Side Characters
by Simon Hoodikoff
The heart of a well-made TV show
is the characters within it. As much
as I would like to argue that story
is everything, a lot of shows would
not make it as far as they have without
good characters. That’s because
characters are able to endure and
evolve as the show progresses without
altering much of the core plot,
giving the show a fresh angle on
something they’ve seen for several
seasons. Let’s face it—
not a single
television show goes through the
whole series without being accused
of repeating itself. It’s a hard thing
to avoid. Characters can essentially
distract viewers from the notion
that they are watching the same
episode simply re-done.
Besides sounding like a fortifying
pastry, a supporting role in a
television series is an integral part
of expanding the show’s depth, allowing
for more interactions with
the main characters. Creating different
foils for a main character to
use as a vessel for conveying different
emotions is a much better idea
than simply having it shoved in the
viewers’ face. A good side character’s
job is to bring out aspects of his
counterpart that viewers wouldn’t
see happen with anyone else. Here
are a few examples of the best supporting
roles I’ve had the pleasure
of seeing:
Dr. James Wilson—House MD
House MD is in its sixth season,
and that seems to surprise a lot of
people these days seeing as how
the show’s formulaic narrative remains
relatively unchanged. There’s
a weird case, House gets involved,
they administer several failed tests,
and, just when things seem like
they are at their worst, House has
an epiphany and saves the day. Believe
it or not, that is how virtually
every episode runs. So, how has it
lasted this long? Characters.
Wilson is House’s best friend
in the show, even though it doesn’t
really seem like it with all the
crap they give each other. Certain
episodes have touched heavily on
their relationship and, as a result,
created a rich character background
for both of them. Wilson
serves as a “Doctor Watson” to the
Sherlock Holmes ideal that House
represents, and was actually supposed
to have a larger role as such,
but the writers leaned more on
the diagnostic team as the series
continued.
The scenes with House and
Wilson are among the best in the
series, and are a reminder that
even formulaic dramas can tug the
heartstrings just as well as anything
else. Since the show revolves heavily
around the medical aspect, the
underlying story is propelled only
by the characters interactions with
each other.
Gaius Baltar—Battlestar Galactica
With an ensemble cast, people
make the mistake of thinking that
everyone is a main character, when
really it’s the other way around.
The only main character in an ensemble
cast is whoever the episode
happens to be focusing on. Lost is
a perfect example of this. Characters
are even more important in an
ensemble cast, seeing as they need
to keep up their appearance as a
potentially important character
while at the same time not drawing
enough screen time to be merited
as a main. Baltar manages to do
both without much notice; sometimes
being the center of attention,
and other times not showing up for
more than ten seconds.
Gaius Baltar is one of the
world’s greatest minds, which is
why he is unknowingly tricked
by a Cylon into handing over the
defence mechanism to a group of
machines hellbent on destroying
humanity. Up to that point, Baltar
was a different man. He’s cocky,
arrogant, and a number of other
things that made him more annoying
than likeable. Once he realizes
that he’s been tricked, his character
shifts gears into one of the most
memorable and unique personas
ever depicted on television.
The Cylon woman, Six, follows
Baltar onto Galactica, but
seemingly only in his mind. Like a
nymph muse, she appears and disappears
to have conversations with
Baltar—coaxing him to do things by
the power of suggestion. Since only
Baltar can see her, he begins to lose
faith in his own mind, questioning
his own validity. Baltar’s character
arc is constructed around Six’s
suggestions, and we are constantly
thrown back and forth in trying to
find out what his exact motives are,
if they are any at all. Trust me, the
cowardly personality grows on you.
Ben Linus—Lost
Much like Gaius Baltar, Ben Linus
has a compelling story arc that borders
that ever finer line between
what’s good and bad. For a guy
originally cast for only three—yes,
three—guest appearances on the
show, the role of Benjamin Linus
was expanded and he became a recurring
character by the time the
third season started shooting. Portrayed
by actor Michael Emerson,
the Emmy award-winning actor
has singlehandily created one of the
most diabolical and feverishly interesting
characters on television.
Linus has an uncanny ability to
lie and manipulate people, and it
brings into question his true motives
throughout the series. Even
now, with eight episodes remaining,
Linus is still a character that
remains one of the biggest questions
regarding motif and theme in
the show. While many of the other
characters seem to have either a
black or a white side, Ben sits eerily
in the gray.
Without Linus, Lost would no
doubt be a different show entirely—
there’s no two ways about it. Much
of what’s happened
in the show has been because
of Linus’ manipulations and personal
vendettas. As we learn more
about the man, even sympathizing
with him, the character morphs
into one of the best neo-villains this
writer has seen.
So, next time you watch your favourite
show, have a look at the supporting
pastries that keep the main
ones interesting. Side characters are
there for a specific reason, and that
reason is fulfilled in every episode,
whether we notice or not.