Easily one of my favorite character development storylines is the redemption storyline, the evil turned good character trying to find their place in the world. What makes TV so interesting is the way it can make a person who seems utterly unforgivable into someone you can root for. They can make you hope that the mass murdering Klaus Mikkaelson gets the Caroline (did you see him with his baby?!?!) or root for the Anya to end up with Xander or cheer when Jamie Lannister and Brienne of Tarth have a scene together or yell at Bill whenever he got in Eric and Sookie’s way or hang on to every moment where Seven of Nine struggled to come to terms with her humanity and the crimes she committed as a borg. So, what are some of the redemption arcs that stood out to me recently?
Bellamy Blake (The 100) – Bellamy was a complicated character from the start. Growing up on a spaceship called the Arc, with a birth quota of one child per family, he has grown up with something unheard of—a sister. He swore to protect her at all costs, which meant keeping her hidden when she was younger, bringing her gifts to make her smile, and shooting the chancellor in order to get onto the ship sending her and 99 other juvenile delinquents to fend for themselves on a possibly uninhabitable Earth. He may have done it to be with and protect his sister, but he knew the time would come when the rest of the people from the Arc joined them on Earth: death. Which lead to his brutal turn as the unelected leader of the 100 on Earth. Despite the bullying leadership style, he emerged as a true hero and a reliable force to be reckoned with. You may not have liked him before, but you might be rooting for him to end up with fellow co-leader Clarke now too.
John Murphy (The 100) – If you thought Bellamy was brutal, Murphy was worse. He was not adverse to beatings and intimidation, advocating for the hanging of a young girl (who admittedly murdered someone because she misinterpreted some poorly worded advice from Bellamy) and leading the vicious Grounders to the 100’s camp. Plus he was going to kill Jasper when the adorkable nerd was near death after being speared and strung up by the Grounders. And yet, most recently he helped save Raven’s life (after shooting her in the back), saved a fellow teen from falling to death off the side of a cliff, and advocated not using violence when dealing with the Grounders. More importantly, the show turned one of The 100’s heroes, Finn, into a mass murderer (of women and children no less), making Murphy look downright cozy.
Regina Mills (Once Upon A Time) – The evil queen no more. Mostly. In fact, the queen has been tamed almost to boringness. (Her “evil” plot this season involves finding the writer of the book so she can get her happy ending with Robin Hood.) She literally laughs at wearing her evil queen outfit the one time she dons it this season (thanks to the show’s 100th curse). In truth, I think they’ve made her good to the point of a little boring (no, not Mary Margaret boring, but still). To whom do we owe this turn of personality? The one and only Henry, my least favorite part of this fairytale show.
Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries) – I am so torn on this one. He’s overly snug, not necessarily a great influence, and impulsive to the point of cruel. He killed Lexi and he tried to kill Jeremy. But he’s also fiercely loyal and brave and surprisingly romantic. He arrived at Mystic Falls a brutal, cold-blooded murderer, but his love for Elena tamed him. (Gag with me, but it’s true.) The times I like him most are when he’s fighting for his brother. I am surprised to find that I like his friendship with Bonnie (because I had all but given up on liking anything to do with Bonnie). I would like to see him (and Stephan) move on from Elena and see what he is like in another relationship.
What redemption stories have caught your imagination recently?
Which villain-turned-hero are you rooting for?
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