(On another note entirely: HELL YEAH YOUR NEW LAYOUT. ESPECIALLY THE HEADER.)
I liked what they did with Bennett because it was so BAM and out there - though I still have no idea what the hell is going on with Saunders/Whiskey; was she still Saunders then? If so, how did she get Clydified, and was Boyd in on that or just as surprised as everybody else by it? - but Mellie just felt...cheap. I know a lot of people who are non-fans of Joss say that he's done it so often it ended up cheap and manipulative a long while ago, but I've also read some great defenses about how he creates dangerous worlds, and people are gonna go down. And generally I do agree with that hardcore, but with Mellie it felt...kinda lame. Maybe if it hadn't been so close on the heels of Bennett's death, and there'd been more fallout than "Ballard makes a shocked face and is temporarily misled into believing Adelle is the bad guy." I get that they're crammed for time and all writing-wise, but there's still hints that Topher's pretty messed up (hand touch!). And it remains to be seen about Paul in the next episode - I don't know, maybe he will be emoting about Mellie left and right, which would be better than just forgetting her! But the idea still feels cheap to me.
(At first I also thought there was the added benefit of his prior couples having seasons of development - and even just one season was enough to make most of fandom love Zoe/Wash and freak out during Serenity! Whereas with Paul/Mellie, I feel like this happened:
Show: "oh, we're going to bring them up halfway through the first season and then Mellie will be November the rest of the time until we give her her real personality back, because Paul/Echo is the real OTP of this show. And then she'll come back for a couple of eps in s2 and that'll be dropped off, because Paul/Echo is the real OTP of this show. Wait! No! Paul's Echo obsession is erased and he finds himself drawn to Mellie once more! BAM SHE SHOOTS HERSELF IN THE HEAD. DRAMATIC SHOW IS DRAMATIC." Kyrie: "Whatever, dude. She deserved better."
Because seriously! I liked Mellie/November/Madeline a lot! Miracle Laurie is awesome! But the show...ick. It never did much right by her. I just feel like her arc, apart from Needs, has always been about serving Paul's arc in turn and because Paul is gross and stupid that frustrates me big time.
I did not realize I had so many feelings about this until just now. HMM. PERHAPS I AM NOT SO APATHETIC TO THIS EP AFTER ALL.)
You know, when the show first came out I expected to love Topher, and he was pretty skeevy and I did not like him so much even though he made me laugh once in awhile, and then they BROUGHT IT with his storyline in s2 and now he is one of my favorites like I expected him to be. Plus, I kind of have a geek!crush on Fran Kranz now.
Also, if Joss kills either Tony or Priya, I may swear off of all his future work. I know that sounds petty, but if he does that, it'll prove to me that he really can't get past this "killing off one half of a happy couple" thing, and that will not be cool with me. Oof. If he goes there, I will still be interested in his future stuff, but I'll be all purse-lipped and foot-tapping and "really, Joss? Find some other way to shock and compel me. BECAUSE MAKING THE COMPELLING CHARACTERS DROP LIKE FLIES IN THE FIRST PLACE IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT."
IDK. I will always be a Joss girl; I just wish he'd grow a little, you know? And also realize the weird skanky race issues in his work and improve in that area too, but I do not have much hope there.
I assumed that Boyd had turned Claire into a sleeper agent and was definitely in on it. But I guess you can fanwank it however you want to!
I know a lot of people who are non-fans of Joss say that he's done it so often it ended up cheap and manipulative a long while ago, but I've also read some great defenses about how he creates dangerous worlds, and people are gonna go down. My main problem with it is not that he kills characters--I love his dangerous worlds--but that I can always guess who it's gonna be. It's always (nearly) right after two people have been happy together and the other one gets cut down: Jenny, Tara, Joyce (well, the happiness there was her recovery, but same difference), Spike, Fred, Wash (happiness was being a leaf on the wind), Bennett, now Mellie. I also predicted Penny, too. That irks the hell out of me. I'm no longer surprised, I'm expecting it. I don't want to expect it, you know?
I get that they're crammed for time and all writing-wise, but there's still hints that Topher's pretty messed up (hand touch!). LOVE. IT.
HAHAHA! I love your overview.
Miracle Laurie is made of awesomeness and beauty and wonderful things. I adore her.
just feel like her arc, apart from Needs, has always been about serving Paul's arc in turn and because Paul is gross and stupid that frustrates me big time. YES.
I expected not to like Topher and was major skeeved by him for a long while. But now I am an unapologetic Topher fangirl, and it's pretty awesome!
If he goes there, I will still be interested in his future stuff, but I'll be all purse-lipped and foot-tapping and "really, Joss? Find some other way to shock and compel me. BECAUSE MAKING THE COMPELLING CHARACTERS DROP LIKE FLIES IN THE FIRST PLACE IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT." Well, I may be slightly exaggerating--I'll probably let him pull me back in. But I'm in exactly the same place: I want him to do some maturing, break free of his own cliches and YESYESYES get over his skanky race issues NOW PLEASE (seriously: does he recognize how problematic it is that the sexual victim on his show is the one Asian girl? I think these things don't even enter his head).
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I liked what they did with Bennett because it was so BAM and out there - though I still have no idea what the hell is going on with Saunders/Whiskey; was she still Saunders then? If so, how did she get Clydified, and was Boyd in on that or just as surprised as everybody else by it? - but Mellie just felt...cheap. I know a lot of people who are non-fans of Joss say that he's done it so often it ended up cheap and manipulative a long while ago, but I've also read some great defenses about how he creates dangerous worlds, and people are gonna go down. And generally I do agree with that hardcore, but with Mellie it felt...kinda lame. Maybe if it hadn't been so close on the heels of Bennett's death, and there'd been more fallout than "Ballard makes a shocked face and is temporarily misled into believing Adelle is the bad guy." I get that they're crammed for time and all writing-wise, but there's still hints that Topher's pretty messed up (hand touch!). And it remains to be seen about Paul in the next episode - I don't know, maybe he will be emoting about Mellie left and right, which would be better than just forgetting her! But the idea still feels cheap to me.
(At first I also thought there was the added benefit of his prior couples having seasons of development - and even just one season was enough to make most of fandom love Zoe/Wash and freak out during Serenity! Whereas with Paul/Mellie, I feel like this happened:
Show: "oh, we're going to bring them up halfway through the first season and then Mellie will be November the rest of the time until we give her her real personality back, because Paul/Echo is the real OTP of this show. And then she'll come back for a couple of eps in s2 and that'll be dropped off, because Paul/Echo is the real OTP of this show. Wait! No! Paul's Echo obsession is erased and he finds himself drawn to Mellie once more! BAM SHE SHOOTS HERSELF IN THE HEAD. DRAMATIC SHOW IS DRAMATIC."
Kyrie: "Whatever, dude. She deserved better."
Because seriously! I liked Mellie/November/Madeline a lot! Miracle Laurie is awesome! But the show...ick. It never did much right by her. I just feel like her arc, apart from Needs, has always been about serving Paul's arc in turn and because Paul is gross and stupid that frustrates me big time.
I did not realize I had so many feelings about this until just now. HMM. PERHAPS I AM NOT SO APATHETIC TO THIS EP AFTER ALL.)
You know, when the show first came out I expected to love Topher, and he was pretty skeevy and I did not like him so much even though he made me laugh once in awhile, and then they BROUGHT IT with his storyline in s2 and now he is one of my favorites like I expected him to be. Plus, I kind of have a geek!crush on Fran Kranz now.
Also, if Joss kills either Tony or Priya, I may swear off of all his future work. I know that sounds petty, but if he does that, it'll prove to me that he really can't get past this "killing off one half of a happy couple" thing, and that will not be cool with me.
Oof. If he goes there, I will still be interested in his future stuff, but I'll be all purse-lipped and foot-tapping and "really, Joss? Find some other way to shock and compel me. BECAUSE MAKING THE COMPELLING CHARACTERS DROP LIKE FLIES IN THE FIRST PLACE IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT."
IDK. I will always be a Joss girl; I just wish he'd grow a little, you know?
And also realize the weird skanky race issues in his work and improve in that area too, but I do not have much hope there.no subject
I assumed that Boyd had turned Claire into a sleeper agent and was definitely in on it. But I guess you can fanwank it however you want to!
I know a lot of people who are non-fans of Joss say that he's done it so often it ended up cheap and manipulative a long while ago, but I've also read some great defenses about how he creates dangerous worlds, and people are gonna go down. My main problem with it is not that he kills characters--I love his dangerous worlds--but that I can always guess who it's gonna be. It's always (nearly) right after two people have been happy together and the other one gets cut down: Jenny, Tara, Joyce (well, the happiness there was her recovery, but same difference), Spike, Fred, Wash (happiness was being a leaf on the wind), Bennett, now Mellie. I also predicted Penny, too. That irks the hell out of me. I'm no longer surprised, I'm expecting it. I don't want to expect it, you know?
I get that they're crammed for time and all writing-wise, but there's still hints that Topher's pretty messed up (hand touch!). LOVE. IT.
HAHAHA! I love your overview.
Miracle Laurie is made of awesomeness and beauty and wonderful things. I adore her.
just feel like her arc, apart from Needs, has always been about serving Paul's arc in turn and because Paul is gross and stupid that frustrates me big time.
YES.
I expected not to like Topher and was major skeeved by him for a long while. But now I am an unapologetic Topher fangirl, and it's pretty awesome!
If he goes there, I will still be interested in his future stuff, but I'll be all purse-lipped and foot-tapping and "really, Joss? Find some other way to shock and compel me. BECAUSE MAKING THE COMPELLING CHARACTERS DROP LIKE FLIES IN THE FIRST PLACE IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT."
Well, I may be slightly exaggerating--I'll probably let him pull me back in. But I'm in exactly the same place: I want him to do some maturing, break free of his own cliches and YESYESYES get over his skanky race issues NOW PLEASE (seriously: does he recognize how problematic it is that the sexual victim on his show is the one Asian girl? I think these things don't even enter his head).