S02.E06: This Woman's Work

[RealityGal]

Christie will be allowed to get away with all sorts of shenanigans until the grandchild is born (I think it will be a grandson) and then she had better watch out.  The DJ girl seems to be into Alak, and seems much more pliable than Christie who has all these "morals" and "questions"  I don't think Stahma would have any problem arranging an "accident" for Christie after the child is born, and I don't think Datak is a great fan of hers either.  And as her relationship with Alak deteriorates she will have even less protection in that household.

[BungalowSummer]

I don't think Stahma would have any problem arranging an "accident" for Christie after the child is born, and I don't think Datak is a great fan of hers either. And as her relationship with Alak deteriorates she will have even less protection in that household.

I agree completely. Christie had two things going for her: Daddy's mines and being the gestation vessel for the Tarr heir. The mines are off the table. Once the infant is born, Christie will find herself on borrowed time, especially if she continues to antagonize Datak and exasperate Alak.

[johntfs]

Actually, I disagree with the above statement.  I think Stahma would have a pretty big problem arranging an accident for Christie.  Christie is fiercely loyal to and protective of Alak, as is Stahma.  When Datak showed up courting and apologizing, it was pretty clear that Christie was expressing exactly what Stahma thought but wasn't allowed by custom to say.

 

As for replacing Christie with DJ Girl, I don't see it.  DJ girl is a prostitute.  She is by definition available to be rented for anyone willing to meet her price.  Stahma doesn't want someone like that for her son.  Christie, with all her morals and questions, will stand by Alak because she loves him.  Just as Stahma loves him.

[RealityGal]

Actually, I disagree with the above statement.  I think Stahma would have a pretty big problem arranging an accident for Christie.  Christie is fiercely loyal to and protective of Alak, as is Stahma.  When Datak showed up courting and apologizing, it was pretty clear that Christie was expressing exactly what Stahma thought but wasn't allowed by custom to say.

 

As for replacing Christie with DJ Girl, I don't see it.  DJ girl is a prostitute.  She is by definition available to be rented for anyone willing to meet her price.  Stahma doesn't want someone like that for her son.  Christie, with all her morals and questions, will stand by Alak because she loves him.  Just as Stahma loves him.

 

I don't think Stahma has ever thought that Christie was the right girl for Alak.  And Stahma wants what is best for her son, she will also want control of her grandchild.  The only potential allure of Christie was her access to the mines, which as BungalowSummer pointed out, is not really an issue anymore since Rafe no longer owns the mines.  The more Alak and Christie fight...the more it becomes apparent that their relationship will not work....the more expendable Christie will become.  Christie is not willing to do anything for Alak, she has her point which she will not cross, she also has a meddling father.  This makes her a liability.  DJ chick has no meddling parents, and I don't know if she still has her day job as a hooker or if she is fully into this radio thing.  If she is fully into the radio thing, and she seems willing to do whatever she might be a better replacement for Alak's affections, especially as Christie becomes more prone to fighting.  I'm not sure if the job is as important to Stahma as is the ability to control the situation or the person that Alak is with.  

 

Christie has a lot of factors that make her a liability.  First, she has all these human feelings, emotions and questions.  That makes her harder to control.  Second, she isn't a Stahma, who will smile in your face and then poison your tea, she wants to yell, and carry on.  Third, Alak is starting to get exasperated with her.  Fourth, as the mother of her child, she would have some rights to it, which would mess with what I believe will be Stahma's and Datak's plan to raise the child Castian.  The more Alak gets exasperated with her, the more she rebels, the more of a liability she will become because as the child's mother she can take the child away.  I don't think Stahma will want any part of that, especially as Christie becomes more vocal and lets her displeasure be known, and as she becomes more estranged from Alak.  But if Christie is dead, than ostensibly it is Alak who cares for the child and by extension Stahma.  No more need to worry about Christie running off with the child because she feels unhappy or constrained.

 

Thats the thing about Stahma, is she has always been able to show a good face and then scheme behind the scenes.  I don't think Christy possesses any of that, nor do I think Stahma finds any great respect for it.  Especially if Christie's brash ways start messing with Stahma's plans to raise that child as she sees fit.  Hell, she poisoned three women for a potential threat to her business, you think she wouldn't hesitate to kill someone who is going to mess with her grandchild?  Especially as Alak loses interest in her?

Edited July 29, 2014 by RealityGal

[sjohnson]

Alak may or may not be exasperated. But because of Christie's asshole thug father's threats, he can't talk to Christie about anything important because that would be dragging her into the family's gangster shit. And not only has Rafe undermined Christie's marriage, he also can't be troubled even to be supportive of her, probably because she would want help and advice for the both of them. I think Rafe hasn't realized the Tarr firm is still in business, he thinks that it's Datak who's the one who counts and had something to offer. For him, Tarr's imprisonment worked on his attitude to the marriage as his losing the mines affected the Tarr's view. Not only is Rafe susceptible to control by Stahma, all she has to do to undermine him with Christie is tell her about his attacks on Alak. 

 

By the way, to nitpick a moment, there was an actual threat, the boycott being organized by the clergyman. 

[RealityGal]

Alak may or may not be exasperated. But because of Christie's asshole thug father's threats, he can't talk to Christie about anything important because that would be dragging her into the family's gangster shit. And not only has Rafe undermined Christie's marriage, he also can't be troubled even to be supportive of her, probably because she would want help and advice for the both of them. I think Rafe hasn't realized the Tarr firm is still in business, he thinks that it's Datak who's the one who counts and had something to offer. For him, Tarr's imprisonment worked on his attitude to the marriage as his losing the mines affected the Tarr's view. Not only is Rafe susceptible to control by Stahma, all she has to do to undermine him with Christie is tell her about his attacks on Alak. 

 

By the way, to nitpick a moment, there was an actual threat, the boycott being organized by the clergyman. 

 

But were any customers actually boycotting the fight tent?  My feeling was that the clergy officially were against the fight tents, but sort of let it slide if it was a man in charge of it.  So its not like the clergy ever really used the fight tent.  It was hard to tell if their organized boycott was working in any way or if business was down in the fight tent.  Unless it was referenced specifically and I missed it, I didn't know that there was any loss of profit or business.  So, if profits weren't down, was it an actual threat to her business?  But it certainly was a potential threat to her business.

 

Alak seemed pretty exasperated when he told her that she was "so human" or something along those lines, but YMMV on it.  And I don't think that Alak would tell Christie much about the business because she has never approved of it.  When she met him, he wasn't involved in the business in any way, it was Datak's business and he was still the crazy mixed up son that had this crazy radio station, record business going.  Alak probably never foresaw getting involved in the business in any greater capacity, and neither did Christie.  But the situation changed and it seems like Alak learned a lot more about the business than he wanted to very quickly, but he can't tell Christie, or doesnt' want to because she wouldn't understand, wouldn't appreciate why he felt like he couldn't just refuse and get up in his mothers face the same way she got up in his fathers face, or the same way that she refuses and runs away from her father.

Edited July 29, 2014 by RealityGal

[maczero]

That analogy doesn't quite fit since the humans didn't kidnap the Casthis and bring them to Earth to make slaves of them. Native Americans wouldn't work as a symbol of the Casthis either, for different reasons.

Sure it does.  You don't need historical mistreatment to understand that mimicing another race's (or species) physical features and culture might be considered offensive to that group.

[shapeshifter]

You don't need historical mistreatment to understand that mimicing another race's (or species) physical features and culture might be considered offensive to that group.

Agreed:

That analogy doesn't quite fit since the humans didn't kidnap the Casthis and bring them to Earth to make slaves of them. Native Americans wouldn't work as a symbol of the Casthis either, for different reasons. Still, that doesn't mean the Casthis wouldn't be deeply offended,