DS9: Dax and Hunger Games
...This show is really good!
I mean, the plots are still a little silly, including this one, but no one cloned and murdered themselves and Q wasn't around, so. And there was some legitimately awesome character stuff with Dax on par with Kira's crisis over her political/personal choices a few eps ago. I adored the scene with her and her lover in her former life (Anina?) A LOT.
I also suuuuuppper adore how very early on, we get an interesting look at Trills beyond Sisko adjusting to who Dax is now. Although they just snuck out of Sisko's setting legal precedence for how personhood is defined for a whole species, yeah?
I'm watching with the sister for company on most of these and we've dubbed our opinions on Julian Bashir (JULES!) "The Baltar Reaction" where she hated him on sight and I've been mostly amused by him, especially if it's Garak who's fucking around with his mind. Probably, we'll both end up liking him if the Baltar resemblance holds. :)
Little bit, yeah?
It all still feels like we're getting to know everyone and that's just fine with me.
Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun and watching more is becoming the best part of my weekdays, but I have more DS9 thoughts than words I'm posting right now because I finally watched the Hunger Games yesterday!
I really enjoyed it, though I still wish they would have cast someone for Katniss who would do the part as brilliantly as Jennifer Lawrence did, but be racially ambiguous at least. Which I think is supported by the book.
One thing that surprised me though was that I do like Peeta more, even though him throwing burned bread to Katniss is now even worse than the book. At least he knows it and the movie knows it too, which, low bar, but helpful. And I like that he comes across as more manipulating the Game than love-struck, more the scared kid with a crush playing up the epic romance because he knows it gives them an edge. Similar to Katniss in that. Fewer words make it work and be less creepy! :)
Though Katniss' line early on about how she's never having kids makes me want to punch the ultimate ending a lot now.
Of course, one of the things I desperately wanted post-movie is an AU where Rue is the Victor, preferably with Thresh, but not necessarily. I think you still get your revolution. AND IT IS ALREADY A REAL AND PERFECT THING IN THE WORLD: How Rue Became the Mockingjay. I especially like what it adds to Finch (Foxface, as listed in the movie)
(My other wish was for fic of Clove and Cato winning the Games and this one isn't quite my wish fic, but it's a plausible look at what might come after. And it has my favorite thing about these AU's and the books, really which everyone choosing their own defiance of the Capitol. (Warnings for rape) )
During post-movie discussion with S, I also ran through spec for the next movie. I'm not really that excited about it, just because I didn't love the book. But I expect to like it more because we won't have Katniss inner thoughts while she's so distracted by her secret plan to fight inflation save Peeta nobly that she misses everyone else having a better Secret Plan to revolt. It didn't work well for me when a good chunk of the first novel was 'Katniss learns to manipulate the Game for survival' and I never bought she would lose most of that awareness in the second.
BUT, the point about a movie which doesn't exist yet is my sister has now shared her entirely awful fear that, this being a very Hollywood sort of movie still, the bulk of Victors being bought sexually and raped afterward (if it comes up at all) will focus on Johanna instead of Finnick. Even though Finnick wins his Games as a result of how desirably he's viewed by the sponsors. And, correct me if I'm wrong, he's the focus when we find out about how much worse being a Victor can get. So, it starts out horrible enough and hypothetically changing it like this would make it EVEN MORE HORRIBLE and I can totally see it happening now. :(
On a random note: I've been listening to Les Mis so much the last week, I'm going back to try Victor Hugo unabridged. Um. I don't know that this will end well?