The second type of antihero Prusa brings forward is the inward type, which can be described
as a character who, “hates others for their hate of themselves. They punish themselves
through substances, such as drugs and alcohol.” (Mgr. Igor Prusa Ph.D., Towards The
Antihero Theory, 2019). This again is a much more modern idea of how an antihero can be
presented.
The case study I intend to use which contains two inward heroes is the series Unreal,
(Unreal, Lifetime/Hulu, 2015), which follows Quinn King and Rachel Goldberg, two reality
show producers of Everlasting, a US Bachelor style dating show. Quinn and Rachel are both
examples of the inward antihero as while they allow things to happen to people for the result
of gaining respectable ratings to impress their bosses, they also do things intentionally to
others because they hate who they’ve become. For example, when feeling neglected by
Quinn, Rachel creates her own version of Everlasting in which it’s contestants are pushed to
their limits, resulting in one character sexually assaulting another under Rachel’s watchful
eye. Similarly, when Quinn is feeling betrayed, she allows a Suitor with a known injury to be
thrown the ground and put in the situation where he needs life changing surgery. These
examples both explore how the inward antihero is presented through a modern show and the
importance of studying Prusa’s ideas.