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marguerite_krux) wrote2008-12-22 02:43 pm
Day 5 of Happy Meme
After Elizabeth…I floundered around aimlessly, really. No other shows, no other characters really appealed to me. I tried 4400, but after Tom & Alana and Diana & Marco hooked up, I sulked off. Threshold got cancelled. SVU got stupid. Cold Case…I don’t know what happened there, my affection just burnt out, I guess. I went through this Lilly/Scotty phase during which I was incredibly obsessed but then after that, I just got bored with it.
I was disillusioned with Stargate SG-1, and when I heard about the new Farscape actors joining the show, I was scathing as hell about it, all, ‘Omg, why are these rejects joining SG-1? DESPERATE, much?’ I thought it was a big publicity stunt and that SG-1 had jumped the shark. [Although it had pretty much succeeded in that when Sam hooked up with Pete, ugh]
Then I saw Prometheus Unbound, and when I realized the sexy chick in black armor that beat the crap out of Daniel was one of the new cast members, I COMPLETELY changed my tune and began singing her praises, lol. 
I don’t know why I love Vala so much. I mean, she’s a liar and thief and a cheat and just ruthlessly manipulates and uses everyone. *pauses* Heyyy, there’s something about that description that sounds familiar…ahh, that’s totally ME. Except she does it so much better, with a great deal more charm and wit and beauty. I guess watching her is like wish fulfillment for me, she’s the immoral mercenary schemer in me that I try to suppress. 
The other idols of mine are so good and noble and pure-spirited and damn near angelic. They’re saints. And I love and adore them, but Vala is cool because she’s not the perfect hero and she’s made a heck of a lot of mistakes but given the way she grew up and the life she led, I find it hard not to sympathize with her. Yes, she betrayed a lot of people and tried to deceive our protagonists on a few occasions, but a lifetime of ‘me or them’, looking out for her own interests because she couldn’t rely on anyone else to…hey, this is sounding a lot like my Marguerite/little kid in Legend of the Seeker comparison…
But after she learns she can trust SG-1, and that they are her friends and will look out for her, she does redeem herself. I mean, hell, she sacrificed herself to prevent the Ori invasion. And suffered horribly for it. If it weren’t for her street smarts and uncanny survival instincts, she wouldn’t have survived that ordeal.
And no matter the attachments she made, she always knew what the right thing to do was, and stuck to it. Women in a similar position have me banging my head against a wall in frustration when they angst over what is a clear cut decision because their emotions clouded their judgment. Like Gabrielle refusing to believe Hope was evil and to do what had to be done. Vala wasn’t that dumb. She did her part to help bring Adria down- it didn’t matter that child was born from her body, she knew the fate of the universe was at stake. Being the biological mother of one of the worst threats to their galaxy actually worked in their favor because Adria had a connection to Vala that she always tried to pursue [until the movie butchered her character] and I’m pretty sure that SG-1 and Earth would’ve been toast a lot earlier if Adria hadn’t been concerned about trying to win Vala over.
Her using Tomin and their marriage to prolong her life when she was stranded was…well, rather shoddy from his POV but it ended up working out for the best. She won him over to their side, which was lucky since he and his troops had SG-1 totally at their mercy and they so would’ve been dead without Vala, and he was part of the effort to repel the Ori. 
Basically, no matter how conniving and deceitful Vala was and still could be at times, she never did any real harm and her efforts saved the day on more than one occasion. She got to be flawed and an imperfect hero at the same time, she had all these layers and different aspects to her character, which is cool and unusual for a main female protagonist.
I haven’t touched on her outrageously funny sense of humor yet, because you can’t miss it if you know who she is. Her nobility is something a lot of people miss or dismiss because they can’t get past who she appears to be on the outside. 
Vala protects herself and she seems to be so flamboyant and open and speak every thought that enters her head, but it’s a defense mechanism, it helps to hide her vulnerability, which we never really see except in rare eps like Memento Mori or Unending. I have a soft spot for characters that are a little broken and wounded but cover it up through some sort of front. Marguerite uses her prickly demeanor and vicious barbs to keep people at bay, so they don’t look too deep inside, Vala uses humor to the same end. Which makes her super fun to watch in action, and also very complicated. And I love her. :D
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RL thing that makes me happy...
Mother's Christmas decorations! I usually can't be bothered getting all excited over trees, but she went unique and creative this year! Bought a REAL PLANT for a change, relieving our decade old fake one of its duties, and she bought these cute little birds and butterflies to sparkle it up and make it pretty and adorable. *squees*
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My first thought: MARGUERITE!
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Hee, if you asked me who Vala reminds me of, I'd never have said Marguerite because their personalities are so different...but when I was thinking about her character and writing all that, it was like, OMG MARGUERITE!
I really like her name, as you can probably tell. I like spelling it, I like saying it...so pretty and elegant.
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And yes, the Gabrielle/Hope thing was annoying.
DragonLady
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The only thing Hope was ever good for...her scenes with Callisto. I love Callisto so any excuse to see more of her... *bounces* I WISH she hadn't had that whole angel makeover thing, which paved the way for the Livia disaster. Ugh. Way to ruin one of my favorite villains ever. *pouts*