Who’s the most despicable villain of them all?
Gaston is actually way worse than we remember. In my original Beauty and the Beast origins videos,
a lot of people seem to think Gaston is merely a meaty man helping out a little town by getting
rid of a perceived Beastly threat. But, it’s worse than Gaston just thinking about and… with…
his… muscle. And this movie does SUCH A terribly good job making Gaston a frightening force of
a villain. We’re going through scene by scene, frame by frame, to see just what makes Gaston
the best, well worst, most despicable villain. He eats 5 dozen eggs every morning
(which would be enough to feed a very big family) and makes sure that
everyone worships the ground he walks on, but these alone don’t make someone a “bad guy.”
Off-putting to some, but not inherently “bad.” It’s just no growth beyond the “who am I and
what do I want beyond getting rocks off and looking hot” department. Everything Gaston does
seems to be for public approval and validation. Because like many a Disney villain, Gaston
is incredibly vain. When we first meet him, it’s as clear as his own winking reflection that
Gaston’s first and truest love is himself, but I’m not sure he’s even that kind to himself, or
knows who he is or what he wants beyond being “the guy that every other guy wants to be” (File that
notion away, it’s a dive later!) The whole song at the start of the movie sets up Belle as “different
from the rest of them,” and, oblivious to her quirky personality, Gaston wants to marry her for
her looks alone. I’m not sure he is even attracted to Belle, he just knows she is the prettiest,
and that shallow reason makes her the best, and his match. ‘No girl stands a chance against
Gaston, but he’s “got my (his) sights set on that one. She’s the most beautiful girl in town… that
makes her the best! And don't I deserve the best?” Ever the hunter, Belle is just a mark to Gaston,
well, more accurately a pretty trophy to collect, and something to brag about to the town: “Just
watch I’m going to make Belle my wife! Perfect! A public challenge, an unnecessary declaration to
the town, without consulting or considering Belle. As he says this, The villagers admire Gaston
for like a second, but then go back to being enraptured and singing about Belle! Which, their
lack of attention and focus kinda miffs Gaston (just look at his befuddled face! He’s so vain…
he probably thought this song was about him!) Anyway, he then feels the need to jump over
rooftops to get to the person of their interest, invade her personal space right away, throw her
favorite book in mud, tell her that she needs to start thinking “about more important things:
him,” settle down (as expected in the little town) He won’t take no for an answer, and it’s very
juvenile mean-boy how he teases her and takes her stuff and then laughs at her! That’s not love!
That’s just bullying! (It’s worth noting that he also bullies his “friends” like poor LeFou, and
is willing to use them to make himself look better ( When Belle calls Gaston out for insulting her
father Maurice, Gaston immediately turns to LeFou: “Yeah, don’t talk about her father that way!”
bonk! Like Gaston was not the one instigating it). (Gaston is VERY terrible to LeFou generally
- and specifically uses him as a punching bag, and forces him to freeze outside for DAYS for
his own plans). More on THAT later. ANYWAY. Gaston next visits to propose marriage (after
only hearing “no’s” from Belle!) WITH THE WHOLE TOWN WAITING TO PARTY, pPriest ready to officiate.
Presumptions much? All this when Belle is at home, alone, and gods, the energy he struts in with is
soooooo….. Wow it’s a lot. Personal space bubble who? Belle’s gymnastics for dodging this beastly
man are incredible! and look if we’re going by the rules of polite society back once upon a
time, two unmarried people being alone together, unsupervised in a house with the door shut
would be SCANDALOUS. SO Gaston, it seems, is willing to compromise Belle’s reputation
and future prospects by barging in against her will. But then again, maybe that’s part of
the plan - make it so she HAS NO CHOICE but to marry him (as we’ll see he does again later…)
But, most likely he’s so confident she won’t be able to resist him and his jockular attitude
that the scandal is a moot point (to him). If we’re NOT going with the old-timey “scandal”
scenario, and judging this by modern times when this was made, Gaston STILL intrudes into Belle’s
house against her will, while she’s alone, forces his disgusting feet on her, assaults her
senses with his pungent aroma, and tells her “how it’s going to be when they are married.” Yikes!
(Contrast to the Beast who gives Belle space (a whole wing of a castle lol). Celebrates her
bookish hobbies, and even bathes for her! wow) Also, and again this goes back to Gaston not
even really being attracted to Belle as a person, but as an “idea he deserves”: when he
catches his own reflection in the mirror, MID PROPOSAL (which you know is supposed to be
about extolling the other person's virtues and your love for them) he checks himself out… a lot.
My, what sharp teeth he has! He definitely strikes me as the type of person that, it doesn't
matter who they are getting down with or what that person looks like, Gaston would be
watching himself in a mirror the whole time, because HE is what he quote “loves”
and deserves the most. Rawr tiger. But, this mirror scenario appears a few times,
and is so crucial because it shows how Gaston looks at Belle: He doesn’t. And then we see
how the Beast looks at Belle: and that guy is INRAPTURED. Puppy eyes. Wonder. Excitement.
You get it. The Beast want’s Bell because he values her company. Gaston just wants someone
to make him more attractive to others. A trophy. Belle wittily gets out of the proposal
and the personal space bubble invasion: “I just don’t deserve you!” and Gaston gets what
he deserves - humiliated in the pig mud. “I will have Belle for my wife, make no mistake
about that!” That uhhhhh does NOT sound like LOVE at all, but toxic toxic anger at being
humiliated. Theirs would NOT be a happy union, I am thinking… yikes. It’s a very childish
trait - not getting what you want and not stopping until you do despite who you’ll hurt
along the way. Worth noting, how Gaston treats others seems to be how HE ACTUALLY feels he
DESERVES to be treated, deep down in his abyss of a.. Is there a soul? It’s not how he WANTS to
be treated, but how he feels he deserves. Which is why he’s always the first to tease, or dish out
anger. And I may be giving him too much here, but Again, so far, I need to say that none
of this is EVIL like a typical villain, although it is disrespectful and harmful,
and speaks volumes of the things to come. If Gaston is angry, it’s everybody’s problem. He’s
not upset by Belle’s unreturned feelings (because he doesn't have any feelings for her, really)
But what’s actually really got him in a twist is her humiliating him, rejecting him, IN FRONT OF
EVERYBODY. “Public Humiliation” is his worst fear, and with that, being “just like everyone else”
will never do. His self-worth seems to come only from looking the best and being the center of
attention (Even the tavern has a whole spot dedicated to him, with his picture and trophies
on the wall!) But, in more serious matters, everyone has to rally and sing Gaston’s
praises to get him out of a dangerous, brooding mood! Are they so frightened
of what he’ll do in sulky anger mode, that they play along with him and sing to his
ego? That is NOT healthy! They remind him that he doesn't just belong… HE’S THE BEST of the crowd,
and everyone LOVES him, so he can have permission to love himself. (and absolve himself of any wrong
doing) His “virtues” in the GASTON song are mostly just physical - his chest hair, muscly muscles,
expectorial prowess, intimidating stature, I mean not just ANYbody could romp around wearing
boots wearing boots like Gaston…. Hahahaha what. (I feel like in all this I need to
side note: there is nothing wrong or bad about taking care of your body
and being proud of it! Over and out!) But then…in the middle of this ego stroking,
Maurice shows up, which gives Gaston the PERFECT opportunity to SAVE BELLE (you know, his
supposed “love?”) and win some esteem in her eyes, but instead he mocks and HUMILIATES his
potential future father-in-law. And, after kicking “crazy old Maurice” out into the
cold, he sings about how he takes cheap shots, with his “Plans to persecute harmless
crackpots.” Gaston does not even hide the depths of his depravity from the
town or the viewer, and somehow, someway, he still exceeds them! And this is where a
lot of people forget just how awful Gaston is. His devious side shows when he rallies
the whole town to “kill the beast.” Again, some could see this as “good and helpful”- if
his motives were pure (and there was actually any threat). If he simply heard that a
beast was hurting innocent villagers, unprovoked, sure maybe it makes
sense to storm the castle, pitchforks and torches ablazing! BUT that is
NOT the case. THIS was NOT his original plan. Before the rally, the original plan was born of
something irrational and selfish - his refusal to acknowledge Belle’s refusal of his advances.
He can’t take “NO” for an answer, and so connives an impossible situation in which Bell will have
NO CHOICE but to marry him. A little “persuasion” (yikes) he calls it. All because of a publicly
bruised ego. (because he doesn't love her for her - he tosses her beloved books in mud, listens
to her not at all, and has no idea who she is as a human beyond “attractive” and “hard to get”
(unlike the pretty trifecta in town who actually seem interested in him! Well… they match his
superficial level) Contrast that to the beast who offers her a whole library based on what they (the
enchanted servants) know of her interests so far. His actual plan involves bribery
to commit Belle’s father, Maurice, to an insane asylum unless Belle agrees to marry
him. Because Maurice is a bit different than the rest of the town, Gaston takes his assumption
that Maurice, “sanity is only so-so” and plays it up into a threat of “us vs. them.” Does
he actually believe it? I don’t think so, because ever since seeing Maurice (The
wacky old man” The wheels in Gaston’s head have been turning, thinking of a way to
get rid of him. Not because he’s dangerous, but because he’s different, an easy mark,
and a expeditious way to marrying Belle. Even the bribed Asylum overseer, who is
NOT an upstanding citizen, shall we say, KNOWS Maurice is harmless, but CANNOT RESIST
this deplorable plot of Gaston’s. “Maurice is harmless” and “so you want me to _put Maurice
in the asylum unless Belle agrees to marry you. That is despicable! I LOVE it!” He knows
it’s wrong, and loves it for that reason. Here’s why Gaston’s plan was so terrible: Asylums, especially some older ones, were
notorious for experimenting and torturing their patients. It could be impossible to get
them out of the facility, and people, especially woman or “those that didn’t fit int” were very
frequently committed because people just didn’t want to deal with them, or wanted to punish them,
or wanted what they had. People could be committed for serious mental illness, or virtually no reason
at all - hysteria, for example, (“an old-fashioned term for a disorder characterized by neurological
symptoms often accompanied by exaggeratedly or inappropriately emotional behavior”) or
not conforming to expected societal norms, EVEN NOT WANTING TO GET MARRIED. (Yes, Belle is
actually in danger here, too!) These supposed places of healing were essentially overcrowded
jails, with the extra perk of “care” which really consisted of torture in the form of experimental
“treatments” (in America, think “mass lobotomies) and other forms of control. Sanitization was not
a priority, and with overcrowded facilities with people in various states of despair, or
disease, you can only imagine what these places were like. And Gaston thinks this is a
fitting fate for his would-be father-in-law. Now, this topic becomes nuanced because we don’t
know exactly what year Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is supposed to take place in, and which
French asylum situation Maurice would be thrown into. There’s a really interesting reddit/tumblr
post that places the Disney’s animated movie in the late 1800’s, based on the Beaumont version of
Beauty and the Beast Disney based their animation on, Gaston’s blunderbuss, the clothing, food
references, book printings, etc. Its pretty neat! French asylums seem a little different
than the American sanitoriums, having been created during the French Revolution as
a place for citizens to “get rational” again (to be able to vote rationally, etc). I think
that the actual year of this made up story would determine the type of asylum Maurice would be
sent to, but know some were ok! Other private ones were for past nobility paying lavishly
to stay out of political prison and execution. And then there were overcrowded public asylums
with all the… complications… of overcrowding. Regardless, not a ideal place to be
sent to. Gaston storms into Belle’s house with such authority it feels like
he’s going to arrest someone. ( Wow such romance! /s) And he would - the De Loon
jail-cell of a carriage is waiting outside, ready to strap poor Maurice in
tight! Fortunately, no one is home, Maurice having left to ACTUALLY HELP
his daughter. Upset to say the least, Gaston forces his closest friend, Lefou, to suffer
in the cold for DAYS while keeping watch outside of the house. He doesn't even have proper garments
for warmth! (This is a very one sided friendship) Gaston manages to convince everyone in town that
his future father in law, harmless, eccentric, reclusive inventor, was is danger to them all, and
that their ONLY choice is to lock him up far away from them! He does this in a matter of minutes
presumably after LeFou informs him someone’s home. They were willing to use force on the poor old
guy too, why else bring pitchforks and weapons?! (Also he CLEARLY doesn’t respect his desired wife
as a person if he’s willing to basically wipe out her father whom she LOVES SO DEARLY! Way to make
the WORST impressionism, time and time again, Gaston. Do you think this will make her admire
you, if she did agree to marry you in exchange for her father’s freedom? It’s literally like
the Beast’s original bargain in the movie, but rather than mellowing out and learning “love”
like the beast does, Gaston only heats up more and more into dangerous violence) The Beast lets belle
go to her father “Because he loves her” - Gaston will lock Belle’s father up because his “love”
(biggest air quotes) is possessive. And, well, it’s not really “love” because literally
the “marriage” is punishment for Belle for daring to publicly humiliate Gaston with her
refusal. When Belle STILL refuses marriage, Gaston says “she’s as crazy as the old
man!” (which is a SUPER DANGEROUS thing to say to a crowd that already has
Maurice locked up and ready to be put away forever! They could just as easily
be moved to throw Belle in there with him!) The ONLY reason this doesn't work out is because
Belle defends her father’s sanity by showing proof of the beast, sad and in pain and rage for losing
her, in her little mirror to an already excited and violent crowd… But THAT’S not even the spark
that ignites the “kill the beast” movement. The townsfolk are stunned to find that raving Maurice
wasn’t so disillusioned, sure, but it’s not until GASTON realizes Belle “has feelings” for the
beast that HE becomes enraged and enters his own true “beast mode.” All because the prince Beast
has won Belle's heart where Gaston could not. Gaston THEN incites the crowd with his own anger
and rage to hunt the beast. He overplays every citizen’s concern to his own ends. For example:
“will he hurt our children?” Belle: No, he’s so kind! Gaston: THE Beast will make off with your
children! He’ll come after them in the night We’re not safe till his head is mounted on my wall!”
Villagers: He’ll come stalking us a night! Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!”
etc. quickly escalating to “kill the beast!” Ironically, no one listened to Maurice when
he was a “lunatic raving about a beast” in the tavern before, but now, with “crazy old
Maurice” locked away, everyone is on board with this beast’s existence, because of Gaston’s
stark-raving rage-fueled insistence that the Beast a menace (despite Belle’s protestations) and must
be offed! The townsfolk are also not blameless in this anymore. They sing what I consider
the most chilling line in the whole movie: “We don't like what we don't understand,
in fact it scares us” And this monster is mysterious at least. [...] We'll save our
village, and our lives. We'll kill the beast. Rather than trying to understand something a
little different, so it’s no longer scary or different, the villagers instead, ironically,
resort to MASS HYSTERIA and mob mentality with a single purpose: Kill the Beast. (maybe
they should all be taken to the asylum… the cart’s right there!) But, yes, it’s absolutely
Gaston that leads them to this violent action. He stokes their fears, builds upon them, and
exaggerates them until everyone can only act with hatred and fear. He is a mouthpiece for the
little sleepy town. And he has no limits. It’s not like he had to twist anyone’s arm to show up
menacingly and carry “weapons” to capture Maurice, but he’ll make sure they are used! All it took
for him to switch their attention from being frightened by the beast to wanting to end the
beast was playing into their darkest fears and exaggerating them. He knew what he was doing,
and he does it SOOOO WELL (which is terrifying), THEY “don’t like what they don’t
understand.” That means the Beast, sure, but of course it also includes Belle and
Maurice as well - after however many years of tolerating the pair, the town now has a voice
and “permission” to act on their fear and lock the eccentric inventor and his “nothing
like the rest of us” daughter in a cellar. Now, Fully alive and in his element of power
with this new quarry (and the admiration of the whole village) Gaston throws Belle
away like she is nothing. “If you're not with us you’re against us!” She was clearly
only ever a means to an end - the prettiest couple in the village. Gaston could not bear
anyone but him having the prettiest bride, even if he’s not into her. But now he’s
made her public enemy number 1 (well, 2, the beast is the top spot) so he can ONLY
distance himself from her. Discard her. The only ending for Gaston would be what he got.
He takes so much pleasure in his single-sided fight with the beast it’s alarming. He really
does need to be the “showy” best, because once the Beast does fight back, we can see him lose
all confidence - “let me go. Let me go. Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything, anything!” He
doesn’t WANT competition. He wants, simply, to be the BEST. Whatever that is. At whatever cost.
(Including being a sneaking backstabbing worm). The reason Gaston works so well is because he
has no limits. He tells us he has no limits, and then shows us just how depraved he is.
AND the town has readily delegated him as their mouthpiece. Their voice of hatred
they don’t dare say themselves. Gaston is only too eager to sacrifice an old man to
torture, kill a beast with his back turned, and incite a whole town to violence all because he
doesn’t get his way. And the village was eager to follow. If Belle hadn’t tried to prove Maurice’s
sanity by showing the Beast in her magic mirror, who knows where that mob’s angry, violent
energy would have been directed? My guess is Belle herself, and her and Maurice’s cottage
and inventions. But that doesn't matter, because Gaston didn’t CARE WHERE the
crowd’s anger was directed, as long as he was directing it. Belle had just rejected him
AGAIN, so she’s absolutely on his hit list, too. To get way deeper than Gaston deserves perhaps,
I don’t think Gaston even really knows WHAT he wants, because he doesn't even really know
(or like) himself beyond what that little town society expects him to be. He’s like a black
hole, never filled because he’ll never be happy, because he’ll never know what will actually make
him happy. That would take some soul-searching and brutal honesty with himself… which… I don’t
see Gaston caring one hoot about. He collects things - animal trophies, the prettiest girl,
the town’s admiration, all to “be the best.” Not human, but the BEST. Gosh this movie does this
Beast/Best “who is really human” dance so so well! The Beast has control, and limits, but Gaston…
doesn't. And That’s what makes him so very cruel and evil. Gaston is so scary because he is so
very ordinary in this way. So PLAUSIBLE. He has no special magical powers or tools, but knows
how to work a crowd to act on his own vile, entitled impulses. Gaston feels like a
real-world villain… because he IS. And dang, did the writers do an excellent job
chiseling this, well, chiseled brute of a character! The ironic thing is though
- Gaston would be very easy to bring down. All it would take would be a dose of his
own medicine - everybody laughing AT him, not WITH him. Gaston is so boorishly powerful
and predictable, and potentially easily broken, because he’s rather like a shell of a human,
really. Well, 5 dozen eggshells, precisely. Gaston is quite the simple, yet scary
villain. In the movie’s own words: “Despicable.” But what are your
thoughts? Are there any other “villains” you’d like to see a video
on? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for hanging out and do subscribe
so you won’t miss the next dark fairytale or spooky video, coming out the
cauldron quite soon. Good bye!
