To me, it doesn't matter what the writers mean, it only matters what shows up on DVD.
This is probably a significant difference between us. I've done a fair amount of work in biblical exegesis
Trying to figure out the author's perspective and intent is major part of trying to understand the meaning of a scripture, especially since the Bible is so easily turned into a weapon when such things are disregarded.
This attitude is pretty much ingrained in me, so it comes out when I'm doing meta on anything. :-)
And yes, I am relying on stereotypes to a great extent. But the whole point of this exercise was to sort the characters into their archetypes in order to visually see the literary structures of the narrative. :-)