The most delightfully unhinged characters Netflix has ever given us
Some characters are designed to inspire us. They are perfectly written, neatly polished and are always doing the right thing. Well, good for them. Because all we want is chaos. As it is not the saintly ones we remember. It is the messy, chaotic disasters who can’t stop saying or doing the most outrageous things. Thanks to Netflix, we have them in abundance.
Apart from the messy side of these characters, there is also something oddly comforting about them too. They are like that one friend who always promises to behave at a party and then somehow ends up stealing the DJ’s mic to scream Taylor Swift lyrics at 2 am. Not reliable. Not stable. But never, ever boring.
Netflix, thankfully, has never been shy about giving us these absolute wildcards. Over the years, we have been blessed with characters so savage, so unfiltered, so gloriously unhinged, that we almost root for their disasters more than the actual plot. They might not always make sense, but they sure make TV way more fun.
So, here is our love letter to the most delightfully unhinged characters Netflix has ever thrown at us. It was hard to choose between so many of them, but here are our five favourites.
The most delightfully unhinged characters on Netflix
Alyssa – The End of the F***ing World
Alyssa is not a talker. She believes in declaring war. On her parents, on her friends, on anyone unlucky enough to stand near her when she is having a mood. Every sentence out of her mouth is a mix of sarcasm with a tinge of anger and just the right touch of “burn the whole world down”.
What makes her so addictive to watch is that she does not even try to tone it down. Alyssa will look someone dead in the eye, call them pathetic, and walk away like she just ordered a coffee. She is the definition of unhinged. Or better to call her the perfect recipe of chaotic with the right amount of messy, hilarious, and somehow one of the most relatable teenagers Netflix has ever written.
Adam Groff – Sex Education
Imagine a glitching video game, and then put that feeling into a human body, and what you will have made is Adam Groff. A man who turned from powerful punching and unruly rage has now morphed into a near-puppy dog level of cuteness. A puppy that can still rip your finger off if you pet him the wrong way.
It’s part of what makes Groff such a charming part of Sex Education. Unpredictable and unhinged, he is one character most would love to hug, but be sure not to squeeze too tight.
Wednesday Addams – Wednesday
Wednesday is mayhem disguised as composure. This boss lady is never loud or messy on the surface. But her words? Brutal. Every one-liner feels like a verbal guillotine. She will casually talk about dissecting frogs or plotting murder, all while sipping tea like she is discussing the weather.
Her delightful unbotheredness defines her. Instead of trying to soften her edges, she sharpens them, and that is what makes her the star of the show. Wednesday isn’t here to please anyone. She is here to serve deadpan looks.
Tommy Shelby – Peaky Blinders
Tommy Shelby is unhinged in the most dangerous way possible. He serves it with a sip of quiet. He is the man who walks into a room, says nothing, and still makes everyone panic. You can practically feel the storm brewing in his head. He is either about to make a brilliant move… or ruin ten lives before breakfast.
That unpredictability is exactly why he is so magnetic. Tommy isn’t yelling or flailing. He lets his madness simmer, and when it boils over, it becomes nuclear. He is equal parts genius and equal parts tragic mess. And this combination makes him one of the most compelling disasters Netflix has ever given us.
Dr Nalini Vishwakumar – Never Have I Ever
Honestly, Devi’s mom deserves her own spin-off. Dr Nalini is not your standard sitcom parent. This one hell of a woman is savage and witty and has mastered the eyebrow raise of doom. Watching her cut someone down with just a sentence is like watching an Olympic sport.
Her unhingedness is what makes her brilliant. Yes, yes, she is overprotective and dramatic. And we are not ruling out that she is absolutely terrifying when she is mad. But she is also deeply caring underneath all that scare. Basically, she is every brown mom cranked up to 100, and we wouldn’t have her any other way.