![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
We're still watching SGU. I half like it, and the other half is driving me crazy. Okay, I'm not really sure about the proportions. I will provide convenient cuts to things I like and dislike separately so that you can read only the ones you want. (Please don't read the ones you don't want and then tell me what a fool I am for watching, because I already know that!)
The Bad and the Crazy
First and foremost, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
friendshipper and some of her friends have been saying (in slightly different words), how can this possibly be the SGC we have known and loved for so many years now?
A. Jack O'Neill and the SGC have no rules whatsoever about what you can do in someone else's body? You can have sex (Young, in Telford's body), get completely drunk (Chloe), and pick fights (Young again)?
I must confess, I was angry for Emily first about Telford leaping back into his own body so that she was having sex with a strange man for a moment and didn't even know it, and then realized with great guilt the next day that she was not even close to the most victimized party here. Telford didn't give permission for his body to be used in this way. That's called rape, folks; just because he can't remember it doesn't make it not rape. And he can remember a bit of it.
I do think the writers are trying to put Telford and Emily together to make it more acceptable. I can't believe Telford told Emily that her husband is still sleeping with TJ (which appears to be false) for any reason other than to get Emily to sleep with Telford when he was actually in his own body. Perhaps this is "consent after the fact." (I have seen references to such a notion, in academia in fact, and I must say, I can't get my head around "consent after the fact"; if you can, please let me know.)
I've also been complaining about the possibility of food allergies and was gratified to find that mentioned atfriendshipper's post as well—it struck me even more strongly after Camile complained about food and wine not tasting right.
I'm really, really hoping that Camile went no farther than a kiss with Sharon. It's not as if SGU would flinch from showing us more, is it?
I thinknialla42 was the first to say it, but others have repeated it: changing actors lets them get away with all kinds of really unsavory scenes. If we saw Telford the whole time Young was in his body, wouldn't we be more upset about Young and Emily making love? (Wouldn't I have realized sooner that it was rape? I like to think I'm not insensitive about such things!) Wouldn't we have been more disgusted at Chloe drinking too much? At Young getting into fights which won't leave bruises on his body but some other poor military man?
I will add that I am grateful so far they're switching men into men and women into women; is that dependent on where they are relative to each other and the stones, as Brilliant Husband suggests, and they're carefully ensuring at both ends they have the right number of people of the right sex? Or is it simple writers' carelessness?
B. Going along with #1: Jack would leave Telford in charge of anything or anyone? In what universe? Someone tells him TJ had to sedate Telford in Young's body to keep him from hurting or killing Young, and that dude gets assigned to isolated duty so fast his head would still be on Destiny. Telford has shown poor judgment repeatedly, and if Jack doesn't know it, he's not doing his job. Certainly when Telford called to have the stone removed so that Young would snap back into his own body (because surely that's what happened when Young went for Telford and found himself on the Destiny again, right?), all kinds of alarms should have gone off. Telford should face an inquiry at this point. (I think neither Telford nor Young is really fit to command, but we have no better choice on Destiny, so we're stuck with Young there. Telford should be replaced.)
Last night, when I finally saw last Friday's episode, I kept thinking that SGU is the "Stargate 90210" segment from "200," except now it's being done straight instead of as parody. I wanted to be sympathetic to Matt Scott, but now, I don't want to see him anymore. You know, I even like character development. I'm one of those people who thinks that that Next Gen episode where Picard spends the entire time with his brother after having been a Locutus (it should have been "Locutor" [/digression]) for the previous two or three episodes was a great episode. I have nothing against character development as such. I just think SGU is doin it rong.
Most of "Life's" character development was devoted to characters we've never met before, and some I hope never to meet again. Matt's ex-girlfriend didn't have the decency to let him know she had his son? Assuming he was in no way harmful or abusive to her, I think she ought to have let him know. Don't want to see her again. He got her pregnant, thought she had an abortion, and never dropped by to see her again? Don't want to see him again!
We got a fair amount of time with Camile, but I didn't feel like it was very interesting, except for the hit-us-over-the-head moment, "I forgot the rowboat!" OMG, people! She forgot to draw the mode of escape from the desert island! Big psych moment here, and TJ isn't even around to witness it! Carl Binder, please look up "subtlety" and memorize the definition. With practice, you may be able to achieve some. I like Camile—so why did I feel like her scenes dragged? (But not as badly as Scott's and Young's!)
I already knew Young was a hothead, so I learned nothing new about him except that he was so concerned that Telford had slept with his wife under false pretences that he hardly said a word to his wife and simply went straight for Telford. I am not impressed.
I have been complaining about Bad Science (to BH primarily, not here), but last night was virtually No Science. SF is just an excuse for body switching in this episode. Do. Not. Want. Even Rush's data were fabricated.
I want very badly a scene where Camile and Young join forces and go to Rush to deliver this short speech: "If we have to have Eli double-check all your work, you're more trouble than you're worth. The next time you fake data or disaster effects, you're being thrown in our makeshift brig for a week. Do it again, and we'll double the time. Get anyone hurt or killed, and we'll see if you ever get so much as a fake shower on this ship again!"
Could someone please clarify?
All I could see was underwear in that last scene—was that Chloe sleeping with Greer? Brilliant Husband wasn't sure either, but we were both too disgusted with the whole thing to run the scene back and try to make sure. (Not that I'm not more disgusted with Matt, mind you.)
ETA: Several people have told me that that was Park with Greer—and that it wasn't Chloe with Scott at the start, either, but Park with Rivers(they needed a new character, because they thought they'd already developed the old enough).
The Good (for me, at least)
I still like Eli. He means well, he works hard, and I can relate to him even when he messes up. I do too much thinking out loud myself (though not as badly as in his scene with Scott near the end of the episode). He was unfairly conscripted, given virtually no choice (they threatened to take his memories), and now he's stranded a gazillion years from his mother, whom he loves very much and about whom he's worried, with reason. I've seen him called a whiner. I would whine so much worse than he does it's not funny! Eli is my boy.
I like that we're getting a competent woman in Camile Wray. (I don't want shower scenes; that's a waste of a good actress.) I'm glad she was upgraded from occasional to regular character, and I want to see more of her.
I like Greer. Yes, at first I was horrified at what looked like the worst racial stereotypes—untilsg_betty reminded me the character had been written as white. He originally had a different name and the nickname "Psycho," but I found the casting call online, and she's right. Jamil Walker Smith has been doing a fantastic job with a part that I think the writers have been falling all over themselves to revise since they did cast an African-American; I think they've split off some of the more psycho aspects into that obviously deeply troubled guy who apparently finished off his meds in "Life" (and shouldn't TJ know about that?). He has amazing intensity and makes me believe that he is that sergeant who can kill the enemy and not lose sleep over it, but he'd risk his life for the people on this ship and might well sit in that chair if he thinks it will get everyone home. I'm a bit worried about where they're going with his father (stereotypes again?), but I want to see more of him (putting him way ahead of Scott, Young, Rush, and now Chloe—shoot, I'm damning with faint praise, aren't I?).
I thought "Time" was a great episode, by far the best of those aired so far (oops, faint praise again). I have said that I'm done with time travel on Stargate shows, but that was an exception. I'll even let them get away with "and it never happened" because they did it so very well. I want more like that! I want new planets with strange creatures (but please, please establish some protocols for dealing with new planets, other than sending through a Kino and saying, "Yeah, looks okay!").
I think the show still has possibilities. I want to see them realized. I'm trying to keep my expectations low, but so far David Blue, Ming-Na, and Jamil Walker Smith are making it worth my while to watch. (Sorry, Robert Carlyle: somehow I have trouble believing in Rush. I'm just not that interested in him.)
The Bad and the Crazy
First and foremost, as
friendshipper and some of her friends have been saying (in slightly different words), how can this possibly be the SGC we have known and loved for so many years now?A. Jack O'Neill and the SGC have no rules whatsoever about what you can do in someone else's body? You can have sex (Young, in Telford's body), get completely drunk (Chloe), and pick fights (Young again)?
I must confess, I was angry for Emily first about Telford leaping back into his own body so that she was having sex with a strange man for a moment and didn't even know it, and then realized with great guilt the next day that she was not even close to the most victimized party here. Telford didn't give permission for his body to be used in this way. That's called rape, folks; just because he can't remember it doesn't make it not rape. And he can remember a bit of it.
I do think the writers are trying to put Telford and Emily together to make it more acceptable. I can't believe Telford told Emily that her husband is still sleeping with TJ (which appears to be false) for any reason other than to get Emily to sleep with Telford when he was actually in his own body. Perhaps this is "consent after the fact." (I have seen references to such a notion, in academia in fact, and I must say, I can't get my head around "consent after the fact"; if you can, please let me know.)
I've also been complaining about the possibility of food allergies and was gratified to find that mentioned at
friendshipper's post as well—it struck me even more strongly after Camile complained about food and wine not tasting right.I'm really, really hoping that Camile went no farther than a kiss with Sharon. It's not as if SGU would flinch from showing us more, is it?
I think
nialla42 was the first to say it, but others have repeated it: changing actors lets them get away with all kinds of really unsavory scenes. If we saw Telford the whole time Young was in his body, wouldn't we be more upset about Young and Emily making love? (Wouldn't I have realized sooner that it was rape? I like to think I'm not insensitive about such things!) Wouldn't we have been more disgusted at Chloe drinking too much? At Young getting into fights which won't leave bruises on his body but some other poor military man?I will add that I am grateful so far they're switching men into men and women into women; is that dependent on where they are relative to each other and the stones, as Brilliant Husband suggests, and they're carefully ensuring at both ends they have the right number of people of the right sex? Or is it simple writers' carelessness?
B. Going along with #1: Jack would leave Telford in charge of anything or anyone? In what universe? Someone tells him TJ had to sedate Telford in Young's body to keep him from hurting or killing Young, and that dude gets assigned to isolated duty so fast his head would still be on Destiny. Telford has shown poor judgment repeatedly, and if Jack doesn't know it, he's not doing his job. Certainly when Telford called to have the stone removed so that Young would snap back into his own body (because surely that's what happened when Young went for Telford and found himself on the Destiny again, right?), all kinds of alarms should have gone off. Telford should face an inquiry at this point. (I think neither Telford nor Young is really fit to command, but we have no better choice on Destiny, so we're stuck with Young there. Telford should be replaced.)
Last night, when I finally saw last Friday's episode, I kept thinking that SGU is the "Stargate 90210" segment from "200," except now it's being done straight instead of as parody. I wanted to be sympathetic to Matt Scott, but now, I don't want to see him anymore. You know, I even like character development. I'm one of those people who thinks that that Next Gen episode where Picard spends the entire time with his brother after having been a Locutus (it should have been "Locutor" [/digression]) for the previous two or three episodes was a great episode. I have nothing against character development as such. I just think SGU is doin it rong.
Most of "Life's" character development was devoted to characters we've never met before, and some I hope never to meet again. Matt's ex-girlfriend didn't have the decency to let him know she had his son? Assuming he was in no way harmful or abusive to her, I think she ought to have let him know. Don't want to see her again. He got her pregnant, thought she had an abortion, and never dropped by to see her again? Don't want to see him again!
We got a fair amount of time with Camile, but I didn't feel like it was very interesting, except for the hit-us-over-the-head moment, "I forgot the rowboat!" OMG, people! She forgot to draw the mode of escape from the desert island! Big psych moment here, and TJ isn't even around to witness it! Carl Binder, please look up "subtlety" and memorize the definition. With practice, you may be able to achieve some. I like Camile—so why did I feel like her scenes dragged? (But not as badly as Scott's and Young's!)
I already knew Young was a hothead, so I learned nothing new about him except that he was so concerned that Telford had slept with his wife under false pretences that he hardly said a word to his wife and simply went straight for Telford. I am not impressed.
I have been complaining about Bad Science (to BH primarily, not here), but last night was virtually No Science. SF is just an excuse for body switching in this episode. Do. Not. Want. Even Rush's data were fabricated.
I want very badly a scene where Camile and Young join forces and go to Rush to deliver this short speech: "If we have to have Eli double-check all your work, you're more trouble than you're worth. The next time you fake data or disaster effects, you're being thrown in our makeshift brig for a week. Do it again, and we'll double the time. Get anyone hurt or killed, and we'll see if you ever get so much as a fake shower on this ship again!"
Could someone please clarify?
All I could see was underwear in that last scene—was that Chloe sleeping with Greer? Brilliant Husband wasn't sure either, but we were both too disgusted with the whole thing to run the scene back and try to make sure. (Not that I'm not more disgusted with Matt, mind you.)
ETA: Several people have told me that that was Park with Greer—and that it wasn't Chloe with Scott at the start, either, but Park with Rivers
The Good (for me, at least)
I still like Eli. He means well, he works hard, and I can relate to him even when he messes up. I do too much thinking out loud myself (though not as badly as in his scene with Scott near the end of the episode). He was unfairly conscripted, given virtually no choice (they threatened to take his memories), and now he's stranded a gazillion years from his mother, whom he loves very much and about whom he's worried, with reason. I've seen him called a whiner. I would whine so much worse than he does it's not funny! Eli is my boy.
I like that we're getting a competent woman in Camile Wray. (I don't want shower scenes; that's a waste of a good actress.) I'm glad she was upgraded from occasional to regular character, and I want to see more of her.
I like Greer. Yes, at first I was horrified at what looked like the worst racial stereotypes—until
sg_betty reminded me the character had been written as white. He originally had a different name and the nickname "Psycho," but I found the casting call online, and she's right. Jamil Walker Smith has been doing a fantastic job with a part that I think the writers have been falling all over themselves to revise since they did cast an African-American; I think they've split off some of the more psycho aspects into that obviously deeply troubled guy who apparently finished off his meds in "Life" (and shouldn't TJ know about that?). He has amazing intensity and makes me believe that he is that sergeant who can kill the enemy and not lose sleep over it, but he'd risk his life for the people on this ship and might well sit in that chair if he thinks it will get everyone home. I'm a bit worried about where they're going with his father (stereotypes again?), but I want to see more of him (putting him way ahead of Scott, Young, Rush, and now Chloe—shoot, I'm damning with faint praise, aren't I?).I thought "Time" was a great episode, by far the best of those aired so far (oops, faint praise again). I have said that I'm done with time travel on Stargate shows, but that was an exception. I'll even let them get away with "and it never happened" because they did it so very well. I want more like that! I want new planets with strange creatures (but please, please establish some protocols for dealing with new planets, other than sending through a Kino and saying, "Yeah, looks okay!").
I think the show still has possibilities. I want to see them realized. I'm trying to keep my expectations low, but so far David Blue, Ming-Na, and Jamil Walker Smith are making it worth my while to watch. (Sorry, Robert Carlyle: somehow I have trouble believing in Rush. I'm just not that interested in him.)
Tags:
From:
no subject