Villain discussion - Justified

[meg_evonne]

Do you watch Justified? It's something that I really admire: the writing, the complexity of the characters and the acting.

If you get a chance, get Season 2: Disc 2 and after watching the story arc, check out the special feature called Clans, Fueds and Apple Pie. It is an exemplatory discussion on villains.

This isn't something that I'm capable of doing, but it is the level of complexity and riveting interaction that I'm striving to reach with my writing.

At one point, an actor or writer says, "I don't know where this character is going, but it is going to be exciting."  they said it better. That's one reason that I don't think we can chart out where our villains are going in their journey, because we haven't seen how the plot is going to take them and how they might change as we take them through the story. I think we need to keep that sketchy, allowing them to evolve toward the end point.

It isn't that we can't chart out what that last climax is going to look like, but that how the characters act when they get there needs to be fluid enough to allow what we create to mature.

If you get a chnce to see it, let me know what you think.

Meg

[ccalvert]

I watch the show, but don't have the DVD set.  I'll have to see if any of my friends have it.  They do have interesting and nuanced characters on that show, which is why I watch it.  Walton Goggin's character of Boyd Crowder is particularly interesting.

Nuanced, three dimensional villains are just as important to a good story as well developed heroes.  Better yet, characters who are neither hero nor villain, but alternatingly allies or opponents, can make for a great story.  Jim's Marcone character is one such.

[edit: fixed Walton Goggin's name]

[The Deposed King]

I watch the show, but don't have the DVD set.  I'll have to see if any of my friends have it.  They do have interesting and nuanced characters on that show, which is why I watch it.  Walton Goggin's character of Boyd Crowder is particularly interesting.

Nuanced, three dimensional villains are just as important to a good story as well developed heroes.  Better yet, characters who are neither hero nor villain, but alternatingly allies or opponents, can make for a great story.  Jim's Marcone character is one such.

[edit: fixed Walton Goggin's name]

I must warn you against viewing Marcone as anything other than a Villanous Ally at best.  And a subversive interest out to kill you and warp your ideology at worst.

That said. I liked Justified season 1.  Season 2 isn't out here yet so I'm still waiting.

I think a good villain can be as important as a good hero in many cases.  Its nice to knock down a few straw men but nothing gives a reader more satisfaction than kicking the butt of someone who's bedeviled them at every turn and given the character a stream of unending grief.  Especially if the opponent is smart, sophistocated and organzied.



The Deposed King