Category: Character Enneagrams

LADY GRANTHAM, SEVEN

The genteel American with an abrasive mother, lol. Mostly I forget that Cora wasn’t born English. The aristocracy suits her.

She’s kind and easygoing. She does like to work, to get involved, and she’s good at it. Her role on the hospital board is a bone of contention in the family, but she’s insistent in a very mild way. Peace is important to her.

I want to say Nine, but that’s not possible. Robert is a Nine. Numbers don’t marry each other; it’s too much like marrying yourself. Also, Cora isn’t a Body Type. She doesn’t engage in the world physically. If anything, she’s social, although I can’t think of her showing envy.

She’s a Seven. It’s that calm effectualness. She has zero interest in drama. When trouble strikes, though — think of Mary and the Turkish diplomat — she gets the job done. (It’s possible that’s why she and O’Brien are a pair. They understand each other without trying.) Cora will go along, content to stay in the background, and then become super competent when the need arises. That’s quite Seven.

MIDGE MAISEL, ONE

Any comic who does live shows will be very quick-witted, very spontaneous. (Do all comedians fit into a certain Enneagram slot? Wow! There’s a thought!) Midge, however, has something more than a gift for stand-up: an impulse control problem. She should push the boundaries, of course. Like Lenny Bruce, she goes to jail for saying forbidden words. It’s more than that, though. She damages her career and her friendships by blurting out jokes that she regrets in hindsight.

Immediately I go to One. They are some of the funniest people and some of the quickest. A One is not afraid to shock. (How many professional comics are Ones or Eights, lol? They are the most willing to speak bald truth in a way that surprises and delights.) Is Midge an Eight? No, she’s not aggressive enough. Her weapon is her incredibly fast brain. Her best routines are when she riffs rather than when she goes with prepared notes.

Also, as Body Types, Ones can cultivate an unhealthy obsession with their physical shape. When Midge measures her thigh circumference, it’s creepy. It’s supposed to be. In the show it represents her focus on being the “perfect little wife” trope, including her nighttime cold cream and curlers that she hides from her husband. She breaks free from these restrictions, which is the point. But, lol, it’s also a One indicator.

However, a One will not necessarily sabotage their own professional life with loose lips. That trait belongs solely to Midge. It’s her fatal flaw. It bugs me, actually, that she doesn’t seem to learn from her mistakes and adapt her behavior. A One is extremely competent. I would like to see Midge in future seasons get a handle on her carelessness. It would help her to have an Enneagram character that rings true. And it would help me to not curse at the TV. Heh.

LORD GRANTHAM, NINE

My first instinct is that Robert is a Nine. He likes to keep the peace and avoid conflict. He also tries to be a fair manager of his household staff and his tenants. Every now and then he’ll go off, but mostly he likes it calm. Isis the dog is one of his coping mechanisms, and his ulcer is a sign that he doesn’t always succeed.

He kind of snaps into place, doesn’t he? I suppose he could possibly be a Two. All of the above traits could also fit. I’m going to say no, though. He attends and gives parties without a social person’s joy. His attitude is more one of duty. A Nine is always a good host, hoping to put people at ease and give them a good time. He’s also the only other family member who rides with the hunt.

Daughters who are an Eight, a Two, and a Three align with a Nine father, as well. Now I wonder about Cora!

URSULA, FOUR

We lost another great this week. RIP to Pat Carroll, the fabulous pipes of The Little Mermaid’s villain. I vaguely remember her, with that contralto voice, as a guest on different TV shows. She was tiny! Nothing about her looked anything like Ursula. Carroll resembled someone who was here to prepare your taxes.

So, what Enneagram is that audacious and larger-than-life? Well, lol, I’ve got to start with an Eight. Oh, no, wait! Hahaha! She’s an Envy Person. Ursula’s a Four.

We don’t see her ride a low wave of depression. It seems like she probably did a lot of that when she was younger, and she’s over it. She battles the defeats, the failures, the sadnesses. As a mature being (mer-squid?) she’s learned much, including where she wants to invest her energy. By now, the marks are easy to spot. 

I’m just guessing at her mindset, judging by the performance Carroll delivered. She packed a lot of backstory and subtext into her one showstopper. That’s what happens when a studio casts a master to inhabit a cartoon.

LT. UHURA, SEVEN

I’ve recently rewatched the original Star Trek series and wrote about episodes here at the blog. Immediately I think of Uhura singing in the crew lounge. Yes, she was an efficient and brave bridge officer, competent at her job. But that mischievous twinkle when she’d perform a duet with Mr. Spock! Mostly, she kept the light-hearted side of her personality under wraps. 

Did Uhura get few of these break-out character moments because she was a Black woman? It’s probable, but also the triumvirate sucked most of the oxygen out of the plots. (And Kirk, even if the episode wasn’t his, would upstage everyone anyway, lol.) I can’t think of any episode that was solely hers. We don’t have much to judge her Enneagram number, but she’s delivered enough. For a supporting character, Uhura hit hard.

I immediately go to Seven. Her professionalism at comms, her cool head during a crisis, and her surprising love of fun are defining traits. 

Someday I will do more Enneagram dives into the extended Star Trek universe, but for today I want to get this posted. RIP, Nichelle Nichols. Fair winds and following seas, ma’am.

LADY SYBIL, THREE

We don’t get as full a portrayal for Sybil as we do for the other sisters. Partly, that’s because she marries and leaves, shortening her time onscreen. Partly, though, it’s because the writers have designated her as the rebel. Sometimes her character makes choices to fit this mold, rather than as an inherent trait.

So, how far astray is she written, lol? What is her number? 

She’s always described as kind. She’s loved by everyone, upstairs and downstairs. Not only does she support the maid Gwen in her desire to become a secretary, Sybil works on her behalf, scheduling appointments, traveling with her, and writing her resume. Sybil walks the walk. This includes her nursing during the war. She wants to serve, insists on getting the training, and then puts herself in the middle of the soldiers’ recovery without flinching. She’s seen as an angel, with no class consciousness.

Is she a real character? Someone this perfect risks being a Null.

Ah, let’s call her a Three. She knows her own mind, and is tireless in pursuit of what matters to her. I’ll be curious to look at her parents’ numbers and Branson’s just to be sure. Off the top of my head, I suspect Lord Grantham will be a Nine. That his baby is a Three makes sense. 

Lol, isn’t it funny how close a Three and a Null can end up being? One is reasonably perfect, and the other unreasonably so.

LADY EDITH CRAWLEY, TWO

Edith has a lifelong antagonism with her sister Mary. Does her Enneagram number provide a clue why?

Ah, she’s very much an Envy person. Mary is mean to her, but Edith wants more than niceness. She wants Mary’s position of respect in the family. Mary is unflappable, while Edith is gently injured by every unkindness. Command comes easy to Mary (because she’s the eldest, and an Eight); Edith struggles to find her place.

Of course she’s a Two. That’s why she and Mary are at loggerheads. They’re each other’s strength and weakness number. It’s also why Edith can never get ahead. A Two is supportive and caring — an easy person to take for granted, especially when an Eight sucks all the oxygen from the room.

And Edith has a moment when she does something cruel. She informs the Turkish embassy, solely for revenge, of her own sister’s indiscretion with their diplomat. When a Two slides into weakness, that Eight quality dominates in a poisonous way. Edith is very unlikable in that sequence, but now we see she’s true to her character. We just prefer her as the nice, dependable Two person.

LADY MARY CRAWLEY, EIGHT

She’s feisty and acerbic. Independent. Angry, even. Dockery’s portrayal is strong and consistent, but what is Lady Mary?

What about a Body Type? She’s the only daughter who rides. Look at those adjectives I just listed, lol! She’s an Eight. She has a chip on her shoulder, but she won’t be defeated. That’s very Eight. 

And when she really cares, as she does often with Anna, she slides to Two, her strength number, and becomes the most generous and thoughtful person possible. 

Oh, I like this. I get tired of Eight women being casually deployed by Hollywood as “strong women”. Here’s an Eight with all the beauty and all the warts inherent in the Enneagram number. Well done.

PHIL COULSON, TWO

Clark Gregg parlayed a bureaucratic bit part in the Marvel Universe into a complex, beloved leader with his own agency. Coulson’s appeal lies in his light-hearted approach. He’s no fool — crises are serious business — but his glass-half-full view of problems and people is just so wonderful to spend time with. His irony and belief in the cause are a charming mix.

Well, after all that I go to Three. What other number can overcome a minion role to become the star of the show, lol?

He’s not a Body Type. Surrounding him are super-powered individuals, and he always engages on a social level. He’s a curious person, but he doesn’t wield a Head Type view of the world. 

He’s very Heart. Alright, though, what about a Two? His car Lola is just one of a number of mementos he keeps. His office is cluttered with antiques. Although we don’t get a tour of all his memorabilia, it’s always in the background of his desk scenes. I could even say that his job, to organize and assemble Inhumans, is a kind of collection.

What makes him so lovable is that the world overwhelms him at times. He’s not a Nick Fury, who micromanages everything. Those wide-eyed moments when Coulson is wracked with feeling — whether it’s anguish or joy — are what point to a Two. Under all the SHIELD paraphernalia, he’s a kind soul trying to make the world a gentler place.

CAPTAIN MARVEL/CAROL DANVERS, EIGHT

Her movie jumps around in time and her relationship to her superpower changes. All of these unknowns and variables make it hard to pinpoint her Enneagram. Let’s look at what we know at the beginning of her timeline.

She’s a pilot, a test pilot. Daring, physical, brave. She’s a beloved friend. She’s your basic Eight: outspoken, competent, and naturally heroic. Because Hollywood’s default position for most women superheroes is Eight, Carol is an easy call.

Reviews of the Captain Marvel movie and the Carol character are mixed. I recently watched it and can barely remember what happened. I’m going to say that’s because she’s an Eight. Nothing stands out, nothing distinguishes her. It’s too trope. She’s a cardboard cutout of a superhero whose powers are so hypercharged nothing poses a challenge against her. It’s hard to write plot conflict for a character like this, which is why she comes in as a deus ex machina in Endgame. Perhaps future iterations of her will develop into something more.