Jenna Coleman has now been cast in the role of Marie-Andrée Leclerc in the Netflix and BBC One series The Serpent, which is currently being filmed in Thailand. It is based on the real life story of French serial killer Charles Sobrhaj and his accomplice, Leclerc, fleeing across borders to escape captivity after having committed several brutal murders in India, Thailand, and Nepal in the 1970s. It is undoubtedly a tough role that will require lots of care in dealing with this sensitive topic. Here I will review some of the other (semi-) villaneous, albeit fictional characters that Jenna has portrayed so far.
This post contains massive spoilers!
Bonnie (Doctor Who, S9E7-8, The Zygon Invasion, The Zygon Inversion)
Bonnie was the leader of the radical group of Zygons (shapeshifting aliens) who sought to unmask all Zygons, reveal their true identity, and start a war with humanity. She took the shape of Clara Oswald to obtain strategic powers, and used these to annihilate UNIT in the UK, and gain access to the Black Archive, where she hoped she would find the tools necessary to start (and possibly also win) the war she had planned.
After her plan doesn’t quite work as she had intended, and after being subjected to several mind games, the Doctor finally convinces her of the pointlessness and stupidity of her plans, and makes her realize that bloodshed only leads to more bloodshed. He forgives her for the deaths she has caused, both directly and indirectly. And in the end she completes a full 180° turn, choosing instead to protect the peace between humans and Zygons, rather than to attack it, and finally morphs into a second Osgood.
Actually I could stop right here, Bonnie is the only character Jenna has played that I would actually call a villain. But there have been a few other characters she has played, who have committed serious felonies. They always had a justification that we as viewers empathize with, but the law in these fictional settings does not.
Jasmine Thomas (Emmerdale)
Jasmine worked as a journalist, and was trying to investigate the McFarlanes. She was attempting to exploit policeman Shane Doyle to gain information about them. When he finds her spying around, he attacks her and tries to rape her. Jasmine’s girlfriend Debbie arrives, and hits Shane unconscious. When he rises again, Jasmine kills him.
After both Debbie and her father have been charged for the murder, Jasmine travels to the court, reveals the truth, and is subsequentyl sentenced to four years in prison.
Lindsay James (Waterloo Road)
It is remarkable how similar certain elements of the stories of Jasmine and Lindsay are. Lindsay’s mother is charged for the murder of her husband Tony. Lindsay goes to court to testify. She reveals that she had been repeatedly raped by her father. When he seemed to have had plans of also raping Lindsay’s younger sister, she killed him.
Just like Jasmine, Lindsay’s appearance on the show also concludes with her in jail.
When Joanna’s baby boy Noah dies unexpectedly in a trip to Australia, Joanna’s life turns upside down. Her partner, Alistair concocts a fake tale of child kidnapping that Joanna plays along with. But after months of lies, and deceptions she finally discovers the entire truth herself; Alistair gave Noah the deadly dose of medicine, but always made her feel guilty for his death. He lied about where he had buried Noah, and was making money from the lie he had told the world. Joanna struggles with how to break free, and impulsively causes a car crash in which Alistair dies, but she survives.
This is where the novel and series diverge to completely opposite endings. In the novel, Joanna wants to be convicted for the murder of Alistair, because she feels guilty about Noah. She however comes across as crazy, and gets sent to psychiatric ward.
In the series however, Joanna convincingly argues her case that the death of Alistair was an accident, and gets away with it. Finally returning to Australia, to the house built on the grounds in which Noah was buried.
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