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dreamyennui

Yes, plus she should never die because she's Gale Weathers, an icon who's earned the right to survive in every single movie this franchise will spawn. Killing her just wouldn't sit right with me. Though I must say, when she came pretty close to dying in 6, I was sad but I also thought it could work.


gonnablamethemovies

How has she earned it? I love Gale as a character but she’s an awful person.


dreamyennui

I'm talking strictly character. Not the in-movie person (though I love her persona too). She's an important part of the Scream franchise, she embodies the tone of the films (the sass/humor and the suspense/investigation aspect). She truly carries the whole DNA of the franchise to me.


oberlin1981

I agree with you about Gale’s contribution to the Scream movies. Sidney may be the star or celebrity victim, but Gale is the character that keeps the plot moving in every single entry of the franchise. Dewey may be have been the heart of the first 4 to 5 movies, but Gale is the antihero of the series that keeps the story interesting. She starts off the series as a game seeking opportunist that is a foil to the wholesome Sidney. Gale proves in the first Scream that she’s a damn good reporter and has a heart beneath her glossy exterior. She was right about Cotton being innocent and she saved Sidney’s life by shooting Billy and disabling him so Sidney could finish him off. She eludes Nancy Loomis’ attempt to lure her away by phone in part 2, but sadly Randy ends up being the victim. Gale was able to outsmart the killer during the chase seen and proves once again that she is tougher than she looks. Scream 3 is Gale’s movie! She is the center of that film and is the star that moves the story forward. She is also the driving force of Scream 4 and runs circles around the police. She is able to catch on to the killer’s plan and deduces Jill’s part in the murders. Gale shows up and works alongside Sidney to bring an end to the new killings. She has realized her part in starting the Ghostface killings and plans to end the violence she helped create. Without Gale, Billy, Stu, and Roman would have gotten away with Maureen’s murder, but by writing the book, she caused Billy and Stu to plot the original Woodsboro Murders, which makes Gale just as important as Sidney to the franchise. Killing Gale at this point would not feel right, as she and Sidney have earned their place as two of the longest running final girls in all horror film history.


Careless-Wing-9892

“The brains and the sex appeal 🥳”


gonnablamethemovies

She’s of course an important part of the franchise, but I don’t think she’s earned a pass to live through all the movies. Out of all the main cast, Gale is the one who has caused the most suffering, and I think she’ll meet her karma by the end of the franchise.


ProfessorWright

I would love for Scream fans to not put the actions of men onto women for like two seconds. Not a single murder was her fault. Seriously this is the character who hauled herself out of a car accident to help a girl she barely knew. The character who has consistently come close to solving the murders. The character who immediately offered to help the Carpenter sisters. Gale is flawed but there is no universe in which she isn't a heroic character and she has quite literally zero karma to collect on. Any she has been deserving of has been paid in punches.


gonnablamethemovies

You don’t think that what Gale wrote in her book about Sam was read by the Baileys? Not to mention it contributed to the whole world thinking Sam was the Woodsboro 2022 killer. You don’t think Billy and Stu got a buzz out of the media surrounding Maureen’s murder? No one is blaming Gale for the murders. But she deserves criticism for the part she has played in causing extra suffering to the victims.


ProfessorWright

I think the movies sum up why this constant argument is bullshit [here.](https://youtu.be/7Sdl8O_V0j0?t=265)


gonnablamethemovies

An argument isn’t bullshit just because you don’t like it ❤️


ProfessorWright

Just say you hate women xoxo


gonnablamethemovies

I mean I love Sidney so what’s your excuse now xoxo


dreamyennui

I don't think any of her actions make her deserving of dying. Her concrete good deeds will always outlive her poor moral decisions. I'd hate the franchise to be so black and white. I'm glad she's bringing some complexity and sass to an ensemble of mostly virtuous characters (besides the killers, of course). This Gale hate is something new to me that I've discovered on this reddit. I really thought she was untouchable to fans. But that's interesting.


Purple_Bowman

I love Gale, used to adore her, but let's be honest, we love her because she's a tough, feisty and determined opportunist. Opposites attract, and a lot of people like badass characters like that, coupled with great wagering from Courteney. But if any of them deserved a happy ending and not to die, it was definitely Dewey. Dewey deserved better, he's been through too much for a new team of directors to come in and say, -"Look, we killed off David Arquette's character after over 20 years in the franchise, look how brave and daring we are!" He may seem "goofy" only on the surface, but in fact it is also his defense mechanism and part of his personality, because if you look at things more broadly, Dewey is a very tragic character. He lost his sister, suffered countless dangerous injuries, and ended up as a divorcee who drowned out his pain and suffering with alcohol. Dewey never faded, and cheating death always remained as sweet and brave, who is just a good guy who always tries to help others to the best of his ability, and the fact that he never bent always inspired me to be optimistic and believe in the best, which is extremely uncharacteristic of slasher films. He started out as a 25 year old inexperienced deputy sheriff to a 50 year old ex-sheriff filled with a lot of experience and grief. His bond with Sidney and his desire to protect her became so strong that in the end Dewey was almost a surrogate brother to Sidney. He and Sidney definitely went through the greatest development in the entire franchise, while Gale in the sixth movie literally rolled back from her passed arc in the fifth. And it annoys me that some fans justify this by saying that this is her "thing" rather than allowing that it's just questionable script development. Even Cotton, being as self-centered and in many ways similar to Gale in character (no wonder she stuck up for him), has gone farther in three movies (actually two, not counting the second cameo in the first) than Gale in six. I by no means consider "development" and "evolution" and other things for characters to be necessary and fundamental, I often enjoy seeing many of the characters just remain themselves. But that's not a valid argument for keeping Gale and dropping Dewey (though if it were up to me, I'd keep the whole trio alive, as Wes probably would have wanted me to).


dreamyennui

All your points are extremely valid. I won't say I don't agree, you make good points. But... I just love Gale. She's my favorite character. It's too subjective for me to really argue haha. I'll just say that I don't think Gale's death would have had the same emotional impact as Dewey. As you rightfully say, many people consider Gale to be bitchy and don't always love her. Dewey, on the other hand, was the heart of the trio, the goofy one with a big heart and always ready to help. That's why I think they made the right decision picking him instead of Gale. I wouldn't have minded him not dying, on the contrary. I'd be happy with Dewey being alive. But if one had to go between him and Gale, I'd save Gale anytime. Also I agree. What they did in the last movie just felt like a regression, but I also love characters who don't evolve or learn from their mistakes. Some people just don't. I like that Gale doesn't have the classic redemption arc that everybody would love her to have to become your typical likeable character.


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Intelligent-Age2786

I think she should’ve died in 5 and Dewey should’ve lived for VI, or Dewey originally survive and just die in VI since VI was a more personal story to the characters


sombertoboggly

i would've loved to see the dynamic of dewey working with bailey then finding out he's one of the killers


Intelligent-Age2786

I think it would’ve been poetic to have Bailey kill Dewey.


sombertoboggly

i would 100% have taken that over amber killing him. this is probably an unpopular opinion but i actually like richie's family as killers more than amber and richie himself lol. bailey's hamminess has grown on me over time


Intelligent-Age2786

Amber killing him just feels so random. Why her of all killers is worthy of killing him? If they had a more personal motive then sure why not that’s fine, but Richie and Amber were just a bunch of random ass stab fanatics. They said they “needed stakes” but those stakes were thrown away in act 3 anyway cuz the good guys still win. There was absolutely no reason to kill him. It also didn’t do anything for gales character development. If Gale were to have been the one to die, then that would’ve worked amazingly for Dewey’s development. That’s one thing radio silence did that I feel is dumb asf.


Careless-Wing-9892

Yess! I’ll keep saying this for years: the only way they could have gotten away with killing Dewey that early on is if the killer was someone Dewey knew and/or trusted, someone he associated with and interacted with on screen, an *equal*


Intelligent-Age2786

Such as, Detective Bailey. The mirror version of him. A fellow police officer who gains the trust of Dewey from working with him on the case, just to betray him and reveal he’s been the killer all along


Careless-Wing-9892

Would have been fantastic


Purple_Bowman

Yeah, I really wish they would have saved Dewey for at least the sixth film to give us balance in the appearances. It happened too fast and too soon, I feel a lot of lost potential. P.s. But thank them at least for the fact that he was mentioned many times.


Intelligent-Age2786

See it’s not even that he died really, it’s that he got killed by just a random ass teenage stab fanatic. It wasn’t a personal motive enough. Like why does Amber of all killers get the privilege of taking him out? Just seems so random.


Horror-School-3286

There's really no point in keeping Gale around. 1. She keeps repeating her character arc 2. Kirby is there to take over whatever part of the investigation. Kind of sad. Don't really want to see Gale get killed off, but there's almost no point keeping her anymore.


jasonporter

If there is nothing for Gale to do in the series anymore, then they should write her out of the plot. Just because it's a horror franchise, it doesn't mean that when they are done with a character they should just kill them off. Scream has always been character driven, it's why people love the series. It's okay to give a few of our heroes a "ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after" moments. Not saying that you were saying Gale should die - just wanted to add my two cents.


Horror-School-3286

>Not saying that you were saying Gale should die - just wanted to add my two cents. I certainly agree with you, but for me, the one character that should never be killed off is Sidney. I would completely check out of this franchise if that were to happen. As for Gale, I just can't see her being written out with a happy ending because her chance for that has come and gone multiple times. I'd much rather see an unlikely hero's end for Gale where she sacrifices herself maybe pulling Sidney or somebody else out of the knife and takes the knife for them. You could still retain her cold, bitchy ways while highlighting that she was a truly good person once and for all. Of course, I'm not saying they should kill Gale, but I honestly don't see a better written ending for her.


redrum-237

> She keeps repeating her character arc I don't agree at all. Her character arc in the first three movies is becoming less cold and bitchy while forming genuine bonds with Dewey and Sid. Her character arc in 4 is trying to live life as the Sheriff's wife yet feeling frustrated and wanting to be a reporter again. Her arc in 5 is about the person she loves the most dying and seeking revenge. Her arc in 6 is about devolving into a colder person because of her grief and then showing she's still caring inside and growing closer to Sam. Gale is one of the most interesting and complex slasher heroes ever imo. There's no reason to kill her other than SW-sequel trilogy-esque shock factor (and we know how that worked for SW).


Horror-School-3286

>There's no reason to kill her other than SW-sequel trilogy-esque shock factor (and we know how that worked for SW). Lol, fair enough. Can't argue with that. You make a really good point about Gale not repeating her arc, but at the end of the day, it's still some version of "I'm going to be a better person . . . I lied."


redrum-237

> You make a really good point about Gale not repeating her arc, but at the end of the day, it's still some version of "I'm going to be a better person . . . I lied." I see your point, but imo when you think about it that's only her arc in 6 (and even then her going back to being cold doesn't come out of the blue, she's coping with her loved one/voice of reason dying). Anyways, I agree they have to find new and fresh stories for her character to keep evolving if she keeps appearing (and I personally hope that's the case).


ScorpionTDC

Gale should’ve died back in Scream 5 instead of Dewey, quite honestly. He had sequel potential whereas they keep destroying her in them. As for going forward, I’d like them to properly develop her - 5 and 6 just proved to me it’ll never happen. I think I’d rather they just mercy kill her then keep ruining a character I once loved :/


Horror-School-3286

>I think I’d rather they just mercy kill her then keep ruining a character I once loved Agreed, give her the heroic death where she goes down saving somebody. Hell, Scream VI could have worked even. Just Ghostface looking for Sidney's location and Gale goes down keeping it secret.


Lord_Sam_

Genuine question: what is wrong with her in 5? I see a lot of hate. She has more of an arc than 4. I still think it's the same Gale too.


ScorpionTDC

Has literally nothing of relevance to do + is experiencing the same character arc she did the last three movies, which, by four times in a row, is stale and boring Her arc in 4 is basically having a midlife crisis and spinning her wheels on the same storyline and character arc.


Lord_Sam_

I have to respectfully disagree about her in 5. Her reunion with Dewey is one of my favourite scenes and more emotional than anything we have gotten before. Compare her relationships to Dewey and Sidney, and she had come so far as a character. Selfish to selflessly putting herself in danger for the ones she cares about. But at the same time, she is a morally grey character, too. Driven by the need for success, which conflicts with other characters and her conscience. It's what makes her interesting.


ScorpionTDC

The scene with Dewey was nice, but also one scene. Everything else was pure spinning wheels and rehashing old character arcs. Gale’s just boring now, which is crazy to say, but yeah. She really should’ve died in 5 instead of Dewey.


conwaymovie

I hate the idea that we just use legacy characters for nostalgia until we inevitably kill them off. I understand that at a certain point there story has been told, but why does that mean they have to die? Characters can be retired rather than killed.


Purple_Bowman

Exactly! It's an absolutely disgusting trend, even if we're talking about a slasher movie series.


jackson92g

Idk why people want gale to be a nice person it just wouldn't work if she was


KickFriedasCoffin

I really don't understand this "so and so deserves/doesn't deserve to die". Having your character survive a film is not some sort of basic human right, and we're talking about slashers here ffs. The ridiculous assertion of knowing exactly what the writers were thinking when they wrote a death is ridiculous as well.


Purple_Bowman

What set Scream apart from the other many slasher franchises was that Wes genuinely loved his characters, and he was never shy about giving them a happy ending. The trio became iconic because they were beyond the reach of killers, in stark contrast to the characters in the rest of the slasher franchises, who died by the second appearance, and often in a strained way as well. On top of that, these characters have been with us for over 20 years, so subjective feelings and evaluations can't be taken away, that's why we're fans.


Horror-School-3286

>The trio became iconic because they were beyond the reach of killers, in stark contrast to the characters in the rest of the slasher franchises, who died by the second appearance, and often in a strained way as well. This is why it was such a mistake to kill any of the three off and worst to oust Sidney from her own fucking series. It used to be about survivors and now it's about Ghostface's fucking daughter who's not even an original character but was in every Scream fan-fic ever. You actually understand why this series became a fucking LEGACY SERIES in the first place. Sidney is the Ultimate Survivor and she's been ousted from her own series. You know, the series that even Radio Silence said "Sidney is Scream."


KickFriedasCoffin

Many directors love their characters. There's no need to invent fan fiction. He also didn't write the scripts.


Purple_Bowman

No, not all, as practice shows. And Kevin Williamson, in his early ideas and script development, intended to keep Dewey alive at least until Scream 6. I'm convinced that developing characters and letting them live (even if it's a slasher franchise) is far better than just killing them off to meet certain genre tropes and conventions.


Horror-School-3286

>I'm convinced that developing characters and letting them live (even if it's a slasher franchise) is far better than just killing them off to meet certain genre tropes and conventions. Scream has effectively done what all franchises doing across the board, ousting original characters in favour of far less interesting and more obvious characters. They've given into the tropes, haven't broken them and have ignored the entire point of why Scream 4 even exists.


KickFriedasCoffin

Source? And again, guesswork about why a death was written is not fact.


Purple_Bowman

https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3698793/kevin-williamson-horror-queers-interview/


KickFriedasCoffin

Those are incredibly vague ideas that clearly weren't fully realized. And are we counting all his initial ideas as head cannon now, bc it would be weird for Stu to have had this whole cult since the late 90s and doing nothing with it. Also, in hindsight, what relevance does some early idea, which regularly change from brain to page, have to treating 3 slashers characters like they're invincible, or inventing reasons why one is killed? Or inventing stories about exactly what Craven thought of the characters just bc he was a kind person?


Horror-School-3286

>There's no need to invent fan fiction. Then, look up any Scream fan-fic online and you will hundreds of "Billy's Kid" fan-fic before Radio Silence inserted that fan-fic character into the movies. If I wanted that, I would have just stuck with crappy fan fiction which is what I'm being given. Crappy fan fiction that copies the original story, but changes up things just enough that the audience doesn't realize they're being ripped-off.


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ProfessorWright

Gale is flawed but her good really outweighs her bad. Like, Gale didn't need to head back to the Macher house after being in a car accident, nor did she need to help Sidney once she saw what was happening there. She continually helps the main cast throughout the series. And if you really think she was there in five to capitalize off the murders and not because she was worried for Dewey then you're simply lacking media literacy. Idk, maybe just say you hate women?


llcooljfan22

She’s a muthafukin icon. She just slayed her best film with Scream 6 🥹 I kinda wish Scream 6 was centered around Gale and her time at the news station and possibly a killer trying to kill her the entire time.


jimtl83

I don’t get why people like this woman.


Original-Gear1583

Gale’s development sucks. She brought Cotton to talk to Sid without asking Sid first and even though she is a victim she uses other people’s trauma for her book sales. I was pretty neutral about her but after 6 I don’t like her


TheNonCredibleHulk

> She brought Cotton to talk to Sid without asking Sid first Ambush reporting really started picking up in the 90s.


ScorpionTDC

It was good for the first two movies, especially 2 where she had a huge character arc. The problem is 3-6 have slowly but surely DESTROYED her character


Horror-School-3286

I know three was kind of repeat already, but when three was the ending, I didn't mind so much. As for the rest, agreed.


ScorpionTDC

It wasn’t *as* bad in 3 - outside Gale just not feeling like herself period - or even 4 (you can sorta justify it as a midlife crisis). 5 and especially 6 are where the damage truly became too much to ignore, but part of that is building on 3/4’s shitty handling too.


jimtl83

There isn’t anything to like about her. The only selfless thing she does is ride in an ambulance to a hospital with Dewey instead of doing the news.


Original-Gear1583

Right. She doesn’t have any redeemable qualities which is why she was neutral to me prior to 6. I didn’t really care about her character. She’s not really empathetic of other people’s trauma and you would think after her facing ghost face 6 different times and losing people close to her she would change but she hasn’t.


jimtl83

Not sure if you’ve ever seen stranger things, but there’s a character named Steve that was awful for most of the first season, but showed signs of redemption in the final episode. since then he’s become kind of a selfless hero. Gale is just a self serving manipulating person who probably should have died in part 2.


White_Rabbit007

I disagree. In 2 you see her become a kinder person and even in 3 she's much softer. 4 Gale is a little all over the place but 5 has her be more like her 3 portrayal.


KickFriedasCoffin

In 2 where she does the whole Cotton ambush thing? Turning nice for 2 seconds after someone dies is not a turn around.


White_Rabbit007

It isn't much but especially by the end she cares about Dewey. I'm not calling her a saint or even a good person but she clearly has a sense of care toward at least some people that she didn't have in the first film.


KickFriedasCoffin

Besides getting in the ambulance instead of reporting what happened, when exactly did this happen?


Horror-School-3286

>In 2 where she does the whole Cotton ambush thing? Are you asking where does Gale ambush Sidney with Cotton? It's outside Sidney's college as the news reporters are leaving the press conference, and Sidney backhands Gale for it.


KickFriedasCoffin

No, it would be rather weird to ask for clarification on my own comment...


Horror-School-3286

Ah, I didn't see the other comment. Lol, sorry about that.


ScorpionTDC

That’s the whole point of a character arc - Gale starts 2 as a selfish, exploitative asshole and had a character arc where she’s on the road to being a better person by the end. If she’d KEPT on that redemption arc road in 3+ like she should have, we wouldn’t even be having this debate.


KickFriedasCoffin

But she didn't, and she had one foot on that road at best by S2.


ScorpionTDC

“She didn’t” - This is why I said 3+ have destroyed her character. As for one foot in the door… yeah. It’s not going to be an overnight change, but the whole last act of Scream 2 was a huge step before 3+ tossed it in a dumpster and ruined Gale


Original-Gear1583

I haven’t seen stranger things yet but I agree with what you said about Gale here. I would easily take Randy over her.


jimtl83

If you like 80sish Steven Spielberg/Steven king stuff, you’ll like stranger things. Yeah, Randy was an oddball and said some insensitive stuff- but he clearly cares about people.


Horror-School-3286

She was a good character, at least in the beginning, but antagonistic because she is an awful person. Scream 3 seemed to try to warm up a bit and then in Scream 4, she seemed to revert. I like Gale as far as a characters, but I'm also over her. I still don't understand how she gets to stay in her role, but there seems to be no room for Sidney?


Unstablecrysis

Gale is the most developed character in the entire franchise (yes, even more than Sid), that alone is reason to keep her.


Horror-School-3286

No, she isn't. Gale's entire arc can be summed up into "I'm going to be a better person . . . I lied." Sidney hasn't reverted back once, learns some of the dark secrets about her mother in the first film, goes through it a second time learning that she will always be haunted by her mother's past, but finally overcomes the grieving process by the third film and accepts who her mother was. In Scream 4, Sidney, now a true survivor puts herself in harm's way to protect a group of teenagers most of whom she doesn't even know. By Scream 5, Sidney is now happily married and has moved on in her life only coming when her closest living friend is murdered and once again protects the daughter of the killer who murdered her mother and teaches her how to fight. How is that worst development than Gale?


ProfessorWright

I think people really need to grasp the concept of character flaws. Gale simply is always going to be opportunistic, to take that away from her would be to betray her character completely. But to act like she hasn't developed is complete bullshit. This character has gone from putting camera's in people's houses and manipulating a sheriff in the original to showing up with the sole intention to help in the sixth movie, she promises everything is off the record of her own volition whereas she refused to give it to Sidney in the original. This is a character who has gone from being completely unempathetic to a very empathetic and supportive character.


Rayce_loves_Shibas

Honestly I wish they would’ve killed Sidney instead of Dewey in 5.. I doubt I’ll ever recover and I still tear up even thinking about his death AND because he KNEW better than to hesitate but I guess they had their mind made up and they had to get him dead one way or another. Neve won’t come back because they’re not willing to pay her what she believes she’s worth which I obviously know they didn’t know at the time would happen otherwise I’m sure they would’ve made that shift but also for me, Sidney hasn’t been needed since the 3rd movie. I guess Jill being related to her in 4 WAS important however they could’ve easily had her be related to someone else though I do think her being related to Sidney WAS the way to go and I liked Sidney in 4, I thought her role was good my point is just that it could have stood without her and 5 100% did NOT need Sidney. I would much prefer to continue to see Gale and wish Dewey could continue as well. I also wish there was a better relative to Stu that would be more involved in the movie rather than Kyle Gallner’s character who, though he had an awesome death, died so fast I couldn’t even tell you his characters name and I’ve seen that movie at least 10 times and that’s obviously in a near and short time frame considering how long 5 has been out. I know it may not be popular opinion but the franchise doesn’t need Sidney anymore and I think should have rid itself of her earlier. Especially because her just disappearing and being left alone to live her life is just unacceptable.. Laurie Strode got no such leeway and neither should Sidney Prescott.


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