The show's writing has taken some huge leaps forward since last half-season, it's true. It's definitely remembered why it was so popular in the first place
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Balance of power bullshit is definitely bullshit. I feel like Gaeta's fall was deliciously ambiguous, though. It is v. upsetting how white the main cast is getting, since Olmos' fictional son is whiter than whitebread. Sigh.
I get that you're a shipper! And I totally don't think less of you for that! But I am really, really not.
And yeah, I disagree about Gaeta, in that he's sympathetic, but in a way that means he's more easily swayed to the wrong side. We feel upset, because we understand where he's coming from, but at the same time, we're angry because he's siding with Zarek (who is wrong). While his character is ambiguous, it's because he sometimes slips out of Wrong mode and into Right mode. Like when he sees the Quorum lying there dead.
And yeah, the deaths they seem to be racking up don't serve any larger purpose besides to shock. I am not in favor of this.
I may be a shipper, but I still think that the consolidation of power isn't a good idea. I agree with you completely on that! My enjoyment of the relationships is distinct from my ideas of political philosophy. Having the heads of the military and the government in loving cahoots is bad for the people, whether it's good for the individuals or not
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I think one of the biggest disconnects is that I don't really watch BSG for the characters. I watch BSG for the big ideas and politics and world. And when those politics and ideas become fundamentally distasteful to be me, it poisons everything else about the show.
And my problem with this whole thing is that maybe Gaeta's actions were more sympathetic to me the whole time, but the writers didn't tease out the issues, because they didn't have enough time, and that's just sloppy. When the government becomes that authoritarian, is it right to rise up and overthrow it
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Hey there! I wandered over here after seeing you on the thread at swatkat24's LJ, because I think we're very much seeing things from a similar perspective. You've just articulated it much better than I could have!
I think one of the biggest disconnects is that I don't really watch BSG for the characters. I watch BSG for the big ideas and politics and world. And when those politics and ideas become fundamentally distasteful to be me, it poisons everything else about the show.Yes, this
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Now, I can enjoy characters whose politics I abhor, if they're portrayed in a complex way
Right! And I can even sometimes root for a character whose politics I abhor on other shows, but on BSG, where the characters are part of my secondary enjoyment of the show, not my primary, it's a problem.
I kind of adore Zarek as a character, too, because he's so fascinatingly savvy (and his power grabs almost universally involve making the government more democratic instead of less, but I digress). At the same time, I usually feel the need to preface anything I say about him with, "I KNOW HE'S A CRAZY PERSON, OKAY?" too, and the writers (generally) don't ever forget who he is and what he's capable of, and I like that about him, too.
the "favored" character gets away with stupid/horrible things while that character's rivals/enemies can't catch a break; and, ultimately, the viewers stop having to think. (And isn't "not wanting to think about alternate perspectives" really the most right wing ideology of all?)Yes! Yes! This is what I've been
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Also, I feel really alienated by the rampant squee going on around fandom, because I don't get it and actually feel a little skeeved out by the way they don't question the politics of the characters they seem to be advocating.
Oh, God, you are not alone. It's really disorienting to feel *so* out of step with fandom, and when it's over something as substantive as this (as opposed to being out of step about pairing preferences or something strictly fannish), it leaves me wanting to back faaaaar away for a while.
Don't even get into how his only plot contribution is menacing white women, too.
Gah. And not just menacing them, but in the context of doing "unspeakable" experiments on the gene pool, no less. The more I think about it, the more appalling it really is.
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And yeah, I disagree about Gaeta, in that he's sympathetic, but in a way that means he's more easily swayed to the wrong side. We feel upset, because we understand where he's coming from, but at the same time, we're angry because he's siding with Zarek (who is wrong). While his character is ambiguous, it's because he sometimes slips out of Wrong mode and into Right mode. Like when he sees the Quorum lying there dead.
And yeah, the deaths they seem to be racking up don't serve any larger purpose besides to shock. I am not in favor of this.
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And my problem with this whole thing is that maybe Gaeta's actions were more sympathetic to me the whole time, but the writers didn't tease out the issues, because they didn't have enough time, and that's just sloppy. When the government becomes that authoritarian, is it right to rise up and overthrow it ( ... )
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I think one of the biggest disconnects is that I don't really watch BSG for the characters. I watch BSG for the big ideas and politics and world. And when those politics and ideas become fundamentally distasteful to be me, it poisons everything else about the show.Yes, this ( ... )
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Right! And I can even sometimes root for a character whose politics I abhor on other shows, but on BSG, where the characters are part of my secondary enjoyment of the show, not my primary, it's a problem.
I kind of adore Zarek as a character, too, because he's so fascinatingly savvy (and his power grabs almost universally involve making the government more democratic instead of less, but I digress). At the same time, I usually feel the need to preface anything I say about him with, "I KNOW HE'S A CRAZY PERSON, OKAY?" too, and the writers (generally) don't ever forget who he is and what he's capable of, and I like that about him, too.
the "favored" character gets away with stupid/horrible things while that character's rivals/enemies can't catch a break; and, ultimately, the viewers stop having to think. (And isn't "not wanting to think about alternate perspectives" really the most right wing ideology of all?)Yes! Yes! This is what I've been ( ... )
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Oh, God, you are not alone. It's really disorienting to feel *so* out of step with fandom, and when it's over something as substantive as this (as opposed to being out of step about pairing preferences or something strictly fannish), it leaves me wanting to back faaaaar away for a while.
Don't even get into how his only plot contribution is menacing white women, too.
Gah. And not just menacing them, but in the context of doing "unspeakable" experiments on the gene pool, no less. The more I think about it, the more appalling it really is.
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