G33K LYFE: Television's top antiheroes

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Breaking Bad’s Walter White was one of television’s most intriguing antiheroes.

Having lost a large part of my Reading Week absorbed in season two of House of Cards, I found myself reflecting how some of the most compelling television of the last decade has followed the actions of some truly terrible people, thrusting them into the role of protagonist and daring millions of viewers to continue to root for these characters on screen.

This modern television direction has produced characters that are sure to go down as some of the greatest in history, despite how fast we would want to see them locked up if we were to meet them on the street.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: THIS WEEK'S COLUMN CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Game of Thrones: Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster- Waldau)
“There are no men like me, only me.”
He throws a child out of a window, but he's one of the best knights in the kingdom, he fathered illegitimate children with his royal sister, but has saved millions of lives — of all the polarizing characters on Game of Thrones, few can split opinion like the least popular Lannister brother.

Originally the epitome of villainy, Jamie has undergone one of the most drastic personal character arcs of anybody on the series, proving to be acutely aware of the shortcomings of those around him, the crimes of his own family and the hypocrisies of highborn culture. A character-shattering moment in season three has sent him further along the path of redemption, one that is sure to be a focus of season four.

Dexter: Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)
“I love Halloween, the one time everyone wears a mask, not just me.”
Family man, forensic analyst and prolific serial killer, Dexter Morgan's attempts to lead a normal life while managing his desire to kill made him TV's most sympathetic murderer. A self-admitted “monster,” Dexter goes through the motions of a daily life while purging the Miami underworld of killers who escaped conviction. Dexter's journey provided him with a loving wife and family, only to have it cruelly taken away in one of the most jaw-dropping moments ever seen on the small screen, and the events leading up to his tragedy was one of the most compelling stories I've seen. It's a shame that the halfway point of the series was also the highest, but the travesty of an ending should not overshadow the wonderful darkness provided in the first four years.

Breaking Bad: Walter White (Bryan Cranston)
“What I do, I do for my family.”
Not only the best antihero on television, but one of the most compelling characters in any media ever, anybody who has not witnessed Walter White transform from meek chemistry teacher to malevolent drug lord is missing out on what is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest programs of all time.

Stepping into the drug world to raise money for his family in preparation for his death, Mr. White begins to fall in love with the business, using his skills and his newfound ruthless streak to become one of the most powerful criminals in the southern United States, eventually leaving everything he loves twisted and ruined in his wake. Beautifully brought to life by Bryan Cranston, Walt makes decisions that will shock and horrify the viewer, but will command absolutely 100 per cent of their attention.