The main problem I have with the OP is that s/he seems to see things in terms of black and white. Pure good and true evil. But life does not work that way. And neither do well written stories. They are filled with characters that are an array of shades of grey. Some very light grey, some very dark – but they all have those shades of grey. The “heroic” and “not-so-heroic”. Those are the characters I love to watch. Those are the characters I find interesting. The “pure hero” who does no wrong, never strays from the “true path” I find boring.
This is not to say I had any problem with what Teyla did. I don’t. Does anyone think for one second that if Teyla had pulled Michael up he would have just gone quietly with Teyla and John? No, he wouldn’t. There was no way to subdue him, no way to safely contain him. The only way to stop him was to kill him.
As you pointed out, the ‘Lanteans had role in creating Michael. Not only did they they create him, they later betrayed him – and to that extent I don’t blame for his feelings towards the people of Atlantis. But, as you pointed out HE was the one who chose to start experimenting on the galaxy at large. He was the one who decided that if he could no longer feed on the people of the Pegasus Galaxy he could use them as his guinea pigs. Those were his choices. Ones that HE made. No one forced him to do the things he did. He came up with his crazy, insane deeply disturbing plan all by himself.
I have no doubt that Michael saw his motives as noble – that he was just doing what he had to survive. And he managed to convince himself that his actions were for the good of the galaxy. That it would safer, better under his control. That the people he killed died for the greater good and were acceptable loses. It was one of the things that made him a good antagonist for our heroes. But we as the viewers don’t have to buy into Michael’s warped version of reality. The reality is Michael killed tens of thousands of people who did not do anything to him. Who had NO hand in creating him or in ruining his life as a Wraith and therefore are blameless.
As I was watching this episode I kept thinking of Criminal Minds, one of my other fandoms. One of the themes of that show that pops up from time to time is how to people can become serial killers. And while they do make it clear that many of the killers were victims at one point in their lives, they are no longer victims. Their past may explain their actions, but it does not excuse them.
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This is not to say I had any problem with what Teyla did. I don’t. Does anyone think for one second that if Teyla had pulled Michael up he would have just gone quietly with Teyla and John? No, he wouldn’t. There was no way to subdue him, no way to safely contain him. The only way to stop him was to kill him.
As you pointed out, the ‘Lanteans had role in creating Michael. Not only did they they create him, they later betrayed him – and to that extent I don’t blame for his feelings towards the people of Atlantis. But, as you pointed out HE was the one who chose to start experimenting on the galaxy at large. He was the one who decided that if he could no longer feed on the people of the Pegasus Galaxy he could use them as his guinea pigs. Those were his choices. Ones that HE made. No one forced him to do the things he did. He came up with his crazy, insane deeply disturbing plan all by himself.
I have no doubt that Michael saw his motives as noble – that he was just doing what he had to survive. And he managed to convince himself that his actions were for the good of the galaxy. That it would safer, better under his control. That the people he killed died for the greater good and were acceptable loses. It was one of the things that made him a good antagonist for our heroes. But we as the viewers don’t have to buy into Michael’s warped version of reality. The reality is Michael killed tens of thousands of people who did not do anything to him. Who had NO hand in creating him or in ruining his life as a Wraith and therefore are blameless.
As I was watching this episode I kept thinking of Criminal Minds, one of my other fandoms. One of the themes of that show that pops up from time to time is how to people can become serial killers. And while they do make it clear that many of the killers were victims at one point in their lives, they are no longer victims. Their past may explain their actions, but it does not excuse them.