Flanderization

Flanderization is a term in fan discourse for when a minor or secondary character traits gradually beccomes a major part of the character. It is often associated with Seasonal Rot.
Wikipedia describes the term as
Flanderization is the process through which a fictional character's essential traits are exaggerated over the course of a serial work. The term flanderization was coined by TV Tropes in reference to Ned Flanders of The Simpsons, who was caricatured over the show's run from a good neighbor who was religious among other characteristics into an evangelical "bible-thumper". Flanderization has been analyzed as an aspect of serial works, especially television comedies, that shows a work's decline.
TV Tropes coined and defined the term as:
The act of taking a single (often minor) action or trait of a character within a work and exaggerating it more and more over time until it completely consumes the character. Most always, the trait/action becomes completely outlandish and it becomes their defining characteristic. Sitcoms and sitcom characters are particularly susceptible to this, as are peripheral characters in shows with long runs.
The trope is named for The Simpsons character Ned Flanders, who was originally depicted as a friendly, generous Christian neighbor and a model father, husband and citizen, making him a contrast to Homer Simpson. As seasons progressed, however, he became increasingly obsessively religious to the point where he eventually embodied almost every negative stereotype of the God-fearing, bible-thumping American Christian evangelist.
Note that the key to this trope is in how the process is a gradual thing: the character starts relatively normal with a few quirks, the quirks become more prominent, then the quirks gradually become the character. If it is simply about how the character is different early on before the writers know what to do with them, that is Characterization Marches On.
In general, comedies, especially sitcoms, fall into the trap of Flanderization because Character Development is far less important than Rule of Funny. Given a choice between getting a laugh or moving the story forward, the former will almost always take priority.
Flanderization doesn't have to be a bad thing — sometimes it can be used to expand on a background character's personality when they are brought to the foreground, or make an otherwise bland character stand out more. It can even be beneficial on a cast-wide scale: A comedy that has a cast full of zany, outsized personas will probably be funnier than one full of nondescript straight men.
Examples of Flanderization in South Park are sometimes hotly debated, as some examples can be argued as genuine character development. The easiest example may be Randy Marsh's relationship with marijuana -- in earlier episodes, he had real concern about his children interacting with drugs, and in "Medicinal Fried Chicken", he is willing to go to great lengths to obtain marijuana to smoke with friends, but by the 23rd season he is obsessed with it to the point of making milk, salad, and pillows out of hemp, and complains about his son and daughter not being closely involved with it, and it is even implied he has become addicted to it.
Category:Terminology
Category:Discourse