Fannish Friday: Unexpected Character Arcs/Plotlines

[lirazel]

Let's bring back Fannish Friday!

Tell me about a character arc or plotline that blows your mind. Where a character ends up becoming something you didn't anticipate. Where if you told yourself how the character ended up, you wouldn't have believed it, but somehow the writer(s) pull(s) it off. Or where a story goes in a direction that you absolutely did not foresee and you can't believe it works.

This isn't just a "what's a great character arc/plotline?" though I will ask that another time. This is specifically about one that you did not anticipate.



Spike from BtVS is a classic case for the character question (though I know some of you would say the writers didn't pull it off, it works for me). Where he starts in S2 is lightyears away from where he ends up in S7. Of course, this particular arc wasn't anticipated because it was never planned! It unfolded for the writers as much as it did for us. (Which is one of the joys of longer TV shows that we're missing in the tight, limited-run shows we have now, but that's another topic.)

Same with John Silver in Black Sails--thinking of him trying to charm Flint and claim to be a cook in that first season and comparing it to where he ends up...incredible.

For plotlines, I never knew what was going to happen in the kdrama White Christmas. From start to finish, I just did not know! And I didn't anticipate the last shot at all, but it's PERFECT and adds another layer to the whole show.


What about y'all? You can be vague or specific depending on how you feel about sharing spoilers.

Comments

[rekishi]

Ohhhh, Spike. Yeah, Spike's character arc is actually a thing to behold, I agree with you there. I'm actually rewatching Buffy atm and while there are some clunky parts, it's very good!

For me, I actually have a few, but when I read your post I immediately thought of Fiddler in Malazan Book of the Fallen. He's one of many many characters we're introduced to pretty early on, but MBotF is also a high fantasy series where I'm basically prepared for everyone to die. Don't get me wrong, all of the deaths do make sense even if it's a "rocks fall, everyone dies" situation, because all the deaths serve to drive the plot. Anyway, Fiddler is 'a little guy' basically who you'd expect to be a man we're sympathetic with only to be rent apart to watch him die, but who starts as one thing, stays that thing, but becomes another thing and so much more and has a pretty brilliant character arc.

(Those books have a few rather surprising character arcs, actually.)

Aeryn Sun from Farscape has a wonderful character arc, where she starts out as the product of a military force in space, with no other identity than rank and regiment and then turns into this many layered character and she has one of THE most satisfying character arcs I've ever seen in a female character (or...any character really) on tv.

Honorable mention to Methos in Highlander, who was probably just meant to be a three episode off and ended up a main character, but he's less a surprise in his character arc as more a pleasant surprise overall. XD

[lirazel]

Ah, that sounds so interesting! I do have those books on my to-read list and I'll make sure to keep my eye open for Fiddler..

I never finished Farscape, but I did love Aeryn a LOT! Good call!

who was probably just meant to be a three episode off and ended up a main character

Like Spike! Love those characters that are just so interesting you have to keep them around!

[rekishi]

Fid is wonderful. I really need to reread the books but they're so. long.

I wanted to be Aeryn when I grew up. And Scully. Very important women in my life those two!

Like Spike! Love those characters that are just so interesting you have to keep them around!

Yeah, indeed. And they were really lucky both with James Masters and Peter Wingfield indeed.

[elperian]

+1 to the radiant Aeryn Sun!!! <333 I would also say John Crichton has such an incredible character arc from wondrous astronaut to where he ends up, but to even speak of such a transformation is the biggest spoiler.

Also adding while I'm here: Julie from Code Name Verity which is the best delivery on an arc you didn't see coming I can think of in a single book.

[dolorosa_12]

For me I think it's basically the entire plotline of Black Sails (as opposed to individual character arcs, although those are also incredible). It starts off as this somewhat soap operatic, grimdark Game of Thrones-esque thing with lots of sex, violence, and sexual violence (to the point that when I rec the series to people, I warn them that they have to get past that in season one and then it gets a lot better), to the point of almost being gratuitous and titillating — and then it ends up where it does. The seeds are there in the first season, but they're only really obvious in hindsight.

The same goes for Spartacus, for very similar reasons — it's almost pornographic in its depiction of sex and violence, it's wall to wall equal opportunity nudity — and by the end it's this powerful critique of empire. It's incredible!

[lirazel]

Oooh, yeah, I think overall Black Sails is such a good call! And I've never been able to get more than an episode into Spartacus, but the comparison makes me want to try again....

[dolorosa_12]

To my mind Black Sails and Spartacus kind of go together — they're doing really similar things in fairly similar ways — but I've had lots of friends unable to get past the over-the-top stylised violence or voyeuristic sex in one or both of them, so it doesn't surprise me that you've had that issue with Spartacus. The acting is also a lot more uneven in quality than in Black Sails, which makes it harder to get into.

[lirazel]

That's really interesting! Maybe I'll give it another try sometime....

[misbegotten]

I realize I have been talking a lot about him lately, but Gabriel from Supernatural. Even though the creators had no intention of taking his character in the direction they did (yes, I am being vague about a decade+ old spoiler and probably don't need to), but his introduction worked perfectly with what they did with him.

[lirazel]

Oh, interesting. I stopped watching long before he showed up, so I know nothing!

but his introduction worked perfectly with what they did with him.

I LOVE this!

[gryfndor_godess]

Ooh love that answer! That twist in S5 is so great. I'd also add Chuck from SPN. I wouldn't necessarily say that his final S15 arc was executed/written well, but I appreciate that they went there, and to compare that performance with his introduction in S4 is mind-boggling. Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict were both amazing.

[misbegotten]

That's an excellent point. I haven't even seen the final arc (I'm just now coming back to SPN after more than a decade), but I know about it. While it baffles me on paper I definitely want to see Rob pull it off! What a character arc!

[forestofglory]

Hao Du in The Long Ballad! Highlight for vague spoilers! *When he was introduced I was like "i do not like this guy and you can't make me show" how wrong I was! Not only did he really grow on me, but he had really grew as person. The scene near the end with his Yifu is one of the best scenes in the show! *

[lirazel]

Awww, I love that! What a good example!

[dollsome]

Helena from Orphan Black was the first one that came to mind even though I haven't had that show on my mind in a while! It made me SO happy that she got to stop being the villain and become one of the heroes and be loved by her sestras. <33333 I truly didn't expect the story to go that way, which makes rewatching from the beginning extra poignant.

[lirazel]

Oh what a good one! Yes indeed!!!

[sdk]

I have no original answers to this, but after you mentioned White Christmas in an earlier post, I remembered how much I loved it, and how I watched it at least 3 times, but I couldn't remember very many details (it's been at least 10 years since I watched it!) so I just started watching it again, and things are coming back to me a bit, but I still can't remember just how it's going to go and that's exciting. I guess the blessing of a bad memory is I can (mostly) relive this show like it's the first time I've seen it. :D

[elisi]

Wesley. I think more-so than Spike? Spike, from the start, was shown as a hopeless romantic, willing to do anything for love. But Wesley... incompetent, pompous Wesley, becoming this dark, hard-bitten warrior, still blows my mind. Because there was no way to look at early Wesley and have any inkling where he might end up.

[misbegotten]

Wow, good example! You are so right.

[gryfndor_godess]

Nathaniel in the Bartimaeus Trilogy! You'd never expect where he ends up based on the first book, and it contributes a lot to why the end of the third book is my favorite book ending ever.

LOL this is just occurring to me because I watched an ep this morning, but in terms of plot, the last season of Riverdale is absolutely blowing my mind. For six seasons, this show was batshit ridiculous and frequently felt like a *chore* to watch. In contract, S7 is wonderful and SO UNAPOLOGETICALLY QUEER and has brought me so much unanticipated joy. If anyone had told me how much I would like S7, which completely reboots the show and sends the characters back to the 50s, Archie Comics' actual time period, I would've been like, "what drugs are you on?!" I do have 4 eps left in the season, so maybe the ending will annoy me, but wow I've been enjoying the ride.

[sawthefaeriequeen]

I was just thinking this about Logan Echolls. Great example of what good writing + good casting + great chemistry + enthusiastic audience response can do.