Fangirl Friday : Lucy Liu

Another week, another Fangirl Friday post! This week, I thought about writing a post on a number of different things.. but in the end, a rewatch of the first season of Elementary made the decision for me. How could it not?

So readers, this week, I am going to share with you just a few reasons why Lucy Liu is FLAWLESS. 

It totes is!

Firstly, and this is the least impressive thing about her, she's gorgeous. Like, whiplash causing gorgeous. I swear, she gets better looking every year. 

She's also played some of my favorite roles in both television AND the big screen, and has managed to avoid being typecast. She's done it all; quirky romantic comedies (Watching the Detectives), TV drama-comedies (Ally McBeal), she's played the undead (Rise), a smoking hot Angel (Charlie's Angels), a kick ass villain in a Tarantino flick (Kill Bill), and an amazing Watson to Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock on CBS's Elementary.

Words I thought I'd never hear said to a woman.
Let alone a WOC.

I'm not one of those feminists that wants every literary character gender bent (it's great if you do, sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't) and when I first heard about a woman being cast as Watson I thought "hmm.. is that really necessary?" and I realized, it is. Sherlock Holmes has been done in a million ways, by a million people, the character will outlive us all. But it is distinctly ruled by testosterone. Old white male, upper class, testosterone. With a distinct lack of women (which frankly, as a WOC, I have had more than enough of). With the relationship between Holmes and Watson dancing the line between toxic and dysfunctional all too often. With this simple casting, they broke that run. A woman of color, playing THE Watson to the world's most famous detective. And a competent one at that. Brilliant. (Also, if you're a fan of the gender bending, you must watch this. Because.. Natalie Dormer. That is all. And, Elementary's Mrs.Hudson... I mean. You gotta give this show a chance if you're one for diversity.)

Her take-no-nonsense attitude with this version of Holmes is delightful. In so many adaptations, it comes across as Watson NEEDING Holmes more than Holmes needing Watson, but in this case, she is so very clearly his main support system. When all else seems unstable, look to your Watson. The way it was always meant to be (IMO purely in a platonic sense, but everyone reads/watches things differently). Lucy Liu's portrayal of Watson is my very favorite (this is coming from a die hard Sherlock book fan, who started reading Conan Doyle when she was 11.) Jude Law is pretty epic, Martin Freeman is a joy, but the well rounded, non toxic, very capable and smart version of Watson who isn't just floundering around behind Holmes wondering just how many steps ahead of him Holmes is mentally just makes me happy. Especially when she puts Sherlock in his place repeatedly. With perfect hair.

(and he listens)

Not to mention she's perfected the art of the eye roll. I need to learn how to do that. 

I mentioned her role in Tarantino's Kill Bill. (If you haven't watched that, do yourself a favor, watch it. For sooo many more reasons than Lucy Liu.) What I didn't say was that to me, she was probably the most interesting, and deadly, villain in the movies. Sure, Bill's the ultimate villain, Daryl Hannah's Elle Driver was deliciously nuts, but Liu's O-Ren Ishii was pretty epic. Her journey from assassin to mob boss, and "that" decapitation scene at the conference table. Priceless. More people need to cast her as the poker faced killer because she will ACE it every single time.

Like the amazing Angelina Jolie featured in my last Fangirl post, (here) Lucy Liu is also an active humanitarian in regions most people consider "lost to civilization" and not worth the effort. She has been an ambassador for UNICEF since 2004 and has traveled to several countries for humanitarian work, including Pakistan (which she also visited after large areas had been devastated by earthquakes) and Lesotho. Currently she has been trying to get people to send aide to children in Syria. 

Four of my fave people, all in one pic.
Source.

There really isn't much more to say about her. She loves animals (she has sooo many pictures of her adorable pups on Instagram), she's awesome, she's talented, she's smart, she's funny, and she cares about people. What's not to love? 

Follow her on twitter here.
And instagram here.