I've seen the "Light"

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Before I get into SGU, I just have to say that I love these poll results. Clearly, I think I'm kind of clever writing poll options, but I'm really tickled that though I gave nine choices, over half the respondents chose "How should I know? I haven't seen it, but I have a compulsion to take polls." I do too!

So more on the strength of aurora_novarum's power of persuasion than from sheer numbers, BH and I let Monk wait another day (or three) and fit in SGU last night. Guess what, Aurora? You're right! I'm glad I watched. It's still a long way from being my favorite show, but we thought it beat the heck out of any episode that had previously aired. Greer was great: I'm starting to get a sense of consistent personality here. He really doesn't care what most people think, but he does care what Young thinks. He was ready to die not because he's nuts, but because he knew what he was getting into when he chose this life, and he seems to have a contemplative streak. Apparently he was in the brig for something involving Telford, who should be court-martialed for needlessly endangering Young's life and health; now that I can understand.

Rush is still a jerk, but a slightly more reasonable jerk when not in caffeine withdrawal.

Young's kind of a jerk too.

I don't think it has crossed Chloe's mind that she might have been leading Eli on. In her mind, they're buddies! I can imagine doing the same thing. In fact, that episode kind of made me wonder if I had done it at some point: I've had lots of friends who are guys. (Apparently one of them was absolutely shocked when I got engaged. We were never good friends, so I don't think I could have led him on, but I thought everyone around me knew that BH and I got very serious very quickly. I was mistaken.)

The funny thing is that after Young announced they were all going to die (well, except maybe 17 of them), I said, "We're all going to die. Let's have sex!" BH didn't even recognize it; it's from Torchwood, but I think I bungled the quote really badly. Then two of them did head off and have sex. (I think Ianto responded to that line from Owen with something like, "Just when I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse.")

I want to see more of Camille. I'm a bit frustrated: I think they have at least twice as many characters as they can competently right, so different people get shafted each week, but Camille gets shafted almost every week. (People I do not need to see again: Telford. People I don't care about: Scott. A couple of the scientists whose names I forgot because I don't care. People I want to see more: Greer and Camille, probably in that order. People I'm seeing about the right amount: Eli and Chloe. I don't need more skin from Chloe, by the way.)

The ship is clearly smarter than everyone on it put together. And solar-powered! Hee hee! Okay, I'd decided they were going to scoop up something useful from the sun, but I didn't expect them to go through it.

Next week: to whom does Eli have to explain the reference to Hoth? Doesn't everyone get that?

Comments

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

I see a poster ad for SGU every week and often think, "Maybe I should give it a try?" It's got Robert Carlyle whom I've enjoyed in past things but then I read reviews and I hedge.

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

You might as well give it a try. It's only 45 minutes, and it's not like your eyes will melt if you don't like it. ;)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'm so frustrated with Carlyle's character that I can't recommend the show for him. You might actually skip the first three or four episodes if you already know the premise. It's still painfully slow, but at least Friday's episode felt as though it went somewhere, which is more than I can say for the entire first two parts (the two-hour premiere).

[jedibuttercup]

I ended up tracking it down on Hulu, and finished the ep thinking, "Wow, these are people, not just a mess of dramatic reactions!" The show's starting to iron itself out a little. I feel better about it than I did last week, anyway.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Yay! You found it! *does happy hulu dance...I think it involves hula hoops*

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

I don't think Chloe thought she was leading Eli on, either, and I'm afraid I've definitely done that. Sigh. I don't get the death=sex thing. I know it exists, it's even documented, but sex really wouldn't be what I was thinking about right then.

I disliked Greer enough for the episodes leading up to this one that he hasn't won me over yet, but that went a long way.

I'm starting to like TJ more now, as well, although I'm not getting much personality from her.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I don't get the death=sex thing. I know it exists, it's even documented, but sex really wouldn't be what I was thinking about right then.
I only thought of it because of Owen on Torchwood! I could not believe that two characters then went off and did just that! (As far as I can tell, Owen was solely trying to get a rise out of Ianto, at which he had some success.)

I want to like TJ, but they're not giving us a lot to work with, are they?

[sg-betty.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I find that pretty inconceivable. It might be different if they'd known each other for some time, had an established attraction, or been a couple, but it's only been a matter of days. I find that odd.

I noticed that they had Chloe say that even though they'd only known each other for a few days (a short time?), she felt closer to him than anyone she'd ever known. I think that's the writer hanging a lampshade on it because they know it's going to seem bizarre but they want them to have sex anyway. Apparently they've decided that lots of meaningless sex=grown up TV.

It's also an attempt to keep Chloe from looking indiscriminate. We know Scott is, already, but I don't think they want us to think that about Chloe. Well, now she doesn't look indiscriminate,, but she looks foolish, and if she turns out to think that was meaningful, she's going to look stupid.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

So more on the strength of [info]aurora_novarum's power of persuasion

Wow, I have a super power? why couldn't I get a cool one like flying? Wait, I'm professor X! Cool! I must try to ensure I use such power for good. :-D

I think Young is a bit of a jerk too. He kept going, oh it was no question for me not to go, I was injured. I think I'm the only person who went...wait, did that mean he rejected everyone who was injured? Like half the scientists walking around in slings? I know that's not what I was supposed to think...or I don't *think* it was intended.

The ship is the smartest character on the whole damn show. Except apparently it might not have seen Star Wars. Eli had to explain it to someone.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I think we're supposed to think that Young is hurt pretty badly and might not make it very long, but I could be wrong about that. He just keeps hobbling around the ship.

Personally, I think Young just couldn't stand to be around these people any longer and thought, "A few more hours, and I'm free!"

By the way, I've been meaning to ask you: what exactly is the deal with TJ? She had resigned her commission but for some reason not gone home yet? She knows something about Young's health that we don't? Am I confabulating? I was clearly not paying close enough attention at some points, but it's also possible they're still keeping her mysterious or something like that.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Let me preface this by saying I don't know anything spoilerwise.

What's happened to date:
TJ was supposed to be transferred off Icarus two weeks before the incident because she's going to some educational program in either Seattle or San Diego (Young said the wrong one and she corrected him, but now I've forgot which was which).

There's a mysterious something that happened on Icarus because in a flashback with Camile Wray, Wray was suspicious of how TJ's previous "this is the best assignment of my career!" has turned into, I want to leave. And TJ seemed to be lying when she was saying "oh this opportunity just came up."

Conjecture is she was having an affair that went squirrelly somehow. I can't decide if it was with DeadDoctorSimms or with Colonel Young himself. But that's just conjecture.

Young had that strange incident with collapsing in front of his wife in a flashback, but I'm not certain if that was part of the dream/waking up from concussion or really part of the flashback. He came to to find TJ over him. I have no idea if she knows about that possible past health condition.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Okay, so I'm supposed to be lost about TJ; they are being mysterious. I thought affair with Young at one point and then dismissed it because they certainly didn't seem to be acting like two people who'd had an affair that had ended, but that could be because the writers seem to have a lot of trouble writing realistic romantic relationships (in my humble opinion, of course—and a few other people's).

I thought Young didn't really collapse in front of his wife, but that that weirdness was the bleedthrough from real life and now cutting into his flashback. I don't know for sure, though.

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

Torchwood/SGU. the snark writes itself?

I was told that Camille was written as a recurring character, but then then Ming-Na signed on as a regular.

unless Chloe dances in her birthday suit (like Greer did), pretty sure we won't be seeing more skin.

given some of the Azgard and Goa'uld names, Eli might have to explain himself so nobody thinks he watched the wrong video. ;)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Oh, that makes sense of Camille: if they didn't mean to have her in every episode and then suddenly they did, she wouldn't get much screen time in some of the early episodes. sg_betty says they'd intended to cast Greer Caucasian, so they seem also to have written scenes that look rather racist that wouldn't have played out that way with the original casting concept. In "Light" they seem to be presenting him more fully (and not as a psycho).

I meant I didn't need to see Chloe's skin again. Greer wasn't dancing. I wasn't sure what he was doing. Meditating?

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

I'm definately looking forwards to more of Camille.

>again.
I know, and I agree.

>Greer
meditating's a possibility. I sorta thought he had resolved to exit life as he'd entered it.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I sorta thought he had resolved to exit life as he'd entered it.
Makes sense! I just hadn't thought of that.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

P.S. It's Camile with one L, not two. (I know, it looks weird to me too).

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Augh! More spelling trouble! I swear Jeanie Miller was spelled with one 'n' instead of two when I first looked it up to write fic, so I wrote "Jeanie" and painstakingly made certain (okay, I used Find and Replace) that I used it everywhere.

Now I seem to find it spelled "Jeannie" everywhere.

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

You've gone to the Dark Side :(

[rodlox.livejournal.com]

we have cookies.

[flingslass.livejournal.com]

Noooooo!!!!!! (We call them bikkies over here :D) What can I do to save you!

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

*hugs*