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TV Characters That You Love… That You Would Hate In Real Life


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Another topic brought over from TWoP. I think it goes beyond saying that some of the most beloved characters in television have certain personalities that would simply not fly in the real world. Maybe it is because we know they’re fictional and their actions have no real consequences. Maybe it is because we enjoy people being jerks as long as it is not directed at us. I don’t know

 

Gregory House is the prime example. An extremely popular character, but he’s a complete and total jackass, abusive with patients and coworkers and a walking talking legal liability. We love him for it, and were entertained by him, but if we had to deal with someone like that in real life we’d run for the hills and look for another hospital.

 

I remember reading somewhere that the Frank Grimes character in The Simpsons was created out of the question “How would a real life person react if he had to deal with Homer Simpson?” And the answer is not well at all.

 

So, what other TV character do you think fits the criteria? What TV character do you love… as long as they stay on the other side of the Fourth Wall?

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Sophia from The Golden Girls: I normally found her to be a hoot (and God rest Estelle Getty's soul), but in real life? I'd probably tell her to shut the f*** up.

 

Maggie from Extras: Funny and cute as a button, but I don't suffer fools gladly.

 

Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory: 'Cause he's Sheldon. 

 

Arya from Game of Thrones: I love what a little badass she is, but she would scare the crap out of me in real life (and I'd be crippled with shame for being so afraid of a kid). No kidding, I would really walk on eggshells around that girl, for fear of ending up on her kill list.

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Ben from Lost . Awesome character but I'd think of him as just evil in real life.

 

I second the Seinfeld characters. They would piss me off in real life actually I could add "Larry David" to that as well lol.

Edited by blueray
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Michael from The Office. In real life I would find him entertaining for five minutes and then want to strangle him.

 

Tracy and Jenna from 30 Rock. No explanation needed.

 

Ron from Parks and Recreation because he's a self-fulfilling prophecy of government uselessness.

 

The Bluth family from Arrested Development. Come on.

 

Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama, especially if he was my doctor. Otherwise it's mainly the smell.

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The entire cast of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia."

I'd possibly want to be their friend at first, because they're lively and amusing and always doing some new weird thing, but after a while I'd recognize that horrible things kept happening to me whenever I hung around them. Hopefully I'd cut them off before they wrecked my entire life and laughed about it. And even then they could pop up at anytime and get me fired or something. Terrible people.

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Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Funny, charming, with cheekbones to die for. Loved him on the screen, but I'd run from him in real life even if he weren't a vampire.

House, of course, if I were terminally I'll I'd see him, but I wouldn't want to date him.

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The entire cast of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia."

I'd possibly want to be their friend at first, because they're lively and amusing and always doing some new weird thing, but after a while I'd recognize that horrible things kept happening to me whenever I hung around them. Hopefully I'd cut them off before they wrecked my entire life and laughed about it. And even then they could pop up at anytime and get me fired or something. Terrible people.

 

Ditto. Much of this could also be said about the main four boys of South Park -- it was even acknowledged in the "Pandemic" episodes that no one really likes them because of all the crazy shit they get into. 

 

I'd also add Prince Wu from The Legend of Korra. He's spoiled, self-centered, and overdramatic, but hilarious and a lot of fun. I also love how chummy he is with Mako, though I'd probably want to bash my head against the wall if I had to deal with him 24/7 like Mako does. XD

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I'm sure I'll think of more later, but the first ones to pop into my head are:

 

Andy from Parks and Recs (I agree with Brandi Maxxxx about Ron also being one of these characters).  I said in another thread that I don't like the dumber than a post characters, but that there's something about Andy that I like.  He's kind of charming and has that a big, clumsy, loveable puppy thing going for him.  I wonder if it's Chris Pratt's portrayal of him?  Anyway, in real life, he'd drive me crazy very quickly. 

 

Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Woman.  I love her brains and her rants, but I think in real life, she'd be way too stuck up for me to deal with for too long. 

Edited by Shannon L.
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Malcolm Merlyn, from Arrow- he's played by John Barrowman, so he's nice to look at and charming. Unfortunately, Mal is also BSC, a ninja-esque assassin, and tried to kill a big chunk of a city he considered home. So, not a nice guy at all.

 

Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, from Gotham- He's nice at times, dresses okay (suits, but there's something off about it), and he loves his mom. But he is a ladder-climbing mob guy who has gone from one mob family to their rival family. He's killed some folks (some innocents too), and will rat your ass out in a heartbeat if it suits him.  Watching Oswald is fascinating and sometimes truly a little funny. Yet, I always feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

Chief O'Hara, from Batman- Yes, mostly his dumb came from the Because The Script Says So school, but he was made to be barely able to function as a cop. He was sweet and gentlemanly, yet would nearly have breakdowns when Batman and Robin could not be found.  I understand being glad for help against the really extreme  criminals, but to carry on as they were scripted to in Original Recipe Batman? Reonkulous!

 

Definitely, more to come... .

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Oh heavens yes Chief O'Hara and Commissioner Gordon.   These 2 were the top law enforcement officials in Gotham.    BUt they had not the basic concepts of how to investigate a crime.   Their first thought was not "secure crime scene, gather clues, interview witnesses."   Nope it was "call Batman."   No wonder criminals loved Gotham.   If Batman was out of town, or sick or busy being Bruce Wayne, they had the run of the town because the cops were useless.

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Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, from Gotham- He's nice at times, dresses okay (suits, but there's something off about it), and he loves his mom. But he is a ladder-climbing mob guy who has gone from one mob family to their rival family. He's killed some folks (some innocents too), and will rat your ass out in a heartbeat if it suits him.  Watching Oswald is fascinating and sometimes truly a little funny. Yet, I always feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I gave up on Gotham because it wasn't my style and not holding my interest (although, I do appreciate the technical aspects of the show).  My son and husband, though, like it, and whenever there's a scene with Oswald, I tend to stop what I'm doing and watch.  I love the way the character is written and the actor is doing a great job. 

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I love love love Sheldon Cooper, he's easily my fav on Big Bang Theory but I would not be able to spend 10 minutes with him in real life without smacking him...repeatedly.

 

Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearences. Watching her is hysterical but actually having to spend time with her would be exhausting.

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So many beloved TV characters, so much inspired rage from them....

 

Disclaimer:  When it comes to watching TV, there are very few shows I watch during current season runs -- I usually either binge watch shows On-Demand and/or in syndication, so more often than not, I get a heavy "dose" of shows and characters, which definitely has an effect on my tolerance for characters.....

 

That being said, and in no particular order.......

 

1.  Sheldon Lee Cooper:  Quirks?  Awkwardness?  General cluelessness when it comes to social situations, pop culture, and "protocol" (as he refers to it)?  Various phobias?  Love of SciFi, Comic Books, MMORPGs, and the like?  No problem.  Being a self-absorbed, arrogant, petulant, inflexible, condescending, insensitive, rude, immature, manipulative, selfish, spoiled brat?  BIG problem.  There are times I get so annoyed with his character while watching BBT, I would like nothing more than to reach through the TV, smack the shit out of him, and then proceed to spell out with great detail and in no uncertain terms exactly how he is behaving like a total and complete fucktard.  I then get irritated with myself for hitting DEFCON 5 over a fucking TV character and either change the station or leave the room.

 

2.  Alan Jerome Harper, D.C.:  Like Sheldon, he's also socially awkward.  Unlike Sheldon, it's *not* endearing.  Like Sheldon, he nerds out on things he enjoys.  Unlike Sheldon, his nerding out is rather pathetic.  Alan's not just frugal cheap, he's an overbearing Mooch.  That he's completely aware of the fact that he's an opportunistic free-loader, is unbothered by it (and at times seems rather proud of it), and flat-out refuses to change this nasty aspect of himself is a particularly repugnant character trait that I despise.  He's overbearing, anal-retentive, petty, hapless, and phobic about change.  IRL I have zero patience when someone constantly whines, complains, and laments about their lot in life, knows what steps to take to better their situation, but  refuses to do anything about it except continue said whining, complaining, and lamenting.  If I may be petty here for a moment, his man-boobs make me queasy, as does his prancing around in his tidy-whities (***BLEAH!!!***), and his "overbearing" laugh sets my filings on edge.  There are times I think Jon Cryer must be a superb actor because, even though I know that he's nothing like Alan, I cannot picture/imagine him being any different IRL.

 

3.  Dr. Gregory House, M.D.:  He's already been described in this thread, but add me to that bandwagon.  My former spouse possesses a frightening number of House's character traits and personality flaws, and I can assure you that living with someone like that is about as enjoyable as a Wasabi Enema.  This type of personality and the behavior and actions that stem from it....it is not romantic, it's not entertaining, and it's not healthy.  It's soul-draining, it sucks every last ounce of patience, compassion, and love from every possible source, and leaves one not only mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, but also jaded, cynical, and in the end, wanting only to get as far away as possible from that person.

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Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad.  I think part of the reason is because Aaron Paul is fantastic in his portrayal of Jesse.  I mean, the guy's a thug, but the way he's written is that there is, somewhere in deep inside him, some sort of moral code--some part that can feel sympathy and guilt.  And when it's time for those parts to come through, Aaron delivers them in spades.  I know some people hate the trope of "bad guy with a heart of gold", but I don't think that's what he is.  There really isn't a main character on this show (the ones in the drug business) who deserves real sympathy--they are all pretty horrible, but every so often, Jesse/Aaron just gets me right through the heart. 

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I love this thread. It's both amusing and alarming how many of my favorite TV characters are people I'd avoid like the proverbial plague in real life :) 

 

Paris Gellar (Gilmore Girls): Objectively, she's awful in so many ways---but so layered, compelling and entertaining for me to watch. 

 

Michael Scott (The Office)

 

Jack McCoy (Law and Order) I can't stand arrogant, self-righteous, obnoxiously outspoken types...but he's also bright, passionate, determined, with a strong sense of right and wrong (even if it's one I don't always agree with), etc. I'd love him as my attorney, just not my coworker.  

 

The Mayor  (Buffy) Okay, so he's a sociopathic mass murderer who wants to destroy the world...we all have our faults, right? ;) He was just so amusing and interesting, though, consistently defined yet still somehow surprising in the best possible ways. 

 

Ben Linus (LOST) 

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Captain Flint had been revealed to be a man capable of brutal violence in the first episode of Black Sails. I suppose that that would be predicable, given that he is a pirate. More recently, however, he committed what could be considered a heinous terrorist act against perhaps hundreds of innocent people. It was pretty bad. And he is the protagonist of the show. And he is great.

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Robert "Rocket" Romano from ER. He's a complete a-hole 99% of the time on the show, but his lines and the rare moments of humanity we saw from him creates a soft spot for me for the character.

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Robert "Rocket" Romano from ER. He's a complete a-hole 99% of the time on the show, but his lines and the rare moments of humanity we saw from him creates a soft spot for me for the character.

I thought it was awful that nobody except Elizabeth attended his memorial service/wake. Wasn't it held at the hospital? It's not like anyone would've had to go out of their way. Just a quick stop in to pay respects.

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Amy Jellico from "Enlightened." She means well, but she is so out there that she would drive me insane.

Kenny Fucking Powers from "Eastbound and Down." He is hilarious, and you can't help but root for him, but he is such an awful person. That goes for Stevie too, though he was corrupted by Kenny and only became awful instead of puppy dog pathetic in season two.

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Chloe from Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23. She's hilarious, but she has zero regard for other people's space, privacy, or feelings.

 

Sherlock Holmes (from anything, but I watch Elementary). He's a genius and he's dryly funny, but he's also condescending as hell.

 

Alison Hendrix from Orphan Black. WAY too tightly-wound.

 

Walter Bishop from Fringe. Too big of a chance that he'd either experiment on me or accidentally erase my existence somehow.

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Sheldon Cooper owns this thread for me. I actually agree with a lot of his points on social obligations (gift giving and reciprocity for one), but man would I steer clear from him in real life.

Rachel Berry. I always rooted for her. I don't even know why after all of the selfish and manipulative things she did.

Julia Sugarbaker. Love her legendary rants but in real life the constant crusading would wear on me over time.

Ron Swanson. I relate to his misanthropic side. And his love of breakfast food. And his belief that that frozen yogurt is "the celery of dessert." And his cynicism. Hmmm...in real life we'd either best besties or hate each other.

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If I am being honest the answer would probably be most of the characters on my favorite shows. Love the characters probably wouldn't like them of they were real.

Let's see.,,.. Norma and Norman Bates from Bates Motel, Piper Chapman from OITNB, and Elizabeth Jennings from The Americans are just a few.

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Julia Sugarbaker. Love her legendary rants but in real life the constant crusading would wear on me over time.

 

Oh yeah....when she got wound up it was hilarious but she could be so condescending to her sister and Charlene (and all that pontificating would drive me up the wall).  Wish Designing Women reruns were still around...we've got Verizon and I can't find them anywhere.  The early years of DW were the best!

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Andy Sipowitz on NYPD Blue, to close to home for me with his alcohol moods. I like the character and the actor does a great job nailing all the inconsistencies of alcoholism but I'd want to smash a cast iron skillet upside his head.

A bunch of the cops on Hill Street Blues, JD LaRue for a lot of the same reasons as Andy Sipowitz. Lt Howard Hunter, too law & order, too black and white, allowed for no human frailty or error in himself or others. Mick Belker, in his own way was just as stiff necked and unforgiving as Lt. Hunter. He had big soft spots for his mother and then for Robin, but he was awfully controlling. Andrew Renko, the character did great meltdowns, but would be a candidate for the cast iron skillet upside the head for being a pig headed idiot. Most of the male cops were too controlling, maybe that's a common trait for cops, but I couldn't live with that in real life. Overall, I think the show did pretty good at showing multiple personalities that made up the station, but many of them lacked much in shades of grey that human beings have.

Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women and Dorothy from Golden Girls, I'd be too intimidated by them for much the same reasons. I'm probably too much like the characters of Charlene and Rose.

All of the Captains on Star Trek, Jean Luc would probably be the easier one to become somewhat friends with but none of the others for me.

Interesting subject.

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1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women and Dorothy from Golden Girls, I'd be too intimidated by them for much the same reasons. I'm probably too much like the characters of Charlene and Rose.

All of the Captains on Star Trek, Jean Luc would probably be the easier one to become somewhat friends with but none of the others for me.

Interesting subject.

    I like ALL the above characters but I think the problem I'd have with Julia and Dorothy wouldn't be intimidation itself but the fact that I'd be afraid if I said one syllable that wasn't lockstep re their world POVs, that would trigger lengthy rants and not only would they refuse to consider any other POV outright but any attempts at objections would be used as the perfect excuse to PROLONG said rants.  I always got the impression that they believed their rants were THE most important thing that could be happening in their corners of the world- if not the world itself! Yep, from experience I'd likely be doing a great deal of nodding just to get through a good part of the day with them but could barely wait for my times with them to be over.

  Yeah, I'd probably want to avoid having anything to do with Capt. Kirk and not really trust his captaining 'expertise' while I'd like to try to hang out with Spock and McCoy. As for Capt. Picard, yes he's the most paternal and friendly of the ST captains but, even with him, one could never entirely relax because he could go from 'friendly Grandpa' to 'battlefield general' in an instant (though I know that is a valuable asset re transportation and combat, etc.).

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I adored Londo Mollari from Babylon 5 (how's that for showing my age?)... but considering the epic fuck-ups he was capable of, any goodwill I'd have would go down the toilet. 

Saul Goodman, for obvious reasons. 

I'm a lifelong Lisa Simpson defender, but considering I haven't watched new episodes of The Simpsons since roughly 2000 or 2001, and what I've read of the whiplash inducing crap Lisa has either done or been through... who can say?

I like Kate Pearson from This is Us, but I think she'd be a real pill and difficult for me to be friends with.

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Quote

 I like ALL the above characters but I think the problem I'd have with Julia and Dorothy wouldn't be intimidation itself but the fact that I'd be afraid if I said one syllable that wasn't lockstep re their world POVs, that would trigger lengthy rants and not only would they refuse to consider any other POV outright but any attempts at objections would be used as the perfect excuse to PROLONG said rants.  I always got the impression that they believed their rants were THE most important thing that could be happening in their corners of the world- if not the world itself! Yep, from experience I'd likely be doing a great deal of nodding just to get through a good part of the day with them but could barely wait for my times with them to be over.

After a little more thought, I think that as a first born, a Virgo and an Al-Anon person, I am probably closer to Julia and Dorothy. I have looked over the issue and I am right, so just do what I say and life will go much more smoothly. lol

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I dropped Once Upon a Time a long time ago, but I did enjoy Regina. Even minus the evil, though, in real life I would have gotten tired of her superciliousness with a quickness.

Jayne from Firefly. Loved the character, but in real life, I'd constantly be worried about when/how he would sell me out.

Sterling Archer and Mallory Archer from Archer. I feel like no further explanation is needed.

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It somewhat pains me to say this. However; as much as I enjoyed the show and liked the performer, I would not have wanted Mary Richards for a relative because she'd have an excuse-generating enabler for known toxic relatives and ' family friends'  and tried to make it an all-or-nothing package deal re my having HER in my life! I truly think she failed Rhoda especially re letting Phyllis almost always be catty to her without so much as objecting to Phyllis's cattiness. Yeah, Rhoda definitely could (and did) take care of herself. However; I'm sure she would have really liked Mary to have been in her corner rather than trying to excuse away and make nice Phyllis's annoyances.

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25 minutes ago, Stacey1014 said:

Most of the main characters on The Office. They’re fun to watch, but if I had to work with people like Dwight, Jim, Michael or Andy, I’d probably be fired for not being able to hold my tongue. 

Yes! What made it such a great show was that they were all horrible in all the ways that people in your actual office are horrible, but you aren't trapped in a room with them for eight hours a day so you appreciate them torturing each other with their terrible personalities. Though I would go farther than saying I wouldn't like most of them; I loved all of them on the show (except for Ellie Kemper's Erin), but would hate all but one of them in real life. This also goes for the UK version. The only character I would like IRL is Charles Miner, assuming that he was still just Idris Elba with a different name.

Edited by fishcakes
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My vote was going to go to House, but he's already been brought up enough times. No need to bring him up again.

(Though I will say if I had a serious illness I'd want him treating me since he'd work to no end to find a cure for me. As far as wanting to go for drinks with him afterward...forget about it)

As for characters I want to add to the list- Raymond "Red" Reddington, the "Snidely Whiplash" of the 21st century. The guy who can make cold blooded murder look so cool and put down the most arrogant, self-absorbed monsters with ease (while even proudly admitting that he also is one of those)...is definitely not someone I'd want to cross. He'd probably shoot me for so much as forgetting to cover my mouth when I'm sneezing, and he probably wouldn't make it painless, either.

I would also like to say that I think a lot of characters- especially on TV- would belong here simply because of the nature of TV storytelling. In a movie, you can write about a character or a group of characters who face a straightforward challenge that they have to overcome, and this challenge doesn't necessarily have to involve- directly- another person.

On TV, you can't really do that. This is because on TV you're not just trying to convince the audience to take in one story- you also have to convince them to come back for the next one as well...and the one after that and the one after that, etc. So while a movie character can get away without having much depth (because a movie is more about the base story), a TV character needs to have their own personal struggles and their own personal issues that they also need to work on as they work on their weekly challenges, because a TV series isn't about the weekly challenges- it's about the characters.

How do you do that? There's a number of ways to do that. One, you can create a character who's fallen so hard that they have to work to redeem themselves, or they're newcomers to their situation and they have to learn to adapt to their new life. You could create a character that has an internal "flaw" that gets in the way of their relationships and/or their job performance, like the "maverick cop" or the divorcee with trust issues. Or you can create the cast of characters who clash with each other or provide "obstacles" for the protagonist to work through, like the penny-pinching bureau chief or the nagging spouse, just to drive the point home that whatever your characters are trying to accomplish won't be as easy as the audience thinks it should- or could- be.

It's great television (when it's written right, of course)- but it would not be fun in real life. Many of these characters would likely say and do things that would drive you up the wall. You may even wind up finding them "insufferable" or questioning their maturity, and you'd likely find their mental health issues to be beyond your abilities to help or even just cope with them. Finally, the situations those characters find themselves in would not be ones we'd want to stay in, long term. Yeah, we'd be beside ourselves laughing at our "work-com" workers who scheme against each other and constantly one-up themselves with a snide observation or a witty one-liner, but would we really want to work in that kind of an environment?

I'm not necessarily saying this is a bad thing- I think it's good, maybe even necessary, because if the characters always got along and accomplished their jobs with ease and without issue, we'd find those stories boring very quickly. Besides, when we resolve our own dramas in our own lives, we think of those stories as interesting to tell, and they are. We just don't want to have to deal with them in real time.

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On 3/13/2018 at 12:18 PM, Wiendish Fitch said:

I like Kate Pearson from This is Us, but I think she'd be a real pill and difficult for me to be friends with.

I'd like to expand that to anyone on This Is Us (except the kids. And Miguel). The adult Big 3, as all of us know, are selfish, self-centered, entitled, and annoying. I actually liked Kevin more this season than I have in past seasons, but that's not saying much. Rebecca isn't a horrible person, but her blatant favoritism towards Randall and her hero worship of Saint Jack are both nauseating. Toby is more tolerable this season, but he's not being honest with Kate and was having an emotional affair.  And Jack--can he just die already? I'm tired of the flashback scenes of the 1) First date 2) First Kiss 3) First Road Trip 4) First Fight With Our Parents about our Epic Relationship or 4) First Time Everyone Realized that I'm The Magic Parent That Can Solve Any Problem That Comes My Children's Way. Blegghh. 

Even Beth, sweet Beth, seems like she'd be tiresome. She's convinced that she's so cool, so hip, so smart, so #BlackGirlMagic that, while I like her character on the show, I know she'd totally get on my nerves if she were a real person. 

I don't know why I'm being so mean today. Blame it on this damn pandemic. *sigh*

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