Evil Overlord Scorecard

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 24748

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., cynthiaanncoe at h... wrote:
> Although I am sure that this subject has been discussed a lot, I 
> would give JKR an A- on handling the evil overlord problem inherent 
> in the plots of her books.  
> 
> In Book 1, Voldemort spills his guts before attacking Harry, but it 
> works because he is more pre-occupied with getting the stone, so 
> killing Harry without some chit-chat wouldn't accomplish it.  B+
> 
Makes sense. Plus he's angry with having to depend on Quirrell and 
having to drink Unicorn blood to keep himself going.  And rather than 
repress anger, he takes it out on Harry by verbalizing at him.  Harry 
was the first handy target, and happened also to be the one with the 
cheddar.

> In Book 2, Voldemort/Riddle shows himself to be really dumb, and is 
> explaining the whole plot to Harry in the Chamber for no apparent 
> reason.  C

Riddle was 16 at the time.  Makes sense to me that a teenager would 
blab.  Plus,  he's got the ego even then that points to his 
megalomania as the Big V. later. And again, he feels he's dealt with 
ignominity [vis a vis Ginny's mewling into the journal] and wants to 
talk about it.  Again, he believes he's in the major spot of 
advantage, and there's nothing Harry can do to save himself or stop 
Tom. 

> 
> In Book 3, no Voldemort, but we have the fabulous chapters in the 
> Shrieking Shack in which Lupin and Black talk endlessly about the 
> plot to make it all add up.  Works very well, because they are 
trying 
> to convince Harry to believe them.  Note that Pettigrew doesn't 
burst 
> forth with explanations, but snivels them out on cross-
examination.  
> Very effective.  A+

Exceptional, yes!  

And I think the casual stuff was just expedient. I'm sure Remus and 
Sirius sat down and had a good brotherly heart-to-heart at some point 
between the end of this book and the end of book 4.   I believe they 
just did the  "polite cartoon gophers" speech because it made clear 
they were friends again, and that neither one of them was going to 
fall for Pettigrew's sniveling; and that they both were going to make 
him pay for his betrayal.
> 
> In Book 4, we have three evil overlord sequences.  First, in the 
> graveyard, Voldemort needs to prove his power to his supporters, 
and 
> it would be too weird for all of the DEs to apparate to the 
graveyard 
> and not ask the obvious question "Where have you been and what took 
> you so long?"  Second, we have the more unfortunate Mad-Eye Moody 
> confession/explanation -- a classic villian who is really screwing 
> up.  Failing to kill Harry right away.  No really good reason to be 
> saying all of this as Harry has no need to know any of it.  

Again, this is the whole villain perosnality flaw thing.  He wants 
Harry to know why he's going to die. He wants Harry to know that 
Barty Jr. is doing this to please Voldemort.  He believes himself 
beyond reproach insofar as Harry's "meager powers" can manage.

Failing 
> to watch the door.  Going back to his office where Dumbledore could 
> find him.  Third, we have the Truth Serum sequence, which is fine.  
> The Graveyard gets an A, the Mad-Eye Moody sequence would get a D, 
> but I'll raise it to a B to reflect the degree of difficulty of 
> finding another way to do the scene, and the Truth Serum gets an A.


Nice scoring, though.  I am inclined to agree with you for the most 
part. :) 

Indigo