10 TV Episodes That Completely Betrayed A Main Character

July 8, 2024, 5:50 p.m.

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10 TV Episodes That Completely Betrayed A Main Character

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Summary Sheldon Cooper comes across as cruel when he tricks Leonard into wearing an itchy sweater.

Rachel Berry leaves behind her life-long Broadway dreams for a TV show that fails.

Ted Mosby's romantic nature is undermined by the reveal of who his story is really about.

Several popular TV shows betrayed a main character when that character is depicted doing something that goes against everything the audience knows about them. The character does something that conflicts with one of their core values, that undermines their arc up until that point, or completely changes their personality. Consistent characterizations are key to successful shows, difficult though it may be to maintain them over many seasons or in the face of actors wishing to leave the show.

This phenomenon goes hand in hand with TV finales that ruined their shows, as the reason that the episode is considered to have undone the rest of the series' hard work may be a particular character arc ending badly. The notorious Game of Thrones finale maligned several character arcs; How I Met Your Mother suffered a similar fate. However, characters may still be betrayed by their own show midway through the series, leaving the remaining seasons with the burden of cleaning up the mess in the hopes of salvaging the character in question for the fans.

Related 10 TV Episodes That Completely Changed Their Shows Forever While a TV show tends to grow and change with each season, several series can pinpoint a specific episode that caused a significant shake-up.

10 Michonne Grimes (The Walking Dead)

Season 10, Episode 13: "What We Become"

Midway through the second to last season of The Walking Dead, Michonne leaves her children in Daryl's care to search for her husband, whom she has recently discovered may still be alive. Michonne's decision to leave behind the kids in a world that is still very unstable due to the zombie apocalypse is widely questioned, even if part of the reason she goes is wanting them to have their father back. However, the Commonwealth's treatment of kids makes Michonne's departure even more of a problem.

The Commonwealth threatens children in order to get their parents or guardians to cooperate with certain questionable goals, further highlighting the fact that Michonne is not there to protect the kids. Her departure is a point of contention among the other characters; Judith feels somewhat abandoned despite having told Michonne to go, while other characters begrudgingly accept it. It is still considered a betrayal of Michonne's character, who should prioritize her kids and know that's what Rick would want her to do.

The Walking Dead Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Based on one of the most successful and popular comic books of all time, AMC’s The Walking Dead captures the ongoing human drama following a zombie apocalypse. The series, developed for television by Frank Darabont, follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who are traveling in search of a safe and secure home. However, instead of the zombies, it is the living who remain that truly become the walking dead. The Walking Dead lasted for eleven seasons and spawned several spinoff shows, such as Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

Cast Steven Yeun , Andrew Lincoln , Chandler Riggs , Laurie Holden , Jeffrey DeMunn , Sarah Wayne Callies , Melissa McBride , Norman Reedus , Jon Bernthal , Iron E. Singleton Release Date October 31, 2010 Seasons 11

9 Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)

Season 7, Episode 8: "The Itchy Brain Simulation"

The unpopular "Itchy Brain Simulation" episode of The Big Bang Theory betrays Sheldon's character when he is revealed to be more patient and controlled than the rest of the series holds that he is. When a rented movie that was never returned is discovered, Sheldon decides to make a point to Leonard about how unresolved problems bother him. Sheldon requests that Leonard wear an extremely uncomfortable sweater until he has paid the late fee, allegedly imparting the effect Sheldon feels of an "itch in his brain."

This turns out to have all been an object lesson, as Sheldon discovered the DVD years ago and paid the fine. In doing this, The Big Bang Theory made Sheldon a much more unlikable character. It is thoroughly illustrated that Sheldon is not an easy person to be friends with, but his heartfelt relationships and sympathetic nature are supported by him doing his best to let smaller things go and that he cannot change who he is. However, this episode implies that he can be unreactive if he chooses to, making life unnecessarily difficult for his friends.

The Big Bang Theory Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available The Big Bang Theory first premiered on CBS in 2007 and became one of its era's most popular and longest-lasting network sitcoms. Running for 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory focuses on a group of self-proclaimed nerds, Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Howard (Simon Helberg), and Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who form an unlikely friendship with their new neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco). The series became a ratings giant and took home multiple Emmys. The Big Bang Theory was so successful that it ended up spawning a spinoff titled Young Sheldon, which has also become one of CBS’ most popular sitcoms. Cast Kaley Cuoco , Johnny Galecki , Jim Parsons , Melissa Rauch , Mayim Bialik , Kunal Nayyar , Simon Helberg Release Date September 24, 2007 Seasons 12

8 Rachel Berry (Glee)

Season 5, Episode 20: "The Untitled Rachel Berry Project"

Rachel finally reaching Broadway is the culmination of all her ambitions throughout Glee. Her decision to quit Funny Girl, for which she was cast in the lead role of Fanny Brice, is still one of Glee's most contested storylines. Rachel might have gotten career advice to expand her portfolio, but she had already quit school for Broadway. This can be justified as Fanny is the role of a lifetime and an especially high achievement for a performer barely out of high school.

Broadway was Rachel's lifelong dream, but she throws it away the moment something else comes along.

However, within a few episodes of "Opening Night" (season 5, episode 17), Rachel finds something else and ditches Broadway. The show then makes the abrupt transition of going straight to the next episode with a time jump to after her TV show has failed. Even if Rachel was struggling with critical producers and a harsh public, she gave up on her one-in-a-million win too quickly. Broadway was Rachel's lifelong dream, but she throws it away the moment something else comes along. It is an insult to her character that undermines how important the dream was to her.

Glee Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Cast Dianna Agron , Chris Colfer , Jessalyn Gilsig , Jane Lynch , Jayma Mays , Kevin McHale , Lea Michele , Cory Monteith , Matthew Morrison , Amber Riley Release Date May 19, 2009 Seasons 6 Showrunner Ryan Murphy , Brad Falchuk

7 Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother)

Season 9, Episode 14: "The Last Forever: Part Two"

While the lead-up to How I Met Your Mother's hated finale strongly hints that Ted's love for Robin isn't going anywhere, the series never failed his relationship with "the mother" — until the last few minutes of the show. For nine years, How I Met Your Mother painted Ted as a hopeless romantic with an unwavering belief in destiny. Although she is never seen on screen until the final season, the show conveys that the Ted who is telling the story believes that he and the mother are soulmates.

However, the finale undermines the love story the audience thought they were seeing by revealing that this was never why Ted sat his kids down to recount it. Ted's dedication to his wife is rendered irrelevant in comparison to what he still feels for his ex-girlfriend. Additionally, it proves that Ted essentially never changes throughout the series: While the story wants him to remain a hopeless romantic, it makes him more nuanced by forcing him to accept that some things aren't meant to be. As it turns out, him making his peace with this was never in the cards.

How I Met Your Mother Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom created initially for CBS by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Five friends living in New York City navigate their twenties and thirties as they try to find love, success, and purpose. The show is framed through one friend's eyes, Ted Mosby, as he retells the story of how he met his wife to his children. Cast Cobie Smulders , Josh Radnor , Jason Segel Neil Patrick Harris , Alyson Hannigan , Bob Saget Release Date September 19, 2005 Seasons 9

6 Belle French (Once Upon A Time)

Season 6, Episode 22: "The Final Battle: Part 2"

The problem with Once Upon a Time is that it is founded on themes of true love and hope, which it maintains even when these things are not what is best for the characters. They are always Disney-adjacent figures rather than real people who end toxic relationships when they need to. Belle's series-long romance is with Rumpelstiltskin for a new twist on Beauty and the Beast. Although Rumple proves time and time again that he is not trustworthy, Belle always goes back to him.

Belle is actually at her most interesting when she says enough is enough and banishes her husband from Storybrooke. When he seemingly does enough to help the heroes to redeem himself, they briefly get back together, resulting in her pregnancy. They break up again when she finds out about more of his wrongdoings, and she debates over how he should be involved in the baby's life. The ultimate failure of Belle's character comes when she and Rumple reunite for the last time before she exits the show.

Once Upon A Time Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town's residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows. Cast Ginnifer Goodwin , josh dallas , Lana Parrilla , Robert Carlyle , Jennifer Morrison , Jared Gilmore Release Date October 3, 2011 Seasons 7

Related 10 TV Romances That Are Uncomfortable To Watch Today Some of the most well-known romances on TV have not aged well as the toxic aspects of the characters' relationship became clearer to audiences.

5 Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)

Season 16, Episode 16: "Leave A Light On"

A series regular of 16 seasons, one of the few original characters left on the show, Alex Karev unceremoniously departs from Grey's Anatomy, while the explanation for his disappearance comes a few episodes later. Alex and Jo are framed as the show's next great love story after Meredith and Derek; one of the few couples remaining that the audience might actually believe will stay together. However, even they were eventually forced apart by Alex's abrupt exit.

In a bizarre turn of events, Alex decides to go back to his ex-wife after learning that she used their frozen embryos to have his twins. The show glosses over how Alex might have felt about Izzie never telling him this, while he doesn't even have the guts to break up with Jo in person. More than anything, it feels like the writers really didn't want to have to kill Alex off. However, what they did do was a disservice to Alex's storylines with both Izzie and Jo.

Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy is considered one of the great television shows of our time, winning several awards and four Emmys. The high-intensity medical drama follows Meredith Grey and the team of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial, who are faced with life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. They seek comfort from one another, and, at times, more than just friendship. Together they discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Cast Kelly McCreary , Patrick Dempsey , Kevin McKidd , Chandra Wilson , Jesse Williams , Jake Borelli , camilla luddington , Ellen Pompeo , Chyler Leigh , Eric Dane , Caterina Scorsone , Giacomo Gianniotti , Anthony Hill , Kate Walsh , Justin Chambers , Sarah Drew , Greg Germann , Martin Henderson , Katherine Heigl , T.R. Knight , Sara Ramirez , Jerrika Hinton , Richard Flood , Sandra Oh , Kim Raver , Jason George , Tessa Ferrer , Isaiah Washington , James Pickens Jr. , Gaius Charles , Chris Carmack , Brooke Smith , Jessica Capshaw Release Date March 27, 2005 Seasons 20 Streaming Service(s) Hulu , Netflix Expand

4 Blaine Anderson (Glee)

Season 4, Episode 4: "The Break Up"

Several of Glee's most beloved couples end their relationships in the episode simply titled "The Break Up," which could refer to anyone. Feeling neglected by Kurt, Blaine cheats on him while in Lima, devastating many fans over what it would do to one of their favorite relationships. Blaine and Kurt have a very tumultuous relationship throughout the show, which ends with their wedding in the final season. While they both make mistakes, some still felt that Blaine cheating was a betrayal of his character.

No matter what relationship problems they were dealing with, Blaine cheating just because he was feeling lonely and insecure is on another level. It undermines their relationship up until that point and how dedicated he is to making things work. Within the same episode, he goes to New York to visit Kurt and confesses to cheating because he feels guilty. If he feels that kind of loyalty, he shouldn't have done it in the first place.

Glee In order to escape the stressful reality of high school, a group of misfits decides to join William McKinley’s glee club. Fox’s Glee was created by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy, with Leah Michele, Jane Lynch, and Matthew Morrison leading the cast. The series ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015 and won six Primetime Emmys. Showrunner Ryan Murphy , Brad Falchuk

3 Bonnie Bennett (The Vampire Diaries)

Season 8, Episode 16: "I Was Feeling Epic"

The Vampire Diaries finale admittedly does give Bonnie a cool moment of holding back literal hellfire with assistance from past generations of Bennett witches. However, the final episodes put her through a lot before making her look passive and unsure of her own skills. Bonnie's boyfriend Enzo is killed off in the lead-up to the finale, something which certainly did not need to happen. She could have demonstrated her power without being put through another heartbreak.

Then, Bonnie rallies and finds a way to break the curse keeping Elena asleep — highlighting that she could have tried to do this a few years earlier. Essentially, Bonnie comes across as incredibly uncaring when she didn't even think to try breaking the curse earlier. The show wants her to be powerful and knowledgeable enough to free Elena, but only when Nina Dobrev is available to return. It would have made more sense if Bonnie needed one more key ingredient to make it happen, which she was lucky enough to come across in the finale.

The Vampire Diaries Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another's affection. Cast Nina Dobrev , Ian Somerhalder , Steven R. McQueen , Paul Wesley , Kat Graham , Michael Trevino , Michael Malarkey , Zach Roerig , Candice King , Matthew Davis Seasons 8

2 Daenerys Targaryen (Game Of Thrones)

Season 8, Episode 5: "The Bells"

The Game of Thrones finale failed many characters, but the downfall of Daenerys Targaryen is still held as the most obvious example. Dany had long been framed as a champion of the oppressed people of Westeros and Essos, who campaigns to reclaim the Iron Throne so she may help others. Only in the previous season, she states that she hopes her advisors would tell her if her actions were not benefiting the common people. Her characterization comes unraveled when she needlessly burns down King's Landing, killing thousands of innocents.

Maybe Dany becoming queen was not Game of Thrones' perfect ending; Drogon melting away the Iron Throne, the ultimate symbol of tyranny and greed in this setting, is one of the finale's few good moments. However, the writers should have approached this in a more nuanced way concerning Dany's character. Everything she did for six years before reaching Westeros now holds no meaning when people know she would willingly sacrifice the civilians she protects for power.

Game Of Thrones Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Game of Thrones is a TV series based on the book “A Song of Ice of Fire” by George R. R. Martin. It tells the story of the ongoing battle between the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros - as they fight for control of the coveted Iron Throne. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the far north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, led by House Stark's Jon Snow, is the first to encounter icy horrors that threaten all realms of men. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and quickly became one of the biggest event series in the "Golden Age" of TV. Winner of 38 Primetime Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, international fan base. Cast Emilia Clarke , Lena Headey , Richard Madden , Michelle Fairley , Kit Harington , Maisie Williams , Alfie Allen , Peter Dinklage Release Date April 11, 2011 Seasons 8

Related Game Of Thrones: 10 Characters With The Worst Endings To Their Arcs One of TV's most successful shows, Game of Thrones gave audiences eight seasons of amazing characters, but some of their stories didn't end as hoped.

1 Rachel Green (Friends)

Season 10, Episode 17: "The Last One"

Friends is largely the story of Ross and Rachel and how they were always meant to get back together. However, the way it happens is a disservice to Rachel's individual arc. Frankly, it would have made sense if someone had said that even with her company paying for travel expenses, Emma being shuttled between two different continents to spend time with both of her parents wouldn't work. However, the show celebrates Rachel's ambition in taking a new job in Paris because it knows she will ultimately decide against it.

Indeed, her career takes a back seat to Ross, when she no longer has a job in New York. Additionally, this is thrown together in the finale without ever resolving the things that broke them up in the first place. Rachel says as recently as season 8 that she wouldn't get back together with Ross because of how possessive he is; his reaction to her running into Mark again proves that all of his trust issues remain. Despite being an iconic TV moment, Ross and Rachel's reunion is still a strong example of the story maligning a character's arc.