The Samantha Marquez Award- Female in Action

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)
2011 Winner: Mags Bennett (Justified)

10. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time) 0 points

9. Jessica Hamby (True Blood) 5 points
3rd by Matt

8. Ava Crowder (Justified) 7 points
2nd by Tyson

7. Sarah Walker (Chuck) 9 points
3rd by Jack, 2nd by Me

6. Fauxlivia (Fringe) 12 points
1st by Jaydon, 3rd by Me

5. Dany Targaryen (Game of Thrones) 14 points
1st by Tyson

4. Olivia Dunham (Fringe) 14 points
1st by Jack, 1st by Me

3. Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones) 15 points
2nd by Matt and Jack, 5th by Me

2. Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) 20 points
1st by T-time

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Carrie Mathison (Homeland) 26 points
1st by Cecil, Larry, Matt, Mags, and Bonz, 4th by Me

This is Carrie Mathison's first nomination and win for the best female character in an action series.  Here to discuss her talents this year is Poolie voter Larry.

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Homeland came into our lives this past Poolies season, and given I haven’t heard a person say they couldn’t get into it, I would say it has been a pretty big hit for Showtime. How rare is it that a show with a definitive woman lead has been this well-liked by Poolie voters? Of the shows nominated in Action and Drama, only a couple even qualify (and Revenge is not even good).  Claire Danes does such a good job portraying an emotional, bipolar CIA analyst that it seems like she is cheating, and you know what, she is. Being a woman is like taking HGH and being bitten by a werewolf when playing a character like Carrie. My guess is she just plays herself, making sure to respond to “Carrie” instead of “Claire” and she is good to go. No man could play this role, it just wouldn’t be believable. The award is well deserved, but when we look back in ten years this will most likely have an asterisk next to it.

by Larry Avitabile