“He listens for a living and she doesn’t speak”--why Melinda May is a Classic Hollywood Action Hero
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| Title: | “He listens for a living and she doesn’t speak”--why Melinda May is a Classic Hollywood Action Hero |
| Creator: | alienspoon |
| Date(s): | April 15, 2017 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| Topic: | Melinda May, Melinda May/Andrew Garner |
| External Links: | Meta, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
“He listens for a living and she doesn’t speak”—why Melinda May is a Classic Hollywood Action Hero is an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. meta essay written by alienspoon. The essay explores Melinda May character and her relationship with Andrew Garner.
Excerpts
Dr. Garner is interesting on his own, and if we ever get the chance to know him better, my crush on him would probably grow to epic proportions, but right now I’m just giddy over how he highlights what a subversive character Melinda May is. With her ex-husband beside her to provide contrast, it’s so much clearer what a beautiful role reversal we’ve been seeing here.
Tell me that isn’t usually the domain of a square jawed, unshaven male protagonist with a gruff voice and a thousand-yard stare. Tell me it isn’t usually portrayed on screen as the wife’s role to try to get her battle weary husband to open up to her emotionally and communicate. Tell me it isn’t usually a male hero who has to face a love he lost as a result of his failure to cope with his own inner demons. For goodness sake, put Liam Neeson in a SHIELD uniform and you’d barely even have to change the script. But Melinda May OWNS this. She’s the Action Hero, The Stoic, the Shell-Shocked Veteran, and she dares you to tell her she’s the wrong gender.
I’ve always appreciated Agent May as a total badass, but until we met Andrew Garner and he allowed us a better glimpse into her past, I never realized how very thoroughly the Hollywood Action Hero narrative was woven into her character arc. And it’s beautiful because even though she gets all the typically male-dominated tropes, she isn’t actually portrayed as masculine. May isn’t sexualized, but she’s also undeniably feminine, and as fully capable of kicking ass in high heels as in combat boots. And now in a few weeks we’re apparently getting more May backstory with Ep. 2x17 entitled “Melinda.” There are no words for how excited I am about that.
Responses
This is so elaborate and accurate! And this is why agents of shield is such a great show… Ambitious storytelling ftw[1]
An EXCELLENT analysis of Melinda May. Thanks for sharing![2]
References
- ^ Response, Archived version, on Tumblr, posted by alienspoon on April 15, 2015
- ^ Response, Archived version, on Tumblr, posted by carolineaquino73 on May 21, 2015