Just because she's supposed to be the central character won't make me cut her any slack if I find she has characteristics I don't care for
Heh, certainly, you can dislike them as much as you want, as long as you accept that the central character *will* to get more screentime/attention than the other characters.
And you can probably see one with me, too
Oh yes! You've been watching Alias, haven't you? You should love Irina. *g*
I do dislike Harry, though
Aww, why do you dislike my boy? *pets Harry*
I think the different POVs were made obvious to the audience, but I never got the sense that Nikita ever accepted them as legitimate. In that sense, I don't think she ever "paid" -- she continued to think she was right, no matter what, and in the end she outlasted everybody!
No arguments on that one – Nikita *did* have trouble accepting other POVs. But I do think she was learning, especially when you consider her arc from 'Nikita' to 'End Game'. The problem with most of S3, and S4 is that the focus almost shifts entirely on Michael/Nikita, and InlovewithNikita!Michael and InlovewithMichael!Nikita, almost wholly ignoring the other aspects of their personality. And then suddenly in FLYF you come back to Nikita and Section, and it doesn't make much sense. I'm particularly annoyed by her conversation with Paul in FLYF, where she is quite unprofessional in her treatment of him (in the sense that she's dealing with him as Nikita who hates Operations' guts, and not as one professional to another) for all her talk, and therefore somewhat hypocritical. And how dumb is the implication that *George* somehow managed to learn 'compassion' (hah!) during his tenure at Oversight? However, much as I despise S5, there's some important development in Nikita's character in this period – all that talk about 'my daddy wouldn't have sent me to death' and 'I will be Nice to my operatives' comes crashing when she meets Daddy. I wouldn't call her survival a reward, really – Paul and Madeline are dead and gone, and Michael is free and redeemed, but Nikita has to live with herself every day in Section One.
I disagree that she never paid, though. I think you could read Nikita's journey from 'Nikita' to ATFEP as one of the end of innocence, and that didn't come without prices.
I guess that with Buffy, she's the Hero, but she also assumes a commensurate amount of responsibility. She judges other characters, but she also *does more* than they do and therefore, to me, has thus earned the right to judge, at least to a degree. I didn't feel that way about Nikita, and I certainly don't about Jack.
Buffy assumes *too much* responsibility, even when it's not. her. fault! *g*
See, the problem with Section is that *someone* has to ask the questions. Most operatives just bear. Some, like Walter, complain occasionally and bitch behind the top brass' back (does that sound very harsh? I've actually been planning on writing some meta on Walter's unreliability as a narrator). Some, like Michael, accept completely and complain only when it affects them *personally*. Some, like Jurgen, don't care at all and find a way to make themselves comfortable. Nikita at least has the guts to ask the questions up front – more often than not, they are questions that *need* to be asked. (things are, of course, complicated by her naivety and stubborness, her personal dislike for Paul and Madeline, and so on, but we're not going into all that right now *g*)
I honestly don't know what they're aiming for, either. I just wish a lightning bolt would strike him dead the next time he whines about something.
Word.
She has an interesting background, but she strikes me -- and she's struck me that way from the very beginning, so maybe it's more of a subjective impression -- as having that same streak of self-righteous judgment of others that Jack has. She's not nearly as bad as he is, but it's there.
Hmm, can't say I've noticed much of that – I'll pay closer attention. My problem with Kate is that there's something off about her character. She's just too nice, you know? No one with her background could be that much of a sweetheart.
Re: P.S
Heh, certainly, you can dislike them as much as you want, as long as you accept that the central character *will* to get more screentime/attention than the other characters.
And you can probably see one with me, too
Oh yes! You've been watching Alias, haven't you? You should love Irina. *g*
I do dislike Harry, though
Aww, why do you dislike my boy? *pets Harry*
I think the different POVs were made obvious to the audience, but I never got the sense that Nikita ever accepted them as legitimate. In that sense, I don't think she ever "paid" -- she continued to think she was right, no matter what, and in the end she outlasted everybody!
No arguments on that one – Nikita *did* have trouble accepting other POVs. But I do think she was learning, especially when you consider her arc from 'Nikita' to 'End Game'. The problem with most of S3, and S4 is that the focus almost shifts entirely on Michael/Nikita, and InlovewithNikita!Michael and InlovewithMichael!Nikita, almost wholly ignoring the other aspects of their personality. And then suddenly in FLYF you come back to Nikita and Section, and it doesn't make much sense. I'm particularly annoyed by her conversation with Paul in FLYF, where she is quite unprofessional in her treatment of him (in the sense that she's dealing with him as Nikita who hates Operations' guts, and not as one professional to another) for all her talk, and therefore somewhat hypocritical. And how dumb is the implication that *George* somehow managed to learn 'compassion' (hah!) during his tenure at Oversight? However, much as I despise S5, there's some important development in Nikita's character in this period – all that talk about 'my daddy wouldn't have sent me to death' and 'I will be Nice to my operatives' comes crashing when she meets Daddy. I wouldn't call her survival a reward, really – Paul and Madeline are dead and gone, and Michael is free and redeemed, but Nikita has to live with herself every day in Section One.
I disagree that she never paid, though. I think you could read Nikita's journey from 'Nikita' to ATFEP as one of the end of innocence, and that didn't come without prices.
I guess that with Buffy, she's the Hero, but she also assumes a commensurate amount of responsibility. She judges other characters, but she also *does more* than they do and therefore, to me, has thus earned the right to judge, at least to a degree. I didn't feel that way about Nikita, and I certainly don't about Jack.
Buffy assumes *too much* responsibility, even when it's not. her. fault! *g*
See, the problem with Section is that *someone* has to ask the questions. Most operatives just bear. Some, like Walter, complain occasionally and bitch behind the top brass' back (does that sound very harsh? I've actually been planning on writing some meta on Walter's unreliability as a narrator). Some, like Michael, accept completely and complain only when it affects them *personally*. Some, like Jurgen, don't care at all and find a way to make themselves comfortable. Nikita at least has the guts to ask the questions up front – more often than not, they are questions that *need* to be asked. (things are, of course, complicated by her naivety and stubborness, her personal dislike for Paul and Madeline, and so on, but we're not going into all that right now *g*)
I honestly don't know what they're aiming for, either. I just wish a lightning bolt would strike him dead the next time he whines about something.
Word.
She has an interesting background, but she strikes me -- and she's struck me that way from the very beginning, so maybe it's more of a subjective impression -- as having that same streak of self-righteous judgment of others that Jack has. She's not nearly as bad as he is, but it's there.
Hmm, can't say I've noticed much of that – I'll pay closer attention. My problem with Kate is that there's something off about her character. She's just too nice, you know? No one with her background could be that much of a sweetheart.
Swatkat