Right there with you. Obviously, I felt worse for his Doug than I did for Jem. I've read online that a lot of people felt bad when Jem died, which surprised them. I certainly didn't feel bad that he took two in the face -- he totally deserved it! Though that's something to the skill of Renner's acting, that he could make that character sympathetic to some.
I did feel bad that Doug was trapped between a life he wanted out of, and the threats that were coming down on his dad and Claire. Granted, that's the consequence you take when you get involved with a crime boss. They definitely did paint Doug to be a more sympathetic character, what with him not inflicting physical harm against people until it was his only course of escape (the shootout at Fenway, for example). And when he DID kill (the Florist and his lackey), it was justified, IMO.
The two people I felt the most sorry for in this whole ordeal were Claire and Shyne, Krista's baby. That baby was the only real innocent in the entire story, and in the end even that kid's fate isn't secure. (Side note: I learned that in the book, the baby's father is actually the Florist.) Claire was put in a terrible situation by Doug, and while she let him off the hook at the end, I'm glad she used his money to help the community and stayed in Boston, rather than following him like some lovesick kid down to Florida. That seemed more in character with her, and with what she'd gone through.
SPOILERS!
I did feel bad that Doug was trapped between a life he wanted out of, and the threats that were coming down on his dad and Claire. Granted, that's the consequence you take when you get involved with a crime boss. They definitely did paint Doug to be a more sympathetic character, what with him not inflicting physical harm against people until it was his only course of escape (the shootout at Fenway, for example). And when he DID kill (the Florist and his lackey), it was justified, IMO.
The two people I felt the most sorry for in this whole ordeal were Claire and Shyne, Krista's baby. That baby was the only real innocent in the entire story, and in the end even that kid's fate isn't secure. (Side note: I learned that in the book, the baby's father is actually the Florist.) Claire was put in a terrible situation by Doug, and while she let him off the hook at the end, I'm glad she used his money to help the community and stayed in Boston, rather than following him like some lovesick kid down to Florida. That seemed more in character with her, and with what she'd gone through.