Protagonist-Centered Morality: Difference between revisions
→Live Action TV
m (→Live Action TV) |
|||
Line 164:
*** This is not entirely fair or correct. The spell could only be broken through a moment of "perfect happiness" which is noted to be extremely rare for most people if it happens at all. Angel was shown often happy, but not "perfectly happy." The difference between Angel and Angelus they were for all intents and purposes different people compare to some others like Spike. Finally, Angel has spent the last hundred years trying to make up for all he did as Angelus even though his culpability itself is highly questionable and suffered greatly for it.
**** Furthermore, the curse only worked the first time because Angel didn't know about it. As shown on ''Angel'', the constant worry that a pleasurable moment might become too pleasurable and thus lead to an undesired outcome actually invokes a variant of the Centipede's Dilemna—because a part of you is always worried about it on some level, its ''impossible'' for you to ever have ''perfect'' happiness. It's noteworthy that the only time Angel's curse is ever invoked after this is when they're deliberately trying to trigger it with Angel's own cooperation (it was a dire necessity to interrogate Angelus for knowledge only he had, which requires giving him control of Angel's body back so they can talk to him), and even then it required hypnotizing Angel so hard that he lost all awareness of where he really was or what he was really doing.
*** And ultimately, the point is moot. Angel's continued existence is too valuable to certain prophecies for the Powers That Be (or Jasmine) to ever allow him to die until he's fulfilled said prophesied role, even if they have to manipulate fate all out of proportion to keep him going. Even if he ''does'' die Wolfram & Hart has access to a ritual that can resurrect a dusted vampire, and at least one reason (their desire to corrupt Angel to ''their'' side of the Apocalypse) to actually use it.
** In season five there was Ben. Even though Giles and the script in general present Ben as being an innocent, he's twenty five and fully aware that an evil being is using his body to destroy worlds and kill people. If he killed himself, a lot of people's lives would be saved and other people, who were trapped in whatever horrifying nightmare Glory created for them would have their sanity restored. But he doesn't do anything, except quibble over how Glory's possession of him is ruining his life and the career he worked so hard to build.
*** For that matter, Dawn could have ended the whole thing in the exact same way - by killing herself. Of course, she's fourteen, so it's much more understandable that she didn't.
| |||