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Poor writing for Richard Alpert's character?

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  • Poor writing for Richard Alpert's character?

    The first was making Richard just as clueless as everyone else (ugh). I mean this guy has apparently been around a VERY long time (although we haven't been told how long exactly). Richard saying to Jack that "you seem to have all the answers" made me want to pull a Jack Shephard and punch a hole in my tv. heh

    Another thing that smelled of bad writing for me was making Richard all "disillusioned" and lost over Jacob's death. For one thing, he knows that Jacob is still communicating with people (like Hurley) so he's not "truly" (or completely) dead, now is he. Making Richard suicidal and automatically assume that there was no purpose to his life all because Jacob died seems like a slap to the face of his character and to logic for that matter. I mean surely he of all people must have gained more "wisdom" over the years such as to realize the possibility that Jacob's ultimate purpose for both him and everyone else simply hasn't been reached yet. He never even seemed to consider the possibility that Jacob's death is likely part of the greater plan. Richard should really be one of the "knowers", not like the rest of the know-nots like Hurley. Extremely silly that Jack had to convince Richard.

  • #2
    It's not bad writing, it's called making Richard lose faith. Richard has been around forever, but just like Ben, Jacob has kept things from him. And Jacob is contacting Hurley, a person he barely knows. Don't you think Richard would be pissed that he's spent a so many, many, many, years of his life serving Jacob and the guy he decides to appear to is Hurley?

    It was a metaphor for someone who loses faith in their God. For example, after 9/11 I knew several devout Catholics who really questioned their faith that their God would allow something like that to happen. They lost their faith and it made it seem like their whole lives following and praying to God was a waste of time. Richard lost his faith in Jacob because Jacob just dies and the smoke monster, is now in control. It makes his entire time on the island serving Jacob seem like a waste of time. And why wouldn't Richard want to die? After spending so many years and seeing every person he meets die eventually, he's gotta want peace finally.

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    • #3
      i think richard was left in the dark about the secrets of the island. like ben followed richard blindly richard may have followed jacob blindly. we will probably learn more in a future episode that will make richards story make sense.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Tabularasa
        It's not bad writing, it's called making Richard lose faith. Richard has been around forever, but just like Ben, Jacob has kept things from him. And Jacob is contacting Hurley, a person he barely knows. Don't you think Richard would be pissed that he's spent a so many, many, many, years of his life serving Jacob and the guy he decides to appear to is Hurley?

        It was a metaphor for someone who loses faith in their God. For example, after 9/11 I knew several devout Catholics who really questioned their faith that their God would allow something like that to happen. They lost their faith and it made it seem like their whole lives following and praying to God was a waste of time. Richard lost his faith in Jacob because Jacob just dies and the smoke monster, is now in control. It makes his entire time on the island serving Jacob seem like a waste of time.
        I guess the central issue for me is the notion that Richard is just as clueless as everybody else, that even Jack has more answers than he does. (Sounds like a bad joke -- except the joke is on Richard.) Richard should have learned way more by now, way, way more. Or at least have some idea of what's going on. They've implied that he's lived way longer than most everybody else, including Ben. Richard should have recognized Jacob's "prophetic" abilities by now and have gained the wisdom to understand that Jacob must have seen his own death, and that it is also part of the plan. Instead they made Richard completely broken by his master's ( ) death, stemming from this unfathomable cluelessness.

        Originally posted by superhippie2000
        i think richard was left in the dark about the secrets of the island. like ben followed richard blindly richard may have followed jacob blindly. we will probably learn more in a future episode that will make richards story make sense.
        Yeah I guess we need more backstory. Then maybe Richard won't seem like such a total douche. heh (And to think, we've been calling JACK a loser all this time, when Richard's the world champ. lol)

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        • #5
          Except for the fact that Jacob has been alive all those years. Now he's dead. This is new territory for him. Richard has always had the answers, he's always played it cool. Now he doesn't know what to do and is in a panic. I would argue that this is good writing, giving us a side to Richard we haven't seen.

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          • #6
            I know what you mean, Richard ought to have been privy to some of the important stuff but maybe Jacob kept him in the dark for his own safety. Everything might be "candidates eyes only." But it was disappointing because suicidal Richard seemed like a cult member who hasn't thought for himself for who knows how many decades (oh wait he is?). But, Richard literally does live because of Jacob so I guess he would feel life wasn't worth living anymore without him.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Tabularasa
              I would argue that this is good writing, giving us a side to Richard we haven't seen.
              Yeah--the 'loser' side. lol j/k But seriously, I hear ya T-Bag. I guess I'm mostly just disappointed with the direction they decided to go with his character (personal preference I suppose). (Hope you don't mind being called T-Bag by the way, given your username starts with T, and we're both Prison Break fans. The pieces fit dude. lol)

              Originally posted by FotW
              Richard ought to have been privy to some of the important stuff but maybe Jacob kept him in the dark for his own safety.
              I'm not so sure Jacob cares so much about the safety of individual people, he seems to be more of a bigger picture/end game sort of guy. Ends justifying the means and so on. (Probably trying to save the world/mankind etc.) As afterall many good people have died along the way or have been "sacrificed", as Locke would say (like back when Boone bit the big one--hey, try to say that 3 times fast. lol). Jacob (or the island, etc) seems to have "purposes" for everybody, and if that purpose includes dyin', then Jacob's just fine with that. lol But seriously, I too was disappointed with their decision to make Richard as much a 'pawn' in the chess game as everybody else, even as much as relative 'newbies' to the game, like Jack (who naturally has more answers than Richard).
              Last edited by Xanderman; 03-13-2010, 01:45 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Xanderman
                Yeah--the 'loser' side. lol j/k But seriously, I hear ya T-Bag. I guess I'm mostly just disappointed with the direction they decided to go with his character (personal preference I suppose). (Hope you don't mind being called T-Bag by the way, given your username starts with T, and we're both Prison Break fans. The pieces fit dude. lol)
                Lol, I feel honored to be called after one of the best characters on TV

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