Top 35 Shows of 2013: No 11 Enlightened

By lou On 30 December 2013 In End of Year Lists

Well, if caring about something other than money is dopey, I’m a fucking moron

Amy Jellicoe is the embodiment of the virtues and problems of being a believer in social justice. She desperately wants to do right and help the little people but constantly rubs people the wrong way or takes a naive approach to whatever new cause she is championing. She is awkward and really has no idea how irritating she can be. Yet Amy Jellicoe is a hero for this age because she doesn’t give up, because her desire to make herself and the people around her better ends up being her strength.

Amy really can be a polarizing character and when I first started Enlightened I was really unsure about her and the show but then the whistleblower storyline happened and the series became one of my favourites of the year. Amy plots and conspires with the hapless and shy Tyler to take down the evil corporation they work for, it goes about as well as you can imagine for Amy doesn’t really think about the full consequences of telling all to opportunistic journalist Jeff.

In the final episode that sadly became the series finale Amy says screw it and stands up not only for the little people, the drone workers of Abaddonn but for herself. She has been repeatedly cast as crazy by the company ever since her breakdown at the start of the series but in the scene in which she faces the CEO Charles Szidon Amy just accepts who she wants to be and that is someone who cares and fuck the consequences. It is better to care and fail than not bother at all.

All around Amy her friends changed for the better because of her positive influence. Ex-husband Levi finally got clean, Tyler managed to find enough confidence to find love and even Dougie became more than just the slightly creepy boss.

Amy was idealistic and naive but she actually stood by her principles and she gets her well deserved victory at the end. I’m going to miss that confusing, frustrating and ultimately kind of wonderful woman.

Favourite episodes: The Ghost Is Seen / Agent of Change