One of the reasons fans love Dead to Me so much is because the show is filled with complex characters. The show is, in part, an examination of the way people's choices impact them. One question at the center of it all is "Can someone do bad things and still be a good person?"
As such, it stands to reason that many of the characters on the show will have both positive and negative aspects to their personality. The decisions that many of the characters make are connected to their core personality traits. So let's examine the positive and negative aspects of each main character on Dead to Me.
CHARLIE'S WORST: He's Brash
Charlie is a young developing boy. As such, he often believes that he is always right and asserts his opinion even when no one was asking for them. This causes Charlie to make many reckless decisions and say many stupid things.
From selling drugs to driving Steve's car without a license, his brash personality leads to challenging situations in which Charlie faces potentially serious consequences.
CHARLE'S BEST: He's Protective
Though Charlie sometimes says harsh things to Jen, he clearly cares for her. Charlie expresses his love for others by doing his best to protect them. This is demonstrated when Charlie stands up to Jen on Henry's behalf, explaining that Henry is afraid to go on stage during his performance.
Charlie also talks about his desire to protect his family, specifically Jen, now that his father isn't around. When he believes that Jen is in trouble, he implores Jen to be honest with him so that he can help her. It will be interesting to see the way this trait impacts Charlie in Season 3 after reading the letters from his mother.
BEN'S WORST: A History Of Addiction
Ben is a delightful guy, but his struggles with addiction is his biggest downfall. After being sober for over a year, the death of his brother and challenging family dynamics lead him to relapse into drinking. Sadly, his alcoholism quickly gets out of control.
In the season finale, it is revealed that Ben crashes into Jen and Judy's car while drunk driving.
BEN'S BEST: He's Delightfully Quirky
Ben quickly became a fan-favorite character because of his uniquely quirky charm. Ben is delightfully unique and even though he knows that he is a bit odd, Ben is unapologetically himself.
He loves to sing and dance, despite his lack of talent. He makes corny jokes and immediately apologizes for his awkwardness. He draws attention to himself and turns his weaknesses into his strengths. All of these aspects of his personality allow Ben to stand out among the other characters in the cast.
STEVE'S WORST: Manipulative Tendencies
There's no other way around it; Steve is a disgusting person. He is abusive towards Judy and regularly gaslights her. It is difficult to watch someone as kind and comionate as Judy be manipulated by such a selfish and arrogant man.
Steve uses his charm to distract others from his flaws while at the same time discrediting Judy. He will screw over anyone to get ahead himself, which is how he made his fortune as a money launder. Instead of using his natural charisma for good or people other than himself, Steve accomplishes the worst things with this skill.
STEVE'S BEST: He Calms Judy
Though it's hard to think of something positive about Steve and fans certainly do not approve of Steve's relationship with Judy, it's hard not to it that Steve possesses an ability many others do not. This, of course, is his uncanny ability to calm Judy.
Judy becomes overwhelmed easily and has difficulty compartmentalizing her feelings. This leads to many moments where she breaks down. In these moments, Steve is one of the only people who can recenter her and help her to calm herself down.
JEN'S WORST: Anger Issues
Jen has anger problems, to say the least. Her inability to control her emotions gets her into many difficult situations. She lashes out on her friends and her children, leaving others hesitant to confide in her. She also gets in the way of her own success by scaring away clients.
When trying to obtain information from Bambi about her relationship with Ted, Jen's attitude is extremely offputting which results in her almost being unable to obtain the answers she wants. She also antagonized the police and smashed the car of a neighbor who regularly went above the speed limit. Jen would be a lot more successful if she could learn appropriate ways to express and maybe control her frustration.
JEN'S BEST: She's Really Strong
Despite her moments of weakness, Jen is a strong person. She was able to build a successful career for herself and her family when Ted was alive. She has overcome so much, such as the death of her mother at an early age and her own fear of getting breast cancer. When her husband died, she tried to remain positive in front of her children and continues to preserve and conquer challenges.
She copes with her husband's affair and rejection of her due to her mastectomy, never blaming herself for his betrayal. Many people would (understandably) crumble under the weight of all of this trauma, but Jen continues to propel herself forward, using these challenges to better herself and grow.
JUDY'S WORST: Obsessive Tendencies
Judy does not have an appropriate understanding of healthy boundaries. She easily becomes obsessive and crosses lines without respect for others. She stalks two characters on the show, Steve and Jen.
This behavior is extremely alarming and although they are excused due to her actions being well-intentioned, this obsession is undoubtedly the worst aspect of Judy's personality.
JUDY'S BEST: She's Comionate
Despite everything she's done in the past, Judy empathizes with the pain of those around her and tries her best to be understanding in all situations. She remains comionate even when she has been wronged or is upset.
For example, when Jen its to Judy that Steve was killed out of anger and not self-defense, Judy does not become angry with Jen. Judy instead tries to understand Jen's motivations and put herself in Jen's place. Judy's comion allows her to easily connect with others. As Jen said, it is impossible to hate Judy and Judy's love for others is one of the main reasons others adore her.