Interesting idea that Cally got waif-ized to make her more appealing to Avon....how sexist of them. Why alter *her* to fit *him* rather than vice versa
I didn't take Ellynne's post to mean Cally was 'Waifed' to *make* her more appealling to Avon, by the writers. Although that's not unthinkable, an attempt to parrallel Blake and Jenna with the new lead couple, except that they weren't really written as a couple. It's the audience that sees it in the apparent chemistry. Others have said they saw Avon being attracted to Cally in her first few (pre-Waif) episodes, and later he became disinterested. What I got from what Ellynne was saying is this-- a person with trust issues will be more inclined to trust someone who is a bit needy. That's a simplified way of looking at it of course-- my sister-in-law, for instance, appears to be very needy, but she is also trustworthy as a politician. Still, it's easier to feel at ease in a relationship if you believe yourself to be the more powerful personality. I don't think the series weakened Cally's personality to make her more attractive to Avon; however, they may have believed it would make her more attractive to the male fans, or more sympathetic to the females. Or, it may be that the Tarrant-Avon rivalry was being played up by the writers to the point they didn't know what to do with the other members. Dayna and Soolin rarely got parts that were any better, although Dayna was cast as the 'bloodthirsty' one.. and perhaps it is Dayna's introduction that was ultimately responsible for Cally's softening. After all, there had to be some definite marks of distinction. Dayna was introduced as a warrior; Cally had been too, once, but in the season and more-than-a-half after, had been given a kinder side and a mystic-race background. Dayna could not be changed radically between her first and third appearences; on the other hand, they could sweep Cally's "May you die alone and silent!" side under the rug. Without a definite new direction for Cally, then, she comes across as a Waif.