Will ‘The Rain’s Rasmus Go Down as TV’s Worst Character?

Long before we were actually in the middle of epidemic created by nature, one Netflix show gave us a thrilling example of what that would look like. The Rain took something as simple and essential as water and transformed it into a deadly foe, while simultaneously weaving a story about a complicated sibling relationship. But now that the horrors of The Rain are over there’s one massive plot point we need to address. Even after literally sacrificing himself for the good of humanity, Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) will still go down as the absolute worst television character, maybe of all time.

You may be asking yourself, how is that possible? How can someone sacrifice their life and still be considered a nightmare of a person? If you’re asking yourself these questions then you clearly haven’t seen The Rain.

The Danish series’ first season established a simple dynamic. While the world was literally crumbling and dissolving around them, Simone (Alba August) was told to protect her younger brother. Initially Rasmus’ impatience and outbursts were understandable. It doesn’t matter how well-behaved they seem, no kid in the history would be comfortable locking themselves away in an underground bunker literally for years. During that first season Rasmus’ selfishness was more than understandable; it was expected. And those reasonable outbursts only helped to garner sympathy for his tasked keeper Simone.

But throughout this post-apocalyptic series Rasmus never fully outgrew his own selfish tendencies. While he was hiking with his sister and their friends to Apollon Rasmus took several risks, stomping through poisoned puddles and getting dangerously close to the water he knew was deadly. This risk-taking behavior continued even after Rasmus learned he was immune to the disease that had wiped out most of the world. He still made stupid and impulsive choices, kissing friends and trying to break out of quarantined areas even as he was told these measures were in place for his own good. Even when he was too old for his behavior, Rasmus still acted like a spoiled child.

Yet Rasmus’ greatest sin had to do with his treatment of his sister. Every episode of The Rain made it clear that Simone would do anything to protect her little brother. Not only did she defy her long-lost father for him but she even tore him away from the seeming sanctuary of Apollon, knowing that in saving Rasmus’ life she would be dooming everyone else’s. Simone was unfailingly, transparently, passionately her younger brother’s greatest ally and defender throughout this sci-fi drama. Despite this continuous and unwavering support as he literally murdered people in the midst of his own temper tantrums, Rasmus entered Season 3 of The Rain convinced that Simone was his enemy.

Some of that betrayal made sense. Yes, Simone did shoot at him at the end of Season 2. But what other option did he give her after attempting to murder her boyfriend Martin (Mikkel Følsgaard)? Did that lone gunshot she knew he would deflect warrant creating an army of resurrected people to hunt down and murder his own sister? No it absolutely did not. Rasmus’ angry separation from Simone was just another one of his juvenile temper tantrums, albeit one that cost several people their lives.

Even in Rasmus’ final moment he was unable to see the years of personal sacrifices Simone made for him. Simone wasn’t the one who convinced Rasmus that creating an army of vengeful virus-plagued zombie people was a bad idea. It was Rasmus’ girlfriend Sarah (Clara Rosager) who got him to give up his dream for misplaced revenge.

From The Rain‘s first moment Simone was a loving, brave, smart, and dedicated person. She deserved more than being emotionally abused by her brother for years and for that same brother to almost kill her boyfriend multiple times. Simone, wonderful human that she is, may miss her brother but the rest of us can see the truth. Good riddance.

Watch The Rain on Netflix