How do you solve a problem like fandom?
So between making hot chocolate and long bus rides where I should be studying Japanese or some other such... I instead get deep thinky thoughts about fandom. Especially shows I once loved and now am wondering where they went wrong.
AKA. Lexi has unpopular fandom thoughts. And instead of posting this on tumblr where I will be ripped apart because HOW DARE I NOT WORSHIP AT THE CULT OF DOUCHEBAGGERY AND PRETTY BOYS, I'm writing it here. Where... all of one person will read it unless I link them to it.....
So first, Vampire Diaries, or more specifically, The Originals.
I haven't watched any of this season of Vampire Diaries or the Originals. Why? Last season killed it for me. Turning Elena vampire completely negated who she is as a character and the way they handled the transition/sire bond/etc made it worse. There was SO MUCH that could have been done with that show had they not focused so much on the love triangle and ignored other characters... but what really killed it? The Originals.
Because they became fan favorites. Specifically, Klaus. (I love Elijah, he gets shit done and doesn't make me want to hit my head on the wall repeatedly.) But Klaus has the extension of his family. When he was first introduced, I was just OMG YES. This fucker who doesn't care about anything but breaking the curse. Complete antagonist. It was awesome. Some major issue that should have involved team work, etc. I even could have forgiven keeping him through the third season. He was SUPPOSED TO DIE in the third season but because of his performance (or you know, fan favourites and pandering to the audience), the writers instead let him survive through creeptastic measures and we have this major problem of... well shit, he's not a villain anymore. His family isn't. Now what do we do?
The whole Klaus/Caroline thing is just completely sickening and wrong to me, but again, pandering to the fanbase. Because everyone loves a girl turning a guy around? Fuck that shit. After everything Klaus has done to her friends, there is no fucking reason that it should work. Damon and Elena? They are problematic. I like them (well, liked, fuck the fourth season) but they are no where NEAR as problematic as Klaus and Caroline.
Well. There's a spin off series now. Because I feel the writers realized that they backed themselves into a corner. The Originals were detracting from the story, were worn and tired but had no way or reason now to kill them.
Onwards to the problem of Rumplestiltskin/Belle. Which really is a two for issue.
First, Belle. In Skin Deep, she actually stood up to Gold, held to her convictions. Yes, she loved him, but she didn't let that blind her to when he was doing really fucked up things. Yes, he started to change for her and then was all OMG NO NEED MY POWER etc, but she didn't back down when he was doing that and she would call him on it.
Now, it's like "Oh yes, poor bb, I love you and I see the good. People shouldn't judge you for what you did to them" and even her attempts to be 'independent' in the second season really weren't all that much. Oh look, they forgot to mention she loved reading so now she does and library.
It's like.... she doesn't have the back bone she had in Skin Deep. And more and more, it's pretty obvious she doesn't have any real necessity of being there beyond being a fan favourite.
The second part of the issue is an overreaching issue in terms of Gold. He's the villain in how many stories now? Again, it's oversaturation. We don't need him as ever bad guy or some major player in ALL the fairytales ever. Yes, they all live in the Enchanted Forest, but that doesn't mean one person must play all the parts to tie them together (Which means this Regina as Ursula thing? Seriously?)
Well, this comes into play with making Gold the Beast. One, the Beast isn't a villain. He's misunderstood, and as OUaT seems to LOVE doing the misunderstood trope (seriously, couldn't Regina have remained evil queen? Can we stop with the poor bb!Regina bs already?) but honestly? It's not needed. It was already established that yes, Gold does have his 'redeemable' side or whatever you want to call it. He became the Dark One by trying to save his son. It's been well established that everything he did was to find his son. We know he loves, twisted and obsessive and crap decisions as they are. That was never in doubt.
Which in turn makes Belle seem unnecessary for him. Every choice he's made, in the end, has been for Bae. Not Belle. Instead, she becomes the easily kidnapped person so someone can get under his skin. But this season presently is driving the point home. Even if Belle weren't around, the choices he's made would still be made. She gives him a chance to 'vocalize' some things, but confrontations with others could do exactly the same thing. So instead, we have this back and forth because of Belle, always going back to what has been established already where she isn't even concerned.
Beauty and the Beast should have been it's own story. There was no need to make Gold the Beast. There was no need to bring Belle back if they just HAD to make him the Beast (which they really didn't have to).
AKA. Lexi has unpopular fandom thoughts. And instead of posting this on tumblr where I will be ripped apart because HOW DARE I NOT WORSHIP AT THE CULT OF DOUCHEBAGGERY AND PRETTY BOYS, I'm writing it here. Where... all of one person will read it unless I link them to it.....
So first, Vampire Diaries, or more specifically, The Originals.
I haven't watched any of this season of Vampire Diaries or the Originals. Why? Last season killed it for me. Turning Elena vampire completely negated who she is as a character and the way they handled the transition/sire bond/etc made it worse. There was SO MUCH that could have been done with that show had they not focused so much on the love triangle and ignored other characters... but what really killed it? The Originals.
Because they became fan favorites. Specifically, Klaus. (I love Elijah, he gets shit done and doesn't make me want to hit my head on the wall repeatedly.) But Klaus has the extension of his family. When he was first introduced, I was just OMG YES. This fucker who doesn't care about anything but breaking the curse. Complete antagonist. It was awesome. Some major issue that should have involved team work, etc. I even could have forgiven keeping him through the third season. He was SUPPOSED TO DIE in the third season but because of his performance (or you know, fan favourites and pandering to the audience), the writers instead let him survive through creeptastic measures and we have this major problem of... well shit, he's not a villain anymore. His family isn't. Now what do we do?
The whole Klaus/Caroline thing is just completely sickening and wrong to me, but again, pandering to the fanbase. Because everyone loves a girl turning a guy around? Fuck that shit. After everything Klaus has done to her friends, there is no fucking reason that it should work. Damon and Elena? They are problematic. I like them (well, liked, fuck the fourth season) but they are no where NEAR as problematic as Klaus and Caroline.
Well. There's a spin off series now. Because I feel the writers realized that they backed themselves into a corner. The Originals were detracting from the story, were worn and tired but had no way or reason now to kill them.
Onwards to the problem of Rumplestiltskin/Belle. Which really is a two for issue.
First, Belle. In Skin Deep, she actually stood up to Gold, held to her convictions. Yes, she loved him, but she didn't let that blind her to when he was doing really fucked up things. Yes, he started to change for her and then was all OMG NO NEED MY POWER etc, but she didn't back down when he was doing that and she would call him on it.
Now, it's like "Oh yes, poor bb, I love you and I see the good. People shouldn't judge you for what you did to them" and even her attempts to be 'independent' in the second season really weren't all that much. Oh look, they forgot to mention she loved reading so now she does and library.
It's like.... she doesn't have the back bone she had in Skin Deep. And more and more, it's pretty obvious she doesn't have any real necessity of being there beyond being a fan favourite.
The second part of the issue is an overreaching issue in terms of Gold. He's the villain in how many stories now? Again, it's oversaturation. We don't need him as ever bad guy or some major player in ALL the fairytales ever. Yes, they all live in the Enchanted Forest, but that doesn't mean one person must play all the parts to tie them together (Which means this Regina as Ursula thing? Seriously?)
Well, this comes into play with making Gold the Beast. One, the Beast isn't a villain. He's misunderstood, and as OUaT seems to LOVE doing the misunderstood trope (seriously, couldn't Regina have remained evil queen? Can we stop with the poor bb!Regina bs already?) but honestly? It's not needed. It was already established that yes, Gold does have his 'redeemable' side or whatever you want to call it. He became the Dark One by trying to save his son. It's been well established that everything he did was to find his son. We know he loves, twisted and obsessive and crap decisions as they are. That was never in doubt.
Which in turn makes Belle seem unnecessary for him. Every choice he's made, in the end, has been for Bae. Not Belle. Instead, she becomes the easily kidnapped person so someone can get under his skin. But this season presently is driving the point home. Even if Belle weren't around, the choices he's made would still be made. She gives him a chance to 'vocalize' some things, but confrontations with others could do exactly the same thing. So instead, we have this back and forth because of Belle, always going back to what has been established already where she isn't even concerned.
Beauty and the Beast should have been it's own story. There was no need to make Gold the Beast. There was no need to bring Belle back if they just HAD to make him the Beast (which they really didn't have to).