actually the person with the biggest heart. My favorite quote about her is the one her mom Anthea Stonem says,

“…she just smiled. You know, that Effy smile that means “you don’t know me at all, you never will”… she’s so good at concealing things, hiding, avoiding. I do know her. And I know that she has got so much love in her heart. But the thought of letting it out, showing her cards, scares her to death”.

I thought that line explained Effy’s character perfectly. I found Effy’s character to be strong and relatable at times. There is only so much a person can take before they break.

2. Cassie Ainsworth ("Skins UK")

Played by: Hannah Murray

Cassie is an eccentric character that is in the 1^st generation of the British TV show "Skins". She suffers from anorexia and multiple other issues. Her character is seen as mad and strange but she also cares a lot. She’s a favorite of mine because she has so many problems but still remains strong hearted. Cassie is beautifully eccentric and free-spirited. She is unaware of her beauty and instead hates the way she looks. I liked Pure which is season 7 where it shows where Cassie ended up and it was good seeing her better even if her problems didn’t go away.

3. Fiona Gallagher ("Shameless US")

Played by: Emmy Rossum

"Shameless" is known as a raunchy show but it has a good message. My favorite character is Fiona who takes on the responsibility of raising her younger siblings because her father is an alcoholic/addict and her mother is bipolar and left when they were young. Fiona’s character is very strong. Her life is in shambles but she always keeps her head up. My favorite but also heartbreaking scenes are when she cries but then quickly makes herself stop and pick back up. Later in the series Fiona does make mistakes but she fixes them and never leaves her families side. Fiona even gives up any chance of her having a life of her own when she gets Parental Guidance for the children. Fiona is always making sacrifices for her family and her character goes through a lot.

4. Eleven ("Stranger Things")

Played by: Millie Bobby Brown

Eleven is a young girl who has telepathic abilities and has been through torture. She was an experiment for years and it is all she knew. Then she finds Mike, Lucas and Dustin. She finds what it means to have friends and quickly learns that friends protect each other. Eleven is so young but also so strong and selfless. She protects without worrying about herself. I can’t wait to see what’s more in store for her character.

5. Elena Gilbert ("The Vampire Diaries")

Played by: Nina Dobrev

I recently got into "The Vampire Diaries" and liked Elena’s character. Elena loses so many people and is a strong character. I liked how selfless Elena was and how willing she was to sacrifice herself for the people she loved. Family was important to her and was also something she kept losing. Nina Dobrev was also really good at acting when it came to Elena breaking down because it breaks your heart. It shows that even the strongest people can break down because somebody can only take so much.

All of theses characters go through a lot and still remain strong. They also show that even the strongest people can break. They are relatable and interesting. I like how all of these characters are also imperfect which makes them who they are. It shows that even though you are imperfect doesn't mean you aren't strong.