Warrior Nun: How to Tell a Love Story

And the power of performance

[Warning: This essay contains spoilers for Warrior Nun seasons 1 and 2. And slight Walking Dead season 6 spoilers too].

Love stories are not easy.

Probably one of the hardest parts of a romantic tale is making the love feel real. I guess it's part of the reason why my first novella, The Tree Dream, explored love in the realm of the unreal and the self. It's easy to write two characters in love. It's hard to make that love convincing. Not only do you have to make sure both characters in the inevitable relationship stand on their own as fleshed-out parts of the story, but you also have to make them working together feel natural. Their characteristics needs to connect with one another, their purpose in the overall plot needs to be clear, and their chemistry has to shine through when they're together. And that's not an easy thing to do. Successful love stories need to have characters that feel important to one another and to the plot as a whole (if it's primarily a romance then "plot as a whole" is redundant, but still stands if it's a different genre). They also need to feel like fully-developed characters impacted by what happens to them, including when the develop feelings for the other romantic lead.

It is not an easy task to make a fictional romance convincing. It's even harder to get audiences invested in that romance. And while I would say there's a bit more difficulty in making the romance queer, I would actually argue that it's not much different than crafting any other love story on paper. There may be certain elements to a queer love story that are different from a non-queer love story, yes. But I believe a writer who puts their plot and characters above all else can succeed in making any type of romance they want work by simply crafting engaging characters. What matters is not how the relationship looks, it's who is in the relationship. Does it make sense for these characters to harbor romantic feelings for one another? If yes, then the romance blossoms.

Warrior Nun is the perfect example of how a budding romantic relationship in a TV series should work. And I don't just mean a queer relationship as Ava and Beatrice positively represent. I mean that anyone aspiring to write a relationship for TV should use Ava and Bea as a case study for how best to write romance. Their romantic journey is one of my favorites I've ever seen on TV, second only to Rick and Michonne on The Walking Dead. Their romantic interest in one another is not only built upon their friendship. It also develops alongside their characters, as they begin to grow closer to one another both emotionally and through their viewpoints throughout the series.

When Ava is first introduced, she's portrayed as a rather self-centered hothead with a passion for breaking the rules. Despite this, her wide-eyed glee about the world is infectious and understandable. Having been bedridden all her life due to an accident that paralyzed her and left her orphaned, Ava has never been able to experience the world and all its wonders before. But, with the ancient halo now transplanted from Sister Shannon’s back into hers, Ava has the freedom to walk again, and to experience a world she's never been able to see before.

This joy doesn't last long, though, as the Order of the Cruciform Sword (OCS) soon finds her, bringing her to the church from which they operate. Ava has the responsibilities of the church dumped in her lap, as she must now contend with beings from another dimension that threaten the stability of Earth. While there, she ends up befriending the girl that will become her love interest: Beatrice. Bea is introduced as a no-nonsense nun that, while befriending Ava, still sees responsibility to the OCS as an important attribute of her life. Because of this, she encourages Ava to continue trying to both fit in and master her newfound halo superpowers. By the end of Episode 3, Bea has even opened up to Ava about her past, with a very indirect, blink-and-you'll-miss-it hint that she is gay. But, when Ava leaves the OCS at the end of the episode, her and Bea are separated from one another for a good chunk of the season. But, while apart, the two get a chance to develop as individual characters.

Bea's story is more straightforward and developmental, as by this point in the show, not all the groundwork for her character had been laid out yet. Said groundwork comes in some of the episodes mid-Season 1, with her most notable scene being when the OCS breaks into ArqTech to steal back the shield Vincent gave Dr. Salvius. As her fellow nuns escape with the shield, Bea holds off ArqTech security by donning a special nun mask, using her fighting skills to take down all of Salvius' men. This scene is important because it solidifies how Bea feels about the OCS and her duty to ensure religious artifacts don't fall into the wrong hands. Her ability to fight so many people on her own seems like it's meant to underscore the strength of her faith to the church. This is furthered when, in a conversation with then-Cardinal Duretti, she reaffirms her faith in God above all else. Her dedication to the church and her belief in God also means she sees the world through the lens which she believes is most proper, and results in the most orderly of results.

Ava, however, is more of a loose cannon. For multiple episodes, she can be seen on the run, trying to comprehend her newfound powers, her freedom, and shirking the responsibility that has now fallen into her lap. She doesn't want to take on the leadership now expected of her by the OCS, especially since she feels very little connection to God and the Christian faith. While her camaraderie with Bea does exist, it's not as prominent during Season 1 as it is later. Instead, Ava wrestles with the notion of now having to use the halo to ensure protection over the world, thus giving up the freedoms she had been yearning for while bedridden for so many years. While her own experiences coupled with Mary's guidance help her, she soon goes to ArqTech in search of answers. As the season goes on, Ava begins to realize that her responsibility to the OCS has such heavy, worldly consequences, that it would be too selfish for her to stand back and let bad things happen when she has the power to stop them.

And so we arrive at Ava's preparation to phase through twenty feet of wall to get to Adriel's tomb and burn the bones everyone believes are beneath the Vatican. Bea acts as her partner in crime, coaching her by encouraging her to phase through a makeshift wall set up at ArqTech. The pair end up reading a story later on about Sister Melanie, a nun who was persecuted during the time of the Nazis and World War II. Bea grows incredibly emotional while reading the story, revealing that her emotions steam from why Melanie was persecuted: She was gay. This is the first overt indication that Bea could harbor feelings for Ava, but it isn't until later in the episode when Ava successfully phases through the twenty-foot-thick wall that it becomes clear.

After Ava succeeds, Bea holds her, excited that her friend was able to push through the difficult task before her despite the near-death experience that it entailed. While making sure Ava is safe, Bea caresses her cheek in a way that appears much more than friendly. Her action is the first major hint that she has romantic feelings for Ava. Coupled with how upset she felt while reading Sister Melanie's story of persecution, it appears as though Bea is only just starting to grapple with her budding feelings for the new Warrior Nun. She isn't sure if Ava would feel the same way, which may be why she continues to befriend Ava for the rest of the season instead of jumping the gun. However, I think this was important to do, not only to further develop their friendship, but also to give viewers more time with the pair together.

One of my favorite moments between the two of them in the entire series is when they enter Adriel's tomb near the end of Season 1, Episode 9. This interaction between the pair was incredibly wholesome. Even if the circumstances they found themselves in were dire at the time. The puns, the smiles, and the heartfelt understanding that the pair were growing close fast was important. It showed that, even though the two of them fell on very different ends of the spectrum in terms of beliefs and mindsets, they still shared plenty of commonalities to get along. They each have attributes that make them stand out socially, but find they’re able to shed them when engaged in friendly conversation. The interaction helped to illustrate how well the pair work together, even if they have major character differences.

Season 2 only furthers this notion, with Ava and Bea spending much more time together here than in the first season. This is because they are in hiding following Adriel's return and his subsequent vying for power on Earth as an alleged messiah. The two are shown getting along quite well, but the stress of what's happening in the wider world that they can't do anything about is getting to them. We see this especially during Ava's training while she's running on water. She can't make it all the way to the island Bea is waiting for her on, despite needing that level of strength to contend with Adriel. It's clear from their conversation that they’re worried, and that worry is centered around Ava. Given that we, the audience, know how Bea feels about Ava at this point, it's clear that her worry is rooted in Ava and Ava alone. While Bea's proper attitude toward things could make it seem like she's most worried about the fate of the world, what she really wants is for Ava to beat Adriel and make it back alive.

Her romantically-aligned care for Ava comes out especially when Michael Salvius enters the picture. The aged-up child of Dr. Salvius is introduced as Miguel, a member of a resistance movement against Adriel's Firstborn Children. Despite proving himself generally trustworthy and as a way for Ava and Bea to contribute to the fight against Adriel without drawing too much outside attention to themselves, Bea doesn't like him spending time with Ava. It's clear that Bea is worried about how Ava might feel about her, as Bea doesn't have any solid idea that Ava could be romantically interested in her. While her protective nature toward Ava lines up with her typical personality, it's also rooted in jealousy. "Who does this ‘Miguel’ think he is, coming in here and trying to swoop the girl I like off her feet?" Her mistrust of Michael serves a story purpose while also giving viewers a deeper look at Bea's character.

But what Bea doesn't realize is that Ava does have romantic feelings for her. In the Season 2 premiere, Ava makes Bea drink for the first time at the bar the pair work at. During their outing, there's a scene were Ava watches Bea dance. I don't think there's any way to describe the look on her face as anything but love. Just looking at Bea seems to make Ava's heart race. And it's here that I want to talk about something that Alba Baptista (Ava) and Kristina Tonteri-Young (Bea) do so well that it's almost astounding the pair of them haven't won any awards for their acting yet.

Whenever Ava and Bea are together, there's a certain "look" to their faces that betrays the emotion of their characters. It's the kind of facial acting that's difficult to pull off, as it requires such subtle presentation that it would be hard for anyone else to replicate. It's the sort of thing that looks like it comes naturally to the actor, and something that many actors—even decades-seasoned ones—can't pull off. But Baptista and Tonteri-Young do pull it off. When Ava is watching Bea dance, there are subtle movements on her mouth and in her eyes that pull into an expression of transfixion. And while this example is supposed to be attentive, this same look is present on Ava's face multiple times when she looks at Bea throughout Season 2. It doesn't just show off Baptista's ability to use her face to accentuate what Ava feels in a subtle way. It also gives Ava's love for Bea more realism. It feels more convincing.

And the same can be said for Tonteri-Young's performance. Given that Bea is a more stoic character that only betrays her true emotions on occasion, it's a more difficult task to make a character with those qualities have their emotions subtly expressed. And yet, Tonteri-Young seems to effortlessly show Bea's inner vulnerabilities through her expressions. Throughout their initial excursions with Michael, there's a layer of upset on Bea's face that is never fully present in her tone nor her words. She insists that they don't know enough about Michael to trust him, that they shouldn't be doing anything that could draw the attention of Adriel or his forces. Yet there's a deeper layer that can be seen in her eyes when she says things like this. Almost like she wants to plead with Ava not to follow Michael, because it makes her worried that Ava doesn't feel the same way she does. It's such careful acting that it took me a few scenes of Bea protesting for me to pick up on it, rewinding to see it was present all along.

I cannot praise Baptista and Tonteri-Young's acting enough.

Overtly, things come to a head emotionally for them at the end of Season 2, Episode 2. After Ava reveals her powers in front of Michael while saving Bea, the pair are now forced to run from the life they were building. Ava's grievances with their situation is revealed, as is Bea's mountain of worry for both Ava and the world. Things take a drastic turn when Lilith reveals through an OCS communication device that Mary is dead, causing Ava and Bea to try and find comfort in their sudden, newfound loss. It's a heart-wrenching scene, made all the more dramatic because the audience knows how each of them feel about one another. The emotions in the scene are just as high for the audience as they are for Ava and Bea, because everyone involved in the scene--yes, including the viewer--is holding on to the same secret. But only the viewer knows that neither Ava nor Bea need to keep their feelings secret, heightening the emotional state of the scene. 

Audience knowledge soon becomes a key to Ava and Bea's relationship in Season 2. Their conversations become layered with dramatic irony. The type of irony in a story where the audience knows more than the characters, heightening the tension of a scene. In this case, the tension comes from the knowledge that Ava and Bea feel the same way about one another, yet neither is willing to admit their feelings out of fear. While Ava has less to fear, knowing that Bea is gay, Ava also knows that Warrior Nuns don't historically last very long. To have a meaningful, romantic connection to Bea might damn her to the inevitability of losing Ava too fast. Bea, on the other hand, is not only worried about falling for the Warrior Nun, but also about if Ava would even reciprocate those feelings. This is illustrated most heavily in Season 2, Episode 4 when a "fear gas" hallucination of Ava screams at Bea: "I know what you are!" The last thing Bea wants is to be persecuted like Sister Melanie.

The dramatic irony of Ava and Bea's budding relationship also reflects how their love story is unique. This is not a "will they/won't they" scenario as played up in so many other films and TV series with a romantic pairing. This is very a much a "they will" type of relationship. The question then becomes, "How does it happen?" Warrior Nun doesn't tackle Ava and Bea's relationship by baiting audiences into thinking they might get together. Instead, it takes time throughout Season 2 to build that relationship into one that is convincing and is between two characters the audience has grown to understand. Ava and Bea are fully-developed characters in the middle of major character arcs when hints of their romance begin to blossom. The audience has grown attached to them and their friendship, which is why the series is able to push forward into romance with believability. Now it's the dramatic irony's job to increase audience tension as we learn how their love story will play out.

One of the most important moments that transpires between the pair—one that accentuates just how much they care about one another—happens in Season 2, Episode 5. Following a rescue mission to save Duretti, Mother Superion, and Yasmine, many major characters are trying to escape from Firstborn Children that are chasing them. Ava manages to phase out of a building and tries lowering herself to the ground, but the halo gives out while she's in midair. She falls to the ground, her head splitting open. Bea runs to her side, panicked as she realizes the power of the halo hasn't returned. The fear on her face and in her voice is palpable, heartbreaking even though it's clear that Ava will make it out alive.

Then Ava wakes up, the pair exchanging words and looks that actively showcase their feelings for one another. The relief in the moment is so great that, despite the peril around them, they still embrace. Ava even tilts her head slightly, as if trying to kiss Bea. She's much more open about her feelings here, which makes sense given that she almost died. But I also felt like this moment was a turning point in their relationship. While Bea's nervousness continues to peer out from time to time, Ava begins to exude the energy that she's more sure of herself following this event. And I think a lot of it has to do with the way the scene was portrayed. This is the first time Ava and Bea have come face-to-face with one another while 1.) almost being stricken with a tragedy, and 2.) having confirmed romantic feelings for one another. Ava's almost-kiss serves to underscore how she wants to reveal her feelings to Bea. This near-death experience had an instantaneous impact on her character.

Which is why it makes sense that Ava is the one to initiate her and Bea's budding romance. Believing that she needs to sacrifice herself to stop Adriel in the Season 2 finale, Ava tricks Bea and Yasmine into following her to where Salvius' stolen Ark is allegedly being stored. However, it turns out the Ark is underground. Ava led them to the room as a diversion tactic, placing the nuns inside the ArqTech building where they can fend off anyone that tries to get underground to stop Ava. But Bea knows what this means. The panic is clear on her face when she realizes Ava tricked them. She doesn't want Ava to sacrifice herself, her worst fears about falling in love with a Warrior Nun coming to fruition. It's a look that screams defeat: "Ava will never know how I truly feel about her."

And then Ava kisses her.

The kiss between Ava and Bea is not only bittersweet, but it also marks the climax of the dramatic irony the story has been playing with since the start of Season 2. Now everyone knows about their love for one another, any doubts between the two erased in their kiss. Yasmine also sees the kiss transpire, acting as representation for the main cast. A representative from both outside parties (audience and other characters) has now seen Ava and Bea kiss, officiating their relationship from multiple perspectives aside from their own. A great weight has been lifted because now it's something that everyone has seen and accepted as part of Ava and Bea's stories. It is the thrilling next step into their journey together.

Or so it would be, if the circumstances were not so tragic. After Ava kisses Bea, she phases through the floor, leaving Bea stunned. She looks like a million thoughts are going through her head all at once. One of them, though, has to be about how that very well may be the last time she ever sees Ava. While her fear that Ava wouldn't accept her has been alleviated, the lingering worry about the pain of falling in love with a Warrior Nun has been confirmed. Ava is now going to die, intent on sacrificing herself so Adriel doesn’t bring an army of wraith demons to Earth. Their newfound relationship now contains a thin layer of tragedy, as Bea is going to have the one thing she loves taken from her. Her eyes show a future where she has to hide herself from the world again. And it's a future she never wants to experience.

Which is why she fights her way to the lower levels of ArqTech and reunites with Ava. She's forced to watch as Ava almost dies due to divinium shrapnel when she blows up Michael's body, a vain attempt at taking down Adriel. But, after the tarasks that were attracted to the halo rip Adriel apart, Ava is forced to go through the Ark if she's to survive from her mortal wounds. A devastated Bea leads her to the edge of the Ark. The acting in this scene paints well over a thousand words. Ava's not only in pain because of her wounds, but because of the knowledge that, as soon as her and Bea found the happiness they'd been looking for in one another, it was going to be ripped away. Bea's pain is just as deep, as she knows sending Ava through the portal could mean they never see one another again. And, if they did, the time difference in Reya's realm could take years from Ava's life that could have been spent with Bea.

Sitting Ava down in front of the portal, it's clear that Bea doesn't want her to go. It's just as clear that Ava doesn't want to either. Her final words to Bea encapsulate the potent truth the audience has known since the start of Season 2:

"I love you."

Ava is pulled into the Ark.

The tragedy of Ava and Bea's separation is tempered ever so slightly by the post-credits scene of the Season 2 finale. Following Bea's decision to leave the OCS, a divinium sword is shown glowing blue. This signals that Ava has somehow found her way out of Reya's realm, meaning she's back on Earth, likely in search of Bea. However, now that Warrior Nun has been cancelled, it's unclear how long we'll have to wait until their love story continues. But what is clear is just how well-developed, emotional, and (in the end) bittersweet Ava and Bea's love story is. Two characters whose behavior is so different from one another, and yet are drawn together because of how well they compliment one another.

Broadly speaking, one of my favorite aspects of Ava and Bea's love story is how much they begin to understand one another as their circumstances change. Ava learns how to be more responsible from Bea, with Bea's teachings indirectly impacting Ava's decision to sacrifice herself. Much like how Bea dedicated her life to the OCS, Ava decided to sacrifice hers to save the people she cares about. Bea learns how to be less stoic thanks to Ava, not only to have fun, but to have some reprieve where she can let her guard down and be vulnerable. It seemed to me that Bea's biggest fear throughout Warrior Nun was seeming like she was too weak to be a nun because of her differences. Her dedication is a mixture of true devout faith and her nervousness about being honest with her emotions. But Ava was able to break down those barriers, granting her the ability to be honest with herself, as well as others.

There are so many things that make Ava and Bea's relationship great, which I fear a 4,000-word essay like this one still can't do justice to. The way their characters compliment one another. The talented actors' subtle facial expressions and body language. Just the presentation of the slow build to their kiss, coupled with the dramatic irony that everyone watching knows the kiss is coming at some point. Ava and Bea's love story is masterful. A tale that I believe anyone who wants to write a love story should study. And it's one that I truly hope to see continue in a Season 3.

Ava and Bea are the central characters of Warrior Nun, and to see them develop from friends into something more was incredible to watch. TV has very few romantic buildups that are as well-developed as theirs, made all the more impactful by the queer representation they embody. But what matters most to me was the development of their characters. The hope they would be able to find happiness with one another before tragedy could strike. While their moment was fleeting, I think that, with Ava's return indicated by the post-credits scene, Season 3 will have plenty of reward for the masterfully-written relationship Seasons 1 and 2 brought to the table. Ava and Bea are a true testament to how a love story on TV should be written, no matter who that love story involves. I have no words, except to say: My heart is broken, but I believe it will be repaired.

I believe Ava and Bea's love will carry on. In this life, or the next.

***

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