The original post: /r/television by /u/phantom_avenger on 2024-05-28 02:20:09.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not insisting it where you feel sorry for them in a way where their actions seem justified or excusable in a sense where you think they deserve “happiness” or whatever. But you understand them in a sense where, if things turned out differently than maybe they wouldn’t be the horrible person they had become.
During my binge watch of watching the FX miniseries; “A Teacher”, I found myself feeling bad for both Claire and Eric on how much their illicit and inappropriate relationship destroyed their lives. Even though Claire was the manipulative teacher that had an attraction towards one of her students, and used that same student’s crush against him to make it seem like he was initiating their relationship. I feel like the show did a great job at exploring the complexities of her character where you understand why she is the way she is.
What she does to Eric is of course wrong, and I do think apart of her understands this! But she was still the same person in the end who clearly has issues that need to be resolved and feels the only way to fill that empty void she feels is by being chaotic and can’t take full responsibility that she needs to live with this guilt she feels for hurting Eric and everyone else for the rest of her life.
I felt Kate Mara just did a really good job at handling those complexities where she’s careful not to portray Claire as a complete monster, but a very flawed person who needs professional help.