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

[mercilousming]

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?

I’ve recently rewatched Miranda, Gary the chef was an absolute prick to Miranda, left her so confused countless times as to whether he liked her romantically or not, blew hot and cold, was married to another woman and didn’t tell Miranda when they actually did get together, then when he eventually decided he wanted to marry Miranda couldn’t cope with the pressure of a wedding and left her yet again, and the when she said to him that he had never said he loved her her dumped her again. In the end she chased him and declared she couldn’t live without him and eventually he deigned to say he did love her and they got married. I hated the way she was the one who chased him constantly waiting for him to throw a few crumbs, she really should have married Mike!

Carrie from Sex in the City.
Loved her when I was younger, as an adult I think she’s self obsessed, selfish, needy and controlling.
Also agree about the mum in Mrs Doubtfire, as an adult I can see it from her point of view.
I’ve always disliked Ross in friends.

I agree about Gilmore Girls. I used to love it but I can't bear to watch it now as I find Lorelei and Rory so insufferable.

In Mad Men I had sympathy with all of the characters, without necessarily liking any of them (apart from Peggy). They are all so complex and real. Even Pete Campbell you can see why he behaves the way he does given his family and the society he grew up in. One of my favourite scenes is when Pete's brother told him his mother couldn't stop talking about him and they both laughed as they knew she never would.

Kerry Weaver in ER. As an older teenager I thought she was just a bitch. As a middle-aged, menopausal women, I get her.

Slight derail, but there is a thread to read along Les Miserables with a chapter a day over 2026. You may well be interested to join to see how the book portrays him. I don't think I have ever seen him as a villain. He was merely a man born in dire circumstances who bettered himself to become a respected man of society. When realising his inflexibility has led to him not considering people can be redeemed, he regrets it so much.

Definitely. I found both Lorelai and Rory to be incredibly annoying in the follow-up mini-series, and felt a lot more sympathetic towards Emily.

Nate in Six Feet Under. Used to think he was cool, now, after a rewatch, think he's a complete arsehole.

I see other people mention Emily Gilmore and I have to say the same! Particularly in a Year in the Life, her character development was one of the best I've seen. And the older I get the more I see wrong with how Lorelei and (sometimes) Rory behave

I watched this the other day and I agree with you however the mum also meets a new man and introduces him to her kids who are already traumatised by the divorce. Playing happy families at the pool with the little one on his shoulders!

Agree, and my flipside of that, Kerry Weaver. Watching as a teen she was a nitpicking doogooder, but as an adult, she was the boss trying her best to get everyone, Especially Doug Ross, to behave and balance the finances that must be really hard in an underfunded state hospital

I agree that I'm more sympathetic towards Emily Gilmore than I was, but she's still an awful person! The way she treated Luke especially was horrendous, and she was cruel to the maids.

In fact all four Gilmores are terrible people. Lorelai and Rory are both spoiled brats, Richard is generally a very poor husband and father.

They're all great characters but they annoy me more and more every time I watch. That goes for pretty much everyone in it, actually!

It's boxing day and I am re-watching Four weddings and a funeral.

I always found Hugh Grant's character in this as an absolutely chap. But the character of Charles is actually a rather weedy, needy, pathetic man!

I still love High Grant but Charles has slipped from his pedestal!!

Buffy's mum. I understand her a lot more now I'm a mum of teenagers. Same with Angela's mum in My So-Called Life. Watching as a teenager, they seemed a right drag.

I don't agree with the Gilmore Girls pile-on. We're just coming to the end of a rewatch and I don't think they're terrible at all. They're written as people with character flaws that relate to their life experiences. They occasionally behave poorly or do or say the wrong thing, but it's not out of cruelty, just normal human error.

Amy Gardner from The West Wing. I didn't exactly dislike her, but I mainly saw her as an impediment to Josh and Donna getting together, which I was rooting for. But now that I'm older and wiser she's one of my favourite characters and I love her unapologetic activism and the energy she brings to the show.

I also just love Mary-Louise Parker, I think she's a fabulous actress.

Alexis Carrington Colby from Dynasty .
i used to think that she was a selfish , cruel , twisted woman. I used to feel sorry for Blake .
Now I think about the fact that she was effectively banished from Denver, her children were seized by Blake who took custody of them . He probably sought custody as revenge because Alexis cheated on him .I now understand why she was angry and sought revenge on Blake .He used his money and power to isolate her from her own children
His actions probably turned her into the woman that she became . Someone who was strong , determined but bitter

Also Angie from Eastenders . When I watched as a child I used to have sympathy for her being married to Den aka Dirty Den .
Now I look back, I see her as a toxic manipulative woman who was a terrible mother to Sharon who she used as an appendage

Great thread idea OP

🤣🤣

Maverick in Top Gun. When I watched it as a child I thought he was so cool. I watched it with my son the other day and realised that Mav is a complete prick (and also that the film is so bad!).

Better than it was in Rosanne.

Shiv in Succession, really disliked her the first time round because of how she treated Tom.

But despised her on the second watch. I had forgotten her dad offered to train her for the ‘big job’ in a period of around 3-5 years and her entitled, arrogant self thought she could just be appointed as CEO of one of the biggest media companies in the world with zero experience.

Definitely!

Skylar white in breaking bad. Used to love Walter and hate her but then realised it was filmed from his perspective.. she was put through so much shit.

Also Neil. As a child, I thought he was the bad guy - trying to take Charlie away from Scott, refusing to believe etc. Watching it as an adult, he's actually a really great step-dad to Charlie, he has stepped up where Scott has failed, he doesn't just dismiss Charlie and tell him he's stupid about the Santa thing; he tries to understand and help him by listening; and he's the one who puts Charlie's welfare front and centre when it looks like Scott has completely lost the plot. From their perspective, Scott has serious issues and is potentially putting Charlie in danger, and Laura is just letting it happen. Neil is the one who makes the hard call to safeguard Charlie, and as a parent, I massively respect him for that.

I'll get off my soapbox now...

Strongly agree - i reassed my view of almost all of them (and many of the relationships) on rewatching.

I was also really struck by how my own awareness of male bad behaviour grew in the c15 years between watches.

X-Files, watching some episodes again recently I can’t see that Mulder had any romantic interest in Scully.

YES!!! He’s pathetically needy. But I also realised that Carrie has zero morals - she hooks up with Charles at the first wedding & that’s fine. But then disappears and the next time they hook up, she’s engaged!!! She even goes somewhere with her fiancé then returns to the hotel for another crafty bunk-up with Charles before buggering off again. AND invites the poor sod to her wedding!!

This is also having flaunted wedding dresses at him knowing full well that he likes her and she has no intention of a serious relationship with him.
She’s outrageous.

@madameimadam

Yes Carrie is not very moral.

And it's surprising Charlie fancies spending life with her when he sees how she treats the older bloke she marries!!