It really kills me that people turn Viren
in such a one dimensional character when he’s so much more than that. I especially enjoyed this
season because the writers drew such clear parallels between him and Callum but
also showed how much he actually has in common with Soren.
I mean we can all agree that it was devastating to see
Soren in the hospital scene being happy that he couldn’t move because that
means he can’t hurt anybody, but what trully broke me was this part:
It shows not only that Soren has really low
self-esteem but also that he loves his dad and looks up to him, so much so that
he wouldn’t even question murder because he thinks Viren must have a good
reason. It’s also confirmed by Claudia when she
tells Ez that Soren chose their dad when their parents split up.
Now, you’re
probably gonna ask me, what exactly can
this sweet adorable goof have in common with lord Viren. Well, let’s get to
this scene then:
So
you’re probably thinking Viren is having a nervous breakdown and yelling at a
mirror but I think this monolog has a much deeper meaning.
Viren is not talking about the mirror, HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF! He is nothing, he’s powerless and
useless and he was the one that was supposed to be someone special and
important. His frustration at not being able to decipher the mirror’s secret is
just another drop in his glass filled with failures. He’s outburst sounds to me
like the words he was forced to hear about himself maybe as a child or maybe
even from his ex-wife.
What I like about him as a character is
that he’s not really villainous, he’s more pragmatic. He also doesn’t have that
self-preservation trait that most evil characters have. Viren was ready to
sacrifice himself to save King Harrow, he was ready to sacrifice himself for
the Queens of Duren and he went on what was probably a suicide mission in order
to save hundreds of thousands.
I mean it really shows that he imprinted
his view of the world, and of himself, on both his children. While Harrow and
Sarai are there playing the great and supportive parents, raising their sons in
believing in love and equality and forgiveness, Soren and Claudia have a
more…realistic view of the world.
I know he’s not a very likeable character,
he’s not hot (because, if he was, we could forgive murder, right?), and he’s a
shitty dad but I think that the writers have shown that he’s so much more than
your typical bad guy. I know I’m not going to end up being disappointed with his
character, whether the show runners have planned a redeeming arc for him or one
of self destruction, I know it’s gonna be great.
whenever I’m traveling I always get tripped out at the fact that this is someone’s actual hometown like they know every back road and how to get everywhere and they’ve probably had tons of memories in this city
