What do you think is Penny's purpose in this volume?
Excellent question! I was thrilled when she came back, and am going to preface this with one clarification: Penny is not going to die again. Having her die twice would make both of them feel cheap and impermanent. Penny can do a lot more for the show by living. So long as there is emotional payoff, her resurrection can do great things for the main cast. But it’s doing even more for the plot.
In addition to adding to the trans representation in this show, Penny is a representation of an overlying theme; why we should value our humanity. Because she is an android, Penny places a very high value on that part of herself. She encourages others to do the same. Penny, somewhat ironically, adds humanity to the Atlesian military.
In addition to embracing her own, Penny’s role so far seems to be encouraging humanity in others. Her conversation with Winter in Chapter eight, where she is reminded she is synthetic but then talks about speaking from the heart? I live for that shit.
While I would have liked to see more of a reaction from the main cast, I don’t think Penny’s main role this Volume is in influencing them. Her role is to form relationships with them, and hopefully influence the General as well.
Ironwood does not value his humanity right now, but Penny’s role might be to change that. Because if someone “completely under [his] control” is telling him she disagrees, that he should change his mind... he might start to see his own flaws.
Penny’s role this Volume is to learn to trust in love the way the main cast does, to be certain. She’s also learning to value and take care of herself; to finally see herself as a normal girl. Penny’s conversation with Ruby emphasizes that. But moreover, Penny is there to bring others together, and motivate the Atlas cast members to value their humanity.
As for next Volume? What happens on Saturday might change my mind... but I have a vision.
