Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-2153169-20180206195120/@comment-27060727-20180208174410

Lady Junky wrote: JennaMae wrote: They're giving Gothel a sympathetic backstory?

I don't know what to say. But if the writers felt defensive after 707... yikes. Because she can't have one? I don't get why? Because she did horrible stuff, like in 707, she can't be a character who herself had trouble?

Her backstory is here to help us to understand why she did these things; not to forgive her recent actions. Look at Fiona or Cora. They had sympathic backstories, which helped us to understand their motives and their plans... Does not mean they are forgiven, or that they had the rights to do what they did.

To help us understand.... why she's a rapist? I think we could all live without that. It's not necessarily about forgiveness, but Emma saying that we shouldn't be judging Gothel doesn't sit right. They're already on shaky ground with this. But I guess it hinges on what they do with Gothel in the present day and if they're actually trying to garner sympathy for her there. I don't think people were made to feel sorry for Fiona or Cora, and they were still shown making bad decisions in their backstories along with the "sad" parts.

And I don't believe that all villains need sad backstories to make them good backstories. I will forever appreciate Cruella.