Scully's skepticism is pretty rational

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I didn't see The Sopranos until it was off the air for over a decade, so I don't know exactly how strong Carmela hate was back then, but my impression is that it was her hypocrisy that people really despised. Unlike Skylar, Carmela actually knew what Tony was up to, but she chose to ignore it most of the time because she loved the lifestyle. That is, she ignored it until she had a reason to hold it over Tony's head, at which point she proceeded to act innocent and holier-than-thou. In public she always had Tony's back though.

If people go easier on Carmela than Skylar, imo it's because the Carmela stuff was better integrated into the fabric of The Sopranos, since that series was just as much a character study/family drama as it was a mob show. Skylar often felt more like a road block.

I've really just never heard anything that bad about her as a foil.

But really on top of it being a design of the show for her, Tony in no way is seen as a faithful husband and the show formidably makes things a matter of his own undoing with his relationship to her.

[GreyICE]

The real reason that Scully is so likeable is that David Duchony chose to play Mulder as a bit of a dick. Not a complete asshole, but he really plays up the unlikeable aspects of the character - how he's offputting to others, how he won't accept their input, how he likes people to buy in to his theories fully. Combined with the writers often making Scully and Mulder BOTH wrong about something, it really got you rooting for Scully to be right just to stick it to Mulder sometimes. Scully is the more conservative, down to earth skeptic, but showing her unlikeable elements alongside another protagonist with unlikeable elements served very well to keep them in check.


If you want to see another dynamic like that, Remington Steele features Laura Holt who is very much the "stick in the mud" type of character alongside a suave Pierce Brosnan playing the great detective "Remington Steele" (it's a long story). But because of the ways "Remington Steele" is a dislikeable person, and specifically how they play his weaknesses against Laura's strengths, and visa versa, show why they're a team, and have viewers rooting for both people even when they disagree (as they did. Often.)

[Beastro]

The real reason that Scully is so likeable is that David Duchony chose to play Mulder as a bit of a dick. Not a complete asshole, but he really plays up the unlikeable aspects of the character - how he's offputting to others, how he won't accept their input, how he likes people to buy in to his theories fully.

I'll add I know people very much like the character in those ways. They aren't off in weird territory like he is, but they've got a conspiratorial bent, and they're very disagreeable and skeptical about others positions and not their own.

If you want to see another dynamic like that, Remington Steele features Laura Holt who is very much the "stick in the mud" type of character alongside a suave Pierce Brosnan playing the great detective "Remington Steele" (it's a long story). But because of the ways "Remington Steele" is a dislikeable person, and specifically how they play his weaknesses against Laura's strengths, and visa versa, show why they're a team, and have viewers rooting for both people even when they disagree (as they did. Often.)

Remington Steele's unlikable? If anything he's far too sympathetic as the golden hearted thief who too often does the right thing and is quite human despite trying to hid himself. Laura's up front unlikable while subtly showing nuance. She comes off as the stereotypical strong female lead, ala Janeway, but then you begin to see bits of nuance and humanity despite her trying to put up a strong front that makes you realize she may be a stubborn bitch in ways, but she's got depth and actual strengths to her character through expressing weakness and vulnerablity (though her girlie gushing over him in private can be a tad too excessive at times, at least in the opening season).

Then again I've only watched less than a season in the past few years after not seeing the show since I was a kid, so I could be missing huge gaps (I really should get watching it again).

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Kraicheck was a really misunderstood character.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

Kraicheck was a really misunderstood character.

I liked Krycek when he was an informant who got in too deep with the wrong people and became a self-interested rogue agent, which seems to be what they were going for at first. Unfortunately, Krycek's motivations became way too convoluted and seemed to shift to whatever the needs of the immediate plot might be. He's not the only character that seemed to happen with either.

Do you have a different read on the character?

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Kraicheck was a really misunderstood character.

Do you have a different read on the character?

Well just in the sense that everybody's kind of misunderstood. Can't be easy for the guy. I mean he did lose an arm.

[Beastro]

Kraicheck was a really misunderstood character.

I liked Krycek when he was an informant who got in too deep with the wrong people and became a self-interested rogue agent, which seems to be what they were going for at first. Unfortunately, Krycek's motivations became way too convoluted and seemed to shift to whatever the needs of the immediate plot might be. He's not the only character that seemed to happen with either.

Do you have a different read on the character?

I wanted him to be the at first naive newbie come dark counterpart of Mulder, the cynical realist who will get his hands dirty trying to follow a similar end to Mulder's with it remaining in the air if he keeps that up or has been turned. In the end, as you said, he got lost in it all, as did the show, imo.

[GreyICE]

I wanted him to be the at first naive newbie come dark counterpart of Mulder, the cynical realist who will get his hands dirty trying to follow a similar end to Mulder's with it remaining in the air if he keeps that up or has been turned. In the end, as you said, he got lost in it all, as did the show, imo.

There comes a point in a show's lifespan where it's in danger of gathering enough praise and has been running long enough that the writers are reading their own press releases. Which is to say for the X-Files, it started really being about the great conspiracy, instead of partners exploring the weird shit happening (with maybe some clues about a conspiracy behind it).

B&B kinda slammed into that over on Star Trek, by the end of their run on Enterprise it was like some Frankenstein parody of Season 3-6 TNG. "There's an emotionless character who doesn't understand humans but is studying them, and a righteous captain who gives long speeches and is always right! And they were the best parts of the show! We can do that again!"

There's something that holds true about test audiences in movies that applies to real audiences - an audience can tell you when your movie is shit, they can tell you when your movie is good, but they sure as shit can't tell you WHY it's good or bad. And their suggestions to fix it are almost certainly disasterous.

[Scififan]

Mulder has stated that he appreciates Scully's skepticism because it forces him to try and find evidence. She keeps him honest. Strangely enough when it comes to miracles, meaning anything divine, Mulder is the skeptic and Scully is the believer.

[Scififan]