Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV show (and comic; including the canon season 8) is unique in that the main character(s) are not as popular as the meant-to-be-one-off character's that Wheadon kept on as regulars due to mass appeal. Buffy is one of the most annoying, infuriating, weak-willed (when it comes to the men in her life), selfish characters on the show. If one were to rank the characters in order of those least-annoying to the audience, you really see how the main characters (if you include the Angel spin-off) tend to be more annoying than the supporting cast:
Characters (in order of being least annoying/least wanting to stab with a pointy object):
1. Tie between Spike, Anya, Faith, Gun, Lorne, Fred and Doyle
The first two have been around eons longer than the rest of them, and despite their
handicaps -one having no soul for much of the show and one having been a vengeance demon
and seeing the worst of humanity for the past thousand plus years- yet despite this, and
despite the fact that they continuously put themselves in harm/torture/death's way to
protect our "protagonists" are treated like unworthy dirt.
Faith is the rightful slayer. The line went from Buffy (after her death), to Kendra, to
Faith. Faith, unlike Buffy, has come from a horrible home life, has watched her watcher be
brutally murdered, and has tried to come to Sunnydale to be friends with and find a place
with Buffy (who proceeds to treat her horribly and exclude her from everything for most
of the season, as does Giles, who is meant to be her watcher too yet doesn't
train/guide/help her or seem to care that she is living alone in a dingy motel). Faith is
looking for a parental figure in her life (something Buffy has in both her mother and in
Giles). If Giles would have been said figure then she may not have ended up the way she
did. As it stands, the only people who took an interest in her were her faux-watcher and
the Mayor (both evil). She submitted to them both because she was a teenage girl with no
one to love her. She had to fight through Buffy (on Angel) to seek out redemption. And
even after she helped Buffy avert the apocalypse in Buffy season 7 and helped Angel be
free of Angelus in Angel season 5; Buffy still treated her like she was evil and out to
get her (when she wasn't) in Buffy season 8.
The last four are just innocent beyond belief. There is no being annoyed by them. Gunn
does what he believes is right, despite being human. Fred is the kindest soul on the show
and Lorne comes in at a close second. And Doyle is a loveable dolt who only wants to do
good and sacrifices himself in the process.
2. Giles
He is just not as annoying as some of the other characters. He doesn't have particular
redeeming qualities... just no bad ones really.
3. Cordi on Angel
On Buffy (and on Angel when possesed, but that's hardly her fault), she is horrible, but
despite going from riches to rags, she grows as a person and puts the needs of others
above her own.
4. Oz
He is just a good guy who became a werewolf. He is only so low on the list because of his
"cheating heart"
5. Tara
Again, she is a good girl, not annoying per say, just not particularly interesting.
6. Willow (in season 1,2 and 6 - otherwise she is still annoying) & Xander (in season 6 and 7 -
otherwise he is still annoying)
7. Darla and Dru
Now... finally, some of the main characters...
8. Angel
9. Buffy (except for in seasons 1, part of 2 and 6: in those you see some of her humanity, in all the other's she is an insufferable, selfish bitch).
10. Wesley, Connor and Dawn: the only character's more annoying than the main character's for self-explanatory reasons.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
"Countess" Luanne
This woman is the most ridiculous character of all the characters on the "Reality" show series Real Housewives of New York/New Jersey/Orange County/Beverly Hills/Atlanta and the like.
First of all, she is not royalty. Royalty is born royalty. They are born into a family which teaches them values, manners and gives them a good upbringing. She was born a nobody and happened to marry a Count. He has since left her, but she continues her 'holier than thou' attitude.
This is not her worst trait however. It is one thing to want to cling to status and symbol. Everyone has this urge deep inside them. It is not even the fact that she makes taxi drivers call her "Countess" rather than merely "Ms." or "Luanne". This is just the typical bullshit that comes from people not born into money or aristocracy, who would do anything to hold onto it.
It is the fact that she throws the word "class" around with such ridiculousness. When she gossips like a high school girl, when she causes a scene in front of people's children, when she meddles in other people's lives to create drama, when she talks badly about other people... that isn't bad class or bad taste.
It appears that it is only those who dare to call her on this behavior, those who dislike her or say something negative against her which lack "class".
This is hypocrisy at it's finest.
First of all, she is not royalty. Royalty is born royalty. They are born into a family which teaches them values, manners and gives them a good upbringing. She was born a nobody and happened to marry a Count. He has since left her, but she continues her 'holier than thou' attitude.
This is not her worst trait however. It is one thing to want to cling to status and symbol. Everyone has this urge deep inside them. It is not even the fact that she makes taxi drivers call her "Countess" rather than merely "Ms." or "Luanne". This is just the typical bullshit that comes from people not born into money or aristocracy, who would do anything to hold onto it.
It is the fact that she throws the word "class" around with such ridiculousness. When she gossips like a high school girl, when she causes a scene in front of people's children, when she meddles in other people's lives to create drama, when she talks badly about other people... that isn't bad class or bad taste.
It appears that it is only those who dare to call her on this behavior, those who dislike her or say something negative against her which lack "class".
This is hypocrisy at it's finest.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tom Scavo - Desperate Housewives
This man is often spoken of in the show as the ‘perfect husband’. He is the one who is portrayed as a saint for putting up with his shrill, ambition-driven wife. The poor man has to deal with a woman who is not completely satisfied raising the children she never wanted and who do not appreciate her. When the two of them married, Lynette made it very clear that her profession came first. He married her knowing this, though not before sleeping with her best friend when the two were engaged. I suppose he thought that as all women obviously want to be baby factories, his needs (the only ones he consistently cares about throughout the show) were more important than hers. He figured he would get his way. And he was right. Through begging, whining and guilt, he got his wife to bare not one, but four of his bratty children. He even got her to stay home while he worked (despite the fact that she was better at her job and on track to make more than him). During the few times he ‘let her’ work, it was only because he wanted something else (a break to stay home with their now-grown-easy-to-care-for kids or go back to college to get drunk and act like a frat boy, both of which he eventually gave up and then guilted his wife back into being a stay-at-home mom because he couldn’t handle a woman who did his job better than he did).
When those five kids were not enough for him, and he got his wife pregnant again, rather than see that she did not want more children and support her in an abortion (which is the manly thing to do at any age, but especially when a woman is older and having a baby could actually risk her health) he guilted and whined until she agreed to have the baby (not really being there for her when she miscarried one of what they found out to be twins).
Of course it is hard for Tom Scavo to be there for anyone, because he is too busy being there for himself. He also demands that everyone else in his family be there for him, his impetuous mood swings and his every foolish whim and desire. And his wife is. She supported him when he wanted to put their life savings into a pizza restaurant (not the safest investment). She quit her job to help him manage the place. He responded by berating her in front of his employees and “putting her in her place” as someone who “worked for him”. She even supported him, for the most part, when he went back to school. Rather than take his studies seriously, he used this time to meet underage boys and party throughout the night. She even had to endure his mid-life crisis (yes, spending their life-savings on a pizza joint and partying with frat boys were not the midlife crisis points in question) when he joined a band and bought an expensive convertible.
Tom Scavo is a spoiled, selfish, insecure, sexist child. He is there for his wife from time to time, and has his moments of being chivalrous. But he is a far cry from the perfect husband. He is not even a good husband, and Lynette is a saint for never telling him that he has ruined her life.
Note: I am by no means saying that a life is ruined by having children, I am saying that as he is the one who placed family above (her) work, and as she was better at her job and loved it more, he should have been a man, stepped up, and taken care of the kids himself, rather than given her another one to care for.
When those five kids were not enough for him, and he got his wife pregnant again, rather than see that she did not want more children and support her in an abortion (which is the manly thing to do at any age, but especially when a woman is older and having a baby could actually risk her health) he guilted and whined until she agreed to have the baby (not really being there for her when she miscarried one of what they found out to be twins).
Of course it is hard for Tom Scavo to be there for anyone, because he is too busy being there for himself. He also demands that everyone else in his family be there for him, his impetuous mood swings and his every foolish whim and desire. And his wife is. She supported him when he wanted to put their life savings into a pizza restaurant (not the safest investment). She quit her job to help him manage the place. He responded by berating her in front of his employees and “putting her in her place” as someone who “worked for him”. She even supported him, for the most part, when he went back to school. Rather than take his studies seriously, he used this time to meet underage boys and party throughout the night. She even had to endure his mid-life crisis (yes, spending their life-savings on a pizza joint and partying with frat boys were not the midlife crisis points in question) when he joined a band and bought an expensive convertible.
Tom Scavo is a spoiled, selfish, insecure, sexist child. He is there for his wife from time to time, and has his moments of being chivalrous. But he is a far cry from the perfect husband. He is not even a good husband, and Lynette is a saint for never telling him that he has ruined her life.
Note: I am by no means saying that a life is ruined by having children, I am saying that as he is the one who placed family above (her) work, and as she was better at her job and loved it more, he should have been a man, stepped up, and taken care of the kids himself, rather than given her another one to care for.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Don Draper - Mad Men
I have nothing against this show. I actually think that it is a great insight into an oft over-romanticized time. When people talk about the 'good old days' I always wonder just what fantasy they are alluding to. The past in this country was one of higher crime rates and a time when women and non-white people were second-class citizens who existed solely to make the white man's life easier.
Mad Men shows at least part of this past for what it was. The main character has no respect for the women in his life, and by proxy his family. You can say that it was a different time, but even before the 1960's adultery was an issue among most people.
He is a bad husband in a time when all you had to do to be a good husband was come home, eat the meal your doting wife prepared, kiss the children she looks after and sleep with her in the bed she will make in the morning. That is some feat.
Mad Men shows at least part of this past for what it was. The main character has no respect for the women in his life, and by proxy his family. You can say that it was a different time, but even before the 1960's adultery was an issue among most people.
He is a bad husband in a time when all you had to do to be a good husband was come home, eat the meal your doting wife prepared, kiss the children she looks after and sleep with her in the bed she will make in the morning. That is some feat.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Harry Morgan - Dexter
For a long time, watching Dexter, I have noticed that many of the aspects of his personality do not mesh with the typical attributes of someone with antisocial personality disorder. While he did have a few of the traits (almost ticked off in order to his character) such as artificial charm and a lack of most emotions, something was off. People with antisocial personality disorder do not possess empathy, which means that they do not have the ability to care or connect to anyone. Dexter clearly had strong feelings for his father and he also protected and cared for his wife and sister. He also showed signs of guilt and fear, something that sociopaths cannot do.
I wrote these off as oversights or inconveniences in truth, however, lately with the turn of events in the series, it seems like perhaps this was intentional. Perhaps Dexter himself was made to feel like a sociopath and grew up the way that his father raised him, never stopping to question it for fear that if he did he would make a mistake, breaking the 'code' and ending up in prison or worse.
A young boy who has experienced a trauma cannot be 'made into' a psychopath. Psychopaths are born, not made. We do not yet know everything there is to know about this incurable disorder, but what we do know is that A) Their brain's function differently than ours, their frontal lobes are damaged and there are other fundamental neurological differences which make up their neural networks and B) In studies of siblings and twins, there have been quite a few cases of one twin having antisocial personality disorder, while another, raised in the exact same environment, does not. This leads most experts in the field to assume that psychopathy is not something which can be in any way 'created'. What can be affected by environment is how this psychopath will evolve. Those who grow up in affluent and supportive homes tend to be quite successful businessmen, doctors and the like. Those who grow up in impoverished or violent homes tend to be petty theifs going in and out of prison. And a rare few do turn into killers. A horrific act of violence like the one Dexter and his brother endured can turn a psychopath (like his brother) into a killer, but it cannot turn someone who is not a psychopath into a psychopath.
It is also very unlikely that both boys would suffer antisocial personality disorder as it is not genetic and while it is more common than most people would assume, it is still relatively rare. What a traumatic event can do is make someone act out temporarily, or permanently if they do not receive the help they need. Dexter's father -acting either out of love, guilt and panic for what may become of his adopted son who had already been through so much (of which he felt somewhat responsible for) or out of a twisted desire to use his son to exact the revenge on criminals he could not- may have convinced his own son that he had no other option than to become a coldblooded killer. And by instilling this belief in an already troubled boy, he may have sealed Dexter's fate.
I wrote these off as oversights or inconveniences in truth, however, lately with the turn of events in the series, it seems like perhaps this was intentional. Perhaps Dexter himself was made to feel like a sociopath and grew up the way that his father raised him, never stopping to question it for fear that if he did he would make a mistake, breaking the 'code' and ending up in prison or worse.
A young boy who has experienced a trauma cannot be 'made into' a psychopath. Psychopaths are born, not made. We do not yet know everything there is to know about this incurable disorder, but what we do know is that A) Their brain's function differently than ours, their frontal lobes are damaged and there are other fundamental neurological differences which make up their neural networks and B) In studies of siblings and twins, there have been quite a few cases of one twin having antisocial personality disorder, while another, raised in the exact same environment, does not. This leads most experts in the field to assume that psychopathy is not something which can be in any way 'created'. What can be affected by environment is how this psychopath will evolve. Those who grow up in affluent and supportive homes tend to be quite successful businessmen, doctors and the like. Those who grow up in impoverished or violent homes tend to be petty theifs going in and out of prison. And a rare few do turn into killers. A horrific act of violence like the one Dexter and his brother endured can turn a psychopath (like his brother) into a killer, but it cannot turn someone who is not a psychopath into a psychopath.
It is also very unlikely that both boys would suffer antisocial personality disorder as it is not genetic and while it is more common than most people would assume, it is still relatively rare. What a traumatic event can do is make someone act out temporarily, or permanently if they do not receive the help they need. Dexter's father -acting either out of love, guilt and panic for what may become of his adopted son who had already been through so much (of which he felt somewhat responsible for) or out of a twisted desire to use his son to exact the revenge on criminals he could not- may have convinced his own son that he had no other option than to become a coldblooded killer. And by instilling this belief in an already troubled boy, he may have sealed Dexter's fate.
Lea Beaulieu - Bad Girls Club Miami
Throughout this season of the Bad Girls Club, Lea showed again and again that she had little personality of her own. While she was somewhat watchable as Kristen's side-kick (although her behavior as such was often cruel) she lost most of her supporters when she did a last minute turn-around and decided that she actually hated the girl who had made her who she was in the house.
To many this may have come as a shock, but it was quite in line with her behavior thus far in the show. She tends to find someone to stand with and when that person makes any mistake at all, she shows them the door and turns on them completely. One may wonder how someone can be so cold, as for many, it is hard to ever imagine treating a former friend the way that she treated Erica, then Brandi, then Kristen. However, for Lea, I don't think it's about being cold, it appears to be more about protecting her obviously fragile heart. No one switches personas that often or tries so hard to appear 'tough' without having some serious self-esteem issues (probably stemming from early childhood or teenage years).
Because she obviously has trouble dealing with anything (she shifts responsibility for the actions she took on whoever is her former friend turned enemy de jour, blaming them for everything, getting on the other side of the issue and avoiding her own actions) it is apparent that she never resolved these deep-seated feelings of inferiority, she may not even be aware that they drive her outrageous behavior. It seems as though she has either grown up in an environment where 'tougher' is 'better' or has been bullied herself, because she appears to be under the delusion that the girl who acts the trashiest (gets into the most fights, picks on the most people, swears the loudest) is the best.
Because she believes that showing empathy is a sign of weakness and is so sensitive, it is a lot easier for her to say 'I don't forgive people, as soon as they make a mistake they're gone' than 'I don't want to let people get too close, because then they might break past the facade and dislike me'. You see, everyone makes mistakes. We are all human. Every friend will err at some point. It is inevitable after you have known someone for a certain amount of time. This is also the point in time when you get to know someone the best, and when you begin to get close to them. This is the time when Lea dissolves her friendships. This also allows her to blame all of her bad actions (like everything she blamed on her friend Kristen) on that scapegoat and walk into a new persona and new friendship unscathed and with her heart protected... until that inevitably tears apart as well.
She needs to realize that the path she is on will lead her towards a very sad, lonely life... and eventually she will have to face her root issues, the more she piles onto her problems, the more she will have to face. Hopefully, as she is still so young and being on TV does tend to hold a mirror of yourself up which you cannot easily avoid, she will still be able to turn it around and figure out who she is and what she is really capable of.
To many this may have come as a shock, but it was quite in line with her behavior thus far in the show. She tends to find someone to stand with and when that person makes any mistake at all, she shows them the door and turns on them completely. One may wonder how someone can be so cold, as for many, it is hard to ever imagine treating a former friend the way that she treated Erica, then Brandi, then Kristen. However, for Lea, I don't think it's about being cold, it appears to be more about protecting her obviously fragile heart. No one switches personas that often or tries so hard to appear 'tough' without having some serious self-esteem issues (probably stemming from early childhood or teenage years).
Because she obviously has trouble dealing with anything (she shifts responsibility for the actions she took on whoever is her former friend turned enemy de jour, blaming them for everything, getting on the other side of the issue and avoiding her own actions) it is apparent that she never resolved these deep-seated feelings of inferiority, she may not even be aware that they drive her outrageous behavior. It seems as though she has either grown up in an environment where 'tougher' is 'better' or has been bullied herself, because she appears to be under the delusion that the girl who acts the trashiest (gets into the most fights, picks on the most people, swears the loudest) is the best.
Because she believes that showing empathy is a sign of weakness and is so sensitive, it is a lot easier for her to say 'I don't forgive people, as soon as they make a mistake they're gone' than 'I don't want to let people get too close, because then they might break past the facade and dislike me'. You see, everyone makes mistakes. We are all human. Every friend will err at some point. It is inevitable after you have known someone for a certain amount of time. This is also the point in time when you get to know someone the best, and when you begin to get close to them. This is the time when Lea dissolves her friendships. This also allows her to blame all of her bad actions (like everything she blamed on her friend Kristen) on that scapegoat and walk into a new persona and new friendship unscathed and with her heart protected... until that inevitably tears apart as well.
She needs to realize that the path she is on will lead her towards a very sad, lonely life... and eventually she will have to face her root issues, the more she piles onto her problems, the more she will have to face. Hopefully, as she is still so young and being on TV does tend to hold a mirror of yourself up which you cannot easily avoid, she will still be able to turn it around and figure out who she is and what she is really capable of.
Teresa and every other woman on the show - Real Housewives of New Jersey
Ah these are a psychologically dysfunctional bunch of ladies. While Danielle Staub is a very dramatic and insecure woman, the most dysfunctional of the lot are certainly Teresa, Jacqueline and Caroline (in that order).
Teresa has some very serious rage issues, bordering on a personality disorder. She snaps at the slightest provocation which gives her that appearance of being "trashy". She needs to seek serious help before she is sued by someone for assault.
Jacqueline, on the other hand, is the typical insecure follower. She has no personality of her own. She has fallen into her husband's family and adopted their personas, then she followed around Danielle and when that wasn't getting her the kind of attention she craved (and more people were against the side she was on than were on it) she switched over to follow Teresa and her sister-in-law. When she did that, gone was the gentle persona she had adopted previously and in its stead came Teresa number two. An almost exact replica of a swearing, aggressive, catty woman. Everything she does screams 'blank slate waiting to be filled by substance'. When she realized that people did not like Teresa's trashy ways, she went back to being gentle halfway through the reunion to hug Danielle and make peace.
The problem with both ladies is that they are passing their unhealthy behavior on to their daughters. In Teresa's case, her daughter's are already displaying signs of aggression and being massively spoiled (which will do them no favors in the world, especially if they have to humble themselves to work one day). In Jacqueline's case, she sent incredibly mixed messages to her impressionable teenage daughter. She made fun of, mocked and was cruel, cold and aggressive towards a woman who had not done much to her, and then was surprised to find that her young daughter had taken it one step further in an all-out brawl started by herself and Teresa. Rather than taking responsibility for her part in this, she simply wrote off her daughter's behavior and scolded her (unfortunately 'do as I say, not as I do' and 'because I said so' are very poor parenting techniques and it shows in the girls subsequent behavior).
Teresa has some very serious rage issues, bordering on a personality disorder. She snaps at the slightest provocation which gives her that appearance of being "trashy". She needs to seek serious help before she is sued by someone for assault.
Jacqueline, on the other hand, is the typical insecure follower. She has no personality of her own. She has fallen into her husband's family and adopted their personas, then she followed around Danielle and when that wasn't getting her the kind of attention she craved (and more people were against the side she was on than were on it) she switched over to follow Teresa and her sister-in-law. When she did that, gone was the gentle persona she had adopted previously and in its stead came Teresa number two. An almost exact replica of a swearing, aggressive, catty woman. Everything she does screams 'blank slate waiting to be filled by substance'. When she realized that people did not like Teresa's trashy ways, she went back to being gentle halfway through the reunion to hug Danielle and make peace.
The problem with both ladies is that they are passing their unhealthy behavior on to their daughters. In Teresa's case, her daughter's are already displaying signs of aggression and being massively spoiled (which will do them no favors in the world, especially if they have to humble themselves to work one day). In Jacqueline's case, she sent incredibly mixed messages to her impressionable teenage daughter. She made fun of, mocked and was cruel, cold and aggressive towards a woman who had not done much to her, and then was surprised to find that her young daughter had taken it one step further in an all-out brawl started by herself and Teresa. Rather than taking responsibility for her part in this, she simply wrote off her daughter's behavior and scolded her (unfortunately 'do as I say, not as I do' and 'because I said so' are very poor parenting techniques and it shows in the girls subsequent behavior).
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