Even if Empire showrunner Ilene Chaiken referred to Campbell’s character as, “not a lesbian…if anything an opportunist,” Camilla Marks-Whiteman was a black woman married to another woman, who’d also had previous relationships with men. And since opportunist isn’t a sexual orientation, she would seemingly be bisexual.
Camilla was introduced in the first season of the show as Hakeem Lyon’s much older girlfriend. She returned to the show play the big bad for half of the second season, before she fell victim to the bury your gays trope.
From lovable villains to out and proud choir singers, there are tons of fictional beings that we enjoy. However, not all of them have received that happy ending they deserved. So here is a list of fictional characters that, despite their high potential, were truly let down by the end of their tale.
This post contains spoilers.
5. Kurt Hummel (Glee)
When Kurt Hummel first hit our screens in 2009, you’d be lying if you said that you didn’t fall in love with him right away. Through his bold statements about sexual orientation and his issues with his once ignorant father, Hummel quickly became the heart of the show. Unfortunately, things began to turn south during the third season.
After a while of dating his formerly innocent boyfriend Blaine Anderson, Kurt slowly morphed into something very different from the first two seasons. We witnessed one of the show’s best characters be terrorized, manipulated and almost be raped by his boyfriend, and in the end, it was Kurt who took the blame. We ended up seeing Blaine portray the victim after Kurt fled off to New York to achieve his dream, and then made Hummel was made to settle for less than he ever dreamed off. Kurt’s purpose was to defy odds and show to his supporters that one can in fact overcome their troubles and become an independent, striving star. However, he was anything but his boyfriend’s support system and arm candy, and that, to say the least, is a complete disappointment for someone with so much potential.
4. Emma Chota (Red Band Society)
This addition isn’t necessarily at the fault of the writers. This one is more dedicated to the people at FOX that decided this show didn’t deserve more than thirteen episodes. Emma Chota was something that American television really didn’t see a lot of before Red Band Society came about. There are many shows that touch on eating disorders but the way that Red Band Society did it with Emma was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Every time we see films and television shows attempt to tell an eating disorder story, the woman portraying the role is always sexually attractive, in her twenties/thirties and could easily pass off well in any other role. But with Ciara Bravo, she had everything that was needed. She didn’t come across as someone that could pass as a model, nor did she look way older than she needed to be. Ciara felt real, and though she was extremely pretty, she still didn’t feel like she belonged on a runway. And with all of this added on to the fact that she had way more talent than a girl of her age should have, she really was perfect for the role. Emma deserved to see a happy ending and a fruitful, extensive journey.
3. Kyle Bishop (Smash)
If the list were long enough, every single character on this show deserved better. In fact, the show itself deserved to go on for 10 more seasons and have three films dedicated to it. But anyway, let’s move on…
Kyle Bishop was that glimmer of hope for many aspiring artists - and in particular, gay artists. Kyle was innocent yet daring, and timid yet strong. He was extraordinarily relatable to anyone that was either gay or a struggling artist. He had the ambition and he had the personality, yet the showrunners decided to kill him off for what ended up being for absolutely no reason… Yes, we felt emotional, but that was literally it. His death didn’t lead to anything, even in a superficial sense. The death of Kyle was literally used for shock value and nothing else. And despite his credibility amongst fans, he really didn’t get the ending he deserved.
Camilla Marks wasn’t a fan favourite, and never will be. However, she was the perfect villain. Marks was able to make the audience seethe in their seats whilst redefining the role of the TV villain. She proved that not all women on television are vulnerable or heroic. Sometimes, rather than being full of protagonist values, they’re just plain, cold, evil. Marks deserved better as not with her her extremely difficult to love personality, she managed to strike hard every time she hit the screen. She knew how to get us to hate her and gave us something new for female television villains. And the fact that she was a bisexual/pansexual/etc. woman of colour made her an even bigger icon. Yet, Empire decided to kill her off… in the worst way possible.
Empire’s greatest villain ended up dying right next to her dead wife at the hands of her ultimate enemy, Lucious. Camilla deserved a lot more than to die at the hands of her ultimate enemy, especially with no justified reason for it. The show randomly killed her off and then had almost no aftermath to it - it’s as if the best villain on the show never even existed…
1. Quinn Fabray (Glee)
The only show to make two appearances on a list of five characters… But you probably expected that.
Quinn Fabray was a character with tons of potential. And I really mean tons. Upon first look it may seem that she was shallow and only reached out to a market that didn’t need to be reached out to. But this is completely wrong. Quinn spoke to more than just the pretty and hot girl. Quinn appealed to the insecure girl. She appealed to the misunderstood girl. The overly pressured. The closeted girl. And, most importantly, the abused girl. Fabray had potential to reach out to all kinds of audiences, yet the show decided not to go for most of them. Instead, we’re told that she used to be fat and got a ton of plastic surgery and she ended up with the man who raped her and got her pregnant. Because of course, a show that is targeted towards young adults should always share the message that as long as someone says they’re sorry, they truly are. And if you don’t forgive them, then like Quinn you are a horrible person that will forever be alone!
…Or not.
We really could have seen a lot more with Quinn. She could have graduated from college single and managed to outdo all of her exes. She could taken control of Glee club once Mr Schuster left. Anything. Just as long it wasn’t ending up with the man who raped her!
Ugh.
Do you agree with this list? Who do you think should be in it? Let me know your views in the comments below!
