A Look At The Narcissist Trope In TV Shows: Irredeemable Or A Cry For Help?
We all know the type, rude, crude, and cares only about themselves. These are all features that are commonly found in narcissistic characters in television. While we love and hate them for being so terrible and irredeemable, the question has to be asked: “Are they truly irredeemable, and if not, are they asking for help in the only way they are able too?” Let’s take a look at how the narcissist archetype has evolved and how they are becoming three dimensional characters and see if they are truly doomed by their own personality.
Who Is A Narcissist?
The narcissist trope is a display of an overconfident obsession with oneself. They are described as characters with no moral compass, completely opportunistic, self-obsessed, and even completely devoid of empathy. From the egotistical Zap Brannigan from Futurama to the Gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the narcissist trope showcases the worst qualities of a human being, and as an audience we all sit and watch in enjoyment as they get what they deserved.
The origin of the narcissist came from the story of Narcissus in Greek Mythology. A hunter so handsome that when he saw his own reflection in a pool of water, he became infatuated with it and stared at his own reflection until he died.
As time went on, narcissism became a notable feature in antagonists. This is especially found in Disney movies such as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Scar from the Lion King, and Ursula from The Little Mermaid. To be narcissistic meant to be evil or villainous. However in 1967, narcissism became a medical classification in the fields of mental illness with varying signs of origins. From what is displayed in main stream media, narcissism is developed by our surroundings, and the people we associate ourselves with.
My Beautiful Surroundings
When we question why certain characters become so terrible and self-obsessed, not much info is given other than they had a bad upbringing. Writers in the past few decades have started to explore what causes this kind behavior in an attempt to create a new form of protagonist, one that goes through more struggle and hardship than your standard run of the mill protagonist.
One of the earliest examples of a narcissistic protagonist comes from the popular 1980’s sitcom Married… with Children. The Bundy’s are comprised of a tradition nuclear family, but their self-obsessed, selfish behavior is derived from their poverty and each other. This causes them to develop lazy, immoral, and opportunistic habits that sets themselves up for failure as each of them will gladly step on one another in order to be successful.
The show subverts the traditional family sitcom setup and showcases a grim and pessimistic realization where nothing ever works out, and things always get worse for everybody. This creates the notion where selfishness and severe self-obsession are created from a lack of personal success within society.
Fast forward twenty years later, and you see the same setup with the Gang from It’s Always Sunny, where five terrible people are trying to become successful only to foiled by themselves. This also leads to the idea where one’s narcissism is developed in order to protect themselves from the shame and suffering of their failures.
I Am My Own Greatest Sexiest Enemy
In the case for the Gang from It’s Always Sunny, they are all textbook examples of narcissists who had terrible upbringings and they exaggerate certain qualities about themselves in order soothe their egos. They are unable to get out of this behavioral rut, because their lives are a self-sustaining cycle where they enable their most absurd traits and behaviors.
Within the past couple of years, writers have started to explore whether or not narcissists who are stuck in this rut can be redeemed. Before they explore how to redeem these characters they ask themselves, do these rude, self-centered people deserve to be redeemed?
To Dam Or Be Damned
As an audience we determine whether or not we can relate to the problems of these narcissistic characters. If we are able to, then we would come and realize that these characters are not as bad as they are made out to be. This notion is furthered improved when we see small redeemable moments from the characters.
Al Bundy from Married… with Children is a troubled, bitter, and resigned character who has openly expressed many times that his family are the cause of everything wrong with him. But in the season nine episode “Get the Dodge Outta Hell”, when a car wash loses Al’s car with everything inside, the only thing that Al was worried about losing forever was an old picture of him and his family. Despite eleven seasons of stealing, cartoonish destruction, and blaming and complaining all of his existential troubles on his family, deep down he truly cares about them.
It’s moment like these where writers subvert people’s expectations of narcissists and humanize them into people who are simply placed in a predicament they are not able to get out of so easily. Unlike characters who lean towards more sociopathic tendencies and are beyond redemption, it illustrates how some terrible people are not eternally doomed.
An Exceptional Narcissist
Once writers determine if a character is worthy of redemption, they explore how this process starts and in most cases it starts by having characters realize that they are a terrible narcissistic person. Michael Schur’s The Good Place is a perfect example of a television show that showcases the development of this change by placing narcissists in the afterlife, where the only thing they need to achieve is to become a good person.
While seeing how someone as selfish and self-obsessed as Eleanor become a genuinely kind and caring person is a heartwarming story, the journey that she had to go through in order to become that person took hundreds of years, symbolically telling viewers that change on a personal level is going to take time.
From a more relatable example, Jeff Winger from Community, is someone who displayed manipulative tendencies, and an over-inflated ego at the beginning of the series. However, as seasons progressed, it was revealed that he developed this ego in order to cope with his abandonment issues as a child.
While it took several years for him to confront his abandonment issues with his father, he realized that he doesn’t need to become an over-exaggerated version of himself to receive his father’s love and approval. Turning his character from a disconnected jerk to someone we can sympathize with. However, not all characters have a relatable back story, as some characters are simply terrible.
Look At Them, They Can’t Even Do Anything
A case for writers not giving narcissistic characters a sense of redemption is to showcase how much of their lives are just one giant spectacle, acting as a form of meta commentary for the search of quality entertainment. Seinfeld is one of the few shows where the narcissist archetype is taken to the extreme where none of the characters have any redeeming quality or belief.
While Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer are all had respectable and arguably normal upbringings, their actions don’t reflect why they have developed these selfish tendencies. Granted the premise is a show about nothing, and it holds firm to that idea. Seinfeld teaches their audience what it means to be naturally selfish and shows whats its like to be the kind of people who believe that every problem they face is everyone’s fault except their own.
However, this doesn’t mean that the most neurotic self-obsessed characters are doomed to a life of mediocrity. Even some members of the Gang from It’s Always Sunny have displayed moments of self-actualization.
The Best Of The Worst
Despite the gang’s immoral tendencies, they still have a moral obligation to do right only when it affects a deep personal issue from their past. Dennis, who is known to be selfish, abrasive, narcissistic, superficial, hypersexual, and giving off serial killer vibes, has a deep closed-off desire to become a better human being.
In season twelve, when he discovers that he has an infant son, he tried everything in his power to avoid responsibility in fear of owing alimony. However, when the mother of his son did not fall for Dennis’ schemes and manipulation, she simply leaves after realizing Dennis does not want to be involved in his son’s life. It is only hours after that Dennis does something completely out of character.
He takes responsibility of his actions, and takes some time away from the Gang to be a father in order to avoid becoming like Frank who has ruined his childhood and arguably made him into who he is. While his realization of his identity isn’t going to excuse the immoral acts he has done over the years, it gives the audience an insight into who he truly is and what he wants to become.
It’s no denying that we all have seen and enjoyed watching the Gang at their most terrible, but moments like these catch us off guard and makes us realize everyone is capable of redeeming themselves.
I’m Terrible So What?
When it comes to shows about terrible people, there are of course going to be irredeemable cases. However for the most part, it appears that those who are labeled and deemed as terrible and self-obsessed by society are caught in a cycle of terrible decisions and mediocrity.
It is only then they are faced with two choices. Either accept their place in society, give up, and remain in their absurdly comfortable disillusions, or reject their fate and embrace their upbringing, ideology, and their own identity and work hard to right the wrongs that have been done onto them in order to become a better person, not only for themselves, but for others.
