Posted by Lucia Heroine TV | December 20, 2009, 22:31 (EST) | 16 Comments
Category: TV Series
I have a theory. It could be demons? No, not that one. We all know the saying “Nice guys finish last.” Well, I have a theory that most of those “nice guys” are not actually “nice,” but rather, losers. “Nice” is very often the adjective applied to someone about whom we have nothing else to say. It is the default adjective for our dealings with people out in the world—anyone who is not completely awful or absolutely fabulous is “nice,” causing the word to lose all meaning. Thus, “nice” often means mediocre, or okay-looking, or no-personality-but-at-least-he-didn’t-piss-me-off. I think that if there were an actual nice guy, he would definitely not finish last. In fact a girl (or boy) might be prone to forgetting all about “the bad boy” in favor of this rare specimen. Matt Donovan (or Matt Honeycutt to the book fans), I would argue, is one of these rare truly nice guys—“nice” in the very best sense of the word.
There are a number of different standard character roles in literature, film, and television, and amongst them is “the nice guy.” “The nice guy” role often overlaps with “the best friend,” “the sidekick,” “the everyman,” or sometimes, “the geek.” “Nice guys” usually have unrequited feelings for a “nice girl,” who, of course, should not be confused with the “nice guy,” since “nice girls” are a totally different deal. Yes, the world isn’t fair. The “nice guy” is usually overshadowed by a friend with special abilities—sometimes athletic, musical, or super-powered.
A notable example of the “nice guy” on television would be Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is a character for whom all the previously-mentioned labels apply: he is a nice-best-friend-sidekick-geeky-everyman. He crushes on Buffy at first sight, but behaves like a bumbling idiot. He wears ridiculous clothing that makes me want to avert my eyes. These thinks mark him as the television version of “the geek” (something much different from the real life version of the same thing). He is part of the Scooby Gang, and works with Buffy, Willow, and Giles to fight demons (or at least he provides snacks, so that the others can fight those demons). He has no powers or special skills, but he keeps trying anyway, and he often says what the audience is thinking. That makes him “the best friend,” “sidekick,” and “everyman.” When Buffy does not return his affection, he of course blames this on his said role as “the best friend,” and wishes that Buffy could see him in a different light. He is bitter that the mysterious “reformed-bad-boy,” Angel, gets Buffy’s attention, rather than him, and self-proclaims himself as the nice guy who finishes last. (Not in so many words, but trust me, people, the subtext is there.)
However, there is more to Xander Harris. In the early seasons of Buffy, he also treats his so-called best friend, Willow, rather shabbily, and constantly takes advantage of her. Despite Xander’s “geek” status, he is not a good student, and relies on Willow to help him pass all his classes. When he finally gets a girlfriend, (way out of his league) Cordelia, he treats her terribly as well, and eventually cheats on her—the shock of which causes her to be impaled by a metal rod while trying to save his ungrateful life. Then, when he manages to get a second girl to fall in love with him, Anya, he dates her for three years before proposing to her, and subsequently leaving her at the altar. Yeah, he’s real “nice.” He is also petty, vindictive, and immature throughout the series, and rarely willing to face up to his actions. Despite the fact that Buffy does not return his feelings, he remains jealous of her relationship with Angel throughout seasons two and three. In the second season finale, when Buffy is preparing for a battle to the death with her now-temporarily-evil-boyfriend, Xander intentionally neglects to give Buffy the message that Willow is in the process of restoring Angel’s soul. Out of anger and bitterness, he would rather that Angel be killed than given a chance at redemption, and ensures that Buffy has no option but to kill the love of her life. Still, he is considered the nice, funny guy; he is the regular but unappreciated guy to whom we can all relate. Please. I’m not saying that Xander is a bad guy, or that he doesn’t have any justification for his actions, or even that he’s not likeable (to others besides myself), but just that the “nice guy” label is a misnomer, as he is not particularly kind, pleasant, gracious, or refined.
Another example of the stock “nice guy” is Pete Ross from Smallville. Like Xander, he is overshadowed by his super-powered best friend; in this case, Clark Kent/ Superman. In the early seasons of Smallville, Pete nursed a crush on Chloe, who in turn was crushing on Clark. Oh, poor Pete. Clark was always saving the day, and Pete looked on from the sidelines. He was just an ordinary guy, with no special noteworthy characteristics, so by default, he is termed a “nice guy.” He is also a “best friend” and “sidekick,” and those labels pretty much define his role on the show. Basically, Pete is labeled a “nice guy,” because there is really nothing else to say about him. It seems like too often on television “best friend” characters are not imbued with a personality beyond their role as “best friend,” which does not lead to a complex or compelling character. Of course another sidekick on Smallville, Chloe Sullivan, was given better treatment, and her character was given plenty of motivation and a journey of growth, so there is really no excuse for Pete’s character.
Like Xander, Pete proved himself to be petty and immature, especially in comparison to his Boy Scout best friend Clark Kent. In his defense, it must be hard when you are best friends with the symbol for truth and justice, Superman, even in his less-than-perfect teenage incarnation. In a ridiculous episode featuring drag racing, “Velocity,” Pete gets addicted to racing, and through his careless disregard for others, a man dies. In smaller moments too, throughout Pete’s three season run, this “nice guy” repeatedly proved himself to be jealous of Clark, and even upon his return to Smallville later in the series, in that awful Stride commercial episode, he proved that he had not really grown up. He certainly does not fit my definition of nice, i.e. the one in the dictionary. In his defense, however, he was written without any real character, so displaying a lack of character growth is not much of a change.
There are a number of other book, television, and movie characters who fit this fake “nice guy” model in my view (I will forgo listing them here, so as to prevent angering any more fandoms than I already have), but very few who can genuinely be termed nice guys. Matt from The Vampire Diaries is an example of the genuine article, in both the books and the television show. So as not to confuse those of you have not read the books, I will stick to the show for my discussion here. For Matt, “nice guy” is not a misnomer, and he is a very different kind of character from Xander or Pete. Instead of lacking talent and personality, Matt has many of the qualities of a leading man. Often “nice guy” is just code for “loser,” but in Matt’s case he is both athletic and intelligent, and as sweet as pie (my apologies, but I have always wanted to use that expression). While he plays a secondary character, and is the “jock” ex-boyfriend of the main character, Elena, he does not fit any of the regular tropes. He is not arrogant, dumb, violent, or insensitive. Instead, Tyler fills that role, and he tries to pressure Matt into being like him. In “Friday Night Bites,” Matt is slightly swayed by Tyler into joining in on the plan to take Stefan down at football practice, but then is ready with a very genuine apology afterwards. For the most part, Matt does not let his jock friends pressure him into doing stupid things. When Tyler crosses the line, Matt does not make excuses for him, but makes his disapproval very clear. Matt is not just one of the guys; he is his own person.
While Matt does not take center stage, he retires into the background not out of a lack of character or complexity, rather because of it. He is sensitive and caring to his friends and his sister, and even to the girl who broke his heart. In fact, it is Matt’s treatment of Elena, and especially her new love interest, Stefan, that proves him to be a class act. Instead of being bitter and angry, he is kind and welcoming. While his pain at Elena moving on is ever apparent, and it is always clear that he continues to have strong feelings for his ex-girlfriend, he does not allow this to turn him into a jerk. On any other TV show, when Matt met Stefan he would have punched him; instead Matt shook his hand, and I loved it. Every time that Matt makes the more thoughtful and kind choice, I cheer. I really do. Again and again, in little tiny moments throughout the show, Matt proves himself to be more of a man than any high school boy ever recorded. The most recent example is the way that he stood up for Caroline, and his feelings for her, in “The Turning Point.” (Another cheering moment!)
Matt’s behavior is even more heightened by the fact that he has a broken family to deal with, and eventually, a dead sister. Despite his hardships, he treats people with respect, and does not lash out. While ostensibly the picture of perfection, he does not become a caricature, and remains very human throughout. His struggle is always apparent—he chooses to do the right thing, but it is a choice, and not something automatic—which makes him relatable, rather than self-righteous. Zach Roerig does a fabulous job playing Matt, and his character’s heart and motivation are always clear. Not to mention the fact that he is completely adorable. If I hadn’t already fallen in love with the Matt from the books, I could certainly be accused of being blinded by Roerig’s pretty face, but really the adorable factor is more than skin deep. He is never over the top or grating in his mooning over Elena, but his love for her is subtly present in all their scenes together. His new feelings for Caroline are also very believable, and make me want to root for those two. Through it all, he still seems like a real person, albeit it an extremely charming one, not a sappy romantic character, which is certainly a victory for a teen show.
In conclusion, Matt is the nicest of nice guys, but in a totally different way from most “nice guy” characters on television. While I generally prefer a good villain (I am rather known for it among my family and friends, who roll their eyes at my obvious need of psychiatric help), my introduction of Matt has made me realize that I do like nice guys, just not fake ones. Girls may love a bad boy, in Matt’s case, I would choose the nice guy every time.
You can read more by Lucia on her blog, Heroine TV, where she posts news and video clips, and recaps shows such as The Vampire Diaries, Dollhouse, Mad Men, and Lost. You can also follow her on Twitter (@heroine_tv), where she never tires of talking about television.
Want to guest blog for Vampire-Diaries.net? Contact us. Please include a topic proposal and a link to your blog/writing.
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10:40 pm on December 20th, 2009
11:12 pm on December 20th, 2009
11:34 pm on December 20th, 2009
11:35 pm on December 20th, 2009
11:58 pm on December 20th, 2009
When the writers are trying to figure out what all the characters are suppose to be doing over the summer, hope Matt and Caroline get hired at a children’s summer camp.
Matt and Caroline remind me of camp counselors. Really, I could picture Matt as like a really cool (he’s athlete and outdoorsy) and kind camp counselor who is the one of the campers look up to, yet takes the extra time with the kid that isn’t having an easy time.
Caroline reminds me of that camp counselor who is very energtic and keeps everybody in line.
Just a random thought. Johanna(Quote)
12:09 am on December 21st, 2009
Lucia, i like the way your brain works! And i agree with you about the Matt character. I’m going to go check out your blog and twitter now, keep up the great writting :) Lee(Quote)
12:35 am on December 21st, 2009
I’ve always disliked Xander myself. But Karma’s a bitch. His jealousy of Angel and refusal to think Angel was good would bite him in the ass later in the similar situation. Except it would be with Anya becoming a demon again and Buffy”s refusal to see her redeemable. :/ IMO, Xander really isn’t a “nice guy”.
I adore Matt though. He can be a pushover sometimes but other times he doesn’t take shit. He breaks my heart so easily :) killerchopsticks(Quote)
12:36 am on December 21st, 2009
5:24 am on December 21st, 2009
I agree completely with the Xander & Pete descriptions. Sure each of those characters behaved at times as though they were the “nice guy” at other times you saw their petty and vindictive sides. And those sides were the complete opposite of what you find in a true “nice guy”. I disliked Xander most of the time and Pete almost all of the time. He was a pretty vacant character though as mentioned in the blog. Slightly off topic, but I had the same issue with Lana. Selfish and annoying.
In comparison, Matt could so *easily* be a leading man. The guy you may not notice all that much with the fireworks surrounding Damon and Stefan but he’ll be the one you can count on when everyone else fails you. A knight in shining armor, where Stefan is in blinging armor.
I could do see myself falling for Matt and yet I’m a Damon girl through and through. SmeaGollum888(Quote)
6:40 am on December 21st, 2009
This is exactly why Matt is my favorite character — in both the books *and* the TV show. (And you totally made me rethink how to define “nice guys.”) Heather H.(Quote)
9:12 am on December 21st, 2009
So very true :)
Bad boys’ appeal is over, I want me some Matt <3 Lily(Quote)
12:19 am on December 22nd, 2009
I love reading these comments! I’m glad to see so many kindred spirits. heroine_tv(Quote)
1:02 am on December 30th, 2009
I love the vampire diaries, every guy in the show is great looking. Matt is not only great looking, but he is so sweet. I can’t wait until the new episode’s start. I’m so addicted to this show,(in a good way), to the writer’s of the vampire diaries, keep up the great work!!!!! chelsey(Quote)
2:34 am on January 5th, 2010
2:47 am on April 28th, 2010
3:18 pm on June 22nd, 2010