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Original poster

When have you changed your opinion of a TV character on a rewatch?

50 replies

mercilousming · 19/09/2025 01:42

I'm rewatching Mad Men. First time around, I HATED Trudie Campbell. I thought she was brash, self-obsessed, totally centred around Pete's career.

Now, 10 years later, she's still not an entirely sympathetic character, but I've just watched him put his face right in hers to tell her that they won't be adopting a child. Because his mummy wouldn't like it. Utterly repellent and vile. She just wants them to have a child.

There are other flags there. And I know that I'm supposed to be fine with this as he totally loves Peggy. And I know it's a reflection of the times.

But I'm really surprised by my reaction to the character now, as I hated her the first time I watched it.

Anyone else changed their original opinion on TV/film characters when watching again?

OP posts:
Ravnurin · 19/09/2025 01:57

The mother in Mrs Doubtfire. First time I watched it I was young and only saw the fun Mrs Doubtfire character, poor excluded dad, etc. When I watched it again as an adult I saw the hard working wife and mother who comes home to find her house in a mess and her husband not stepping up to parent.

Upanddpwnislife25 · 19/09/2025 02:02

Ross from friends. Loved him as a teen. As an adult I find him Controlling and a victim

Original poster
mercilousming · 19/09/2025 02:45

Ravnurin · 19/09/2025 01:57

The mother in Mrs Doubtfire. First time I watched it I was young and only saw the fun Mrs Doubtfire character, poor excluded dad, etc. When I watched it again as an adult I saw the hard working wife and mother who comes home to find her house in a mess and her husband not stepping up to parent.

Yes! Agree with this one!

Absolute Disney dad, being celebrated through film!

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Original poster
mercilousming · 19/09/2025 02:45

Upanddpwnislife25 · 19/09/2025 02:02

Ross from friends. Loved him as a teen. As an adult I find him Controlling and a victim

I always hated Ross. But I definitely see more red flags as I age.

OP posts:
StellaShining · 19/09/2025 02:53

It’s so interesting that you didn’t like her, I felt sorry for her! She went into a marriage with naive ideas about what life would be, then had to face reality that she’d married a philandering mummy’s boy who demanded respect just because he was the man. She was intelligent and beautiful and didn’t need his money, and just wanted them to have a nice life together. Mad Men shows that a lot of men weren’t mature enough to be married that young!

I think Rose’s mum in Titanic is a good example. As a teenager I saw her as horrible for wanting Rose to marry Cal. However as an adult I see she was staring down the barrel of her and her daughter becoming destitute because her late husband frittered away all their money. She wanted a secure future for her daughter and had grown up in a time where marriage was for security not love.

StellaShining · 19/09/2025 02:58

mercilousming · 19/09/2025 02:45

I always hated Ross. But I definitely see more red flags as I age.

Show quote history

Weirdly Joey is the most healthy out of the three of them! What you see is what you get and when he actually likes a woman is secure in himself.

LieutenantJumboJr · 19/09/2025 04:40

Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls was so much more sympathetic rewatching as an adult

Cassie71 · 19/09/2025 06:02

Sam from Cheers, in the 80s he seemed like a fun playboy. But now he’s just awful, how he treats women, his constant pursuit Rebecca and Diane it seems obsessive and very disrespectful.

opencecilgee · 19/09/2025 07:47

Mad Men has excellent characters. They’re all
pretty complex and realistic. None particularly likeable but relatable

Sconcing · 19/09/2025 07:54

Rewatching The Split, Nathan (Stephen Mangan) is way more attractive than the strangely querulous-looking Christie (Barry Atsma) with whom Hannah has an affair.

CaptainCallisto · 19/09/2025 08:06

Kira Nerys in Deep Space 9. Watching as a young teen when it first aired, I thought she was just an angry, shouty woman, who thought she was better than everyone else. I hated the Kira-focussed episodes. Rewatching as an adult during lockdown, I had so much more understanding of how she came to be that way, how her whole child and young-adulthood had been shaped by war and trauma and loss, she became one of my favourite characters. Honestly, her character arc is sublime!

SewingBees · 19/09/2025 08:07

Doug Ross in ER. When I was younger he just seemed wonderful - good looking, roguish, great with kids. Now I can see he's a childish selfish man who rejected his own kids and a woman he loved just because he had moved away and refused to move back and take responsibility.

Motnight · 19/09/2025 08:08

mercilousming · 19/09/2025 01:42

I'm rewatching Mad Men. First time around, I HATED Trudie Campbell. I thought she was brash, self-obsessed, totally centred around Pete's career.

Now, 10 years later, she's still not an entirely sympathetic character, but I've just watched him put his face right in hers to tell her that they won't be adopting a child. Because his mummy wouldn't like it. Utterly repellent and vile. She just wants them to have a child.

There are other flags there. And I know that I'm supposed to be fine with this as he totally loves Peggy. And I know it's a reflection of the times.

But I'm really surprised by my reaction to the character now, as I hated her the first time I watched it.

Anyone else changed their original opinion on TV/film characters when watching again?

That's really interesting @mercilousming. I've just started watching Mad Men so will watch out for this.

For me, Friends. Every time I catch an episode now I wonder if they actually like each other 🤣. I can see others have mentioned Friends too!

Sconcing · 19/09/2025 08:10

SewingBees · 19/09/2025 08:07

Doug Ross in ER. When I was younger he just seemed wonderful - good looking, roguish, great with kids. Now I can see he's a childish selfish man who rejected his own kids and a woman he loved just because he had moved away and refused to move back and take responsibility.

I can’t get past the terrible haircut.

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 19/09/2025 08:16

Ross in Friends - I like him more when you realise that David Schwimmer’s physical comedy and timing is brilliant.

Lorelei and Rory Gilmore - such narcissistic self-righteous self involved characters can’t stand them now -

Italiangreyhound · 25/12/2025 01:56

Sconcing

Interesting about the Split. I think Christie's appeal is not so much in himself but in hat he reminds Hannah of who she was when she was with him (e.g. young).

CarrierbagsAndPJs · 25/12/2025 02:19

PivotPivotmakingmargaritas · 19/09/2025 08:16

Ross in Friends - I like him more when you realise that David Schwimmer’s physical comedy and timing is brilliant.

Lorelei and Rory Gilmore - such narcissistic self-righteous self involved characters can’t stand them now -

The older you get, the more reasonable emily was.

ZenNudist · 25/12/2025 08:24

I'm trying to rewatch all of madmen and I am much more sympathetic towards Betty now. Trudie, too.

I think I just saw them as a bit Stepford before. Originally I cheered Don's philandering like it makes him a hero but now I find him narcissistic and not sympathetic.

Now I'm team Betty all the way. Even if she does line up Henry Francis to get out of her marriage I cheer her on. She does her best in an unfair system that trapped women economically, made them slaves to men, made their worth all about their looks and child rearing abilities. If I were Betty I'd be incandescent with rage!

HarryVanderspeigle · 25/12/2025 12:42

Tim Allen's character of Scott/Santa in The Santa Clause. He totally abandons his child for his job. Running off to the north pole and seeing your child every so often is not stable for the child and the mum has to pick up everything else. I hope he is at least paying child support.

Italiangreyhound · 25/12/2025 14:17

@ZenNudist

Where are you watching Mad men. I am watching on Netflix, it leaves Netflix at the end of the year. I am on season 4, got to finish by 31 Dec!!

Pieceofpurplesky · 25/12/2025 14:45

More modern but does anyone else love Gabriel in S1 of Emily in Paris, then dislike him, then really dislike him and now, well I quite like him again???

Still team Alfie though

CalzoneOnLegs · 25/12/2025 14:49

@ZenNudist I always disliked Don, he made me feel sick and he is sleazy, along with living a complete lie, and unlike a lot of people I dont find him good looking either.

Aparecium · 25/12/2025 14:56

Javert in Les Miserables. The first time I saw it, as a teen, I thought he was an outright villain with no redeeming qualities. When the film came out it changed my view entirely. Suddenly I understood that he was a man with as strong an ethical code as Valjean, with as strong a commitment to personal integrity, justice and honour as he understood them. I even wondered whether the film had made changes, but I saw the stage show again and it confirmed my new understanding of Javert.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 25/12/2025 14:58

Definitely Emily Gilmore - intense but she truly loved lorelai, who is just an overgrown brat. She isnt independent, she is privileged and is happy to use it when it suits her.

I love Ross, from friends 😄 - a complex character and great actor

I loved don, but didnt like him. Shite man, shite husband. Unfortunately I relate so much to Betty. The scene where she takes her daughter to therapy but the therapist actually is taking care of Betty showed me just how much work I need to do on myself so as not to fuck up dd(6) 😭😭

I really dislike claire and Jay from modern family 😄 - I like them but think that theyve treated DeeDee terribly and its unforgivable. And I think that the way Claire treats Alex, but loves Haley, is shocking

Maybe she fears Alex being smart enough to turn her kids against her, like she turned against her mother.

MrsMoastyToasty · 25/12/2025 15:00

Mine is from a film. When I first watched Grease at the cinema I thought that Rizzo was just a part of the Pink Ladies ensemble but watching it as an adult she's the strongest character. She doesn't change her image for a man and is totally true to herself.