i think the reason why people hate characters like basira and melanie is not because of sexism but because they were so rarely called out for being wrong or treating other characters like shit.
like yeah, some of the male characters were shitty and annoying too. but the narrative doesn't deny that. tim was an annoying jerk in s2 and he was called out by martin for it. jon was.. practically called out by everyone, even when something wasn't his fault. he was basically the scapegoat. martin's manipulative and sometimes possessive nature was highlighted a few times. everyone hated elias and he got the punishment he deserved.
in short, the male characters were held accountable for their actions while some of the female characters weren't. keyword being "some". daisy was, for example, and that's why she's one of my favorite characters. the narrative actually acknowledges that she was a corrupted and aggressive person, but we also see her trying to be better.
but with melanie and basira specifically, they usually had the last word to any argument. jon did call out basira in s5 regarding her turning a blind eye to daisy's crimes, and that was satisfying, but it was the only time jon was actually assertive about something. and melanie's aggressive behavior doesn't get called out at all, she just gets away with it.
yes, these are all complex characters who are suffering and enduring tough situations. but it feels unfair when some of them are held responsible for their shitty behavior, while others aren't.
you have to stick to one.
either all these characters were controlled by their fears and therefore aren't responsible for their actions, or they were all independent to some extent and deserve to be blamed. you can't use the “they were controlled by their respective entity!” or “they were going through a difficult situation!” excuse for only a few characters.
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