Post by imipak on Mar 23, 2010 18:40:38 GMT -5
I'm going to offer a theory, based on some off-hand comments made in the Doctor Who story "Planet of the Dead". In both cases, you have a character who acts in an apparently evil way with no obvious motivation or cause. In the latter case, this was out of a need for adventure and excitement, a need to push themselves in ways that go beyond the fringe.
I see Shego as being essentially the same. She didn't start evil, we know that, and she's never got anything tangible from being evil, so it's not financial gain she's after. She hates her boss, so it's not out of any kind of loyalty that she stays.
Instead, she portrays a high degree of boredom until confronting a serious problem (such as Drakken being flowernapped by aliens, or Kimmie arriving). On this basis, I'm going to argue that it is the excitement of the problems and not the evil that draws her.
To back that up, I'll point to the fact that she is in fact quite capable of destroying Kim - and has had the opportunity to on occasion - but hasn't. It's all about the game. As soon as Kim is out, the game ends. Shego has no interest in that happening. Which is also why she won't let anyone else harm Kim. Sure, she says it's because she wants to, but does anyone seriously believe that? Especially after she doesn't do so?
Personally, I think that if Kim/Ron could offer Shego adventures worthy of her talents, Shego would be no more loyal to the evil guys who have paid her way so far than she was to Team Go when offered more excitement elsewhere.
Her relationship with Drakken is a little bothersome, if we go along this line of thinking. She's with Drakken to feed her need for excitement, he's with her because he is an "adult child". This is not a healthy dynamic. Drakken really needs psychiatric help now, but Shego will need it within a year of season 4, possibly along with some serious rehab time.
Not sure if Drakken would ever become "good", but I can see Shego becoming much more neutral in alignment, perhaps even being a combat trainer for Kim in later life, or voluntarily teaming up with her on missions where the extra firepower is needed. I'd also expect her to cut back on the whole mercenary attitude, if she were freely offered excitement and real adventure. I suspect her only reason for the mercenary thing is that it helps the bad guys take her seriously. If she already had that, she wouldn't need to create the attitude.
I see Shego as being essentially the same. She didn't start evil, we know that, and she's never got anything tangible from being evil, so it's not financial gain she's after. She hates her boss, so it's not out of any kind of loyalty that she stays.
Instead, she portrays a high degree of boredom until confronting a serious problem (such as Drakken being flowernapped by aliens, or Kimmie arriving). On this basis, I'm going to argue that it is the excitement of the problems and not the evil that draws her.
To back that up, I'll point to the fact that she is in fact quite capable of destroying Kim - and has had the opportunity to on occasion - but hasn't. It's all about the game. As soon as Kim is out, the game ends. Shego has no interest in that happening. Which is also why she won't let anyone else harm Kim. Sure, she says it's because she wants to, but does anyone seriously believe that? Especially after she doesn't do so?
Personally, I think that if Kim/Ron could offer Shego adventures worthy of her talents, Shego would be no more loyal to the evil guys who have paid her way so far than she was to Team Go when offered more excitement elsewhere.
Her relationship with Drakken is a little bothersome, if we go along this line of thinking. She's with Drakken to feed her need for excitement, he's with her because he is an "adult child". This is not a healthy dynamic. Drakken really needs psychiatric help now, but Shego will need it within a year of season 4, possibly along with some serious rehab time.
Not sure if Drakken would ever become "good", but I can see Shego becoming much more neutral in alignment, perhaps even being a combat trainer for Kim in later life, or voluntarily teaming up with her on missions where the extra firepower is needed. I'd also expect her to cut back on the whole mercenary attitude, if she were freely offered excitement and real adventure. I suspect her only reason for the mercenary thing is that it helps the bad guys take her seriously. If she already had that, she wouldn't need to create the attitude.