They Can’t Be Paragons All The Time
Flawed protagonists tend make for the most interesting leads in television. Even when trying to do the right thing, there are times when they are forced to commit unspeakable acts that often haunt them for the remainder of the show. In regard to these five, they really went the extra mile when it came to their one bad deed.
#5: Adama & Roslin Have 3% of Humanity Killed “Battlestar Galactica†(2004-09)
Commander Adama and President Laura Roslin make their share of tough calls, but one of their first is easily one of the most devastating. After fleeing the destruction of their homeworlds, the fleet is found by the Cylons every 33 minutes. When one ship fails to make a rendezvous, the Cylons don’t pursue. Yet, when it returns, the Cylons do as well. Although they can’t manage to hail them and a nuclear weapon is detected aboard, there still may be people aboard. Nevertheless, Roslin and Adama choose to destroy the ship, and possibly the 1,300 people aboard, to save the other 47,000.
#4: Willow Skins Warren Alive “Buffy the Vampire Slayer†(1996-2003)
Willow is one of the sweetest parts of Buffy’s Scooby Gang, but Season 6 sees her struggling with an addiction to dark magic. She’s pushed over the edge though when her girlfriend Tara is accidentally shot and killed by Warren Mears when he tries to kill Buffy; after which she gives in to her darker impulses. Willow tracks Warren down and then tortures him, first using the bullet that killed Tara, then when he tries to reason with her, she abruptly flays him alive in an instant, before incinerating him. Willow could give a lot of the series’ “Big Bads†a lesson in cruelty!
#3: Daenerys Has Innocent People Crucified “Game of Thrones†(2011-)
Despite being one of the few morally good characters on “Game of Thrones,†even Daenerys Targaryen is not without her incredibly ruthless moments. While journeying to free the city of Meereen from oppression, Daenerys is appalled to see slaves, including children, crucified on road markers along the way. Upon helping the slaves liberate themselves, Dany has the same number of “Great Masters†crucified in retaliation, even if they were uninvolved. This kind of “eye for an eye†justice is hardly heroic and her advisers even try to dissuade her, but to no avail. It’s oddly fitting that the “Mother of Dragons†is so draconian.
#2: Carol Murders a Child “The Walking Dead†(2010-)
The murder of child is a horrific thing, and while Melinda May’s killing of a little girl on “Agents of SHIELD†was a contender, ultimately this “Walking Dead†instance stood out in our minds the most. Young Lizzie is a girl who believes that the zombies are her friends and doesn’t understand the danger they pose; leading her to kill her sister, and preparing to do the same to the infant Judith. Because the post-apocalyptic world cannot provide for her, Carol does what she sees as the humane thing, and tells Lizzie to look at some flowers, before shooting her in the back of the head.
#1: Genocide “Doctor Who†(1963-89; 2005-)
Renowned throughout time and space as a pacifistic hero who always seeks non-violent solutions, the Doctor is nevertheless responsible for genocide – make that genocides! While facing the evils of the universe, the Doctor has wiped out the last of several species, including his own people, at least, so it seemed. Granted in most of these cases, the Doctor was stopping these people and/or creatures from killing innocent people or to stop a terrible cosmos-ending war, but in doing so he’s often causing the extinction of whole species, even if they’re genocidal monsters like the Daleks. But does he have the right?
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Worst Things That Happened to Spongebob Squarepants.
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