Dexter Morgan from "Dexter"

 

(Credits: Showtime)

By this point, I think it has become increasingly clear I really enjoy certain anti-heroes of the early 2000s that ended up shaping a lot of what we now consider the evil or flawed protagonist in modern TV. Dexter, with its original premise being an evil man using his evilness against others he deemed bad, rather than direct personal gain, is one prime example of this. Although the story and character arc slowly declined in the later seasons, Dexter still serves as a testament to great presentation of an anti-hero and his motivations. 

What really adds to the experience is the new main "villain" each season, that not only presents a challenge for Dexter, but also puts on focus the hypocritical and inconsistent beliefs the main character has. I really enjoy when antagonists serve to not only challenge, but actively be a commentary for what the "good guy" stands for. This is mostly present in the first four seasons of the show. 

Now, I come back to Dexter after having the chance to watch the new series from last year, "Dexter: New Blood". The newer series attempted to fix a lot of the mistakes of the original and it largely succeeded. Sadly, like the original, "New Blood" also fell into the trap of writing a great story only to not be able to finish strong and instead leave the fans feeling cheated and disappointed. 

Glenn Rhee from "The Walking Dead"

  
(Credits: AMC)

With The Walking Dead's final season soon to be in full swing, and with the final story arc already in play, it seems fitting to revisit this long-standing TV universe that began all the way back in 2010. Back in those early days, one great character that stood out and quickly became a fan favorite in the first few seasons was Glenn. He portrayed levels of commitment, loyalty, and generally positive thoughts in the face of the horrors present in the world of the Walking Dead universe. 

Some of these positive characteristics are further highlighted because of actual environment Glenn operates in. Surrounded by other that tend to exhibit selfish behavior, ruthless murder, as well as cheaters and thieves, Glenn seems to serve as a positive role model and represents the good fight of survival and the better part of humanity. Of course, pure blame cannot be placed on the people around him: in many cases people are pushed to drastic measures when existing in a brutal world like "The Walking Dead". 

Ultimately, the biggest tragic, yet interesting, part of Glenn's character is his ending arc. He faces the idea that even when you are good to others, loyal to your friends, and generally a morally right person in a world of brutal survival, you still don't get to have a happy ending. At times, it even suggested that he could have fared better if he wasn't as selfless and loyal as he sometimes tends to be. For me, this is the most interesting part in his development and ultimate end, and one of the main reasons why I added him to this list on my weekly blog. 

Omar Little from "The Wire"

 

(Credits: HBO)

It has taken me about 7 weeks to finally come back to the "The Wire", one of my personal favorite shows from the last 20ish years. This has mainly been due to the fact that I have tried to diversify some of the source material I talk about in this blog. Yet, some shows really pack a number of interesting characters I can briefly explore, leading me to return to me now and most likely in the future as well. 

Recently, Omar Little, one of the main characters from "The Wire", was trending in the news again after the sudden passing of the wonderful actor Michael K. Williams. For many, this was a chance to return to the brilliance of characterization and exploration of humanity that is Omar Little, while others had a chance to get introduced to him for the first time. 

For me, Omar has always represented something more in the realm of crime and drama TV. His uniqueness shines in the role he plays and the way he is presented: a legendary stick-up man, almost picked from the pages of a fairy tale, put into the grim realism of the real world. This contrast is so highly evident yet is played smoothly with no faults. 

Additionally, I really like the highlighted hypocrisy of what it means to be a man defined by society clearly embedded in Omar's characterization. In many ways, Omar carries himself in the classic "machismo" fashion, with strong and aggressive domination of conversations and situations he finds himself in. Yet, his enemies and friends alike don't fully recognize this, since Omar is gay. To them, he cannot possibly represent masculinity because of such a fact. I believe that the show and Omar's character successfully criticized such thinking by creating an absolutely badass hero in a TV realm full of many stereotypes involving gay men.

Nucky Thompson from "Boardwalk Empire"

 

 
(Credits: HBO)

Boardwalk Empire has been a conflicting series in my mind for a number of reasons. Although its good in its portrayal of the Prohibition era and what it entails, my overall enjoyment for watching it declined as the seasons kept going, to a point where I needed to take a break from the show for a bit. I can't tell if this was purely on me, or if the show burned me out too fast with the characters and plots it was presenting, but it happened either way. 

However, one aspect of the show I really did enjoy was the overall portrayal of Nucky Thompson, the main protagonist that we follow throughout all five seasons. He shares a lot of characteristics I tend to really enjoy in characters and looking back on the many weeks of blogs and choices I have made, Nucky can easily be compared to some of the past characters, in terms of pure similarity. That's why I won't really focus on that this week. 

Instead, what really makes Nucky so interesting is the situation he is seen thriving in. He is a beloved politician, who is seen essentially living a double life between fighting for the affection and support of Atlantic City and trying to make as much money as possible with the underworld activities he participates in. This balance between worlds is sometimes challenged and tipped over and seeing Nucky's reactions to these obstacles are the more intriguing parts of the show, rather than simply Nucky as a character by himself. 

It would be hard for me to recommend Boardwalk Empire on its own. It has received praise in the past, but as I have mentioned I just can't find myself really enjoying the show that much. If it wasn't for Nucky and a few other great characters, I would have probably not even talked about this series at all. But I can say this: it's worth trying out, at least for some of the great performances from the main cast. 

Paulie Walnuts from "The Sopranos"

 

(Credits: HBO)

The Sopranos is definitely a one-of-a-kind and special show. It introduced us to Tony Soprano, who I would love to talk about more in a future post. He slowly became one of the first truly big antiheroes on the small screen. Up until that point in the late 90s and early 2000s, antiheroes existed, but they were never featured or seen as essential to the movement of the overall plot. This changed with "The Sopranos," which also paved the way to many other great antiheroes in the future, such as Walter White and Dexter. 

In this context, Paulie Walnuts exists as a supporting member part of the Soprano crew that attempt to run parts of New Jersey. In my view, he can be seen as a good example of criticism towards the portrayal of the "elegant mobster" that has existed ever since "The Godfather" came out in the 70s. Instead, he is aggressive, short tempered, and violent. His behavior and actions quickly demonstrate to us that the world he operates in together with the rest of the Soprano crew might be morally gray, yet he walks on the darker part of it. 

Yet, my favorite part about this character is his nature of opportunism. Over the series, Paulie proves time and time again that, although he is loyal, he has this opportunistic mentality of growth, and a survival instinct towards self-preservation. It's almost admirable to examine, although all the negative things Paulie ends up doing really stain that part of his moral character. 

Ultimately, I like him because of his survivalist nature and willingness to adapt and overcome. It's honestly a little inspiring, in a way. It was honestly a little disappointing seeing him and the rest of the cast as their younger selves in the prequel movie "The Many Saints of Newark" that came out last year. It didn't really add a lot to him or others as characters, but at least we still have the original series to look to. 

Gus Fring from "Breaking Bad"

 

 

(Credits: AMC)

It hasn't taken me long to return back to the "Breaking Bad" universe, mainly because the two shows that explore the world Vince Gilligan has created have plenty of really interesting characters to talk about. I strongly believe that the story of Walter White's transformation from the original series would have definitely been less impactful, if it was not for some of the great supporting cast that really added to its meaning. 

This week's focus on one of these characters is Gus Fring. Originally introduced as a potential business partner to Walter White, he becomes the main antagonist in the later seasons of the series. His ruthless and calculated moves help him solidify his illegal drug empire, while his clear public persona make him a well-liked individual in the local community. 

Generally, Gus seems to represent a lot of Machiavellian principles in the modern environment, with small twists. His acts of manipulation and crossing of moral lines are simply done because of the need for business to thrive, rather than enjoyment or other motivations. Power is what matters. 

But more than anything, Gus has become a favorite of mine because of the way he presented in the story of all 4 seasons he is in. We can see that the main protagonist, Walter White, dreams that he can be Gus one day, at least in some form. Fring, with his own actions, serves as inspiration to what White wants to become after slowly realizing he is in this environment not because of the money, but because of the "empire business". 

I am looking forward to seeing exactly how Gus' story will conclude in the spin off show, "Better Call Saul," coming out this April. We already know how it ends, but it will be really interesting to see how exactly Gus gets there. 

Robb Stark from "Game of Thrones"

 

(Credits: HBO)

Talking about Game of Thrones has always been a little difficult for me, mainly because of how the show ended. The first 5-6 seasons really shined as an example of wonderful progression and storytelling, only for the massive failure of the finale to ruin much of the character arcs of some of the main characters. In that context, it has become difficult to pin someone down as being a favorite character of mine, when considering some of the unsatisfying ways their stories ended. 

Nevertheless, a particular favorite among the cast for me has always been Robb Stark. His early character arc and story in the first few seasons served as a great introduction to the Song of Ice and Fire and showed us what we should expect for years to come. 

It has always stood out to me the way Robb's simple motivations are presented. He goes to war to avenge his father's death and to create and independent Kingdom of the North. But even more so, he is shown to be a young boy who tries his best to be honorable and just, not only because he believes in these ideals, but also because he tries desperately to live up to the reputation of his father. In many ways, this ends up costing him dearly, which is very poetic when considering his father's fate as well. 

It is really interesting to think about Robb because he seems to be a character with a lot of potential "what ifs". And the Red Wedding still remains as one of my favorite moments in TV in general. If you haven't seen it simply because of how GoT ended, I really do encourage you to check it out, at least the first 4 seasons!