There are many twists that can be utilized in a story to make it more interesting or to keep the audience on their toes. These tactics can be especially useful in writing television, because the storyline stretches over a longer span of time and requires more methods to keep the story appealing to viewers. Sometimes the twists bring justice to a situation, like the villain finally getting what’s coming to them, or the underdog finally catching a break. But other times, the twist isn’t so satisfying. Sometimes, the twist is cruel and there’s no way to derive greater meaning from it.
Often, when a character experiences a cruel outcome that they didn’t deserve, it’s to benefit the greater story. Sometimes it allows something else to happen in the story, like a domino effect. Sometimes it’s to reflect the theme of the story. Lastly, there are times when a cruel ending concludes a character’s arc simply to reflect how unfair or dangerous the world of the story is. So, while these twists usually feel like unjustified additions, meant to rip out our hearts, they actually do tend to serve a purpose.
Unfortunately, one of the best ways to ensure the impact of a cruel ending is to inflict it on a beloved character. This results in a number of memorable moments in shows that resonate deeply with viewers because of their emotional significance. Here are a few characters that met such outcomes and broke viewer’s hearts in the process, but as a result, engraved themselves in our minds for years to come.
1 Eddie Munson, Stranger Things
Stranger Things has notably broken fans hearts with cruel character endings more than once. Barb and Bob are a couple of examples but perhaps the most upsetting one is the death of Eddie. Within one season of being on the show, fans quickly fell in love. From his look to his friendly but rock-n-roll personality, he was an undeniably charming and interesting character, unlike any other that has appeared on the show so far. Unfortunately, despite how lovable he was, his character met a very unfortunate end in order to save his friends.
Though his death is upsetting, it did complete his character arc, and it reminded viewers of just why they loved him so much in the first place. In fact, Eddie’s character was so popular, and fans were so upset by losing him that many have pressured the creators to bring his characters back. But after some recent criticism from the actors of the show, it’s still up in the air whether creators will indulge them or not.
2 Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks
Given the dense complexity of Twin Peaks, it’s hard to pin down a particular ending for Laura. As the character that is so much the driving force of the story, she undergoes a tremendous amount through the duration of the series. Because of the show’s dark elements, that usually entails some pretty traumatic and horrible stuff. While Laura’s character certainly makes plenty of mistakes, she is ultimately just a teenage girl that is undergoing immensely dark things. She is surrounded by people who love her, but are oblivious to her experiences.
So much of what she goes through is inevitable for the story to progress, but it is the ambiguity of her ending that makes it seem so cruel. By the end of the series, Agent Cooper has made his attempts to save her and is even successful in one dimension. The existence of multiple dimensions suggests that Laura's struggle to survive varies across them.
3 Brida, The Last Kingdom
From the beginning of the series, viewers see Uhtred and Brida grow up together and even fall in love. Even as time and differing priorities cause them to part ways and pursue lives with others, their connection remains an essential staple in Uhtred’s character arc. Even when they turn against each other and Brida begins hunting Uhtred down, their bond still prevents them from finishing each other off, and fans come to feel just as deeply about their relationship.
Despite their tight bond preventing them from finishing each other off, Brida is ultimately taken down by an extension of Uhtred, and it truly makes for a heart-wrenching scene. However, what made her ending so cruel wasn’t as much how it happened as it was all that led up to it. Before dying, Brida loses everything that she fought so hard for. That is what drives her to hunt Uhtred in the first place – something she’d otherwise never do.
4 Dean, Supernatural
Throughout the many seasons of the show, one of the most important aspects of the story is the relationship between brothers, Sam and Dean. From the beginning, it’s clear that the brothers function as a set in the show. Even among the companions they meet along the way, their relationship is at the heart of it all. That’s why it was so excruciating to watch Dean die in his brother’s arms.
Aside from being a lovable character that evolved throughout the show, several characters were sacrificed to help ensure Dean’s success, which made his passing all the more painful. To then have Sam go on to live a full and complete life just feels inconsistent with their relationship being the driving force, despite the many ways that Dean lives on through Sam.
5 Taystee, Orange is the New Black
Of the many characters that viewers come across in this show that is undoubtedly character driven, one of the most likable is Taystee. She’s funny, friendly, intelligent, and eager to prove herself – everything viewers want to see in a good character. It’s all of these qualities that made it so hard to see her go so far to prove herself, only to be wrongly accused of a murder. If watching her best friend, Poussey, die wasn’t enough to break your heart, watching her be convicted of a crime she didn’t commit will do the trick.
But that’s the point of this series – to connect to characters that reflect real people and to feel the pain of the injustices that they’ve endured. By being moved by what happens to them, viewers are more likely to understand where people in similar situations are coming from. So even though it is hard to watch her go through this injustice, her character (and many others in this show) serves as an example for why there is such a need for change in the current justice system.
Each of these characters were unique and lovable, and each of them had a large impact on the stories that they belong to, which is undeniably what made the loss or pain of their characters linger in our hearts. Though they may not have all made it to the end of their shows, they certainly all remain in the minds and hearts of fans.