I miss Torri

[marguerite_krux]

Some people say, ‘Why watch a show if you don’t like it? Don’t waste your time and ours by complaining afterwards’. 

A thread to that effect exists on GW, though I haven’t had a chance to view it yet. The thing is, when you’ve invested enough of yourself into something, no matter how grim the outlook, how heavy the losses, how despairing you are and wishing desperately to be free of it all, you can’t just walk away. You used to care about the characters, about their adventures. I may hate the loss of Elizabeth from SGA, but I have to remain up to date with the show, I haven’t cut the ties just yet. And I think it’s arrogant of people to say ‘if you don’t like it, give up now because you aren’t worthy of it’. No one has the right to tell another person not to watch something.

 

Or at least, it depends. Bear with me, I know it sounds like I’m selling out- that I’m being a hypocrite, ‘oh, no one can say that to me, but I’ll throw it in someone else’s face when it suits me’. That’s not it at all.

 

There are two categories of people who criticize shows.

 

One is filled with those who condemn Californication, for instance, because of the swear words liberally interspersed throughout the episode, practically serving as punctuation for each statement; because of the numerous sex scenes, all the women that Hank sleeps with, because of his promiscuity and the way he treats women as sex objects [one could argue it’s men’s payback for Sex and the City]; because of the lack of family morals, their shallowness, the bad example they set for the viewers. Whatever else outraged people write in to complain about in the newspapers.

 

The other category is composed of disillusioned fans. People who religiously watched the show, were devoted to it, spent hours in creative pursuits revolving around it- writing fanfic, creating icons and wallpapers and banners, making fanvids, joining forums to share their passion with other fans [maybe not Californication in this context, lol]. People who were shattered by a development- often the loss of a favorite character, or perhaps put off by a turn in the direction of the series, such as a tendency to kill off civilians and focus exclusively on one or two main characters and an interloper with no business being in the show.

 

I believe that the former category should stop whingeing and allow the show to do what it will. They don’t really care about it, they have no personal stake in it. If they’re that offended, then don’t watch it.

 

[Although I sympathize when they’re waiting for a program that’s on afterwards and are forced to sit through the last ten minutes because they don’t want to miss the start of their show. That’s just cruel. I’ve had to sit through Big Brother a number of times and it pisses me off.]

 

The latter, however, have genuine reason to be upset. They’ve formed an attachment to the show, they care about its characters and its growth, they have a stake in how the writers choose to develop it. And a show is meant to please its fans. If it alienates a group of them, they have just as much right to criticize what it is they hate, just as it is the right of satisfied fans to glee and squeal and rejoice over what they like. People can’t just welcome the good comments and ostracize those who have a different opinion, and they’re rude and intolerant if they expect unhappy fans to keep quiet about what’s making them miserable.

 

The die-hard fans who don’t like anti-season 4 fans shouldn’t take it as an insult, though they will; I’d advise them to be pleased at how strong a hold their show has on other people, that they would be completely miserable and devastated at the developments, yet incapable of letting go and moving on, that they’re still compelled to haunt it, drifting around the edges like ghosts unable to leave familiar, once beloved grounds. This is quite a strong compliment to the show itself. A worse insult would be growing tired of it and leaving it behind, because that shows that it didn’t mean anything at all. At least the anti’s are acknowledging the power it has, the wealth of potential in it, the addictiveness that sadly traps so many fans.

 

Maybe this doesn’t make much sense, but it’s my own personal code and I believe in it. Look at it this way- I love Elizabeth Weir, and I wouldn’t visit an anti-Weir thread because I know it would infuriate me and provoke a fight that could be otherwise avoided. And I would be in the wrong because it was my fault for going there in the first place when there was never going to be a good outcome.

 

But as a fan invested in her character, I can look at some of the flaws in the woman, acknowledge some of the mistakes she may have made, while also considering the extenuating circumstances and the way she’s grown from it and become wiser. I don't have to be blind, just understanding. Balance it against the good that she’s done. And in that frame of mind, I will mourn her, I'll miss the contribution she made to SGA and sci-fi in general.

And if I want, I have every right to watch s4 and hate every ep and make numerous criticisms about it. This used to be my show. I can still have an opinion on it, even if I'm not being all sycophantic. JM can hate me all he likes, I'm under no obligation to appreciate the mess he's made of SGA, and if enough people feel like me, hopefully it'll penetrate his thick skull and they'll try to please the audience for once, rather than alienate them. I'm not supposed to like the show just to make his job easier. If all the fans campaigning for Paul and Torri, or watching in the hopes they return, were to give up, they'd have no show anymore. No one would give a damn. They need the goodwill of the fans to stay in business. 

If only they'd listen to us for a change. 

 

Comments

[anuna-81.livejournal.com]

It's a common thing among humans not to tolerate people who differ in opinion (from your opinion, I mean). Those who think differently annoy us and often are perceived as a threat to everything we like, hold dear and valuable. So it's much easier to attack those people than actually sit and listen and try to find something good about them.

Ironically the character of Elizabeth Weir is all about tolerance and giving chances, and people who are upset about her leaving are accused for lack of tolerance, intelligence, and such. They are told to pack up their things and leave. Guess I did just that - I'm not watching the show any more and I don't visit GW forum any more. I'm sick and tired of everything and I don't need some smart assed posters to tell me my favorite character sucks and I lack to see things that are so omgunbeliavablygreat about S4.

My favorite character is written out and that's enough for me to stop watching. Period. And as for JM, he can hate me all he wants, the feeling is mutual.

I always say sci fi is genre that should give you food for thought. It should make you stop and think and ask questions. Star Trek was fabulous in that regard.

As I said earlier, Elizabeth's flaws are something that doesn't bother me. She isn't perfect, she shouldn't be, because no real person is, and because of her characteristics and how she's played people - women mostly - can connect to her. I can. I wish I could stay so calm under pressure! She is hard working and smart and educated. She isn't afraid to take responsibility. She has inner strength and integrity, and as such, given her job - she is a threat to male dominated society. I elaborated this before - but let's just say our culture prefers weak women.

You have every right to watch and criticize SGA. Nobody has right to tell you how to think or feel. And people who are making the show - or any kind of authors - should be ready to take some criticism too, and not only praise.

*hugs*

[kaliweir.livejournal.com]

I want she's come back in first telefilm xD
The story could be they save her, he'll be time lol.

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

I KNOW, OMG, SHE MUST. *wriggles* SAVE ELIZABETH!

Lol, I've been pimping this idea everywhere:
they do a massive timeline do-over and bring her back in a movie [like an Indiana Jones action-adventure-romance thing, lol, John Sheppard and the Search for the Real Elizabeth Weir .]

[kaliweir.livejournal.com]

No, I spoke about the continuation of the 5x05 when she would to have an human body

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Right! I haven't seen it because I'm not interested unless it's TORRI's Weir, but I did read up on spoilers. It was SOOOO crushing that they were that close to a solution on how to bring her back and then just came up with a stupid obstacle. Like, why break our hearts that way, right? Stop messing around with the fans, damn it, just bring her back. *pouts* I don't care how, as long as there's a happy ending for her. Because this is just tragic how things are right now. :[

[kaliweir.livejournal.com]

In fact it's Torri who refused to come back when they tell her the Weir's storyline. But before was different, producers change storyline when Torri refused.
I wtach the episode and the actress, Michelle, played really well. She knew well to determine her personality. I even think that it resembles (or looks like maybe) to her a little physically.

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I knew Torri refused and more power to her- the episode was just the writers stringing the fans along, it was so mean of them 'tune in to see Weir and how we kill her off YET AGAIN'.

But before was different, producers change storyline when Torri refused.

I'm pretty sure that no matter what the script was before Torri refused, it wasn't going to let her come back to the show full time. So why would she bother when they kicked her off FOR NO REASON.

In my previous comment, I was referring to the scene where they raised the possibility of building a body for Elizabeth, so the writers were taunting the audience with the IDEA that the character could return to the show, but of course, with the terrible way they treated Torri, that was never going to happen. I just think let Elizabeth go, unless they're going to do justice to her character. Don't bring her back and kill her again and again. Save her and leave things on a happy note.

All that aside, Michelle is really pretty and she's a good actress but I think she was better as Fran. I actually LIKED her in that role, I wish she had a recurring role as Fran, not as pseudo!Weir. She deserves to have her own character, not do a rip off of someone else.

[kaliweir.livejournal.com]

Yeah you right about Michelle, but she played very well Weir. An other actress could be to play Weir very bad.

And for storyline, I think Torri was right because producers made everything wrong with her character.