This operates under the presumption that Gilda is an intentional Hate Sink. And looking at that page's description, she does not fit it. By that logic, every Villain of the Week is a Hate Sink since we're supposed to not like them and side with the heroes.
I'll also note "Rescued from the Scrappy Heap" does not explicitly state anywhere on that page that it can only apply to a character if they qualify as The Scrappy. It is simply developing an unliked character into a more likeable one in some manner.
Edited by DrakeClawfang
First of all, you might want to take a gander at this recent case in Edit Banned/Suspended
(along with its corresponding Ask The Tropers thread; just search for the trope name) before you go around saying that Rescued from the Scrappy Heap doesn't require a Scrappy. It's part of the name for a reason.
And second, the description on The Scrappy specifically lists two widely-hated villainous characters who are not Scrappies because their odiousness is intentional. Just because the character is a villain does not mean that the character cannot be a Hate Sink and thus disqualified from being a Scrappy. In fact, villains in MLP are more prone to this than most others because many of them take the form of unlikable jerks rather than truly evil characters.
"First of all, you might want to take a gander at this recent case in Edit Banned/Suspended (along with its corresponding Ask The Tropers thread; just search for the trope name) before you go around saying that Rescued from the Scrappy Heap doesn't require a Scrappy. It's part of the name for a reason." - I see nothing in any post there relevant to this discussion. The argument seems more over if Pikachu counts as a Scrappy or not, nothing about a character having to qualify as a Scrappy in order to qualify for Rescued from the Scrappy Heap in kind.
I again repeat, you presume Gilda is a Hate Sink, which she does not fit the description of. She is a villain but there is nothing to suggest she was written to intentionally be disliked.
Edited by DrakeClawfang
Did you search for the corresponding Ask The Tropers thread, like I suggested? (There's no way to link to ATT threads directly; I would if I could.) The whole argument started because Darthrai tried to apply Rescued from the Scrappy Heap to Pikachu. That's why he got suspended for "trying to paint Pikachu as The Scrappy," and that's why he apologized for not realizing that Rescued from the Scrappy Heap only applies to actual Scrappies.
Gilda was never a truly evil villain like Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, and Tirek. Her brand of "villainy" in her first appearance simply consisted of being a jerk to everyone except Rainbow Dash. That characterization is clearly intentional; without it, she wouldn't have been able to fill a "villainous" role at all. This episode is proof enough of that; as soon as Gilda stopped acting like a jerk, you stopped hating her.
The description on Hate Sink includes this line:
The description on The Scrappy itself also includes some clarification on the difference between the two tropes:
The distinction is clear: If the character is intended to be hated, the character cannot be a Scrappy. Gilda was not Rescued from the Scrappy Heap; she simply underwent a Heel–Face Turn.
Edited by MrL1193 Hide / Show Replies