meta: BSG, Kara/Anders and LYDB

[lyssie]

Quick meta. Because I really will scream if I don't say this somewhere.

Spoilers for LYDB, only, as far as I can tell.

I've seen it lots and lots of places (most recently through a trawl through skiffy where I wanted to get my brain bleached and to then kill all of the stupid from ALL SIDES with my mind). The inference, the comment, the meta, the statement, that Kara and Sam, and their life on New Caprica, from the TEN SECONDS WE SEE, was obviously not happy for them. The bloom was off the rose. The honeymoon had ended the day after the wedding. Everything and anything in that vein.

And I'm kind of sick of it.

This is what we saw in LYDB2:

Sam playing pyramid while sick, Kara pissed at him, Kara worried about him, Kara trying to get meds from Tigh, Kara contacting Lee who she didn't think would help to get medicine for him.

IN WHAT WAY does this say "not happy to be married" to you people?

Let's tackle Sam playing pyramid and being cranky at his wife for stopping him, first.

As someone whose father was notorious for working even while sick (I believe I mentioned that he had mono one February, still worked, and THEN CAUGHT THE CHICKEN POX from us kids and STILL TRIED TO WORK), the concept of a male who is too sick to move STILL getting up and running around playing a stupid game? Totally believable. In fact, my dad frequently gets irritated when people tell him to take it easy when he's injured/sick.

So, he's being a Guy, and playing pyramid, and his interfering wife wanders up and drags him off. The guys mock him for being a pansy, and he tries to be cranky, but he's actually tired and sick and just ends up being a sulky brat.

And, lest it be ignored, if you reverse it, Kara would have done the same damned thing--the only difference is that Sam would then have picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

Kara.

We know from previous scenes that she and Sam mock each other (lovingly or not). Her saying, "I can't believe I married a moron." is as much exasperation as it is worry because he could have made himself worse.

So, we have a woman yelling at her husband for being an idiot. Dragging him off and putting him to bed so the doctor can look at him. Then she asks the doc how he is, and finds out the prognosis isn't so grand. Now, instead of looking happy that her marriage (which must obviously suck, otherwise people wouldn't keep saying it does) will end with the death of her husband, Kara looks worried.

So worried that when she spots the Tighs, she makes a beeline for them, hugs and greets them, and tries to get drugs from them. And there is almost a desperation and bitterness in her. The gods are taking another man from her before she's ready to let him go. If she hadn't married him, he might not be sick. She's not going to go back and say she shouldn't have rescued him, of course.

And, no, she doesn't think New Caprica is a picnic. But no one on that planet looked happy.

Given time? I think she and Sam would have been one of those annoyingly cute old married couples who would have huge shouting matches and then really loud makeup sex and end up in charge of everyone else's kids--causing them to flee into the mountains to hide. A lot.

But instead of that time, the cylons came.

And before they did, Tigh told Kara to ask Lee for help with meds.

So she does. She swallows her pride and goes to ask Lee for help.

Blah, blah, cylons. Etc.

Funny. I'm not actually seeing unhappiness, here. I'm just seeing the 'in sickness with a lot of crankiness' part of the marriage vows (we never heard). And if that was unhappy? Then I'm worried to find out what Kara and Sam truly depressed looks like.

Definition: Old Married Couple. The type of pairing that loves each other, but knows each other too well and can get away with pulling things like calling each other names and sneaking out to play pyramid when sick. And also causing the eye-rolling. Sam and Jack do this a lot in season six of SG-1; Domino and Nate are the classic OMC; Adama and Roslin are close to it, though not declared in any way; John Crichton and Aeryn Sun also do it.
(my favoritest OMC: ) See also: partners.

PS. No, I tried to avoid using 'love', because I hate it. And because I think True Love Forever prejudices definitions and situations with qualifications and expectations that aren't real. Plus. Weddings suck.

Comments

[nakedtoes.livejournal.com]

*snuggles you randomly*

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*snuggles back*

[rhi-silverflame.livejournal.com]

Also? The body language when Cottle is at their tent to look at Sam, and she's over at the stove making him some soup or whatever, and then comes over to kiss him on the forehead.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*speechless a moment* YES. I'd actually forgotten that. And, also, I don't see her cooking for anyone else. Like, if Hot Dog were sick? "Sam, make him some soup." "Me? Why?" "Because my cooking sucks." "Oh, so it's good enough to make me soup, but not Hot Dog." "Yeah, well, you have a lower standard when it comes to food."

[bijoux.livejournal.com]

I like your meta. It fits with how I interpreted the scene when I first saw it.

Man, I'm glad I don't keep up with the skiffy boards anymore, where apparently the stupid is multiplying like rabbits. Shame.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Oh, if we could box the stupid there and have it nuked from high orbit... Actually, I think it was the homosexuality thread that snapped me completely.

[fahrbotdrusilla]

*agrees*

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

WORD. And Also, regarding the playing while sick? Dude is a professional ballplayer. They're conditioned -- expected, even -- to play in all kinds of pain. He even says something about being okay, that he'll play through it, IIRC, which is, I'm sure, a nod to this phenomenon. And of course Kara is exasperated with him, he's just been playing in the cold mud, with half a shirt on when he's coughing up up his lung. I'd call him a moron too.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

That's an excellent point that I hadn't considered. Now I kinda want to do meta on Sam, except that I can't because I have to leave for work in five minutes. damn.

[iamann.livejournal.com]

Your meta is exactly how I read their whole relationship too. Sometimes I think people just see what they want to see. I've given up on Skiffy.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Okay, good. I was beginning to get worried.

Yeah, true. I have my own personal filters for some things that give me different interpretations to everyone else's. Hrm.

If we could nuke Skiffy's board members from orbit, it would all be good. (so much stupid, all in one place... sigh)

[azarhal.livejournal.com]

Yeah! Kara&Ansers loving.

[scarfman]

Spot on.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That? A very good post.

And I agree.

I get confused when people say Kara doesn't/didn't/whatever love (sorry for using the word :P) Anders. Lookit, I can be as much into Kara/Lee as the next person (well, maybe not, I've seen craaaaazy shippers) but whatever her thing with Lee, there is no doubt Kara loves/feels for/whatever word you want to use Anders.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Thankyou.

I get testy about that, actually. A lot. A lot more than I let on, which is sad.

[havocthecat]

Definition: Old Married Couple. The type of pairing that loves each other, but knows each other too well and can get away with pulling things like calling each other names and sneaking out to play pyramid when sick. And also causing the eye-rolling.

Wait, there are people who are saying that's not what Kara and Anders were? Because that's the interpretation that I give to it. They obviously had a very good marriage, and when Kara vanished, let's face it, Sam put together a ton of plans for helping the Resistance and Galactica, and evacuation of the planet, and made sure to include a 'find out where the hell my wife is so I can get her away from those bastards' part of the plan too.

Doesn't sound like a lousy marriage to me.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

But don't you know she's just using him as a shield against her One True Love, Lee? (I will be less snarky later)

[havocthecat]

Blargh. Honestly, I'm sure she does love Lee. OTOH, I kind of think she and Lee both have too much MASSIVE Adama-related emo pain to get together in any kind of a healthy way.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Thank you, btw. I sometimes feel like I'm watching a different show from everyone else. The meta is all Kara/Lee, the inferences are all them. And I flounder.

Now to actually write something legible and not-snarky about the entire affair that makes sense.

[havocthecat]

Blergh, I have to say, I read the latest TWoP summary and I nearly gagged. I have no idea when I went from liking the idea of Kara/Lee to being of the opinion that they're all kinds of fucked up and could never be together in a healthy way, not as they are now.

Maybe if they'd been on New Caprica and Kara hadn't freaked the hell out, and the Cylons hadn't come back. Maybe. But I kind of want to tell fandom that one love isn't always OMGTRUELOVEFOREVER and it's possible for people to love one person, marry another person that they love, and that's all right.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I avoid twop. Have for, um, years? Fifth-season Buffy reviews were boring.... And the things I hear about the Farscape reviews just. No.

And I know that I never liked Kara/Lee, but... I would like to not be so distressingly rageful about it at times. People don't love just one person forever and ever (despite what my parents might claim).

Sigh. Hrm.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

You are brilliant, and I love that ship paradigm very much. *points to my favorite OMC in the icon -- well, not really the Ultimate version, but it's too good not to use*

I liked Anders from the first, but I really got interested in him during the Cylon-POV episode last season, which showed him as a character with previously unsuspected dimensions -- smart and capable of being ruthless. Then I was surprised/happy when he ended up back on Galactica with Kara, and I *loved* that final scene in LDYB, for all the reasons you mentioned. And then, I read a really nice Anders-POV fic, in which there were people in the comments actively pulling for him to DIE, so Kara could be with Lee. WTF, fandom? Anyway, I've been an avid K/A shipper since that day.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I... think I remember that fic. Not certain (anyone who wanders by and reads my fic knows better than to say things like that, I expect).

And how can you NOT love him? I mean, seriously. His people respect and follow him--fuck, they lost half their people and they're still following him a week later! That's loyalty for you.

And then they played that card in Downloaded. The one sure to make me adore him--the terrorist for a good reason card. (please see Blake's 7 for about ten others who suckered me into loving them for this exact reason. Not to mention that was the original "terrorists do it with style" show)

I. Just. have fixated on him, apparently. ALSO. Yes. Go read Lizardbeth's fic. For, um, it is good. And amusing. (I'm an evil pim. http://lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com/43797.html)

[centerspire.livejournal.com]

YES.

I have one thing to say...he misses his wife.

Also, (fine, two things) when she finally regained consciousness after her rescue, what did she ask? Is it really you? Yes.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

HE DOES.

YES. Which makes you wonder how many times Leoben told her he was dead.

[centerspire.livejournal.com]

YES. (If I could make that text bigger, it would be.) Many, many times he told her...and maybe she belived him.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

which... is something I kind of want to write now. Damn. Hrm.

[centerspire.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing, except for the suck.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

...damn you.

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

Word, baby. Word.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*clings* Write more Helo and Sharon fic with Anders on the side.

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

*twirls you*

I have 3 more scenes to write for a Helo/Sharon fic and I just finished a scene between Sharon and Sam. :)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOU. Just in case that wasn't clear.

[samanthamarie88.livejournal.com]

Being a Kara/Anders shipper earns me a lot of scorn from both the Skiffy forums and the TwoP forums(I try to spread the Kara/Anders love), because I dare to suggest that Kara really does love Anders(he's not just a stand-in until she can have Lee), and that their marriage was *gasp* actually a good marriage until Leoben got a hold of her. I wrote quite a diatribe at Skiffy about the symbolism of Kara/Anders wedding tattoos(should probably post that at my journal), only to be told that the tattoos don't really matter because Kara/Lee are truluv4eva and she'll just get the tat removed when the divorce is final(*snark* like Doc Cottle has that kind of equipment on board).

P.S. Lyssie, I hope you don't mind that I have been posting comments here and there. I love your fic (me sucking up) and this is one of the few places I can show love for Kara/Anders and not be crucified for it.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Ack! You have my sympathies. I avoid both of those places like the plague. And I have lengthy meta on my brain now, or something that could be lengthy. I don't know. I'm kind of distracted.

No! No worries, I'm all about spreading the Kara/Anders love! Mind if I friend you (even if I am crazyyy)?

[samanthamarie88.livejournal.com]

I'm still new to navigating LJ, but please friend me. Crazy doesn't bother me at all.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

Dude, Kara/Anders fans kinda have to stick together (we're small, but plucky, and sometimes incredibly sarcastic).