# Characters that ruin a work for you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195 "2012-09-19T17:45:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/81 "2012-09-21T12:36:22Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Whew! Someone else who liked Rhuby Rhod. I didn’t think he was the best character, but he was hilarious next to Bruce Willis’ deadpan…ness. This, he’s annoying but he complements the rest of the characters. Similar to Jar-Jar ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/82 "2012-09-21T12:47:05Z")
Francis Crawford of Lymond in Dorothy Dunnett’s excellent Lymond Chronicles. It took me a while to get there, because he’s charismatic, dynamic, witty, passionate, and in many ways very likeable. But on my last re-read, I came to the realisation that he’s also a whiny, self-obsessed proto emo-kid whose obsession with his mother’s chastity crosses from devoted admiration to creepily unbalanced fetish. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/83 "2012-09-21T12:47:40Z")
> [@grude](#): > > this would be like a guy marrying a Russian woman and screaming at her for speaking Russian and making her only use it when he isn’t around with the children. Durwood didn’t know she was a witch when he married her; she didn’t tell him until the honeymoon – after he’d been teleported out of the honeymoon suite by his mother-in-law. (“You told me your mother was in India!”) He responds that he loves her, but _“we’re going to have a nice, normal, happy life together – and no more ::wiggles fingers::”_ _“Oh, no,”_ Samantha replies. _“I promise.”_ This doesn’t last long; he reminds her that she _“broke your promise. You gave me your word.”_ She replies that it’s a little harder to break the habit than she thought, and then ends the episode by magically doing the dishes once he leaves the kitchen (and cue the pilot episode’s last line: _“Maybe I can taper off…”_) ---
**Author:** ![amijane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@amijane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amijane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/84 "2012-09-21T19:25:28Z")
Kirk on _Gilmore Girls._ It takes a special talent to stand out as the worst offender in a solid ensemble of throat-achingly irritating characters, but he manages. Ugh. He’s horrific. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/85 "2012-09-21T22:05:11Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > Thomas Covenant. I think I made it to chapter two before the prospect of reading several books of this whiny loser made me throw the book into the donation pile. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/86 "2012-09-21T22:10:09Z")
**Curb Your Enthusiasm** Larry David. If I knew a person like this…I would have to strangle him. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/87 "2012-09-21T23:28:07Z")
Can’t believe I’m the first one to mention Scrappy-Doo. Too obvious? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/88 "2012-09-21T23:50:16Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > But even worse is a case like the series of Eddings books \*The Elenium \*, in which I love Sparhawk unto death but I cannot stand that sanctimonious little twat Flute/Aphrael. Every time she opens her damn mouth I want to shut it. Come to think of it, there’s not many female characters in the Eddings books I admire. Just Polenn and Velvet. Every last Eddings book has a sanctimonious, cheeky, “charmingly childish” female character. Also an overbearing motherly figure who knows what’s best, dear and rolls her eyes saying “Men !” a lot. Flute & Sephrenia, Ce’Nedra & Polgara, whatshername the cat goddess in _Redemption of Althalus_… And yeah, they do grate. But then he’s got characters like Silke, Kurik, Beldin or Ulath to make up for it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/89 "2012-09-21T23:50:35Z")
Peggy Hill on _King of the Hill_. She’s like the Dunning–Kruger effect personified. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/90 "2012-09-22T13:35:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Every last Eddings book has a sanctimonious, cheeky, “charmingly childish” female character. Also an overbearing motherly figure who knows what’s best, dear and rolls her eyes saying “Men !” a lot. … and both types revert to toddler style temper tantrums when angry. Its not enough to ruin the work for me, but it does affect my enjoyment of it. In general, I usually find I can tolerate characters with signficant flaws better when it seems like the author is aware that they are flawed. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/91 "2012-09-22T21:51:52Z")
Bernardette from **The Big Bang Theory**. I just can’t stand her voice. My wife pointed out that her voice was meant to be annoying, similar to Howard’s mother, and I understand that, but it’s like nails on the chalkboard of my soul. The stupid character, as seen on nearly every sitcom ever made. Examples include Chrissy from **Three’s Company** , Joey from **Friends** , and Kelly from **Married with Children**. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/92 "2012-09-22T22:16:17Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No worries, I’ll recruit Skald, he’s always promised if I need it he’d send killer bees or some such. Mika, I cannot be your second in a duel. That would imply I was allowing you to fight in a duel, which would mean I was allowing you to endanger your life, which of course is against policy. Should you find it necessary to engage in a duel I would naturally have to murder your opponent (and anyone who might avenge him) beforehand. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/93 "2012-09-23T02:39:04Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > The stupid character, as seen on nearly every sitcom ever made. Examples include Chrissy from **Three’s Company** , Joey from **Friends** , and Kelly from **Married with Children**. I kind of like “Gilligan’s Island” in a childhood-nostalgia sort of way, but from the time I was a kid I could never stand Gilligan. I kept finding myself wishing they’d just send him out to sea on a raft or something, and then they’d have been rescued right away because he wouldn’t keep messing up their plans. ---
**Author:** ![junior18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@junior18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/junior18)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/94 "2012-09-24T14:36:04Z")
The mother Madeline on Burn Notice ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/95 "2012-09-24T14:52:01Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Every last Eddings book has a sanctimonious, cheeky, “charmingly childish” female character. Also an overbearing motherly figure who knows what’s best, dear and rolls her eyes saying “Men !” a lot. Flute & Sephrenia, Ce’Nedra & Polgara, whatshername the cat goddess in _Redemption of Althalus_… > And yeah, they do grate. > > But then he’s got characters like Silke, Kurik, Beldin or Ulath to make up for it. But it is _hard_ to read when all of the female characters are reduced to stereotypes. Actually at this point I don’t even read Eddings anymore. Redemption of Althalus was the last straw - the only good chapter was the first chapter, when his luck goes sour, and the rest of it was filled with sanctimonious women. Skald, I don’t mean you as my second. I’ll take Mauvaise as my second. I meant for you to send killer bees in lieu of having to fight at all. And oh yes, Thomas Covenant. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can read a book with a rapist protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/96 "2012-09-24T15:23:36Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > Bernardette from **The Big Bang Theory**. I just can’t stand her voice. My wife pointed out that her voice was meant to be annoying, similar to Howard’s mother, and I understand that, but it’s like nails on the chalkboard of my soul. For me it’s that guy who works with Sheldon who has the fake speech impediment. Annoying as hell. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/97 "2012-09-24T15:54:20Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Can’t believe I’m the first one to mention Scrappy-Doo. Too obvious? Obviously the worst literary creation in the history of the universe, but Scooby Doo wasn’t a particularly good show, so I don’t feel like Scrappy ruined a good thing. That’s going to get me tarred and feathered in this crowd, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/98 "2012-09-24T15:58:15Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > For me it’s that guy who works with Sheldon who has the fake speech impediment. Annoying as hell. Good one! I hate that guy. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/99 "2012-09-24T16:16:10Z")
Short Round and Kate Capshaw ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195/100 "2012-09-24T16:37:58Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Peggy Hill on _King of the Hill_. She’s like the Dunning–Kruger effect personified. Yeah, but every once in awhile they redeem her. She got the female workers at the Renaissance festival a fair shake. She stands up to Cotton when her husband won’t. She doesn’t see Nancy’s infidelity because as she put it, “Peggy kinda see’s the best in people”. She protects Luanne from her bitch mother, defends Bill from his wife. Does a good job raising Bobby erring on the side of caring over tough love which is what she grew up too. Most of her conflict on the show is with Minh and she deserves it. They just need to stop hiring her to teach is all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characters-that-ruin-a-work-for-you/635195.md?page=6)