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SGA Episode Review: Search and Rescue
SPOILERS
Before I say anything else, I have to say that my love for this episode cannot be textually rendered. "The Last Man" was such a strong episode, one of the strongest of the whole series, and I was really worried this season's opener would be a downer in comparison, but I was proven blessedly wrong on that score.
1. John's opening dream intrigues me. I feel like this show can't decide what to do with Sheppard and Teyla. At times, the writers seem to ship them pretty hard and at others, it seems like John wants nothing to do with her sexually. With all the waffling going on, it's really hard to create a clear-cut interpretation of their relationship. I think you could read this opening dream as proof that Sheppard is in love with Teyla and just waiting to make his move if you wanted to. However, I think my own personal interpretation runs a little more like this: I think that Teyla and John are both attracted to each other; they'd have to be blind not to notice how pretty they both are. And they both possess the qualities that each admires in another: loyalty and bravery, etc. I also subscribe to the belief that there's no such thing as a purely platonic relationship anyway; I think there's always a tiny frisson of desire fueling every friendship. So, I think John and Teyla are attracted to each other but have no intention of doing anything about that attraction because they aren't in romantic love with each other. I think they are first and foremost friends and I think the dream that John has at the beginning of the episode is his unconscious brain indulging that attraction a little, a sort of what if, but you notice that even in this dream, John isn't going to stay. It is also a way for his subconcious to make the revelation that Teyla isn't rescued even worse. Never say Sheppard doesn't win at browbeating.
2. Yay! Rainbow Sun!
3. Rodney and Lorne's scenes together are pretty much made entirely of win.
4. As are Sheppard and Ronon's scenes together. I love that Ronon's language mirrors Sheppard's (Hey, buddy) and I love that Ronon simply refuses to allow Sheppard to goad him into leaving. I love how we see in these few scenes a more open John Sheppard than we are usually privy to. From his, "I'm that guy" deprecation to the almost desperate way he tries to convince Ronon that he would leave him in the same situation (and Ronon buys that about as much as we do). I love how John determines that their rescuers are really Michael's hybrids. And even though I knew they were going to survive, when Ronon reaches around John and hands him his gun, I teared up because, BOYS!!!!!!!!! I love that they intend to OK Corral it. "Been a pleasure," and, "Same." *loves*
5. I don't think I like the weird new score melody over the scene where the camera sweeps to Michael's hive ship. Somebody has been watching a little too much Star Wars.
6. Who's kickass new Marine? I like her.
7. Unnamed nav girl is gone from the Daedalus *sob* but Major Marks is still at the helm.
8. Sam is so freaking awesome. I was really, really wary of her joining SGA and I don't think the show always utilized her character to its full potential, but I very much enjoyed her stint on the show and I wish she wasn't going. When she calls Caldwell by his first name, that's pretty much gold. And when John tells her he has more respect for her than any other CO he's ever had, I teared up yet again. Sam and Rodney's conversation at the end of the episode, the one where Rodney is secure enough to praise Sam for the good she's done and comfortable enough with her that they're actually friends, that makes her loss of Atlantis just that much more bittersweet. I'm curious to see what they'll do with Woolsey in the position; I really like his character and I think since Bates and Kavanagh left, the show has desperately needed some internal voices of dissent, so *shrugs*
9. Keller has an away team. This makes sense. Both her scenes with Sheppard are gold--the first because John is so desperate not to let another teammate slip through his fingers and the second because Keller is so wonderfully dorky and silly. I love the way she looks around and expects everyone else to be laughing with her.
10. Teyla is so wonderful! She looks so distraught the whole episode and it has to be difficult to maintain that level of emotional intensity for that long and have it look real. I love how the final scene with her and John mirrors the first except that all the sexual implications are stripped away and it's just two people who are closer than blood and closer than sex can make you and when John says, "You would have done the same for me," and Teyla just smiles that gorgeous smile that makes me weak in the knees and says, "Yes," in the same way she says that the sky is blue and that humans need air to live--that my friends is when Lorraine truly started bawling.
11. Kanaan seems more human now, as do all the hybrids. Last season they seemed more like zombies, with virtually no capacity for independent thought. I kinda don't like that this episode changed their characterization so much. I also wonder where Kanaan is; I'm assuming he is on Atlantis being treated for what Michael has done to him. Nothing else makes much sense.
12. John finding out that McKay is alive <3
13. The way that Ronon and Rodney both take care of Sheppard in this episode is amazing. From Rodney genuinely wanting Sheppard to stay with the jumper to Ronon's "You don't have to do everything," the teamy goodness abounds.
14. Star Trek nod with the hive ship bay doors FTW!
15. The whole scene where Rodney delivers Torrin is pretty awesome. Rodney cycles through all the versions of himself in this one very short scene--from the self-absorbed dumbass who recounts his own petty pain in the face of others' greater pain, to the coward, to the very very brave man who rolls up his sleeve and gets the job done ("What do you need me to do?). That look on his face, the sound of his voice when he's presenting the baby to Teyla--damn. I feel like I did nothing but cry happy tears this whole episode.
17. Finally, John's "You did good, Rodney," and then the way the camera pans out to show us that tiny, tiny baby in John Sheppard's arms--I think my husband also cried. LOL
Before I say anything else, I have to say that my love for this episode cannot be textually rendered. "The Last Man" was such a strong episode, one of the strongest of the whole series, and I was really worried this season's opener would be a downer in comparison, but I was proven blessedly wrong on that score.
1. John's opening dream intrigues me. I feel like this show can't decide what to do with Sheppard and Teyla. At times, the writers seem to ship them pretty hard and at others, it seems like John wants nothing to do with her sexually. With all the waffling going on, it's really hard to create a clear-cut interpretation of their relationship. I think you could read this opening dream as proof that Sheppard is in love with Teyla and just waiting to make his move if you wanted to. However, I think my own personal interpretation runs a little more like this: I think that Teyla and John are both attracted to each other; they'd have to be blind not to notice how pretty they both are. And they both possess the qualities that each admires in another: loyalty and bravery, etc. I also subscribe to the belief that there's no such thing as a purely platonic relationship anyway; I think there's always a tiny frisson of desire fueling every friendship. So, I think John and Teyla are attracted to each other but have no intention of doing anything about that attraction because they aren't in romantic love with each other. I think they are first and foremost friends and I think the dream that John has at the beginning of the episode is his unconscious brain indulging that attraction a little, a sort of what if, but you notice that even in this dream, John isn't going to stay. It is also a way for his subconcious to make the revelation that Teyla isn't rescued even worse. Never say Sheppard doesn't win at browbeating.
2. Yay! Rainbow Sun!
3. Rodney and Lorne's scenes together are pretty much made entirely of win.
4. As are Sheppard and Ronon's scenes together. I love that Ronon's language mirrors Sheppard's (Hey, buddy) and I love that Ronon simply refuses to allow Sheppard to goad him into leaving. I love how we see in these few scenes a more open John Sheppard than we are usually privy to. From his, "I'm that guy" deprecation to the almost desperate way he tries to convince Ronon that he would leave him in the same situation (and Ronon buys that about as much as we do). I love how John determines that their rescuers are really Michael's hybrids. And even though I knew they were going to survive, when Ronon reaches around John and hands him his gun, I teared up because, BOYS!!!!!!!!! I love that they intend to OK Corral it. "Been a pleasure," and, "Same." *loves*
5. I don't think I like the weird new score melody over the scene where the camera sweeps to Michael's hive ship. Somebody has been watching a little too much Star Wars.
6. Who's kickass new Marine? I like her.
7. Unnamed nav girl is gone from the Daedalus *sob* but Major Marks is still at the helm.
8. Sam is so freaking awesome. I was really, really wary of her joining SGA and I don't think the show always utilized her character to its full potential, but I very much enjoyed her stint on the show and I wish she wasn't going. When she calls Caldwell by his first name, that's pretty much gold. And when John tells her he has more respect for her than any other CO he's ever had, I teared up yet again. Sam and Rodney's conversation at the end of the episode, the one where Rodney is secure enough to praise Sam for the good she's done and comfortable enough with her that they're actually friends, that makes her loss of Atlantis just that much more bittersweet. I'm curious to see what they'll do with Woolsey in the position; I really like his character and I think since Bates and Kavanagh left, the show has desperately needed some internal voices of dissent, so *shrugs*
9. Keller has an away team. This makes sense. Both her scenes with Sheppard are gold--the first because John is so desperate not to let another teammate slip through his fingers and the second because Keller is so wonderfully dorky and silly. I love the way she looks around and expects everyone else to be laughing with her.
10. Teyla is so wonderful! She looks so distraught the whole episode and it has to be difficult to maintain that level of emotional intensity for that long and have it look real. I love how the final scene with her and John mirrors the first except that all the sexual implications are stripped away and it's just two people who are closer than blood and closer than sex can make you and when John says, "You would have done the same for me," and Teyla just smiles that gorgeous smile that makes me weak in the knees and says, "Yes," in the same way she says that the sky is blue and that humans need air to live--that my friends is when Lorraine truly started bawling.
11. Kanaan seems more human now, as do all the hybrids. Last season they seemed more like zombies, with virtually no capacity for independent thought. I kinda don't like that this episode changed their characterization so much. I also wonder where Kanaan is; I'm assuming he is on Atlantis being treated for what Michael has done to him. Nothing else makes much sense.
12. John finding out that McKay is alive <3
13. The way that Ronon and Rodney both take care of Sheppard in this episode is amazing. From Rodney genuinely wanting Sheppard to stay with the jumper to Ronon's "You don't have to do everything," the teamy goodness abounds.
14. Star Trek nod with the hive ship bay doors FTW!
15. The whole scene where Rodney delivers Torrin is pretty awesome. Rodney cycles through all the versions of himself in this one very short scene--from the self-absorbed dumbass who recounts his own petty pain in the face of others' greater pain, to the coward, to the very very brave man who rolls up his sleeve and gets the job done ("What do you need me to do?). That look on his face, the sound of his voice when he's presenting the baby to Teyla--damn. I feel like I did nothing but cry happy tears this whole episode.
17. Finally, John's "You did good, Rodney," and then the way the camera pans out to show us that tiny, tiny baby in John Sheppard's arms--I think my husband also cried. LOL
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1.) That whole dream sequence pisses me off/annoys me. I've never really liked the thought of John/Teyla because it always seemed so cliche. Now though I don't like it because I don't feel any sexual chemistry, now I'm not sure whether or not that's because the actors don't have sexual tension or the characters, but whenever John Sheppard has interacted with girls I never really sense any sexual tension... at all. Caring and affection sure, but sexual tension is like NEVER present in John's scenes. I'm wondering if Joe has issues with John or if he has issues with acting out sexual tension/relationships in general. I don't know, I just mean that out of all of John's possible ships on the show I saw the writers setting up Teyla/John, but I didn't feel it, and I think that no matter how they play it, I don't know if I'll ever feel it.
I kind of, back when I first started watching, thought John would be a great gay character because of the fact that he has like zero sexual energy, and maybe that's why a lot of writer's write him as a closeted military guy. You can't feel sexual vibes with him. And I'm not saying he's gay because he doesn't vibe it up with girls; When I first started watching I never really saw the appeal of John/Rodney fic, and now I think I only really enjoy it because it's fic and because most writers make the leap to connect the really good, semi-deep friendship together with something more. The point is, I never really ever sensed any relationshippy or sex-ness with John, and so the dream kinda pissed me off.
1 & 2) When you started analyzing it, talking about the relationship/sex stuff with J & T I had this brief thought that John got it on with Ford. It made me happy, but in hindsight I can't really see it, maybe unrequited feelings (Ford really really wanted to get back to Atlantis and prove himself to John), but not much else.
08.) Yes, I really enjoyed Sam over her run, I think she was a great choice of commander, especially for everyone who watched SG1, because you know that she's been out there on the front lines herself and probably has the best idea of anyone how to run that type of command.
I am also really interested to see where they go with Woolsey. I first saw him on SGA, but when I went back and watched him in his first couple of appearances on SG1, I went from hating his character to loving him. I mean the guy has such a strong sense of what is right and wrong and ultimately he makes decisions with the purely bigger picture in mind. You have to respect him for that if for nothing else. I can't wait to see what happens with him as well, because I really feel that he's changed in the last season just with his interactions on Atlantis. I mean his last review where Sam had to make the hard call already proved to me that he's capable of learning. I mean seriously this will be a kick ass season, if for no other reason than the tension created.
12) I felt that way when McKay found out John was alive.
15) Yes, that was a freaking awesome scene. I saw that one coming from about 60 million light years away, but I wanted it so - FTW!
Overall it was an awesome episode and I'm glad it worked out the way it did, although one tiny thing I wish, is that I wish they pulled out one or two more people from the rubble. It's pretty convienient that only those four survived.
Oh how I love B-grade Sci-fi <3
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Yeah, Woolsey is an asshat, but I agree with you that he is a man of principles. He might be wrong, but he truly believes that he's doing the right thing and that is admirable.
I agree with you also about them being the only survivors. Lots of red shirts in this show.
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Sci-Fi didn't air "The Last Man" right before the season premiere like douchebags so I was having a hard time remembering exactly what happened in that final scene.