Fan Forum - Madi [Lola Flanery] #2: Gold star for being the longest living Commander yet

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- - Madi [Lola Flanery] #2: Gold star for being the longest living Commander yet (https://www.fanforum.com/f34/madi-%5Blola-flanery%5D-2-gold-star-being-longest-living-commander-yet-63211629/)

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But exactly that makes Madi's character interesting for me, and we need interesting characters on the show ... I loved it how they all bowed down to a 12 year old girl and followed her orders ... all except Bellamy ... he knew a better solution (saving Prisonkru) and the flame allows Madi to make her own choices ... the flame doesn't take over Madi's mind

But who is her character now? Like Marie noted, we're kind of losing the real genuine her because of the flame's influence. We just got to know her this season, and then they put this thing into her and changed her. Like yes, she can still make her own choices, but we as the audience are left to grapple with how much of that choice is coming from the true core of Madi and how much is coming from this damn piece of technology.

And now are Clarke and Bellamy going to have to run every decision by Madi before they make it? Seems kind of strange.

And just as a leader, too . . . it's not a super rewarding journey as a viewer to be given this new leader via a piece of technology, compared to Bellamy and Clarke, who have both struggled with it and earned it. Even Octavia's leadership journey, as infuriating as it could be at times this season, was really quite developed. Plus, like I said earlier, I do think we now run the risk of Madi being a Deus ex Machina character who gets inserted into the plot to miraculously solve a problem. (It kind of Mary Sues the past commanders, too, who were obviously not all-knowing and perfect, otherwise the cycle of violence would not have continued itself. To just have Madi close her eyes and be able to call on them to give her the answers makes both her and them a little too flawless for my liking.)

To be clear, I really did like Madi a lot this season. I'm just really nervous about how they'll write her moving forward now.

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Originally Posted by April7739 (Post 94771713)

Why should that be worse? For me, it's interesting to think about how much influence the flame has for Madi's acting and decisions ... like I've said, that makes Madi's character more interesting IMO
I think we can discuss this for days and won't get an agreement, April
Let's accept that we have different opinions and move on :)

Yeah, it’s fine, I’m not trying to argue or anything, just discussing. I just think it’s risky, because we’ve only known Madi a short time, and already she’s been altered so greatly. But we’ll see where they take it. I’d really like for the flame to be utilized as little as possible, tbh.

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Originally Posted by destroyer of worlds (Post 94768655)

I kind of agree, April? The main problem that I have with the Flame still being in Madi is that some people are projecting Lexa onto her and therefore shipping Clarke/Madi. :sick: (it's not just Lexa but all the commanders' memories that she can access) And also, sometimes you can't tell how much of it is the Commanders vs. what Madi is really thinking/saying. That scene where Bellamy is trying to convince Madi not to kill the Eligius prisoners is one example, so is Madi trying to get through to Clarke in 5X12.

But in that scene where Madi tells Bellamy about the radio for example, you can tell that is all Madi and not the Flame speaking.

I do hope that some people stop protecting Lexa onto Madi next season and therefore stop shipping Clarke/Madi, but I don't see that happening sadly.

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Originally Posted by the1marie (Post 94771202)

I agree with this :nod: I feel like we're starting to lose the real Madi because the flame is ifluencing her so much. To me it's kind of sad. Madi is a child, and she has this huge responsibilty thrust upon her and it feels like the flame is taking away some of her autonomy to decide for herself who she wants to be

:nod: If you compare it to the Commanders who started leading as children too (some of them anyway), it doesn't seem out of place but it still sad that a literal child is thrust with this much responsibility when they should just be concerned with growing up and dealing with normal issues ... not the fate of humanity.

I think that it made sense for them to turn to Madi to get Wonkru to fight back, but now that they're united as a team, I think that Madi should be allowed to be a kid again.

https://s22.postimg.cc/w67zxisv5/MADI.gif
https://s22.postimg.cc/xy0ysg735/MADI1.gif
https://s22.postimg.cc/icjn8i2up/MADI2.gif

X

That set looks really cool :nod:

What an adorable hiccup ... so cute :love:

I love her little giggle/laugh after that. :lmao: ADORABLE.

I personally find it too early to have much of an opinion on the Flame/Madi situation yet. I'm sure there's a reason they're keeping that thing around, especially heading towards this planet that does have a Becca/Cadogan connection...right?

Hopefully they don't run decisions by her constantly, as I would find that kind of annoying. Maybe they were just like, being...nice? when they ran the cryosleep idea by her. I mean, if she said no, then what? :lol:

The only thing annoying me about the flame so far, is how the writers seem to have made it alot more interactive than they ever led us to believe it was, when it was in Lexa. Unless she was constantly asking for past commanders' advice and not vocalizing it, I just find it silly.

I just hope the Flame stuff doesn't play a huge role next season

We clearly got to see that Madi had no clue about the cryo sleep question, she looks to Clarke who gives her a small nod and then she agrees. Now getting her consent was needed, because without it, former WonKru would not have agreed to do this.

In general, I do not understand why some people think a piece of technology in her head is changing the child (other than the obvious). How is that any different to every single situation where she interacts with people around her who are influencing her? Is the "real" Madi getting manipulated by Bellamy (this is the way you save Clarke) into accepting the flame? I think absolutely yes. Is her distrust of the flame prior to that influenced by her parents hiding her from the flamekeepers/ by Clarke? You bet. So why is there an issue with this being the real Madi or not? Just because she is getting advice from people who are no longer alive in corporeal from, somehow it's confusing?

We have been shown that the previous consciousnesses stored in the flame interact with the current host. They do not force the current heda to do anything, all they do is at worst "try to influence". Now we can debate whether previous commanders give "bad" advice or not but Madi is ultimately free to make her own choices. Yes, she is a kid who needs her mom (the "commander" running into Clarke's arms before the ship takes off, looking to her for advice on the cryo sleep question).

But she's been shown to be smart, observant and quite capable., with our without flame.

As for why a 12 year old should or shouldn't lead 100s (? how many of the 400 are former wonkru?), it's a pragmatic question for me. Having a commander makes these people "manageable" (for lack of a better word, sorry I do not mean this is a harsh way). They'll follow her. I doubt it would be smooth without her around. They'd have trouble following Clarke (wanheda) or Bellamy and certainly not Octavia (bloodreina).

Sorry, this got long LOL

ETA oh and I think I said this before, but Madi said that wanting to kill all of prisonKru was HER not the flame.