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Merucha
merucha
28 July 2009 @ 11:59 pm
Stupid Behavior and I'm not Usually Stupid  
I just went off on a post at Torch_Wood where a CoE fan calls people like me, who criticize the great talent of RTD, irrational and childish fist-shakers. I don't usually do things like this, but I just... where are these condescending, insulting people coming from? Am I the only one -- no I'm not, if your response to the meta post is anything to go by -- who thinks that good characters and a good story makes for good television and refuse to lick the toes of anyone who doesn't provide it? Is it really such a childish thing to expect what I'm promised?

I was willing to overlook all the stupid discontinuities, silly plot twists, and annoying inconsistencies of Torchwood because the characters were appealing -- even Saint Gwen most of the time. I loved them all. I was prepared to lose some; considering the set up, it was unlikely to think Torchwood would be blood-free. But I did expect that they would die with dignity and grace and they would be treated with respect.  And once in a while, one of the writers would get it right and it all came together and it was GLORIOUS. But CoE destroyed all of that; all the trust I had put on the creators that they would respect their own creation.

Look. RTD doesn't owe me anything. But I owe him exactly the same. I have followed writers whose work has descended into Mary-Sueism and have dumped them without a qualm. They're still best sellers, just not on my dime. RTD will go on having his fanboys and fangirls who will cheer every contrived, second-hand, cheap-emotion-in-place-of-real-effort work he puts out. I'm not one of them. And good luck to him. I wish no evil on anyone, preferring to let karma work its magic.

But I will NOT be told to sit down and shut up. Screw that.



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[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 29th, 2009 04:46 am (UTC)
It could be that the ones who are criticizing those who criticized RTD are doing so because they believe (not that this is true) that the reasons to criticize RTD are childish and not well thought out and are the product of crazies. A lot of the people screaming about what happened in COE and then about RTD aren't using the most cogent arguments.

I thought that at first, but I'm getting the vibe of the pseudo-sophisticate about some of them. Those people really annoy me. They're the ones who prattle on about "real life" as if it was some kind of sign of superiority that their idea of real life is one of irrational, brutal, meaningless, and painful existence, and therefore fiction should also be that way.

Edited 2009-07-29 04:49 am (UTC)
rhianona: aeryn & john[personal profile] rhianona on July 29th, 2009 04:54 am (UTC)
People like edgy. By and large, most tv shows don't kill off their main characters. At least US shows don't and especially in sci fi. I mean, in Stargate, they killed Daniel, but he hung around as an ascended for a season before returning. The only major side character killed off in the show was Janet. I guess you could also consider Jacob/Selmac as well. And that was in 10 seasons + 2 tv movies. SGA suffered from the same thing; in 5 seasons, they killed Carson and then brought him back as a clone, Ford od'ed on wraith enzyme and disappeared in the mists of Pegasus (it is assumed he's dead, but they never confirm it.) and Elizabeth became a replicator who they then deactivated (because the actress wanted to leave, in part because she didn't like how the producers treated her.) Everyone else lives, despite the danger they supposedly get into. '

In Farscape, they killed one of the main team in season 2? or 3 - can't remember exactly. And in the Peacekeeper Wars, they killed another major character. But Farscape was always willing to go to the edge - they tortured John in the four seasons + 1 miniseries it aired. I can't remember if they ever killed any of the main characters in B5 besides Marcus. Yeah, the commander dies at the end, but that's the end, and was expected since they spelled it out in earlier seasons he would.

Anyway, my point is that I think these people who are making these pseudo-intellectual arguments are thinking that b/c TW kills their characters, it is edgy and more real simply b/c of that, rather than taking a look at the whole product and realizing that just b/c a character is killed doesn't necessarily make it good tv, or even edgy.
[identity profile] faithharkness.livejournal.com on July 29th, 2009 05:50 pm (UTC)
Anyway, my point is that I think these people who are making these pseudo-intellectual arguments are thinking that b/c TW kills their characters, it is edgy and more real simply b/c of that, rather than taking a look at the whole product and realizing that just b/c a character is killed doesn't necessarily make it good tv, or even edgy.

THIS. There is a right way and a wrong way to kill off main or even psuedo-main characters. Whedon has done it. Others have done it. And yes, a lot of backlash right after CoE was not thought out and visceral. But we're not all like that; we aren't necessarily rabid morons just because we're angry.
rhianona: barbara and ian[personal profile] rhianona on August 1st, 2009 02:18 am (UTC)
Oh, I agree on your points completely. A good writer makes sure that whatever happens to the character and the plot makes sense. COE didn't, and fans have a right to be upset b/c of that. It doesn't mean we're rabid morons, as you say; rather, it just means we like good tv, good writing and have discerning taste. :)