I agree - I want Abrhams to build Lauren and Sark more and not just use them as shadows or contrasts for the leads (or as a means to make his bland vanilla leads more interesting). The problem Alias has is the writer is afraid of giving his lead a dark side, he pulls back like lots of TV shows do. He also pulls back from giving Vauhn that complexity or edge. As a result both Syd and Vaughn have become somewhat two-dimensional and very predictable. What made ME and Whedon such interesting writers for television was they explored the dark side of their characters, they did not reduce Faith or Spike or even Angel to shadow selves. Even though you could analyze those characters as that - they also acted separate from it. Whedon was even willing to do spin-offs with at least two of them. Vaughn isn't an Angel or Spike character, he's more like Riley, yet even Riley had more depth to him, more complexity than Vaughn. The only depth I've seen to Vaughn is a)he can't make up his mind about women (so he's wishy-washy, passive) b) he mopes about his dad's death at the hands of Syd's mother. Niether of these really make me that interested. Sark on the other hand? Whoa. Apprenticed and betrayed by Irina, who he may have had a thing for and saw as a type of surrogate mother. A father who was wealthy and a diplomat who ignored him and denied him. Falling in love with women who play double agents and pretend to love other men, whom he can't stand. This guy is a writer's dream come true. And yes, villains can be more interesting...but they don't have to be. There's so much they can do with Sydney regarding her fathers and family which they've been ignoring this year to play with Vaughn. It's a shame. Personally, I think the best thing Abrhams could do is kill Vaughn off - it opens up characters and allows him to explore a wider group of relationships, instead of constantly letting Vaughn play damsel every week - it would also jolt the audience. But he'll never do it - too many fans seem to like Vaughn and the sappy romance. (sigh).
Why don't you try writing a Lauren fic? You don't have to show it to anyone.
Re: Ah Alias
As a result both Syd and Vaughn have become somewhat two-dimensional and very predictable. What made ME and Whedon such interesting writers for television was they explored the dark side of their characters, they did not reduce Faith or Spike or even Angel to shadow selves. Even though you could analyze those characters as that - they also acted separate from it.
Whedon was even willing to do spin-offs with at least two of them. Vaughn isn't an Angel or Spike character, he's more like Riley, yet even Riley had more depth to him, more complexity than Vaughn. The only depth I've seen to Vaughn is a)he can't make up his mind about women (so he's wishy-washy, passive)
b) he mopes about his dad's death at the hands of Syd's mother. Niether of these really make me that interested. Sark on the other hand? Whoa. Apprenticed and betrayed by Irina, who he may have had a thing for and saw as a type of surrogate mother. A father who was wealthy and a diplomat who ignored him and denied him. Falling in love with women who play double agents and pretend to love other men, whom he can't stand. This guy is a writer's dream come true.
And yes, villains can be more interesting...but they don't have to be. There's so much they can do with Sydney regarding her fathers and family which they've been ignoring this year to play with Vaughn. It's a shame. Personally, I think the best thing Abrhams could do is kill Vaughn off - it opens up characters and allows him to explore a wider group of relationships, instead of constantly letting Vaughn play damsel every week - it would also jolt the audience. But he'll never do it - too many fans seem to like Vaughn and the sappy romance. (sigh).
Why don't you try writing a Lauren fic? You don't have to show it to anyone.