Colleen (Road Rovers)

Colleen (voiced by Tress MacNeille) is a fictional anthropomorphic dog from the action/comedy cartoon Road Rovers that premiered in September 1996 on Kids' WB. She is a rough collie from the United Kingdom (as is evidenced by her cockney accent) and the only female in the group. She is apparently the second-in-command, right behind Hunter. She was a street dog prior to joining the Road Rovers, which serves as a good explanation for her fighting skills, as she is an accomplished martial artist in her Cano-sapien form and, as seen in the first episode, uses a similar fighting style as an ordinary dog. She apparently enjoys the flexibility and freedom of movement that come with her Cano-sapien form, as she is often visible in the background performing motions resembling a cross between ballet and slow-motion martial arts during briefings or while the other Road Rovers are discussing a situation in the foreground.

Personality

Colleen is a classic example of a tough girl. She, like her fellow team member Hunter (a golden retriever mix from the United States), frequently makes quips in the middle of a fight. She has a clever, flirtatious attitude and a flippant sense of humor. She has shown signs of attraction to Hunter, and he to her, leading to endless speculation on the part of viewers.

It is one of the running gags of the show that Colleen receives endless confessions of love from the German doberman Blitz, but seems to be constantly forgetting his name and even existence (or rather pretends to). Instead, she gives him new names (the most famous of which seems to be "Mr. Stuffington Fluffy Pants") and kicks him across the scene if he starts to complain, which he usually does. It seems possible that this is a form of payback for his frequent tendency to address her as "pretty she-dog" rather than by her name, but it seems just as likely that she is simply doing it to tell him, "Not interested." She once suggested leaving after Blitz had been captured (specifically, leaving without Blitz), although it seems likely she was joking. Actually, there have been signs that almost every one of the male Rovers is attracted to her, but Blitz is by far the most persistent and least welcomed.

Talents

Although she is the only member of the team without any superpowers per se (aside from her cunning and agility, which are debatable as superpowers), her quick mind and quicker fists and feet make her a valuable team member in a fight. In addition, she has a sharp tactical mind and considerable skill as a medic. She is never mentioned having superstrength, although in one episode she shatters a massive piece of cement with one punch, displaying no signs of pain.

One skill she does not appear to possess, however, seems to be safe driving - once when she is at the wheel, Hunter says that he is looking for his donor card. However, this rather seems to be another running joke, since there are also various other scenes where she safely flies aircraft, navigates submarines or handles complicated scientific equipment. In the first episode, she even has to tell Hunter that he needs to turn the ignition key in order to start a motorized vehicle. Later in the same episode, she responded to a question about Hunter's driving by remarking, "I hope the airbags work." However, true to the show's tendency toward irony, it was Colleen, not Hunter, who was driving when the airbags went off. Probably the reason she cannot drive properly as portrayed is because of the directions of the sides of the roads in the United states, in which they are mirrored in her native Britain.

Relationship with Hunter

There is no real doubt that Colleen is attracted to Hunter, but the matter of a relationship between the two is not so clear. Of all the Rovers, she seems to have the most in common with Hunter, such as the fact that they were both strays with no owner (Muzzle had Professor Shepherd before), and they both seem to take the missions the most seriously of the Rovers as in "A Day In The Life" and "Take Me To Your Leader". The possibility and/or existence of a relationship, the extent of said relationship, and whether or not Hunter even feels the same about Colleen is a matter of some dispute among fans of the show. The only thing that remains undisputed is that Colleen has feelings of love for Hunter, and he has some for her.

The "canine couple," as some viewers refer to them, are never known to have officially dated. However, there have been several cases of romantic or semi-romantic remarks in both directions, the most frequent being Colleen's nickname for Hunter: Huntie-Wuntie (Huntie for short). She has even gone so far as to call him 'Love' in the episode "Reigning Cats and Dogs." And when, in "A Day In The Life," Hunter appears to be tracking down an old girlfriend (much to Colleen's relief, the so-called girlfriend turned out to be Hunter's mom), Colleen is very clearly broken-hearted until the truth is revealed. In a related note, one of her lines in the episode implies that she may have gone through similar cases before or during her days as a street dog, with less fortunate outcomes. Blitz also explains to Hunter at the end the reason for Colleen's depression was that she thought he had a NEW girlfriend and he was dumping her, indicating the two had paired up.

Hunter has shown some signs of attraction to Colleen as well, going so far as to call her "cutie" in the episode, "The Dog Who Knew Too Much," adding, "Stick with me, kid, and you won't have to worry about a thing again," much to Colleen's obvious delight. The pair have been the subject of considerable fan art and fan fiction, often eventually getting married. However, due to the show's cancellation, the question of a bona-fide relationship of any kind is will most likely remain unanswered.

Allusions

Much of the humor contained in the show was derived from popular culture, with lots of allusions to the action, spy and science fiction film genres.

The particular character Colleen has a lot of similarities with Emma Peel, a fictional female spy in the British 1960s adventure series The Avengers. Both characters are of British origin, and Colleen's interactions with Hunter appear to be similar to Emma Peel's relation with John Steed, whose professional respect always keeps him from acting upon his attraction to his female colleague. Colleen's abilities in martial arts are another indication of this similarity, as Emma Peel was the first female martial artist to appear in a TV series.

During fighting scenes, Colleen uses various battle cries, similar to kiai as they are used in karate. But different from real kiai, which are nothing more than a short yell without a specific meaning, Colleen always uses terms which are related to dogs, literature, music, sports or politics. Some examples: "Shar Pei - Shih Tzu!" (two dog breeds from Asia); "Nelson Mandela!" (former South African president); "Jacques Cousteau - Platini!" (a French underwater explorer and a former French football manager, now president of the UEFA). This last one, it has been noted, fit the situation especially well: Colleen was in the process of beating up Blitz on board a submarine.

External links

• Road Rovers at the Internet Movie Database.
• Road Rovers at the Big Cartoon Database.