Companion Discussion

[ostarella]

Thought I'd throw this out on LJ - get my 2 cents worth in ;-)

What are your thoughts on this drastic change of direction for the series? Was it inevitable? Was it necessary? Was it successful?

I have mixed feelings on the change. On the one hand, I loved the fact that the show moved away from the comic to the more serious. I have nothing against the humor, but I didn't care for the slapstick, especially the way it changed Face's character. It almost seemed like the more bumbling Face became, the more "capable" Murdock got, and I didn't care for that. Murdock was not SF, after all. I think some kind of change was necessary, and I didn't mind Stockwell's part, but I think it could've worked better had the team been "independent contractors" for him, rather than "kept men".

What is your reaction to the new characters, Hunt Stockwell and Frankie Santana?

After actually reviewing the eps, I didn't mind Stockwell (again, with the above caveat). He wasn't nearly as nasty as a lot of fanfic (including my own) made him out to be. I don't think he really thought they were minor irritants that he could use - I think he took that attitude to exert some control over them.

Frankie was, in reality, just irritating. He had no real use to the team, except in the writers' eyes. And his attitude of Latin Stud was nauseating. He did have his moments, as in this first ep, but he should have remained, as someone on the list mentioned, a temporary fixture.

For better or worse, would you have been as interested in TAT, from a fanfic standpoint, if not for season five?

I think Season Five enhanced my interest. I certainly tend more toward the S5 "atmosphere" in my stories.

Comments

[beckyblack]

Frankie, I've said it before too that he should have been temporary. He (or well someone) was needed in the second 2 eps of the trilogy for Murdock to talk to, or we'd have got a lot of Murdock doing stuff with a serious expression and not had a clue what he was doing and why. He needed someone to explain things to, in order to explain them to us.

That would have worked, if he'd gone after that. We'd have thought he was kind of a pain, but at least he came through and helped the guys out, so he'd have been on the plus side of the ledger.

But keeping him for the whole season was a horrible mistake. Having a "fifth wheel" earlier in the show, to ask the questions we needed to hear the answer to, so we can find out who these guys are and how they work, fair enough. But by that point, not needed.

Stockwell I like much better! I mean as an interesting character. I've never written him totally evil ahem, yet. Ruthless certainly, but he's ruthless for the right side.

I never quite got it in to Tightrope Walk, but I was going to have Farrell make a comparison between Stockwell and Oliver North, claiming that they were no different in the methods, but Stockwell got more villified as he didn't look as fabulous as North did in his uniform. :D (That's Farrell, he focuses on the substance don't he? :D )

Anyway, the season could have been more fun if it focused on the basic conflict inherant on the team's and Stockwell's methods really clashing. I'd like to have seen more questioning on the team itself if the things they are being asked to do are acceptable to them, if even their pardons are worth going through this. And if Face had entirely cracked under the pressure and gone on a shooting rampage... er sorry, possible plot bunny. ;-)

If Frankie had to be there, then there could have been more suspicion of him from the team, is he Stockwell's man or not? Perhaps some resentment frm him that he's been stuck here because of them. And there's so much possible drama possible with an untrained guy along with them! And what if Frankie was forced into killing someone? What if Frankie was killed, how would that affect Hannibal especially?

It's no wonder I still have several season 5 bunnies in the files... so I think I can say yes, despite the flaws, Season 5 did enhance my enjoyment of the show.

[ostarella.livejournal.com]

Season 5 is, along with the very first season, absolutely *ripe* with bunnies. It has some real duds for eps, but even those give the imagination a real opportunity to run amok. The good eps are really good, the bad eps give us enough to work with - I guess that's why I don't understand why so many people hate it. Or does Frankie evoke that much venom? ;-)

[beckyblack]

the bad eps give us enough to work with

Except Quarterback Sneak, which I've decided is officially worse than Crystal Skull.

[ostarella.livejournal.com]

Welllll - we must remember that there's poor Face running around Berlin with that woman to protect, no backup, and the police/Army after him... ;-)

[beckyblack]

True. And it's also when the cracks are first starting to show, when he's so stressed out about having the McGuffin hidden in his sock drawer.

Though he happens to look better in Crystal Skull.