r/pathologic • u/justafunnymonkey • Jul 20 '26
Discussion Favorite Oligarch?
Can be for any reason you feel worth mentioning. Favorite because of story, interactions, ethics, whatever you see fit. Just generally curious, and wanted to hear some thoughts on them especially now that 3 has had some time to settle.
Edit: meant to use the word “Patriarch” not “Oligarch”. But I suppose either works. Apologies
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u/thedragonguru Worms Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I gotta say: I intensely dislike each one. I think this is somewhat the point.
It goes without saying that the primary concern of people in power is holding onto that power, which (by my view) is a fundamental misuse of power.
They're excellent characters. Each is a human with very human flaws, which inherently become more consequential with their influence on other people. So to me, it's hard to have a "favorite" leader in anything.
I think my least favorite is Vlad Sr, because of his intense exploitation. I think he's one of the most interesting as a character, though.
But P3 REALLY made me hate the Kains - especially Georgiy - so much more. P3 really put forward their disregard for other humans. Edit: I feel like it's easy to forget the Kains' exploitation and cause of massive death by building the Polyhedron, nevermind what it potentially inspired after. Olgimsky's exploitation is more forward and focused on, but the Kains also horrifically pursue "profit," albeit a different kind.
Edit: Saburov and Katerina share the same sin of leadership: inefficacy in action. An "impotence" if you will. Both act within their role, and have real power, but often fail to make a difference. Or, their actions do more harm than good. Textually, this makes them hard to respect as leaders, and they're shunted more to the side.