I oughtn't to make assumptions about where people are coming from. Especially when I am, for whatever reason, in venting mode.
I've made much the same mistakes in lj and fanboard discussions. I make assumptions about where the person is coming from, knowing very little about them. I'm learning to ask for clarification - because you never know if you might agree.
If the writers really did mean for us to see NFA as heroic and nothing but heroic, then I just am not on board. And that would be hard to deal with cause I love the show. Anyway, I find it hard to imagine that NFA was written by people who were entirely unaware of the dark side of what was going on. But AtF really does seem to be unaware of it. Brian really does seem to think that Angel is about a guy who while not perfect is basically a hero, but who is beset by really bad misfortune. So it's nice to finally give him a happy ending. For me, Angel is a classically tragic figure in that his tragedy is rooted in his character. I can't get him to a happy ending when the trajectory of events began with his choice to wipe the memories of his friends and sell out to evil, inc.
Actually - the issue doesn't end happily. Just read issue 16 last night. It's a very ironic ending. And somewhat tongue firmly in cheek. Lynch has a sardonic sense of humor and makes fun of things. Sardonic or sarcasm is tough for people to catch and can be very subtle. I know because I have the same sense of humor.
If you read the issue, with the last Buffy issue featuring Harmony clearly in the forefront of your head, you'll see how disturbing that ending is and why Angel states, "uh, this is not normal at all and really not good."
Also Angel is not depicted as a "straight-up" hero, so much as a bit of tragic figure. Everything he does in hell causes someone he loves to die. It's all about him. He only changes it when he finally dies - but it is not a selfless act and he is not motivated to do it until Connor dies, so in a way it is an act of suicide.
I saw the comic as a wry critique of the whole idea of "champion". Angel is a bit, shall we say, self-absorbed and vain? Note the comparisons the writer makes between Angel and Gunn and Angel and Spike?
No, there's a lot going on there beneath the surface. I'd write more but time does not permit. Must go to work.
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Date: 2009-01-23 01:22 pm (UTC)I've made much the same mistakes in lj and fanboard discussions. I make assumptions about where the person is coming from, knowing very little about them. I'm learning to ask for clarification - because you never know if you might agree.
If the writers really did mean for us to see NFA as heroic and nothing but heroic, then I just am not on board. And that would be hard to deal with cause I love the show. Anyway, I find it hard to imagine that NFA was written by people who were entirely unaware of the dark side of what was going on. But AtF really does seem to be unaware of it. Brian really does seem to think that Angel is about a guy who while not perfect is basically a hero, but who is beset by really bad misfortune. So it's nice to finally give him a happy ending. For me, Angel is a classically tragic figure in that his tragedy is rooted in his character. I can't get him to a happy ending when the trajectory of events began with his choice to wipe the memories of his friends and sell out to evil, inc.
Actually - the issue doesn't end happily. Just read issue 16 last night. It's a very ironic ending. And somewhat tongue firmly in cheek. Lynch has a sardonic sense of humor and makes fun of things. Sardonic or sarcasm is tough for people to catch and can be very subtle. I know because I have the same sense of humor.
If you read the issue, with the last Buffy issue featuring Harmony clearly in the forefront of your head, you'll see how disturbing that ending is and why Angel states, "uh, this is not normal at all and really not good."
Also Angel is not depicted as a "straight-up" hero, so much as a bit of tragic figure. Everything he does in hell causes someone he loves to die. It's all about him. He only changes it when he finally dies - but it is not a selfless act and he is not motivated to do it until Connor dies, so in a way it is an act of suicide.
I saw the comic as a wry critique of the whole idea of "champion". Angel is a bit, shall we say, self-absorbed and vain? Note the comparisons the writer makes between Angel and Gunn and Angel and Spike?
No, there's a lot going on there beneath the surface. I'd write more but time does not permit. Must go to work.