July Question Meme: Day 9
Jul. 9th, 2016 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452Asked by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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.
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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no subject
Date: 2016-07-10 09:04 am (UTC)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...
no subject
Date: 2016-07-14 03:44 am (UTC)(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.