Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3496661-20131113034013/@comment-3496661-20140104175653

You bring up a very good rebuttle. However, I would argue with you on Locus being considered as the main plotline. I don't think that element drove the story until the third act. While the representation of any rising tension, climax, and resolution would involve facing Locus, that doesn't mean that he is the main conflict or the antagonist based on his first appearance. He simply watched the Blood Gulch crew for reasons unknown, he didn't provide any conflict. He is strongly implied to be the conflict, but didn't actually do do any conflict until later. The Reds' and Blues' actions towards their situation of being stranded is what mainly drives the story, not Locus (at least in episodes 1-15). Their struggle of getting off Chorus is the main focus and plotline throughout.

Locus didn't do anything that made him seem like an antagonist at first or drive the story; mainly because he wasn't established as a bad guy beforehand. However, I can see how the other main conflicts I mentioned (Freckles' hostage, the Comm tower) can be seen as subplots as they did come and go, but they did move the story forward, for better or worse.

While Locus did make implications of what he was going to do, he still doesn't provide any conflict for the Reds and Blues until the last third, say for preventing the group from leaving by killing the Dropship Pilot. The main plotline cannot be Locus as he didn't have enough screentime or provide, it is the Reds and Blues being staranded on Chorus. That is the problem, the Reds and Blues are the players, and the stakes are the group running out of food and supplies & starving to death. These elements are established in the first episode. Things like the comm tower, Freckles, and Locus are plot elements that drive the story forward and provide conflict.

This is why I believe Locus cannot be considered as the primary conflict: the protagonists are unaware of his presence and because of this, he is not a threat to them at the moment. He is not the focus.

Take Omega in Season 2 for example: Omega was already set up in Season 1 to be this agressive A.I. with the ability to make his hosts seem more dangerous, and his infection of Caboose showed that he was calculating, had a mind of his own, and was not going to go out easy. In Season 2, we slowly get tidbits of Omega through Caboose, this is the rising tension and Omega has set himself up as the main antagonist. Tex and Church battling him inside Caboose's mind is more tension. Finally, after infecting Doc and attacking the Blood Gulch Crew, Omega makes his climax appearance.

The Meta did something similar in Reconstruction, as he would directly attack Wash and the Reds & Blues, trick the Reds into slowing Wash down, and even use them to get what he wants. He is the focused conflict throughout Reconstruction and helps move the story forward.

Locus was not like this. Despite this, I still believe he is a good villain and wish that he could've made himself and his intentions more clear. I believed that the story for Season 11 was the Reds and Blues are stranded and need to get home before shit happens to them.

For characters, I highly agree with you on the Reds. In terms for Wash, I believe the reason he is, in my opinion, more "tame" is because he now cares about the Reds and Blues, while in Recollections he didn't care for them very much and simple used them, allowing him to look more badass.

The use of Halo 4 didn't bother me much, but I can relate to it being distracting.

In your statement of Season 11 being unambitious, I personally don't think that's a bad thing. I like how Season 11 was simple and focused more on the Reds and Blues. I also agree with you on "spectacle". When I think of your explanation of it, I think of films like Up, Inception, and The Dark Knight.