8 Best Unsung Antiheroes Of TV's Golden Age
5. Krystal Stubbs (Kirsten Dunst) - On Becoming A God In Central Florida
On Becoming a God in Central Florida is set in 1990s Orlando at the height of the pyramid scheme craze. In the midst of this is typical Floridian Krystal Stubbs (she works at a water park and her husband was eaten by an alligator, need we say more?) who becomes widowed in the pilot episode by a man who threw all their money in a pyramid scheme that’s portrayed more like a cult.
She needs some form of financial relief and neither her water park employee, her misogynistic neighbor, her debt collector, or her late husband's pyramid scheme "family" is willing to give her much leeway.
When Stubbs tricks her ex-husband's meek boss (Theodore Pellerin) into giving him stage time at the annual convention, she discovers she has the power to influence people. The problem is her foil (a ruthlessly stubborn con artist played brilliantly by Ted Levine) has a scam of a company to begin with and she realizes she needs to work outside of its bounds to break even.
Krystal has the moxey and spunk to outsmart a ruthless villain but through most of the first season, it’s never a sure bet if she won’t shoot herself in the foot or fall victim to impossible circumstances first. Krystal’s lack of certainty makes for a show that’s sublimely unpredictable.