Five Character Exits That Made Me Cheer
Warning: There may be spoilers.
At some point in most shows, one of the main characters is written out of the series. This can be because of scheduling with the actor or just because it is best for the larger plot line. Most of the time, viewers mourn the loss of this character, but occasionally a character leaves that make the audience (or, perhaps, just some in the audience) cheer. Those are the characters I am talking about today. Out of these five characters there are some I just did not like and some whose exit I believe enhanced the series even if I thought he or she was a quality character. Let me be clear, some of these will be controversial, and I think that is okay. In fact, I think that is good. A diverse audience means different opinions of characters and hopes for how the series will go. Here are five of the characters whose departure I enjoyed:
Jackson Whittemore on Teen Wolf. I love Colton Haynes. When Roy Harper left Arrow, I was supremely sad. Jackson’s exit on Teen Wolf had the opposite effect, which actually just goes to show how excellent of an actor Haynes is. Jackson was arrogant, selfish, and, quite frankly, a jerk. He had his kind moments, but they rarely lasted. Sometimes he was part of the team and sometimes he was the enemy. When he was part of the team, though, he almost always had selfish motives. Eventually, I just got tired of his antics and felt his character’s lack of growth became boring. With the addition of a few new characters in season 3, I never missed his presence.
Marissa Cooper on The OC. This is another character I just did not like. She was all drama all the time. While Seth and Summer brought light into Ryan’s life, Marissa seemed to only bring darkness, even when she was the most important person to him. Once again, I felt like there was little character growth. While her situations changed, she never did, always falling into the influence of others and having to be saved by her friends. While I would have preferred her to just leave Orange County rather than die, I understand the need for the show to pay homage to one of its most significant characters in this way.
Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Unlike the first two, I actually like the character of Angel. However, I felt like his entire relationship with Buffy was dramatic (and, don’t hate me, a little creepy with the 200 year age difference). By the end of season 3 I was getting bored with their interactions, but found him fascinating. At this point, he was given his own television series and this is the reason I most appreciated him leaving Buffy. I liked getting to see more of him and watch him interact with people apart from being Buffy’s boyfriend. Also, Angel meant even more Cordelia Chase, which just makes me happy.
Finn Collins on The 100. This is the character where I may be the only viewer who was pleased with the exit. Understand, I like Finn (minus the whole not telling Clark about the Raven thing). However, the second he killed all those people in the grounder village, I knew it was only a matter of time before something bad happened to him. The grounders would not let his crimes go unpunished and no one else deserved to take that punishment in his place. There was anticipation as to exactly what would happen and to draw that out for much longer than the show did would have been annoying. While his death was heartbreaking, it was heroic both on his part and Clarke’s and, for that, I was pleased.
Duncan Kane on Veronica Mars. From what I know of the Veronica Mars fandom, I do not think I am alone in this sentiment. I’m sorry, but I found Duncan to be unbelievably boring. As part of Veronica’s backstory, he was important, but as a present day part of Veronica’s life? I groaned every time he was on-screen. The most interesting thing he ever did was leave. I was grateful during every episode that followed that he did not take up space on the otherwise excellent program.
Do you have any characters you were happy to see leave one of your favorite television series? Let us know in the comments below!