gabriel tam
POSTED BY: wytchcroft
UPDATED: Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:56
VIEWED: 12612
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many fics have drawn him as a dyed-in-the-wool hissable villain - and made a great job of it...
certainly the sequences in safe are the stuff of dark dreams...
but IS he such a villain?
i'm interested in your views (especially as he will be featuring in my new fics)...:)
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There have been some threads that have debated over Gabriel, and I have given very long paragraphs on him, and how one of Joss' weaknesses as a writer is his obvious daddy issues and how fathers are more villainous than all the demons of BUFFY and ANGEL combined.
But I need to eat and shower before my matinee, so I 'm just going to give a short version.
I think Gabriel and Regan are tragic figures and not bad guys. I think that they truly were unaware of what was happening to River, and that while they were a bit preoccupied with their social standing, I do believe that they genuinely love their children.
My fanfic series YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN is an expansion on that where Simon, Kaylee and River go home to see their parents and find them and their home in disarray, Regan dying of leukemia and Gabriel a barely functioning alcoholic and consumed with guilt. You'd have to read THE SERENITY GIG and BLUE HAND BLUES beforehand to get a little exposition, but once you get into it, I think you'd like it.
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"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."
Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack
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I would not put him as a villain.
From the original shooting draft of "Safe":
Quote:
GABRIEL: River isn't here! We are. And we have to be very careful what we do. This is a government school, Simon. People in our position... it's important that we show support for this government.
SIMON: You're talking about politics? This is about your daughter!
GABRIEL: This is about our lives.
In other words he knew something was up, but rescuing River was a lost cause. Just not possible. They could not do anything for her. They could protect themselves and Simon though.
Also, Gabriel TAM would have a need to conform with society IMO. He also had decided Simon was to be a doctor from a very young age.
Where does River fit in? Some say "many years" in answer to her asking for a source box was a dismissal of her. But that could just be that she was too young.
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I don't think they were villains, and in fact, that really bugs me in a fic. Even more so when Gabriel is evil but Regan is not. I think they probably had some inkling about what was happening, but were probably scared of River's abilities, and scared of the government.
--
"My way of being polite, or however...well, it's the only way I have of showing you that I like you. Of showing respect." Simon Tam, Jaynestown
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I agree with the other comments, that the Tams are not bad people but are caught up in something they don't understabd, being betrayed by a government they support. Also, as Gabriel makes clear in Safe, he is very concerned about the family and Simon's position in society, wheras Simon doesn't give a hoot if River is in danger. That's where Simon and his father part. Simon is willing to give it all up for River; Gabriel isn't. But some of the fanfic portray him as this psychotic villian who blames Simon for all the family woes. Not how I see him. He's just a man caught up in something he just doesn't quite understand.
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One other thing to note is that Gabriel was played as the anti-Mal in "Safe". The opposite of Mal.
One talks pretty but when the going gets tough is in a bind. The other may insult you to your face and have no apparent moral fibre, but in a tough spot will do what is needed.
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a lot of sense to all these posts -
just to add that i'm interested in the corporate side of the man -
and how this might effect the fate of his children.
i see G.Tam as not just being scared simply of the Govt - but specific hostile agencies and individuals.
i also find it interesting that he and simon have the same passion - just different outlets...
Gabriel strives to protect his name and his place "on the board" - Simon strives to protect River.
the lack of communication between them is far from being a simple blame game.
i accept Mal as 'the good parent' symbol in SAFE but the series per se adds more dimensions,
i think...
at least THIS WEEK i do LOL!:)
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Quote:
Gabriel strives to protect his name and his place "on the board" - Simon strives to protect River.
Or you can also see it as "Gabriel Protects Simon as River is already a lost cause", while Simon does not think she is.
On the other hand he may really be the devil incarnate... all depends on where you want to go with him.
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I like your first option, NBZ. The latter, however, is simply too easy and unlikely. No one in Firefly was evil incarnate, not even the Operative. Ok, well, maybe Niska...but Gabriel seemed genuinely nice, just not morally strong.
--
"My way of being polite, or however...well, it's the only way I have of showing you that I like you. Of showing respect." Simon Tam, Jaynestown
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Quote:
Originally posted by MerryK:
but Gabriel seemed genuinely nice, just not morally strong.
seemed is just, well, seemed...
i'm sure many viewers had different subjective reactions... and each time i watch the 'letters in code' bit of SAFE i get the FEAR! but... from whom???
(see my thread on simon! LOL)
the moral issue - i agree... but no/one of the tams is faultless i think - for example simon's very quality of single minded devotion can cross many a moral line. (grey area boundary)
stay shiny:)
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