The Problem with “The Asshole” Character
Last week, I discovered a new show and blew through the first season. (I love it when that happens.) The show is called “You’re the Worst,” and it’s on FXX. For whatever reason, I have been analyzing the hell out of it, and it is an incredibly well done show. Maybe that’s why I can’t stop analyzing it? Regardless, it’s an irreverent half hour comedy and I’ve been thinking about it like it’s the next “Breaking Bad.”
The basic setup is this: Two assholes who have no faith in relationships decide to date.
The Asshole is an interesting character. More often than not, they are the most immediately enjoyable character—the first fan favorite in any show. While you may need to get to know the other characters a bit before you really appreciate them, the Asshole is a hit right off the bat. Think Dr. Cox in “Scrubs” or Barney Stinson in “How I Met Your Mother.”
But where people tend to go wrong is when they make their Assholes unrepentant. When the Asshole doesn’t have an off switch, or any noticeable sign of humanity, they quickly go from entertaining to aggravating. Think about it: Who watched “House” from start to finish? Seriously, who?
House was great. He was biting, and he was relentless. He would go after people until there was nothing left of them. He was a Grade A Asshole. And then he kept going. And going. Sure, every now and then he’d get a touch of humanity. But the writers of that show (and this is likely best elaborated on in another post) were cowards. Whenever they got close to a breakthrough for House, they would never see it through, always backtracking to a one dimensional Asshole. So after a couple seasons, you went from waiting for House to verbally tear someone down, to waiting for someone to punch him in the mouth and shut him the hell up.
And that’s the danger of The Asshole: Forgetting to make them human. In reality, it’s a problem for every type of character. Writing a Super Villain? A villain you can understand, and even relate to, is going to go a heck of a lot further than the cackling “I want to take over the WORLD!” type.
But back to The Asshole: If they’re not a human being, there’s no way for your audience to connect with them. On some level, we need to feel some sense of empathy. Otherwise, well, they’re just an asshole.
And “You’re the Worst” nails the balance. The two main characters are narcissistic, manipulative, and cruel. They’re the worst. One episode is devoted to showing you just how toxic they are to the people around them. But in spite of themselves and their defeatist views on relationships, they find themselves drawn to one another. However little concern they have for others, they don’t want to be assholes to each other. Or, well, they do, but they don’t want the other person to take umbrage with it. They want to be themselves, but without all the catastrophic personal consequences that normally accompany their behavior. It’s an interesting balance.
Unlike House, the writers of this show are not afraid to crack the hard shells of their characters. And we don’t just see quick glimpses of their humanity, quickly shrugged off with a sarcastic comment so the audience doesn’t forget that they are Assholes. Instead, when their shells crack open, they stay open for a little while and give us a chance to see the people inside.
It’s why we’re okay with them being such assholes: We can empathize with them.