Back in October I made a somewhat coherent observation post about masculinity in AW2 so now I'm back, pondering about the female characters in AW2 + Night Springs DLC (I still haven't fully finished watching the Lake House DLC so I can't comment on Diana Marmont or any further characterization of Estevez)
General: I like that Remedy doesn't really sexualize their female characters in AW2. No unnecessary fanservice/eye candy shots. They all wear practical clothes that still feel like they personally picked them. Although I feel most of the women aren't overtly hyperfemme dressed with Rose being the only one who has more typically feminine traits. If you'd put them on a binary scale of masc to femme i think most of them would fall somewhere in the middle.
I think there really should be more female characters though. There are really only 3 main female characters (Saga, Rose & Estevez) and then a few minor characters (Mandy-May, Charline, Tammy, in a way even Cynthia Weaver) of whom some we don't even really see (Logan only as audio and a pic, Charline is in a full body costume)
There are like 11 female characters (with an actual appearance & some importance) to 22 male characters of various importance.
Saga: The way too often forgotten dual protagonist of the sequel. I think she's a well rounded, likable character. She is a seasoned FBI agent taking the literal lead on the case in Bright Falls. She has a special gift (her Mind Place). She's a mom. Despite many obstacles, she overcomes them both physically (in combat) and mentally (case solving in her mind Place but also near the end when she's in the DP, overcoming her own uncertainties and fears). I wouldn't put her in the 'Mary Sue' category or her being 'a GirlBoss^tm' at all.
Early on, it seems the Deputies undermine Saga's status as they first address Casey, assuming he is the main lead of the case instead of Saga.
As the narrative evolves and Logan's life is endangered, her daughter becomes one of her main motivations to put an end to the nightmarish story. In her Mind Place you also see a card from her mother & the mom mug. It seems she had a difficult relation with her mom and often also worries she may not be good enough a mother to Logan. The latter made even more obvious when she's in the DP and self doubt begins to consume Saga.
Race wise, she is one of the few people of color in the game. The game doesn't really dive into this aspect of Saga, except early on with her meeting the Deputies and the remark that she defends the Bookers because 'they stick to their kind'' + in the Dark Place when she's in her MP "Another white asshole deciding what I get to do, how I get to do it." While some people brushed this aside as 'forced' or racist (lmao rly???) I think this was a justified thing for her to think. Whether this was during a despairful moment or not. While not touched upon really in the game, I think it's safe to say that Saga has endured racism and racist microaggressions as a Black woman in her work life and day to day life. (and on a meta level too with fans and GamerBros attacking the character and whining about reverse racism becos that one line she has about 'white assholes deciding what i get to do')
(Finally, and others have made posts about this before, I think it's a damn shame that despite Saga being a literal protagonist, gets not many spotlights or fanart dedicated to her by the fandom and even Remedy themselves. And sadly, I don't see much new art/fanfic being made of her. I fear that as time goes on, the fandom and Remedy might forget Saga as a character even more.)
Alice Wake: We don't see that much of her other than those scattered video fragments. She's clearly struggling with the loss of Alan and the hauntings of Alan/Scratch which is reflected in her dark clothes. Funnily enough, in the concept art we see her in slightly brighter more patterned colors and textures.
Rose Marigold: I think Rose is the female character most associated with typical femininity. Appearance-wise: makeup, the pink/reddish waitress outfit (even more saturated in the DLC) and job-wise: being a waitress and nurse. She has an outgoing, expressive nature which is even more highlighted in Night Springs. She still is clearly a fangirl and we even find some fanfic of hers through the Casey lunchboxes. However, she also is unfiltered, somewhat brash and knows how to wield a shotgun/fire weaponry. Something that isn't always allowed for female characters to have.
Kiran Estevez: Another new female character introduced as a competent FBC agent who abruptly takes over Saga's case. She's the lead of her team and has a pretty no nonesense attitude in the main game (saying again, I havent seen the Lake House DLC). She's practical but shows some dry humor when talking to Saga and Casey after the DP attack on the station. I think she's also one of the first openly queer character in any Remedy Game? And I like how casual this was shown to us by her mentioning her ex-wife.
Baba Jakala: We only see her in the short movie Yötön Yö. In the first game, Barbara Jagger appears as an antagonistic character who was once victim to the Dark Presence who now possesses her skin.
Baba in YY is described as the widow of the writer Veikko and she seems to want to resurrect her dead husband through the violent ritual. She somewhat acts as a femme fatale to Kesä: seducing him, playing into his reignited desire to be with her and drugs him for the ritual. Afterward, she acts violently, joining Ilmari (and Seine) in the brutal murder of Kesä. I can't help but notice that she mainly appears pretty throughout it all, though she manically laughs as she stabs Kesä to death but it's not in the same ugly, manic way Ilmari is allowed to kill Kesä or even Seine whose facial features are mainly covered by his hair, but is seen drooling in like a mili second frame.
Cynthia Weaver: Personally, I feel like she was done dirty as a character. I can't say much about the gameplay of her boss level, but it was nice to have a female boss fight too. One being an elderly woman at that (and again, without some weird objectification that many other games often fail in, even when it comes to villains the women have to be Sexy^tm) I feel she's a bit of a fridged (or rather drowned) woman in this story which is sad to me because she was such an odd mentor-like type in the first game. Now, very much stripped of her previous traits.
Mandy-May: I really liked her character and her banter with Norman. I just do lol. I feel she and the other nursing home residents gave more life to the game by being characters. Minor as they may be.
Tammy Booker: We don't see much of her save for the introduction scene and her echoes in the DP. I like her attitude and her dynamic with Ed from the brief interactions we see in the main game and I wish we could've seen more. Tammy also being a writer could've been an interesting jumping point for including them a bit more into the main story other than being the 'tutorial' intro characters.
And as always, feel free to add your own thoughts and views on characters in reblogs or comments or DMs ^^
