Nathan Young: My New Anti-Superhero

[falafel_musings]

I've been noticing a pattern in my fandoms. I often have a favourite guilty pleasure character. You know, the sort of character that you shouldn't like, but absolutely do. For me it's usually a character who is established as the most annoying, amoral or despicable character on the show, yet I find them irresistable and brilliant. This is the part

Comments

[elliotsmelliot]

Really? I thought your guilty pleasure were the underestimated atypical, sometimes earnest, doomed heroes! Gaeta...Charlie...

Or are those just an example one of your "types" and guilty pleasures are characters you should be ashamed for cheering on? If so I don't think you should feel guilty about your choices at all! They are pretty awesome.

For me, Pete is far from the most despicable character on the show. I would rank Roger, Don, Kinsey and sometimes even Betty as much more despicable than Pete. Same with Gaius - he was a cowardly and selfish, but on BSG everyone got there chance to be ugly...except Helo! From the little Glee I saw, Sue was delightfully entertaining and so much more fun than anyone in the Glee Club.

I know in sitcoms, my guilty pleasures are the lovable losers like Andy on the Office, Jeffster on Chuck, the Dean on Community or Jerry on Parks and Rec. In dramas I know I tend to like the peripheral anti-hero like Krycek on X-Files who (as a guilty pleasure pastime) I try to make the hero in my head. All there are the shallow guilty pleasures like men with accents!

[falafel_musings]

I do have a thing for doomed characters though it's not much of a 'pleasure' because those characters put me through a lot of grief. Nathan actually fits my doomed type too. He's died four times on Misfits. Luckily he's immortal so his doom is easier to take!

I think thing with Pete and Gaius is that I liked them from the start. In S1 of Mad Men at least Pete was portrayed as the weasily villian of the show. I agree that since S1 other characters have been shown as more despicable where as Pete has actually grown up and become oddly admirable. Pete will always be Pete but now he's a more successful capable Pete (Also, I have to ask...what's your beef with Kinsey? I know he's a pretentious douche but I always found him one of the more harmless MM characters).

It's kind of the same with Gaius. He redeemed himself a little in S4 while other characters got worse, but they didn't really change the essence of his character, which was great. I guess I don't feel guilty for cheering these characters on. I'm just aware that I excuse a lot of henious behaviour from them, because I find them so awesome and entertaining.

Aww, now I wish I watched these shows you are talking about! Would you count Richard Alpert as one of your peripheral anti-hero types? He seems to fit the bill.

[elliotsmelliot]

I know way too many Kinseys. I also know too many people who can't see through the Kinseys of the world and hang on their every word.

Alpert would fit the Krycek bill until S6 when they show removed his edge.

Your Misfits guy also looks like he could be Gaeta's brother!

[falafel_musings]

Ahh, there's another one of my guilty pleasures...any character with dark unruly curls!