I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to write a post on Ros; I freakin’ love her! Yes, Lucas is the most fascinating character, Harry is the most integral, but Ros – she is the coolest. In addition to getting the best lines, she is by far one of the finest female characters to have ever graced our TV screens. I’m not afraid to admit that I have a big ole lady crush on Ros (although I’m not sure that I’d want to be stuck in an elevator with her).
I adore Ros for many reasons, primarily because she is distinct from most other so-called “tough” female characters that we often see in cop-style dramas. Although I am not an avid watcher of these kinds of shows, I’ve noticed that the “tough” female characters often go through a story arch where their toughness is either an issue for their peers, or it causes the character to make hard nosed decisions that have disastrous consequences. In other words; their toughness may have got them to where they are, but it is also a problem, and they will pay for it. It’s like Calamity Jane all over again. The message is – toughness in ladies is not all that attractive. It’s OK to be tough, but only a little, and not at the expense of feminine graces; you’re a woman so you must be nice.
Ros on the other hand, is admired for her tough, ruthless demeanor. She’s the stuff of legend, not derision. She is feared, not mocked. If she is disliked, it is because she is genuinely formidable, not because she is stupidly stubborn. Ros’s colleagues do not patronise her by suggesting she should soften up, or imply that ambition has diminished her feminine qualities.
Most importantly, for me, Ros is unapologetic about her toughness. Unlike other female characters of a similar position in other TV shows, Ros does not reflect on whether she’s been too tough in certain situations, or worry about how others view her. As she said plainly to the Home Secretary, she couldn’t care less about other people’s opinion of her; and this is what makes Ros a truly unique female character. Impression management and concern over what others think of them is a frequent female preoccupation – in real life as much as on screen. Ros is truly liberated from this aspect of the collective female psyche. As far as female television characters go, this is such a refreshing and welcome change.
What you do think of Ros?
