Tracy Barlow - Redeemable Villain?
Karen Comer says: "A villain is just a hero turned upside down." This quote got me thinking about Tracy Barlow, a character who, for many on this site is irredeemably bad. From the hoax she pulled on Roy to the dirty she did to Gail in prison, she has never shown empathy toward her Cobble mates nor remorse for her actions. Then there was her out-of-jail free card, which cleared her of Charlie Stubbs' murder on a technicality, like Ford pardoning Nixon... only worse!
But if a villain is really a hero upside down, is there a way to turn Tracy on her head and find sommat good?
Readers here have noted, with understandable skepticism, some lapses of late in Tracy's badness - like going back inside No. 1 to retrieve Eccles during the fire and playing protective sister to Peter in his recent run-ins with Rob. I also earmarked the scene where Tracy complains that Ken isn't even "pretending to listen to her." When Ken answers that he "is... pretending," Tracy's feelings seem genuinely hurt. Could it finally be she is seeking human connection?
On a site dedicated to the subject of "How to Redeem a Seemingly Irredeemable Villain," I found tips for doing just that. Here are a few:
- Set up a struggle between the good and evil parts of the villain's heart. This could be done with a growing sense of unease on the villain's part; with a small, persistent voice at the back of their head, or with an all-out brawl over the villain's soul.
- Have your villain join their former hero enemies or simply give up their evil cause.
- And finally (the one most of you will like): If you're willing to kill your villain, you could always have them sacrifice themselves to save someone/something.
So, what do you think? Can you imagine a storyline that would redeem Tracy Barlow and, if so, how? Come on now, never say die. Even the Grinch's heart, as small as hearts go, grew three sizes in one day!
No comments:
Post a Comment