Spaced: 10 Things To Love About Edgar Wright's Hidden Gem

8. Deeply Flawed, Genuinely Endearing Characters

spaced frost pegg
Channel 4

The characters of Spaced follow the same approach to many of our other favourite rogues. From Bojack Horseman to Rick Sanchez, we have a well proven tendency to gravitate towards deeply flawed individuals in our entertainment.

There is nothing hiding this, and from the outset each character gives us a personality rife with flaws. With Marsha's alcoholism, Twist's blatant manipulation of people, Brian's lack of spine, Mike's penchant for violence, Tim's short fuse and Daisy's total lack of self control, no one gets away clean.

The only one spared is Colin, yet even he has flexible loyalties. Et tu, doggo?

Despite this, the characters remain endearing throughout. Human imperfection is a quality we can't help but relate to.

As the series nears its end we see change, each character overcoming their flaws (except for the alcoholism) and trying to improve. Whether long-lasting or not, and we can speculate endlessly about how permanent such changes might be, it doesn't detract from what are genuine acts of good.

When the cast attempt to fix the harm they have caused their efforts feel real and heartfelt. Considering how much of the series starts out in deception, this honesty shows a personal growth that feels human.

Contributor

My passion for all things Sci Fi goes back to my earliest days, when old VHS copies of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet gripped my tiny mind with their big, noisy vehicles and terrifying puppets. I'd like to say my taste got more refined over the years, but between the Warhammer, Space Dandy and niche Star Wars EU books, perhaps it just got broader. I've enjoyed games of all calibre since I figured out that dice weren't just for eating, and have written prose ever since I was left unsupervised with some crayons next to a white wall. I got away with it by calling it "schoolwork" for as long as I could, and university helped me keep the charade going a while longer. Since my work began to get published, it's made all those long hours repainting the walls seem worth it.