Hot take: Among Us Show Red Among Us isn't stupid. Like- they have poor judgement, really bad spacial awareness, a bad memory, extremely selfish tendencies, and a crippling need for approval that trips them up constantly, but that doesn't mean they aren't smart or competent. And it ESPECIALLY doesn't mean they aren't smart or competent by the END of the show, because fun fact; a character arc is about overcoming flaws. And Red has one of the strongest arcs in the show. But I digress. Anyway TIME FOR AN IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF RED'S STRENGTHS AS A CHARACTER BECAUSE I'M LOWKEY SICK OF PEOPLE FLANDERIZING THEIR NEGATIVE TRAITS YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!
First of all, Red is EXTREMELY resourceful. Like, the majority of what I would consider their best moments involve them coming up with a plan on the fly. The scene where they get everyone to eject Orange, despite the fumble of them forgetting what a trust ball is, is probably the best example of this. They play along with Orange's crewmate act, subtly communicate the plan to the rest of the group, come up with the first excuse to get Orange down the trash chute and, when Green fucks that up, actually listen to Purple's suggested alternate excuse before accidentally pushing Orange in with the full force of their entire body. Like that's a good fuckin plan, and it's one they just made up entirely on the spot and adjusted relatively quickly every time a wrench got thrown in!!! That's super fucking impressive actually. There are a few other examples, like them locking the fuck in during the O2 emergency and them deciding to. Make out with Blue's corpse while covered in salt water. Which sounds terrible out of context. But I think that one scene gets my point across pretty damn well. Red is very, very resourceful.
That being said, Red's biggest strength is the fact that they are genuinely, unironically, a good leader. They use it for evil for most of the show, but like. This isn't about proving Red is a good person, just not a dumb one. Red is really really good at steering a conversation when they aren't stuffing their face in the MIRA handbook or trying to appeal to HR. They're good at drawing attention to themself, yelling in an authoritative voice, pulling dramatic monologues out of their ass, and just bold faced lying to people. It all comes together to make them someone you WANT to listen to, someone convincing. Which genuinely is the majority of what a leader is. Like, a lot of people don't get this- a leader isn't the person in a group who does the MAJORITY of the work, they're the person who rallies people together in order to get the work done. Leadership isn't more or less valuable then any other skill, it's just that- a skill. And it's one that Among Us Show Red Among Us HAS. The only thing they're really missing for most of the show is the ability to listen to teammates and actually PROPERLY utilize their ideas and abilities, but that's also something Red gets a lot better about as the series goes on. I stand by this- RED IS A GOOD LEADER!!!!!!! Writing this is making me appreciate their arc over the course of the show a lot more tbh, because it showcases how someone good at leading can both help and hurt the group they're in charge of. You can either selfishly try to hold your position of power at all costs, exacerbating an already dangerous situation in the name of saving your own ego, OR you can lock the fuck in and bring people together, listening to what others bring to the table and directing them to create the best possible outcome. And Red does both!!! I think it's a really well written character progression.
Anyway uh. In conclusion, Red isn't NEARLY as incompetent as I see a lot of people portraying them to be. Not only are they like, super fucking resourceful, but they're also A GOOD FUCKING LEADER. They just also have, y'know, flaws. The thing most good characters need to have. And the things their arcs are centered around deconstructing and improving on. Red makes bad decisions out of selfishness, which results in them using their genuine skills to cause more problems then they solve, but that doesn't mean they don't HAVE skills, and it doesn't mean they're too dumb to realize what they're doing. I'm really really sick of the way fandoms tend to just fucking... ignore any and all positive qualities characters have in the name of making them a pathetic wooby. Red doesn't even have it that bad in comparison to some other characters from other fandoms I'm in, they're just kinda the straw that broke this camels back. I really really like Red and I think it's really fucking annoying when the positive traits that are the REASON I LIKE THEM get erased in the name of having another pathetic "male"wife to ship with a hypercompetent "girl"bossified Purple, which dON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE GENDERED ASPECTS OF THIS BECAUSE WE WILL BE HERE FOR ANOTHER 3 PARAGRAPHS OH MY GOD THESE CHARACTERS ARE NONBINARY CAN WE STO-
Okay that got way too long. The real conclusion is that Red is a really good character and fandoms need to stop oversimplifying complicated stories so goddamn much.
Also all that being said, I do not think they should've been put in charge of flying a space craft. Leadership and resourcefulness are not the same as piloting and this fucker is SO attention deficit oh my god can wE PLEASE GET SOMEONE ELSE STEERING THIS SHIP PLEASE- NO NOT WHITE SOMEONE ELSE-
