POI 3x09

[arduinna]

I've seen a few people's reactions, but not that many; I'm on vacation trying to hermit out and be peaceful and calm and rested, and watching people be angry/unhappy isn't helping me stop be angry/unhappy about this. But neither is stewing on my own. And so I vent.

I was completely flummoxed by the sudden "oh Joss I love you so" coming out of nowhere; I'm sorry, but seriously, that level of sudden declaration was never telegraphed at ALL. Reese never showed a flicker of jealousy about Beecher (concern, sure -- just like Fusco and Finch were concerned. But not jealousy.) He's never made a single move -- which, hi, the lesson he learned from losing Jessica was "keeping my mouth shut about how I felt was the biggest mistake of my life". There is absolutely no reason Reese would have kept silent and inscrutable about feeling like he literally owes his continued existence to Carter.

Especially since that retcons not only the pilot, but the entire series to date. Carter didn't change Reese's life; Finch did. Reese has repeated that nonstop for 2.25 seasons now: he says it to Finch, he says it to old friends, he says it to enemies, he says it to random strangers on the street he happens to be walking past, all of which Finch hears directly. Finch has known exactly how much he means to John pretty much all along; he knows he's the one who let John reach a place where he could actually say, out loud, "I guess I'm happy" with that little smile that said he meant it.

Carter became a huge part of that changed life, but she wasn't the reason he crawled out of his bottle and started living again. Finch gave him a job, gave him a purpose, gave him trust back again. Finch made it possible for Reese to become friends with other people, including Carter.

This has been the entire premise of the show! From day one!

*HANDS*

So I had a very very confused few minutes of "well, at least the Reese/Carter shippers will be happy, but... what? Why did this show suddenly need a giant blazing canonical het ship, instead of the team of friends/comrades/compatriots that's been working so well?" and then UH, NO, I suspect the Reese/Carter shippers are NOT HAPPY AT ALL.

That moment in the morgue should have been a mutual "it's been an honor" speech. Carter and Reese connected first and most strongly on their shared military background, and they've always been comrades in arms. It would have been an even more powerful moment, in fact, because hey, I could have actually believed it and had an emotional response to it, instead of sitting there going "what? what is he saying? wait, why is that a romantic hand on her cheek? WHAT?"

And y'know, if Carter really had to die (why! why would Carter need to die!!!) avenging a fallen comrade? Would actually be just as good a motivator for Reese as "oh no, the woman I have sekritly loved for two years has died, right after I told her I love her out of nowhere". Better, even, since once again, it would be a motivation I could believe.

It's such lazy, stupid fucking writing, the way they did it -- and this is not a show where I'm automatically braced to cope with the stupid, lazy writing. It instantly diminishes everything Carter did during her season of awesome, because sure, maybe she got 98% of HR, but Reese, man. Reese is going to get the badass that got Carter. And I love Reese! I love it when he wins! But this is Carter's win, goddammit! She worked her ass off for this, and made a clean bust, like the cop she is. And now all that work is "oh well, she tried, but she just wasn't good enough." And at the same time, they've managed to diminish John, whose emotional depths apparently no longer encompass strong friendships. He can only truly care about the women he's in love with. Which is contrary to everything we've learned about him so far, as he's developed friendships (and even one that hey, possibly includes sex -- you can't tell me he wouldn't care what happens to Zoe, even if she didn't change his life and give him his only reason not to swallow a bullet. Argh.)

What the hell were they thinking?

And they were thinking, is the thing. They were so, so careful to slowly set up Taylor's safe existence with his now-good-citizen dad, and show how he was okay and well-adjusted there. Her death didn't leave her son in the lurch (or in any danger, the way Lee was in danger). Her city was safe; her son was safe; her ex was the good man she used to know; her boyfriend was avenged; her job was returned to her: all that was left for her to do was give John a reason to go on a berserker rage kick by dying.

*deep breath*

Okay, I'm still not calming down, so I'll stop, since all I'm doing is rehashing the same thing. But goddammit. I really liked 98% of this episode, a LOT. Fusco! I love, love, love when he gets to be the badass he always was; he may not be a leader, but he's one hell of a strong, loyal soldier. The only thing that matters more to him is Lee, and even there, he did what he could to buy time for the cavalry (and for his thumb-breaking to work, which I thought was thumb-dislocating from the way he was moving his hands whenever he could). Shaw! Who waited for orders, then made the right emotional call, and had an actual moment with Fusco! They are weirdly turning into a great little team, and I think his ability to break himself out (and throttle someone with all those broken fingers) has done a lot to win her respect (and her call to save Lee instead of Lionel has won his). Root and Finch! (which, hey, there are the writers I know and trust, building a thing where it's less certain that Finch is doing the right thing -- although omg, Finch, you don't lock someone in a cage and walk away with a blithe "I may never be back, but here, have a muffin").

But that last 2% outweighs it all. DAMMIT.

I don't even know what to do next week. I love this show. This is my fandom in a way nothing else has been my fandom in years - maybe not since SG-1, or even Sentinel. I trusted these writers, these showrunners.

I don't want to lose my show, and I'll probably keep watching, and just somehow find a way to make it work. But part of me really, really wants the ratings to just fucking TANK. Because this is not the show that anyone signed on for.

Comments

[copracat]

I read an article (in EW?) where Henson said that Caviezel improvised the kiss and it was decided to leave it in. It looked like it came out of left field because it came out of Caviezel's head.

[arduinna]

Oh, god. Well, that does help explain the complete wtfery of it, at least, but gah that they kept it in. (ALthough gah that they kept ANY of it in!)

[dorinda]

You know, hearing that actually helps me in my quest to wall it off and not take it seriously. Actors can be the absolute worst at hitting the right/best notes for their own characters, not to mention for the narrative as a larger entity. Paradoxical, but true. And they can't force me to embrace some wrongheaded improv if I refuse to.

(What's that knocking on the door? OH NO IT IS THE CANON POLICE...)