Interesting discussion. I got more eyerolly at Lily than Jake. It didn't bother me that much that Jake has tried to kill Sam or that he died -- ETA: actually, we didn't see him die, now that I think about it --, given that's the fate of a huge number of guest stars on this show, but I got wee bit pinged by the nature of his power, which was made stronger by the fact that the actor was familiar to me from Friday Night Lights.

Minor spoilers for FNL mid season episodes:

The actor who played Jake played Ray "Voodoo" Tatum, a possible replacement quarterback and a Katrina refugee, and he was part of one of a few big race-related plotlines of the season. Later in the season, there was story arc in which one of the coaches likened the star running-back of the team (Brian "Smash" Williams), who happened to be black, to a "junkyard dog", someone fast and vicious, whose main contribution to the team was purely in terms of his physical prowess, and not fit to be a quarterback with the implications that blacks were not smart enough to be "thinking" football players. With that on the back of my mind, I felt a bit uncomfortable that they decided to give the only black character among the YED's "recruits" a physical power (and brute strength to boot) instead of mental/psychic powers others displayed. I don't know if it'd have pinged me without the FNL association though. Which goes to show how we all bring our disparate experiences to the interpretation of some of the finer shadings of perceived racism.

We're counting Lily as physical power, right?

Of course, now I want to imagine her named Lilith, and all the cast out of the garden untouchable womanness that implies.

Vonnie, I hear you on the FNL association. However, I feel like in FNL it was more that "Blacks are stupid and ferocious" than plain "Blacks are physically strong" and Jake was never portrayed as stupid, so I decided that it didn't bother me.

Plus, there are enough "ultimate soldier" characters in pop culture that that was where my brain went.

We're counting Lily as physical power, right?

Hmm, I wasn't, really. She was like Rogue from X-Men, right? Draining other's life force psychically?

Plus, there are enough "ultimate soldier" characters in pop culture that that was where my brain went.

Hell, just an hour before on Smallville, we had Helo as an "ultimate soldier."

Of course, now I want to imagine her named Lilith, and all the cast out of the garden untouchable womanness that implies.

Oh, my. One could go there, if one wanted.

Okay, I *really* have to go do some work, dangit.

Helo as an "ultimate soldier."

Heh. Speaking of not too bright... (Helo, not Tahmoh's SV character.)

She was like Rogue from X-Men, right? Draining other's life force psychically?

She didn't get anything out of it, so I wasn't thinking of her like Rogue. I know they've had a few kill with touch characters in the X Men, but they don't hang out long and don't get names.

Actually, I'm not sure why any of them thought that they could get out. Why wouldn't the YED prevent them from leaving or just bring them back everytime they escaped? It's not like they were able to keep themselves from being abducted in the first place. Perhaps what happened to Ava was that she realized that she could never escape and rather than be killed - got good at winning the game.

blacks are treacherous thing is news to me

I want to clarify that when I initially stated this stereotype I stated it as minorities in general, which is where it comes from for me. It is always possible that I am projecting, because Japanese are treacherous definitely is an existing one. But what I was referring to at the time was "You can't trust that group of people Other than me" which I've heard in various incarnations.