Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-148.253.184.233-20200128130653/@comment-14909251-20200213002404

Guedjroy wrote: Wouldn't she then owe the other Kingdoms a debt of gratitude for pulling back their forces and allowing Salem to slaughter the people who abused her? I mean, no matter how you look at it, there's a logical contradiction in her thinking. There is no contradiction. It is not like the Kingdoms would care about Cinder's personal experience or somehow knew she would be spared by Salem. Cinder would know they abandoned her and everyone else with the expectation all of them would die. She had no reason to feel grateful just because it worked out for her in the end. Only reason it worked out for her is that Salem wanted her alive. Her gratitude would be owed to Salem rather than any Kingdom.

Guedjroy wrote: Yeah, you're right, we probably won't. I do find it odd that everyone clamors so intensely for Cinder's backstory and motivation, when the fact is that we don't know the backstory/motivation for many if not most of the characters on this show.

I think most people just desperately want some kind of sympathetic explanation for her insanely evil behavior, because they're tired of the show just making her out to be the most supremely unlikable person in the universe. People like to be given reasons to root for the villains, not just reasons to hate them.

Not sure what you mean by not knowing their backstory. We have the backstory for every other member of WTCH and Salem. There may still be backstory to explore, but Cinder is the exception here. Almost all of the main heroes and several other villains have been given backstory in one way or another. Cinder is the most unusual case as we have no significant backstory. I don't think it is true that we will never be told her story. Backstory is sometimes withheld because it is particularly important, would drastically alter perception of the character, or even shift the character's story arc.

I also think it is a mistake to say we haven't seen anything about her reasons. Again, I think her speech in Volume 3 should be taken as coming from a genuine place, even if not everything she was saying was true. Believe there is some support for my theory given one of her first comments there was: "This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men." Her message was that you cannot trust the Kingdoms and their leaders to protect you, because they will look out for themselves first.