DPP: Myths and Misconceptions

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

 

This is sort of a strange train of thought, but do you think there are a lot of misconceptions about who Kara and Lee are, generally speaking? The thought stems from two different things I saw on Twitter, one as part of the "Things Starbuck Wouldn't Say" meme that cropped up last week and the other from a fellow fan of the show. The first was that several of the tweets were things like "I'm sorry" or "I love you, Lee" ... both of which ARE ACTUALLY SAID IN THE SHOW! Heh. I mean I think there's a bit of a misconception that Kara will never apologize to people...and yet, she apologizes to Lee in KLG1 for something that she shouldn't even need to apologize for, honestly. She doesn't just say "sorry" she says "I'm really sorry". (And ironically, Lee...I don't think he ever once apologizes to Kara on the show for anything.)  Another one was that Kara wouldn't say "Let's talk about it." Also, not true. In the deleted/extended ready room scene from Taking a Break from All Your Worries, she says to Lee: "C'mon. TALK TO ME."  

Related to this, I think it's a huge misconception that Kara has trouble following orders. Yes, she gives Lee grief over shooting at the Olympic Carrier at first, but...she also fires immediately and when she gets the two worst orders ever: Adama telling her to execute Cain and Lee telling her to manually detonate bomb in Razor....she agrees to both, without hesitating.

Likewise, someone was saying on Twitter that they could never think of Lee as a killer...and yet he murdered Phelan in cold blood. Granted he had good reasons, but.... I mean he also is a soldier. He kills lots of people because it's his job. Related, the show itself insists that Lee is "too honorable to cheat" in EOJ/Rapture...and yet he cheated on Dee with Kara in UB and almost in Daybreak flashbacks, and clearly they're having hot makeouts in EOJ, which to me = cheating.

There's also, in fic often, the idea that Lee wants to talk about relationship issues and analyze things. And while sometimes in canon he does ask Kara to talk (Home, Scar), more often he refuses to talk about things, just bottles up or turns away.

Anyway, all of this just made me think about the other things that we assume about the characters and what they would/wouldn't do. About how sometimes you get ideas stuck in your head about the kind of person they must be, and you ignore later evidence that they've changed or can behave differently than you'd expect. I'm not sure what point any of this has, but....yeah...it's Sunday. It's rambly pilots meta. Have at it! 

Comments

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

HEE! You are echoing some of the thoughts I've had about the same things. One of the problems I have is that their characters have changed so much across the show that it's hard to keep everything straight. There is also a tendency to put Kara and Lee into stereotypes of themselves. Lee is often seen as the noble one who wants to communicate with Kara all the time and Kara gets painted as the one who always runs away and never wants to talk. But in canon, they both do a fair share of the other's stereotypical behaviors. Their canon vs. fanon flaws don't exactly match sometimes. Lee and Kara both frak up their relationship. Yes, Kara tends to do it in bigger and bolder ways (UB), but Lee fraks it up just a much (jealousy in KLG, rejecting Kara in TABFYW). I reject this idea that Lee is such an honorable person all the time. He can be, for sure, but he's also human and he makes a lot of mistakes and, I think, sometimes does not every own up to them. He makes his speech in Crossroads, but it seems to be acknowledging his professional flaws not his personal ones. I would have liked some more introspection or obvious owning of his mistakes with Kara.

And Kara does talk. Actually, I sometimes think Kara talks more about herself and her relationships with Lee and Sam more than Lee ever does. Lee keeps mum on the personal stuff. He never tells Adama how much he loved Kara, he never really told anyone about their relationship. At least Kara told Tigh (for what good it did them) and she talked to Helo about Sam. Maybe I'm forgetting (which is ENTIRELY possible), but when did Lee ever reveal thing about his feelings for Kara? (It's so funny to think that Kara is the talker and Lee is not!) Hell, even Sam and Kara talked about her feelings for Lee. I don't remember Lee ever admitting to Dee that he loved Kara.

In the end, they're both as terrified of the relationship as the other, although their fear comes at different points in the relationship. Kara can't enter into the relationship for her reasons and Lee can't resume the relationship after EoJ. Gah. The whole thing is so frustrating and infuriating and makes me feel really sad.

(Hee. I have matched your rambliness, Tara, with some mess Sunday thoughts, too.) :D:D

[kag523.livejournal.com]

I like these ideas, and I think this is why you have such a gift at portraying the Kara and Lee introspection.

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

(It's so funny to think that Kara is the talker and Lee is not!) Hell, even Sam and Kara talked about her feelings for Lee. ok, this made me laugh. and that is mainly because you are right.
I guess that for a lot of us his feelings are more transparent than hers but YES, he didn't spoke about them to people, not really.