1. "I can't tell if this post is done" In response to Reply # 0
sarcastically, but I was happy when plotlines had Vic from The Shield suffer some downfalls. Mainly from an entertainment standpoint of wanting the main character to suffer and also because he did some morally screwed up things.
Althought I am a huge fan of the show, I am mainly apathetic about the characters on Mad Men. Mainly because the drama that occurs on the show is mainly of the characters own doing and not because of circumstances being thrust on them, at least for the men on the show.
2. "Those two little shits in Elephant" In response to Reply # 0
No one in their right mind wanted those little fuckers to succeed
If you did, then you should probably log off and seek counseling... ________________________________________________________________________ <------ The GOAT.
3. "Amsterdam in Gangs of New York" In response to Reply # 0
Yes, Bill the Butcher was a murderous gangster. But that's not why Amsterdam wanted to kill him.
He wanted to avenge his father, but his father wasn't killed in cold blood but in warefare that HE ORGANIZED. His killer held his father in utmost reverance and held a night in his honour every year.
As the movie goes on he seems more misled and stupid, but it's easy to see why Bill the Butcher was so disappointed in him after the failed assassination.
Although I think on balance, the audience likes him.
An essay in Salon about the end of Dexter talks about him being a very likeable serial killer. Which got me to think if it's possible to write a protagonist that no one likes.
The villian often becomes the hero, or fades in the background of the "hero" trying to stop them.....
8. "I'm basing my opinion with the past 2 seasons." In response to Reply # 5
at times, he seem too delirious or cynical with his actions. Overall I really want him to survive when all said and done, but I can see him being a hero and sacrifice his life to save everyone on the island.
42. "i think you're right..." In response to Reply # 8 Tue Dec-16-08 06:10 AM by Af-1
i'm actually a jack fan and can't really understand the hate for him, but i think in the end the character will ultimately *have* to die.
he's just been written as someone who can never find peace - he didn't have it in his regular life, didn't have it at the death of his father, didn't have it on the island, and didn't have it post-island. sadly, i think death is his only conclusion, but i don't believe it will happen until the very end.
9. "well, the protagonist moves everything forward, so no." In response to Reply # 0
I think truly 'rooting against' the protagonist kind of defeats the purpose of you sitting there watching the movie in the first place. It's like rooting against plot progression.
I can think of instances of unlikeable protagonists. I watched 'Burn After Reading' this weekend and in that movie the protagonist's ignorance and vanity pushes the entire supporting cast toward their doom. And she's only mildly sympathetic at best. But I never found myself rooting against her, because she was the driving force of the story. I wanted to see how things played out, good or bad.
17. "i think of him more as an anti-hero" In response to Reply # 14
who is both protagonist and antagonist....
like, in last season of the wire...i WANTED him to go down for fabricating the serial killer murders to get more man power and hours to do surveillance on marlo and his gang....
in a jacked up way, he's trying to do the right thing. but, you want him to go down because it's so fundamentally wrong and you want him to get punished...
yet, you kinda get why he did it and hope that he can get away with it...
that probably doesn't make sense, but that's how i felt mcnulty always was on the wire...anti-hero.
18. "he was such a fucker in Season 5!" In response to Reply # 17 Mon Dec-15-08 03:06 PM by buckshot defunct
But I'd already built up 4 seasons of goodwill towards the guy... as well as a high tolerance for his fucked-upedness, that his serial killer shenanigans left me more in a state of shock and (somewhat amused) disbelief. It created this great tension where I knew he had clearly crossed a line, but everytime it looked like he was about to get busted I was on the edge of my seat pulling for him to get away with it for just a little bit longer. I hated what he was doing, but I didn't necessarily want him to get buried for it, either.
Plus, he's exploiting a system that's even more corrupt than he is. That's the thing about having a bastard as the main character... there's always a bigger asshole you can put him up against.
20. "Dexter is a good example" In response to Reply # 0
Especially last season when Dokes was chasing him down.
It's possible to write something in which the main character is actually the antagonist but it's a lot harder to pull off. The villain has to be bad yet personable (ala Hannibal Lecter).
38. "True. Poorly worded post on my part." In response to Reply # 21
If the protagonist is the bad guy, it's harder because you have to make him someone people want to follow. I think Mackey and Dexter are solid examples although in both cases, people start rooting for them despite their dastardly deeds.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
37. "cloverfield" In response to Reply # 0 Mon Dec-15-08 10:43 PM by lfresh
all of them i wanted them all to die i really hope they did those dumbfucks ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~
48. "it made the movie fun" In response to Reply # 43
i was irrate with the movie about halfway through when the characters went into the subway tunnel at tha point i realized i wanted those characters to die i hoped they would be killed i like that i wasn't disappointed the movie became great at that point for me and the people sitting around me ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~
50. "I wanted John Dorian shot two seasons ago..." In response to Reply # 0
I realized how much of a jerk he really was.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
53. "Vick Mackie - The Shield" In response to Reply # 0
I was rooting against that muthafucka since season 2. But by that time I was hooked on the show and I knew that "justice" for Mackie would be the climax of the series and I just didn't want it to end. So, I was torn.
57. "Michael's alright. Jim and Pam is more like, it." In response to Reply # 56
The "Oh, we're such a cutesy little couple" schtick is getting really, really wack.
************************************** "I'm sick of followin' my dreams. I'm just gonna ask where they goin', and hook with them later." - Mitch Hedberg
"I don't think muthafuckas went to the moon either, but that's just me."-Mos
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