Every timeless television series features an unforgettable antagonist. After all, what would a story be without the person who opposes one of the main characters? Boring. Well, I did some pondering while watching Gilmore Girls and my little writer's eye spied Lane's mother, Mrs. Kim. She has great hopes and aspirations for Lane to have a Korean boyfriend. Mrs. Kim stands in direct opposition to Lane's eternal happiness: a boy in Lane's rock band and her love interest, Dave Rygalski, played by Adam Brody. Lane (Rory Gilmore's best friend) creatively thwarts her mother's plans to ruin her life. BTW, the "Lane and Dave" story line is the best thing that ever happened to Gilmore Girls.
The story line in a nutshell consists of Lane getting a fake Korean boyfriend to please her mom because Lane is secretly in love with Dave. If her mother found out, she'd be grounded until she was 35. Lane and her fake boyfriend make a plan to have her fake boyfriend who also has a fake Korean girlfriend (not Lane) break up with her. Try to keep up. Her mom will then feel sorry for her and allow her to go to the prom with Dave. Things never go as planned. The fake boyfriend breaks up with his fake girlfriend and begins to fall in love with Lane.
Meanwhile, Dave gets a little jealous of Lane's fake boyfriend and a little tired of keeping their attraction for each other a secret. One night, all goes awry when Lane confesses everything to her mom. The unexpected happens. Lane's mom shows no reaction. Her quiet, somber mood freaks Lane out. My favorite episode is when Dave shows up at Lane's door, confesses his "crush" and asks if he can take Lane to the prom. He faces the antagonist, ready to make a deal with the devil, but is shocked at Mrs. Kim's response.
Watch Dave's famous monologue if you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, Adam Brody or a fan of humor. Villains fight for what they believe in just as much as the protagonist. In this case, Mrs. Kim just wants to shield her daughter from the world (and boys). Did I mention boys? It's a worthy goal for a mother. And remember, folks, Dave flosses.
The final countdown to the Pitch Wars contest agent round has begun. I'm experiencing a root canal on Thursday and Jury Duty next Monday. Just watch the video and you will see a reflection of my disheveled self. "I can't feel my right elbow anymore." (Just watch the video:)
How's your week going? Worse than mine? Have you spotted some well-played villains lately? Have you written antagonists that aren't pure evil and have a heart?
I think the best antagonists aren't evil at heart, which leaves the reader torn, but still rooting for the protagonist. You make me want to go watch Gilmore Girls. I never did because that was the year I got married, and as a self proclaimed NON-girly girl, I just couldn't expose my hubby to that. Of course, after the baby comes, I think I'm going to splurge and take a little me TV. =)
ReplyDeleteIf you are a self-proclaimed non-girly girl, then you will love Lorelai Gilmore. She's spunky, funny and unpredictable. I think the first three seasons are the best. After Dave "moves to California," the show loses something. But I'm going to finish re-watching all seven seasons in between my trip to the dentist and jury duty.
DeleteHe read the whole Bible - he was determined.
ReplyDeleteHee hee! Best scene ever.
ReplyDeleteI'm a GG fan too. Mrs. Kim is definitely an antagonist, but I think Lorelie's parents fit the bill, too. Her mother is so judgy, and her father seems like a kind soul, but the way he tricks his partner's son (who's dating Lorelie) shows he's not such a nice guy after all. And Logan's parents - yikes! :O
ReplyDeleteSo good to find another GG fan. Gilmore Girls has many antagonists. It's what makes the show a classic.
DeleteHaha! Great scene!
ReplyDelete:) Agreed.
DeleteGilmore Girls was on SoapNet for a long time, so I've seen every episode more than once. Great show. Sorry that Palladino's follow up, Bunheads, died so soon.
ReplyDeleteProbably hard to top Gilmore Girls!
DeleteWhen we saw Gilmore Girls on there, my wife squeed (is that a word?) Now I get to see what all the rave is about. :)
ReplyDeleteSqueed! That's my new fave word. Yes, take a look. You might like it.
DeleteI haven't watched Gilmore Girls, but my best friend says it's pretty entertaining. I think my husband's mom wasn't impressed that I wasn't Korean either. But then, she married a very white American, so guess that made her more lenient when it came to me. :)
ReplyDeleteReal life experiences make for great writing. You should give it a try;)
DeleteI don't watch Gilmore Girls, but that was a great scene! Well, I have had a root canal before and jury duty. Neither one was that bad, though I think jury duty was worse. My son starts jury duty in about a week and a half. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great show! I'm so ready for this tooth pain to be over. Jury Duty--ugh.
DeleteI'm binge-watching The Real Housewives (ALL of them!) since they're on Hulu Plus now. I watch TV on my laptop and for some reason Netflix's Silverlight player has gotten REALLY complicated on Windows 8.1. It'll work for a while, then just stop. I got tired of fooling with it, so I dropped Netflix and switched to Hulu Plus, which plays in the browser with no software required. Maybe once Silverlight and Windows 8 work out their issues, I'll go back and watch Gilmore Girls!
ReplyDeleteYes, give it a try!
DeleteThanks for sharing this. I've heard about The Gilmore Girls for a long time, but I've never seen it. I know I'm missing out on a great show.
ReplyDeleteYes, you should go for it. I think the first 3 or 4 seasons are the best.
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