Just Because He Is Evil . . .
I just finished reading Dan Well’s blog post on Monsters. I was especially interested in the post because it’s a question I've been pondering ever since Angel and his team took over Wolfram and Hart. I read an article where one of the show’s creative directors described the coming season under the terms that in order to fight evil you must also become evil. I was so disgusted by the argument (and the turn of the show . . . I didn’t believe Angel’s team was capable of doing more good in W & H than out of it) that I stopped watching. After finishing Dan’s John Cleaver trilogy, I thought he might be able to shed some light on the idea. John is a monster at the start of the first novel, to some extent through no choice of his own, and to a further extent because of decisions he makes between bad and worse throughout the series.
I thought I was one hundred percent against the idea of becoming a monster to fight a monster, but Dan’s post made me realize I am drawn to the bad guy fighting for good. My absolute favorite TV show right now is Leverage, and White Collar, Human Target and Burn Notice share top spots on my Hulu subscription list. I love roguish villains. Timothy Dalton’s performance on Chuck this season is a show stopper for me, whereas Brandon Routh‘s character from the third season set my teeth on edge. Some of that I’m sure has to do with the boldface honesty on personal motivation that characters like Volkoff have. He knows who he is and isn’t ashamed (something I still struggle with personally).
Realizing that I often enjoy and cheer for the “good monsters” fighting the “evil monsters,” made me wonder how I reconcile that with my religious beliefs. I think it comes down to what could be called “The Assassination of Laban” question. Why was it okay for Nephi to slay Laban and assume his identity? Why did the Lord instruct the Children of Israel to slay every man, woman and child of those inhabiting the Promised Land? Why is Captain Moroni, who put the radical political dissenters (kingmen) to death, named by the prophet Mormon a sterling example of righteousness?
The difference is God. There are questions, issues and paradoxes that are too complex, too situational for a human being to judge. However, nothing is hidden from the Alpha and Omega, making Him the only one qualified to judge when something is for the greater good.
Dan concludes by postulating that the greatest sacrifice may be a hero giving up a bit of his humanity to accomplish a greater purpose. I don’t know if I agree, but I am drawn to stories where the hero must sacrifice his membership to a group he is saving.
"Just because he is evil, doesn't mean you can't admire him from a distance." ;)
I thought I was one hundred percent against the idea of becoming a monster to fight a monster, but Dan’s post made me realize I am drawn to the bad guy fighting for good. My absolute favorite TV show right now is Leverage, and White Collar, Human Target and Burn Notice share top spots on my Hulu subscription list. I love roguish villains. Timothy Dalton’s performance on Chuck this season is a show stopper for me, whereas Brandon Routh‘s character from the third season set my teeth on edge. Some of that I’m sure has to do with the boldface honesty on personal motivation that characters like Volkoff have. He knows who he is and isn’t ashamed (something I still struggle with personally).
Realizing that I often enjoy and cheer for the “good monsters” fighting the “evil monsters,” made me wonder how I reconcile that with my religious beliefs. I think it comes down to what could be called “The Assassination of Laban” question. Why was it okay for Nephi to slay Laban and assume his identity? Why did the Lord instruct the Children of Israel to slay every man, woman and child of those inhabiting the Promised Land? Why is Captain Moroni, who put the radical political dissenters (kingmen) to death, named by the prophet Mormon a sterling example of righteousness?
The difference is God. There are questions, issues and paradoxes that are too complex, too situational for a human being to judge. However, nothing is hidden from the Alpha and Omega, making Him the only one qualified to judge when something is for the greater good.
Dan concludes by postulating that the greatest sacrifice may be a hero giving up a bit of his humanity to accomplish a greater purpose. I don’t know if I agree, but I am drawn to stories where the hero must sacrifice his membership to a group he is saving.
"Just because he is evil, doesn't mean you can't admire him from a distance." ;)