Scariest villan of them all.

POSTED BY: chapterandverse
UPDATED: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 21:18
VIEWED: 4434
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AGENTROUKA

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 4:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by paintitblack:

Mister Tam would know Simon well enough to know that he was not prone to conspiracy theories (he is certainly not the hysterical type) and Simon would know his father well enough to recognize a false threat when he sees one. I think most children do know when their parents are bluffing (I certainly always did) and the scene in the prison is an impersonal threat, not a "tough love" moment.

Where do you take it from that I am thinking it was a false threat?

I think he is trying to communicate to Simon the seriousness of what he is doing. Telling him, explicitly, that he won't support him in it might have worked as a wake-up call, if Simon had not been so determined (and right).

If my sister started doing illegal, self-damaging things that seemed utterly crazy to me, I would tell her similar things and mean them. Just to make it absolutely clear what I think of what she's doing.

Mind, I'm not trying to excuse the mindlessness and quick dismissal of River's situation by the Tam parents. I'm just trying to say that you don't have to be a villain to do that. Just a bit stupid and blind.

Saffron, Niska and the Blue Hands.. they aren't stupid or blind. Or indifferent. They are malicious and predatory, they mean to do harm. That's a villain to me.

PAINTITBLACK

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 5:45 PM

I understand what you are saying. I guess that I am taking it from the opposite angle. If my child started doing illegal things because they believed that something very bad was happening to their sibling, I wouldn't threaten to cut them off.

This whole storyline just highlights for me something that Joss has always pointed out about families that people create for themselves rather than being born into.

There are no blood ties between the crew of Serenity but Mal comes back for Simon and River anyway, even though it creates a great deal of trouble for him and things would be a lot easier if they were left where they were.

It all comes down to definitions.
Simon's father, for whatever reasons or motives, does not help him when he needs it, when he is pleading for it. That makes him a villan to me.

AGENTROUKA

Wednesday, May 30, 2007 9:18 PM

You definitely won't find disagreement from me on the angle that Daddy Tam is being a bad and selfish father.

But we're agreeing to disagree on whether he's a villain, which is fine by me. :)

One thing though:

In "Safe", while it does create a beautiful contrast and mirror image to the daddy-issue, Mal didn't really have a reason to doubt that Simon and River were in some danger. He didn't owe them saving, but he knew that saving was needed.

Daddy Tam has some reason to doubt that his daughter is actually in danger. The only thing suggesting that, to him, is Simon's ranting. So, while he is morally obligated to save River, he doesn't really know (as in, is convinced) that she needs saving.

It's an interesting twist, but not an exact parallel.

The Tam parents took security and family for granted because they have it all. Mal has lost it all and craves family, so he reacts with much more care and protectiveness.

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