lirazel | So.

I watched the first few episodes of Caprica. I found myself mostly reading Jezebel articles while I did so, which is a pretty good indication that it wasn't working for me and I wasn't connecting to it.

I was amused by the idea of the Adamas being in the mafia. That was pretty epic. And it's nice enough to look at. But I felt nothing for the characters. Plus, it's got the same over-the-topc serious nature of BSG, except that in BSG it's forgivable because ALL OF HUMANITY HAS BEEN DESTROYED and also Gaius was around to funny things up. Over-the-top grim for its own sake (or to prove how this is Serious! Art!) usually doesn't work for me.

[eta] I don't mind dark or angsty, though: keep in mind that S6 is my favorite BtVS season. I just have to care about the characters themselves not because they're angsty but for other reasons and then I can suffer with them through the angst. If that makes sense.

So now it's your turn to convince me that OMG I HAVE TO WATCH THIS SHOW. That it's worth my time and energy, that there are characters I'll actually care about. Also that it won't make me feel like the show thinks I'm stupid--or a potential terrorist--for being religious (it seemed to be heading that way to me).

Note: James Marsters is hot and evil in it is a good and convincing point, but it isn't enough. There's gotta be more. ~~Also, you know how I am: if there's something I can ship hardcore, I'll probably be there.~~

Also: more answers to the fic-meme to come! I love you all and will tell you which of your fics I love, never fear!

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I think it's more about showing the extremes people will go to. That I can live with, since, obviously, a lot of people do terrible things in the name of religion (or in the name of anything else--I'm endlessly fascinated by the ways in which people use any excuse they can find to excuse their own selfishness--whether it's religion or nationalism or some tauted ideal).

Also, I think part of the reason I quit watching was that I didn't like Sister Clarice and I couldn't figure out if the show wanted me to like her or not. Which made for some dissonance.

In fact, the thing that really made me like Joseph Adama is that he finally just says fuck it, and reclaims his Tauron name and starts to become proud of his heritage. This would make me like it a lot. And I'm always up for a race discussion.

I've heard some interesting things about Tamara that made me think she could be my entry point.

It took me ages to work out Clarice and I really think that was a huge fault on the show's part. I think what it is is that her motives aren't pure, I mean, she steals information from the Graystone lab, she uses Amanda but when you put her up against Barnabas, though she's just as ruthless, her reasoning and methods are a lot more sound? IDK. I think it was an attempt at a grey area that they didn't quite handle right.

I honestly think they should focus a bit more on the anti-Tauron prejudice because it's so interesting. Also as I said, there's the Tauron mourning ritual which I found fascinating - celebrate your different cultures show!

Tamara is actually a good place to start I think, but there's not a lot of screentime devoted to her at the moment because the Zoe storyline is much more involved with everyone else.

Okay, that makes me feel better. And I love that you're one of those people who can say, "This just doesn't work." I feel like in fandom I encounter a lot of people who want to fanwank everything and who insist that everything makes sense if you only think about it right and I'm all "NO! SOMETIMES BAD WRITING IS BAD, YOU KNOW?"

I've clearly had some run-ins with such people lately. *sigh*

Oh I have absolutely no problem saying when I think something is done badly - it's not discrediting the rest of it but just saying, 'good job, plz 2 b doing better'.

Ugh, over on whedonesque?

Right. I'll be critical all over the place and then go back to loving what I love.

How did you know? Bane of my existence, right? Also in real life, though, too. *sigh*

Loving something doesn't mean you can't think it's doing something wrong when it so clearly is.

That was pretty much it yes, usually if there's fanwank it's on Whedonesque. But sorry to hear it bled over into RL too. That's never, ever fun.

Exactly.

I should just stick to lj, my happiest of happy places. Yeah, there's this Nice Guy (TM) (who thankfully has no interest in me) who I've been friends-ish with for a while, and he said a load of really privileged things re: race, and I took him to town about it, and then he said I should "be careful with the phrase 'privileged white male.' It has dangerous implications."

And I was all WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SERIOUS? And then I launched off into a big long tirade (this was all on facebook, obvs) about how privilege is facts, yo (and I named all the ways I am) and that it's good to be called on it when you're blind to it and basically get over yourself.

And I haven't heard from him since. But since he was one of those people who always sets himself up as the victim in every circumstance and seems incapable of understanding that other people's lives might be harder than his, even if he never speaks to me, it'll be no great loss. It may make get-togethers with mutual friends awkward, but whatever. I've tried for years to enlighten him, and he just refuses to ever listen AND YET HE THINKS HE'S SO PROGRESSIVE. GRRRR!

Obviously, I still have rage about this. Sorry for rambling.

Also, I think part of the reason I quit watching was that I didn't like Sister Clarice and I couldn't figure out if the show wanted me to like her or not. Which made for some dissonance.

This is not just you. David Eick has said that Clarice was supposed to be a Baltaresque villain/comic relief character, but it totally wasn't working, so that had to do some re-jiggering with the character (and in fact, reshot a lot of her scenes). I don't think they ever landed on anything that worked, honestly.

So.

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