Where Did TV's Villains Go

Where Did TV's Villains Go? Monsters, Anti-Heroes And Alexis Colby Carrington

August 31, 20164:01 PM ET

Heard on All Things Considered

Glen Weldon

Old-school villains like Dynasty's Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan (Joan Collins) could always be counted upon to bring some melo- with the drama.

This summer, NPR has been thinking about villains in popular culture. Critic Bob Mondello explored what makes a great screen villain tick. NPR Books' Petra Mayer looked at how and why so many of literature's greatest villains get away with it. Today, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour's Glen Weldon looks at how portrayals of villainy on television continue to evolve.

The New Golden Age of Television in which we find ourselves is marked by a few spots of tarnish. There's a sameness of tone (i.e. grim) and skin color (i.e. white), a tendency to confuse violence (i.e. brutally assaulted women) for plot, and a mystifying reluctance to let villains be villains.

A quick definition of terms: I'm talking about true villains, here. Not bad guys — those gun-toting heavies who show up every week to supply a given episode with its necessary conflict. Bad guys say things like "get in the car" and "you gotta smart mouth" and "the boss wants them taken care of." They're interchangeable, predictable, boring.

And let's take monsters off the table while we're at it. Television has always loved its monsters, on shows like Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The X-Files, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, Teen Wolf, Grimm, Supernatural and Sleepy Hollow.

It was the old David Lynch/Mark Frost series Twin Peaks, which will return next year following a 26-year hiatus, that featured easily the single-most terrifying monster in TV history: Killer Bob.

Who it turned out was actually a sort of murderous ... forest ... spirit?

... In stone-washed denim.

Look, it was the 90s.

Like all the werewolves and vampires and ghosts that haunt TV shows today, Bob was a fairy-tale boogeyman, a metaphor, a larger-than-life symbol of pure evil. Not a villain.

The thing about villains is that they are entirely human, outfitted with understandably human motivations.

What's more, they have a plan. That's what truly separates them from generic bad guys and monsters: TV's best villains play the long game. Episode after episode, season after season, they plot and scheme and wait, tenting their fingers.

And not only do they have a plan, they're only too happy to share it with anyone in earshot.

Take Alexis Colby — technically Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan — of the '80s nighttime soap Dynasty, played with scenery-chomping relish by Joan Collins:

The past is over and nothing can change it, but let me tell you something, Krystle. The future is going to be very different, because in a very short time, this faultless family is going to be hearing from me — including you! And you especially are going to cringe at what you hear! Krystle Jennings Carrington! The oh-so-sterling once — and maybe future — secretary!

TV used to be lousy with villains like Alexis. Villains who sat at the very center of the spider web, patiently spinning plans within plans.

But then something happened.

Tony Soprano happened. And Vic Mackey. And Walter White. And Don Draper, Francis Underwood, Nancy Botwin, Jax Teller, and...

Anti-heroes happened; the bad guys became our good guys. We started building shows around ruthless mobsters, drug kingpins, womanizing cads. They do lots of villainous things — Tony Soprano murdered his own nephew, for pity's sake — but now they're the characters with whom we're meant to identify.

To be sure to keep our sympathies, writers are careful to show these anti-heroes forever struggling with their actions. But villains — true villains — don't struggle with the evil that they do. They bask in it. Here's Alexis again:

If I ever hear of another time when she has breathed a word about Fallon's paternity, I will personally attach tiny hand grenades to each of the wheels on her roller skates, watch her do one of her ever-loving pirouettes, and applaud as she explodes into a thousand smithereens!

Trust me, you can hear it in her voice: Evil is her bubble bath, and she's luxuriating in it up to her neck.

Granted, the many anti-hero shows we have today are a lot more nuanced and wise about the human condition than a show like Dynasty ever was. Of course they are. But they're also a lot less fun.

That's because we intellectually empathize with an anti-hero ... but we love a hiss-worthy villain.

That's key to understanding why The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones are two of TV's most-watched programs right now. Not because of their monsters — the zombies and fire-breathing dragons are gimmicks — but because they both feature old-fashioned villains: men and women with elaborate plans, who are fun to watch.

For two seasons on The Walking Dead a character called The Governor proved himself a unimaginably nasty villain to the show's main characters; when it returns in October, look for a character called Negan to fill that slot, in a particularly brutal fashion.

And of all the many characters on Game of Thrones, it's only Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, who positively revels in the kind scheming, self-satisfied, unapologetic villainy TV used to do so well:

The only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy. Remember that, if you ever hope to become queen.

See? That's more like it. I perhaps don't need to point out that as she says all that, she swirls and guzzles a huge goblet of red wine.

Alexis would be proud.

The Changing Faces of Heroes

EPIC HERO

Epic heroes are generally the main characters in epic poems. They also typically represent their culture by embodying the values that their culture admires. For example, Odysseus is the main character in the Greek epic,The Odyssey. Odysseus was a quick thinker and clever, which Greeks at the time greatly admired. Epic heroes may also possess superhuman strength or military skill.

Epic poems are specifically a genre of poetry in the classical world. These poems are generally long, narrative poems that are concerned with a serious subject. They focus on the exploits of the epic hero and are told in elevated style of language. Finally, the success or failure of the epic hero may be responsible for the fate of the hero's people or nation.

An epic hero:

Has “larger than life” qualities, possibly supernatural powers or skills so extraordinary that they seem to the gifts of the gods.
Is a man of action.
Is a natural leader of men, strong and responsible.
Embodies the values of the civilization.
Excels in skill, strength, and courage.
Values honor and glory.
Is generous to his followers but ruthless to enemies.
Is appealing to the opposite sex, but rarely has an extended relationship.
Encounters women who tempt him
Performs brave deeds and faces many dangers, even defeating monsters, demons, and/or gods.
Succeeds in war and adventure; is a skilled fighter who often stands prominently or alone in battle.
Is intelligent and solves difficult, even life-threatening problems.
Accepts challenges and sometimes invites problems.
Makes long journeys, travels to find adventure or to fulfill a desire or quest.
Has a weakness (or human failing) that destroys him or inadvertently endangers others.
Sometimes makes rash decision and takes unnecessary risks
Is favored by the gods.
Usually has a guide.
Descends into darkness (often the underworld).
Achieves his goal

ANTI-HERO

Anti-hero is a literary device used by writers for a prominent character in a play or book that has characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero. The protagonist is generally admired for his bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity etc. while an anti-hero is typically clumsy, unsolicited, and unskilled and has both good and bad qualities.

The origin of this literary device is marked in 1714 but there have been literary figures who believe that the concept of an anti-hero existed well before that. Recently the usage of anti-hero in television and books has increased and became bolder than ever. Nowadays, there are thousands of shows, books and movies that portray such characters, who are widely admired by audiences.

Function of Anti-Hero

Anti-hero can serve a great purpose if used skillfully. An anti-hero brings the spice and flavor to a script that an ordinary hero-villain format cannot. The more secular approach to the idea of using anti-hero shows that it has much more potential as compared to the conventional style. It can be used to represent many things at the same time such as, social flaws, human frailties and political culture.

An anti-hero is usually given the most prominent role after the protagonist and is represented as an amalgamation of both good and evil. Instead of having two different people to represent two extremes, an anti-hero combines both into one person and thus shows the real human nature. This is why people associate themselves with some stories better than others. Gulliver of Jonathan Swift and Jean Valjean of Victor Huge are two such characters. They have been portrayed to have flaws but still they held fast to their nature. These two characters can exemplify anyone who has suffered all through their lives but they are not the kind of characters one can look up to.

Moreover, in modern society when we are presented with a character that is overly righteous and upright, we find it too good to be true. The social turmoil that the entire world as a community has been facing recently has disposed us to be skeptical of almost everything. The greatness that a conventional antagonist shows is something we do not witness in society, which is why we find it far from reality. Suffering and sorrow are a part of human life. So, we relate better to a character that has suffered through life and has both good and bad sides than a character that is only seen doing good.

Hero vs. Antihero

When you hear the word 'hero,' certain images come to mind. You might see Superman swooping in to save Lois Lane or picture Harry Potter sacrificing himself to rescue his friends from the evil Lord Voldemort. You might even visualize Simba from The Lion King or William Wallace from Braveheart.

But what if Superman had bad acne that made it harder for him to get the girl? Or Harry Potter suffered from OCD that sometimes distracted him in battle? What if Simba was too filled with self-doubt to take on the villain Scar?

Enter the antihero. Antiheros are fascinating characters who have appeared in literature, in film, and on stage for centuries. An antihero is a protagonist or other notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities. A protagonist is the lead character in a story, the one we root for, the one we follow. He or she takes us on a journey to resolve whatever conflict has arisen.

The antihero is often compared to, and probably derived from, the tragic hero, which can be traced back to the popular stage dramas of ancient Greece. The tragic hero is an archetypal hero with one major, or fatal, flaw that leads to his downfall, destruction, and usually death. Macbeth and Hamlet, from Shakespeare's famous tragedies of the same name, are two examples of tragic heroes.

While the antihero is also a flawed character, he has evolved beyond the tragic hero. That's because the antihero's flaws don't always lead to his demise. Instead, they can help him achieve victory and even redemption.

TRANSCRPT

August 31, 20164:01 PM ET

Where Did TV's Villains Go? Monsters, Anti-Heroes And Alexis Colby Carrington

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Glen Weldon of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast says TV has a bad guy problem. A lot of shows seem reluctant to let their villains be villains. But Glen sees signs of a new age of TV villainy.

GLEN WELDON, BYLINE: Where did TV's villains go? I don't mean monsters. Monsters haven't gone anywhere. Ghosts and demons haunt shows like "Grimm" and "Supernatural" every week. The old series "Twin Peaks" featured what was, for my money, the most terrifying monster in TV history, Killer BOB.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "TWIN PEAKS")

FRANK SILVA: (As Killer BOB) I promise I will kill again.

WELDON: BOB, it turned out, was a sort of murderous, forest spirit like the werewolves and vampires all over TV today. He was a boogie man, a metaphor, a larger-than-life symbol. True villains are entirely human with understandably human motivations. What's more? They have a plan. TV's best villains play the long game. Episode after episode, season after season, they plot and scheme, tenting their fingers like "The Simpsons" Mr. Burns.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SIMPSONS")

HARRY SHEARER: (As Mr. Burns) Excellent.

WELDON: Not only do they have a plan, they are only too happy to share it with anyone in earshot. Take Alexis Colby. Technically, Alexis Carrington-Colby-Dexter-Rowan of the '80s nighttime soap "Dynasty" played with scenery-chomping relish by Joan Collins.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "DYNASTY")

JOAN COLLINS: (As Alexis Colby) In a very short time, this faultless family is going to be hearing from me including you. And you especially are going to cringe at what you hear.

WELDON: TV used to be lousy with villains like Alexis, villains who sat at the center of the spider web, spinning plans within plans. But then something happened. Tony Soprano happened...

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SOPRANOS")

JAMES GANDOLFINI: (As Tony Soprano) It's business, soldiers. We follow codes.

WELDON: ...And "Breaking Bad's" Walter White...

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BREAKING BAD")

BRYANCRANSTON: (As Walter White) I am the one who knocks.

WELDON: ...And "Mad Men's" Don Draper.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MAD MEN")

ELISABETH MOSS: (As Peggy Olson) And you never say thank you.

JON HAMM: (As Don Draper) That's what the money is for.

WELDON: Anti-heroes happened. The bad guys became our good guys. We started building shows around ruthless mobsters, drug kingpins, womanizing cads. They do lots of villainous things. Tony Soprano murdered his own nephew for Pete's sake, but writers are careful to show these anti-heroes struggling with their actions, and even in Tony's case confiding in his shrink.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE SOPRANOS")

GANDOLFINI: (As Tony Soprano) He was a tremendous drag on my emotions, on my thoughts about the future.

WELDON: True villains don't struggle with the evil that they do. They bask in it. Here's Alexis again.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "DYNASTY")

COLLINS: (As Alexis Colby) I will personally attach tiny hand grenades to each of the wheels on her roller skates, watch her do one of the ever-loving pirouettes and applaud as she explodes into a thousand smithereens.

WELDON: Evil is her bubble bath, and she luxuriates in it. Granted, the many anti-hero shows we have today are a lot more nuanced and wise about the human condition than a show like "Dynasty" ever was. But they're also a lot less fun. That's because we empathize with anti-heroes, but we love villains.

It's why shows like "The Walking Dead" and "Game Of Thrones" are two of the most watched programs today. Again, not because of the zombies and fire-breathing dragons. Those are gimmicks. No, I think it's because both feature old-fashioned villains - men and women with elaborate plans who were fun to watch.

(SOUNDBITE OF RAMIN DJAWADI SONG, "GAME OF THRONES MAIN THEME)"

WELDON: For two seasons on "The Walking Dead," a character called the Governor was a nasty villain to the show's main characters, and when it returns in October, look for a character called Negan to fill that slot in a particularly brutal fashion.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE WALKING DEAD")

JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN: (As Negan) You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell, you're all going to be doing that.

WELDON: On "Game Of Thrones," Cersei Lannister, queen of the seven kingdoms, revels in scheming self-satisfied unapologetic villainy.