SGA: Quarantine Review

[lunabee34]

First off--everybody get over to sga_talk and comment on wojelah's Parley. It's an excellent story and so far it's just me and Lyr talking to each other about it and I'd love to get a conversation going.

Also, is not this icon awesome? catharsis_o_s made it and it's one of an incredible set of SG-1 icons. Go check out hir journal.



First off, I normally don't find the show especially shippy. Or rather, as I seem to find potential in everything (OMG Chuck nodded his head two times at Elizabeth. THEY ARE SO IN LOVE!!!!) I don't especially look for canon to acknowledge the pairings I enjoy reading in any given fandom. But if any episode of SGA was ever McShippy, then DUDE. It's this one.

I don't think my interpretation of canon is so radical that many people would dispute me if I say that the show portrays John and Rodney as best friends. They seem to have a very close bond that's developed over the course of the series. JOHN KNOWS HIS PASSWORD! *hearts* Now, I understand why Katie Brown isn't in every episode. They don't want to pay the actor. LOL However, Rodney doesn't mention her at all, which again we can fanwank away. They're spending time together that we just don't see or hear about onscreen. But when Rodney announces to John in the beginning of this episode that he's going to propose to Katie, John is genuinely surprised. And when your best friend doesn't know that you're planning to marry a girl, this is not a good sign, people. That one scene made me wonder if Rodney and Katie really are spending very much time together. You'd think that if they were spending enough time together, not for Rodney to contemplate marriage but for him to seriously believe that she might accept his proposal (which are two entirely different things), that John wouldn't be so shocked at this revelation. I mean, John actually urges Rodney to blow her off intially; he clearly doesn't think their relationship is the Momentus Thing that Rodney does.

I love Katie Brown. I do. I love her big, weird eyes and her frail little wrists. I love her warbly voice. I love how she and Rodney are so adorably awkward with each other. And this epsiode convinced me (and Katie too cause she totally broke up with Rodney even if he doesn't realize that yet) that she and Rodney are beyond wrong for each other. Other people have analyzed this much better than I (I'm thinking springwoof here) but essentially, Rodney reacts to his enforced passivity in a very negative way. Like Ronon, he's a man of action even if he's actioning while complaining or worrying at top decibel about their impending deaths. Rodney is fearful, but he's not a coward. And he's never one to stand idly by. Think about how anxious he is to get Sheppard in "The Defiant One" and that was back at the beginning when Rodney didn't have nearly the field experience he does now. Anyway, he can't get out of the lab; he can't help; and rather than spending what little time he thinks he has left in some meaningful way with Katie, he just lays down on the floor to die. AND SHE LETS HIM. Now, Rodney is clearly being fucktarded and you can tell Katie's peeved with him, but she doesn't say anything. Rodney, Lord love him, need his ass kicked every now and then and I don't think he can be with somebody successfully who doesn't know how to or isn't willing to do that. (This is incidentally one of the reasons McShep works so well for me. Or Rodney/Ronon. Or Rodney/Sam or LOL)
I don't know what Katie's looking for in her relationship with Rodney; she clearly doesn't know how to nurture him or how to make her needs clear either. It's a kind of passivity that I don't understand. As much as I've enjoyed their relationship in past episodes, I was so glad when Katie wrote Rodney off. I think Rodney is absolutely right when he says he'd make her miserable and she'd do the same for him.

Ronon and Keller FTW!!!!! They are so precious. I could just eat 'em both up with a spoon. Loved every single second of their scenes together, from Ronon wounding himself so Keller would have to stitch him up to the OMG sharing of feelings and the almost kiss. So so lovely.

John's moment of glee when the baby kicks and how he's always so awkward and standoffish but he doesn't even hesitate in wanting to feel that. Really really nice.

Radek and Sam's scenes were also a lot of fun to me. They didn't read as shippy to me but rather the horror of being stuck with a boss you don't know all that well and who also happens to be way smarter than you in an elevator and then screwing up your one chance of escape. and Sam's clearly trying to ease the tension and not being all that successful and then Radek only feels better when he saves face at the end by crawling through the airshaft and saving the day. I think he felt like he has something to prove to Sam; I mean, he's got no prior connection to her like Rodney does.

Overall, I really loved this episode. And I'm curious to see where they're gonna take Teyla's story arc as it sounds like she's wrestling with whether she even wants to go back on active duty after she gives birth. (Which I'm glad for; it's a big deal to leave your baby behind and possibly go out to die and I'm glad they're not being glib about it)

Comments

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

Like Ronon, he's a man of action...

Yes! ITA with this, and we even get Ronon attacking the door with a... medical pole thing (whatever they're called *g*) while Rodney attacks his door with a trowel. If those two had been locked in together, they still wouldn't have gotten free, but every single item in that room would be completely trashed from their efforts. :D

(Which I'm glad for; it's a big deal to leave your baby behind and possibly go out to die and I'm glad they're not being glib about it)

Me too. It be so easy to just take the comic path, but they're actually exploring the ramifications. Which makes me incredibly curious about how they're going to handle the actual baby. (Mysterious Ancient rapid maturity machine?)

Here from the notice board, fyi. :)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Heeeeeeee. Ronon would most certainly not have allowed Rodney to lay down on the floor and prepare to die. LOL

That's an interesting idea about a rapidly maturing baby. I have a really hard time imagining the writers integrating a baby into the show very well, but stranger things have happened.

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting idea about a rapidly maturing baby.

I totally stole the idea from the tv series "V" where the half alien little girl fell into some mysterious goo and transformed into a half alien hot chick. ;) I have no idea if SGA would do that though. It's still another addition to their cast, so they may prefer going with a few baby mentions here or there. (Hey, Teyla. That sick-up on your tac-vest?)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh, V.

*hearts*

I remember the TV series rather less well, which is where the child you're talking about debuts (Elizabeth? Right?), but I adore the miniseries. That moment when the chick peels off her face and she's all reptilian is awesome.

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

...which is where the child you're talking about debuts (Elizabeth? Right?)...

Yup, that's it. :) I can't remember if she was born in the miniseries or if we just got the "forbidden" love-affair.

Yeah, the miniseries was pretty awesome. Remember the "vegetarian" alien? Too bad we can't get a vegetarian Wraith. :D

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Wraith that suck the life out of trees or, or, or Pegasus chickens. LOL That would be awesome.

And they wear yellow and orange and other cheery colors and braid flowers into their hair.

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, I vote for trees! And! They'd feel kind of bad about the trees and have this elaborate ritual for choosing the tree and draining day and maybe a special burial rite or something. And sacred groves!! :D

...and braid flowers into their hair.

Yes! And henna, pretty henna stripes (from sacred shrubs) that match their clothes! It'd be so awesome! LOL

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Draining Day.

Bwhahahahahahahaahahahaahha.

*loves*

OMG please write this crack fic. For it amuseth me mightily.

[horridporrid.livejournal.com]

Hee! Oh, if only I had the time... :D