Why is Tessa Doe?

Anyone who knows Tessa Lamb would understand that comparing her to a prey animal (a deer) is perhaps a misunderstanding of her character. Tessa is unequal parts crafty prey and dangerous predator. She's constantly being hunted by someone. But she also acts on blood lust and killer instinct. When Tad rolled to fixate on her, specifically, I knew it was going to be trouble. I still can't wait until I find out what kind of trouble it really turns into.

But he calls her Doe. He understands, based on stories he's heard about her and what she, herself, has told him, that she is not a prey animal. She's more akin to a predator. He gets it. His story of Doe represents his own innocence being shattered. A story of friendship and trust developed with patience that quickly turned into a warning about changing the nature of a creature who acts on the instinct of self-preservation. She reminds him of Doe because he's going to have to be patient to become her friend and earn her trust, because he feels protective of her, and because, for awhile, he considered the knowledge of their blossoming friendship to be his. His secret. Something for only him. Like his old friend, Doe, the deer.

And somewhere in the back of his mind, deep down in is id, he just wants to make sure she will continue to act on the instinct of self-preservation. How that will be tested is still being discovered. Find out in RP.

Now, as a viewer, I'm not sure Tessa is always great at self-preservation. Sometimes she is. But she's also human, not a prey animal. Tad has failed to recognize her as human because he doesn't like most humans all that much and he likes Tessa quite a bit more than he's ever liked anyone (despite not knowing her...it's a symptom of his mental illness at the moment). So she's animal. But whether or not she will protect herself? She will fail sometimes and succeed others. She is human, after all. She's also a clown and a former cop, two groups who are not great at running from danger.