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Fannish Friday: Character U-Turns
On this ridiculously hot Friday (in most of the northern hemisphere, anyway), tell me about a character who you either started out loving and ended up hating or started out hating and ended up loving. Or both! With an emphasis on it being unexpected--if someone had told you you'd end up loving/hating this particular character, you wouldn't have believed them.
Love to hate ---> Giles from Buffy. I was always a big fan of the character, and then in season 6, they have him abandon Buffy because she needs to "stand on her own," even though her mother just died, SHE JUST DIED, she's trying to deal with living again, she's raising her teenage sister on her own, and she has to pay the mortgage??? And did I mention that she's, at most, 20 years old??? It's truly insane.
I know that this decision was made because Anthony Head wanted to spend more time in the UK so they needed to write him out of the bulk of the season, but I can think of a half a dozen ways to do that that would have kept him from abandoning Buffy.
Buffy is my woobie anyway, so it isn't surprising that I would resent anyone who betrayed her, but wow, this feels personal to me. It even affects me when I go back and rewatch earlier seasons! And I hate it because I loved that character before this!!!
Hate to love ---> Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso. He starts out the show just this arrogant asshole who doesn't know how to properly treat Keeley, who you have loved from the first episode. You're set up to see him as a villain. And then you get the reveal of why he's that way, and while that doesn't excuse it, it does help contextualize him.
And then! Then the writers gave him one of the best redemption arcs! And it's subtle! You barely even realize it's happening! Until one day you realize...Jamie's become a really good person and you love him! He's become one of your blorbos! (On a show filled with blorbos!)
I'm still not quite sure how they pulled that off--I need to go back and rewatch the show to figure out how they did it. But wow, I am so happy the writers did that! I adore that boyand ship him so hard with Keeley and Roy!
I would love to hear your journeys with particular characters, either in the comments or in your own post!
Love to hate ---> Giles from Buffy. I was always a big fan of the character, and then in season 6, they have him abandon Buffy because she needs to "stand on her own," even though her mother just died, SHE JUST DIED, she's trying to deal with living again, she's raising her teenage sister on her own, and she has to pay the mortgage??? And did I mention that she's, at most, 20 years old??? It's truly insane.
I know that this decision was made because Anthony Head wanted to spend more time in the UK so they needed to write him out of the bulk of the season, but I can think of a half a dozen ways to do that that would have kept him from abandoning Buffy.
Buffy is my woobie anyway, so it isn't surprising that I would resent anyone who betrayed her, but wow, this feels personal to me. It even affects me when I go back and rewatch earlier seasons! And I hate it because I loved that character before this!!!
Hate to love ---> Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso. He starts out the show just this arrogant asshole who doesn't know how to properly treat Keeley, who you have loved from the first episode. You're set up to see him as a villain. And then you get the reveal of why he's that way, and while that doesn't excuse it, it does help contextualize him.
And then! Then the writers gave him one of the best redemption arcs! And it's subtle! You barely even realize it's happening! Until one day you realize...Jamie's become a really good person and you love him! He's become one of your blorbos! (On a show filled with blorbos!)
I'm still not quite sure how they pulled that off--I need to go back and rewatch the show to figure out how they did it. But wow, I am so happy the writers did that! I adore that boy
I would love to hear your journeys with particular characters, either in the comments or in your own post!
no subject
Haha, I know Vince or maybe Matt should probably be my best boy, and yet it’s Riggins? Stranger things have happened!
Re: Giles, the only way I continue to like him after S6 is because I pretend he was on a mission for the Council or got devoured by a portal or something. I mean it’s a supernatural show! So many easier ways to do it! “Oh I am so conflicted and will sing about it, but I’ll abandon you anyway” was such a weird way to write him out.
And then there’s his patronizing terribleness in S7...no subject
BOO!
Matt's my best boy, but I love how many good boys we have to choose from! Smash! Vince! Even Luke!
I mean it’s a supernatural show! So many easier ways to do it! “Oh I am so conflicted and will sing about it, but I’ll abandon you anyway” was such a weird way to write him out.
YOU UNDERSTAND ME! Or! They could have had him do the whole "she needs to stand on her own thing" and then have it revealed that a demon made him think that or something!!!