No Good Deed has one of the most talented and accomplished casts of any Netflix series. It stars sitcom titans Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, with a supporting cast that includes Linda Cardellini, Teyonah Parris, Poppy Liu, Denis Leary, Abbi Jacobson, Luke Wilson, Anna Maria Horsford, and O-T Fagbenle. Each one of these actors gives charming and layered performances. However, Cardellini’s Margo is one of No Good Deed’s most captivating characters.
Series creator Liz Feldman and Cardellini worked together on Dead to Me. The women must have established a successful working relationship because, Margo and Judy have been some of Cardellini’s best roles. They are also really different characters. Judy is sweet to the point of being somewhat naive, and Margo, well, she is someone not to trust.
Her complex nature makes her one of the best aspects of No Good Deed. In fact, she’s one of my favorite TV villains of 2024.
Warning: minor No Good Deed spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
No Good Deed’s Margo Is Deliciously Wicked
Margo is villainous in a semi-cartoonish, soap opera way. She reminds me of the great soap opera divas who were always scheming, plotting, planning, and stealing someone’s husband or money — often both. Her soap opera-diva style makes none of her actions surprising, but they are fun. However, her being so devious in a comedy confirms (in my mind) that the No Good Deed writers are paying homage to the soap divas that we love.
Margo could easily battle some of the most wicked fictional villains. I don’t necessarily think she will outsmart them, because she’s far from the smartest TV villains, but I think she’s ambitious, resourceful, and scrappy enough to not give up or lose easily.
For most of No Good Deed, Margo is a very funny foe. It’s hard to take her seriously, which makes her an entertaining comedy villain. I want my comedy bad guys or bad gals to have the vibe of a cartoon villain whose plans are constantly foiled by the Power Puff Girls or Kim Possible. In most of Season 1, Margo is a silly villain but her villainy never feels so cartoonish that you don’t take her danger seriously. She’s always someone to fear.
Her Bad Deeds Become Worse As The Show Continues
By the end of No Good Deed, Margo transforms from a funny antagonist to a monster. She does some pretty heinous things, and her plotting and scheming turn into one intense reveal after another. She completely goes from an entertaining villain that I enjoyed to someone I couldn’t wait to see face the consequences of her actions.
I like that the series makes her increasingly more evil, because it becomes easier to root for her downfall. Even if you like or care about Margo, by the end of the season, you’re ready to watch her burn. I love it when a series can make me change my opinions on a character. It’s a sign of effective writing and an actor who knows how to add layers.
No Good Deed Excellently Captures The Idea Of An Irredeemable Villain
Too many TV shows have redemption arcs. They try to make a morally questionable or despicable character likable by having them redeem themselves through their actions later in the season or in future seasons. Sometimes I am all for that, but sometimes I think it’s fine to just let a baddie remain one.
It creates a more fun show and displays realistic behavior. Sometimes people are the worst and they don’t suddenly change their ways for love or discovery or finding understanding and support. Sometimes an evil person is just an evil person. And, just because a character becomes a fan favorite doesn’t mean the writers need to cater to those fans by redeeming the character to keep them around longer.
Based on how No Good Deed ended, it seemed like a single-season series, therefore, I don’t expect to see Margo again. However, if the show returns, I hope the writers don’t bring her back and make her suddenly an upstanding citizen. One thing Dead to Me did really well was that it didn’t redeem a villainous character, but instead, found an inventive way to keep the actor around. This series could easily find new ways to keep Linda Cardellini on the show, but remove Margo from future stories.
Margo And Mikey Both Start No Good Deed Villainously, Which Makes Them Interesting To Compare
Originally, Mikey (Denis Leary) is the villain, but then the show peels back some of his layers. He becomes much more complicated than just evil. Mikey has a redemption arc, and he deserves one. None of his actions compare to anything Margo does in the series.
I appreciate the writers for giving us two villain characters and then showing how one changes for the better and the other gets no forgiveness. Mikey becomes more interesting because he’s allowed the opportunity to change, and Margo is more interesting because she isn’t. Their outcomes and how they're treated work for each of them.
I Rooted Hard For Her Downfall
I am not a fan of characters who cheat on their significant other. Therefore, I automatically didn’t like Margo, but I was open to seeing if she was more than an unfaithful spouse. Some episodes in No Good Deed make me start to like her and think maybe there is a soul beyond all her shallow pursuits.
Margo and Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) bond at one point, and I wondered if that was when we’d see Margo start to change for the better. We quickly see that, once again, her intentions may not be pure. I never grew to like her, but I didn’t start to root for her downfall until around the final few episodes. That is when I could see the full extent of her evil misconduct and decisions. Some characters deserve only terrible things, and Margo is one of them.
Margo Reminds Me Why Linda Cardellini Is Such A Top-Notch Actress
Linda Cardellini is one of those actors who has been around for decades but it feels like people have just started to respect and appreciate her talent. I think No Good Deed will once again remind people of her excellent ability to transform herself. Margo is such an unlikable character that she seems out of Cardellini’s norm.
This makes her even more fun to watch because I can’t recall many other roles where she plays the villain.
No Good Deed is one of Netflix’s most popular shows and a great one to binge-watch, especially to witness an exciting villain like Margo.
