Mar 01, 2014 14:32
I dislike bashing. I find it very idiotic and stupid. It's one thing to critique a character and defend it for a moment, but to go on and on about the flaws of a character and tear that character down? That's too much.
As you could tell, I found the latter when it came to Padme today. Apparently, Padme 'set female characters back to the 19th century' and, because she didn't dare to take Anakin to task (and by task, I mean kick him where it hurts), she became the most worthless character in the PT.
I could go on, but frankly, I don't want to go back and get angry reading all the bashing again. Just trying to remember it is enough.
I love Padme. I love how she stands up for what she believes in, but she's also dependent on others. I find her to be a well-written, well-rounded, but flawed character. I never minded that she died of a broken heart, lost the will to live. I find it very fitting in a way (even if I hate character deaths, but then I knew Padme would die).
Padme literally lived her life for others. She's completely devoted to helping others, but when the very government she believed in completely became the very thing she had worked toward stopping, that destroyed her. And the one thing that could have kept her alive, her husband, was stolen from her as well. So it makes sense to me; Padme's life support was the Republic and, later, Anakin. When those were taken away, she died.
Honestly, I saw it more like this: Padme wasn't going to die right away. It was going to be gradual. Giving birth, however, hastened her death. The droids had no choice because had they waited, she wouldn't have been able to give birth later on and all three would have died.
But yes, that's a flaw and that's the whole point. If Padme didn't have any flaws, she wouldn't be much of a character. That flaw is what killed her. Padme was a character who was strong whenever she had hope. She was smart and determined. But she also relied on others. The Jedi, the Gungans, her handmaidens. I'm pretty sure if Anakin had taken her up on the offer to run away, they would have ended up in the Rebellion. Padme wouldn't have sit still for long.
"Setting female characters back centuries..." What an over-dramatic reaction! *rolling eyes* I rather have Padme who 'sets female characters back centuries' than have some independent amazon who beats up on men that are a dime a dozen in movies today. Even Leia isn't quite the independent amazon some make her out to be. She's capable of defending herself, but she also relies on others, too. It's different from Padme, but that's okay. I don't want a carbon copy. No more than I want carbon copies of independent amazons in every movie. I can handle it depending on the story, but I love Padme for who she is and I wouldn't trade for another character.
Really, the PT was about flaws. Anakin's flaw, his fear of losing the people he loves, brought about the downfall of the Republic and the Jedi. Padme's flaw, her complete devotion to the Republic, the people and her husband, brought about her death. Obi-Wan, Yoda and the Jedi's flaw, their blindness in everything around them, lead to their downfall as well. The characters were heroic, but very flawed and it brought about the tragedy that was the PT.
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