Characters With Unforgettable Zingers

There are a couple of characters who live in my mind, rent free, because of their well-written and seamlessly executed lines.

This isn’t an exhaustive list but it’s definitely a couple that I’ve been obsessing over lately:

Payton, The Politician

Egomaniacal. Zany. Theatrical.

This tale of a treacherous climb to Presidency is fast-paced and stupidly serious in its execution. Ben Platt plays, what I call, one of his best characters in this show and the one-liners, expressions and fast-paced conversations are seriously top-tier (in season 1).

Mickey Milkovich, Shameless

I cannot think of another character with as many one-liners [that land] as this one. Mikhailo Alexandyr Milkovich quickly became one of my favorite characters. A dirty kid with a hard exterior that we got to watch grow into a loving man with a love-fueled, promising future — so long as it stayed close to the South Side of Chicago.

Zahra, Red, White & Royal Blue

Another character with great one-liners is Zahra, the neurotic chief of staff to President Claremont.

Lines as smooth as::

“You better act like the sun shines out of his a** and you have a vitamin d deficiency.”

Are you kidding me? It’s brilliant! Simple zingers in a script truly hold a world of power and this script is no different! Even the verbal quips exchanged between Young Claremont-Diaz and Spare, Henry were golden. Crass jokes made at a correspondents-style dinner that were perfectly kept secretive between the two of them? Stunning, personal and intimate moments that the movie truly benefitted from having.

More posts like this are certainly on the horizon as I find myself rewatching old favorites while waiting for writers and actors alike to get back into the swing of things (once they get what they deserve!).