Interesting read. Good points on the prevalent power structures in the setting, though I felt a bit sorry for Giuseppe and Hirscher being lumped in with Jean and the Section 2 director. They're certainly party to the exploitation but their guilt and uncertainty in dealing with their 'little sisters' are almost as interesting to me as the cyborgs' struggles with their conditioned emotions and I think they're at least worth distinguishing from their more unscrupulous peers.
I disagree with the analysis on one point: that while Triela is the closest thing the cyborgs have to a dissident (and unfortunately isn't much of one), the real disruption of the fratelo power structure comes from Henrietta in the aftermath of Elsa's murder-suicide. As Giuseppe says, Henrietta's alarmingly sudden recreation of Elsa's motives and method for killing her handler and herself are a form of blackmail he can't escape. Henrietta's emotions may be created by Section 2 to its advantage, but Giuseppe is nonetheless held hostage to them. The same willingness and ability to kill and die for Giuseppe that make Henrietta useful to him make her threat credible and force his compliance. Though it's only in a limited way and basically on Section 2's terms, there is an inversion of power in Henrietta and Giuseppe's relationship.
I too had hoped for more exploration of Triela's character, especially her relative independence and ability to separate herself from the emotions created by her conditioning. But because I mostly see the show first as an exploration of the novel psychology of the cyborgs I'm not sure I would have wanted the first season to focus on an escape from it. It'd be an interesting development later, but as far as the first season is concerned I'd rather the show was made feminist-friendly just by mixing up the sexes of the cyborgs and handlers. Or just left feminist-unfriendly so these interesting critiques can be written.
Spoilers for the series if anyone cares.
Interesting read. Good points on the prevalent power structures in the setting, though I felt a bit sorry for Giuseppe and Hirscher being lumped in with Jean and the Section 2 director. They're certainly party to the exploitation but their guilt and uncertainty in dealing with their 'little sisters' are almost as interesting to me as the cyborgs' struggles with their conditioned emotions and I think they're at least worth distinguishing from their more unscrupulous peers.
I disagree with the analysis on one point: that while Triela is the closest thing the cyborgs have to a dissident (and unfortunately isn't much of one), the real disruption of the fratelo power structure comes from Henrietta in the aftermath of Elsa's murder-suicide. As Giuseppe says, Henrietta's alarmingly sudden recreation of Elsa's motives and method for killing her handler and herself are a form of blackmail he can't escape. Henrietta's emotions may be created by Section 2 to its advantage, but Giuseppe is nonetheless held hostage to them. The same willingness and ability to kill and die for Giuseppe that make Henrietta useful to him make her threat credible and force his compliance. Though it's only in a limited way and basically on Section 2's terms, there is an inversion of power in Henrietta and Giuseppe's relationship.
I too had hoped for more exploration of Triela's character, especially her relative independence and ability to separate herself from the emotions created by her conditioning. But because I mostly see the show first as an exploration of the novel psychology of the cyborgs I'm not sure I would have wanted the first season to focus on an escape from it. It'd be an interesting development later, but as far as the first season is concerned I'd rather the show was made feminist-friendly just by mixing up the sexes of the cyborgs and handlers. Or just left feminist-unfriendly so these interesting critiques can be written.