Character development can be utilized to produce empathy or sympathy for the protagonists or antagonists.
As characters grow, the audience can identify with their personal struggles as the character confronts them, cheer their triumphs as they overcome obstacles, or feel for them as they fail. Regression in terms of morality and the explanation for this development can produce feelings of loathing for the character or pity if the circumstances described in the events overwhelm the character and help precipitate the change. How well the character is presented and the performance attached to the character by the performer greatly contributes to the perception of the audience.
Changes in the character, good or bad, demonstrate that the character is being told in a dynamic style. On television, in procedurals and dramas, characters may have temporary dynamism, but return to the exact state they were when the episode began. These characters by and large are really static characters. They may have gone through some drama for a few moments but really the essence of the character has not changed. Applying this reset helps new converts jump in and reduces the confusion that may be present from being unaware of any past chronology or history of events in the telling of the story. However, some audience members may feel cheated if the character they have invested time into does not learn something from what transpired or make the transition necessary to really push the story into new territory.
Changes in the character, good or bad, demonstrate that the character is being told in a dynamic style. On television, in procedurals and dramas, characters may have temporary dynamism, but return to the exact state they were when the episode began. These characters by and large are really static characters. They may have gone through some drama for a few moments but really the essence of the character has not changed. Applying this reset helps new converts jump in and reduces the confusion that may be present from being unaware of any past chronology or history of events in the telling of the story. However, some audience members may feel cheated if the character they have invested time into does not learn something from what transpired or make the transition necessary to really push the story into new territory.
In comedies, it is not uncommon for characters to work towards getting out of some debacle and are stuck humorously stumbling their way out of a mess they are in just so they can finally limp their way back to the way things were when the story started. Did the characters learn anything? Will they change or will the events have an effect on what takes place next? It might not really matter as long as the journey is funny. Sometimes the wilder the better!
