Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we spotlight strong women and nonbinary folks who inspire us. This includes fictional characters and creators in geeky media. They are a prime example of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have that example to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for Syfy’s SurrealEstate, particularly Susan Ireland’s arc.
Susan Ireland
Fast Facts
Susan Ireland (Sarah Levy) joined Luke Roman (Tim Rozon) and the gang in the SurrealEstate pilot. She used to work for Bob Livingston (Jefferson Brown) at his real estate agency. Susan and Bob had an affair, made significantly worse when considering the power imbalance between them. We also learned in Season 1 that Susan’s father passed away a few years before, and that she’s very close to her mother, Constance (Alison Woolridge).
Susan quickly learns that the Roman Agency is a unique supernatural real estate beast, dealing with possessed houses and helping ghosts move on. Luke has a tether to those beyond the veil and can communicate with spirits. Like Luke, Susan boasts her own set of powers: pyrokinesis and telekinesis. However, Susan was mostly hired for her A+ — sizzling, you might say — track record regarding house sales. She’s a shark in the biz. In the Season 1 finale, Susan reunites with the ghost of her late father, Michael (Laurie Murdoch), and finds catharsis in her grief journey.
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In Season 2, Susan purchases a swanky new house, which promptly absorbs her (I hate when that happens). She spends a few episodes trapped there until she emerges, possessed by the house’s malicious entity. Thankfully, the group bands together to expel the spirit from Susan. Luke eventually makes Susan a co-partner, and the agency’s name changes to the Roman Ireland Agency.
Season 3
Then, Season 3 sees Susan navigate the nuances of grief in the wake of her mom’s passing. She decides to renovate and flip a house with the aid of Lomax (Elena Juatco). Later, she offers advice to her bestie Zooey (Savannah Basley) after the latter leaves Roman Ireland to become a kickass lawyer. She tackles having more responsibilities as a co-partner while using her abilities to whip supernaturally touched houses into shape for the market.
Additionally, Susan dips her toes into the dating pool, encountering more than her fair share of duds until she meets Crash (Stephen Huszar), a firefighter who douses a blaze in her house that she inadvertently started. Earlier in the season, the agency hires a new researcher to replace Father Phil (Adam Korson), Tag (Alex Ozerov-Meyer), a friend of August’s (Maurice Dean Wint). Tag carries a torch for Susan, and she grows to like him as a friend.
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In episode seven, Susan gifts Tag with his own business card. Tyler MacNeil (R Austin Ball), a man possessed by a being called Malec, tries to run over Susan in the parking garage of Tag’s apartment complex. Tag pushes her out of the way, taking the hit from Tyler’s vehicle. Unfortunately, he dies. How Susan will cope with Tag’s death remains to be seen…
The Real Deal
Susan is a rockstar at her job. She’s immensely passionate about what she does and excels at it. Our co-partner possesses confidence in spades, and rightly so. In addition, Susan can manipulate fire with her mind and move objects with her mind. That makes her a formidable force of nature, figuratively and literally. You’d want Susan by your side in a fight, to be sure.
Outside of work, Susan is an empathetic, kind soul. She’d gladly fall on her sword for her loved ones. She also has a sassy, biting sense of humor, which inexplicably complements her sunshine demeanor. If anyone can be described as personable and warm among the Roman Ireland staff, it’s Susan. And that innate warmth isn’t because she can control fire.
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Susan’s also unafraid of giving someone a stern talking-to when needed. When she learns about Luke potentially partnering with Tyler for a business venture antithetical to Roman Ireland’s core values, Susan gives her partner a much-needed reality check.
Why She Matters
Susan is a badass co-partner of a reputable real estate agency that deals with literal life and death. It takes quite a bit of grit to weather the supernatural storms Roman Ireland encounters on the daily. Susan forges ahead, though, even on her worst days. However, this time around, she’s also allowing herself to grieve her late mother, a key indicator of her growth over the past three seasons.
RELATED: Read our SurrealEstate recaps
So, be like Susan Ireland. Be brave. Protect what’s yours. Be confident in your abilities. Begin each day armed with caffeine and your snarky wit. Oh, and fight off the supernatural with fire, and when that doesn’t work, start moving sh*t with your mind.
SurrealEstate drops new episodes every Thursday at 10 pm EST on Syfy.
Syfy Renews THE ARK for Season 3
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
