rogueslayer452 | July Question Meme: Day 9

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July Question Meme: Day 9

Asked by

megan_moonlight:

Death of which character from your favourite TV shows/movies hit you the hardest?

This is difficult since there have been an unfortunate amount of character deaths that really affected me, whether out of extreme sadness or extreme anger with how it was handled. And this is spanning throughout all my fandoms, and there's a lot to go through. I am probably going to forget a lot of characters from a wide variety of fandoms throughout the years, but these are just several that immediately come to mind.

01. Tara Maclay, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Deaths that happened in the Buffyverse always occurred in an emotional manner, and several have affected me, but none have affected me as much as Tara's death. When it happened it was such a shock, it was brutal and senseless, and then later I felt incredibly angry. The sixth season had a lot stupid, nonsensical shit that happened, but this one really took the cake. I know it was meant to be devastating and it shook up everyone and everything, but the further you get into it, the more I wish that it never happened. Tara was a character that had a lot of development from when she was first introduced, having been accepted into the Scooby Gang family and becoming stronger and more confident as a person, and then the sixth season happened and not only was she mistreated by Willow several times, she also had to be killed in the most senseless manner possible, which was also a means of furthering Willow's arc of hitting her breaking point. Like, fuck off with that. Tara deserved much, much better.

Runner up would be Doyle from Angel, whose death was sacrificial but also emotional, made even more poignant after the loss of Glenn Quinn shortly thereafter.

02. Hoban "Wash" Washburne, Firefly / Serenity

I remember seeing Serenity in the theater when it first came out and being so utterly stunned with shock that Wash had died. It was devastating, but this was something that I don't look back at with anger. I understood the meaning and purpose of his death and it wasn't done in vain. This was during the climax of the film, the final battle and showdown was happening, it was giving you that threat of impending doom that not everyone we loved from the television series might make it out alive, especially since this was a movie to wrap up a particular storyline. And it worked. Book died, and then Wash died, and while it was upsetting and it's something we all mourn even years later, it wasn't done for the mere shock factor. It had reason and purpose and I respect that, even if it affects me still every time I rewatch it.

03. Sirius Black, Harry Potter

I recall reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the first time and being so deeply affected by Sirius' death that I went into extreme denial long afterward. I thought that it would be a red-herring, that the veil didn't mean instant death but instead perhaps it was a portal to someplace else and Sirius was safe, and Harry would get back to him somehow. I even made "Sirius Lives" banners, that's how deep in denial I actually was. Sirius Black was a character I loved very much, so his death really affected me in the most profound way, perhaps out of all the deaths of the books.

04. Charlotte DiLaurentis, Pretty Little Liars

There is nothing worse than being introduced to the first transgender character of the show, only for her to be killed off an episode later. Not the smartest way of being inclusive and progressive, show. Granted, her character had been around long prior to this reveal, known as Cece Drake, but the truth about her identity was incredibly plot related and even if I didn't necessarily like the sixth mid-season finale that much for numerous of reasons, killing Charlotte off was probably the dumbest decisions Pretty Little Liars ever made. Basically, after that happened I stopped watching the show entirely. Not just from Charlotte's death, of course, there were many factors that went into my not being impressed with the direction the show has been going lately, but Charlotte was probably the most interesting character I wanted to know more about and they did the cheapest thing ever by killing her off. They basically kept around the most irrelevant character possible (Sarah Harvey) when they could have kept the most fascinating addition to the story and plot, being Charlotte, and allowing her story to further progress from what was recently revealed. I'm rather angry how it all happened.

Following closely to that would be Maya St. Germaine, whose death was wasted entirely and no justice ever came from it. I'm still waiting for the reveal that she's still alive and part of a bigger plot, but I'm not holding my breath.

05. Natalie Faust, Battlestar Galactica

Natalie was a Number Six Cylon model who was introduced in the fourth season as the leader of the Rebel Cylons, and everything about her particular arc was beautiful and it was great seeing that kind of progression between a particular faction of the Cylons who were collaborating with the humans to reach a common goal. But then she was murdered by Athena, all due to a misunderstanding and mix up fueled by Athena's paranoia. Deaths happened on Battlestar Galactica all the time, but this was one that really had be upset and angry about. I love Athena as a character, but this was something I couldn't forgive her for. Natalie did absolutely nothing wrong, all she wanted was to know the identities of the Final Five Cylons, and she just deserved so much better in the end. At least, she died knowing that she led a meaningful life and accomplished something worthy, which is what she initially fought for by starting the rebellion in the first place and convincing the humans of their purpose.

06. Abbie Mills, Sleepy Hollow

I stopped watching Sleepy Hollow long ago, but hearing about what happened to Abbie Mills, and by extension how Nicole Beharie was treated behind the scenes, is probably the worst injustice that has ever happened in recent television history and I am absolutely livid. Abbie Mills was the main character and co-lead of the entire show, she was one of the reasons people tuned in since the first season because of her and Ichabod's budding relationship and their chemistry. But after the first season (when the creator and some of the original writers left for reasons unknown, and a new showrunner and writers came onboard), they basically treated Abbie like she was secondary, sidelining her every chance they got, and reduced her character from being Ichabod's equal to being a catalyst to his story, which is utter bullshit. I know that Nicole wanted to leave the show, but they mistreated her so much that she needed to leave for her own mental health, and killing off Abbie was probably the dumbest decisions ever made. It was so disrespectful to the actress and to the fans who loved the show because of her. And now they have the audacity to not only renew the show, but they're basically replacing Abbie with another woman character who seems like a basic carbon copy of who Abbie was. Disrespectful, disgraceful, disgusting. Abbie Mills deserved better. Nicole Beharie deserved better.

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Omigosh Sirius tho *sobs*

It was so upsetting. Like, I was straight up legit in utter denial for a long time until it was confirmed that he wouldn't be coming back. I remember reading so many fan theories and speculations about how he couldn't be dead, discussions about the veil being misleading, etc. I think a lot of fans were in deep denial just as much as I was, so I'm kind of glad I wasn't alone.

I think I straight up grieved for Tara - it wasn't just the usual TV death where you sob for half an hour, feel sad about it for a while and then by next season you're more or less okay. Like Ianto in Torchwood, I think I genuinely grieved for her and I still get sad and angry at the thought of the way they were treated, like they were real and deserved better.

And Abbie Mills, you are so right how egregious that was. I don't think I've ever been so shocked at the way writers and producers have treated a character, and without it even serving some vague story or narrative purpose. And I'm truly stunned that Sleepy Hollow wasn't cancelled - when so many better more deserving shows get canned and something like this limps on, an embarrassment to everyone...

There are definitely a lot of character deaths that I felt upset and devastated by, and I grieved for them, but I understood where the decision came from. Some character deaths were painful but they also respected the character and their entire arc, which sadly is very rare to come by in television these days. Tara's death was among the ones that I felt came out of literally nowhere and done purely for the shock factor. Her death was mostly used as a catalyst for Willow to turn dark, and that is what upset me the most. And honestly, I don't care if that was the point, if that was the message, because Tara deserved so much better than what she got in the end, and not just with her unjust death but with the way Willow treated her, which has enraged me more and more as time goes on.

(I also recall that there was a plan for an episode in the seventh season for Buffy to be granted one wish for anything she wanted, and by the end of the episode instead of going through all the things she wanted she would've instead used that wish to bring Tara back. At first I wished that had happened, but then I rethought that and I knew that Tara would only be brought back for Willow's benefit, and I'm actually glad the episode was scrapped.)

And I'm truly stunned that Sleepy Hollow wasn't cancelled - when so many better more deserving shows get canned and something like this limps on, an embarrassment to everyone...

Seriously. I'm actually surprised it even got renewed because, aside from the constant fan backlash and them killing off the main character in the finale which caused even more outrage, isn't the show not doing that well in the ratings? FOX is notoriously known for canning shows when the ratings are dismal. I'm wondering, with so many former fans basically not even going to bother watching anymore, how the ratings will look when it comes back. I'm betting it'll dip even lower that hopefully it'll have no choice but to be cancelled. Then again, perhaps the network has their own agenda for how they want the show to be, hence them getting rid of what once was such a lovely diverse show into a bland Supernatural-esque mess, a.k.a. All About The White People With Added Racism, Sexism And Bad Writing.

Omg I did the same with Sirius :( I keep thinking he was just gonna come back and everything would be fine but nope nOpe noPE

It was such a shocking death. I mean, Cedric died in the previous book and that was quite sad in itself, but Sirius was a beloved fan favorite and to lose him was so emotionally scarring. It was definitely the first indication that, holy shit, our favorites can die in this series. Big name characters can, and will, die in this series.

The only tv show here I watched was Firefly/Serenity ... and I hated that they killed Wash! It seemed so unnecessary, and then Book too ... I like to pretend Serenity didn't happen. :P

While it was and still is rather devastating to watch even now, I don't find it completely unnecessary in context of the narrative. Do I wish that everyone of the crew came out alive in the film? Of course, but I understand the purpose of why it had to be done. It doesn't make it hurt any less, it's just something I've come to terms with.

I do, however, feel like we need more of Book to be featured on the screen in the film because imho it wasn't nearly enough. I know that there is other canon material (the comics and the like) to fill in the gaps of what happened in between the show and the film itself and beyond to give more backstory, but I do think Ron Glass was criminally underused. Otherwise though, I loved Serenity and it's one of the my top all time favorite movies, for obvious reasons of course. :)

I know what you're saying, but I feel the deaths were there just for drama's sake. Had either of them happened in the course of another season or so it would've had a bigger impact on me. As it was, it felt like they happened only to justify a film.

My brother has read the comics and says they're great. He was under utilized though, I completely agree!

I was spoiled for Tara's death (that's what happens when you get into a popular TV show years later, it's easy to go in having a pretty good idea of what's going to happen*), and in a way I'm glad I was. You're right that how she was killed off wasn't right. I have that issue with a lot of Joss deaths, honestly. I kind of feel like in the end, he (and some of his writers) just wanted to see how far they could push the characters.

Oh God, Sirius. I was so mad. I was spoiled for that one too, actually, just because of a freaking typo on IM. I was chatting with a friend and didn't realize she'd read a spoiler (we were still reading the book).

Friend: I know who dies. :(

Me: *Means to type "how?"* Who?

Me: OH SHIT WAIT I MEANT HOW.

Friend: *Just as I've sent the above* Sirius.

So I was already upset, but yeah, his death made me pretty mad. I actually think it was necessary for Harry's story now, but maybe a little more closure would've been nice. It made me hate OoTP, although now OoTP is actually right up there with PoA for me.

I gave up on Sleepy Hollow... midway through the second season. It just all fell apart for me. Honestly, I think when the original creator of any show quits, they should just cancel it because it's very rarely the same show. You could even argue that Joss scaling back a bit the last few seasons of Buffy impacted the plot, although I don't completely buy that because he was still the showrrunner, just a tad less involved. But it definitely impacted SH, and while I'm not a Supernatural person, from what I've heard it's really impacted that show as well, though I've also heard that even when Kripke was still a showrrunner, there were issues.

*Although not everything happened as I thought it would. For instance, I assumed Willow was gay from the start, so in the first episode when Willow's like "I'm bad at talking to guys", I was like "wait- guys? What? Huh? Isn't she gay?" Also, I think I confused Xander and Angel. (Which is actually kind of funny, all things considered.)

Edited 2016-07-10 12:27 (UTC)

I totally agree about Charlotte in Pretty Little Liars. Just when I started to find the character interesting they kill her off, which was so disappointing to me. There were so many things I was looking forward to seeing involving her, and personally I really enjoyed the Charles/Charlotte plot twist. I agree about Sarah Harvey too, I never got that character at all.

In my opinion, they really should have offed Sarah Harvey instead (since she's pointless and irrelevant anyway, the most boring ~reveal ever tbh) and have the rest of S6B be about Charlotte being accused of killing her, but this time she is actually innocent and it would be about the girls dealing with their conflicted feelings and emotions about everything Charlotte put them through while they are trying to help clear her name. Similarly, I wanted more of Alison and Charlotte and their sisterly bond.

But no. They went the cheapest route and killed her off for the mere shock value. Ugh.

I so agree with you about Tara and Abbie. Like you, I also stopped watching Sleepy Hollow a long time ago, but I also heard about Nicole was treated and how Abbie was treated and it's just sickening. You sum it up perfectly, really. And I also agree with you about Tara from Buffy and there's nothing I can add to that. I don't know the other fandoms or characters that well so I can't say much, but I understand you were upset about those deaths!

It honestly makes me sad and furious, thinking about what could have been if they hadn't fucked up how amazing Sleepy Hollow was when it first premiered. But they just ripped it all away, all that amazing potential and promise taken from us, with such disrespect to the actors, the characters, and the fanbase built on that very first season, and it infuriates me so much.

Oh my god, all of those character deaths just broke me...

I watched Buffy in 2011, I think? So I knew about Tara's death way beforehand. But I didn't know that Tara would become my favorite character. I'm not sure how I would've been effected if I hadn't known it was coming, but it was definitely dumb and unfair.

It's a very interesting situation when knowing about character deaths beforehand, because while there is a difference between being spoiled and remaining unspoiled, there is also a difference between knowing/reading about it and actually witnessing it. Because once you grow attached to the character, it's even more painful because you know it'll eventually happen and you're trying to prolong that moment as much as possible.

Tara and Abbie were the worst TV deaths, ugh. "Worst" here meaning most unfair and badly handled. Most grief I experienced over a TV character's death, however, would be Tasha Yar in Star Trek (it was my first Favorite Character Death--I didn't know they could DO that, and it still hurts); and Wash. Probably more if I sit and think about it, but yeah, those are high up there.

I think what irritates me most is that fiction is now making it more common for popular, fan favorite characters to be killed off, thinking that it "raises the stakes" because it opens the window to "nobody is safe", and I think that's utter bullshit. There is nothing ~risky about killing off beloved characters when it's done for pure shock value, when instead of showing respect to those characters it's done to benefit others.

Hm. I hadn't thought about it that way, but you're right. It would behoove the writers for this stuff to examine WHY particular characters become fan favorites, instead of just using them for ratings. Look, not everyone can be Joss Whedon, and not everyone can be George R. R. Martin. That's a GOOD thing. If we start to expect every single fan favorite type character to eventually get killed off, it makes you less likely to invest in a long-running show, because what's the point? That's how I feel about it anyway. In fact, it's one reason I've been GoT benched for so long; I did not want to be there if Jon Snow died for good. That, and the endless brutality towards the female characters. I think he's still around now, which is good, but yeah--if I watch something like that only to see my REASON FOR WATCHING IT go away, I feel like it's a waste of my time.

Whenever any of my favourite characters die I go into complete shock and denial, so much so that I had to take a few minutes now to come up with my list.

Top of it is David Tennant in Doctor Who. In the context of your meme it doesn't quite fit because every Doctor will leave at some stage so one goes into the show knowingly, but still. David is my Doctor, forever and always, and I will never be ok with losing him. It has to be said, though, that as character deaths go they did a fantastic job in how they said goodbye to the best Doctor ever, and David was heartbreakingly beautiful from when they started weaving his impending death into the episodes up to his last moments. Fuckit, I'm crying just typing this.

Second would be Ianto from Torchwood. OMFG. WHY???? I was sure it was all an elaborate scheme, that somehow he would be back, but alas. What a fuck up. I stopped watching the show after that, in an attempt to hold onto the memories and magic of Captain Jack and Ianto as if Ianto never died.

Sirius, yes. Absolutely. I start crying my eyes out everytime I reread the books, long before he actually dies just because I know what's coming.

Merlin. That was entirely my own fault for watching a show that I knew they were going to stick to the original story in which Merlin dies in the end. Still. Doesn't mean it was ok, or that I was ok with it.

Sleepy Hollow, yes, WTF?! I'm still mad about that one. If I knew that was were they were heading I would have stopped watching the show ages ago instead of wasting my time. Didn't know it has been renewed - now I'm mad about that as well because yes, exactly, by all means, cancel some fantastic shows and let's continue with a show that is a complete clusterfuck. Obviously it's off my watch list.

SIRIUS. I can never forget. Never forgive. ;___;

It just makes me incredibly sad. Harry should have had at least one adult left caring about him that was connecting with his parents. Either Sirius or Remus, honestly, but the fact that JKR killed them? :(

I was so upset about Tara (even though I knew it was coming cause I always spoil myself).

I was also in denial after Sirius died. I was just like, "This isn't real, this didn't happen." It upset me so much! Though now, my favorite character has become Remus anyway. But still. :(

I'm actually really relieved hearing other people say they were in denial about Sirius, too. Not that I ever doubted that people were upset about his death, but it just really affected me long after reading the book, and it took a long time for me to finally accept it (even though part of me still hasn't fully, tbh.)

And I remember being really pissed about Remus, too. Like, I understand that it was the last book and a battle was happening, but damn. I wasn't much of a fan of the Remus/Tonks relationship, but the fact that it left their son orphaned also really bummed me out.

I keep hearing how Nicole Beharie was treated badly behind the scenes, and I totally believe it, but what exactly happened?

We don't know the exact details, but there was just a lot of factors that combined into a tense relationship between her and the people running the show (particularly, I believe, after the first season when the original creator/writers left and the new people starting taking over). I remember the very specific moment when she shaded and called out the show on her Instagram for not inviting her to do the DVD commentary for S2 with the rest of the cast. I also know that Orlando Jones has been notorious for calling out the show many times, especially after he was essentially fired from it.

I'm pretty sure there is a compilation somewhere of the things that occurred, the Tweets and interviews and such that gave away those red flags of how Nicole was being mistreated. I just know that reports mentioned that she mentioned how she had been unhappy and wanted to leave the show for a while because of it, and I honestly don't blame her.

Sleepy Hollow was once a delightful show with a black woman as the main character and co-lead (very rare in genre television, hence why this representation mattered so much to many who continually tuned in) along with a lovely diverse cast, the mythology was ridiculous but fun and the endearing Ichabod/Abbie relationship was something we all loved watching on a weekly basis. That was the show I loved, and that is the show I want to remember, not this pathetic racist/sexist mess that it turned into.

(I'm getting myself all worked up again. I'm still incredibly bitter and angry, tbqh.)

That was the show I loved, and that is the show I want to remember, not this pathetic racist/sexist mess that it turned into.

There's this podcast I listen to, and whenever Sleepy Hollow is mentioned, the two co-hosts say something like:
"Man, Sleepy Hollow was great. Too bad it was cancelled after one season."
"Yeah, Sleepy Hollow only has one season. Nothing exists after that."

That's basically the mantra for any show that has gone so downhill that they reached the point beyond redemption.

I was very sad about Doyle's death as well. He was a good character. I was even sadder when the actor took his own life. I still remember his role as Mark on Roseanne. haha!

Doyle was definitely a wonderful character, he was part of the original Team Angel and I recall being very happy that they included that little video of him in the last season of the show, as a reminder to Angel himself his beginnings of Angel Investigations but also bringing everything back full circle. That was an excellent use of a callback.

Every time I see a rerun of Roseanne with him featured now I get all nostalgic and sad.

Abbie Mills deserved better. Nicole Beharie deserved better. - THIS.

It's incredibly upsetting and outrageous. Like, how disgusting to mistreat your main character and main star of the whole show, and then act like nothing ever happened and try to make it seem like the show can go on without her. That's like killing off Scully and replacing her with another woman character to be alongside Mulder. So disrespectful.

I remember that I read the part with Sirius' death right before I wanted to go to bed. Needless to say that sleep didn't really happen for a long time. He was my fave book character and I was so not prepared for this to happen :(

I remember throwing the book across the room at one point because I was so angry/distraught about it. I couldn't believe it happened, and my denial just grew because of it. I wanted so badly for it to be a fake out, that he would somehow come out alright. But nope. :(

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July Question Meme: Day 9

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