Angel -- "The Jasmine Arc: Atheism for Dummies"
POSTED BY: Novagrass
UPDATED: Friday, February 20, 2004 21:39
VIEWED: 20625
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So we all know how Joss is the big raging atheist. He has not kept that a big secret at all. But up until now, he's never *really* told a story about faith and the loss of it.
And then there was "Jasmine Arc" on Angel. Never before have I seen such a message of the loss of faith so clearly and blatantly presented in the media, and quite frankly, it's extremely refreshing. Let's look at the facts...
1. Jasmine as God and religion in general. She has promised salvation and appears to possess the power of love. Obviously, to those affected by her spell, she is a deity. But it's clear to the rest of us that she's manipulating everyone. Underneath her beautiful facade lies a rotting demon, a rotting demon that represents the attrocities committed under God's name.
2. Fred as the enlightened atheist. She feels alone and scared in a world of people who are blindly devoting themselves to a corrupt entity. Knowledge has stripped her of her faith... she wishes to go back to the times where she didn't have to think about being alone in the world, where she could be ignorantly happy.
3. The people as the blind, irrational followers. They are ignorant. They irrationally stand up in front of eachother and preach their irrational and emotional testimony. Some cry, some promise to kill the heathen Fred who doesn't believe in the light of Jasmine.
4. Jasmine's "food" as those who's lives were lost to give God and religion more power. She glows with a heavenly radiance after swallowing the souls of her followers.
5. Connor as the devoted worshipper who, no matter how much he knows, still blindly condemns those who see the "truth."
Here, Joss and the writers have crafted the most accurate portrayal of the feelings associated with the loss of faith. At first they are alone and want to go back to being blissfully ignorant, loving the non-existant being in the sky. Then they harbor resentment and pity for those who still believe.
Now, this isn't to say that Joss is preaching... because I honestly don't think he is... plus the story still has to unfold. After the pity there is the respect for religion as a moral force and an anthropological mystery, which I hope is portrayed in the next few episodes. I hope that Joss isn't still bitter and resentful toward the non-atheists out there... 'cause that becomes pompous and preachy. Hell, even if it is a sermon, it's still a heartfelt metaphor... and you gotta respect that whether you agree or not.
--Dylan Palmer, Pretentious Bastard at Large--
"Oh my god, I'm a hack!" - Joss Whedon
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I agree with you. The points you make are excellent. I live in Utah and I grow tired of the "Christian" censorship and propaganda I experience. Joss is refreshing!
On a side note, I'm curious how Gina Torres can be a god on Angel, and I've heard Angel talk about Armageddon, but meanwhile, the end of the world is coming thanks to Nathan Fillion and The First on Buffy.
How come Angel doesn't talk about The First? Am I missing something? I've heard Angel is coming to Buffy in the finale. Not sure how the two shows are handling the End of the World at the same time, yet they are fighting different enemies.
Can someone explain to a newbie?
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I think the two shows sort of live in their own universes, except when it's convenient plot-wise for them to intersect.
Radegund
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Oh. Hmm. (scowls)
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I think the original concept would have had both shows following a common line, but the switch of networks may have thrown that off.
Maybe Gina is the physical form of the " bigbad "
After all, gods work in mysterious ways. Even evil ones.
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did the willow crossover not make you think it was the same?
I think this storyline will be resolved before the end of the season. Besides, didn't Gina only sign for 3 eps? Thats what all the news says from beforehand.
I'm pretty sure they're the same universe fully still, just the networks limited how much crossing over they can do.(are they still awkwardly avoiding the word Buffy on Angel? I noticed they didn't use it when Angelus called up Buffy's home, seemed a bit suspicious though not awkward)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Radegund:
I think the two shows sort of live in their own universes, except when it's convenient plot-wise for them to intersect.
I see it the other way around: The shows take place in the same universe, except when it is inconvenient for the plot.
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I find it interesting that both Angel and Buffy now have very blatant atheist plots going on, with different spins on it.
Caleb is quite clearly portrayed as an athiest ("Do you think I'm God?" "I'm beyond such concepts."), but he's evil as all get-out. So there you have the atheist as the evil, self-centered bastard.
Then on Angel you have Fred, who saw through Jasmine's charade and has now lost her faith. But she is actually doing the right thing, saving everybody from an evil demon.
I wonder if Marti Noxon has anything to do with the difference....
One more thing...
Quote:
But up until now, he's never *really* told a story about faith and the loss of it.
Except for Cap'n Tightpants. Actually, he seems to be quite interested in it recently.
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Quote:
5. Connor as the devoted worshipper who, no matter how much he knows, still blindly condemns those who see the "truth."
Connor has had this problem since his initial return to the Earthly dimension. No matter how much evidence he receives to the contrary he will always choose the myth/lie over the reality before him. Look at his attitude toward Angel over the seasons (always believing Holtz' half truths) and his allegiance to Cordy prior to Jasmine's arrival.
Knowing all this made me nervous when in last night's episode Angel refused to leave the hotel without curing his son of the brainwash.
Connor has yet to prove himself trustworthy to Angel and the cavalry.
mattro
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By the by...
Did anybody else notice the bit at the beginning of the Angel episode where Gina spoke to Jasmine's followers in their native language? She spoke to one young woman about her baby in what sounded like Vietnamese, but could have been Mandarin. I laughed after she did that, thinking, "Well, it's not like she hasn't had practice."
Yeah, I find lots of things funny. Don't ask why.
- T
"Two by two, hands of blue..."
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