My old television is dying...

and it's always reminds me of when I bought it. It's one of those VCR/TV combinations that cost way too much in 1990. Its predecessor was destroyed when a bookcase fell over. But it's been a good TV and a lived a long productive life.

It was purchased at a time in my life when way too many duplicitous, cowardly, corrupt and criminal people made their way into my life. I can't really talk about some of it unless you're married to me, because of a contract that I signed to escape the place. So if you're one of the scumbags that I'm not supposed to talk about, don't worry there were many more scumbags in your community.

That period of my life was a thorough education on the duplicitous nature of a typical antagonist in a screenplay. The worst of the scum actually saw and sees me as the bad guy for a variety of reasons. (And yes, your significant other gave me a *******!) Remember that when you have a vile antagonist. The antagonist sees himself as righteous in his actions. Like most of the scum that I dealt with, the bad guys see themselves as justified and correct in their actions. The bad guys blame the protagonist, no matter what.

Of course, your antagonist can see the light. That time in my life brought me into contact with a future politician, a future war criminal, too many inheritors of wealth and way too many self-righteous "Christians". Very few of these people are capable of seeing the light. Their minds and thought structure does not allow for them to see their duplicitous and corrupt nature. And those are your antagonists, acting from flawed logic and being all too human.

I recall a reviewer on Triggerstreet of my first screenplay. This person could not believe that a corrupt businessman would hire hitmen to kill a whistleblower. The reviewer had the same filter that I had to abandon after that period in my life. It's unfortunate that big turds rise to the top with the cream, but many lumps of shit do. It's worth mentioning that the reviewer's script was eventually assigned to me. This person claimed to have years of relevant experience. His script contained multiple quotes from marginally popular movies and selected songs for the montages.

My point in all of this is that your antagonists are duplicitous because they can be. They are evil, corrupt, self-serving, wicked, etc., simply because the opportunity is there. Most importantly, the antagonist sees your protagonist as flawed for his/her best qualities. Those are the antagonists that make the best villains. For that reason, I'm somewhat thankful to have been acquainted with a few venal, criminal, corrupt, self-serving and dispicable individuals that will serve as fodder for my scumbag antagonists.