Formspring Question #404--Jonas and the Wail Edition

Most fans consider Jonas Quinn an afterthought when naming their favorite characters. Why do so many not like him?

I think it is a combination of fans liking Daniel and the writers not doing enough to separate Daniel from Jonas. I am only eleven episodes into Jonas’ run, but he has already been relegated to a bit player in two of them. I the episodes in which he does play a prominent role, he is Daniel, either by playing the advocate for a guest character others are shakier about or serving as the nerdy translator. Heck, there is even an episode in which he has to deal with a mentally ill mentor like Daniel did with his instutionalized uncle.

If the writers are going to make Jonas a second rate copy of Daniel, then that is what fans are going to consider him. I do not blame them. While I do not have any particular emotional attachments to Daniel--often, his whiny, holier than thou attitude is annoying--I would rather have the real deal than a half-baked stand in.

Judging by this 2005 interview, Corin Nemec diplomatically states he felt like an interloper during his run on the show. No one from the cast or crew contacted him when they found out he was leaving. I get the impression, speaking as one who is new to Gater lore, that Nemec was phoning it in, so all parties wee relieved he was not going to stick around. That may be the reason some of his appearances have been little more than cameos. Nemec says he has not even seen the finished episodes that are Jonas’ swan song.