Ever agree with the "bad guy"?

[Friendly]

Ever play a game, watch a show, or watch a film and sympathize with the person on the wrong side of the tracks? Sometimes I like the hypothetical idea of, "hmm what if I lived like that and had a different life?"

[Retread]

May 30, 2021 14:19:02 GMT -8 Friendly said:

or watch a film and sympathize with the person on the wrong side of the tracks?

Sometimes I have empathy for the antagonist of a movie, but don't really 'agree' with them.

And sometimes the antagonist in a movie evolves (through character growth) into a protagonist. One example comes to mind: Groundhog Day.

Phil Connors is definitely a self-centered jerk at the onset. And he stays that way throughout much of the film. But during his efforts to 'game the system', he gradually begins to genuinely care about the people in his world.

[Bugme]

Blacklist comes to mind.

[JMA 23]

May 31, 2021 15:56:43 GMT -8 Retread said:

May 30, 2021 14:19:02 GMT -8 Friendly said:

or watch a film and sympathize with the person on the wrong side of the tracks?

Sometimes I have empathy for the antagonist of a movie, but don't really 'agree' with them.

And sometimes the antagonist in a movie evolves (through character growth) into a protagonist. One example comes to mind: Groundhog Day.

Phil Connors is definitely a self-centered jerk at the onset. And he stays that way throughout much of the film. But during his efforts to 'game the system', he gradually begins to genuinely care about the people in his world.

A little off topic, but since I lived in that area at the time, I watched them shoot scenes for that movie. 

Quite fun.

[ScottCool]

May 30, 2021 14:19:02 GMT -8 Friendly said:

Ever play a game, watch a show, or watch a film and sympathize with the person on the wrong side of the tracks? Sometimes I like the hypothetical idea of, "hmm what if I lived like that and had a different life?"

I think it's the want to live vicariously through them.

[Willow]

The antagonist in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. If there was ever a story I rooted for the "bad guy" it was that one.

[Derek‽]

Sure, a good antagonist should be fleshed out enough that the audience can have sympathies for the character, at least to some degree. It's called depth. A villain that's "crazy" or "evil" is a cop-out.

Thanos lived through his world being destroyed by overpopulation and saw the same pattern emerging throughout the universe. Instantly eliminating 50% of all life might not have been the best solution, but he wasn't necessarily wrong about what was happening or his motives.

Sentinel, from the WGN series Salem, was Satan's right-hand (left-hand?) man and wanted to establish a hellish kingdom in the New World. His character answered a mystery from biblical mythology: why exactly did the angels rebel in heaven? Because they had a serious issue with how God treated humans, his supposedly favorite creation, that's why. (Excluding Satan, who's just a power-hungry narcissist.) Sentinel views God as the ultimate tyrant for his actions (or inactions, as he made the angels do everything for him). Now, the audience may not agree with his point of view, but he's developed it through his own experiences. If you saw your boss bullying his favorite employee--or worse, having you berate and harass them at his command--you might question their leadership abilities and lose all respect for them, too.

Those are just a couple examples of antagonists whose perspectives were the result of their unique experiences. It's hard to say that I, or anyone, would be quick to condemn them if I had to go through what they did.

[wildmaven]

Loki!!

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Tom Hanks