So I am only four episodes into Warrior Nun, and I’ve seen Ava cop a lot of flack for being flighty and unwilling to commit to her role, so I had to throw my own two cents into the mix. This will predominantly be about the show to the episode I have seen up to.
Who the fuck would immediately go “hell yeah!” and throw themselves into a dangerous organisation after only just getting their life back?
Ava’s not the typical Chosen One. Most of the Chosen Ones - who are predominantly male in the fantasy/sci-fi genre - don’t have a good enough reason to shirk their duties. Heck, most of them are uniquely suited for the role but they just don’t wanna because it’s a lot of effort.
After getting into a car accident at seven years old that killed her mother, Ava was left permanently paralysed from the neck down. The only time she could get into bed or into her wheelchair, she had to be picked up and moved. She could not do it herself.
Not only that, but the person we see that’s assigned to do those tasks for her, abuses her because Ava’s disability is a “nuisance.” Her one caretaker after the death of her mother would snarl in her face and make this poor child feel like trash for something she could not help.
And the woman that did it was a nun. Someone who is supposed to be kind and nurturing in the eyes of the lord. Who took her vows and used her newfound power to abuse someone who had no power at all. A literal child.
On top of that, Ava’s teen years are over and she didn’t get to live a day as a “normal” teenager. No first kisses, no middle/high school, no dating, no discovering herself physically, emotionally, and sexually. Everything that able-bodied people take for granted like going for a walk, swimming, running, and just having physical autonomy over ourselves is completely new to her!
For all intents and purposes, her life and experiences stopped at age seven. She still has the childlike naivete, and must figure out how this alien world operates because she lived locked up in an orphanage for most of her life.
At nineteen, she dies but comes back to life and is given agency again - albeit it comes from yet another decision by another person dictating how her body should be used. She runs on the beach for the first time in twelve years, dances, has a drink, takes party drugs for the first time, and makes friends.
People hate her because she shirks her duties? She hasn’t chosen those duties for herself yet, but everyone around her is trying to rip her agency away yet again after she just got it back. All the other nuns chose to be there. Ava hasn’t. Her entire life up to this point is choices being made for her by people who don’t have her best interests at heart. The last person who did was killed in a car accident.
Ava needs the time to come into her newfound role and accept it for herself. Having people force it on her is not going to work because she’s sick and tired of having no agency. Also “do it or get the halo taken away which will kill you” is a disgusting ultimatum. The nuns have forgotten that they’re not dealing with a humanoid weapon but an actual living, breathing human who has wants and needs. They all got to make the choice for themselves, why can’t Ava?
In conclusion, Ava’s character arc is about self-discovery and claiming her own agency that she lost at age seven.
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