If I had a dollar for every single time a female character failed to fulfill her potential, I could buy a small country at this point. The fact that this is still happening is ridiculous.
The manifestation of this potential differs between modern and fantasy settings, but the core failing remains the same -- these characters never fully become badass, independent women who are capable and skilled.
For fantasy dramas, the emphasis is literally on badass. To be clear, this badassery is not The Chosen One levels of insane skill but clearly being able to hold your own in a world of magic, fantastical creatures, mystical powers, and life and death stakes. These female characters themselves have these fantastical abilities and they are supposed to be powerful. They themselves, independent of any man, are a threat. Brain and brawn. The reaction to their initial introduction/full manifestation of their abilities is one of awe and fear because the reputation of being a badass woman precedes her. However, instead of being a vital part of the action and the overarching plot of the story, they are quickly sidelined and have no impact at all. They revert to just being there. They wear pale clothing to almost literally blend into the background, they have little dialogue and any individual goal or motivation they had prior vanishes. They function from a given point as mainly the love interest of the male character. To worry over the man, to bat their eyelashes, scream their name (it is one of the only lines of dialogue they have) and to occasionally use their abilities (now so much weaker) to save the man. The end result often is that they end up sacrificing themselves for the man. This entire disintegration of self usually has beautiful bgm attached to it because this dynamic is presented as The Definition Of True Love and the person they become is just a girl in luuuuuurrrvvvveee. Total bullshit.
For modern dramas, the emphasis is on being a smart and capable badass. There are no life and death stakes and the woman is neither witch nor demon but the area of life she inhabits, she dominates. She is skilled, intelligent, GOOD AT WHAT SHE DOES. In what I have noticed, this is underplayed immediately. The writer must assume that the audience is stupid and cannot put two and two together. In a world dominated by men, you do not become a female CEO by laughing like a hyena and tripping into a garbage can. You cannot survive if you are mediocre and average. Your existence enough is testament to a level of capability and intelligence. To pursue the career you want and rise to the top of that field despite outright hostility and ostracization from your family, you cannot be an airhead with no cares in the world. To claim power in cutthroat environments where you have no allies, you have to play high stakes political chess and mastered the art of subterfuge, manipulation and observation at the very least. Instead any career that the woman possesses is treated like a name tag and nothing more. She then becomes a caricature. Absolutely dramatic 300% of the time. Acting like she is five when she is in fact thirty five. Not thinking a single thing through. Flighty and impulsive. The points of conflict in the story, it is written that the female character either started or made worse. She becomes the problem. Then enters the calm, collected, cool, demonstrably intelligent male character who becomes the solution. He is cleaning up all her messes. She is made to feel grateful for his assistance, she couldn't have done it without him because she is not capable in any shape or form whatsoever. The capability and intelligence that the woman MUST POSSESS are never allowed to be part of the story. Her true self is trapped in a cage of perpetual mediocrity in order to make the male character look better. Once again, hypnotism through visuals, background music and filters attempt to make the audience forget who she could have become because look how her life has improved with Perfect Man male character. She wouldn't need saving if she could be her original smart, capable badass self.
It's like nobody paid attention to Legally Blonde. Elle Woods contained multitudes. She was smart and loved fashion and beauty. Through not picking one over the other, her particular blend of talents and interests ending up winning the case. She was no less intelligent simply because she refused to give up wearing pink or because she was friendly to strangers. The romance she later pursues does not force her to shrink herself to become convenient and easily palatable to the guy. Throughout the movie, Elle Woods remained a badass.
Female characters contain multitudes. They can be smart and kind. They can be capable and funny. They can be able to kill their enemies using only a spoon and be gentle with baby animals. They can be an active part of the plot without giving up their badassery. In fact, their badassery can be an instrumental aid in the protagonists' overarching mission.
Let them stand shoulder to shoulder with all the other protagonists as EQUALS. Let them stand side by side with their love interests AS EQUALS.
YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DIM THE LIGHT OF THE FEMALE CHARACTER in order to have the romance or plot exist.
LET THEM BE SKILLED AND INTELLIGENT THE ENTIRE TIME.
