Your thoughts on season 2 (spoilers in this discussion)

Were you as disappointed as I was?

I have to admit, season 1 started off rocky but quickly found its balance. Season 1 told a story people could follow and then left on an explosive cliffhanger.

Now after finishing season 2, I'm left scratching my head. So prepare for a long analytical rant of the series's shortcomings.

XIII the god this season really made me re-evaluate XIII as a protagonist. I can understand being at the center of a conspiracy, but trying to link him to Tesla was a bit of a stretch. Last season it was all about his memories, so it made sense that he pursued leads and they tied directly to him. This year it was just strange that he was the 'key' to all of this.

Especially if he still supposedly doesn't remember who he is. I don't undstanding his motivations anymore and all the mystery and build up from last season goes unanswered. Why did he create the computer program from last season? Who contracted him to do it? But all that is thrown to the wind because it's more important to show XIII kicking cannon fodder-ass. It's not until boss fights where we see him 'struggle' then shortly overcome his foes. And no evening is complete unless he makes out with all the women. I also found Stuart lacking the charisma and empathy he had last year, maybe it was the difficult task of playing two characters but I dunno, it just wasn't as strong a performance. Watch Reed Diamond play Laurence Dominic in Dollhouse and Jason Pillar in 24, he played two characters that were supposed to be the same very differently and he relied on more than a smirk. Same goes for Julianna Marguilies who played Elizabeth Canterbury in Canterbury's Law and Alicia Florrick in the Good Wife, another example of an actor who is able to make two characters completely distinct by using more than just facial expression.



the freedom fighters ---I mean seriously? A bunch of concerned tree huggers (can't even call them environmentalists because of what they do to this world) suddenly run black-ops, know how to use guns, and can bust people out from Guantanamo bay. This would have been fine on some buddy-squad show, but not on this one where the creators attempt a more serious tone. Then there's the irony of the entire squad being funded by the corporations they're fighting against, but of course instead of kick starting a logical conflict from that revelation, the writers think it's better for Betty and Moz to just find their base gone. Which fuels their ridiculous rage.


XIII's double I understand the theme of conflicting identies, especially when characters realize they can't live in both the 'normal' world and the one of espionage. There is an internal conflict which makes you question what side you're on and if it's possible to reconcille the two. This season attempts an exploration like this but loses itself in BS. The whole Victor Gong angle is ridiculous in that there's no reason for him to rebel. It gets worse when he and Betty stat to have a thing, at that point it was difficult not to laugh. Suddenly our freedom fighter becomes a femme fetale with absolutely no plan of her own beyond 'revenge!'.


Speaking of revenge....

Carrington
Another poster asked why the president is a rage-filled lunatic and I think most of us were wondering the same thing. A good chunk of it seems to be simple overacting, but bad writing doesn't help either. The president comes off like a man on a mission who has no solid plan for anything (remind you someone?).

All his time in office seemed to be motivated by greed and it wasn't until Harriet started thumping on the door did he suddenly realize he was president. Then there's the ghosts of war that haunt him, I think the writers were trying to evince sympathy on this character, paint him as a man plagued by the horrors of war. The problem is that by this time he lacks all charisma to the point where he's nothing but a nuisance that's hindering America's prospects. I mean inactive martial law just so he can keep office? Ridiculous.

Harriet anothe piece of the ridiculous pie. Just once it'd be nice to see a competent woman who wants to do the job right, minus the cliched uptight, or in Harriet's case, bimboey personality. It was difficult to care about the white house storyline because I couldnt stand her or the president. Their goals flopped from 'America first' to 'give me power' to the point where you had to wonder who out there was voting for any of them.

Betty the freedom fighter turned black ops operative, is really the daughter of the most powerful man on Earth who just happens to be the leader of the Illuminati himself...try reading that without laughing. There was so much going on with this character that you have to wonder just what the writer's where thinking? How does this girl go from supposedly caring about the Earth to destroying it? How does that get her revenge against her father?

And why is everybody heads over heels about this girl? I'm not saying they need to cast glamazons for every female role, but Betty's arc almost required one in an effort to be believable. The character goes 'dark' but the actress comes off like some kid playing dress-up, rather than the self-assured femme fatale we're supposed to believe she turned into during her time with XIII.2.

I also think XIII's hallucinations should have been about Sam. It could have been more meaningful to explore all the ways he would've wanted to save her. But I guess showing a man whoring around is the status-quo.

Amos and Jones where do I start? On one hand I knew Jones had to go because Aisha Taylor has a talk show and is part of Archer. But they went through too much trouble for her send off. It would've been better if she was never mentioned again and just went on the run.

As for Amos, the whole 'you killed my wife and kid' angle is just lazy writing. Same goes for his new obsession with interrogation. I think most CEO's study economics and not the book of torture techniques. He came off like some psycho and ironically became one for a time.


This season had something going on with the tesla letters but the writers has too many themes to give this central plot a proper exploration. They were too busy with betrayal, mind control, identity, power, and James Bond to really give us anything worth thinking about.


A little bit of everything and not enough of anything.