Every hero needs a villain, and because of that, there’s usually one in every show — only it’s not who you’d expect.
While teen dramas are known for their soap opera-esque villains, it’s usually teenage girls who get the brunt of the hate. But is it really deserved?
“One Tree Hill” is among many teen dramas in the early 2000s, and is one of the few mentioned to have a continuous villain throughout all nine seasons. Though it’s not Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton) like the fans would have you believe.
Only 16 years old at the start of the show, Peyton is the opposite of the stereotypical cheerleader. Blaming herself for her mother’s death, Peyton retracts further into herself, closing others off with sarcastic remarks.
Though this subversion of the trope leads to an interesting character, the hate comes towards her thanks to her feelings for her best friend’s boyfriend, Lucas (Chad Micahel Murray). Though she initially hides her feelings towards him, a rare moment of vulnerability causes her to kiss him… in two separate seasons. Though these actions aren’t excusable, they’re explainable.
What makes it harder to like her is that she constantly lies to her best friend about it, and in the first season, continues to see Lucas behind her back. After the time jump in season five, Peyton continues to bully Lucas’ fiance, behavior that would be more understandable if she was still in high school.
Boy drama aside, Peyton deals with way more traumatic events than she should at her age. By the time she’s graduated high school, she’s dealt with finding out she’s adopted, getting injured in a school shooting, her biological mom dying, her biological dad wanting nothing to do with her and her believed biological brother stalking, assaulting and holding her captive.
Peyton was often used as the writer’s scapegoat, a decision that may have been caused by the show’s creator Mark Schwahn’s ill intentions towards her. Burton, who left the show early to avoid him, believes that Peyton’s stalker served as a “self insert” for Schwahn.
Fans have expressed longing for the season one version of Peyton, and have pointed out how her actions deviate from the initial version of the character.
While some were happy to see Peyton leave, others were glad that she at least got away from the drama. Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) of “The OC” however, did not get off so lucky.
“The OC” is another teen drama from the Y2K era, and though Marissa is initially portrayed as the stereotypical girl next door, the pilot episode reveals that she’s so much more than that.
Many have chastised the character for her self-destructive behavior and hero complex. A central flaw of Marissa’s is her trust, which often leads her into danger time and time again.
Marissa often dates certain boys that she knows will provoke disappointment from her mom. Though this seems like typical teenager behavior, their tumultuous relationship is heavily touched on throughout the seasons.
While the relationship with her dad may have been enough, Marissa learns early on that he’s not a good person, and he abandons her twice in three years. Marissa is blackmailed by her stepfather to live with her mom, despite her mother sleeping with Marissa’s first boyfriend.
Along with that, Marissa deals with an overdose, shooting someone, getting assaulted and an alcohol addiction, among many other issues. Just when she’s about to have her happy ending in the season three finale, fate comes in and ruins it for her.
Following the wealthy teenager pipeline is “Gossip Girl,” which has the same amount of drama in a different city. While everyone in-universe seems to love it-girl Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), they seem to change their minds once they actually get to know her.
Serena follows in Peyton’s footsteps by kissing her best friend’s boyfriend, only the couple has been together since kindergarten and the only thing to serve as an excuse is one too many drinks.
In Serena’s defense, she exiles herself to preserve her friends’ relationship, although she claims she wants to become a better person, she still keeps it hidden from her, with no intention of ever coming clean. Though Serena is chastised for only caring about boys, this may stem from her strained relationship with her father.
One TikTok user points out that Serena may suffer from identity diffusion, as her personality often changes to reflect those she’s hanging out with. The Upper East Side validates social image, with those in her social circle often admiring her for her looks alone. Since she never had to work for anything, she never learned how to be truly herself, and instead learned to be what everyone else wanted from her.
Serena deals with more traumatic events than a 16 year old should, but deals with them how a girl her age would. Though many think she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, it’s simply not enough to replace the parental attention she so desperately craves, causing her to find it in the beds of boys.
These characters may be fun to hate in theory, but if we take into account all their trauma, their wrongdoings pale in comparison to everything that’s been done to them. Many of them act how a typical teenage girl would in this situation, a factor that is hardly taken into account since they look older.
Viewers expect these characters to be emotionally mature beyond their years, but unnecessary drama they’ve had to deal with most likely stunts them. Parental figures are also scarce in these types of shows, which means they have less trusted figures to turn to for comfort.
Villains in the shows are hardly as hated as the teenage girls that they terrorize, and though they don’t stick around enough to remain memorable to viewers, it is a harsh glimpse into reality, leaving viewers to take a hard look in the mirror, and a step into the character’s shoes.
Teenage girlhood is a unique experience filled with perils. Since beauty is pain, these characters are thrown struggles in order to be painted as the damsel in distress. With all these shows being primarily written by men, they are hardly given the opportunity to come to terms with their hardships.
PART TWO
How many blondes does it take to make a complex character? The answer is, apparently, quite a few. Viewers chastise these characters for their actions rather than understanding that these actions are often the result of an abundance of trauma for their age, and a lack of a support system. Being so young, it’s only fitting that they act out. What isn’t fitting, however, is viewers’ feelings towards them.
Though Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) of “One Tree Hill” is attributed as the protagonist of the series, he often receives a large amount of the viewer’s hatred. While Lucas has cheated on multiple partners, these decisions are considered miniscule and realistic compared to the acts performed by the actual villains of the show.
Lucas’ good nature is apparent compared to his half brother in the first season. While Nathan (James Lafferty) was raised by their father, Lucas was abandoned and forced to grow up in the same town — the constant reminder being displayed everywhere. Despite his dad not being present, Lucas found a father figure in his uncle.
Though Lucas’ newfound popularity eventually gets the best of him, he still displays kindness towards others. He saves his estranged father from a burning building, and he remains close with the majority of friends he had before his popularity grew, even attempting to save his best friend amidst a shooting.
This action ultimately leads to his uncle’s death, an event that Lucas spirals from. Lucas’ feelings are ignored by those around him, despite his grief developing into blame. Lucas isn’t the only one to blame himself for the death however, with his mom openly blaming him as well.
This isn’t the only instance of his mom acting less than motherly. She insults his intelligence, and slaps him when he makes a mistake — an action that he believes is deserved.
Instead of blaming Lucas for his actions, viewers should instead blame his parents and the issues they indebted him with.
The rise of popularity and a loss of one’s self is a prominent plot throughout teen dramas, with Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) being a notable example .
The world of “Gossip Girl” follows New York’s elite, and Jenny’s wasn’t considered one of them. Thrown into the world by her parents’ insistence, Jenny subjects herself to bullies in an effort to make friends. Being too trustworthy, Jenny is ultimately assaulted at a party, though her assailant faces no repercussions.
Jenny’s desire to move up the social rank comes with tough decisions, and she turns on those closest to her, resorting to bullying them for defying her. These actions however, showcase how she’s a product of her environment, as she takes inspiration from her own bullies.
As well as moving up the social rank, Jenny’s determination to move up in the fashion world comes with its own set of accomplishments. Though others have their careers handed to them, Jenny has to work for hers, and her desire leads to the relationship between her and her father deteriorating.
This is just one of the factors for her decline in mental health at the end of her character’s arc.
Jenny is ultimately banished from her home by her bully. Despite this unfairness, Jenny takes the opportunity to leave, a decision also caused by Momsen’s desire to quit acting. Though Jenny deserved to come back and prove that she’s unbothered, given the effect that the Upper East Side had on her mental health, her leave may be in good faith.
Moving away from teen dramas — and the rich — “Shameless” is a drama comedy focusing on the Gallagher family living in Chicago. Despite their main character status, the first few seasons focus on a few families in the neighborhood, with Karen Jackson (Laura Slade Wiggins) being a prominent character.
With all that she’s done, Karen isn’t an easy character to like, though her character in the first season is a stark difference from the next two. Her initial plot deals with her promiscuity, spurred from her surroundings and her father. The latter of which felt disgraced due to his daughter’s actions.
This strained father-daughter relationship had a large effect on Karen, who in response to his public humiliation, ruined the romantic relationship between her and Lip Gallagher (Jeremy Allen White). With her mother, Sheila (Joan Cusack), being an agoraphobic who only had her daughter to rely on, Karen was forced to grow up early and rely on no one but herself.
Although looking to better herself, Karen found herself in a relationship with an older man. Around this time, Karen found out she was pregnant, and though she was insistent on not knowing who the father was, she was still blamed when the expected father was disappointed in the truth.
As a teenage mom, Karen struggles with post-partum depression. Causing her own mother to have to choose between her and the baby. Karen leaves after her mom chooses the latter. To come back, Karen calls the baby’s father to take him away — a decision that many viewers hate her for. This decision is extreme yet in line with her character, as she was never given the opportunity to have a normal relationship with her mother.
Just when things start to look up for Karen — with two relationships close to being fixed — she is hit by a car driven by Lip’s girlfriend suffering brain damage. Unaware of what is going on around her, Karen is taken away with her son and the man that trapped her in an inappropriate relationship.
Karen was dealt a bad hand given where she came from, and was ultimately unable to break the cycle. Instead, she responded with her emotions, a negative trait that should have been distilled from her parents, though in line with someone of her age.
Viewers fail to see the vulnerable side of these characters, instead focusing on their negative traits that in their mind, are even more irredeemable than that of the villains. At their core, these characters are kids just desperate to be seen — a goal that is hardly achieved in their universe and in ours.
