Guys. It's neither the music, nor the programs. V/M have two great programs, they love them and are skating the crap out of them, and are also constantly improving them. Had they skated to a classical piece, the narrative would have been that they were repeating themselves. Had they chosen a lyrical piece, "Oh, they're copying P/C". It's simply that they are not number 1 in the judges' preferences. Whatever they might have skated to. It's as simple and as frustrating as that.
Do I always like V/M's music choices? No, and my dislike of their choices through the years was not that infrequent (and that includes Mahler - sacrilegious, right?). But for me, in the end, V/M's skating skills, dance skills, and ability to interpret the music always brought me into their programs and make me forget how much I hate the music. As for MR, am I a fan of the music? No, but I am a fan of how they showcase their ability to perform a range of movements, from staccato to languid, as well as their ability to use every opportunity offered by the music to express their intent, and in the end, transcend the music. So I agree with you that they "are skating the crap" out of the FD (as well as the short).
Would different music choices (ones that appeal more to the judges) made a difference? I'm not so sure. Coming into this season, I had this feeling that V/M had to have 2 outstanding programs and P/C would have to make mistakes like they did last season for V/M to win. You can call me a cynic, but I think it was based on all the years of ice dance I've followed back to before T/D, even with the new judging system. So to keep my sanity, I vowed that I would try my best to focus on enjoying each of V/M's performances. It has not been easy since I'm analytical by nature, and can analyze the scores to death, LOL! At this point, I just want them to have the moments they are striving for when they perform at the Olympics. Anyway, only 2 competitions left to go :-(.
After they retire, I'm not sure if I will be able to get as excited about another ice dance couple as V/M again. With the removal of compulsory dances from competition, I'm not sure we will ever see the outstanding ice dance fundamentals that V/M display ever again.
.
. But people loved it, it would be great that even if they do not win the gold medal, they can retire performing that iconic program. I'm sure that if V/M suddenly announce that they're changing their program to Carmen, all their fans will be fascinated. Just as the fans of Ashley were so happy when she announced that she would skate again Moulin Rouge and immediately that she announced that she would leave MR to skate La la land they were happy saying it was the best choice, that MR already felt old.
