Aurora finally made it over to watch the last episode of Jericho. Ever since she started dating New Guy she’s got zero time. Fine. Whatever. I just wish the night hadn’t ended with us getting in a stupid argument over the message of the show.

The plot of Jericho was simple. A company is contracted to provide support to the U.S. in the event of a nuclear attack. The company makes the attack scenario happen, takes charge of the fallout, and eventually installs itself as the new government.

Me and Aurora both agreed that based on everything we know about how contractors handle humanitarian disasters, this scenario is entirely plausible.

We started to disagree when I said that it wouldn’t really make a significant difference to how this country works if power changed hands in this way. It all comes down to the same kind of people wanting the same kind of things.

But Aurora, doing her whole goddess of the downtrodden thing, said that it did matter how it happened, that we have to believe in the goodness of people and in the potential for change that is ‘non-destructive’ (her word, not mine).

That got us on to the topic of Adrian Veidt’s scheme in The Watchmen by Alan Moore, which we both just read. It is definitely one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.

Veidt basically unleashes a horrible monster on New York, which causes the world to band together against a common enemy. Of course, Aurora thinks that no positive outcome could justify the death and destruction caused by Veidt’s scheme.

You know those people that are so good and trusting and true that they make you feel bad about yourself, but you can’t hate them because they’re so totally beautiful and perfect and amazing?

That’s Aurora.

The last thing she said to me before she left was, “Fine! Why don’t you just go destroy the world, then?”

But that’s not what I want at all.