Friday, January 02, 2004
Kim is not stupid
Over at Kiefer's Krew, we've had a discussion about Kim. What I've written below is basically how I feel about her character and why I don't believe she's "stupid" as many fans seem to believe. Kim is not. Her storylines on the other hand have been inane in the past but I feel she handled herself well with everything TPTB threw at her which is a real Kudo to Elisha Cuthbert. I realise that a lot of fans feel her subplots in Season 2 were distracting and ridiculous and I don't disagree on that point. The eloquent G-grl at the Krew said it best by stating that we can't understand how fans can equate hating Kim's storylines with hating Kim's character.
Personally, I am glad Kim is there. I see her as having quite a few of her father's attributes such as quick-thinking, honesty - well maybe not at first but she learned her lesson about sneaking out, she's moral and ethical... I think her storylines throughout season 2 were just a series of accidents but I don't see a point during all of it where she made any stupid decisions. She always managed to get herself out of whatever was thrown at her.
Let's break Season 2 down a little. She was absolutely right to get Megan out of the house and away from her abusive father. She and Megan had no choice but to run on foot when Gary found them in the alley. I also see shades of Jack in her when she occasionally has to convince a whingy Megan to stay with her. Jack often gets ordinary people to do extraordinary things and I see Kim has that ability as well.
As a mother of a sometimes whiny kid (every kid has their moment ), I can understand why she hid Megan in the boxes to go find a phone. Megan was being a bit obstinate (with good reason of course since she had a head injury, but Kim didn't know that) and Kim desperately needed a phone. What she didn't count on was that 9 year olds don't always listen and I chalk that up to Kim being inexperienced dealing with children. So Megan wanders off.
Throughout the whole ordeal with Gary, her only goal was to ensure Megan's safety and she would do anything she had to to keep her from harm. Sound like anyone we know? She knew about the bomb, she cared for Megan and didn't want her in danger. So after Megan's seizure she called Carla from the hospital to tell her that her daughter was injured because of Gary. But how would she have known Gary waylaid (and murdered) Carla and found out where Kim and Megan were? So Gary arrives at the hospital and intimidates/scares Kim with threats of blaming her for Megan's injuries. Kim backs off but she knew she still had to help get Megan away, but needed help doing that. However, she was short on people she could trust. Her dad was acting weird (as he was with Eddy and the gang) and CTU had been blown up. So she called her boyfriend. Who else would you call in that sitch? So together they rescued Megan from the hospital. But how could they have foreseen that Gary had stuck Carla's body in the trunk of his car? At that point, Gary had been knocked out by Karate-Miguel and they needed to escape before he came to. She sees Gary's car nearby and aha! Get his keys and get the heck out of there. I would have done the same thing.
Ok so Miguel shouldn't have been speeding but that's not anything major, unless you're carting around a dead body. So they're falsely arrested. Then while under arrest at the station she resisted telling the officer about the bomb as long as she could but their situation was dire and Miguel was pressuring her to spill the beans. So she did, but it didn't help. Ah well. Later, setting fire to the police vehicle was not a good idea but it was also not Kim's idea - Miguel convinced her to do it against her better judgement.
Ahhh and now the cougar and crazy Lonnie. Kim was afraid of getting caught and becoming a Kim-kabob when the bomb went off. So she ran away from the police car and her injured bf (after radioing for help so that the officer and Miguel would have a chance to get to a hospital), not quite knowing where she was but probably thinking she'd find a house or store or something nearby where she could get to a phone. She didn't count on being in the middle of a big wildlife park or whatever it was. She didn't know there were cougars running around and frankly, people make too much of a big deal about the cougars but really, what did that cougar do but stand on a precipice and look at her for a little bit? It didn't attack her, she was just running away from it because hey - cougars are dangerous. So she inadvertently steps into a trap and meets Lonnie. It's dark, there are dangerous wild animals around her, she's stuck in a foot trap - what choice did she have but to trust this guy who can help her out of the trap and maybe guide her to a phone? I suppose she could have just asked Lonnie to find a ranger or something, but again, at that moment she was a fugitive and trying to get away from LA. So she had little choice but to accept Lonnie's help.
So back at Lonnie's, she sees he's not so bad. A little wacky from being alone for so long but harmless. She's dirty, grimy, feeling icky. I bet the shower felt good. She got some food in her and I bet started feeling a little better. Then she realises Lonnie's a little wackier then she expected what with the bomb shelter etc. How would she have known he'd pull a Grease 2 stunt and scare her into thinking it went off so he could get her into the bomb shelter. But she figures out on her own that he's lying. So she goes for a knife and makes him let her go by talking her way out of that situation by convincing Lonnie she didn't belong there, and should be with her family...
I could go on and on and on about how I think Kim's all right, clever and very much her father's daughter, but right now I'm supposed to be doing some real work :) I'll stop rambling now and just say that Kim is important in that she provides us with a way to see Jack's vulnerable, loving side. We can see how much he loves her and will protect her and that makes him more human. Without that catalyst, all we would have is a been-there-done-that James Bond type. While any Jack is better than no Jack, I prefer the sort of layering that goes into his character that has you imagining the repercussions with his beloved daughter with some of the decisions he's had to make. Because of that I can fanwank her plots pretty well.
PS - A happy, full of good fortune, wonderful New Year to all of you who stop by :)
Personally, I am glad Kim is there. I see her as having quite a few of her father's attributes such as quick-thinking, honesty - well maybe not at first but she learned her lesson about sneaking out, she's moral and ethical... I think her storylines throughout season 2 were just a series of accidents but I don't see a point during all of it where she made any stupid decisions. She always managed to get herself out of whatever was thrown at her.
Let's break Season 2 down a little. She was absolutely right to get Megan out of the house and away from her abusive father. She and Megan had no choice but to run on foot when Gary found them in the alley. I also see shades of Jack in her when she occasionally has to convince a whingy Megan to stay with her. Jack often gets ordinary people to do extraordinary things and I see Kim has that ability as well.
As a mother of a sometimes whiny kid (every kid has their moment ), I can understand why she hid Megan in the boxes to go find a phone. Megan was being a bit obstinate (with good reason of course since she had a head injury, but Kim didn't know that) and Kim desperately needed a phone. What she didn't count on was that 9 year olds don't always listen and I chalk that up to Kim being inexperienced dealing with children. So Megan wanders off.
Throughout the whole ordeal with Gary, her only goal was to ensure Megan's safety and she would do anything she had to to keep her from harm. Sound like anyone we know? She knew about the bomb, she cared for Megan and didn't want her in danger. So after Megan's seizure she called Carla from the hospital to tell her that her daughter was injured because of Gary. But how would she have known Gary waylaid (and murdered) Carla and found out where Kim and Megan were? So Gary arrives at the hospital and intimidates/scares Kim with threats of blaming her for Megan's injuries. Kim backs off but she knew she still had to help get Megan away, but needed help doing that. However, she was short on people she could trust. Her dad was acting weird (as he was with Eddy and the gang) and CTU had been blown up. So she called her boyfriend. Who else would you call in that sitch? So together they rescued Megan from the hospital. But how could they have foreseen that Gary had stuck Carla's body in the trunk of his car? At that point, Gary had been knocked out by Karate-Miguel and they needed to escape before he came to. She sees Gary's car nearby and aha! Get his keys and get the heck out of there. I would have done the same thing.
Ok so Miguel shouldn't have been speeding but that's not anything major, unless you're carting around a dead body. So they're falsely arrested. Then while under arrest at the station she resisted telling the officer about the bomb as long as she could but their situation was dire and Miguel was pressuring her to spill the beans. So she did, but it didn't help. Ah well. Later, setting fire to the police vehicle was not a good idea but it was also not Kim's idea - Miguel convinced her to do it against her better judgement.
Ahhh and now the cougar and crazy Lonnie. Kim was afraid of getting caught and becoming a Kim-kabob when the bomb went off. So she ran away from the police car and her injured bf (after radioing for help so that the officer and Miguel would have a chance to get to a hospital), not quite knowing where she was but probably thinking she'd find a house or store or something nearby where she could get to a phone. She didn't count on being in the middle of a big wildlife park or whatever it was. She didn't know there were cougars running around and frankly, people make too much of a big deal about the cougars but really, what did that cougar do but stand on a precipice and look at her for a little bit? It didn't attack her, she was just running away from it because hey - cougars are dangerous. So she inadvertently steps into a trap and meets Lonnie. It's dark, there are dangerous wild animals around her, she's stuck in a foot trap - what choice did she have but to trust this guy who can help her out of the trap and maybe guide her to a phone? I suppose she could have just asked Lonnie to find a ranger or something, but again, at that moment she was a fugitive and trying to get away from LA. So she had little choice but to accept Lonnie's help.
So back at Lonnie's, she sees he's not so bad. A little wacky from being alone for so long but harmless. She's dirty, grimy, feeling icky. I bet the shower felt good. She got some food in her and I bet started feeling a little better. Then she realises Lonnie's a little wackier then she expected what with the bomb shelter etc. How would she have known he'd pull a Grease 2 stunt and scare her into thinking it went off so he could get her into the bomb shelter. But she figures out on her own that he's lying. So she goes for a knife and makes him let her go by talking her way out of that situation by convincing Lonnie she didn't belong there, and should be with her family...
I could go on and on and on about how I think Kim's all right, clever and very much her father's daughter, but right now I'm supposed to be doing some real work :) I'll stop rambling now and just say that Kim is important in that she provides us with a way to see Jack's vulnerable, loving side. We can see how much he loves her and will protect her and that makes him more human. Without that catalyst, all we would have is a been-there-done-that James Bond type. While any Jack is better than no Jack, I prefer the sort of layering that goes into his character that has you imagining the repercussions with his beloved daughter with some of the decisions he's had to make. Because of that I can fanwank her plots pretty well.
PS - A happy, full of good fortune, wonderful New Year to all of you who stop by :)
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