why the audience needed a villain and didn't understand Fate. Is this an American thing?

I think it may be more of a Boulder thing than an American thing, although I'm not exactly in touch with American culture/values/thought process so I can't say for sure. The reason I think it's a Boulder thing, is that Boulder seems to be a place that breeds ideas under the "self-determination" category. To most Boulderites, there is no such thing as Fate. not only is it outmoded, but it's a remnant of the evil patriarchal system that was established to keep the masses down.

Or something. ;-)