"We don't have the luxury to grieve."
Featured in: The Event
Portrayed by: Laura Innes
*SPOILERS for The Event*
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The most unlikely of villains, Sophia was unique among villainous characters in ways that made her utterly unpredictable and so much fun to watch. Like many villains, she started out on the side of good... at least as much as you could tell was the side of good in The Event, one of the most "gray vs. gray" types of shows I've ever watched. She always, ALWAYS wanted what was best for her people, a race of alien creatures that had come to Earth during World War II only to be captured and imprisoned at a secret government base. Time and time again, Sophia's goals clashed with those of the government, only for the two to converge once more once Sophia's son Thomas went rogue. There was even a time when Thomas was thinking of killing Sophia, but he couldn't bring himself to do so, and one wonders what kind of mother Sophia must've been. What finally pushed Sophia over the edge, a tragic misunderstanding in which two-thirds of the group of former prisoners were killed by the US government, including Sophia's son Thomas in a horrific and tragic scene, set her full wrath upon the planet, and Sophia went from a caring, kind figure to one capable of nightmarish deeds, including the killing of billions of humans. In this final part of the season was when I REALLY came to like Sophia as a villain, because it juxtaposed her calm, motherly side with her dangerous, hate-filled villainess side. What made her unique among villains was the dear love she showed to her people, even when they repeatedly screwed up. Guard is stupidly tricked and gets tied up by the heroes as they make their escape? No problem, all is forgiven, do better next time! She turned the old "you have failed me" trope completely on its head. She was even willing to forgive those who betrayed her, though after numerous betrayals her capacity to forgive eventually ran out. Even at the end of the series, she had to be begged not to kill the hundreds of people she'd managed to trap inside an airport with the virus, and we could clearly see the pain in her expression as she spared human lives, her hatred toward the human race still very much visible. Masterfully played by Laura Innes (who deserved an Emmy for the performance), Sophia is one of the best TV and sci-fi villains in years and one of the biggest reasons I regret the show's cancellation.
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I chose poorly. Black Turtle chose wisely.