Named For: Samantha Marquez (Las Vegas)
Awarded To: The best female character in an action series
2009 Winner: Sarah Walker (Chuck)
2010 Winner: Sarah Walker (Chuck)
Place. Nominee (Series) Points (My Vote)
10. Teresa Lisbon (The Mentalist) 0 points
9. Ames (Human Target) 0 points
8. Morgan Pendragon (Camelot) 2 points (4th)
7. Katie Nichols (Terriers) 4 points
6. Jessica Hamby (True Blood) 6 points
5. Deb Morgan (Dexter) 6 points (3rd)
4. Sarah Walker (Chuck) 7 points (5th)
3. Lumen Pierce (Dexter) 10 points
2. Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) 19 points (2nd)
and the Poolie goes to...
1. Mags Bennett (Justified) 20 points (1st)
This is Mags Bennett's first ever Poolie nomination, and first win for best female character in an action series.
We here at the Quiet Pool Perspective are proud to welcome Poolie voter Jaydon, who has some very nice things to say about Mags Bennett, Margo Martindale, and the people of Justified.
There's an archetype called the Magnificent Bastard. This is the kind of villain who is in control, knows his goal and achieves it through charm and deadly force. Think of The Jew Hunter from Inglourious Basterds or (at times) Justified's own Boyd Crowder. What happens when a magnificent bastard takes the form of a middle-aged, Southern matriarch? There's a novel element in play. In addition to that control, foresight, guile and propensity towards violence, comes a maternal instinct towards protection of her flock. But what makes Mags even more interesting is that much of that maternal feeling is often suppressed in pursuit of her selfish machinations.
The Bennetts have been a part of Harlan County forever and Mags is looking to make power moves to ensure increased familial holdings for generations. The Bennetts and the Givens have a long, tumultuous history that complicates our protagonist Raylan Givens' approach to thwarting Mags' plays. Raylan is pretty much a magnificent bastard with morals. There's a respect level between the adversaries that informs the way they conduct their actions. There's also a fundamental schism between the two families that necessitates incessant confrontation until an end point is reached.
For her part, Mags provided Raylan with a formidable equal. She was only undermined by the rogue actions of her reactionary and idiotic sons. Perhaps her best moment as a magnificent bastard comes when she convinces the town to emphatically deny Black Pike's development in the area. With a masterful appeal to history and community, she robs the town of desperately needed financial gains in order to secure a windfall for herself. Actually that might have to be the runner up. Mags' “apple pie”, a special home brewed moonshine, has to be the quintessential encapsulation of the character - the maternal menace. Put her in the Rogues Gallery Hall of Fame.
~ Written by Jonathan Stuart
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