Gilear Faeth is the Chosen One and Brennan Lee Mulligan Can Personally Fight Me If He Thinks I’m Wrong
Gilear Faeth began as a side character in Dimension 20’s Fantasy High, first appearing in its premiere episode, “The Begining Begins.” He is the recently divorced single father of Fig Faeth, who is rebelling against her family after discovering that Gilear is not her father and she is, in fact, a teifling. Gilear is introduced to the series as a bumbling mess, and instantly became a beloved character with both the cast of the show and the fans. Brennan Lee Mulligan, dungeon master and creator of Dimension 20 said on Fantasy High: Extra Credit the he believes Gilear is so beloved because, “he is who he is and has elf voice and elf voice is from Lord Of the Rings, it is the voice of ultimate superiority… I didn’t reckon in my head how much you guys were going to like an elf with the truly elven demeanor really not having a good life, like not doing well.” This is, in part true, much of the comedy of Gilear’s character is his reversal of fantasy archetypes and the real-world reality of these fantastical elements. Everything about him is so unjustifiably funny, but I think there is a deeper reason why he is so loved. Perhaps we all loved Gilear so much because there is something so painfully human about him. Who among us has not felt that despair that brings us to the very depths of our souls? Who has not ended a relationship and experienced the staggering realization that you are the only person in the world that can love yourself even though you are not at all equipped to do so? We love Gilear Feath because he reminds us of just how overwhelming the weight of being alive is.
Gilear is a mainstay in the first season of Fantasy High appearing in almost every episode and is the most seen NPC of the show. In the second season of Fantasy High, Sophmore Year, Gilear becomes a member of the Bad Kid’s adventuring party. This was a pivotal moment in Gilear’s history because we discover what his stat block is.
Hey, can I just say, Brennan, what the fuck? This is a legitimately wild thing to do. Gilear can be killed by every attack the party faces and has no chance of surviving anything. He is, as Emily Axford said, a “cursed creature”. So far in Fantasy High, Gilear has been fully killed three times and knocked unconscious countless others. He is seen as one of the most useless characters in the entire series, but he is still loved by the fan base and the players none the less. There has even been a whole week dedicated to Gilear and “hot Gilear” has been popular on social media sites. Despite Brennan Lee Mulligan’s best efforts, the world is still obsessed with Gilear even if he is just a lowly dad who dies if the wind blows too hard.
But is Gilear something more? Is his complete ordinary nature actually hint to us the audience that there is more planned for this sad dad. I would like to argue that there is. Behind every great gaggle of children, there is one extremely sad, old dad who’s just trying to get by at his middling job. I would like to posit that Gilear is the chosen one. This is something that has been a long-running joke throughout the series, but I think it has substantial merit from a dramatic sense. If you look closely at Gilear’s arc throughout this season, it seamlessly fits into the hero’s journey. Gilear Faeth, after the destruction of his marriage, is dragged into a quest by his estranged daughter fig (call to adventure). Her and her gang of friends travel to defeat the nightmare king with Gilear in toe. He doesn’t want to join them at first (refusal of the call), but after being fired from his job as a vice principal (supernatural aid) decides to join them. The gang leaves solace (crossing the threshold) after an unfortunate battle in Bastion city where Gilear dies for the first of many times (trial and first failure). While on the celestial sea, they discover a pirate island and meet Garty O’Brian and Ayda Auguefort as well as have their first interactions with the shadow cat, a mysterious tabaxi woman who works for the nightmare king (Meeting allies and enemies). At this point in the show Gilear is halfway through his heroes journey, he has committed to being a better father and was even helpful in Fallinell and Hell to some degree, I would argue that those events are his growth and first success. We have not yet seen Gilear’s grand trial, but I think it’s altogether possible that Gilear can shed his former self and become a better, stronger Gilear. We already see that happening on some level; He is more confident now than he’s ever been. With the time left in the show, I genuinely believe that Gilear has the chance to save the day.
The thing about the hero’s journey is that the only way it can function as a narrative is if you take an individual who is not extraordinary and show them transform through the adventure into a great hero. The Bad Kids are already heroes; they have already defeated great enemies and hold extreme power. In the context of the story, they act more like the dwarves in the Hobbit than Bilbo Baggins. Gilear is the perfect hero because he is a regular guy. Gilear is all of us, that’s why he’s so loved. There is something about Gilear that looks deep into the depths of human nature that no one ever wants to acknowledge. He is our faults, our fears, and our anxieties mixed into the form of a sad elf yogurt dad. What would be a better ending to a story all about facing your fears and the consequences of your actions than a redemption arc for Dimension 20’s saddest character? The Bad Kids are so important, but Gilear has the most potential for growth out of any of the characters. Gilear should be the chosen one because if Gilear is the chosen one, so could every single one of us.