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Oh god, the ending, and random comments about it, *still* tick me off. Behold the insanity:

http://hmpf.livejournal.com/162034.html?thread=1450482#t1450482

I am *such* a bitter, obsessive, teal-deer-producing old bitch.

ETA: Whoops, posted this to the wrong journal. Ah well.

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Gazpacho

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

diotimah.livejournal.com

Yeah, I entirely agree ... It was just so *wrong*. And, given how excellent the series had been up to that point, it must be the most extreme case of a series 'jumping the shark' I've ever come across. A few months ago, I had a conversation about it with a friend, who couldn't see my point at all. "Well, but he's happy." He's not happy, he's dead - and it still fascinates me how intelligent people with a taste for complex characters and plots manage not to see that.

Also, there are a lot of ways in which it *could* have ended, which would have been entirely okay with me, even if they hadn't been particularly original or complex. And that includes a multitude of solutions where he ends up in 1973. But never this. *Or* the tragic aspect, the fact that it's suicide, should have been much more obvious.

From:

hmpf.livejournal.com

Also, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

In other words: I agree with you on everything you just said.

Especially on the (morbid) fascination with how lots of intelligent people just. don't. get it. Four years, and it still boggles my mind in a "did I wake up in the wrong universe at some point?" kind of way.

From:

hmpf.livejournal.com

Come to think of it, since your comment was basically "I agree with you", it's probably redundant for me to tell you that I agree with you (agreeing with me). *sheepish*

*g*

The remark you made about people not seeing it is what mostly prompted my reply, I think. Because, yeah.

From:

hmpf.livejournal.com

it seems. So, one more thing that ticks me off: The sentiment that still seems pretty common in LoM discussions that goes roughly like this: "Well, it's confusing and I feel moved and possibly a bit disturbed by it, so it must be good." Y'know, I'm actually okay with people arguing that they *liked* the ending. I'm a bit crept out by that emotional reaction, but it's basically okay with me - because there's really no arguing with what someone likes or not. People like a lot of things that I don't like or that I find deeply creepy, offensive, etc., and I usually don't feel a need to argue with them about it.

I just... when someone argues that LoM's ending is actually well done, well written - that's what inevitably sets me off ranting. Because to me it's so obviously a big, big mess, and *all* or nearly all the things that are wrong with it are flat-out down to lazy, lazy writing.

Gah.

From:

hmpf.livejournal.com

There are a few others, as well. I admit to also reacting fairly allergic to any serious argument made in favour of choosing fantasy (and death) over reality (and life) in Sam's situation, for example.

From:

diotimah.livejournal.com

I have a problem with this myself. In general, with stories in which a character from our reality travels in time or to a parallel universe/ 'Other World", in most cases I dislike an ending which has him or her choose to stay there. Because, this journey to 'another world' symbolises a journey into your own inner self, and a failure to come back implies a failure to relate to other people and/ or reality. There are exceptions, where the choice of staying there is actually valid and more mature, but this has to be done responsibly, and is more difficult to pull of than the traditional plotline of the hero returning with a new and deeper knowledge of himself and the world. *And*, in my opinion, such an ending, by necessity, has to be 'bittersweet', because the character loses his or her original identity and social relations - and essentially 'dies', in a way.