They even say that the girl had to die for the sins of the group. Throughout the episode whenever they were accussing one of the group they were sure to show them wearing their crosses.
Sorry for the rant but it's just so noticeable I can't believe I never registered it before
Honestly, it goes back years for this kind of thing. Watched Chuck for the first time a few years ago, and it's kind of amazing just how blatantly the show is federal propaganda. Just unabashedly pro CIA and NSA. And it's weird because you have both Zack Levi and Adam Baldwin, both of whom are right-wing/libertarian adjacent, and it's just shocking how pro-state the show ends up being.
It's nothing new, but once you start noticing things like that, it's hard to not always notice it.
Adam Baldwin mister GamerGate himself. I know Zach is pretty Christian but I dunno his political stances. I've heard him talk about God and his importance in his life.
There are a few Firefly comics set after the movie and Jayne is eventually killed off in one. I can't help but think it's intentional for his right-wing stance and even minor connection to GG.
Honestly, I suspect Firefly is never getting a revival now because of the message it ultimately held, which was largely anti-government, or at the very least anti-centralised government. It was popular back in the day for such a stance (look how close Ron Paul actually got to winning the primaries. That's the reason his face was a reaction image for quite some time). Could you imagine how quickly it would kill a career to make a project that's actually anti-big government anymore? One that's actually critical of the establishment as a whole? I don't see it happening anytime soon in the mainstream, but once upon a time, it was popular, and not just because people like rebels.
There's a reason that Alan Moore hates his work. Because it speaks far more to an anti-central power, and that's a right-wing ideal, even if he doesn't want to accept it. And Whedon's work with Firefly reflects that.
I always wondered if the anti-government themes in Jericho is part of why it got cancelled.
Zach is supposedly a libertarian, but that label is so broad these days that it could mean anything from "I just wanna smoke weed in peace and everything else is fine" to "I want actual small government". I've not really looked into it solely because I don't care that much. Like yeah, cool, one of the very few non-leftists in Hollywood, but I also don't care what some actor has to say about politics regardless. I don't go to a bus driver for tax advice, I don't go to a lawyer to buy a fridge, and I don't turn to actors for political takes, even if a good or bad take can come from anywhere.
But it is surprising when you see people who by all rights shouldn't be fans of something actively and openly propagating that very thing. Like Chuck was 2007-2012. That was right after the PEAK of things like Obama's administration utilising smart tech (TVs being a big one in the media at the time) for the purposes of monitoring US citizens. But here are two people that should have been critical of that basically shilling for the NSA and CIA. It's so bizarre.
He did publicly say that Pfizer is a literal danger to the world last year; specifically due to the danger of products like the COVID shot.
That has to count for something.
James Arnold Taylor, too, the voice acting great.
I was stunned to learn he was a born-again Christian, considering how successful he is.
I feel like Chuck is a bit more of a nuanced case. It does present an idealistic view on the alphabet agencies for sure but frequently Chuck runs into situations where his own morality clashes with the government and he frequently becomes disillusioned with them. Several of the shows main villains only became that way because the government ruined their lives and the show doesnt shy away from pointing that out.
The government gives Casey the green light to kill Chuck if he has to after they are working together IIRC. In the first couple of episodes too.
Yep, IIRC this is a continuous plot thread for the entire first season that they want to kill Chuck as soon as they rebuild the Intersect. There is also the constant threat that they may find it too dangerous to continue letting him live normally and may lock him up somewhere for protection during the first few seasons. Later plotlines reveal that the government is directly responsible for the events that led to Chuck's family falling apart. The show even subtly slipped in a few "are we the baddies?" moments where Chuck is forced to make choices that don't sit well with him.
That is true, and there's plenty of plot-lines that try to push the "here's this rebel faction of the agency", but it still pushes the idea that these people who are infringing on peoples rights are the outliers and not the main agency.
But you are right that many of the villains are the way they are through the government, and not just some rebel faction.