When A Character Leaves A Show

Spoilers Ahead For: Community, Apothecary Diaries, And Other Series Mentioned In This Blog Posts.

"Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the woods..." the lyrics Stephen Sondheim wrote before the curtain fell during "Into The Woods" not only are beautiful and come with a soft but wonderful instrumentation, but hold truth as well. We hold those we love close, friends, family, but sometimes people drift apart. Whether in the midst of conflict or because the conflict comes from the outside, from life itself, sometime things fade away. This can also be true for the shows we watch, sometimes our favorite characters do not see us to the finale, sometimes characters leave, and I wanted to talk about that.

Whether a character is written out, an actor decides to leave the project, someone passes away who plays the character and the character is removed from the show out of respect for the deceased. There are many ways a character can leave the show, whether there is off screen drama, a creative decision, or someone does not want to replace the character. Sometimes in animation or live action the character remains but is just played by someone else, but today I am talking about if a character leaves, and does not come back aside from maybe a cameo or two, or even the series finale. 

The first instance of this I can remember is Buster from Arthur, heading all the way back to days of PBS Kids and many shows I loved growing up. Buster left to have his own spin off show, and was not in Arthur, the episode was meant to teach kids like me what happens when one of their friends move away. Buster did eventually come back to the main show when his spin off show ended, which can happen in real life but most often not. 

The inspiration for this post comes from the Apothecary Diaries, and its latest season, I have been hooked on this show, and even though it tackles some very heavy subject matter, I love the mysteries, romance, and also the beautiful visuals and music of this anime. The presentation and writing fire on all cylinders so many times I have lost count with this show. In this show our lead, Mao Mao has a good friend by the name of Xiaolan, these two formed a fast friendship and helped each other, whether Xiaolan was helping our lead solve a mystery with information or with a task, or Mao Mao teaching her how to read. The two had a solid friendship that was fun to see, but at the end of season two after the main plot line subsided and things were winding down, off screen, Xiaolan left. Through a letter she says goodbye to her friend and the audience, leaving our lead in tears as she was unable to see her off due to circumstances. The ending is good and happy, there is no bitterness, anger, or harm being done to each character, just life itself separating them. Still heartbreaking to the lead as well as the audience, being bittersweet moment that was beyond unexpected.

This can also extend to the world of live action, especially sitcoms. Michel Scott in The Office, Chris and Ann in Parks And Rec, Gina in Brooklyn 99, and of course Troy in Community. Each of these characters are given comedic, and super heartwarming farewells, sometimes to make a couple more appearances and sometimes never again. Troy is slated to return for the movie, Michel Scott made an appearance in the series finale, Chris And Ann doing the same with one more appearance from Ann as well, and with Gina, she would appear once a season and did as well for the finale of Brooklyn 99. Parks and Rec even had Mark leave after two seasons so it was not the shows first rodeo. Sometimes a reunion episode may bring the cast back together including those who may have left, and can make their inclusion just as special as the episode itself, adding to the impact of a series finale with their appearance and giving and air of getting the whole gang back together one last time. 

When a character leaves even if we do see them again, they move from the main rotation, many episodes pass without even a mention of them as the leads move on in their lives and with new challenges. Just like what happens with real life. Even though not every friend can stay, and sometimes they do we just see them or hear from way less, we continue to keep going.

Art can imitate life and I feel like it hits hard with this topic, because in real life with a friend getting married, becoming a parent, moving away, or even graduating can be the final chapter of a friendship. In many cases and with modern technology and social media it is easy to stay in touch, and even see our friends still, just not as often as we did before, but sometimes the story does end. It ends and it hurts, but the memories of the friendship will always stay. Sometimes we reconnect, sometimes we lose connection, that is just life, and it fascinates me when fiction takes on this subject. Sometimes it is done well and others not, sometimes a character can even return to the show after an absence as if they never left. 

Yes sometimes real life factors affect a characters departure, but other times it happens with the narrative. When a different member of the cast reminisces on the ones who leave, we reminisce alongside them. We rewatch shows, knowing at a certain point, even before the series comes to a close, we have to say goodbye. We may see them again, we may not. This is different then when an antagonist or villain is seen leaving with the chance to return, or is defeated and choses to fade away. Sometimes our friends say goodbye, and even though it may hurt, we can always cherish the time we spent with them. We can remember the times they made us laugh, the times they inspired us, just as sometimes we see a fictional character do so for their friends. 

"Sometimes people leave you.. halfway through the woods..." that is true. But as that song continues if you keep going forward, hold on to the good times, and look around you, no one is truly alone.