History Main / AmericanGothic

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[[redirect:Series/AmericanGothic]]

[[quoteright:316:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/american_gothic_cole_9694.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:316:That's Buck spelled with a "B."]]

->''I don't actually give; I deal. Are you ready to make a deal?''
-->--'''Sheriff Lucas Buck'''

Welcome to Trinity, South Carolina. A quaint, lovely town of picturesque houses, white picket fences, old-growth forest, and friendly next-door neighbors. Good People. There's only one slight problem with this beautiful idyllic town where everyone knows everybody (and their juiciest secrets for the gossip chain):

Its premier lawman, Sheriff Lucas Buck, is the Devil.

''American Gothic'' was a horror television series, which lasted for 1 season, from September 1995 to July 1996. A unique, outstanding series [[ScrewedByTheNetwork never given a chance by its network (CBS, in this case)]], ''American Gothic'' was also one of the most chilling and disturbing series ever to air, a stark morality tale with Gary Cole as the [[DevilInPlainSight Devil incarnate]] (or a close kin), disguised as Sheriff Lucas Buck of the small town of Trinity, SC. Buck rules over his little kingdom with morbid humor and playfulness, setting up moral pitfalls and dilemmas for the town's inhabitants, and dispensing his own brand of justice or vengeance or just plain meanness--which often involves ruin, insanity, dismemberment, or death.

Opposing Buck is young Caleb Temple (played by Lucas Black), an orphan who [[DeadPersonConversation talks regularly]] to his [[SpiritAdvisor dead sister Merlyn]] and who has powers of his own--and who may or may not be Buck's son. Buck wants Caleb to follow him; Merlyn wants Caleb to resist; and the rest of Trinity gets caught in the crossfire, so to speak. WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic?

The writing, acting, and directing are all outstanding, with the cast rounded out by skeptical [[DeadpanSnarker Dr. Matt Crower]] and [[CoolBigSis Caleb's cousin]], [[PluckyGirl Gail Emory]]. You'll never look at Gary Cole the same way again. Or, for that matter, Shaun Cassidy--yes, the "Hardy Boys" teen heart-throb--who conceived and produced the show, along with Sam Raimi. The effects, though good for their time, aren't always the best, sometimes the plot developments were a little too predictable, and later on in the series there were quite a few {{Out Of Character Moment}}s, but this is most likely due to ExecutiveMeddling and the show being TooGoodToLast, not [[CreatorBreakdown any problems with the writer]].

Unsurprisingly, the show is darkly Gothic and twisted, displaying many horror, suspense, and mystery tropes--although there is a delicious amount of black comedy as well.

Not to be confused with Grant Wood's [[AmericanGothicCouple famous painting]].

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!!This series provides examples of:

* AchillesHeel - Sheriff Lucas Buck's vulnerability is [[spoiler:his third eye--if stabbed there, he could be killed]].
* {{Aesop}} - Rarely.
** BrokenAesop - Quite often.
* AntiAntiChrist
* AffablyEvil - Buck didn't get a sterling reputation in Trinity for nothing.
* ArcWords[=/=]CatchPhrase: "Someone's at the door."
* BackFromTheDead - Averted three times, with three of the principal characters: in the very first episode, Merlyn Temple is murdered by Sheriff Lucas Buck--but we see her as a ghost immediately in the very same episode and she remains around as Caleb's SpiritAdvisor for the rest of the series; [[spoiler:Caleb himself]] later dies after an electrocution accident, but is immediately resuscitated [[spoiler:by Sheriff Buck's powers]]; and in the penultimate episode of the series, [[spoiler:Buck is seemingly killed and buried (after being stabbed in the third eye]], only to see [[spoiler:[[EyeAwaken his eyes pop open in the coffin]]]] just before the credits roll.
* BadassLongcoat: Guess who?
* BadassLonghair
* BastardUnderstudy - Averted with Ben.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness - The major subplot of the episode "Eye of the Beholder" plays with and then toes the line of this trope from the [[ADayInTheLimelight heroic perspective of a minor character]]. In order to obtain custody of his 'son' Caleb, [[ManipulativeBastard Sheriff Buck]] tries to discredit Dr. Crower as a potential legal guardian by [[{{Backstory}} revealing his past difficulties with alcohol]]. To attest to this, he needs the aid of an orderly at the hospital who worked with Matt before he came to Trinity. When the orderly refuses, Buck sends his wife a magic mirror which swiftly turns her into a [[SexIsEvil tempting]] [[TheVamp seductress]]. The orderly breaks the mirror... which also horribly disfigures his wife. Freed from the spell, she urges him to refuse Buck's deal and stand by his friend Matt instead, and he professes to [[{{Aesop}} love her no matter what she looks like]]. Despite this and the name of the episode, the orderly inexplicably does Buck's bidding--and even though his testimony is as unbiased as possible, and Buck doesn't get his hands on Caleb due to a delicious BaitAndSwitch ChekhovsGun from earlier in the episode, the sheriff still keeps his end of the deal by rewarding the orderly, restoring his wife's beauty so they can leave town in peace and good conscience. [[BrokenAesop Sigh]].
* BelatedBackstory
* BreakTheCutie - A lot of episodes seem devoted to doing this to poor [[FishOutofWater Dr. Crower]].
* BrokenAce - Billy Peele
* ButtMonkey - Poor Ben. Anytime his conscience looks to be getting the better of him, Lucas Buck will subject him to a cruel and elaborate joke to get him to keep his mouth shut.
* {{Chickification}} - Sadly, this happened to [[PluckyGirl Gail Emory]]. At the start of the show, while not exactly an ActionGirl, she was certainly a female {{Determinator}} who, as an IntrepidReporter, was determined to find out the truth of her parents' deaths and bring their murderer to justice. But as soon as she learned her parents were not [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal the paragons of virtue she thought them to be]]]], her BelatedBackstory was dropped and she seemed to flounder about with nothing to do. By the end of the series, she's morphed almost completely into a DistressedDamsel, having to rely on Buck himself for protection, and in her last scene is left in a hospital bed, crying piteously over the baby she's lost--even though she didn't want it in the first place, seeing as it was the son of Satan (as [[{{Squick}} depicted graphically]] via ultrasound--[[MindScrew or maybe not]]). At least some of this may be due to ExecutiveMeddling in order to pair up the major male and female leads, or a result of the show being ScrewedByTheNetwork so that Shaun Cassidy had to wrap everything up far too quickly and nonsensically. But some surely isn't.
* ChildrenAreInnocent - Played Straight and then disturbingly averted. [[MoralEventHorizon Buck is proven to be absolutely evil]] by [[strike:murdering]] [[MercyKill mercy-killing]] Merlyn in the first episode, and most of the first half to three-quarters of the series is devoted to protecting the innocent Caleb from the sheriff's vile influence. But then, as Caleb [[StartOfDarkness gradually falls deeper and deeper under his father's thrall]], starts taking lessons from him, and even absorbs some of his powers, he becomes more disturbingly amoral, wicked, and heartless. By the end of the series, Caleb is practically a carbon copy of ''TheOmen'' and it is [[spoiler:Buck]] who must actually [[spoiler:save Trinity from ''him'']]. All the more chilling because of how artfully it is done.
* CoolBigSis - Or, in this case, cousin.
* CorruptHick - Buck.
* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon - Sheriff Buck's girlfriend falls victim to a mysterious illness and is being treated by the local doctor, one of the few people not intimidated by him.
-->Buck: You better cure her or I'll...
-->Doctor: Or you'll what?
-->Buck (threateningly): I'll think of something.
* CreepyChild
* CutShort - In the words of series creator Shaun Cassidy, "we saw the ending coming soon enough to wrap the story up," but the last episode of left a lot of unanswered questions.
* DeadPersonConversation - Caleb and his dead sister, Merlyn.
* DeadpanSnarker - Dr. Crower.
* DealWithTheDevil - Quite literally. There are far too many of these to list, but one of the earliest and most representative is Carter's deal with Buck in the episode "Damned If You Don't."
* DiscretionShot
* DrivenToSuicide - One of the many, many times that Buck exercises his ManipulativeBastard license.
* EnemyMine - Buck, Dr. Crower, Gail, and Ben are all forced to work together in the episode "The Beast Within", when Ben's deranged brother takes them all hostage: Dr. Matt's hand is hurt so he has to coach Ben in performing an emergency surgery, while Buck and Gail have to work together to find the lost key to the handcuffs holding them and Caleb prisoner. (The fact this all turns out to be [[spoiler:[[BatmanGambit orchestrated by Buck]]]] rather subverts the trope.)
** And at the very end of the series, Merlyn is forced to go to Dr. Peele, Selena, and Ben for aid in [[spoiler:digging up Buck's 'corpse']] so that the two of them can then work together to save Gail and stop Caleb's [[spoiler:rampage]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards - In the episode "Strong Arm of the Law", Sheriff Buck is shown tormenting, manipulating, and eventually killing or running out of Trinity a foursome of out-of-town criminals. The thing that makes this an example of the trope is that even though Buck is, nominally, a lawman, we never see him upholding the law, [[CorruptHick merely subverting and twisting it to his own ends]]. While getting rid of the criminals smacks very much of "This is my turf, only I get to run roughshod over my people," the simple fact is Buck ''is in the right'' in this episode, and is shown to have standards, albeit warped ones: while he will haunt, corrupt, blackmail, and drive people insane, he won't come out and be an outright criminal, or allow any real ones to hurt the innocent in Trinity.
* ExecutiveMeddling - See below.
* FakeAmerican: Jake Weber, as Matt Crower, does such a convincing accent its hard to believe he's really from England.
* FatalFlaw
* FemmeFatale - Selena Coombs. In an interesting inversion, however, her primary sexual usage in the show, aside from being Buck's mistress, is not to turn a good man evil, but to keep a man nominally on the side of evil from defecting to the good.
* FilkSong - "Dark Country" by Tom Smith (Website/YouTube Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g95kcdeOzSo )
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar - Buck and Selena are the freakin' masters of this trope.
* GoodColorsEvilColors - SpiritAdvisor/angel Merlyn is always depicted dressed in white, while Sheriff Lucas Buck (the Devil Incarnate) is quite often dressed in black. WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic?
* GoodIsImpotent - No matter how hard Dr. Crower and Gail fight for Caleb's rights, and no matter how much Merlyn uses her angelic powers to protect him, Caleb is inexorably drawn into Buck's orbit and everyone seems helpless to prevent it, or even expose Buck's evil. It doesn't help that the sheriff is a VillainWithGoodPublicity and that both Matt and Gail are hardly immune to mind games or [[EvilIsSexy temptation]], but even Merlyn is made out to be decidedly weaker than her adversary--and gaining more power to face him [[NotSoDifferent almost pushes her too far]].
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor - [[FemmeFatale Selena Coombs]] certainly seems to be riding one of these, or perhaps a seesaw. Aside from the moments when we see the weakening of her evil resolve and the good heart shining through (particularly the episode "Potato Boy"), the last several episodes of the series involve her repeatedly switching sides based on opportunism, a GambitRoulette, or acting out of character depending on your interpretation. It's hard to tell exactly who she's lying to at any given moment--Buck, Dr. Peele, or Caleb.
* HighHeelFaceTurn: played with and then spectacularly avoided with [[spoiler: Billy and Selena]].
* HotForStudent - Although never outright stated, the very fact that the [[BewareTheNiceOnes supposedly sweet]], [[TheIngenue seemingly wholesome]] Selena Coombs is in fact a FemmeFatale, HotLibrarian, and EvilTeacher all rolled into one makes speculation about this trope inevitable. There are certainly more than a few moments where seeing this ravishing, suggestively dressed, beautiful woman speaking to her class of gradeschoolers in that sultry Southern drawl left this editor feeling...[[{{Squick}} uncomfortable]]. It doesn't help that the actress in question almost seemed aware of this fact, since she almost always focused her attention on the young boys in her classroom. Somewhat justified in Caleb's case, since Buck wanted her to keep an eye on his 'son'...but even there, considering [[SexIsEvil what one of the best ways to corrupt Caleb would be]], scenes of closeness between the two [[FreudWasRight appear to have a deeper meaning]]...
** One lost episode, however, does offer an aversion of this. In "The Potato Boy", Ms. Coombs invites Caleb to her house, all alone, for 'special tutoring' ...but once there, [[spoiler:she ends up confessing her [[{{Backstory}} tragic past]], crying in Caleb's lap, and taking comfort from him in a purely platonic, if unexpected way, almost doing a HeelFaceTurn because of it.]] Actually a very touching, surprising bit of CharacterDevelopment. (Which was then [[KudzuPlot promptly forgotten about]] [[{{Snapback}} for the rest of the series]].)
* IfICantHaveYou - Buck is more than a little possessive of the women he beds. So when Selena leaves him for Dr. Peele, Buck gets irritated.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty - A disturbing inversion. Not only is there no hero in sight to show up and save [[PluckyGirl Gail]] from sexual ravishment by MagnificentBastard Sheriff Buck -- since Dr. Crower a) is absolutely clueless about what is developing between them b) has his own problems and c) is never even implied to have any interest in Gail other than as a friend -- but Gail ''actually wants it.'' (Because, of course, EvilIsSexy and EvilFeelsGood.) The fact she is willing, overcome by her desires, and unable to resist Buck, however, does not stop the scene in question from being depraved: it [[DoubleEntendre takes place in a garden]] replete with unsettling statuary, and the DiscretionShot used throughout is downright surreal, with imagery that switched from WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic to MindScrew territory.
* InTheBlood - One of the main sources of dramatic tension is the question of Caleb's parentage--not just whether he really is Buck's son, but whether he can actively resist becoming corrupt and evil just like his father. And it seems he and Merlyn are right to worry, since [[spoiler:the more time he spends with Buck, and the more he learns from him, the more cruel, amoral, callous, and sadistic he becomes]]. Of course this is likely helped along by his near-death experience, Buck's powers, and [[spoiler:being possessed by Buck]] but the simple fact is after ten or so years of showing no signs of evil, once he learns of his (possible) heritage, [[spoiler:Caleb's fall into darkness]] is somehow inevitable.
* KarmaHoudini - Unsurprisingly, [[{{Satan}} Sheriff Buck]] is a KarmaHoudini for the entire run of the series. Among the most notable things he gets away with are: killing Merlyn Temple ''in the very first episode'' and blackmailing his failed BastardUnderstudy Ben Healy to keep quiet about it; imprisoning, torturing, and eventually causing the death by neglect of an out-of-town reporter (complete with [[spoiler:removing from his belongings the evidence that might convict Buck of various crimes]], [[GoodIsImpotent all while Dr. Matt and Gail look on helplessly]]); tormenting Dr. Matt about his alcoholism, nearly getting him expelled at the hospital due to his tragic past, and eventually [[spoiler:setting him up to look like an insane vigilante so he could be locked up in a mental ward]]; manipulating Gage Temple into [[spoiler:killing Gail's parents (from which he escapes only by [[BrokenPedestal revealing to her how awful her parents really were]]]]); and summoning the spirit of the Boston Strangler to kill Merlyn ([[IdiotBall only to have him go after Gail as well]]). He even seems to win at the end of the series. This would be enough to constitute a DownerEnding and a reason to wash your hands of the show, if not for the suitably vague ending, [[TheEndOrIsIt which implies the victory might not be all it seems]], and how deliciously this MagnificentBastard pulls most of this off.
* KudzuPlot - We never know in the end whether Buck will ever be stopped, whether Caleb [[spoiler:will go evil]], whose side [[spoiler:Selena]] is really on, and so forth. But there a few genuine moments where an element was introduced, then never revisited again, leaving for some major head-scratchings. Examples: Was Sutpen of "Damned If You Don't" [[spoiler:really a ghost/spiritual summoning of Buck's, or not?]] Did Buck [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide drive his girlfriend to suicide]], or not?]] Whatever happened to the fellow Merlyn was romancing when she came back to life? Will Dr. Matt ever [[spoiler:get free of the sanitarium?]] Whatever happened to Selena's father, and will he and she ever reconcile? (This last one is particularly distressing since, thanks to the episode in question [[ExecutiveMeddling never being aired]], very few people even know it exists.)
* LifeOrLimbDecision - Performed by (who else?) [[MagnificentBastard Buck]].
* LightIsNotGood - Merlyn's proactive, BadAss attack on Buck in the church swiftly turns her down the path of the WellIntentionedExtremist when she creates a plague to punish the people of Trinity for not stopping or getting rid of the sheriff.
* LukeIAmYourFather - Caleb and Sheriff Buck. Unique in that it is revealed ''in the pilot of the series'', and that while Caleb reacts in disgust and anger at the notion, he never has a HeroicBSOD or otherwise freaks out over the revelation. In fact the more time passes, the less issue he seems to take with it, even [[spoiler:welcoming and embracing the relationship by the end of the series]]. This could be due to being orphaned and having no one else to turn to except an increasingly unstable doctor and a [[CoolBigSis Cool Cousin]] [[EvilIsSexy who is also being drawn into Buck's orbit]], but [[DemonicPossession all things]] [[InTheBlood considered]], [[StartOfDarkness probably not]].
* MadnessMantra - Merlyn's Madness Mantra was "Someone's at the door". [[spoiler:These were her last words as a sane individual. Someone ''was'' at the door, and when he came in, he raped Merlyn's mother in front of her.]]
** This same mantra is then used many times over as a CatchPhrase for the series, but is especially delicious when employed by Merlyn's ghost to haunt the coroner who lies about her cause of death to protect his family from Buck (complete with [[spoiler:the disturbing tape-recording that alternates between extremely fast and high-pitched, and [[DemonicPossession extremely slow and garbled]]]]), and later to taunt Buck himself.
* MagicalNegro - Although Mrs. Holt is certainly mysterious, wise, and spiritual enough to be a Magical Negro, the extent of her 'magic spell' to help sway the judge in Caleb's custody hearing is...a nice big bowl of homemade chicken soup. Aside from some hints at African tribalism in her ancestry, a bit of voodoo, and some understanding of how the Afterlife works, she dispenses only common sense advice.
** In one episode her [[GoodIsImpotent ineffectiveness in protecting Caleb from evil]] is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] when Buck, after being thwarted by her interference, apparently makes her verge on choking to death--presumably he does not kill her because [[NotWorthKilling she's that small a blip on his radar]] (or such a petty thing would be beneath him). And the advice she gives Caleb regarding Merlyn's spirit being laid to rest is quite sound, namely "don't mess with the dead." Too bad Caleb doesn't listen, and in trying to help her move on instead brings her back...with [[WellIntentionedExtremist unfortunate]] [[LightIsNotGood results]].
** By the end of the show, though, she has indeed been ditched from the plot, and without even really serving a real purpose other than to give Caleb her halfway house to stay in. We can only speculate whether her role was cut due to ExecutiveMeddling, or if it might have been expanded had the show not been CutShort.
* NeckSnap - How Lucas kills Merlyn.
* NotSoDifferent - In "The Plague Sower", [[WellIntentionedExtremist having gone too far in her desire for vengeance and justice]], Merlyn uses her [[LightIsNotGood angelic powers]] to curse Trinity with an almost Biblical plague, only relenting when she is made to see how her either-or mentality and harsh, murderous methods make her no better than Buck.
* NotWhatItLooksLike - A particularly horrific subversion of this trope: Sutpen, a convicted killer now released from prison for good behavior, is taken in by Carter as fulfillment of a debt to Buck...after which he begins, quite unsubtly, to [[DirtyOldMan put the moves on Carter's daughter]]. ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything The popsicle-suckling scene]] is particularly over-the-top.) After catching Sutpen and his apparently willing daughter practically skinny-dipping together, then giggling and tickling each other under the sheets, Carter forbids them from having any more contact. The very next night, he hears giggling again, grabs his rifle, bursts into his daughter's room, and fires...[[spoiler:only to discover it was his daughter and wife playing together, and he had just killed his wife.]] The fact this is apparently a repeat of history and the reason Sutpen was locked up in the first place, [[spoiler:as it's strongly implied Sutpen accidentally killed the wrong man for sleeping with his wife, when it was ''Carter'' who had done the deed]], [[LaserGuidedKarma only puts the icing on the cake]].
* OminousLatinChanting - Usually when Merlyn is wandering around. Also, ''O Fortuna'' was used during the series finale.
* OutsideContextVillain: The ghost of the Boston Strangler suddenly appears with no warning in one episode.
* PinealWeirdness - Lucas mentions the supposed importance of the pineal gland/third eye. Yancy then stabs him in the area in an attempt to kill him.
* PluckyGirl - Gail, for the most part.
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone - Starting in the pilot, and continuing on to about the twelfth episode, Gail Emory proves to possess some form of this ability, since she continually relives or witnesses the fire which claimed the lives of her parents, even though she wasn't actually there to see the tragedy the first time. Once Buck [[ManipulativeBastard has revealed to her the truth about how and why her parents died]] and she realizes they [[BrokenPedestal weren't as wonderful as she thought they were]], this ability seems to disappear... which [[EvilIsSexy considering the trouble]] [[VirginityMakesYouStupid she gets into later]], is rather unfortunate.
* PsychicPowers - Although Buck, Caleb, and Merlyn are all shown to have varying examples of such powers (the latter never hinted at in life but [[OurAngelsAreDifferent justified by her new position]]), in the very first episode, Gail Emory is also implied to have some form of a PsychicLink with her cousin. After he has vanished from the hospital to answer his sister's summons to their old house, Gail somehow 'feels' a connection to him, even seems to indulge in a bit of Psychometry when she touches the door, and then instantly 'knows' where Caleb has gone. Even the [[WordOfGod writers, when speaking in the commentary]], noted that [[LampshadeHanging they didn't really know how she did it]], that it was only introduced [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands as a way to get all the characters together for the climax]], and the ability is never shown again.
* PutOnABus ([[spoiler:Dr. Crower]])
* RapeAsDrama - Meryln's traumatized state was caused by watching Buck rape her mother.
** In case we didn't already know that Buck was evil.
* RedHerring
* RoomFullOfCrazy - After learning that [[CaptainObvious Sheriff Buck is the Devil Incarnate]] from none other than his own mother, Dr. Crower becomes so obsessed with Buck that he starts acting like a crazed stalker. When Gail, Ben, and Dr. Peele become suspicious of his personality changes and investigate his house, they discover a room straight out of this trope--no rambling writing scrawled on the walls (except Buck's name, over and over), but plenty of photos, newspaper clippings, and an enlarged headshot of the sheriff with [[{{Anvilicious}} a red bullseye marked around it]]. Despite the predictable cliche quality of the moment, it still managed to be rather chilling.
* {{Satan}} - Sheriff Lucas Buck.
** Not necessarily. The show never really made it clear whether he was (to pick common fan theories) The Devil Himself, a demon, a fallen angel who didn't get all the way down to Hell, a dark aspect of the town itself or any of the above possessing a human host, or just a really evil dude with black magic powers.
*** Considering the episode "Inhumanitas" where the evil seems to leave Buck and possess Caleb, and Buck himself seems bewildered and perhaps even unaware of what he was doing or how he came to be there, the "possessed by any of the above" theory seems most likely.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork - The show premiered at 10 PM EST on Friday nights, a fairly good time slot. There was plenty of press, promotions, a lot of hype. The show airs, gets rave reviews from critics and fans alike...and then, for no apparent reason, scheduling issues begin cropping up. Whether the executives in charge at CBS changed and wished to do away with the success of their predecessors (though CBS was transitioning from the disastrous cheapskate Tisch era of the network to Westinghouse ownership; the final year Tisch era had left a Fox lite schedule with post-NFL transition disasters such as an Andrew Dice Clay sitcom and ''Central Park West'' with the new owners), didn't understand how good a thing they had, or didn't understand the show at all, all sorts of problems began plaguing the show. It would be preempted; there would be no episode shown, something else randomly stuck on in its place with no explanation; there would be gaps of several weeks in between new episodes, sometimes filled by reruns but usually not; episodes were shown out of order, or never aired at all. Then, without warning, the show was completely yanked from the line-up and vanished for many months. Granted, the show was unusual, not for everyone, and very different from most of CBS's usual fare, but with so many praising it for its daring and disturbing nature, you'd think they'd have gotten a clue. It was certainly TooGoodToLast. Luckily the creators knew long enough ahead of time that the plug was being pulled, and managed to wrap up the main plot points ([[CutShort well]], sort of...). But even these final episodes were withheld for a long time, then suddenly plunked on TV one right after another as a three-hour movie 'event'.
* SeekingSanctuary - Subverted with a vengeance in the episode "Inhumanitas," Caleb believes he will be safe from Buck's evil influence by taking shelter in the church, but the sheriff not only has no issues whatsoever stepping into the sanctuary and relentlessly pursuing his attempts to corrupt the boy, but he is even able to [[spoiler:exert DemonicPossession on him]], proving [[GoodIsImpotent how little the forces of holiness can touch him]]...until Merlyn [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome lays a delicious smackdown on him]]. Of course, the fact that the parish priest had [[DealWithTheDevil sold his soul]] and was attempting to break free of the deal may have had something to do with why Buck was first untouchable, then vulnerable.
* SeeYouInHell
* SexIsEvil -This would seem to be the overall 'moral' being raised, unsurprising for a show where the BigBad is essentially {{Satan}}, known for using lust as his primary weapon. Not only does Selena spread her legs at the drop of a hat for Buck (or to corrupt Ben, or Dr. Peele, or...), but Buck himself seduces Gail into a cringing DistressedDamsel, it was his rape of Mrs. Temple [[InTheBlood that started everything]], and even Merlyn's [[IJustWantToBeNormal desire for a normal life]] (complete with a love interest) almost costs an innocent baby its life and leads her to suicide and a return as an [[WellIntentionedExtremist avenging angel]]. Oh, and when Buck corrupts the wife of a hospital orderly with a magic mirror, what's the first thing she does? [[TheVamp Turn on the seductive charm]].
* ShameIfSomethingHappened - The episode "Damned If You Don't" inverts this trope: when Buck comes to collect on a debt, and mentions him having "a lovely daughter...how old is she now, fifteen?" Carter believes (helped along by the sheriff's smarmy turn from AffablyEvil to [[{{Squick}} downright pedophilic]]) that this is a blatant threat to his daughter's life if he turns Buck down--but all the sheriff is doing is innocently offering her a job at the precinct. Of course, when Carter ''does'' turn him down and opts for a different means of paying the debt, the daughter, his wife, and his entire livelihood are indeed threatened...with tragic consequences.
* SpiritAdvisor - [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Merlyn]]. While Caleb is not the only person who can see and speak to her, she does appear for the most part only as a ghost who advises her brother on how to stay on the straight and narrow. The others who catch sight of her or even interact with her (apart from her brief stint as a mortal in "Rebirth") are Buck (who even aside from being the BigBad has [[PsychicPowers a lot more powers]] [[{{Satan}} at his disposal]] than the average resident of Trinity) and Ben Healy. In the latter's case, this is only because Merlyn herself chooses to appear to him and haunt his dreams, since [[{{Blackmail}} he knows the truth about how she died]] and she's trying to appeal to his conscience so he can [[ManipulativeBastard break free of Buck's influence]]. No one else, like Gail (who is her cousin as well as Caleb's) or [[MagicalNegro Mrs. Holt]], ever sees her.
* TalkativeLoon - The people of Trinity struck by Merlyn's plague suffered from this.
* TearsOfBlood - [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Merlyn Temple]] cries these, or at least her body does, during a lovely guilt-inducing vision which haunts the coroner of Trinity--since he was complicit in covering up Sheriff Buck's crime of "[[MercyKill mercy killing]]" her. The accompanying MadnessMantra on the tape recorder, both as an artificially deep VoiceOfTheLegion and a freakily speeded-up version, is the icing on the cake for this very disturbing scene. (You know the villain of a piece must be awful if this is the sort of thing the ''good guys'' do regularly to combat his plots.)
* TownWithADarkSecret - Subversion: Trinity, SC, is a town whose dark secret is that its sheriff is the Devil Incarnate. But no one knows this fact at all (except [[SpiritAdvisor Merlyn]], it seems), while only the few who run afoul of Buck's wrath, dare to cross him, or refuse to obey him ever even discover what a MagnificentBastard he truly is. On the other hand, there are quite a lot of people in town keeping their own secrets: Dr. Crower, Gail, the coroner, the priest, Ben, Selena...
* VillainWithGoodPublicity - Sheriff Lucas Buck. Men tip their hats and women hand him flowers, little old men and women thank him for the charity work that has enabled them to afford their medicines, children smile and wave, and so on. No one in Trinity could possibly believe good ol' boy Buck could have a mean bone in his body.
* VirginityMakesYouStupid - Disappointingly inverted: while this trope might be upsetting to feminists or anyone who believes in equality, the character arc Gail suffers from is just as misogynistic. At the start of the show, she is an ActionGirl, an IntrepidReporter, a {{Determinator}}, a MamaBear, and a CoolBigSis. But because she's ForbiddenFruit, Sheriff Buck [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty pursues her relentlessly]]. And the minute he succeeds in bedding her, all of her previous characterization goes out the window and she becomes weak, ineffectual, dumb, and clueless--a real DistressedDamsel. Yes, ''having sex makes you stupid''.
* WellIntentionedExtremist - After she [[spoiler:kills her new body to save the soul of a baby]] and is sent briefly to Hell, Caleb resurrects the spirit of his sister Merlyn. Apparently this brush with darkness changed her usually angelic personality into one that was vengeful, ruthless, and downright disturbing. Completely aside from the horror (or {{Narm}}) when she [[spoiler:briefly speaks with a deep, demonic voice]], she declares war on Buck right in the middle of a church (a CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a character who rarely gets any). And when Buck [[spoiler:possesses Caleb and dares her to kill her own brother]], she goes completely too far, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope deciding that since everyone in the town is either aiding Buck or looking the other way, they are all evil too]]...[[spoiler:so she sends a plague to slaughter the town]]. And all of this while [[WomanInWhite still wearing white]]!
** Dr. Crower ends up becoming one of these in "Doctor Death Takes a Holiday", and this is the ostensible justification for Buck [[PutOnABus sending him out of town to the loony bin]]. On the one hand, [[RoomFullOfCrazy plastering the walls of your room with newspaper clippings, death threats, photos, and a big red gun-sight target]] would definitely suggest someone is a danger to himself and others. On the other hand, considering Buck is the Devil Incarnate, being an extremist, well-intentioned or not, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may be the only way]] ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo to]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo get rid of him]]. Which, [[GambitRoulette since the whole thing was orchestrated by Buck anyway]] to get rid of who he thought was his biggest obstacle to claiming Caleb, really underscores how in Trinity, GoodIsImpotent.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle - Happened on quite a number of occasions. The two most memorable would have to be "Resurrector", when after a morality tale of a radio talk-show host, his [[spoiler:seemingly]] murdered wife, and Buck in one of his most despicable acts of {{Magnificent Bastard}}ry, the interspersed attempts of Caleb to bring Merlyn's spirit back to him results in [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist decidedly mixed]] [[LightIsNotGood results]]]]; and "The Buck Stops Here", where after the sheriff is killed and Caleb [[spoiler:becomes a regular little Damien, nearly killing Gail and bringing the whole town, even Selena, under his thrall]], we are treated to the last shot of [[spoiler:[[EyeAwaken Buck's eyes opening in his grave]]]].

----

* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Tune]]: The first episode opens with a tune many may recognize from Twin Peaks... or something remarkably similar

* WellIntentionedExtremist - After she [[spoiler:kills her new body to save the soul of a baby]] and is sent briefly to Hell, Caleb resurrects the spirit of his sister Merlyn. Apparently this brush with darkness changed her usually angelic personality into one that was vengeful, ruthless, and downright disturbing. Completely aside from the horror (or {{Narm}}) when she [[spoiler:briefly speaks with a deep, demonic voice]], she declares war on Buck right in the middle of a church (a CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a character who rarely gets any). And when Buck [[spoiler:possesses Caleb and dares her to kill her own brother]], she goes completely too far, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope deciding that since everyone in the town is either aiding Buck or looking the other way, they are all evil too]]...[[spoiler:so she sends a plague to slaughter the town]]. And all of this while [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience still wearing white]]!

-->--'''Sheriff Lucas Buck'''

''American Gothic'' was a horror television series, which lasted for 1 season, from September 1995 to July 1996. A unique, outstanding series [[ScrewedByTheNetwork never given a chance by its network (CBS, in this case)]], ''American Gothic'' was also one of the most chilling and disturbing series ever to air, a stark morality tale with Gary Cole as the [[DevilInPlainSight Devil incarnate]] (or a close kin), disguised as Sheriff Lucas Buck of the small town of Trinity, SC. Buck rules over his little kingdom with morbid humor and playfulness, setting up moral pitfalls and dilemmas for the town's inhabitants, and dispensing his own brand of justice or vengeance or just plain meanness--which often involves ruin, insanity, dismemberment, or death.

Opposing Buck is young Caleb Temple (played by Lucas Black), an orphan who [[DeadPersonConversation talks regularly]] to his [[SpiritAdvisor dead sister Merlyn]] and who has powers of his own--and who may or may not be Buck's son. Buck wants Caleb to follow him; Merlyn wants Caleb to resist; and the rest of Trinity gets caught in the crossfire, so to speak. WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic?

* AffablyEvil - Buck didn't get a sterling reputation in Trinity for nothing.

* BadassLongcoat: Guess who?

* ChildrenAreInnocent - Played Straight and then disturbingly averted. [[MoralEventHorizon Buck is proven to be absolutely evil]] by [[strike:murdering]] [[MercyKill mercy-killing]] Merlyn in the first episode, and most of the first half to three-quarters of the series is devoted to protecting the innocent Caleb from the sheriff's vile influence. But then, as Caleb [[StartOfDarkness gradually falls deeper and deeper under his father's thrall]], starts taking lessons from him, and even absorbs some of his powers, he becomes more disturbingly amoral, wicked, and heartless. By the end of the series, Caleb is practically a carbon copy of ''TheOmen'' and it is [[spoiler:Buck]] who must actually [[spoiler:save Trinity from ''him'']]. All the more chilling because of how artfully it is done.

-->Buck (threateningly): I'll think of something.

* {{Filk Song}} - "Dark Country" by Tom Smith (YouTube Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g95kcdeOzSo )
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar - Buck and Selena are the freakin' masters of this trope.

* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey It's That Tune]]: The first episode opens with a tune many may recognize from Twin Peaks... or something remarkably similar

* MagicalNegro - Although Mrs. Holt is certainly mysterious, wise, and spiritual enough to be a Magical Negro, the extent of her 'magic spell' to help sway the judge in Caleb's custody hearing is...a nice big bowl of homemade chicken soup. Aside from some hints at African tribalism in her ancestry, a bit of voodoo, and some understanding of how the Afterlife works, she dispenses only common sense advice.

* NotWhatItLooksLike - A particularly horrific subversion of this trope: Sutpen, a convicted killer now released from prison for good behavior, is taken in by Carter as fulfillment of a debt to Buck...after which he begins, quite unsubtly, to [[DirtyOldMan put the moves on Carter's daughter]]. ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything The popsicle-suckling scene]] is particularly over-the-top.) After catching Sutpen and his apparently willing daughter practically skinny-dipping together, then giggling and tickling each other under the sheets, Carter forbids them from having any more contact. The very next night, he hears giggling again, grabs his rifle, bursts into his daughter's room, and fires...[[spoiler:only to discover it was his daughter and wife playing together, and he had just killed his wife.]] The fact this is apparently a repeat of history and the reason Sutpen was locked up in the first place, [[spoiler:as it's strongly implied Sutpen accidentally killed the wrong man for sleeping with his wife, when it was ''Carter'' who had done the deed]], [[LaserGuidedKarma only puts the icing on the cake]].

* OutsideContextVillain: The ghost of the Boston Strangler suddenly appears with no warning in one episode.
* PinealWeirdness - Lucas mentions the supposed importance of the pineal gland/third eye. Yancy then stabs him in the area in an attempt to kill him.

* PsychicDreamsForEveryone - Starting in the pilot, and continuing on to about the twelfth episode, Gail Emory proves to possess some form of this ability, since she continually relives or witnesses the fire which claimed the lives of her parents, even though she wasn't actually there to see the tragedy the first time. Once Buck [[ManipulativeBastard has revealed to her the truth about how and why her parents died]] and she realizes they [[BrokenPedestal weren't as wonderful as she thought they were]], this ability seems to disappear... which [[EvilIsSexy considering the trouble]] [[VirginityMakesYouStupid she gets into later]], is rather unfortunate.
* PsychicPowers - Although Buck, Caleb, and Merlyn are all shown to have varying examples of such powers (the latter never hinted at in life but [[OurAngelsAreDifferent justified by her new position]]), in the very first episode, Gail Emory is also implied to have some form of a PsychicLink with her cousin. After he has vanished from the hospital to answer his sister's summons to their old house, Gail somehow 'feels' a connection to him, even seems to indulge in a bit of Psychometry when she touches the door, and then instantly 'knows' where Caleb has gone. Even the [[WordOfGod writers, when speaking in the commentary]], noted that [[LampshadeHanging they didn't really know how she did it]], that it was only introduced [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands as a way to get all the characters together for the climax]], and the ability is never shown again.

** In case we didn't already know that Buck was evil.

* {{Chickification}} - Sadly, this happened to [[PluckyGirl Gail Emory]]. At the start of the show, while not exactly an ActionGirl, she was certainly a female {{Determinator}} who, as an IntrepidReporter, was determined to find out the truth of her parents' deaths and bring their murderer to justice. But as soon as she learned her parents were not [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal the paragons of virtue she thought them to be]]]], her BelatedBackstory was dropped and she seemed to flounder about with nothing to do. By the end of the series, she's morphed almost completely into a DistressedDamsel, having to rely on Buck himself for protection, and in her last scene is left in a hospital bed, crying piteously over the baby she's lost--even though she didn't want it in the first place, seeing as it was the son of Satan (as depicted graphically via ultrasound--or maybe not). At least some of this may be due to ExecutiveMeddling in order to pair up the major male and female leads, or a result of the show being ScrewedByTheNetwork so that Shaun Cassidy had to wrap everything up far too quickly and nonsensically. But some surely isn't.

* [[HeyItsThatVoice Hey it's that tune]]: The first episode opens with a tune many may recognize from Twin Peaks... or something remarkably similar

* LukeIAmYourFather - Caleb and Sheriff Buck. Unique in that it is revealed ''in the pilot of the series'', and that while Caleb reacts in disgust and anger at the notion, he never has a HeroicBSOD or otherwise freaks out over the revelation. In fact the more time passes, the less issue he seems to take with it, even [[spoiler:welcoming and embracing the relationship by the end of the series]]. This could be due to being orphaned and having no one else to turn to except an increasingly unstable doctor and a [[strike:CoolBigSis]] cool cousin [[EvilIsSexy who is also being drawn into Buck's orbit]], but [[DemonicPossession all things]] [[InTheBlood considered]], [[StartOfDarkness probably not]].

[[quoteright:395:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/n576466442_1906791_6485.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:395:That's Buck spelled with a "B."]]

-->''I don't actually give; I deal. Are you ready to make a deal?''
--> -'''Sheriff Lucas Buck'''

American Gothic was a horror television series, which lasted for 1 season, from September 1995 to July 1996. A unique, outstanding series [[ScrewedByTheNetwork never given a chance by its network (CBS, in this case)]], ''American Gothic'' was also one of the most chilling and disturbing series ever to air, a stark morality tale with Gary Cole as the [[DevilInPlainSight Devil incarnate]] (or a close kin), disguised as Sheriff Lucas Buck of the small town of Trinity, SC. Buck rules over his little kingdom with morbid humor and playfulness, setting up moral pitfalls and dilemmas for the town's inhabitants, and dispensing his own brand of justice or vengeance or just plain meanness--which often involves ruin, insanity, dismemberment, or death.

!!Contains Examples Of:

* SpiritAdvisor - [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Merlyn]]. While Caleb is not the only person who can see and speak to her, she does appear for the most part only as a ghost who advises her brother on how to stay on the straight and narrow. The others who catch sight of her or even interact with her (apart from her brief stint as a mortal in "Rebirth") are Buck (who even aside from being the BigBad has [[PsychicPowers a lot more powers]] [[{{Satan}} at his disposal]] than the average resident of Trinity) and Ben Healy. In the latter's case, this is only because Merlyn herself chooses to appear to him and [[NightmareFuel haunt his dreams]], since [[{{Blackmail}} he knows the truth about how she died]] and she's trying to appeal to his conscience so he can [[ManipulativeBastard break free of Buck's influence]]. No one else, like Gail (who is her cousin as well as Caleb's) or [[MagicalNegro Mrs. Holt]], ever sees her.

* WellIntentionedExtremist - After she [[spoiler:kills her new body to save the soul of a baby]] and is sent briefly to Hell, Caleb resurrects the spirit of his sister Merlyn. Apparently this brush with darkness changed her usually angelic personality into one that was vengeful, ruthless, and downright disturbing. Completely aside from the NightmareFuel (or {{Narm}}) when she [[spoiler:briefly speaks with a deep, demonic voice]], she declares war on Buck right in the middle of a church (a CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a character who rarely gets any). And when Buck [[spoiler:possesses Caleb and dares her to kill her own brother]], she goes completely too far, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope deciding that since everyone in the town is either aiding Buck or looking the other way, they are all evil too]]...[[spoiler:so she sends a plague to slaughter the town]]. And all of this while [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience still wearing white]]!

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle - Happened on quite a number of occasions. The two most memorable would have to be "Resurrector", when after a morality tale of a radio talk-show host, his [[spoiler:seemingly]] murdered wife, and Buck in one of his most despicable acts of [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastardry]], the interspersed attempts of Caleb to bring Merlyn's spirit back to him results in [[spoiler:[[WellIntentionedExtremist decidedly mixed]] [[LightIsNotGood results]]]]; and "The Buck Stops Here", where after the sheriff is killed and Caleb [[spoiler:becomes a regular little Damien, nearly killing Gail and bringing the whole town, even Selena, under his thrall]], we are treated to the last shot of [[spoiler:[[EyeAwaken Buck's eyes opening in his grave]]]].
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<<|AmericanSeries|>>

* {{Chickification}} - Sadly, this happened to [[PluckyGirl Gail Emory]]. At the start of the show, while not exactly an ActionGirl, she was certainly a female {{Determinator}} who, as an IntrepidReporter, was determined to find out the truth of her parents' deaths and bring their murderer to justice. But as soon as she learned her parents were not [[spoiler:[[BrokenPedestal the paragons of virtue she thought them to be]]]], her BelatedBackstory was dropped and she seemed to flounder about with nothing to do. By the end of the series, she's morphed almost completely into a DistressedDamsel, having to rely on Buck himself for protection, and in her last scene is left in a hospital bed, crying piteously over the baby she's lost--even though she didn't want it in the first place, seeing as it was the son of Satan ([[HighOctaneNightmareFuel as depicted graphically via ultrasound]]--or maybe not). At least some of this may be due to ExecutiveMeddling in order to pair up the major male and female leads, or a result of the show being ScrewedByTheNetwork so that Shaun Cassidy had to wrap everything up far too quickly and nonsensically. But some surely isn't.

* IHaveYouNowMyPretty - A disturbing inversion. Not only is there no hero in sight to show up and save [[PluckyGirl Gail]] from sexual ravishment by MagnificentBastard Sheriff Buck -- since Dr. Crower a) is absolutely clueless about what is developing between them b) has his own problems and c) is never even implied to have any interest in Gail other than as a friend -- but Gail ''actually wants it.'' (Because, of course, EvilIsSexy and EvilFeelsGood.) The fact she is willing, overcome by her desires, and unable to resist Buck, however, does not stop the scene in question from being depraved: it [[DoubleEntendre takes place in a garden]] replete with [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel unsettling statuary]], and the DiscretionShot used throughout is downright surreal, with imagery that switched from WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic to MindScrew territory.

* SpiritAdvisor - [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Merlyn]]. While Caleb is not the only person who can see and speak to her, she does appear for the most part only as a ghost who advises her brother on how to stay on the straight and narrow. The others who catch sight of her or even interact with her (apart from her brief stint as a mortal in "Rebirth") are Buck (who even aside from being the BigBad has [[PsychicPowers a lot more powers]] [[{{Satan}} at his disposal]] than the average resident of Trinity) and Ben Healy. In the latter's case, this is only because Merlyn herself chooses to appear to him and [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel haunt his dreams]], since [[{{Blackmail}} he knows the truth about how she died]] and she's trying to appeal to his conscience so he can [[ManipulativeBastard break free of Buck's influence]]. No one else, like Gail (who is her cousin as well as Caleb's) or [[MagicalNegro Mrs. Holt]], ever sees her.

* TearsOfBlood - [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Merlyn Temple]] cries these, or at least her body does, during a lovely guilt-inducing vision which haunts the coroner of Trinity--since he was complicit in covering up Sheriff Buck's crime of "[[MercyKill mercy killing]]" her. The accompanying MadnessMantra on the tape recorder, both as an artificially deep VoiceOfTheLegion and a freakily speeded-up version, is the icing on the cake for this [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel very disturbing scene]]. (You know the villain of a piece must be awful if this is the sort of thing the ''good guys'' do regularly to combat his plots.)

* WellIntentionedExtremist - After she [[spoiler:kills her new body to save the soul of a baby]] and is sent briefly to Hell, Caleb resurrects the spirit of his sister Merlyn. Apparently this brush with darkness changed her usually angelic personality into one that was vengeful, ruthless, and downright disturbing. Completely aside from the HighOctaneNightmareFuel (or {{Narm}}) when she [[spoiler:briefly speaks with a deep, demonic voice]], she declares war on Buck right in the middle of a church (a CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a character who rarely gets any). And when Buck [[spoiler:possesses Caleb and dares her to kill her own brother]], she goes completely too far, [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope deciding that since everyone in the town is either aiding Buck or looking the other way, they are all evil too]]...[[spoiler:so she sends a plague to slaughter the town]]. And all of this while [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience still wearing white]]!

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor - [[FemmeFatale Selena Coombs]] certainly seems to be riding one of these, or perhaps a seesaw. Aside from the moments when we see the weakening of her evil resolve and the good heart shining through (particularly the episode "Potato Boy"), the last several episodes of the series involve her repeatedly switching sides based on opportunism, a XanatosRoulette, or acting out of character depending on your interpretation. It's hard to tell exactly who she's lying to at any given moment--Buck, Dr. Peele, or Caleb.

** Dr. Crower ends up becoming one of these in "Doctor Death Takes a Holiday", and this is the ostensible justification for Buck [[PutOnABus sending him out of town to the loony bin]]. On the one hand, [[RoomFullOfCrazy plastering the walls of your room with newspaper clippings, death threats, photos, and a big red gun-sight target]] would definitely suggest someone is a danger to himself and others. On the other hand, considering Buck is the Devil Incarnate, being an extremist, well-intentioned or not, [[IDidWhatIHadToDo may be the only way]] ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo to]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo get rid of him]]. Which, [[XanatosRoulette since the whole thing was orchestrated by Buck anyway]] to get rid of who he thought was his biggest obstacle to claiming Caleb, really underscores how in Trinity, GoodIsImpotent.

* EvilIsSexy - Sheriff Buck for the win. It doesn't take Gail (and many female viewers) long to figure this one out.

* KarmaHoudini - Unsurprisingly, [[{{Satan}} Sheriff Buck]] is a KarmaHoudini for the entire run of the series. Among the most notable things he gets away with are: killing Merlyn Temple ''in the very first episode'' and blackmailing his failed BastardUnderstudy Ben Healy to keep quiet about it; imprisoning, torturing, and eventually causing the death by neglect of an out-of-town reporter (complete with [[spoiler:removing from his belongings the evidence that might convict Buck of various crimes]], [[GoodIsImpotent all while Dr. Matt and Gail look on helplessly]]); tormenting Dr. Matt about his alcoholism, nearly getting him expelled at the hospital due to his tragic past, and eventually [[spoiler:setting him up to look like an insane vigilante so he could be locked up in a mental ward]]; manipulating Gage Temple into [[spoiler:killing Gail's parents (from which he escapes only by [[BrokenPedestal revealing to her how awful her parents really were]]]]); and summoning the spirit of the Boston Strangler to kill Merlyn ([[IdiotBall only to have him go after Gail as well]]). He even seems to win at the end of the series. This would be enough to constitute a DownerEnding and a reason to wash your hands of the show, if not for the suitably vague ending, [[OrIsIt which implies the victory might not be all it seems]], and how deliciously this MagnificentBastard pulls most of this off.