During the investigation of recent hollers in the Complete Monster thread, it's become apparent to the staff that an insular, unfriendly culture has evolved in the Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard threads that is causing problems.
Specific issues include:
- Overzealous hollers on tropers who come into the threads without being familiar with all the rules and traditions of the tropes. And when they are familiar with said rules and traditions, they get accused (with little evidence) of being ban evaders.
- A few tropers in the thread habitually engage in snotty, impolite mini-modding. There are also regular complaints about excessive, offtopic "socializing" posts.
- Many many thread regulars barely post/edit anywhere else, making the threads look like they are divorced from the rest of TV Tropes.
- Following that, there are often complaints about the threads and their regulars violating wiki rules, such as on indexing, crosswicking, example context and example categorization. Some folks are working on resolving the issues, but...
- Often moderator action against thread regulars leads to a lot of participants suddenly showing up in the moderation threads to protest and speak on their behalf, like a clique.
It is not a super high level problem, but it has been going on for years and we cannot ignore it any longer. There will be a thread in Wiki Talk
to discuss the problem; in the meantime there is a moratorium on further Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard example discussion until we have gotten this sorted out.
Update: The new threads have been made and can be found here:
for the earliest date a work can be discussed, (usually two weeks from the US release), as well as who's reserved discussion.
- Why do a cleanup?: This trope definitely exists and has a well documented history of use. That being said, it frequently gets misused to a character who meets one of the components, namely that they are smart, charming while not necessarily even being a villain, or create good plans. While these are components, there is also a certain personality required, not to mention that all of the above are required to be present for a character to be a true Magnificent Bastard. As the trope attracts interest, it unfortunately brings in a lot of misuse and I thought the best way to rectify this would be a Perpetual Cleanup Thread, as is being done and has seen success with Complete Monster.
- What makes a Magnificent Bastard: Below is a list of the individual components to make this character. Note that they must all be present, not just some, which has lead to frequent misuse:
- Must be intelligent: Goes without saying, to be a Magnificent Bastard, the character has to be smart in the first place and use their brain to work towards whatever their end goal may be;
- Must be a Bastard: While going overboard in how vile the character is can be detrimental, a key aspect is the Bastard part of the trope, whether the character is an out-and-out antagonist in the work, some manner of Villain Protagonist, or something in between, they at least have some unscrupulous qualities to qualify for this trope;
- Must not be too detestable: Again, there is a ceiling on how bad the character can be before they just become too nefarious, blocking out the Magnificent part of the trope. A genocidal racist or child-raping Sadist aren't going to make the cut;
- Think on their feet: In addition to being a Chessmaster, a Magnificent Bastard, if the character deals with situations in which their initial plan is ruined, has to be able to pull a Xanatos Speed Chess and at least come up with a competent strategy to make up for lost time, otherwise they fail for being unable to think in tough spots;
- Have charm: Even if they don't necessarily make every character they meet fall in love with them and can even be detested by others, the audience has to find an amicable social relation to the character, or they are failing to make the impact required for this trope.
- What to do if a character is listed on a page but has not been approved?: They need to be removed, all candidates need to come through the cleanup thread first. The character could well count but they need to be analyzed properly and voted on first.
- Do we list Playing With this trope?: No; as a YMMV trope, this cannot be Played With, so we only want examples that are Played Straight.
- What do I do if I want a character to be listed as a Magnificent Bastard?: The greatest success Complete Monster saw for its cleanup effort was from the invention of the effort post format, so, borrowing from that, a troper wishing to propose a Magnificent Bastard will create such a post in the following format:
- Begin by describing The work, this will help establish the setting the character is in and for the reader to understand what kind of a scenario they are in;
- Summarize The character's actions, this will provide a listing for readers to understand what they do and how it applies to this trope because charm and lack of smugness are so crucial, this is a good time to be incorporating exactly the flavor of how they operate to explain this;
- List circumstances in which the character must Think on their feet, these are times where a wrench might be thrown in their initial plan and they have to adapt on the spot or even come up with a new scheme all together, this is also a good time to explain how the villain reacts to defeat when they have to face it, a true Magnificent Bastard won't break down into tears at the thought of death, they should have known such a possibility could occur and be able to handle it with more dignity;
- The competition, similar to the Heinous Standard dealt with for a Complete Monster, this section is to deal with how successful the character is in carrying out their plans compared to other characters. While, as a villain, they probably are going to lose in the end, it is good to explain how other characters handle the same situation. There is no exceptionalism case to be made for this trope but explaining the variety helps the reader have a better understanding of the proposal.
- How do you know when the character's arc is done so they can be proposed? When their tenure as a villain or antagonist finishes. This could happen in a single Story Arc in an entire work, a single work of a franchise, or the whole series in general. We'll show lenience to Long-Runners with constantly recurring candidates or series with outstanding continuities (ex. comic books), and it's entirely possible to count in a work or two but not in general for a reason like Depending on the Writer.
- What about candidates evil because of external sources? Those Made of Evil can qualify if they show enough individuality and tactical acumen — in other words, they have the personality to fulfill the magnificence requirement. Conversely, those brainwashed, especially if they're a better person without it, may fail the individuality aspect and cannot count.
- What if they are under orders from a higher-up? Depends. If the boss created the plans down to the letter and the candidate is just following them, sounds like we should discuss the boss instead. However, if the candidate takes creative liberties with the orders, adds their own charm and flair to them, fills in holes in the orders, and/or actively deals with obstacles their boss did not talk about, the candidate shows enough individual thinking to qualify.
- What about Character Development? An MB is something a character can develop into... a nice person who plots well might become more morally gray as the work goes on and hits the "Bastard" criteria, thus making them viable. Likewise, a Smug Snake might shed their ego, become more understanding of the threat others pose and gain the personality or "Magnificent" criteria, likewise making them viable. Conversely, a character who looks like this trope might suffer from a Sanity Slippage or just get outed as not being as smart as they thought they were and become incompatible with MB.
- Can an MB be a good guy? Not in the conventional sense... it is required they have at least some dubious traits lest they fail the "Bastard" criteria. That being said, a character who pulls a Heel–Face Turn or eventually stops taking villainous actions is still fair game: as there was a point in time where they were both "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and they've merely adapted as time goes on. Now... if such a character begins showing other issues (i.e.: becomes prone to freak outs or starts getting outwitted) then they're compromising their Magnificence and will probably be deemed a cut. What's important is stylishly operating while at least for some time being willing to take at best underhanded methods to see a job done. A Heel–Face Turn in itself isn't a disqualifier but they do have to have been "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and afterwards can't start slipping on the former front.
- What about characters whose stories can take different routes?: When proposing a character in a form of media that has them in multiple story routes. Said character must be consistent with their characteristics in all routes. (ex.: Can't have an example who shows promise on one route yet fails in another.) The only exception is if a later installment of the series confirms the character's actions which made them worth proposing are the canon route.
- Is there a timeframe rule like with Complete Monster?: Yes, please wait two weeks until after the work has concluded before proposing a character (again, usually using the North American air date). As is the case with CM, we want to give a reasonable time frame so that everyone interested in seeing the work has done so and can participate in the discussion without having anything spoiled.
- What about groups like with Complete Monster?: This is a point of divergence between the two tropes. While CM does not allow for a single entry encompassing more than three characters lest their heinousness for crimes becomes too watered down, with MB as long as they are treated as one "unit" it is acceptable to lump all characters provided they share acts of charm and intelligence.
- Can I propose my own work's character as a Magnificent Bastard?: No, this is a YMMV subject and the creator of a content is way too biased to be able to evaluate the criteria we're looking for without a second opinion taking over. That being said, you are more than welcome to encourage someone to consume your creation and if they feel a character counts, are more than welcome to suggest them.
- My example/edit has been approved, but the example subpage is locked! How do I get it added?: The moderators do not add examples to locked example subpages in the MagnificentBastard/ namespace directly. Rather, you need to do the edit to a sandbox page that follows the format Sandbox.MagnificentBastard<Name of the example subpage> (e.g for MagnificentBastard.Fullmetal Alchemist it's Sandbox.Magnificent Bastard Fullmetal Alchemist) and on a Friday, ask in the locked pages edit requests thread for the content to be swapped in.
Thread rules
When voting a troper must specify the effort post they're voting on and cannot merely vote on "Everything I missed" as in the past it has indicated the poster didn't read the effort post and is guessing instead of analyzing.
Resolved items
In general, a character listed on this trope is considered "settled". This means they should not be challenged unless information used to list them was incorrect or information was missed in the initial discussion.
However, when re-litigating a candidate, the same rules apply for when they were originally proposed. If they do not have five or more upvotes than downvotes for approval upon a re-litigation, including votes from the initial discussion if they do not change, then they are a cut.
This especially applies to the characters listed below, who have been discussed excessively and repeated attempts to get them listed/cut may result in punitive action for bogging down the thread.
Definitely an MB
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers: Any sadism Darkrai displays is limited in effect thanks to the game's nature and any cowardice which can be inferred about him is Alternative Character Interpretation about his tactical retreats.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Azula's Villainous Breakdown is undone in the sequel comic Smoke & Shadow where she regains her composure and ends up stable and in control enough to count.
Definitely not an MB
- South Park: The show's frequent use of vulgar comedy and mean-spirited humor leaves any potential candidates devoid of the dignity or charm to qualify.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 31st 2023 at 4:15:22 AM
If the official title has Oddworld in it that's fine. I just followed the page name which then incorrectly just uses the subtitle.
Also {{ & }} to answer your question.
Edited by 43110 on Nov 26th 2021 at 7:48:26 PM
RIP Toriyama
Yes to Moon Knight and Norn
Alrighty, sat on these a couple days so as to not clog up the poor swaps even more lol, here's my pending bar Moon Knight:
- Lord of War: Yuri Orlov is a quick-thinking, charismatic Arms Dealer who uses his "business" to change the course of entire nations while skillfully evading law enforcement. Regularly dealing with trigger-happy lunatics and ruthless warlords who Yuri faces down with guile and respect, Yuri earns his spot as the most influential, powerful black market operator in the underworld. Disguising his ships as merchant vessels, handing off hot product for free to be dismantled by curious natives, and always staying one step ahead of dogged Interpol agent Valentine, Yuri faces even the death of his brother and family's betrayal with stoic coolness. Reaffirming that his connections will ensure he is never brought to justice and his dealings will forever flourish, Yuri ends the film by restating the best lesson he has learned to keep himself successful: "never go to war, especially with yourself."
- Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home: Talos is a ruthless, brilliant Skrull war general out to bring his people prosperity. Responding to the aggressive Kree's conquest of their world, Talos becomes a successful tactician as he strikes major blows against the Kree, culminating in ambushing their best squad to kidnap "Vers", aka Carol Danvers, and read her memories. Tracking Danvers to Earth, Talos skillfully infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. before ultimately convincing Danvers of the Kree's corruption and becoming her ally. After using his strategic disguise abilities to help Danvers take down the area's Kree cell and rescue Talos's people from extermination, Talos goes on to disguise himself as Nick Fury, fool many people as he leads S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Director's absence, and singlehandedly deduces Mysterio's treacherous ways, avoiding an assassination attempt without breaking a sweat.
- G-Force: Speckles is the technologically gifted support specialist for G-Force, using his position to hide his villainous intentions. Having lost his family at a young age to humans, Speckles swore vengeance on humanity as a whole, and decides to twist Leonard Saber's technology to his desires by dsguising himself as "Mr. Yanshu" and infecting all Saber technology with his coding virus. Faking his death to fool G-Force, Speckles initiates "Project Clusterstorm" to turn all Saber technology against humans, coming close to succeeding in his goals to drive humankind underground for vengeance before realizing the error of his ways and helping to save the world out of care for his team.
- Neverwhere: Hunter is a skilled warrior whose greatest desire is to kill the "Great Beasts" of the world. Having already slain several of the Great Beasts, Hunter sets her sights on the Beast of London next, becoming the bodyguard of Door under supposedly benevolent reasons. In truth serving as a spy for Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, Hunter leads Door into a trap, betrays all their allies, and obtains her payment in the form of a powerful spear from Croup and Vandemar, with which Hunter intends to kill the Beast. Even when taken hostage by the Marquis de Carabas, Hunter leads him and Richard into the Beast's lair and sacrifices herself to help Richard kill the Beast, dying satisfied that her life's mission has been completed and offering Richard advice and power both as she passes.
Since Elesh Norn has gained so far 10 positive votes (if I didn't miss any), I have prepared a draft for her:
- Magic: The Gathering: Elesh Norn has so far proven to be the most successful Praetor of New Phyrexia. Coordinating her siblings' actions in the name of unity during the Mirran war, she ensured the victory of their faction and the capture of an angel leading the resistance. To celebrate the angel's loyalty and tenacity, Norn asked the other Praetors to collaborate (with only Urabrask refusing) in the compleation of the angel into Atraxa, a powerful steward of Phyrexian ideals. Despite failing to corrupt Karn into becoming the new Father of the Machines, she managed to defeat her rivals Sheoldred and Urabrask by exploiting their factions' lack of organization, while maintaining a sincere Villainous Friendship with Jin-Gitaxias and playing Vorinclex like a fiddle, sending him to Kaldheim to retrieve a sample of tyrite. Truly believing that her philosophy can bring peace and unity to the Multiverse, Elesh Norn intends to use her position as de facto Mother of the Machines and the newfound access to planar travel to "bring Phyrexia's magnificence" to other worlds.
The Moron
Alright, this isn't a full EP, I just wanna get some thoughts on someone that I keep going back and forth on because this is gonna kill me. For full specifics, I'm talking about the version of Jaune from Professor Arc, who is a textbook example of "he totally keeps on paper but what about his personality".
Basically, the story is a dramedy that bounces back and forth between balls-to-the-wall comedy and sudden heavy drama at the drop of a hat - the horror of the Beacon invasion going on is contrasted with Ozpin having to enter the vault through the mouth of a pure gold lemur statue he bought for no reason, and later on Port helps convince Salem to not kill humanity by giving her hundreds of hours of sitcoms and movies without the endings so that she'd have to spare them to find out how the stories end. Appropriately, Jaune's characterization, while consistent in execution, is all over the place. When the story needs some comedy, he's a complete Butt-Monkey - his motion sickness is apparently potent enough that Nora thinks it's some kind of horrifying Semblance, the final chapter opens with him hiding in a closet from an angry Yang, Neo kicks his ass and trolls him on a regular basis, especially early on he's a dunce who's in over his head and often gets escapes bad situations into worse ones, etc.
But every time something serious comes up and the actual plot starts moving, Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass is in effect and he comes through with some genius plays to get what he wants. He genuinely manages to manipulate Cinder into serving his cause (albeit she's hit with some Adaptational Dumbass), pulls a trick with the Aura reader to beat his father (an actual Huntsman) in a spar, manages to scare Salem away from Vale by pretending to have the Relics when really it's a cigarette and a broom (and he didn't tell Ozpin about it beforehand so his terrified reaction would be genuine and help sell it), downright forces Roman and Neo to betray Cinder by destroying the Black Knight virus (the one thing keeping them on her good side), and even figures out how to defeat Hazel Rainart after he's hopped up on Dust and multiple Relics. He's clearly not actually written to be this (and the whole joke of Cinder's character is that she thinks he's an MB and is trying to act accordingly), but on paper he easily keeps, the only question is if all the off the clock comedic stuff is enough to overshadow his actual acts.
Thoughts? If he's worth a more thorough discussion I can EP him, if not then we can just put this to bed.
Gotta love Jaws!
![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]"){kind=small}
to Snuffles and Roxie.
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
to the Seeress and Norn.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I would hear that out!
I'd be a . Sounds like he's too consistently a buffoon for my liking, he just has moments of supreme competence.
Edited by jjjj2 on Nov 27th 2021 at 11:12:06 AM
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
The Moron
That's the thing though, it's that he's consistently both - he's a bit of a buffoon for some comedy (though I wouldn't go so far as to call him an outright idiot) and then he's supremely competent when things need to happen. The reason why I'm so unsure is that it's not that "he's a Butt-Monkey who happens to be competent" or "he's a competent threat who's sometimes a Butt-Monkey" - it's "he's a Butt-Monkey who is also a very competent threat when he needs to be". If he were primarily one or the other that'd be one thing, but he is genuinely both at the same time, and that's why this has been ping-ponging in my head for so long.
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
Ah got it, sorry for the confusion!
Edited by STARCRUSHER99 on Nov 27th 2021 at 11:22:05 AM
That's what I meant, even though he's supremely competent he's a buffoon often enough that I would be a . Granted I find I'm generally speaking more strict about this then most others are in the thread, so I would have no problem with you EPing him STAR.
Edited by jjjj2 on Nov 27th 2021 at 11:21:13 AM
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
Lies and Violence!
I'm a bit cautious, but I'd hear him out. We already have Grunkle Stan up because of how competent he gets when things are serious, even though he's humiliated every other episode.
Yeah it depends... if it's like Stan and he only looks a fool when he's dicking around and not taking stuff seriously then to me it's the equivalent of a CM with comedy scenes who shows they're a monster when push comes to shove. If it starts to impair their scenes of "serious" plotting that's where I'd pause.
for the Seeress and Norn.
for Roxie.
Emperor Georgie Artémis Enkoom Evulz II
@STARCRUSHER99 Echoing Emerald and 43.
With that in mind, Jaune sounds like he'd keep.
J’m’arrête pas tant qu’j’vois pas des lignes sur les moniteurs (Not stoppin 'til I see Flatlines)
The Merry Monarch of Darkness
Sorry I was late getting to this one.
What's the work?
The French Dispatch is the latest installment of cinematic weirdness from the divine Wes Anderson. His first anthology film, it concerns a branch office of an obscure American newspaper, The Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, that was set up in the troubled city of Ennui, France, where it produces the eponymous magazine that is obscure to most but beloved by those who know it. There are four vignettes, each narrated by one of the magazine's reporters, and this character comes from the final story, The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner, by Roebuck Wright.
Who is Chef Nescaffier? What's his deal?
Played by Steve Park, Nescaffier is a French-Korean Supreme Chef who serves as, well, the private chef to Ennui's top cop, le Commissaire. A very quiet man who is nevertheless always on top of things, Nescaffier is a master of the art of "police cooking," always knowing exactly what kind of food is needed to re-energize the overworked minds of Ennui's... uhhh, "finest." Roebuck Wright is the Dispatch's food reporter and he initially wants to interview Nescaffier just due to his culinary skills, but he quickly becomes embroiled in a rather more harrowing plot involving the chef.
See, Nescaffier is a close friend of le Comissaire's young son, which unexpectedly puts him on the front lines when the boy is kidnapped by the dreaded crime lord known only as "The Chauffeur." The Chauffeur demands the commish release a recently-arrested mob accountant, Albert the Abacus, who is planning to flip on him and other major crime figures at trial in exchange for a reduced sentence; if not, the kid dies. After some "leaning on" of the Chauffeur's criminal associates, the cops discover his hideout, where the son, a Child Prodigy, manages to communicate a message in Morse code to his dad - let the Chef do the hostage negotiating. The commish agrees, and sends in Nescaffier to bribe the crooks with a mouth-watering radish dish... which has been laced with a deadly poison. Nescaffier knows that the commish's son hates radishes and would thus be at no risk of eating it himself, but he himself is forced to take one for the team and eat a bite before the criminals touch it, poisoning himself as well. All the henchpeople drop dead, but unfortunately The Chauffeur hates radishes too, and he takes the kid in his car and leads the cops on a merry chase across the city, before they finally apprehend him with the aid of a random pro wrestler that happened to be nearby.
Nescaffier survives, barely, due to his impeccable palate and strong stomach, and Roebuck visits him in the hospital to interview him on why he'd pull such a risky stunt. Nescaffier confesses that like Roebuck, he is an immigrant who wants to leave his mark on his new homeland, and that after a lifetime among the most exotic culinary masterpieces imaginable? Willingly eating a deadly poison was the most exciting thing he's ever done.
How's he operate?
99% of the time, Nescaffier is a stand-up guy. He's a spectacular high-class cook, devoted friend and employee to le Commissaire, caring mentor to his boss's son, and very much dedicated to the cause of justice, which is more than most of the cops in this movie can say. As you might imagine, I have considerable concern over whether he's bastard enough. But the thing is, though...
...the sheer overkill he subjects the crooks to is NOT portrayed as good thing, even though rescuing the boy is. There's a heavy satirical element with the police in this movie, and they and the crooks are for the most part presented as just as thuggish as the other. Nescaffier basically conducts an extrajudicial execution of everyone even remotely involved in the plot - a Guilt-Ridden Accomplice moll who befriends the kid during his captivity dies too. And then he goes right back to being polite and humble when Roebuck interviews him on his reasons.
Verdict?
No clue, honestly. Does being a straight-up hero 99% of the time blot out the fact that the remaining 1% is an extreme outlier of lethal deceit? All up to you.
Incidentally, FMW PM'd me with another character from this movie that I'd overlooked whom he wanted to EP, so I let him do it.
The pig of Hufflepuff pulsed like a large bullfrog. Dumbledore smiled at it, and placed his hand on its head: "You are Hagrid now."
Bastardly wise he seems like a very straightforward yes given what you've said. What's giving me pause is was the poisoning his idea? Does the movie not outright say it, so you just assume it's his idea (which I would be fine with upvoting)?
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
The Merry Monarch of Darkness
I assume he devised it alongside the Commissioner.
HT mentioned he willingly ate it out of a desire for excitement so it seems like a whimsical, hedonistic suicide. Likewise agree that like my own Holdaway he and his team seem brutal enough to not fall under the purely good force of justice umbrella cops can sometimes be shown under. Yes there and good work.
Okay yes the Nescaffier then.
Goku Black
Nescaffier
The Merry Monarch of Darkness
By the way, the commish isn't the other character - while hardly void of redeeming traits he for the most part comes across as a dweebish idiot whose only strategy for getting anything done is "have my men punch it in the face some more" and had no chance of getting his son back without Nescaffier's flair for both cooking and deception - one gets the distinct impression that the Chef has the one brain between the two of them. ![[lol]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lol2v12_4863.png "[lol]"){kind=small}
Yes to Nescaffier.
Okay, so I've previously watched The Evermoor Chronicles on Disney+ (thank god they allow some foreign programming, I thought I'd never see it again). And I previously tried a monster proposal for Season 2's Big Bad who almost made the cut, but failed due to issues with any lasting damage he did. I still think Season 1 is by far the superior season in terms of story-telling, and upon rewatching it, I think I may have a good magnificent character. I'm referring to Bridget McCoy
What's the Work?
The Evermoor Chronicles is a British fantasy series from Disney. It centers around this American family — Fiona Crossley and her kids Tara and Jake— that recently moved to a British town called Evermoor to move into their new home with a new stepfamily — Rob and his twins (Also's Tara's new step-siblings) Bella and Seb. In the pilot miniseries, Tara quickly finds out that Evermoor isn't what it seems and has magic equipment such as a tapestry that often predicts the future and a magic typewriter and she uncovers this plot of the house owner wanting the golden thread that would grant for the ability to control the future and wanting to erase the Crossleys from existence.Then, in the first proper season it inspired, Tara's has a whole additional set of problems, as she was the Supreme Everine, and had to solve this mystery surrounding the "Founder Everines".
What Has She Done?
Bridget McCoy is Tara's great-aunt (from her mother's side) who was previously thought to be dead, but she turns out to still be alive and hiding away from everyone. She plays a minor role near the end of the pilot miniseries as a Walking Spoiler, and goes on to become a more prominent character in Season 1 of the real series.
Prior to the series, Bridget had an older sister named Agatha, who Bridget worshiped and looked up to. Before Bridget was chosen to be an Everine, the tapestry predicted Agatha would be lost on the moors. The circle didn't warn her about this, and intentionally allowed the prediction to come true, resulting in Agatha going down the bog path and get lost much to Bridget's dismay and annoyance. This turn of events would make Bridget angry at the circle for what went down and she'd become very rebellious breaking every sacred vow in the circle after getting chosen, while also vowing to avenge her big sister. And as mentioned above, she'd fake her death at one point and manipulate various events from behind the scenes.
In the mini-series, Tara stumbled upon her in a hidden bunker, and instantly asked why she was still alive, to which Bridget initially refuses to answer. And when Tara threatens to reveal to the village she survived, Bridget quickly locked the door and a window and disposed of its key when Tara tried to escape. She then reveals she has the golden thread, which can only predict the future when used by an Everine, but when used by a Supreme Everine can create the future —But there was only one Supreme Everine remaining, and Tara thought it was Bridget. Bridget had hid the thread away from Esmeralda knowing she'd stop at nothing to harness its power. When Esmeralda unpicks the thread (breaking the rules) to erase Tara and her family from existence, Bridget quickly deduces something's wrong, but couldn't re-thread them onto the tapestry with most of the thread gone. So Tara, used the last remaining pieces to try save her family, only to run into the Founder Everines who revealed — with translation from Bridget — that Tara was the Supreme Everine. Bridget claims everything she did up to that point was to bring her to Evermoor Manor to fulfill her destiny, which she eventually does bringing her family back — and having to go a different route to bring herself back.
The Main Series
In the main series, Tara's still adjusting to being the all-powerful Supreme Everine and her Aunt Bridget was ready to start training her. Although Tara's had various setbacks, Bridget would be Tara's secret mentor for the next few episodes showing Tara the ropes and warning her about the dangers and risks of the Supreme Everine's powers and the tapestry.A few episodes in, Esmeralda would come across Bridget in the secret room, discover she had faked her death and was still alive, and demand some answers, to which Bridget would smugly reveal she had the Supreme Everine on her side. Then when Tara later arrived to settle things, Bridget has Tara use a hypnosis spell on Esmeralda to freeze her and brought her down the bog path to mess with her mind so she'd forget what she just discovered.
After accidentally getting Cameron transformed into a tree, Tara desperately tries a find a way to reverse his and his mother's spell (they're semi-linked and Cameron's mother was turned into a tree long before the series), but to do so, Tara would have a weave a certain symbol onto the tapestry, and as she's about to do so, she suddenly gets scared to risk it all due to the mess she made so far of everything. Aunt Bridget offers to reverse the spell placed on Cameron and his mother if Tara transferred her Supreme Everine powers to her, but when Tara does so... Bridget goes back on her promise and revealed that she got Tara to turn Cameron's mother into a tree during her first visit as a child, and that her fake death and training her, was part of her master plan to trick Tara into giving her Everine powers to her which she'd used to rule Evermoor.
Tara tells Sorsha about how Bridget duped her, and Bridget tells Tara and Sorsha her backstory about the loss of her elder sister and her plan avenge her and create a new Evermoor. After her plan's nearly complete, she makes a deal with the Founder Everines to give them her essence in exchange for the final item needed for her plan. Bridget's plan for a New Evermoor was a peaceful utopia that recreated her childhood before her sister was lost. Bridget uses a magic lantern to allow two of the Founder Everines to possess two women, releasing them. Tara discovers her plan and destroys the lantern before the third could be released, and turns Evermoor back to its normal state.
Tara's able to change Cameron back to normal (though not without drawbacks) and the two released Founder Everines search for a way to fix the lantern and release the third Founder.
Bridget managed to find her way back to Evermoor through the woods, though she's out of breath and powerless and clearly regrets helping out the Founders and giving them her essence, realizing just how dangerous and ruthless they truly were. Tara and the others would have to keep her safe and hidden away. Although Bridget winds up having to reveal herself to everyone when Bella nearly get placed in the bog, claiming she was the true Supreme Everine, and presumably dying. The Founders suspect her of being the real deal after she miraculously survives the bog and bring her away in the hidden room so she'd do her bidding and give them the info they needed for their plan.
While hidden away, Bridget would try to decieve them and inform them that they wouldn't succeed, and when Tara investigates in the room one day, Bridget's secret able to smuggle a sign to Tara that she was still alive, indirectly leading Tara to find out about how the founders had gotten to most of the Everines. And despite having to provide the Founders the info they needed against her will — and constantly being threatened with her essence being used against her — she still had some tricks up her sleeve.
Eventually, the third Founder's able to possess Sorsha, but the host still had partial control over herself due to her love her Seb, so the other two founders tried various methods to break them up. As a final resort, the Founders try to sink Evermoor into the Bog forcing Tara to make a Sadistic Choice between whether to let the city sink or release the Third Founder in Sorsha and reunite the Founders and restore their powers. After a failed attempt to work around this, Tara goes to Bridget for advice, who would personally suggest that Tara give Sorsha up and save the village, even if it meant letting the Founders have their powers back. But the gang opens the demigod realm. Then, just the Two founders confronted Bridget about her experiment had finally ended, Bridget smirks at them stated she had regained her strength, and the demigods nearly depose of the two Founders, only for the Third Founder to take over Sorsha in time, and the Founder trio to regain their strength.
To nobody's surprise, the Founders take back their promise and decide to let Evermoor sink in the bog and get destroyed. Bridget was in a serious state of remorse, stating she never wanted all this and just wanted her sister back. Tara and Seb rise Hollowfall once more and bring back the Princess of Hollowfall — Agatha Mc Coy. Initially, Bridget felt like she didn't deserve anymore attention, however after a heartwarming reunion with Agatha learning that the Founders were responsible for her disappearance in the first place and not the Circle, she finally lets go for her bitter feelings and restores Tara's Supreme Everine powers so she could set things right. It took a serious competition and challenge but Tara was able to free the Founder's victims and banish them into the beacon where they could no longer bring harm to the world.
After that was all over, Bridget asked Tara if she could ever forgive her, which she does due to the training she provided her, and Bridget and Agatha go to Hollowfall together to live out their happy lives.
Is She Magnificent?
Yes. I'd say Bridget is magnificent for a number of reasons. For starters, she was able to fake her death and remain undetected and out of sight for a very long time prior to the main series, manipulating numerous events. She's also shown to be a wise mentor who knows a lot about the magic's powers as well as Tara's status as the Supreme Everine. She once stated that she indirectly planned for Tara to return to Evermoor and take back her rightful position. She's one of the main reasons Tara's so talented at being the Supreme Everine.On top of that she also quickly dealt with Esmeralda when she discovered the truth, Used Tara's self-doubt to take advantage of her and gain her supreme powers, managed to turn Tallulah Brinkworth (literature hero come to life) into her minion using the source of the laptop used for the book to control her, successfully transformed Evermoor into her childhood dream state for a time, survived a deadly encounter in the bog, and even when the Founders force her assist in their bidding, she's still able work past it and against it and aid Tara in secret. Despite being placed Outof Focus for numerous episodes, she manages to kept some of her grace and smarts. And after taking back her essence, she rallies with the heroes and plays a significant role in Tara saving the day and Founders' final defeat.
Is She a Bitch?
Yeah, Great-Aunt Bridget may be a Cool Old Lady, but she's still on the darker end of the moral spectrum. For starters, she manipulated her great-niece Tara into doing her work, is responsible for the disappearance of Cameron's mother (and turning her into a tree), tricked Tara into giving her her Supreme Everine powers, refused to help cure Cameron and his mother, and despite wanting to avenge her big sister ... isn't afraid to harm other people in order to achieve that goal, made a deal with the Founder Everines despite knowing about the chaos they had caused, assisted them in their evil plan (unwillingly but still).Final Thoughts
This one took a lot of processing, and I had my doubts throughout various points, but I'd say she does just enough to make the cut. Especially considering her two-faced nature and admirable side.Edited by SpaceProtagonist on Nov 27th 2021 at 7:11:34 AM
Hello, I'm the American Cinema Critic, I remember because the majors don't.
Yes there to Bridget and the others above, and hey...we like classic cinema/ We like movies with "The French" in them?
Well...
What's the work?
The French Connection is a classic 1970s film. Telling the story of detective Jim "Popeye" Doyle Buddy "Cloudy" Russo hunting down a ruthless drug kingpin. I give you none other than French smuggler Alain Charnier.
Who is Charnier?
A dapper, educated drug smuggler, Charnier runs the largest drug smuggling ring in Europe. After having a cop murdered, Charnier reveals he plans to 32 million bucks worth of heroin into the US. With Popeye and Cloudy on the case, they begin trying to track down the ring. Charnier sets things up with the heroin shipments and decides not to have Popeye killed, believing it'll be more trouble than it's really worth....but he realizes that Popeye is watching him and gives him the slip on the subway, waving merrily goodbye to him.
Now Charnier's plot is to hide the heroin in the war of a proxy...swapping the cars out after for the drugs and money so he can hightail it back to France. Turns out, it works like a charm, Charnier switches out for the cars, swaps the drugs and is able to give Popeye the slip after a whole film in hot pursuit. In fact, the original film ends famously in a downer ending: Charnier escapes and is never caught, with Popeye never able to find him.
A sequel was made where Charnier is hunted to France (against the "true story" it was based on. The drug smuggler really did escape there)...Charnier is running his drug operation, giving Popeye the slip again , and it seems he's set to get away....only for Popeye to have beaten him to his getaway and shoots Charnier dead.
Any mitigating issues?
I think Charnier hits every point. He's elegant, well spoken, very affable and pleasant. He has a cop murdered for getting too close, but while he refuses to have Popeye killed, it's not for any moral standard, it's just pragmatism. Still, Charnier might be an evil heroin smuggler, but he doesn't get us to real sadistic atrocities. He approaches drugs like a business.
He's smart as hell. Now, if we take the films together , I think he still makes it even if the script literally cheats to kill him at the end of the second film. Charnier is always ahead of the cops and constantly giving them the slip, with a decent plot that...works.
Conclusion?
Easy keeper to Alain Charnier.
Edited by Lightysnake on Nov 27th 2021 at 1:11:38 AM
Happy to Nescaffier (who's a Lt.). The other character is The Chauffeur and HT, if you get to him first, that's alright.
Edited by futuremoviewriter on Nov 28th 2021 at 12:22:03 PM
Goku Black
charnier
![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]")
roxie
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."