Isabelle Powell

Isabelle Powell is a real estate agent, community organizer, and a mayoral candidate for Red Line. She is voiced by Jessica Washington.

Early life
Isabelle was born in Georgia, but moved to Boston as an infant. Her family traveled by hiding out in train cars. Her father faced housing discrimination, so he built a small house for her family to live in. Neighbors called it a spite house. The house was so small that Isabelle developed agoraphobia, a fear of open spaces.

Isabelle went to kindergarten in a nicer area of Boston. However, her parents kept her home from school in first grade because they were anticipating backlash over sending black kids to white schools. While she was at home, she heard kids screaming and ran outside to see white adults throwing stones at a bus full of black kids. Isabelle tried to help them, but panicked when she was out in the open and had to be dragged back inside. She felt guilty about it for years to come.

Red Line
Isabelle was critical of Charlotte Linzer-Coolidge's decisions as mayor of Red Line. She met with Charlotte and called for demographic readjustments in the city in order to keep it from becoming racially divided. When Charlotte called these ideas impractical, Isabelle informed her that she would be joining the mayoral race. She announced her candidacy from Shawmut Station, in a small wooden box to honor former slave Henry "Box" Brown.

At one point, Isabelle was approached by Emily Bespin, who asked her to secure ample real estate in Red Line. Emily offered a significant bonus to help Isabelle's mayoral campaign. Isabelle refused based on her moral principles, and warned Emily that she couldn't buy the luck she would need for the campaign.

Isabelle was entertaining guests in her rail car when The Lottery's tea party attack happened. She led her guests to the surface, but became overwhelmed in the open air. Her nephew Isaiah Powell had to pick her up and take her home. When Isaiah asked why she kept her condition a secret, she replied that she didn't want to dignify it by naming it.

Isabelle was in attendance at Chuck Octagon's Red Line wedding. When she noticed the train canopy, she became nervous and moved to the back of the car, near Mallory. When The Lottery attacked and sprayed scalding baked beans into the car, Mallory pulled her underneath a table to protect her. She stayed under the table as the car went into the open air.

After the attack, Gemma Linzer-Coolidge told Isabelle that Isaiah had been arrested in relation to the attack. Isabelle was furious, adamantly insisting that Isaiah was not involved. She accused Charlotte of framing him, which she denied. Isabelle told Charlotte that she had 24 hours to release Isaiah, or else she would create problems in Red Line. When Charlotte failed to do so, Isabelle took over the intercom and announced that she would be closing her doors to commuters until Isaiah was freed. She asked residents to do the same in solidarity.

Physical appearance
Isabelle is a black woman, making her one of few characters in the show with a canonically confirmed race.

Trivia

 * As a child, Isabelle had trouble sleeping without feet in her face, or at least without being close to another person.
 * Isabelle has a brother. This brother is Isaiah's father.
 * Isabelle is a huge Star Trek fan. She has met multiple cast members, collected autographs, and received voice messages. She has seen every episode of every Star Trek show.

Season Two

 * Mayor Linzer-Coolidge and the Lottery
 * An Incomplete Tour of New England Spite Homes
 * The Red Line Tea Party
 * Profiles with Chuck Octagon, Election Special
 * Chuck Octagon’s News Seven Wedding Special, Live from Red Line, with Special Guest Andy Wood
 * On the Advice of Mary Wollstonecraft
 * Quitters