A study in characters: The Little Women/ Ruby Excerpt
This is an excerpt from the online article "A study in Characters: The Little Women" by Mike Elrod.
It's only about Ruby because I base her character on these beliefs.
Next up, you guessed right again! It’s Ruby. Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Cortese played this demon like nobody’s business. I will say that one other thing I’ve found is that there is a lot of trash talk about Cortese’s portrayal of Ruby. While I find that I preferred her portrayal to Cassidy’s I don’t think this had anything to do with either of their acting abilities. Honestly.
I’d like to point out that if you don’t like someone’s portrayal of a character that you have every right to say so. However, I’m not convinced that those who rail on Cortese for this reason really know what they’re talking about. In fact, I think they’re downright wrong.
Enough soapbox.
Ruby as a whole is part of the evolution because she gave the audience we don’t often see in Supernatural. She was a manipulative woman/demon. Now, don’t think that this means the character was a throwback either. She’s actually acknowledging of the fact that she uses the Winchesters early on when talking to Dean about his crossroads deal. That’s what makes her such a unique character in these terms. She never acts in a way that shouldn’t raise some suspicion from the other characters. She doesn’t manipulate Sam solely by having sex with him. In fact, that part comes much later in the storyline for her.
She actually manipulates him by promising to help him save his brother. However, after Dean is ripped apart by hellhounds and sent downstairs to Alastair Ruby returns and offers him something more than just sex. She offers him power but not that of a man who lords over a woman. No, she offers him the power of equality. Something that Dean never did. Sam could finally have a partner rather than a master. At least in his mind. While Ruby did lie to Sam she did see him as an equal. That’s a speculation but I think she really wanted him to go Dark Side completely and join her. She was a well rounded character with strengths and weaknesses. None of which were affected by the point that she was female.
It's only about Ruby because I base her character on these beliefs.
Next up, you guessed right again! It’s Ruby. Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Cortese played this demon like nobody’s business. I will say that one other thing I’ve found is that there is a lot of trash talk about Cortese’s portrayal of Ruby. While I find that I preferred her portrayal to Cassidy’s I don’t think this had anything to do with either of their acting abilities. Honestly.
I’d like to point out that if you don’t like someone’s portrayal of a character that you have every right to say so. However, I’m not convinced that those who rail on Cortese for this reason really know what they’re talking about. In fact, I think they’re downright wrong.
Enough soapbox.
Ruby as a whole is part of the evolution because she gave the audience we don’t often see in Supernatural. She was a manipulative woman/demon. Now, don’t think that this means the character was a throwback either. She’s actually acknowledging of the fact that she uses the Winchesters early on when talking to Dean about his crossroads deal. That’s what makes her such a unique character in these terms. She never acts in a way that shouldn’t raise some suspicion from the other characters. She doesn’t manipulate Sam solely by having sex with him. In fact, that part comes much later in the storyline for her.
She actually manipulates him by promising to help him save his brother. However, after Dean is ripped apart by hellhounds and sent downstairs to Alastair Ruby returns and offers him something more than just sex. She offers him power but not that of a man who lords over a woman. No, she offers him the power of equality. Something that Dean never did. Sam could finally have a partner rather than a master. At least in his mind. While Ruby did lie to Sam she did see him as an equal. That’s a speculation but I think she really wanted him to go Dark Side completely and join her. She was a well rounded character with strengths and weaknesses. None of which were affected by the point that she was female.