#sg meta

[diamantdog]

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Capitalism?* - A Defense on "Squid Game 3" That No One Asked for

*(to the tune of "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" from "The Sound of Music").

I've been gathering my thoughts about the ending of "Squid Game", and after sleeping on it, I have come to realize that I still don't mind it at all, lol. I think most of the things I'm going to say here, I have shared them before, either here or on Discord, so please bear with me.

First of all, I get people's frustration, because there are things I wish I could change as well. I wish the 457 confrontation had been longer. I think the Sky Squid Game round spends too much time (Ep.5), even though I think it's a depiction of governments everywhere, where middle-aged men, some of whom are criminals, decide who gets to live and die. I wish Junho had killed the VIPs. And tbh, I wish In-ho had been dead.

Before we go any further, I want to iterate that while there's a "Defense" in the title above, I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about the finale. I think two things can be true at the same time. I think it's right to feel disappointed/angry/frustrated about the season, while finding a positive twist in it.

Maybe I have deluded myself into thinking this lol, but I believe I understand where HDH is coming from. For me, it started when his NYT interview was published, and he said that the baby was a symbol for humanity at its core. I was, like, "Uh oh. Gi-hun is going to either sacrifice himself or someone else for the baby." But doing the latter would be an antithesis of his arc, so the first would be much more probable. Even without the interview, though, I'm sure many people have anticipated his sacrifice. But now, the question is: Is it worth it?

For me, that depends on how one looks at his sacrifice. There's one possible answer: His death doesn't stop the game, so it's pointless. And one may think this way because one sees the bigger picture. However, I think there's another answer, which one will get when one looks closer and steps into Gi-hun's shoes. You see, while Gi-hun rejoins the game planning to stop it, I think his motivation has changed by the end. He accepts that he's only one individual, and he cannot destroy an entire system alone. He's tried and he fails.

But this is what he can do: He can make a difference for at least one other person, and that's what he achieves through his sacrifice. He's not the only one who does this. Hyun-ju dies because she's the selfless person that she's always been, and in doing so, she dies for Geum-ja and Jun-hee. Geum-ja's death serves as a wake-up call for Gi-hun. Jun-hee dies for the baby.** And Gi-hun dies for the baby, too, I suppose? But also! For himself (more on this later). And for In-ho, because I believe Gi-hun starts to change him, and we can see this from the way he goes all the way to see Ga-young in the end.

(**I think the critiques about the treatment of these women are valid. At the same time, I do think that the women having three different keys and helping each other out until a man/myunggi ruins everything is supposed to be a depiction of an ideal society. The future is female, etc.)

But yes, back to Gi-hun dying for himself. I believe his choosing to die the way he does is him dying on his own terms. He doesn't let the guards or In-ho take him out. He dies by his own hands. I believe that for him, his death is not pointless nor wasted because he does it to save the baby/humanity and, therefore, himself. He dies with his humanity still intact. And again, even though he doesn't know this, he may change In-ho.

And one may ask: Why, though? And frankly, I have asked the same question myself, lol. I've seen some people blame Netflix, and I want to say I agree with them, lmao.

Here's the thing. We've always known that Gi-hun is HDH's self-insert and "Squid Game" is his anti-capitalist manifesto. But due to the global success, he is trapped inside a gilded capitalist cage. He has to watch his life's work get turned into a cash grab, not just by Netflix but also by people like Mr. Beast. He probably doesn't have any say on the upcoming spin-off(s) because Netflix owns the rights to "Squid Game", which means they can do whatever with it. I can see why HDH sees that there is no end to this capitalist hell. It's why I think there's a taste of his hopelessness in this ending (I think he also has zero trust in the police force, justice system, and authority in general, but that's a topic for a different post). He really doesn't see the game or this big capitalist machine stopping, I think. Not any time in the near future, at least.

That's why I think killing Gi-hun is important for him. I believe that just like Gi-hun protecting the baby/humanity, killing Gi-hun is HDH's way of protecting his own humanity in the face of never-ending capitalism, which I'm sure is very tempting to him. It's also a way for him to prevent Netflix from owning Gi-hun and milking his character, putting him into their spin-off(s).

So, if we ask HDH: How do you solve a problem like capitalism? I think he doesn't know either. I don't think he has a solution. I think, like Gi-hun, he started out wanting to change the world. But along the way, his dream changed. He no longer wants to change the world; instead, he hopes to change at least one person for the better. And he's said something like this several times, that he wants viewers to seek the solution for themselves. He wants us to fill in the blanks ("Humans are ___"). He wants us to start from ourselves by not letting go of our humanity. I think there's a reason why Gi-hun dies with his eyes wide open (because he's woke, lol). I think he believes that a change eventually depends on an individual’s ability to “stay woke” and not be swayed by others who want to erase their humanity.

I think he wants us to be Gi-hun for ourselves and then for everyone else. Because only when there are enough Gi-huns in the world can "we" win against "them". This is not to say that we have to die or sacrifice ourselves for others, but... Hmm... I don't know. But we've all seen what Gi-hun is like. Maybe when faced with a moral dilemma, we should always ask ourselves: WWSGHD? What Would Seong Gi-hun Do?

TL;DR I think "Squid Game" doesn't offer a clear solution to capitalism because the creator behind it doesn't see any, but what he wants to convey is that this doesn't mean we have to succumb to it, because there's always an option to choose humanity. Instead of wanting to change the world, he hopes to change at least one person for the better. And so should we. And everyone can do this by starting with themselves and trying to be a Gi-hun, not just for their sake but also for others'.

That's all <333

[judgeverse]

man I do not know how the fuck I feel about the realization that the writers apparently pulled the telford brainwashing plotline out of their ass halfway through (this explains why 2x07 greater good was pushed down that far, instead of being 1x18 like brad wright said it was gonna be).

E writes: “Did you know from the start that Telford’s been brainwashed? How did you portray the character in the beginning – as someone who’s an ass because of brainwash, or a tough military guy who’s disliked by others? What do you think – is Telford better commander than Young? Why?”

LDP: You know, oddly enough, I didn’t know Telford was brainwashed when I started the role! I mean, when I look back now it all makes perfect sense but I’m not even sure the brainwashing was a part of the writer’s plan when we started the season ( although I must say, those guys have a great way of layering in storylines over multiple eps and they don’t always tell you what’s in store!). I also think that, as they get to know this cast better, it sparks character traits and personality touches when developing the character’s story-lines. As far as playing Telford as an ass in the beginning, that’s really a matter of opinion. Whenever I take on a character, I try to adopt his world view and not judge his actions. You can’t play the character honestly if you’re holding him at arm’s length and apologizing for who he is.

it's a testament to lou diamond phillips making more out of the character than just flat straight-up traitor or whatever they had planned, and he says elsewhere in the interview that the writers included more of his personality in telford in s2, but still i am a little bit astounded

[piracytheorist]

So? How was Squid Game?

I'm still reeling, yo. First of all, I have to say that it's amazing that a Korean TV show with nine episodes managed to be more diverse with its cast and characters than most American 22-episode shows do. And by amazing I mean very telling :)

But yeah, I'm probably gonna sound like a sheltered recluse who's only ever watched American shows and cinema, but its rawness is something spectacular, and that it's that it's not for shock value at all. You know all these characters, at least from the second episode on, have willingly signed up for this, and you know most of them will die horribly. And there still come moments you don't expect, where the characters on one hand can be so humbly human, and when they'll turn on each other like they don't mean anything to each other. That's similar to Battle Royale, and what no Hunger Games (even the books) will be ever able to encapture. How selfish and selfless a single human can be, and how raw and wild the transition from one to the other can be. It's not the violence that shocks you. It's how real it feels that does that. It's how you think "I hate myself for this, but I would do the same."

Like, if nothing else, I have the feeling that the white people's conversations were intentionally awkward to watch; it's like the writers of the show wanted to mock how USAmerican media would deal with a similar subject matter, how outlandish their shows of violence seem to them. It's like "You think their scenes were weird? That's how your fictional depictions of violence look to us lmao"

But enough with the comparing, cause by itself the show of course is amazing, and like, it even brings the characters to the forefront; you're faced with characters you're used to think of as inferior, as if it's their fault they've ended up there. And while people like Ali and Sae-byeok who only moved to South Korea for a better future, may look easy to sympathize with and root for, you realize the same applies to everyone else. It's a systemic problem, that has led those people to such poverty that they're willing to risk their lives for a chance to save themselves. You can say that Gi-hun's problem with gambling has led to his detriment, but where did it even start? And even if it wasn't a systemic problem that led to him resorting to gambling, eventually losing all his money, shouldn't we focus on the issue of companies taking advantage of people's gambling addictions instead of the addicted themselves? Again, not wanting to compare, but that's a very radical view for the US, where the majority of the voters adores capitalism and considers liberalism to be left-wing (shhh don't tell those that there are countries where liberals are considered right-wing politicians, it'll blow their minds!).

And how fucking tense it all was, damn! I realize now that the characters we recognized only died in the marbles game, where you knew that some of them would have to die. Like, you know it. You don't spend the other games thinking "Is that one gonna die" because come on, they're not. And then the marbles game starts, and you put two and two together. And then it's not about who will die, but how, and because of whom. That makes you way more tense than spending each game wondering "Is someone I recognize gonna die in this one?". But at the same time it does keep you on the edge of your seat. Especially the bridge game, fuck me. I should have had a camera recording me almost biting my nails. And I haven't bit my nails since I was in elementary school.

Like, you know, this is what fiction is for. It's to give us new experiences and feelings we didn't even know we could have. And as tragic as it was, as much as it messed me up, I love Squid Game for what it did.

P.S. I fell for your rickroll, congratulations XD

[specterss]

Gonna be honest, I took a break from obsessing over Supergirl a few weeks ago and binge watched Xena Warrior Princess instead and let me tell you... i forgot that shows with good writing actually exist. Like, you can just tell that xwp respects it’s cast and characters. Sure it’s had some rough parts and questionable story arcs here and there, but over all there’s such a love and appreciation for the characters and their relationships with one another that Supergirl doesn’t have. With Supergirl, developmental character arcs are traded for cheap thrills. Ooc writing swamps 5b. Writers bait their audience with a slow burn love story that will never come to fruition.

With Xena (a show that was made in the 90s, mind you), the writers and showrunners took every inch the studio gave them to try and make Gabrielle and Xena’s love story a romantic one. They had scripts rejected constantly, and were forced to rewrite scenes that didn’t make it past the censors. Meanwhile Supergirl writers purposefully write Kara and Lena’s scenes as romantic to gain audience views while never intending to follow through with it. It’s cheap gimmicks and honestly shows a lack of respect for the audience and for the characters they’ve created. Which... makes me sad. Because I really adore the characters and it pains me to see them like this. Lena, Kara, Brainy, Alex, Nia... they all deserve better than the treatment they’ve been given. I just really hope someone new can come in to write s6 who’s going to treat the characters like they deserve to be treated.

[lenacorporations]

i'm not asking for a whole season arc dealing w kara's trauma & emotions but the least they can do is give a scene or an episode where she's allowed to cry or be angry or whatever she needs to process her grief in a healthy way.

the counterargument like "being happy and hopeful is just who she is and thats how she deals w her trauma!!" is just invalid bc we know from s1 that its not and shes been retraumatized since processing all that w discovering alura & argo only to lose it all again.

sure maybe she takes a while for stuff to sink in bc shes always so busy but fact remains that shes Not Dealing regardless of the reason and thats 100% on the writers disregarding her emotions for the sake of thrilling action-packed storytelling but ultimately it's just hallow.

also its not just stuff thats happening in crisis its been a pattern since the move to the cw that the show favors plot driven storytelling and keeps introducing new characters to keep that going while sidelining the characters they already have, not just kara.

so thats where my annoyance concerning this topic comes from; not kara not sobbing on the floor or whatever during crisis, but knowing chances are slim the show will take some time to have kara (and frankly also the others) react to the coie events after the storm has passed.

i initially posted this on twitter

[anevolutionarymatter]

Lena Luthor & Medical Ethics

Lena Luthor is fascinating. So many of her actions have good intentions but are morally dubious, and this episode, which focused on Lena’s scientific endeavors, was no different.

Lena believes in the power of her personal actions. When she tells the story of her mother’s death, she makes it clear that she believes she would have saved her mother’s life by calling out or running to her mother, even if there actually is absolutely zero guarantee screaming or shouting or running would have saved her. This idea that she alone has the power to change the world is mirrored in the God-complex seen in many doctors and scientists. It’s the same complex that drives Lena to “cure all diseases” and give humans superpowers. But just because Lena can, doesn’t mean that Lena should.  

Ethics exist because it is easy to make little steps and push boundaries that you don’t see yourself, until suddenly you’ve gone too far. And make no mistake, experimenting on an otherwise healthy human without previous data of success in cell lines or animal trials, without proper disclosure of what the experiment entails, and in clear violation of “do no harm” is too far.

“Doctor K,” as Adam calls Lena, seriously violates the four main pillars of medical ethics (beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice).

When doing complex medical research, almost no one besides the primary scientists or doctors understand what is going on. And so, it would be impossible to make a fully informed decision without being told what the risks are. Adam voluntarily signs (or thumbprints) a consent form, but that is not true autonomy. There is a difference between saying, “yes” and understanding what “yes” means.  Lena’s role as the expert automatically gives her the power to sway Adam’s decision because she gets to decides what to tell him (framing bias).

In other words, for Adam to have autonomy and provide informed consent, Lena has to tell him what she is planning on doing. But instead, she just hands him a consent form, doesn’t go through the process of explaining it to him, and uses unclear terminology in the document (see, “expires” as a covert way of implying death). She doesn’t tell him what he’s consenting for or what kind of procedure she is going to perform. When she finally does explain a little of what may happen, she selects what information to tell him. She reports only her ideal outcomes and only one potential effect (though arguably the most important, death) without explaining the other possibilities as well. Adam never had enough information to be able to act with autonomy.

Furthermore, even if Adam was fully educated, signing a consent form doesn’t actually make the experiment okay. Apart from ethics, even the law says no (Grimes v Kennedy Krieger). Consent in and of itself does not mean that the excessive risk and burden of Lena’s experiment is acceptable.  

But isn’t Lena trying to do something good? Is it acceptable if it’s going to cure humans of all disease? It’s a noble cause. But something that is good for society is not necessarily good for the person who it’s being tested on. Look at the atrocities of Nazi scientists who performed experiments on concentration camp victims for the “benefit” of society. So it’s important to consider if Lena’s experiment will actually be good for Adam? This is the concept of beneficence.

Adam is currently healthy, and he doesn’t need anything to be healed now. It also isn’t clear that Adam would even benefit from having superpowers. We don’t know what powers he would get and we even saw that when Lena told him he might get powers, Adam freaked out and indicated that he may not even want them. There have also been numerous examples of people who have struggled with having powers (see, Kara when she first lands on Earth, Jennifer Pierce in Black Lightning, Rogue in X-Men). There are unintended consequences that Lena, despite her spider talk, hasn’t really considered yet, and these are just the potential beneficial consequences of Lena’s harun-el treatment.

Lena’s experiment has the potential outcome of death. Of course, people have different values, and have different thresholds for what they believe to be acceptable risk. However, there are limits to the risks and burdens a person can consent to carry for others.

In research, a high risk of death is in the realm of 1 in 1000 or 0.01%. Lena cites that her experiment has a 15% mortality rate or a risk of 1 in 6-7. This is RIDICULOUSLY high. It is, in fact, the same mortality rate as actually having cancer, the thing Lena is trying to cure. For further comparison, the risk of dying from a gun assault is 1 in 315. Doctors make an oath to “do no harm” (non-maleficence), but a 15% mortality rate? Clearly harmful.

Other issues aside, let’s say Lena’s experiment worked and Adam and other test subjects don’t die. You’ve got a treatment, but does everyone have the opportunity to benefit? Is this going to be accessible to everyone? Justice is the idea that the benefits (and burdens) of medicine should be distributed equally among all groups in society.

As Alex brings up in the episode before,  who is going to be the one who decides who gets to be “cured of all disease” and get superpowers? In this episode, Lena specifically emphasizes that she chose only Adam, implying that Lena will be the one who chooses who gets her treatment, and who does not. That would obviously not be accessible to everyone, and would therefore be unjust. But even if Lena decided to let every human have her treatment (especially given her vocalized desire to “level the playing field” for humans), it would still be unjust to only give humans the opportunity. Aliens get sick too, and just as there are aliens stronger than humans, there are probably aliens weaker than humans. (Regardless, humans already do have advantages. Humans certainly have the political and social advantage, even if they do not have the advantage of brute strength.)

I’m not trying to say that Lena is a villain. She has good intentions, but is making very, very poor decisions. It’s part of what makes her such a great character. And at the end of the day, Supergirl is a show of hope. I still have faith that Lena will become the good person she strives to be, but to become that good person, she needs to learn from her mistakes. Lena is acting without oversight and without feedback, and as James has also shown us this season, there are consequences to our actions — good intentions are not enough. Stronger together, not stronger alone.

[thefandomentals]

How Supergirl Slipped on Sanvers

Kylie and Gretchen analyze the Sanvers break-up, and the way in which tired tropes and plain wonky characterization undercut what might have been an authentic story.

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[insectoid5]

Just saw the gif set of Alex in the green armor w/ the (kryptonite?) sword, and I admit,my first thought was "Jedi". You?

I can certainly see why you’d think that!  I don’t think that idea came to mind when I first saw those episodes.  I believe I was busy being infuriated because of the mind control and having a burning desire to eviscerate Non alive. 😅

Anyway, it’s a very cool idea that definitely needs to be illustrated (if it hasn’t been already).  (@comickergirl - don’t know how busy you are, but ARMORED JEDI ALEX. 😁)