Thoughts on Stargate: SG1 and Atlantis.
Dec. 10th, 2006 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prowler_pilotI don't have as much time as I wanted to to write a detailed commentary on the latest episodes of SGA and the 'new' SG1, but there are a couple of points that I'd like to write down. Starting with
I've had the chance to watch part of S9 with more attention, and I have to say I enjoyed it throughly. Though, I share the opinion of those who say it would have been better to change the name to the show. Maybe not "SGC". It rings kind of hollow to me, and after all, the show is still about a team (with three original members) going through the stargate, visiting new worlds and saving ours in the process. I would have 'ended' SG1 with Threads, and started anew with a 'Stargate: The Ori arc' or something better. Making it a spinoff, they could have detached it a little from the 'original' SG1, and even delayed the cancellation of a season or two (because, you can't make a two-season series :D)
The writing is still good, better in average than season 7 and 8 (there are great episodes in those two seasons, too, but it sort of felt like they had lost their point) and the plots are well shaped, usually better than what we get in SGA. The mythology is still fascinating, a little less exotic than the Egyptian maybe, but I like the idea of Merlin and Morgana as ascended ancients, the quest for the Saint Graal and OMG DRAGONS!!!! *squees quietly*
The Ori themselves are interesting villains, more mysterious and in a way, more disturbingly dangerous than the Goa'uld, (What's the source of their powers? How do you disable them if you don't know how they work?) and I'm intrigued by the character of Adria as well. The Quest has definitely left me wanting more, not only in the terms of conclusion of the episode, but in general. I want more SG1.
And, characters. It makes me a little sad that Sam has lost a lot of her Sam-ness. I still love her, how could I not, but I'm not as intrested in her now as I was before. Sam-wise, I prefer squeeing over her watching earlier seasons. And please, can we stop mistreating McKay? It's getting old. It was okay when McKay was a guest, depicted as an ass and as a not-so-brilliant-as-he-thinks-himself scientist, but after 3 years of him being the lovely, funny character, even if a little cranky, on SGA, Sam and Cameron's attitude towards him is starting to get on my nerves.
Back to Sam, her interaction with Cameron is great! The feeling I get from them is that they met each other well before the Antarctica battle, and I hope we'll get the chance to find out whether there really is some common history or not.
I don't have much to say about Cameron, except that I like him better since I've started watching Farscape. I've started to appreciate Ben Browder as an actor, and it's reflecting positively on my opinion of Mitchell. And as long as he keeps losing his pants, I'll be very happy with him.
I LOVE Daniel. A lot more than I used to, and that's partly because Jack isn't there anymore and Sam has lost part of her verve. Although, there was something about the long-haired, naive geek that I miss a lot in this 'action' version of Daniel.
And Vala. I really, really like Vala. And I really, really like Claudia Black. I think she's the reason Vala doesn't annoy me like she should. She portrays her perfectly, and makes me want to know more of this character. She provides a little comic relief, and she's growing to understand the values that glue SG1 together. I'm sure I had more to say about her, but I can't think of anything else right now. Duh.
I'm closing the SG1 part of this post with a negative side of the show: The Jaffas. Man, aren't they boring? I'm starting to think there was a good reason to keep them enslaved.To save the galaxy from utter boredom.
On with SGA:
The Return, II A very good episode, maybe even better than part I. We get the whole team trying to save their home, and JACK!!! Jack wasn't really kind to either of them, though. I understand the frustration of being stuck for weeks withVoyager's HMO Woolsey, but poor Carson didn't deserve such a remark. Neither did John, or Elizabeth when he told them they could have brought Carter. Okay, it was something thrown in for the S/J shippers, but wouldn't have it worked better if he had said he wanted to be back to see Carter and left out the disrespect?
Echoes I think Echoes is up to be my favorite episode of this season so far. This is the Atlantis I love, with the unveilings of the secrets of the city and its previous inhabitants. The city swarming with people, everyone trying their best to do their jobs. What I think tptb keep forgetting, is that Atlantis is no SGC. The people here don't go back home to their loved ones after their shifts, it's a large community of people living in the same conditions, and it often gets ignored. What makes SG1 enjoyable to me, is the team dynamics, how they work to pull out of another bad situation, but what makes Atlantis worth watching, is Atlantis itself. The city, the history that lies behind it, the way the earth people adapt to life in there, the collaboration of hundreds of people to make it work...this is what makes me tune in every week, and this episode had it all.
Although, the whole ohgodasolarflarewillkillusall thing was totally unnecessary, and too rushed at the end. It would have been nice to keep it just historical, a way for them to know what happened to that Ancient crew 15,000 years ago. It seemed a little far'fetched anyway that the 'whales' would have kept a selection of images in their genetic memory and purposefully went there to warn them. They could have had them gather near Atlantis because it was a safe place to give birth to their youngsters, or something. Yep, I would have definitely avoided the explosions.
On the plus side, it was the best ensemble acting I've seen since the 'The storm - the eye' two parters back in season 1. They were just clicking, it was highly enjoyable. It was nice to see Zelenka and Kate again, too.
There were some really nice Ronon/Teyla scenes in this one, too. He obviously cares about her a lot, and he's starting to show it to her. I don't know if this has something to do with the weeks they had spent separated from the others, but it was a rather explicit shipper scene for SGA.
And what was with the McShep? Really, I don't think it's healthy for tptb to give the slasher so much satisfaction. They should know by now how rabid shippers can be, and some slasher don't seem to understand the difference between fanon and canon. Enjoying McShep fanfic is okay, demanding to see it on canon is going a little too far, don't you think?
As cute as John carrying Elizabeth was, there was that major glitch many others have already pointed out. If she was unconscious, why would she have her arm around his shoulders, *holding* herself up? Joe is skinny, maybe she was scared he would drop her. :P
Irresponsible *yawns* Richard Kind saved the episode. He's a good actor, and indeed he did most of the acting in the episode. As in echoes, the first and the second half of the episode don't seem to be much linked, or to make much sense together.
It was a light episode (maybe too light for what was following, killing Koyla like this was a true waste of a possibly powerful episode linked more strictly to the Genii arc), not much team interaction except for the small talk at the beginning. It wasn't boring, but not much of an episode either. Another try at a team!Sheppard episode that didn't work so well for me.
As I've just said, Atlantis is Atlantis. I like John, Rodney, Ronon and Teyla. And Carson, too, clearly, I absolutely heart Carson. But they're no SG1. Atlantis was conceived in a different way, to be different from SG1, and trying to change it now doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
I just want my city.
I've had the chance to watch part of S9 with more attention, and I have to say I enjoyed it throughly. Though, I share the opinion of those who say it would have been better to change the name to the show. Maybe not "SGC". It rings kind of hollow to me, and after all, the show is still about a team (with three original members) going through the stargate, visiting new worlds and saving ours in the process. I would have 'ended' SG1 with Threads, and started anew with a 'Stargate: The Ori arc' or something better. Making it a spinoff, they could have detached it a little from the 'original' SG1, and even delayed the cancellation of a season or two (because, you can't make a two-season series :D)
The writing is still good, better in average than season 7 and 8 (there are great episodes in those two seasons, too, but it sort of felt like they had lost their point) and the plots are well shaped, usually better than what we get in SGA. The mythology is still fascinating, a little less exotic than the Egyptian maybe, but I like the idea of Merlin and Morgana as ascended ancients, the quest for the Saint Graal and OMG DRAGONS!!!! *squees quietly*
The Ori themselves are interesting villains, more mysterious and in a way, more disturbingly dangerous than the Goa'uld, (What's the source of their powers? How do you disable them if you don't know how they work?) and I'm intrigued by the character of Adria as well. The Quest has definitely left me wanting more, not only in the terms of conclusion of the episode, but in general. I want more SG1.
And, characters. It makes me a little sad that Sam has lost a lot of her Sam-ness. I still love her, how could I not, but I'm not as intrested in her now as I was before. Sam-wise, I prefer squeeing over her watching earlier seasons. And please, can we stop mistreating McKay? It's getting old. It was okay when McKay was a guest, depicted as an ass and as a not-so-brilliant-as-he-thinks-himself scientist, but after 3 years of him being the lovely, funny character, even if a little cranky, on SGA, Sam and Cameron's attitude towards him is starting to get on my nerves.
Back to Sam, her interaction with Cameron is great! The feeling I get from them is that they met each other well before the Antarctica battle, and I hope we'll get the chance to find out whether there really is some common history or not.
I don't have much to say about Cameron, except that I like him better since I've started watching Farscape. I've started to appreciate Ben Browder as an actor, and it's reflecting positively on my opinion of Mitchell. And as long as he keeps losing his pants, I'll be very happy with him.
I LOVE Daniel. A lot more than I used to, and that's partly because Jack isn't there anymore and Sam has lost part of her verve. Although, there was something about the long-haired, naive geek that I miss a lot in this 'action' version of Daniel.
And Vala. I really, really like Vala. And I really, really like Claudia Black. I think she's the reason Vala doesn't annoy me like she should. She portrays her perfectly, and makes me want to know more of this character. She provides a little comic relief, and she's growing to understand the values that glue SG1 together. I'm sure I had more to say about her, but I can't think of anything else right now. Duh.
I'm closing the SG1 part of this post with a negative side of the show: The Jaffas. Man, aren't they boring? I'm starting to think there was a good reason to keep them enslaved.
On with SGA:
The Return, II A very good episode, maybe even better than part I. We get the whole team trying to save their home, and JACK!!! Jack wasn't really kind to either of them, though. I understand the frustration of being stuck for weeks with
Echoes I think Echoes is up to be my favorite episode of this season so far. This is the Atlantis I love, with the unveilings of the secrets of the city and its previous inhabitants. The city swarming with people, everyone trying their best to do their jobs. What I think tptb keep forgetting, is that Atlantis is no SGC. The people here don't go back home to their loved ones after their shifts, it's a large community of people living in the same conditions, and it often gets ignored. What makes SG1 enjoyable to me, is the team dynamics, how they work to pull out of another bad situation, but what makes Atlantis worth watching, is Atlantis itself. The city, the history that lies behind it, the way the earth people adapt to life in there, the collaboration of hundreds of people to make it work...this is what makes me tune in every week, and this episode had it all.
Although, the whole ohgodasolarflarewillkillusall thing was totally unnecessary, and too rushed at the end. It would have been nice to keep it just historical, a way for them to know what happened to that Ancient crew 15,000 years ago. It seemed a little far'fetched anyway that the 'whales' would have kept a selection of images in their genetic memory and purposefully went there to warn them. They could have had them gather near Atlantis because it was a safe place to give birth to their youngsters, or something. Yep, I would have definitely avoided the explosions.
On the plus side, it was the best ensemble acting I've seen since the 'The storm - the eye' two parters back in season 1. They were just clicking, it was highly enjoyable. It was nice to see Zelenka and Kate again, too.
There were some really nice Ronon/Teyla scenes in this one, too. He obviously cares about her a lot, and he's starting to show it to her. I don't know if this has something to do with the weeks they had spent separated from the others, but it was a rather explicit shipper scene for SGA.
And what was with the McShep? Really, I don't think it's healthy for tptb to give the slasher so much satisfaction. They should know by now how rabid shippers can be, and some slasher don't seem to understand the difference between fanon and canon. Enjoying McShep fanfic is okay, demanding to see it on canon is going a little too far, don't you think?
As cute as John carrying Elizabeth was, there was that major glitch many others have already pointed out. If she was unconscious, why would she have her arm around his shoulders, *holding* herself up? Joe is skinny, maybe she was scared he would drop her. :P
Irresponsible *yawns* Richard Kind saved the episode. He's a good actor, and indeed he did most of the acting in the episode. As in echoes, the first and the second half of the episode don't seem to be much linked, or to make much sense together.
It was a light episode (maybe too light for what was following, killing Koyla like this was a true waste of a possibly powerful episode linked more strictly to the Genii arc), not much team interaction except for the small talk at the beginning. It wasn't boring, but not much of an episode either. Another try at a team!Sheppard episode that didn't work so well for me.
As I've just said, Atlantis is Atlantis. I like John, Rodney, Ronon and Teyla. And Carson, too, clearly, I absolutely heart Carson. But they're no SG1. Atlantis was conceived in a different way, to be different from SG1, and trying to change it now doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
I just want my city.
