L is for....

[selenak]

1. Comment on this post.
2. I will give you a letter.
3. Think of 5 fictional characters and post their names and your comments on these characters in your LJ.

astrogirl2 gave me an L.

L is for...

LaGuerta, Maria, from the tv show Dexter. Who might just possibly be my favourite character, though I love the entire ensemble; it's only Dexter himself I have mixed feelings about after the second season (as well I should, I suppose). LaGuerta gets introduced in the most disfavourable terms in the Dexter pilot - she's described as cop eager for publicity, she is harsh to downright unfair towards Deb whom we like, and makes a barely veiled pass at Dexter, who works for her - but starts to get fleshed out with the second episode (the first one to feature a scene with her and Doakes alone together, and their former partners interaction is one of the highlights of the how), by the fourth episode is seen drawing the consequences from a terrible mistake she made and shouldering the burden from that mistake, and before the season has run its course proved her courage and abilities as a cop. While I have issues with an early s2 subplot concerning LaGuerta, this isn't because it shows her playing dirty but because the method she chooses shouldn't have worked (the fact it did is bad writing, imo); thankfully this is the exception and otherwise her s2 scenes are as good as her s1 scenes.

Laura Palmer, from the tv show Twin Peaks. Like another L, Lily Kane in the first season of Veronica Mars, Laura starts the show dead, and her murder is the mystery running through the first half of the show, but like that other L, she is the antithesis of the woman in the fridge: three-dimensional, messed up and neither the madonna or the whore whom some of her circle see/saw her as. Of all David Lynch heroines, Laura seemed the most real to me, and certainly was the one I felt for most; which is one reason why I really appreciated the much maligned Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me prequel. One mystery I never could figure out was how between her high school life and her double life she found the time for meals on wheels, helping the handicapped Johnny Horne and giving Josie Packard the occasional English lesson, but hey. She lives in Lynchworld. *waves hand*

Laura Roslin, from the tv show Battlestar Galactica. Laura started out as my favourite character, and when the s1 finale briefly made her unpopular in parts of fandom (as I recall, it was either because of "crazy religious fanatic" suspicions, or blame for disrupting the Starbuck-Adama Senior relationship by telling Kara about Adama's lie in order to get her on the mission Roslin wanted her to be on, or both) , I wrote a passionate post in her defense. Later on, when Laura didn't just triumph on the show but also over much of fandom, I felt myself becoming a bit distant from her, which is a perverse reflex that kicked in before with another L, Lilah Morgan (see below). But as opposed to Lilah, I never stopped loving her; she's just not my favourite anymore. If I want to convince someone to watch BSG, though, Laura Roslin is still my argument No.1: a middle-aged woman who isn't physically strong and soft spoken but just about the scariest person in the fleet if she wants to be, struggling with her inner dictator as much as she does with post apocalyptic catastrophes and her own sick body, and possibly the most complex person in the ensemble.

Lilah Morgan, from the tv show Angel. I got a kick out of Lilah as soon as she appeared, and really enjoyed each of her scenes. While in the first two seasons, Lindsey was the W&H lawyer who got the in-depth charactersation (with Lilah being more a foil) and was the most beloved in fandom, I was among the few who welcomed Lilah staying and Lindsey leaving. (I thought the show had done all with Lindsey that they could, whereas Lilah still got potential.) Lilah's characterisation throughout s3 was one of the few things I really loved about this least favourite of AtS seasons; while retaining her unrelenting pragmatic evil (as opposed to Lindsey, she never flirted with pangs of conscience), she became a player in her own right....and then Lilah/Wesley happened. And Lilah's popularity shot to the stratosphere. And I found myself torn in two, because on the one hand I enjoyed these scenes as much as the next fangirl (and -boy), but on the other when I wasn't muttering about double standards (re: the different fannish reaction to Buffy and Wesley respectively for their very similar behaviour in relationships started for pretty similar reasons), I was getting more and more irritated by Lilah becoming some sort of Cruella de Sue in much fanfic written at the time. Sadly, this caused a falling out of love. I got my Lilah fondness back in the end, I'm happy to report. Rewatching DVDs and staying the hell away from some fannish quarters helped, as did reading likeadeuce's Lilah fanfic. But it took a while, through no fault of Ms. Morgan's.

Lochley, Elizabeth, Captain, from the tv shows Babylon 5 and Crusade: I never got the fannish impulse to hate replacements of popular characters; more often than not, they make me feel protective of the replacements. In the case of Lochley, who showed up in B5's fifth season because due to reasons still argued about, Claudia Christian who played Ivanova had left the show, I found reasons to like the character beyond that. I liked her new perspective, her sparring with Garibaldi, the fact she didn't hate Bester on sight (it always irritates me when because character X is meant to be one of the heroes, he/she knows instinctively which characters to like and to dislike) but had a semi-positive backstory with him, I liked that precisely because she didn't have backstory with Garibaldi and hence had no kid gloves she was able not just to see but to do something about his falling of the wagon, I liked the backstory Neil Gaiman delivered for her in the episode Day of the Dead, which made me think of A Game of You and other of his graphic novels, and the fact she didn't everyone else's enthusiasm about Penn & Teller. Come Crusade, I really enjoyed her relationship with Gideon and the fact it wasn't played as a grand romance but as two adults who liked each other, were sexually attracted, did something about it and while having no intention of moving in together decided to keep this up. (Imagine my frustration when fanfic not only denied me Max Eilerson, who was my favourite Crusade character, but offered endless Galen romances (so not interested) and nothing about Lochley and Gideon. Bah.) Getting another glimpse at her in the recent Lost Tales was very welcome, as I remain fond of her. And speaking of fanfic frustrations, the fact that Lochley fought on Clark's side during the Earth civil war hasn't nearly been explored enough. Since I am as guilty as anyone of this lack, I might do something about it, once real life permits and a good idea strikes...

Comments

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I love Laura Roslin, too, even though she definitely scares me. I'm just watching it now, and need to go back and read your first posts, esp. on Season 2.5, which I'm watching now.

[wychwood]

I agree; I always liked Lochley, she was an interesting character, and she provided a genuine alternative viewpoint which Ivanova never could have done. The fact of having been on the other side of the civil war shapes a lot of her early interactions with the others, and the show did a good job of showing that there could be good people on the opposite side, which was particularly useful after we'd spent so long purely on Sheridan's side of things. I mean, Sheridan *was* right, but it makes sense that honest people couldn't always tell that. And her interactions with Bester fascinated me for the reasons you mention; it was plausible, it was *interesting*, and it allowed us to see a somewhat different side of Bester, too. I liked Ivanova, and I missed her when she left, but I think that Lochley was, ultimately, better for the *story* than Ivanova would have been in the same role. She shook things up a bit.

[earrch.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, Lilah Morgan. I was absolutely fascinated by her, and it surprised me to read in your post that she had been somehow maligned by fans. Ah, but then, at the time I was blissfully unaware of fandom, and so able to develop my own distorted views in peace. I believed Lilah as a person, and I believed her with Wesley, as one of those f*cked up things people are together for, and she was less innocent than Lindsey and, so desperately more real. I take note of your fic rec, as I do not recall ever having read good Lilah fic...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*glomps on your Max icon*

I liked Ivanova, and I missed her when she left, but I think that Lochley was, ultimately, better for the *story* than Ivanova would have been in the same role. She shook things up a bit.

That sums it up. Then there is also the fact Ivanova would have been paired up with Byron instead of Lyta, which, just no, but even leaving that side - it made sense for Susan to leave at this point and take her own command away from Babylon 5, and as she shared Sheridan's pov in matters telepaths, Garibaldi etc., and everyone knew her as the voice of the resistance, she would not have had the same effect.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Laura is scary. Also awesome, and a lot of other things, but definitely scary. If you use the "battlestar galactica" tag, you should find all my reviews (and I did review all episodes, and wrote some additional meta).

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Lilah's time of being maligned was brief; mostly in the later part of s2 as I recall because part of fandom wanted Lindsey to stay instead of her. Before that, people just weren't that interested in her.

Fanfic: Mortal Taste (http://remix.illuminatedtext.com/dbfiction.php?fiction_id=669), while an AU, remains my favourite Lilah story (and not just by likeadeuce.

[wychwood]

I actually like the idea of Ivanova and Byron more than I do Byron/Lyta (which is to say that I only hate it with the burning heat of one or two suns, rather than several) - given Ivanova/Marcus and how that played out, I think Ivanova/Byron has a perfect, terrible logic that Lyta/Byron lacks. But in basically all the other respects, no.

*admires your Max in return*

[vonnie-k.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten Lilah's last name was Morgan! She could be... um, Deb and Dexter's distant cousin in LA, who'd fled the sweltering heat of Miami for designer shoes and a high-paying job at an evil law firm and angsty stubbly hot men in a moral crisis.

*imagines Dexter let loose in Wolfram & Hart*
*mind goes to a happy place*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

I have to admit that, during B5 Season 5, I had a bad case of Want Ivanova Back and so didn't appreciate Lochley the way I should've. But I adored her in Crusade, especially her relationship with Gideon. And I just have to say YAY MAX, because he's my favorite, too.

May I have a letter, please?

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Regarding Lila: I totally do that, too, where I begin to like a character less because they're so universally and obsessively loved in fandom. The obsessively part is key--for example, I don't get this way with Hiro, but I did with Spike. Hee. I know it's not logical to let other people's perception of a character influence my own opinion, but it happens. A lot.

I'd be interested to read your impassioned defense of Roslin, but alas, I don't watch BSG. Wasn't it hard to be in fandom when so many people were bashing one of your favorites? That kind of thing can really influence my enjoyment of a show.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll be reading you.

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

She's wildlythat impressive in the first couple of seasons--very nervous and frightened and not all that competent--so I can see how fandom wouldn't have loved her. To me, that early nervousness makes her more real as a character, gives meaning to her later spurt of confidence and prevents her from becoming a "Cruella de Sue."

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

Oops--she's NOT wildly impressive in the first couple of seasons.

[neutralalienist.livejournal.com]

It amazes me how much the actions of another character can make people hate an entirely different one - ie, Lindsey leaving - when it wasn't their fault. It's very petty and irrational. Which is common, I suppose, but I wish people would own up to it.

Fandom does influence me, too - I always get protective of the unpopular ones. I'll tend to like them to begin with, but I'll get more invested.

I'm not much of a BSG fan, really - haven't seen much, not overly interested - but I love Laura Roslin all the same. She is just that awesome.

(Have you a letter to spare?)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I was going to give you N but looked at your handle and thought that was a little too predictable, so you get C!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

If you want to read my impassioned defense of a character you know, you could try Connor (http://community.livejournal.com/idol_reflection/22580.html). *g* (Talk about someone who was and is really hated by part of fandom...)

The Spike thing happened to me, too, though as with Lilah I came back from it.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You shall have B!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

You know, you could write a story where Lilah arranges for a one summer internship for Cousin Dexter after Harry has died, figures out just why her colleagues keep having an unfortunate demise, and thinks the solution to this is to hire him as her personal assassin. Which goes wrong and makes this an AU as he then kills her, because I can't see Dexter leaving Lilah alive, especially once she knows his secret, and otoh I can't see Lilah not figure it out.

Anyway, I've written my Dexter/Angel crossover (http://selenak.livejournal.com/359863.html)...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I figured out what you meant. *g* Agreed that Lilah's early nervousness makes her later confidence more real - and the Cruella de Sue thing was always strictly a fanfiction issue. The show kept her eminently real.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks for the link! See, at the time when Connor was prominent on AtS, I didn't even know that he was reviled by much of fandom--everyone I knew liked or loved him, luckily. If nothing else, I would have loved him for the effect he had on Angel--it was then that I first realized that despite his many limitations as an actor, Boreanaz has a real knack for playing fathers.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Hi! Just jumping in to say ITA on how irritating it can be when people can hate a character because of the completely unrelated actions of another character. Actually, it's the part where people won't admit it that bugs me the most. I wouldn't mind half so much if someone said, I love character A so much that the way the show treated them makes me hate B, even though I know it makes no sense! It's hard being a fangirl! Sorry, fans of B! It's when they start to bend over backwards to prove that their hate is well-founded because B is the Antichrist that I click the Back button.

[neutralalienist.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly! Emotions aren't always rational, but some people need to step back and realise what's happening. If you can admit a bias, you might get past it - and you'll at least stop irritating anyone who doesn't share it.

(This also makes it difficult for people who dislike such a character on their own merits - always having to qualify with "no, this is not because...")

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Yes, and it also makes it difficult to voice complaints about the irrational fannish behavior without continually saying, This doesn't apply to all fans! I know plenty of sane [insert character name here] fans! Heh.

I also tend to frequently fall for the character types that come in for bashing, which makes things rather trying. But avoidance is usually the best policy. *g*

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Funny, you like Lochly for exactly all the same reasons I did.

Uhm, a letter?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Lochley sympathizers unite, I say.

You shall have a V!

[earrch.livejournal.com]

Well, I went and read the fic, "when fear does no good, then cease to be afraid" and all that. It was *interesting* and, I think, a very original character piece, in what happens and how it happens, and despite a certain broken!Wesley-ness, it was certainly interesting. So thanks!

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Done! (http://lizamanynames.livejournal.com/148211.html#cutid7)

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

I think your history with Lilah is identical to mine. It actually now makes me want to rewatch Angel in one go and track it all over again!

Er, yes. A letter?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Let's have a D then!

[aris-tgd.livejournal.com]

Hi! You got Universe'd!

Don't want to seem creepy, but I wanted to offer up some more, slightly reserved Lochley love. While I agree that she was much-maligned by fandom, and it took me honestly a few times through to really appreciate her, I still dislike the way she was introduced--not necessarily "as Ivanova's replacement" but through a few episodes where she was given competence via informed characterization rather than actually doing competent things. I mean, now I believe that Lochley is competent, after seeing the rest of Season 5, but watching the first couple episodes it felt like JMS was hammering so very hard on the "she is efficient and going to turn this operation around so there will be friction!" button that it was in real danger of breaking.

It doesn't help that I hate the entire first episode of Season 5 with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. ;)

I think the first time I really liked Lochley was in River of Souls, when she was totally out of Sheridan's shadow and got to run things herself. That was awesome. And going back and re-watching without the malice there are so many cool moments. And she gets to punch Garibaldi! Who else gets to punch Garibaldi? She rocks!

And if you don't mind people randomly dropping in, might I have a letter?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

My own example of bad writing to prop the character would be A View from the Gallery but then I hate A View From The Gallery in its entirety, except for the Londo/G'Kar scenes, so...

And hey, always good to find another viewer who liked River of Souls, and I agree Lochley was awesome in it.

You randomly get the letter N. *g*