As you say, the active man and passive woman trope is so tired and repulsive at this point. I used to really enjoy James Bond movies, but I can barely watch the older ones. The women are literally only there as a love interest for him, they have no other purpose. They don't add anything to the story, other than to get across the message that he is a cool womanizer to be admired.

Hehehe I am tempted to just have you say the ending scene, but I think I want to watch it properly!

Anyway, I think that kind of growth is what makes a good book, movie, series etc. Having a invincible lead that succeeded at everything is cool for a moment, but real memorable characters are those that had serious relatable flaws that they learn to overcome and grow. The character growth should drive the plot, the choice's of the character in relation to that growth is what matters.

Oh yeah, you cannot protect someone without controlling them. Just think about children. You restrict their freedom "for their own best" and some men sees things the same way with women... Their desire to protect is to make sure that you behave in a way they approve of and that nothing happens to you (good or bad) that they don't like (and it always happen to benefit them, strangely). This is true for everything really. Politics etc.

You i think that mutual care is key in a healthy relationship. As you say a lot is a matter of trust!