Susan, I believe you are absolutely correct about the male/female view of the Morrigan/Alistair romances. I was going to invoke that with many of the criticisms I've seen regarding female views of the Morrigan romance. The female PCs do have an ending I was intrigued by in an Alistair romance, in that Alistair refuses to allow his love to make the killing blow and sacrifices himself for her. Tp me that is just Epic!
This was the equivalent ending my PC got on a sacrificial tack, romancing Leliana. No white picket fence for him, but a huge statue, a memorable eulogy (even if delivered by Anora), Sten's understated gesture of respect, interment in Weishaupt and a mourning lover writing an epic ballad and then offing herself to be with her beloved in the after life. Again, Epic!
You may very well feel that Morrigan was well in character. Truth is, we really don't know without knowledge of her true intent. I believe your view of her is debatable attested to by the commentary of many more than I. It is not unrealistic to expect people can and do change (in the DA universe Zevran certainly did, in a way unimaginable at our first meeting if you got his "final mission" confession and he professes himself to your service even if you are friends). Regardless, let's say you are correct. If so, then it is tragic (as I constantly harp on) that the PC is denied the same opportunity many are so quick to defend for Morrigan. Because of this, the Dark Ritual becomes nothing more than an unavoidable plot bridge to a sequel rather than some high-minded testimonial to the fidelity of her in-character persona.
Let me illustrate. My PC was a dedicated Grey Warden under oath to fight the Blight by all means necesssary. If character integrity were the overriding concern of this story (and I disagree because most of us witnessed Zevran's transformation) then he would have taken action once Morrigan had shown herself to be a highly likely threat to Ferelden and a possible instrument by which to extend the current Blight or make infinitely worse. If her intentions were otherwise, it would have come to light quickly. If she wished to be vague, and in character, as many say, then the PC should have been allowed reciprocity (it is an interactive story after all) to deal with a situation that (as far as he knew) was most likely a grave threat (we are not allowed knowledge to think otherwise) in direct contradiction to what the Grey Wardens stand for.
Since realism and character integrity are important, I would argue that the PC should have been allowed to maintain his in-character integrity and have the opportunity to slay her on the spot to keep her from gaining access to another Warden, in order to prevent a budding catastrophe, that you or others might very well have to deal with, in the not too distant future. Like I said, if her intentions were clean, I bet she would have sang like a bird when faced with her own mortality and survival, which we know from her in-character profile, are extremely important to her. My Warden had threatened far more dangerous foes than she. If she was no real threat with reasonable (according to the Warden) intent, he would have found out quickly and then probably given her what she wanted based on her answer. As it was, her silence destroys her credibility, yet the PC is forced to act in a way foreign to his personality and not ever allowed to pry too deeply at this major turn of events, which did not fit his persona.
Despite her ability as a mage, she was no Gaxkang or high dragon, there is no shape she could transformed into that he had not defeated already, and if it came down to it, she would have fallen quickly under the blade of a Warden with Shield Mastery, Strength of 65 (even an Ogre Alpha, not to mention any mage, is stunned by the third blow of a Shield Pummel at this level of strength), and high spell/spirit resistance. If character fidelity is of overriding concern to the writers, then the PC should have been accorded the same for the sake of the story's integrity. No, she and Flemeth (who we are led to believe is not dead) are plot untouchable, and Morrigan was given all the power at the Dark Ritual, a power she did not truly possess imo, and the PC was not, which I found unrealistic, contrived and, yes, a let down after 60 + hours of gameplay. This is my main criticism: that Morrigan was allowed to stay "in character" (which I would characterize as more like a relapse back to the swamp), ambiguous, and in charge, and the same would (uncharacteristically) be denied the PC, despite everything he/she had done up to that point.
Harsh? Maybe. Certainly no more so than her proposal and verbal ambiguity. Most certainly realistic, and definitely within the bounds of the story/character integrity many are quick to invoke.
Modifié par Barbarossa2010, 07 février 2010 - 04:13 .
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