Find me the flawed and the fearful females

Recommending someone's next binge watch is a big responsibility. What if you completely get it wrong and they misinterpret the subtext of a show.

Like Roland Barthes taught us 'the author is dead'. The show writer's meanings are one thing, flowing from their mind out into scripts and stage directions. From the screen, those intended meanings make their best attempt to deliver themselves correctly in an organised manner into our brains. They attempt to make us feel all the emotions and tension and releases that the writer wanted us to. But we can't, it's impossible to feel those exact feelings. Our own experiences echo over the elements of the story so we can only really, as viewers, allow ourselves to be swept along with the narrative crossing it from one bank of experience to the other.

And so, how do we recommend so easily one story line that felt like home to us to someone else who has never lived our lives? We find the characters we love, they may remind us of friends or family members or simply fond and fleeting interactions with people in the local farmers market, or that girl in the loo at your favourite club that always seems to have the right advice at just the right time (usually just around five cheap gins in and giving your greasy ex a booty call is seeming like a very fantastic idea).

Characters sing to us. I like a whole range of cross genre shows but one thing that always hooks me is the development of one character. I need to find 'flawed' women, but not just 'flawed', they need to be purposefully working against their own situation. Put them in a position of power with a drive to prove something and I'm in.

I give you my all time favourite show 'Once Upon A Time'. It goes beyond being raised on Disney movies and seeing the characters I loved and loathed brought to life in a contemporary setting. That, for me, was wonderful, it still is, but the woven storylines of adventures and cross Disney character interactions came episode by episode, my interest fell firmly into the two dominant characters. They should have been Snow White and Prince Charming, don't get me wrong their journey is definitely worth watching too. It soon becomes clear that the dominant characters, the ones that steal the scene are Major Regina Mills - aka The Evil Queen, and Emma Swan - aka The Saviour, the product of true love. These are two women I can get behind. One is so mad she creates a curse for an entire land and other is damaged from such an unloved childhood scrabbling to understand and consolidate her two worlds. Their shown characters are ironic in comparison to their motivations and the preconceived expectations we have of them. Good and Evil. I love their interactions and the growth of the characters. I also love a good acerbic assault from an intelligent woman.

If you were a fan of 'Once Upon A Time' I would automatically assume that you like the dynamics and possibilities of a contemporary world where magic is real, and all that implies. So with that in mind I would suggest 'Supernatural' and it's monster hunting plot, 'Haven' with it's magical town, or possibly 'Grimm' and it's similar lines of fairy tale creatures come true. Other notable shows would be 'The Chilling adventures of Sabrina', 'Charmed', and 'The Magicians'

If you preferred the Enchanted Forest flashbacks and adventures of Once Upon A Time I would suggest something like 'Merlin' or 'Cursed' for that fighting magical trees in the forest vibe.

But, if like me the real draw comes from the presence of strong female characters who are played perfectly by impressive actors I would recommend without hesitation turning the tv on to binge watch Agent Melinda May in 'Agents of Shield'. She is badass. She's controlled, angry and lethal. Her comebacks and remarks are just as sharp as her kicks and punches and martial arts magnificence. After a serious emotional pain threw them up in defence, watching her hardened walls begin to crumble to allow affection come back in to her world is a journey that we share along with the rest of her crew.

So with all this in mind, a recommendation for me doesn't come just from the title of the show or the generic content, I need to know what it is that really draws you in and makes you watch all episodes in one sitting, probably covered in popcorn and your favourite blanket. Tell me who you love and why. Give me the nitty gritty details that make you enjoy the show so much. Only then I can recommend a show to you that will hit the spot for your next binge-worthy sitting.

Excuse me now, while I go and watch The Evil Queen and Robin Hood get it on in an underground vault.....for the hundredth time.