Beth as the Amazon/Gorgon
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 10:15 pm
This is basically what was posted after Episode 11 – Love Lasts Forever (minus any edits I may have made online).
I know…at first glance Beth does not seem like an Amazon type. But after more of her character was revealed in the first few episodes, I began to see her as this type. And after Fleur de Lis, I am positive this is her archetype.
I have to explain that I’m basing my analysis on some of my books about writing, particularly those dealing with using archetypes – but will not be quoting material directly from any books. Please see the General Information post for the details.
And I apologize for the length of this post...have I been obsessing? Anyway, I can't say enough what a fabulous job the writers have done in making all of these characters come to life for us. And part of the reason we all feel so strongly about them is that the writers pretty much stay true to the archetypes they've picked (even if unconsciously) for each character.
Amazon archetypes view women and men as equals. Beth exhibits this trait in so many scenes – “Why does the girl always have to wait in the car?” she says with complete disgust in Out of the Past, and then when she hears trouble she’s out of the car in a flash. She does what she chooses to do – despite what any of the men may be telling her is a wise or safe choice. She might follow their advice, but only if she thinks it’s right.
I’ve seen several posts that wonder if Beth is the type of woman who must always have a man around and won’t leave one until she’s got another lined up. Not an Amazon woman…Beth loves to have a man around, but only on her own terms. She forgets about dates when work distracts her, she runs out on anniversary parties if her morgue opportunity window has opened, she will not back off of a story even when she knows it will anger Josh or Mick. These are not the actions of a woman who must have a man around – they’re the actions of a woman who can take him or leave him.
Beth’s desire to protect Audrey in 12:04, and her willingness to fight the killer vamp when it wasn’t really her battle (she could have hidden herself somewhere and let Audrey take her chances, but instead sent Audrey to hide) make her an Amazon. She’s not afraid to put her own life on the line to protect someone else. She has demonstrated this trait several times – dashing into the warehouse to save Mick in Out of the Past, and making a beeline for the desert to save Mick when there was a dangerous hit-man lurking about, and most recently when telling Josh to stay on the Tejada case even though she’s been marked for death.
Even Beth’s wardrobe choices make her an Amazon. She goes for practicality and comfort whenever possible. Her admiration of Coraline’s shoe collection indicated that she didn’t have such an impressive collection herself – in fact, I think she mentioned shopping at ‘Shoe Barn’. Not to say the girl doesn’t clean up nice when the occasion warrants it…
Ah, she’s fearless. Breaking and entering, smashing an intruder (Mick) in the head with a vase, letting herself be alone with the Prof who could have been a serial killer (to try to catch said killer), successfully fighting off Prof when he began pawing at her. I could go on…and this was all from episode one. Even taking the B.C. was fearless (and I might add reckless, which is part of her darker side).
Picture the goddess Artemis (or Diana) hunting in the moonlight. Beth is comfortable on her own, even in the dark of night. She makes a solo trip to Club Vallis, and frequently dashes to the morgue in the wee hours. And it was so wonderfully in character when she walked to Mick’s in the middle of the night after taking B.C. When he asked why, she said, “I wanted to feel the night.”
This part of her character is also illustrated by how much she truly loves to ‘be on the hunt’ with Mick. We don’t know a lot about whether she did this before she met Mick, but I suspect that she is just now realizing how ‘being on the hunt’ is such a powerful thing for her. In other words, I think Mick helped set her more firmly on this path as a protector.
She can come off as cold because she gets so focused on whatever she’s doing at the moment that she forgets about everything else. She frequently forgets about Josh, but it's only because she does get so focused on the story or case she’s following. Josh understood this about her, and loved her for it. She frequently sees her work as a mission. Think of poor Josh saying, ‘I forgot how cute you are when you’re crusading.’ And when he brings her the Chinese food at her office, and tells her that he knows how she forgets to eat.
The gorgon is her dark or villainous side, and was displayed perfectly when she staked Coraline. Many of us couldn’t understand the sheer violence of this act, and debated about what factors drove her to it. But this gorgon side flares up in blind fury, dispensing what she deems to be justice in a reckless, aggressive way, and not necessarily for reasons that would be viewed as justified by others. And now we can all say ‘Aha!’ because this gorgon-like behavior is usually a result of repressed trauma or abuse. In fact, sometimes a previous trauma is what sets a character on the path to become this archetype (though it’s not the only possible reason).
Her reactions to losing Josh have caused many of us distress (mostly because we know how much her words hurt Mick). Again, lashing out is part of her dark side. I can just picture that little gorgon rearing its ugly head… As Beth matures, she should get better control of her darker side. And guess which archetype is very well suited to help her on that journey? Mick (The Protector), of course.
Many have asked why Beth seems to be given a pass for her bad behaviors. I think it is because she mostly chooses to walk in the light. Most of her actions spring from her heroic traits. That makes it easier to forgive her when she walks on the dark side. (Remember, her actions and choices are supplied by the writers, and are done so with the intent of persuading our feelings for this character). And unless I’m forgetting something, her ventures to her villainous side have all happened under extreme conditions – finally remembering everything about her abduction, losing Josh.
Many of us have been troubled by Beth’s dealings with these two men in her life. Here’s what I’ve gathered about this in relation to her archetype. The Amazon doesn’t usually give up much for the love of a man. It’s important to her, but it is not critical to her happiness. Independence could be more important. Also, her work can be so important to her that any man will take second place. Especially when her work involves protecting someone…and the cases/stories she’s stumbled upon while working with Mick all involve either saving/protecting someone specific or society in general (for example, tracking down the rogue vamp).
So how do Beth’s feelings for Mick and Josh fit into this archetype? I believe she was in love with Josh. Keeping him at arm’s length (not even moving in together after a year) is so like an Amazon character, even one who is in love.
But the allure of Mick is overpowering for more than the obvious reasons. Working on cases with Mick has opened up some very important aspects of Beth’s character. This is illustrated so well in two scenes in ‘Fever’. The first is when Beth tells Mick that being on the hunt with him is so much fun, and then follows his response with, “Still. We make a good team.” Then later Josh echoes these words to her and she looks heartsick, partly (I think) because she realizes that there is simply no comparison between working with Josh and working with Mick. And I don’t think she wants it to be that way.
Without a voice-over from Beth, we can only speculate about what she was feeling when she went back to Josh before his death. But we do know that she had distanced herself from him while she struggled with her feelings about the two of them. I can’t fault her for taking her time before making a complete break from Josh, especially since he was by no means clueless about it. He was aware that something was amiss since episode 5, and had made Beth aware of it.
I think Beth has been so confused by the variety of feelings she experiences toward Mick that she hasn’t been able to clearly define them for herself yet, and is in store for still more confusion about it. Because while her relationship with Josh involved love, her relationship with Mick involves so much more than love. Not to mention that it’s complicated by the possibly insurmountable obstacle of his being a vampire…
What I’m trying to say in closing with way too many words is that whether Beth fell in love with Mick or not, she would be so drawn to working with him, so fascinated with how he brings out these new aspects of her character and with what he can teach her, so thrilled with the hunt, that she really would not be able to stop herself from being around him. I believe he is her soul-mate, whether or not he can ever be her lover.
I know…at first glance Beth does not seem like an Amazon type. But after more of her character was revealed in the first few episodes, I began to see her as this type. And after Fleur de Lis, I am positive this is her archetype.
I have to explain that I’m basing my analysis on some of my books about writing, particularly those dealing with using archetypes – but will not be quoting material directly from any books. Please see the General Information post for the details.
And I apologize for the length of this post...have I been obsessing? Anyway, I can't say enough what a fabulous job the writers have done in making all of these characters come to life for us. And part of the reason we all feel so strongly about them is that the writers pretty much stay true to the archetypes they've picked (even if unconsciously) for each character.
Amazon archetypes view women and men as equals. Beth exhibits this trait in so many scenes – “Why does the girl always have to wait in the car?” she says with complete disgust in Out of the Past, and then when she hears trouble she’s out of the car in a flash. She does what she chooses to do – despite what any of the men may be telling her is a wise or safe choice. She might follow their advice, but only if she thinks it’s right.
I’ve seen several posts that wonder if Beth is the type of woman who must always have a man around and won’t leave one until she’s got another lined up. Not an Amazon woman…Beth loves to have a man around, but only on her own terms. She forgets about dates when work distracts her, she runs out on anniversary parties if her morgue opportunity window has opened, she will not back off of a story even when she knows it will anger Josh or Mick. These are not the actions of a woman who must have a man around – they’re the actions of a woman who can take him or leave him.
Beth’s desire to protect Audrey in 12:04, and her willingness to fight the killer vamp when it wasn’t really her battle (she could have hidden herself somewhere and let Audrey take her chances, but instead sent Audrey to hide) make her an Amazon. She’s not afraid to put her own life on the line to protect someone else. She has demonstrated this trait several times – dashing into the warehouse to save Mick in Out of the Past, and making a beeline for the desert to save Mick when there was a dangerous hit-man lurking about, and most recently when telling Josh to stay on the Tejada case even though she’s been marked for death.
Even Beth’s wardrobe choices make her an Amazon. She goes for practicality and comfort whenever possible. Her admiration of Coraline’s shoe collection indicated that she didn’t have such an impressive collection herself – in fact, I think she mentioned shopping at ‘Shoe Barn’. Not to say the girl doesn’t clean up nice when the occasion warrants it…
Ah, she’s fearless. Breaking and entering, smashing an intruder (Mick) in the head with a vase, letting herself be alone with the Prof who could have been a serial killer (to try to catch said killer), successfully fighting off Prof when he began pawing at her. I could go on…and this was all from episode one. Even taking the B.C. was fearless (and I might add reckless, which is part of her darker side).
Picture the goddess Artemis (or Diana) hunting in the moonlight. Beth is comfortable on her own, even in the dark of night. She makes a solo trip to Club Vallis, and frequently dashes to the morgue in the wee hours. And it was so wonderfully in character when she walked to Mick’s in the middle of the night after taking B.C. When he asked why, she said, “I wanted to feel the night.”
This part of her character is also illustrated by how much she truly loves to ‘be on the hunt’ with Mick. We don’t know a lot about whether she did this before she met Mick, but I suspect that she is just now realizing how ‘being on the hunt’ is such a powerful thing for her. In other words, I think Mick helped set her more firmly on this path as a protector.
She can come off as cold because she gets so focused on whatever she’s doing at the moment that she forgets about everything else. She frequently forgets about Josh, but it's only because she does get so focused on the story or case she’s following. Josh understood this about her, and loved her for it. She frequently sees her work as a mission. Think of poor Josh saying, ‘I forgot how cute you are when you’re crusading.’ And when he brings her the Chinese food at her office, and tells her that he knows how she forgets to eat.
The gorgon is her dark or villainous side, and was displayed perfectly when she staked Coraline. Many of us couldn’t understand the sheer violence of this act, and debated about what factors drove her to it. But this gorgon side flares up in blind fury, dispensing what she deems to be justice in a reckless, aggressive way, and not necessarily for reasons that would be viewed as justified by others. And now we can all say ‘Aha!’ because this gorgon-like behavior is usually a result of repressed trauma or abuse. In fact, sometimes a previous trauma is what sets a character on the path to become this archetype (though it’s not the only possible reason).
Her reactions to losing Josh have caused many of us distress (mostly because we know how much her words hurt Mick). Again, lashing out is part of her dark side. I can just picture that little gorgon rearing its ugly head… As Beth matures, she should get better control of her darker side. And guess which archetype is very well suited to help her on that journey? Mick (The Protector), of course.
Many have asked why Beth seems to be given a pass for her bad behaviors. I think it is because she mostly chooses to walk in the light. Most of her actions spring from her heroic traits. That makes it easier to forgive her when she walks on the dark side. (Remember, her actions and choices are supplied by the writers, and are done so with the intent of persuading our feelings for this character). And unless I’m forgetting something, her ventures to her villainous side have all happened under extreme conditions – finally remembering everything about her abduction, losing Josh.
Many of us have been troubled by Beth’s dealings with these two men in her life. Here’s what I’ve gathered about this in relation to her archetype. The Amazon doesn’t usually give up much for the love of a man. It’s important to her, but it is not critical to her happiness. Independence could be more important. Also, her work can be so important to her that any man will take second place. Especially when her work involves protecting someone…and the cases/stories she’s stumbled upon while working with Mick all involve either saving/protecting someone specific or society in general (for example, tracking down the rogue vamp).
So how do Beth’s feelings for Mick and Josh fit into this archetype? I believe she was in love with Josh. Keeping him at arm’s length (not even moving in together after a year) is so like an Amazon character, even one who is in love.
But the allure of Mick is overpowering for more than the obvious reasons. Working on cases with Mick has opened up some very important aspects of Beth’s character. This is illustrated so well in two scenes in ‘Fever’. The first is when Beth tells Mick that being on the hunt with him is so much fun, and then follows his response with, “Still. We make a good team.” Then later Josh echoes these words to her and she looks heartsick, partly (I think) because she realizes that there is simply no comparison between working with Josh and working with Mick. And I don’t think she wants it to be that way.
Without a voice-over from Beth, we can only speculate about what she was feeling when she went back to Josh before his death. But we do know that she had distanced herself from him while she struggled with her feelings about the two of them. I can’t fault her for taking her time before making a complete break from Josh, especially since he was by no means clueless about it. He was aware that something was amiss since episode 5, and had made Beth aware of it.
I think Beth has been so confused by the variety of feelings she experiences toward Mick that she hasn’t been able to clearly define them for herself yet, and is in store for still more confusion about it. Because while her relationship with Josh involved love, her relationship with Mick involves so much more than love. Not to mention that it’s complicated by the possibly insurmountable obstacle of his being a vampire…
What I’m trying to say in closing with way too many words is that whether Beth fell in love with Mick or not, she would be so drawn to working with him, so fascinated with how he brings out these new aspects of her character and with what he can teach her, so thrilled with the hunt, that she really would not be able to stop herself from being around him. I believe he is her soul-mate, whether or not he can ever be her lover.