Please tell me ...

[ladybug_archive]

... Why is it that a character can go through nearly an entirely episode being a horrible, rotten creep, but if he still manages to turn around and give one important show of integrity at the end, I suddenly feel softhearted and pity him and don't want him to die even if he probably really deserves it?

I just watched the Daniel Boone episode Bitter Mission. General Wilkerson is horrid. He's supposed to be a friend to Dan, but he's grown bitter and jaded after fighting war after war and not receiving anything that really lasts in return. He decides to deceive both Kentucky and Virginia into trying to start a war with each other, all because he's going to help the Spanish get Kentucky and thinks that they'll give him land and wealth for doing so. He shoots Dan, who later takes him prisoner, and Wilkerson continually does terrible things during their journey to Virginia, where Dan wants him to tell the governor the truth. He even dumps out the water from the canteen so Dan can't get any to drink.

There are occasional moments where he shows that maybe there's still some semblance of a good person there. For one thing, I can't figure out why he kept bringing up Dan getting the bullet taken out before blood poisoning set in. He wanted Dan dead for his plans to work. So why not let the blood poisoning do its thing? Instead he brought it up more than once and even said Dan should let him take it out. Dan finally agreed. It makes me wonder if he did feel guilty about shooting Dan, especially after being Dan's prisoner and being around him hour after hour. Maybe it made him think about all the times they'd spent together.

Still, then he turns around and does something horrible again. He reminds Dan of a time from their past when they were hunting together and then tries to overpower him when he starts to fall asleep. Right up at the eleventh hour, after they had to form an alliance to defeat the Spanish, who have decided to shoot them both because they don't want to do business with a traitor, the General takes Dan's horse and says he's going to escape because if he goes back to Virginia he'll face a firing squad.

But ...

Dan goes to the governor as quickly as he can, hoping to avert the war. When he arrives, the governor says that he has already told his troops not to march. And there's the General, having gone there after all to tell the truth. He says to Dan, "Call it a sudden attack of integrity." Dan says, "Courage might be a better word for it."

In the epilogue, the General wonders if he'll make it to his own court-martial (apparently afraid that someone will be so angry with him for what he did that they'll shoot him down on the spot). A soldier salutes him, which he returns, stunned. Dan says, "Does that answer your question?"

"He's saluting the General," Wilkerson says. "The firing squad will deal with the traitor."

He certainly deserves punishment for what he tried to do, inciting a war for his own selfish reasons and turning against a friend. But because he finally had a change of heart and did the right thing, knowing that he would probably die for doing so, I ended up feeling really sad not wanting him to die. I wanted him to have a second chance instead. The episode touched me so much I'm close to crying over it. (Of course, that could partially be because it's that time when I have mood swings like nobody's business.)

Am I the biggest marshmallow ever? Sometimes I think I'm too soft. I feel like I shouldn't feel so much compassion for him. I feel like I should feel that he should die for his crimes.

So why can't I? Why?

Comments

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

For me, it's a case-by-case thing, but I'm usually a shades of grey person. A lot of my favorite characters are villains who have repented. And a lot of the time, I feel horribly guilty and like I'm doing a terrible thing when I first begin to like any villain, repented or not.

And that episode of Rawhide sounds so powerful! I'm pretty sure I'd end up feeling bad for the villain in it too.

Do you recall the Daniel Boone episodes The Mound Builders or Bickford's Bridge? I can't find the latter, but I have the former on queue and I'm wondering what it's about. I can't find summaries for a lot of these episodes.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should take it upon myself to fill in summaries for the episodes that don't have them on IMDB.com.

I haven't, but I love the sound of the title! I'll be watching for it. Right now I'm getting discs with episodes that have guest-stars I like (like the one I was picking apart here), but I love general good episode recommendations too.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I should check. I look at IMDB because that's where I go to find actors' credits.

I'm sure I will!

By the way, why have you turned off all commenting to your journal? I was going to comment on your latest entries and discovered I couldn't.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Ahh. It seems like that will get confusing. I can understand you wanting to limit your online time, but couldn't you lock comments to only come from your friends list? I don't let anyone comment on my journal unless they're on my friends list.

The gun thing you posted a picture of is definitely cool. Very steampunk!

I've heard of the year without a summer! It's not a time period I've delved into much, but I am aware of it. What a weird year that must have been.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I wondered if your reason was something like that. Do you plan to keep it this way indefinitely or just until you think you've trained yourself to limit your time?

That would be neat.

I can see why! Did they ever learn it was because of the volcano going off or was that not discovered until many, many years later?

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

You may have mentioned this before, but I forgot--who's the actor in DB that you liked?

Hmm... **ponders** Well... It kinda reminds me of Shu-yin from FFX-2. You want to just clobber him for all that he's doing, but then you remember the while thing about him and Lenne...

Or, heck, what about Sephiroth? Then again, he started off good and then got messed up...

Oh, wait! Thief King Bakura--there you go.

So, yeah, plenty of examples. You don't need to feel bad about this one.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

There's no one actor; I like the show in general and particularly gravitate towards episodes with various people I like. Jimmy Murphy was in one, and Simon Oakland was in the one I was talking about now.

Yeah, I guess.

If you remember, I felt highly guilty over liking Thief King Bakura and wasn't even sure if I should get a plush of him because of that.

At the end, I kind of dissolved into general ranting about myself. This is a behavior of mine that I've been alternately frustrated and confused over for years. I feel like I'm a horrible person for being too soft.

[moonshadowmagic.livejournal.com]

Um. How about, you're human, and scriptwriters know it...?

I have to say, I'm glad I've never been on a jury. At my most cynical I suspect that by the time it goes to trial, a case must surely be whatever stories can be cooked up around the evidence (which, hopefully, is black- and- white plain, but I doubt it's often so simple.)

Human lives are valuable. In Christianity, God forgives the repentant sinner, knowing his/ her heart (although they may not escape the consequences of their actions.) It's us humans who have trouble figuring out whether someone is sincere or up to something, and we build a lot of literature and drama around that insecurity, the fear that we should have judged more or less harshly.

Now go watch Princess Tutu again... where the only one who dies in the series, really does need to, going down raging and unrepentant. (Already- dead authors don't count.)

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Yeah, being on a jury would be a frightening responsibility, knowing that you were holding someone's future in your hands.

That's one thing I love about fiction.... You can often see all angles, whereas in real life you often never know a person's motives or their heart. I suppose that's one reason why I often gravitate to characters I probably would stay away from if I met them in reality.

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh, well, if Simon's involved, then it's only natural that you'd feel sympathy for his character. Richard Dawson was the villain in an Alfred Hitchcock Hour thingie--take a wild guess whose side I was on.

Yes, I remember...

**hugs** I think it says that you are sympathetic and forgiving, and willing to see the good in everything.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I know that was probably part of it, but I like to think I would have felt the same sympathy by the end no matter who was taking the part. I haven't felt sympathy for a couple of Darren's characters who seemed to be downright nasty with no repentant feelings.

... Of course, the Dying Cowboy was never repentant, either. But I still didn't want him to die. Mel Barnes, on the other hand, needed to die.

Aww, thanks. **hugs.** You and Moon Shadow and D'Angelo have helped me feel somewhat better.

[northeastwind.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I know how you feel! *points to Alexei/the entire Tales series on principle* Even if it's just one single moment, like one tear as they realize exactly what they've done. Aaaaagh, it makes you want them to live!

I think that's the reaction the writers want people to have. It wouldn't be half as interesting if you actually wanted him to die. But argh, if it doesn't bring up a ton of conflicting feelings. I know inciting war for almost any reason is wrong, but... mmmmmmmph. Mmmmph I tell you. Makes you want to give people hugs.

Hey, if it's wrong, we can be the biggest marshmallows ever together!

This episode sounds like something I would like. I love the image of the random soldier saluting him despite everything.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

YES!

That's true; I'm sure they do want that. And to confuse the whole world!

Now if only hugs could stop people from doing stupid things like inciting war for selfish reasons!

LOL. Yay! At least there's company!

I wish I could point you to it, then! I'm not sure it's available anywhere online. I got the disc from Netflix.

[dai-atlas.livejournal.com]

Well, it's a healthier attitude to have than holding a grudge, I tell you what! ;)

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

LOL. That's certainly true. But I'm not sure leaning too heavily on mercy is a good thing, if it ignores justice. Of course, in my fics, the characters usually do end up receiving justice in the form of serious suffering....

[amanechan.livejournal.com]

I dunno, I wouldn't say you're too soft...I guess I feel like it's human nature to want to look for the good in people, and to like a character rather than hate them and want them to die. I don't know, I think repented villains/villains with some kind of moral compass are way more interesting and sympathetic than just "Mwuahaha I'm evil" villains. So maybe you're just drawn to the interesting sort of villains like that?

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I just worry wondering if I focus too much on mercy and ignore justice. But you're right; "Muwahaha I'm evil" villains tend to bore me, except in rare cases. (I've always liked NegaDuck from Darkwing Duck, for one. And Yami Marik makes such a good villain.) I really love it when a villain shows some hint of goodness or even turns around, even if it's only at the very end. Doing the right thing is pretty much an immediate turn-on for me.