Just by being talked-about unseen for so much of the first season, John's thematic power is multiplied by a gajillion the instant he interacts with the boys. I hadn't even seen most of the season and I saw the altar episode with Meg and knew that his character was a massive development in the series -- giving it more depth, more breadth, and the heft to hurt. I wasn't wrong.
I think that the fandom in general had a very low opinion of John, because they took Sam's word for it (and his side); I have seen a number of tail-end conversations about how John was "abusive" and mean and all that. But the instant everyone got to see John, see him interact with his children, it seemed to all turn around. He still gets some chiding (notably from me) for his high-handedness, but being able to empathize in the flesh (so to speak, considering it's television) changed how a lot of people felt, I think.
I do enjoy this family, watching it work. They've got crappy interior boundaries, and are always stepping on each other's feet, but they'll fight over who gets to die to protect the other two. (Hey, no wonder John is high-handed!)
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Date: 2006-11-11 02:45 pm (UTC)I think that the fandom in general had a very low opinion of John, because they took Sam's word for it (and his side); I have seen a number of tail-end conversations about how John was "abusive" and mean and all that. But the instant everyone got to see John, see him interact with his children, it seemed to all turn around. He still gets some chiding (notably from me) for his high-handedness, but being able to empathize in the flesh (so to speak, considering it's television) changed how a lot of people felt, I think.
I do enjoy this family, watching it work. They've got crappy interior boundaries, and are always stepping on each other's feet, but they'll fight over who gets to die to protect the other two. (Hey, no wonder John is high-handed!)