Let’s try another poll. Whether it is Phil Leotardo on The Sopranos, or Joffrey Baratheon on Game of Thrones, or Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, or Thomas (not to mention Mary) on Downton Abbey, or Smoking Man on The X-Files, television producers have always known that a surefire way to keep viewers interested and involved in a series is to offer them a character to hate. But it is not enough to simply make the viewer hate a character, as that can be easily satisfied by killing him off. No, to maintain interest, the series must create a longing in the viewer to see a villain get his or her comeuppance.
Once the villain is introduced and the desire for comeuppance is elicited, what remains in the hands of the producer is deciding how long to make the viewer wait for it. That brings us to our poll. Feel free to comment on your answer.
RESULTS
How long must a viewer wait for the villain to get his/her comeuppance?
- The villain should be defeated in one or two episodes (a la original Star Trek). (17%, 1 Votes)
- The villain should be disposed of in the same season (a la Dexter). (67%, 4 Votes)
- The villain should be given two or three seasons to cause trouble (a la Game of Thrones). (0%, 0 Votes)
- The villain should meet his end in the finale (a la Smoking Man on X-Files). (17%, 1 Votes)
- The villain should die but return to cause havoc another day (a la Godzilla). (0%, 0 Votes)
- There should be no comeuppance ever (a la Mr Burns on The Simpsons). (0%, 0 Votes)
This is what is so frustrating about watching soap operas – it’s been over a year on Y&R since Sharon falsified Nick’s paternity results and shoved Phyllis down a flight of stairs to prevent her from telling Nick, resulting in her coma. Every time we, the viewers, think someone will (HAS TO) figure it out, or that Sharon will remember and confess (because she had electro-shock therapy and suffered memory loss of doing any of these evil things), it is left unresolved. I mean, Nikki just found out Paul is the father of a son she had 40 years ago and gave up for adoption. I don’t know if I will live long enough to see Sharon’s comeuppance! Alas, it keeps me watching…
Actually, the “Dexter” question was a bit ill-posed. Who IS the villain in Dexter? Yes there was a seasonal villain, but if Dexter himself is the real villain, then one can argue that Dexter never got his comeuppance, except in the form of his own (awakening) guilt and self-torture for Debra’s involvement and ultimate death.