Sometimes, being a TV jerk pays! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the TV characters whose happy endings and redemption arcs were undeserved. Spoilers will be mentioned!
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00:00 You can come home.
00:02 Where?
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the TV characters whose happy endings and redemption arcs were undeserved.
00:12 Spoilers will be mentioned.
00:14 You ready?
00:16 Here it goes, pay attention.
00:18 Number 10. Ross Geller, Friends
00:22 Just a waitress?
00:25 Now that was, uh, I mean, as opposed to, uh, the, um, okay, is this over yet?
00:32 He's more of a frenemy than an actual friend.
00:35 While he's undoubtedly one of the most vital characters, he's also one of the most contentious.
00:39 He proved on several occasions that he wasn't a very good partner.
00:42 From making a list of pros and cons about Rachel's career and personality, to saying her name to a different woman at the wedding altar, it was clear he only cared about himself.
00:51 I, Ross. I, Ross. Take thee, Emily. Take thee, Rachel.
00:57 Despite all of that, he was still given a fairy tale ending, where Rachel left all of her dreams behind to be with him.
01:03 While it ended up being the best choice for Rachel in the long run, we can't help but wish she had just gotten on that plane.
01:08 Oh my God, did she get off the plane? Did she get off the plane?
01:11 Number 9. Angela Martin, The Office
01:14 These are all terrible ideas, and none of them are on the theme of a Nutcracker Christmas.
01:20 I think you should leave.
01:21 Angela is the personification of your job's worst nightmare.
01:24 She was judgmental towards everyone, and wasn't shy about sharing those judgments out loud.
01:28 She constantly insulted her co-workers, and seemed to take joy in tearing them down.
01:32 Uh-uh. No one has seconds until everyone's had some.
01:35 You've got to be kidding.
01:38 You've got to be kidding.
01:39 Even as the show progressed, she continued to act selfishly.
01:42 She even went so far as to lie to both Dwight and the Senator about who the father of her child was.
01:48 However, none of that seemed to matter by the end of the series, when she marries Dwight.
01:52 While their wedding was a genuinely sweet moment, some viewers couldn't help but feel that her happy ending wasn't entirely deserved.
01:58 Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming.
02:00 Now, please take your hay bales to the reception. They'll be used for seating.
02:05 Complimentary hay hooks are placed along the aisles.
02:08 Number 8. Rachel Berry, Glee
02:10 You are short, you are awful, and that is never going to change.
02:14 [Gasps]
02:15 I think you should move out.
02:20 She's proof that being talented doesn't cancel out a mean personality.
02:23 Despite being picked on by everyone else in school, Rachel used her tiny bit of power in the Glee Club to tear down her fellow teammates.
02:30 Her competitive nature caused her to act out in vicious ways, from insulting her friends to throwing fits if she didn't get a solo.
02:36 Oh, hello. I couldn't help but notice you admiring me yesterday in the courtyard.
02:40 Um, what?
02:41 Oh, you don't speak English.
02:43 You like me sing. You like me sing very much.
02:48 She even went so far as to send a potential new member to a dangerous location just to ensure she would still be the best singer in the club.
02:55 She was continuously rewarded despite her bad behavior, and her setbacks were short-lived.
02:59 It all culminated in her getting everything she ever wanted, a loving relationship and a Tony, which annoyed fans to no end.
03:06 And the Tony goes to...
03:08 Rachel Berry and Jane Austen sings!
03:12 Number 7. Damon Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries
03:15 The truth is... I've never loved you.
03:19 When it comes to romantic programs, it's an unfortunate reality that some less-than-ideal behaviors will be normalized and made to seem sweet.
03:26 However, some things can't be romanticized, and Damon was the ultimate proof of that.
03:31 His devotion to Elena caused him to do some deplorable things, from forcing her to drink his blood to snapping her brother's neck when she rejected him.
03:38 It's the easiest thing in the world.
03:40 I don't know any of you that cares. It just goes away. All you have to do is flip the switch and...
03:44 Damon! No!
03:47 It was proven time and time again how toxic he was, and yet, by the end, Elena chose him as the one to be with her for the rest of eternity.
03:54 While we know shows like this aren't the healthiest representation of love, presenting their relationship as anything other than unhealthy was a bold choice.
04:02 Tell Elena that I did this for her. To pay for my past mistakes.
04:06 Number 6. Ted Mosby - How I Met Your Mother
04:09 You know what that word means. You know that calling people names is mean and hurtful. Assface.
04:15 Lily, if you don't bring that stuff back right now, we're...
04:18 While he may not have been downright evil, he proved on several occasions why his quest to meet the right woman took so long.
04:24 He was willing to drop his partners quickly if he felt they weren't going to be permanent, and broke up with some at the most inopportune moments.
04:31 I'm not the one for you!
04:33 I'm sorry, I just, I thought the mature thing to do would be...
04:36 It's my birthday!
04:37 Yes, I know, I didn't realize it was...
04:38 It's my birthday, and you're telling me I'm not the one for you?
04:42 When it seemed Ted had finally met the titular mother, fans were excited.
04:45 However, their hopes were dashed when it was revealed that she had passed, and that the story had been leading to him committing to Robin, a long-time friend.
04:52 Seeing Ted get to have his cake and eat it too felt completely undeserved.
04:56 While things worked out for him, it was at the expense of the show's ending.
04:59 You made me sit down and listen to this story about how you met Mom. Yet Mom is hardly in the story.
05:05 No, this is a story about how you're totally in love with Aunt Robin.
05:09 Number 5. Negan, The Walking Dead
05:11 Hi. You're Rick, right? I'm Negan.
05:16 Redemption arcs can be fun to watch, but some simply don't deserve them.
05:19 Like Negan. He's responsible for several brutal deaths in the series, including long-term fan favorites.
05:25 We miss you, Glenn.
05:26 He went out of his way to be as antagonistic as possible, purely for the sake of showing Rick who was in charge.
05:31 You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell, you're all gonna be doing that.
05:40 His violence was seemingly endless, making for a compelling yet horrific villain.
05:44 Despite all of that, he changed his tune and began to help the people he had once traumatized so horribly.
05:49 While it was an interesting direction for his character to go in, seeing such a brutal person become so soft was jarring to say the least.
05:56 Thank you for saving her. You always did have a flair for the dramatic.
06:03 Number 4. Don Draper, Mad Men
06:06 You are the sweetest man. You make me sick.
06:12 Anti-hero narratives, though they can be compelling, can also lead to an unrealistic and undeserved ending.
06:17 Draper was blinded by his visions of success and was willing to do anything or hurt anyone to get to the top.
06:23 His constant mistreatment of his family and peers is more than enough to prove that he cared more about his success than the happiness of the people in his life.
06:31 I know you think you saw something.
06:37 I was comforting Mrs. Rosen.
06:44 She was very upset.
06:45 Despite his toxic behavior, he rarely saw consequences for it.
06:48 Even the finale implies that Don still hasn't changed his ways.
06:52 When we see him meditating, the immediate cut to a Coke commercial implies that he never left the business,
06:57 and in fact, may have used his treatment as a way to finally reach the top.
07:01 McCann will take you back in a second. Apparently it's happened before.
07:04 Don't you want to work on Coke?
07:10 I can't.
07:11 Number 3. Dan Scott, One Tree Hill
07:14 Most of your life I've failed you as a father.
07:17 Dad, I had the best of intentions for you, but I haven't always set the best example.
07:21 While some characters' redemptions come across naturally, others seem to come about manipulatively if handled wrong.
07:26 Dan Scott was never going to win Family Member of the Year.
07:29 He was needlessly violent towards his children, and even had a hand in the death of his brother.
07:33 Despite his evil deeds, he never once had to atone for them.
07:36 Or how about the time that you murdered me? Do you remember that?
07:40 I said shut up!
07:42 Although his arc concludes with his death, everything still manages to be wrapped up in a neat bow for him.
07:47 All of his children forgave him, and it's even implied that his brother forgave and invited Dan to join him in the afterlife.
07:52 It was a bizarre ending for such a horrid character, and to this day fans wonder why they went so far to redeem him.
07:59 Come on, little brother. Take a walk with me.
08:06 Number 2. Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl
08:09 I never thought that the worst thing you would ever do would be to me.
08:15 You went up there on your own.
08:17 From the very beginning of the series, it was clear that Chuck shouldn't be trusted.
08:22 He treated the women in his life horribly, whether he was romantically involved with them or not.
08:26 He also was violent on more than one occasion, and only seemed to care about taking over his family's company.
08:32 No. No, that was then. I'm trying to change.
08:37 I liked you better before.
08:40 The finale seemed to be setting up an ending where he would face consequences for his actions,
08:45 only for that to be brushed aside when he and Blair revealed that they had successfully evaded a charge.
08:49 While the show seemed to think it was clever, many fans disagreed.
08:53 They would have preferred seeing Chuck be held accountable rather than given everything he ever wanted.
08:57 Well, Cyrus is finishing up at the police station, but we refused to talk.
09:01 And since there's no actual evidence that Chuck was even on that roof.
09:04 No witness.
09:05 Except his wife.
09:06 Yeah, no choice but to let us go.
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09:22 No. 1. Carrie Bradshaw - Sex in the City
09:27 What is your problem?
09:29 I don't have a problem. You have a problem.
09:31 She's the personification of Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss.
09:35 Though Carrie made it seem like she was a supportive friend and partner, her actions spoke differently.
09:40 Her constant devotion to Mr. Big caused her to mistreat her friends and herself.
09:44 He is bad for you.
09:45 Jesus, every time you get near him, you turn into this pathetic, needy, insecure victim.
09:50 And the thing that pisses me off the most is that you're more than willing to go right back from work.
09:54 Her self-sabotage went so far that she even cheated on her seemingly perfect boyfriend to be with him.
09:59 Considering how being with Big made her worse, the series ending with the two of them together didn't feel like a win at all.
10:04 In fact, it just made it appear as though she hadn't developed at all in six seasons.
10:08 Even if she had ended up single but happy, it would have been a much more satisfying conclusion than the one she actually got.
10:14 It took me a really long time to get here.
10:17 But I'm here.
10:21 What TV character do you think has the most undeserved happy ending?
10:24 Let us know in the comments below.
10:26 Like one of those things you think is never gonna happen and then it does and it's everything you want it to be.
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10:41 [Music]