OOC

[shipperx]

Can TV and/or comic characters be written "out of character"? The question has come up a number of times in my years in the BtVS/AtS fandom. And, of course, the question of characterization comes up all the time in regards to fanfic. Yesterday, woman_of_ created a poll about characterization in the BtVS/AtS comics and there has been some discussion in her comments about whether or not characters can be written 'out of character' in canon(or quasi-canon). I have some thoughts on the subject (along with thoughts about how soap operas have ruined me) that I want to post, but I don't have time to do so at the moment. That being the case, I thought I'd post a generalized poll of my own until I have time to post some musings on the subject.

[Poll #1126751]

Comments

[rahirah]

Yes, exactly.

But technically speaking, in the case of TV shows et al. whatever's on-screen is what they did, so it de facto becomes a part of their character. If the writer screws up too often, then the character loses cohesion and becomes someone no one can understand, identify with, or care about. e.g. Cameron on House is, for me, a character who's been written so inconsistently that I honestly don't know who she is or what motivates her most of the time. But I can't really say that any particular action of hers is out of character, because, well, she did it.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I don't know though. Are canon and characterization the same thing? If a character does something, that is canon, but does that make it good characterization?

[typographer.livejournal.com]

And how is that different than what is on paper when one is reading a book? That's still how the character did it whether it is book or media.

I agree that if a character continues to be written/portrayed inconsistently, the problem becomes something other than strictly out-of-character behavior, but it isn't suddenly "in character." It's a worse form of bad characterization. Depending on how central said character is to the storyline (which is often a subjective call), what this sometimes does is drive me from the series--whether that series is television, movies, books, or short stories. "I stopped watching X after Y."