SPN and SGU reviews: SPOILERS

[lunabee34]

Air pt 3

1. I love that Jack O'Neill has done six impossible things before breakfast for so many years that it doesn't even occur to him that the newest crew of the Destiny might not survive. Part of that is the character's flippancy, his penchant for understatement, and part of it is a morale building exercise. But underneath I think is a real, "WTF, people. Don't tell me you can't. Go do."

2. I continue to really like Eli. He's funny and self-deprecating and brave but he doesn't know everything. He's not perfect. He trusts a little too willingly, for one. I don't necessarily know where all his faith in Rush comes from, but for whatever reason, he doesn't seem to see the Profound Skeeviness of Dr. Rush in as blatant relief as I do. LOL

I particularly like the whole set of conflicts that revolves around letting Eli go on the away mission. Young is practical and pragmatic and he knows that they are quite possibly looking at spending the rest of their lives in an extreme survival situation. If that's true, everybody has to pull his or her own weight. Nobody gets a free ride or an easy out. But Scott isn't wrong when he says that Eli (and probably the other scientists that go with him in his group) are slowing down their search. I love that in the conversation Eli and Scott have, Eli is both defensive and completely aware that Scott is right and while Scott probably hurts Eli's feelings, he's also not a dick about it and he doesn't dismiss Eli's concerns about splitting up as invalid.

3. Josh mentioned that he really liked that the science in this episode seemed more "real" than it does most of the time in the Gateverse. There was no reversal of shield polarity or tachyons of any kind--just some old fashioned litmus testing.

4. I continue to really like Johansen and am dying to know what went on between her and Young. I have the feeling it will be juicy and Epically Tragic!

5. I was a little less enamoured of the scenes with Chloe saying goodbye to her mom, but I really like the idea of the stones as a way of allowing the crew to say goodbye to loved ones--think of all the angst! Think of all the character backstory and development we can get from that!

6. Greer's character intrigues me. He's such a study in contrasts. He is clearly a little unhinged, prone to violence, but there's also this weird playfulness to the violence at times. Rush makes him very angry and with reason. Although he says that they couldn't have dialed Earth because the risk of blowing up the planet through the Gate was too high (which I can buy actually; I think that's also why everybody came through the Stargate at such force onto Destiny; the Gate was souped up with energy from the planet's core and literally hurling everyone through), he could have sent them elsewhere in the Milky Way. So, I find it fascinating that when Rush tells him to, Greer shoots. I also love that Greer will not give up on Scott.

7. Scott's character really interests me too. They've given him such an intriguing backstory. Parents died when he was four, raised by a priest who later drinks himself to death when he's 16. Scott has been headed for the priesthood when he gets a girl pregnant who has an abortion. It's not clear whether the priest's drinking problem is a direct result of this situation, but it's certainly implied. So here we have a guy who as a kid made a mistake that made him feel so guilty and unworthy that the lost his faith or maybe can simply take no comfort in it any longer. I don't know. It's not quite clear, but I like the way his character is developing. It also makes the moment in the pilot where he comforts Chloe that much more poignant; he's clearly an emotionally sensitive and attenuated person who probably would have made a very good priest had he stayed with that path.

8. What happened to those three scientists? I hope we find out in the next episode. When the new team shows up on the planet to try their luck, they give Eli a kino. I assumed he was going to dial the planet they'd gone to and transmit intel back to Destiny. I hope he did because I'm so curious. If not, there's always the chance that they survived and will show up again one day. They have a kino with them so they could use it to check out the situation before they Gated anywhere; well, at least once anyway. LOL

9. I don't like the song they used at the end. SGA and SG1 only used music music twice and that was the Stones and CCR, respectively. Kinda awesome and used to wonderful effect. Not so much with this "Breathe" song. I really hope that is not going to be a trend.



I think my response to SPN can be summed up in a couple of sentences that don't even require a cut-tag. Ahem. Yay! Yay! Yay! And also, Soon looks amazing. Is it Soon yet? LOL

Comments

[ariadne83]

So here we have a guy who as a kid made a mistake that made him feel so guilty and unworthy that the lost his faith or maybe can simply take no comfort in it any longer. I don't know. It's not quite clear, but I like the way his character is developing. It also makes the moment in the pilot where he comforts Chloe that much more poignant; he's clearly an emotionally sensitive and attenuated person who probably would have made a very good priest had he stayed with that path.

Yes! That would make for such a great dynamic to explore in fic. I'm really intrigued by stories with religious tensions at the moment (I blame Supernatural *g*) and it would work very well for another layer to a slash pairing too. Not that I know enough about the show to pair Scott with anyone LOL.

Speaking of Supernatural, I finally got to watch the rest of season 3/4/5 this weekend and yay just about sums it up. One that really stuck out for me was "Sex and Violence," with Dean creating the image of his perfect boyfriend, and how much Dean just wants to be liked for who he is (awww!). And, I'm really, really digging the way they keep undercutting/complicating Dean's macho image with gender-queer aspects. It gives him a hell of a lot more depth :D

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dean initially seems so one dimensional and then he's like a freaking onion as the seasons go on--he's a lot less insecure in his masculinity than you might assume from the first season or so.

Was that not the slashiest episode ever!? Love, love, love.

I am so looking forward to this week's ep. That trailer looked crazy!good.

[ariadne83]

Was that not the slashiest episode ever!?

*hands* Dean's ideal man is... himself. I don't even know what to do with that. Other than watch 5x04 again. And again. And again.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahahha!

I wish Sarah hadn't taken all our SPN DVDs. I've been hankering to watch some of season 3 again. I'm off to buy season four this weekend. Yay!

[ariadne83]

Damn it. Now, thanks to you, I have a hankering for SGU gen-fic, about what it was like for Scott when he joined the Stargate program. I have this really strong image of him sitting in the mess at Cheyenne Mountain and half-listening to the Marines at the next table talking shit about whether or not Jesus was really an Ancient.

And how would he deal with that? Would he have a knee-jerk reaction to defend a religion he's not even sure he believes in anymore?

How many other Stargate personnel run up against that particular brick wall?

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. And I haven't posted my ep review from last week which relates to this bunny. I think my initial assessment of Scott is wrong. I don't necessarily think it's that he doesn't believe. I think he does. I think he lost faith in *himself*. Which is wow. A lot deeper.

I would love to see the Jesus is an Ancient fic that's not played for laughs. And I would love to see a treatment of Christians in the SGC (or Muslims or Jews) who have to reconcile the idea that God is probably an alien with the positive aspects of their religion. Does something Not Being True mean it doesn't have power or value? And what does True even mean?

*gets all chill bumpy*

[ariadne83]

You know what else would be good? Young/Telford slash, where they've swapped back and forth so many times the separation starts getting blurred.

And I'm getting a hugely slashy vibe between Greer and Scott. I think maybe Greer's used to being in charge, and protecting him, but has been demoted in his responsibilities recently or something... I could easily picture them as exes, or fuckbuddies in denial (especially because of Scott's religious background). By the time they sent Greer off to find Scott I was all *flappy hands of glee* "You go get your man!" LOL I just love their dynamic so damn much.

And oooh, that moment that Greer gives Eli the gun gave me OT3 shivers. Then he risks losing an arm for them :D

Also, I love the way Greer delivers certain lines, like "You think that's why I'm aaangry?" and just laughing his ass off at Rush's narrow-minded assumptions. I can imagine his mind boggling at the idea that the guy who's supposed to save them is a racist (homophobic) asshole.

And they sent the girl soldier to head up the rescue mission, which I like.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, I also have this other thought about Greer/Scott.

I wonder if maybe Scott was one of the only people who didn't demonize him or shun him or whatever after he did Whatever it is That He Did, you know? I wonder if Scott continued to behave as his friend. I can so see that. And what sort of loyalty that must engender in Greer.

Man, I have got to make that episode post!

Another thing I noticed was that, IMO, his interest in Chloe doesn't appear to be sexual. I could be wrong, but I really think he genuinely wants to help her stop hurting. I don't think he's trying to get into her panties, especially since the woman he already has some sort of relationship with is along for the ride.

[ariadne83]

Also, Scott is an Air Force officer, whereas Greer seems to be an enlisted Marine - I'd love to see someone with some know-how explore the differences between their roles (I've been watching too much Generation Kill, I think *g*).

Actually, that's one thing I wish someone had written for SGA - a season-one fic which dealt with the fact that most of the personnel seemed to be Marines (even Ford was a Marine), and Sheppard was the token AF guy. I think in early-mid SG-1 there was some tension between the Air Force and the Marines, because the latter wanted a larger presence in the Stargate program. Maybe Atlantis was a peace offering? And I wonder how the Marines liked it in season two onwards, where there was a larger Air Force presence.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Do we ever see anybody that's Army or Navy in the show?

[ariadne83]

I can't think of any off the top of my head.

[tabaqui]

Ah ha ha.

I hope i don't harsh your squee. I don't want to. So....read at your own risk, or tell me to beat it.

Your reaction to the stones and mind is *polar opposite*. I rather feel like their a complete cop-out. Totally a get-out-of-jail-free card and they really annoy me. And, plus, they're a billion-million light years away and it *still works*? Just.....meh.

I'm also less than enthused about the backstories. Let's tell them *later*, gods! Right now, i'd like to see more tension and action and 'omg, we have to figure this ship out or we'll die!!' kind of stuff. Not long, angsty flashbacks that are kinda....eh. Plus, stop with the 'must stop all action and comfort people' things. Sheesh. You're going to *die*, people! Be touchy-feely later.

I like Eli, yes. I like...Scott? Scott. I'm still not up on all the names. I love how utterly *insincere* Rush is when he talks about how sorry he is, how hard he's working to get them back. Oh, he *so* is not! He does not *care*. He wants to stay there forever.

I missed the start of episode three, and i *hate* watching on tv, anyway, so i need to dl all three and re-watch again to really *know*. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's gotten off to a rather lumbering start, so i hope they can streamline it a bit more in future eps.

There - i hope that wasn't too awful!
:)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Heeeeee. I'm not harshed at all. Thank god we're all interpreting the show differently or how else could there be fic!! :)

I'm guessing with your reaction to the stones that you probably didn't see SG-1. They were first introduced as a concept in that series and were also used over huge huge huge huge farther away than Pegasus distances in that episode. I can totally see why they annoy but I think they are saved from being merely deus ex machina by virtue of the fact that even though they can talk and communicate ia them, the SGC can't really *do* anything. They can receive reports, but they can't give them food or water or *fix* anything. I'm also a huge fan of body swap as a narrative trope. It's fun to watch Buffy be Faith and vice versa. I do hope they don't use it *too* often though.

I love to hate Rush. Heeeeee. Robert Carlyle is such a good actor and he's making Rush so skeevy and untrustworthy. I love it. I think that one of the things that really hurt SGA was that once Bates and Kavanagh are gone, Atlantis has no source of internal dissent. It was really nice to have an internal conflict and not always have the conflict come from an external source. Greer is good for that too.

[tabaqui]

Yeah, i never got into SG-1. I saw a few eps, but...eh. I know they can't send anything via the stones but they can talk to whoever they want, look at books or computer programs, talk to other people about problems and get answers....it just annoys me. It seems like a huge cop-out. Plus, the angst, to me, is they don't get to talk to anyone or say goodbye or even explain anything! The stones just take all that away. Bleh.
*is grumpy. sorry*

I'm thinkin' Rush is gonna be a total bitch, and i *love* it. :)

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

No. I get that. :) It could very easily become too hand-wavy. We'll have to see. Maybe Rush will "lose" the stones. Heeeee.

[crevanfox.livejournal.com]

I'm also of the opposite side of the spectrum of likes and dislikes.

I agree with all of tabaqui, and add a few of my own.

I liked that song, not that I necessarily want a song every ep (too Smallville), but this one I happened to enjoy.

I like Rush, and am not a big fan of Eli, Greer and Scott. Yes I am wierd, but Rush's ambigious nature is interesting, even his self serving nature is handled well by the actor. When Scott tries to do what needs to be done, He comes off as a bit dickish. There is almost this bipolar nature to him, too brash and mean (and screwing anything that moves) and then suddenly too soft and in touch with his emotions. I could like him if he was consistently just one type.

Greer just comes across as a maniac(IMHO). I think he followed Rush's order to shoot simply because he likes the violence, but needs an order to do it, if he hasn't made his victim a target already, as he has with Rush. Rush is an authority figure giving him the okay to commit violence, and he is more than happy to comply.

I hate Chloe. I'm just going to say it. I hate every scene she's in. I hate her hysterics, and her drinking during her Dad's speech, I hate that she so obviously got it from her weak willed mother. She is easily my least favourite character.

I do however like the nurse/doctor woman, whose name escapes me. She's cool, so far.

I agree with you about Jack, he is so awesome. I decided to give the series a chance because I heard he was guest starring.

and yes! the scientists! No one said anything about them. Are they okay, will anyone bother to pick them up next stopover. Did they start to panic when they realized they had no way home?



Supernatural was pretty good. Not up to 'The End' quality, but since that's my new favourite episode of the series, no other episode can compare ;) Paris Hilton was pretty funny.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I love to hate Rush. Robert Carlyle is a brilliant actor and he's making the character so deliciously skeevy, so layered and mad scientisty. I love it.

I interpreted both scenes with drinking very differently. :) First with the mom, I didn't think that scene worked very well on a lot of different levels. It was by far my least favorite. *But* I don't think it makes her weak or an alcoholic when her daughter (maybe?) shows up in a new body and isn't dead but her husband is *whew* to grab a drink. I'm pretty sure that would be my first move. LOL In fact, those were the exact words out of my husband's mouth as that scene was airing, "I think I'd hit the whiskey too." LOL Then with Chloe, they're drinking wine with dinner and I think she knew what was coming. Her father had clearly given the speech before and it embarrasses her. And why shouldn't it? I know I'd be embarrassed if my mom gave the "look how awesome my child is" speech to a room full of the smartest and bravest people in the galaxy. I do see how it could ping somebody the wrong way, but I didn't read it that way.

I like Johansen too. She is very good at what she does while acknowledging her limitations and lack of training in certain areas. She's got to feel the weight of the world on her shoulders; she's the only thing they'll have keeping them alive when it comes down to the wire.

[crevanfox.livejournal.com]

Chloe just bugs me. When the situation is life or death she goes into hysterics, I've lost family before, and the situation wasn't life or death, but I still managed to keep myself together, likewise I've been in life or death situations and people flipping out are 100% guaranteed to make the problem worse.

I realize there's a huge bunch of personal hang ups involoved in my dislike, so I can see why others aren't bothered by her.

As for her mom, she gets a chance to say goodbye (I'm guessing non-Senator related people will not get this oppurtunity), she could have kept it together long enough to say a proper goodbye. I would understand wanting (even needing) a drink- that's a whopper of a secret(s) to have land on you all at once, but hysterical women characters just bug me. It's so stereotypical;either women or feminine men needing to be controlled and/or comforted.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, eh?

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I think so. :) Disagreement most welcome here, though. This is not the Lorraine's always right journal. Mostly. :)