Was Kennedy a sympathetic character?

[beccaelizabeth]

Someone somewhere on LJ said at some point in the last month or so (yes that's as specific as I can make it or I'd link) that the way to make a character sympathetic was to make them care about someone more than they care about themselves. Smallville Lex cares about Clark, Spike cares about Dru, and later Buffy and Dawn, and so these characters are sympathetic. It doesn't matter how flawed or tragic or pretty or universally loved a character is without that one key thing.

So, Buffy puts her life on the line for potential friends right from the start. Xander goes with her to save Willow and Jesse. Giles sticks his hand in the potion and tells the bad things to feed on him and not Buffy. It takes Giles a bit longer to count properly, because he could have just been doing his job and being bossy to start with. This is why Wesley isn't initially on the sympathetic list. The first thing we see him do is land other people in it to save himself.

I can't remember when Cordelia gets around to the light side, but it takes her much longer.

Anya was evil, then helped out of self interest, then invited Xander to run away with her. Slow start. But eventually we get her speech about how she usually just runs away but cares too much this time, or her last big speech about humans being stupid. And both speeches keep her in character by making it still snarky, but she turns up to save the world when she doesn't have to, so, sympathetic at last.

Jonathan stayed borderline a long time. He was one of the people who turned up at graduation and fought the mayor, which definitely helps. In Superstar he tried to save the world a lot, *but* it was easy to read that as pure ego, he had to be the center of attention, the guy who got the shiny prize. He made the big evil monster with his ego. But then he risked his life to stop it. But did he mean to? So, borderline. The moment he stands clearly on the shiny side - help people that won't know and don't like him - Andrew stabs him. Jonathan becomes sympathetic and Andrew goes totally un in the same moment.

Except for, Andrew was already a little sympathetic by then, to my mind. "Oh my god, Warren!" (and J saying "Oh my god, me!") He cared about Warren. The whole Jonathan stabbing thing was because he cared about Warren enough to do whatever he said, whatever was necessary, if there was even the slightest chance of helping him. And he cried and said he knew it wasn't Warren, when Buffy held him over the seal. But how desperate would he have to be to pretend that hard?
Then there was the whole thing where he turned up when the world was ending. He left the house a bunch of times. He wasn't a hostage by the time the big fight turned up. He was there to help.
Of course the First was mad at him, and assorted bad things had tried to kill him a lot, and logic says if the world ends then so does the part you are standing in, so that could still be self interest.
But over on Angel he stumbles into the W&H offices, all beat up, and he isn't all 'ouch, help!', he's upset as can be because he thinks Spike got hurt or maybe killed again.
Andrew is whiny and annoying but he cares about people. (Or the ideas of people, images he crushes on, which complicates things, but still, as with Spike, good start)

Oz started out slow. First we saw he wasn't just interested in sex, which is a pretty good start. Women had to do more than breathe to interest him. Willow first caught his eye when she was in that eskimo suit. So we know he isn't cliche gland guy. Later he turns up and helps out whenever he's needed. He's sort of quiet about it. But if Willow is in trouble, he'll risk the world to save her.

Tara initially went to Willow to try and help the town when everyone lost their voices. Got in danger, got hurt, helped anyway. And then stayed around, liking Willow, helping Willow. Tara has the stutter and the being shy and, unlike Olivia, she knows right from the start that the monsters are real, there, and after her and Willow, but she stays around, even though it would be safer for her to leave.

Kennedy... I've been thinking about it, and I can't figure out where her moment is.
She's kind of the opposite of Oz, with the very sexual interest in Willow, and the little speech we like the same things—Italian, skate punk, Robert Parker mysteries, fighting evil..., where it turns out no, none of that true. So Kennedy knows nothing about Willow and they have nothing in common, and apparently she doesn't care.
She's kind of the opposite of Tara, since although she does know about the monsters being real, she also stays with the group more for her own protection (kind of like Andrew). When she is introduced it is made very clear that running away would get a potential killed, which makes all subsequent stay and fight decisions a bit less meaningful. She doesn't so much know about magic, and when it turns out less than shiny, when Willow feeds on her power, they have Issues. But they end up together again, happily ever after.
Except, we don't see them talking it out, they just end up kissing again. Trying to get sex is a selfish motive. Plus, far as we know, Willow and Kennedy are by the end the only two lesbians in Sunnydale. K turns up, has no choice about her location, happily finds someone there to have sex with. Doesn't add up to forever love.
And the magic is also how Willow kicks ass. K thinks Willow is the most powerful person in Sunnydale, and K just happens to need protection. That also looks dodgy. But then they all get Slayer powers and go kick ass, so it isn't like she hides behind her girlfriend.
K also has the moment of calling Chloe a maggot, and then Chloe kills herself. Do we get a remorse moment about that? Did I miss it?
I can find a lot of moments of Kennedy being pushy, bossy, bitchy, and ill informed, or flat out lying to get her way, but I can't currently think of one where she risks anything of herself to help someone else, when she had the option of just leaving.
The obvious answer is "The Killer in Me". Kennedy is the one who sticks with Willow, follows her around, tries to help.
The 'follows her around' part is the first problem. Because apparently her reason involves pointing and laughing. "Come on. I mean, you turned into a guy. I mean if you take a step back, seriously, there's a certain element of humor here, right?" So she isn't taking things seriously.
But, okay, assume she actually does want to help. (For why? Willow isn't a girl any more, K fancies girls, so it isn't hard to see a selfish in there.)
Kennedy gets in Amy's face after Amy knocks her across the room. That proves she isn't a coward. But is it really proving she cares more for Willow than for herself? Its probably meant to, but I'm not sure I buy it. Kennedy is pushy and apparently thinks she can handle anything. So when magic is aimed at her she pushes back and is apparently unafraid. That last part is what makes it difficult to see this as her selfless moment. If it isn't a risk, she isn't risking herself.
Then Amy ports her after Warren!Willow. Which is important - Kennedy doesn't even decide to go after her, she just lands in front of her. And Warren!Willow points a gun at her. And K stays calm and tries to help.
And again, there's a big problem with reading this moment as selfless risk. She is calm - does she even believe W would shoot? And what are her options - outrun a bullet?
So she stays, and she finishes the 'fairy tale' with a kiss to break the spell.
But that still isn't caring about someone else more than she cares about herself. She saves her own life and gets back the person she wants to kiss. Can still be read as entirely selfish.

The other thing that the episode does is try to make Kennedy bashing sound like Warren words. I don't hate K. I have no problem with women who know what they want and go after it. I just don't care about her. I can't find the moment where she proves she cares about anyone, so why should I care?


Now it is of course entirely possible that I'm missing something. Season 7 isn't my favourite, I haven't rewatched it half as often as the others, and when I do watch I'm looking for Giles, Andrew and Spike.

But I was trying to figure out why Kennedy isn't so very much liked, isn't seen as sympathetic, and I think this lot is one why.

Comments

[versaphile.livejournal.com]

You know, I think you really hit the nail on the head with Kennedy here.

[beccaelizabeth]

thanks :)