Unfulfilled?

but i abort again

I call this phenomenon Jack Sparrow Syndrome because Jack Sparrow in the original POTC trilogy is Not The Protagonist; he's more akin to The Trickster or Mastermind or The Cunning Fool archetypes or some combination of these, which is what made him so compelling in the first 3 movies. None of these are compatible with being a Protagonist (at least not in the conventions established by POTC as a franchise) because the audience has to know what the protagonist's motives are to have any interest in the plot. a huge part of why Jack Sparrow *WAS* compelling in the original trilogy was that we (the audience) and characters around him never quite knew What His Deal Was.

a huge part of why the last two POTC suck ass (apart from the fact they're Just Bad) is because they made Jack Sparrow The Protagonist, and in doing so had to make him legible to the audience in a way that requires fundamentally altering the character's function in the story, and therefore fundamentally altering the character altogether. Often, for the worst. Jack Sparrow is far from the first or only character to suffer this fate.

I'd argue an early significant example of Jack Sparrow Syndrome is Lestat De Lioncourt, who was so fundamentally altered by becoming The Protagonist between IWTV and TVL that reading the books back to back had me seriously questioning if they were even written by the same author. Earlier still, one could make an argument for later Sherlock Holmes stories. Another example is Loki in the MCU, who went from being the literal god of mischief to a fucking COP for all of reality in his own show. I would also argue Spok suffers from this in many Star Trek reboots/spin-offs. There's another, more recent example, which is actually what inspired me to make this post, but the author doesn't deserve the attention.

When I explain this concept to people, they often suggest that I am talking about Flanderisation. While there can be some crossover, Jack Sparrow-ing is not reducing a character to their surface-level mannerisms, but it can appear that way. Often the character's typical mannerisms are ramped up to cover for a drastic character overhaul that places them in a more prominent role than they were designed for. Jack Sparrow-ing is taking a character who was never meant to be the Audience Way In. making them thus, and completely changing them in the process. While there are *some* examples where taking a Side Character and making them the Main Character has worked, it is my opinion that those are exceptions and not the Rule. It is also my opinion that this is one of the more tragic things that can happen to a character you love very much. thank you for coming <333

i decided to try a romcom i somehow missed i the 2000s 'head over heels' and i got 3 and a half minutes in and we're introduced to the lonely MC with bad taste in men as evidenced by her extremely short list of ex boyfriends, including her first boyfriend when she was 11 or something because i guess that's still relevant in her adult life.

so she's resigned herself to never finding love and prefers to ignore men to focus all her energy into her career.

this job is immediately presented as though it's for spinsters with no hope of ever finding a man.

the mc's lesbian bestie (whose first line involves her being scolded for being too sexual in the workplace, but moving on) points out their colleagues as evidence that they're doomed to a romance-less, sexless life if they don't switch up their shared career path. the colleagues are three old women, so-dubbed "the menopause triplets":

these women are presented as if they have no idea what's going on at any given moment. this is 2001, and presumably this is an entry level job requiring low effort and no experience.

then their boss bursts into the room, unceremoniously bumping a large painting into the door jam and walls, announcing that it's a new project for our MC.

our MC is thrilled to see the painting. apparently it's a light in the daily slog at her dreary job for loser women with nothing going on in their lives.

And that job is? Conservator of paintings (specializing in Renaissance) at the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The painting being handled like an old couch on its way to the curb?

The Bacchanal of the Andrians by Titian.

Her lesbian colleague who is presumably also a a highly trained & skilled curator finds it depressing that the MC is so excited about the painting.