The viewers were then shown a smart, capable and resourceful young woman helping Sam Witwicky and the Autobots take on the Decepticons. It's hard to forget seeing her drive a tow truck in reverse so Bumblebee could stop a Decepticon from attacking. What I like about Mikaela is that she's an expert at fixing cars, however, she downplayed her intelligence and expertise so as not to show up her then boyfriend Trent. Unfortunately, some girls (and women) feel like they have to play dumb to not only fit in but as a way to not intimidate boys so they will like them. Playing dumb only made Trent think that's what she was and he certainly didn't think too highly of her when she wanted to drive his SUV. You can tell he prefers his girlfriends to be nothing more than arm candy.
(Mikaela and Trent Transformers)
I think meeting Sam made it easy for her to be herself which I don't think she's had the luxury of doing for a long time. According to Sam they have been going to the same schools since first grade and she's never really paid any attention to him until after he offered her a ride home (after she broke up with Trent). I think she has been trying to fit in for such a long time that she never allowed her real self to show through. It's not difficult to see that she didn't want any of her classmates to know that she lived in a trailer park. I highly doubt even Trent knew, she probably would have him pick her up at some other location and would only go to his house to hang out. Since he was so self-centered, he probably never questioned it.
Although Sam found out where she lived after dropping her off at home, he didn't judge her. And to make it more interesting, when she asked him if he thought she was shallow, he said he thought there was more to her than meets the eye. However, he did appear shocked and judgmental later in the movie when Sector 7 Agent Seymour Simmons revealed that her father was currently in prison (awaiting parole) and that she had a juvenile record herself. This is most likely why she presented this sexy Barbie doll image to the world to make it easy to fit in and have everyone focus on her appearance and nothing else. Sam did eventually change his tune and when the opportunity came he negotiated with Agent Simmons to get Mikaela's record expunged.
I'm not sure when her father was released from prison but in the second movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Mikaela and Sam had graduated from high school and she was working with her father at a garage. While Sam was on his way to college, she was working a full-time job repairing cars and motorcycles as well as keeping an eye on her father. I like that she had grown into a more confident person. You could tell that she was happy and was confident in who she was. But she did have a little insecurity about her relationship with Sam with him going away to college.
(Sam and Mikaela Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
Throughout both movies, Mikaela is smart, resourceful and level headed during difficult situations. For instance, during Revenge of the Fallen she found Wheelie, a mini Decepticon trying to steal the AllSpark fragment from the garage safe. She immediately captured it and somehow got it to work with her and the Autobots. Also when Sam needed her to get to his college because the AllSpark had him completely disoriented and freaking out. She quickly flew out there but when she arrived, she found Sam in a compromising situation with another girl who turned out to be a Decepticon and it had attacked them. During the attack Mikaela was level headed enough to hotwire a car to get herself, Sam and Sam's roommate Leo Spitz away. Even though they did eventually get caught by the Decepticons, she at least gave them a temporary escape.
I mentioned her being level headed quite a few times but that doesn't mean she wasn't scared or afraid. In Revenge of the Fallen she certainly was at times when they were in Egypt being attacked by the Decepticons. She was also really scared and worried when it seemed like Sam was dying. I like that she wasn't some stoic person never showing her heart and emotions. You see a range of emotions from happiness to sadness throughout both movies.
The first Transformers movie initially gave viewers the impression that Mikaela was nothing more than a shallow airhead dating a dumb jock. And thankfully that impression was wrong because she's a smart, tough, capable young woman who found her confidence by no longer playing dumb and trying to fit in. Mikaela Banes is one of my favorite characters because she shows that you can't judge a book by it's cover because if you do, you just might miss out on an interesting story.
(Mikaela Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
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