Question: I’m a dair fan and I’m asking bc I honestly want to know: why do you think chuck is so great and hate Dan? No hate haha just wondering
I used to like both of them, actually. It’s funny to think about in retrospect, but I remember when I first joined the online fandom in S3 (posting on the TWoP forums), everyone there thought Dan was this horrible douchebag, and I was the one person who was like *small voice* “Umm, well, I like him…” Because I did, I found him kind of endearingly awkward and charming, and I enjoyed his dry sense of humor. Overall, he was just a pretty good guy. And yeah, he was judgmental, but as long as his flaws were acknowledged on the show, I didn’t mind them. After all, flaws are what make characters interesting.
But then there was this shift that occurred in S4, where Dan got progressively douchier and the show (and the other characters) just stopped calling him out on it. He was downright horrible to Vanessa, cheating on her, getting back together with her and having her take care of “his” baby, then planning on dumping her for Serena again, and then acting all self-righteous when she (understandably) got pissy about it. And people- both fans and characters- acted like it didn’t happen. Because it’s Vanessa, so who cares, right? And let’s not forget that when he kissed his best friend’s girlfriend, Nate ended up apologizing to him- that was my first real WTF moment where Dan’s characterization was concerned. Then after 4x11, they started rewriting Dan and Serena’s relationship to make Dan seem like the victim, which was downright eyeroll-inducing. Serena was no angel, but half the problem with their relationship was that Dan constantly made her feel bad about who she was and guilty for not “changing” enough. It was an obvious ploy to have Blair and Dan commiserate together over how badly they were treated by their exes- but while Blair had legitimate room for complaint, Dan really didn’t. So that started rubbing me the wrong way.
Then we get to S5, when Dan starts bringing the douchery to entirely new levels. He treats Serena like dogshit, for absolutely no reason. He publicly humiliates Blair “for her own good”, blames it on Chuck- again- and then has the audacity to still act like he has some moral superiority over Chuck. He basically destroys Blair and Serena’s friendship without a hint of remorse. And now that he’s gotten dumped for the very first time in his entire life, he’s vowing vengeance on everyone. So basically- the guy is a judgmental, hypocrital douchebag.
The thing is, a character can act like a jerk and make mistakes, and still be likable- but the mistakes have to be acknowledged, and the character has to suffer consequences. Dan never admits to being in the wrong, nothing is ever his fault, and he never suffers any consequences for anything. What were the consequences for him humiliating Blair at her wedding and then lying about it and framing someone else? Oh right, she was pissed for like 5 minutes and then showed up at his loft to suck his face off. Whose fault was it when he had sex with Serena in the finale? Serena’s, of course, because she tricked him into it with her magical vagina voodoo. He took zero responsibility for cheating on his girlfriend, which was just so very… Dan of him.
Contrast this with Chuck, who’s made the biggest mistakes, but also suffered the worst consequences. Chuck is flawed, for sure, but he acknowledges it, the other characters acknowledge it- and he’s shown genuine remorse for the horrible things he’s done. He’s not the stereotypical “good guy” who we’re supposed to believe is some bastion of morality even when he’s acting like a total douche. He’s the screwed-up one, the one who has to fight an uphill battle against his own instincts, his own demons. The one for whom “doing the right thing” doesn’t come easily or naturally, but rather takes concerted effort on his part.
I’ve always liked Chuck, because he’s a fascinating character (and Ed plays him brilliantly). Much like Blair, he’s a study in contradictions- the heartless playboy who falls hopelessly, irrevocably in love; the unrepentant asshole who’s willing to go to any lengths to protect the people he cares about; the spoiled brat who had everything, except the only thing he really wanted- the love and respect of his father. No one on this show has been more of a dick than Chuck, that much is inarguable- but at the same time, no one has suffered as much as he has. No one, besides maybe Blair, has shown the same degree of vulnerability that he has. He was forced to grow up far too quickly, and never had a childhood as a result- and now, even though he’s a grown man experienced far beyond his years, there are times when he seems like a scared little boy. And the obstacles he’s faced, the lifetime of emotional neglect and abandonment, resulted in the misanthropic 16-year-old we first met in S1, who believed that happiness just wasn’t in the cards for him. I think him overcoming that, and overcoming all the shit that’s been thrown at him over the last five years, is by far the most compelling character development on this show.
And relative to that, Dan is not only hypocritical, but quite frankly… he’s not very interesting. He’s the normal guy who grew up with a loving, supportive family, no real obstacles to overcome besides the horrors of being upper middle class. From academics to career to romance, he’s gotten pretty much everything he’s ever wanted. In 5 years of this show, he was never once rejected by a girl- in fact, his pattern is to dump girls and then treat them like shit afterwards. So why exactly am I supposed to root for him? What’s interesting or compelling about his “journey”?
Chuck’s journey is one of redemption. Of hitting rock bottom and almost losing himself in a morass of depression, addiction, and self-loathing, of being too broken and damaged to even know how to love someone- but against all odds, fighting to overcome his demons and make a real life for himself. To finally achieve the love and happiness he’d never believed himself worthy of.
And that is why Chuck is worth rooting for.
(So… that turned out longer than I intended, haha. Hope it answered your question.)
