So, you call these heroes? I am so excited about diving into season 2, even though it might seem like we’re taking a sharp left turn in the narrative. We’re refocusing a little bit, turning the lens (or microphone, I should say) on the other side of this story. While we all know and love Anika (please Dear God let her be okay), I wanted to spend some time exploring why, exactly, she’s been cast as a villain. Because this whole super powers thing isn’t unique to her and her alone.
Jumping into the point of view of the other side of the story/conflict explores not only another side of the world we’ve been living in, but what kind of a world has to exist for Anika to be seen as a villain. We’ve become so close to her story, but that’s all we’ve heard: her side of the story. I wanted to spend some time with the people who’ve been chasing her down, and try to understand why they’d be chasing her to begin with.
What’s important, I think, about these guys, is that they really, genuinely think Anika is causing harm to the world around them. And: they’re just as scared as she is, even if they don’t show it. The core difference, I think, between Anika and the “heroes” is the fact that they’ve found other people struggling with the same power issues. Instead of having to figure it out on their own, or with someone who can never truly understand what it’s like to have powers, they’re connected with people who are sharing their experience. There’s a basic comfort in that, and a constant (if shaky) assurance that they’re not losing their minds, and there isn’t something wrong with them. That comfort, I think, gives them the assurance they need to believe they can do something to help in a crazy world.
And… okay, well. They’re trying. They’re a mess. But who isn’t?