Characters you thought "deserved better"

[IBlackKiteI]

Spoiler: Six Feet Under

Nate - Six Feet Under

Did he really have to die after suffering so much during the series' run? He had to cope with a fucked-up girlfriend, her fucked-up brother, siblings who hated his guts for living his own life away from the funeral home, a mother who can barely keep things together, fighting off a hostile takeover of the business... and then, when things started looking up, BAM! He's dead.

That whole outcome pissed me off somewhat too but I guess it also kind of encapsulates what is more or less the whole point of the series, you can do your best but still get fucked over again and again and die unfulfilled. I reckon yeah, Nate was far too good for all the crap he had to deal with but I don't think I'd change anything.

Already mentioned a bit are various characters from the Ice and Fire series, unsurprising considering just many poor bastards bite it unceremoniously. Two fairly minor guys stand out for me in particular, Maester Cressen and Cortnay Penrose from Clash of Kings. Cressen it seems was a father figure of sorts to Stannis and dies in the intro trying to (at least in his mind) protect him from Melisandre and Penrose is the guy who blatantly refuses to give up Storms End and Robert's bastard kid to Stannis and gets shadow-demon thingied for it. I like to think they're both chillin with Ned and Robb Stark as well as Jeor Mormont among others in the 'cool more-or-less good guys who tried to do the right thing and got fucked over for it' section of whatever afterlife they have in that setting.

 

[Pizzarand]

This is a bit of a borderline case but...

So in MLP there's this one episode where Rainbow Dash, a sport obsessed pegasus, breaks her wings and has to spend the rest of the episode in the hospital. There, bound to the bed, she is introduced to the magic of reading and Io and behold, finds out that reading is actually for everyone, not just nerds.
The best thing about this episode is that whenever Rainbow starts reading, we cut to the action in the book. There the protagonist is Daring Do, an Indiana Jones expy, that also has broken wings just like Rainbow. Not only are there some nice parody scenes with over-the-top death traps, which make the episode worthwhile, Daring Do also looks exactly like Rainbow Dash except for her colour, making for a neat touch that she is inserting herself into the novel. Overall it was a nice idea and well enough executed to make it one of the highlights of the second season... which gets totally ruined in the fourth.
There it turns out, Daring Do was actually a real person all along! All of the novels have been about real events, written by herself! Also, she still looks like Rainbow Dash because of reasons. It doesn't help that the episode this happens in is filled with dumb decisions, questions that never get answered and characters standing around doing nothing.

Daring Do never should have been an actual chracter in the show. She was a fine gimmick for an episode and made the world seem more alive by showing that even talking ponies in a fantasy world can have fiction about dumb action heroes saving the day. Making her a real adventurer, making her part of the world ruined her concept and subsequently her character.

 

[FPLOON]

This is a bit of a borderline case but...

So in MLP there's this one episode where Rainbow Dash, a sport obsessed pegasus, breaks her wings and has to spend the rest of the episode in the hospital. There, bound to the bed, she is introduced to the magic of reading and Io and behold, finds out that reading is actually for everyone, not just nerds.
The best thing about this episode is that whenever Rainbow starts reading, we cut to the action in the book. There the protagonist is Daring Do, an Indiana Jones expy, that also has broken wings just like Rainbow. Not only are there some nice parody scenes with over-the-top death traps, which make the episode worthwhile, Daring Do also looks exactly like Rainbow Dash except for her colour, making for a neat touch that she is inserting herself into the novel. Overall it was a nice idea and well enough executed to make it one of the highlights of the second season... which gets totally ruined in the fourth.
There it turns out, Daring Do was actually a real person all along! All of the novels have been about real events, written by herself! Also, she still looks like Rainbow Dash because of reasons. It doesn't help that the episode this happens in is filled with dumb decisions, questions that never get answered and characters standing around doing nothing.

Daring Do never should have been an actual chracter in the show. She was a fine gimmick for an episode and made the world seem more alive by showing that even talking ponies in a fantasy world can have fiction about dumb action heroes saving the day. Making her a real adventurer, making her part of the world ruined her concept and subsequently her character.

Huh... If Daring Do did metaphorically stood for what fictional characters could connect with the same way we could with "our" fictional characters, then of course Daring Do did deserve better from that narrative standpoint... I mean, maybe Season 4 still could of had the introduction to the author of the Daring Do books, but find out that the book series is her way of expressing how she yearns to go on similar adventures as the character she created, despite being an archaeologist... Not only can Rainbow Dash learn that even the author she adores is also a regular pegasus just like her (akin to respecting one's writing process, I think), but the author can learn how what she does for a living outside of writing the books is adventurous in its own right, I guess...

But, then again, as Season 4 proved, that's not what Daring Do, the character, was suppose to represent after all... which, in turn, does make this a borderline case after all...

 

[Vault101]

Then, he just gets shit on late in the game. His affair is revealed, isolating him from his family and the force, with no-one offering a shred of sympathy for the PTSD that probably fueled the affair. All the hard work he put in to rise to the top of the force is shown to be wasted, and ultimately he drowns to death without the real game's final villains getting the justice they deserve. To add insult to injury, one of said villains attends his funeral.

the whole "affiar" thing comes really out of the blue...and feels Jarring....particually I think because we know Cole has a wife and girls yet never see his personal life...so we as players assume its not important untill it all comes out of the blue

as I underatand this was due to the usual cuts and changes that come with a troubled development

 

[Skin]

Tyr Anasazi from Andromeda. He is the sole reason I kept watching that show (and the fact I had 3 seasons of DVD's, yet never remember ever buying it). He was a character I absolutely despised for about the first season, before I started to accept how brilliantly and well realized his character was.

Unfortunately, due to some shoddy writing, the character was never consistent, but he was always the same throughout the show. A good guy and a bad guy. His own hero, but perhaps a villain to the show. It is hard to describe, but you never really knew where he stood.

Unfortunately, he left the show, got turned into a simpering generic bad guy and that was that.

If you like sci-fi and can repress cringing from terrible CGI and some bad acting, Andromeda seasons 1-3 is fairly good.

Most of the characters in Fate/Zero. Yeah, I'll probably carry this salt with me until the day I die.

This too. Only took me a few episodes to realize who was going to win and it was sadly the least interesting person.

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

Clemens and 85 from Alien 3.

Clemens is a very hospitable person who Ripley warms up to. After all she's been through, she deserves a break (spoliers: don't watch Alien 3 if you want a happy ending). Instead, just after he confides in Ripley why he's a doctor on a prison colony in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, he's unceremoniously axed off by the alien. He's never mentioned again.

85 was just a guy running a (all things considered) peaceful prison colony until Ripley shows up with what can only be described as a demon from hell. He's not a local, just a company man (as is constantly pointed out) and just wants to go home to his family. He doesn't take kindly to Ripley's requests to basically accept the fact he's a dead man simply by being in her presence. When he realizes that the company is evil and attempting to capture said demon, he lashes out at them and is fatally shot. His resting place is in the crusty floor of the furnace of the hellhole he merely worked in.

You know what? I'll throw in Ellen Ripley, the crew of the Nostromo (save Ash), the crew of the Sulaco and the colonists as well for obvious reasons.

 

[chocolate pickles]

Then, he just gets shit on late in the game. His affair is revealed, isolating him from his family and the force, with no-one offering a shred of sympathy for the PTSD that probably fueled the affair. All the hard work he put in to rise to the top of the force is shown to be wasted, and ultimately he drowns to death without the real game's final villains getting the justice they deserve. To add insult to injury, one of said villains attends his funeral.

the whole "affiar" thing comes really out of the blue...and feels Jarring....particually I think because we know Cole has a wife and girls yet never see his personal life...so we as players assume its not important untill it all comes out of the blue

as I underatand this was due to the usual cuts and changes that come with a troubled development

I think that was the biggest problem with L.A Noire; The game had signs of great potential, but ultimately suffered from repetition and appeared rushed. Maybe if it had more time or a better development stage, it could have been a 'great' game rather than just an 'ok' one.

And yeah, the affair was a giant "WTF?" moment, especially for the reasons you said: Cole's personal life went from mostly untouched to being his Achilles heel. Some more background into his home life would have be useful.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Yamcha from Dragon Ball. Toriyama repeatedly uses him throughout the tournaments as a way to show much stronger the new opponent of the day is. Then later, because he needs a new Saiyan in the story, he has his girlfriend Blooma (Bulma) dump him for the guy that fucking killed him.

Wonder Woman. One of the most well-known superheroines, yet even the Guardians of the Galaxy has gotten a film before her. The most she?s getting recently is a supporting character role in the wholly unnecessary Batman vs. Superman fanservice film, because apparently the average cinema-goer prefers seeing the same broody fucks who?ve dominated the big screen for the past decade than a fresh take on a sorely-underappreciated feminist and cultural icon.

Shigechi from JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure. An initially annoying, yet subsequently interesting and endearing character with a pretty cool Stand, who

Spoiler

gets brutally killed off by Yoshikage Kira because he accidentally took the aforementioned serial killer?s ?lunch?.

 

[soren7550]

Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark series. Her console games are fun as dicks, but lack story. Her books, are simply sublime, as they're fun, full of story, details, backstory, characterization, world building, all sorts of good things. However, further games and novels are very unlikely to happen, as Perfect Dark Zero didn't do so well critically, the books didn't sell as many as they wanted, and Rare's too busy making Kinect games and avatar items.

There was a third Perfect Dark in the very early stages of development, but it wasn't set to star Joanna, and what little game they did make was converted into another project that was eventually shut down.

Sorry for lack of explanation, but right now it feels like my head is going to explode.

 

[Vault101]

Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark series. Her console games are fun as dicks, but lack story. Her books, are simply sublime, as they're fun, full of story, details, backstory, characterization, world building, all sorts of good things.

..there are perfect dark novels?

now I'm intruged

also I love the Name Joanna Dark its normal enough to be cool but too cool to be normal

 

[soren7550]

Joanna Dark from the Perfect Dark series. Her console games are fun as dicks, but lack story. Her books, are simply sublime, as they're fun, full of story, details, backstory, characterization, world building, all sorts of good things.

..there are perfect dark novels?

now I'm intruged

also I love the Name Joanna Dark its normal enough to be cool but too cool to be normal

Yup. There was also a series of comics. Initial Vector and Second Front are the books (both written my Greg Rucka), and Janus' Tears is the comics (which takes place in between the two books). I highly recommend them all (especially the books, they're my favorite books I've ever read), but good luck finding any copies.

And I'm with you on the name.

 

[Vault101]

are the books (both written my Greg Rucka), and Janus' Tears is the comics (which takes place in between the two books). I highly recommend them all (especially the books, they're my favorite books I've ever read), but good luck finding any copies.

And I'm with you on the name.

HOLY BATMANS UNDERWEAR GREG RUCKA???!!!

WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO!

*runs off to spend*