Binge watching is the way my generation watches shows. We consume and consume and consume and then consume some more. It took Hwang Dong-hyuk around five years to make Squid Game and it took me less than 24 hours to finish the second season. As I said, we consume a lot of media. We journey with characters through season upon season, learning more about their lives, watching as the tiny sub-plots come together in perfect strands that weave the fabric of the plot and the colourful universe that, for a few moments, feels so real to us.
Characters & Arcs
Now, if it is not obvious enough, I am an absolute sucker for character growth. May it be a small arc or a villain joining the good side or my personal favourite, a hero joining the dark side, I love character journeys. For that matter, don’t we all love how they start out with so much promise and intrigue, begging us to fall for them, how they introduce us to their worlds and leave us wanting more. And after we get invested beyond return, they die.
Well, not actually die (though in some cases they do). Instead, a fate even worse than death falls upon them. Their very personality, progress and convictions get assassinated for the plot.
Now, I know that I am a hater, but these characters, oh these characters piss me off in a way like no other. Here are a list of those that made me want to throw myself out of a window or better yet, create a time-machine to warn myself of the impending doom.
1. Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
She started out as a sweet nerd who loved to read and wanted to be the next Christiane Amanpour, and then suddenly, she turned into a selfish, bratty little debutante who helped her grandmother plan the same galas and dinners she loathed (and I am not even going to get into the affair and her eventual career).
2. Haley Dunphy, Modern Family
*Sighs deeply* Okay, I know that this show is a comfort show for so many people, and yes, as a whole, it is iconic, wholesome and fun, but they did Haley dirty. She started off with so much potential and blossomed over the years. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she was truly passionate about fashion, but the show butchered her character over the last seasons. I get that they wanted to show how families grow, and they wanted to usher in a new generation, but COME ON! DYLAN?! *Exhales deeply* Okay, I’m okay.
3. Belly, The Summer I Turned Pretty
This trainwreck happened relatively faster than the others, and boy oh boy, did she turn into a hateful and selfish person real quick! I get that teenagers are complicated, but she was beyond complicated, she was just straight up and annoying, and that is the worst thing a character can be (because in the world of fiction murder can be forgiven. Annoyance however, cannot).
4. Andy Bernard, The Office
He started out as a hyper-competive, corporate dude-bro and he turned into a love-struck theater nerd with no common sense real quick! Every single thing he did turned into a disaster for reasons that were justified as comedy, but were they really though? Were they? WERE THEY?
5. George O'Malley, Grey's Anatomy
For someone who started out with so much potential and warmth, he got type-casted as comedic relief a little too quickly for my liking. George, like all the other characters, wanted to be a doctor, and evidently worked hard, but while the others moved forward and grew, he stayed the same and somehow regressed. In fact, it got so bad that even the actor himself decided to call it quits.
6. Khaleesi, Game Of Thrones
Her character truly went through a lot and everyone was waiting for her to get the pay off that she deserved. Instead, the ending rushed itself and turned her into the Mad Queen (something she spent the entire show tryting to prove she was not). She was someone who always acted in accordance to moral code of conduct, but as the show progressed (and especially towards the end), she turned into someone she strived to never be.
Bella Swan, The Twilight Saga
Okay, okay, okay, I know what you are thinking, and please place your Twilight hate away for a few seconds. Character and lack of personaility aside, I am talking about vampire Bella. The second she turned, she turned into nothing. She made her entire personality into: I am a vampire. We get it girl, you wanted to be a vampire, and now you can only have blood, but serving us nothing.
Also Read:
Characters From Pop Culture That Ruined Popular Shows And Movies For Us