sgareview - the real world, s3e6

This isn't even a review. More like a fifteen second glimpse. Okay, longer because I'm not that great a typist, but still.



The greatest sin of this ep was that it basically wasn't about John or Rodney. This isn't a criticism of the ep, it's just where my fannish focus lies. But it seemed solid enough.

1.) Anything involving Jack is of the good. One, I now vaguely want to ship them in a pre-Atlantis one-night stand type of thing. I--huh. Het one night stand. How surreal. But okay. Jack was great. Jack was very Jack, perhaps even a condensed sort of Jack from her memories. They were *fun* together. I was not bored watching her interact with Jack.

2.) Her psychiatrist, shockingly enough, gave off so many creepy vibes I kept feeling I needed a shower to wipe the slime away. I liked Elizabeth's image of a psych ward--very movies, very Cuckoo, very cliched, but probably what anyone who hasnt' spent time in one would imagine. I also liked how she jumped at the chick talking about how the things took her blood, as they were cold--and I'd totally go to the possibly subconscious comparison to Wraith taking souls due to their own lack of souls, but that would be melodramatic.

Oh admit it. You totally went there with that, too.

3.) The moment with the cards was excellent. I mean, *excellent*. I loved that.

4.) Okay, I have seen criticism of John for doing his thing there--which, um, okay, hands raised, after three seasons--when has John *not* looked at danger and thought he should marry it and produce disturbing offspring? This is *John*. It's stupid and weird and emotionally consistent with Sateda and The Storm and The Eye and The Siege and...waaait. Lookie there. Consistency. It is no surprise to anyone that when it comes to how John reacts emotionally, he's of the school of thought that there is no sacrifice too great or too moronic. He's fine when working from an objective place. But OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts. Especially his own. And you know, I love him for that. That is so very John.

This is, however, separate from the concept of suicidal. And you know, as a joke, funny, like you know, Rodney getting shot in the ass. Suicial predisposes a desire to end his own life. John seems attached to living, or so Epiphany seems to bring across, but valuing others over himself isn't that. We usually don't associate it as a negative either, but maybe I'm just crazy in kind of admiring loving something or someone so much that you're willing to die for it. Or for them.

5.) Carson and Rodney? Cute. So cute. I love Carson being smart--we don't actually see that enough. We see a lot of implication of it happening off screen, but this? Good stuff. I wnat to like him. I do. And I really don't give a good shit about evil retrovirus crap things. Go Carson! Be smart!

6.) I no longer regret Blond Guy in Space. Freeze, jackass.

7.) I love having Elizabeth backstory. So. Much.

8.) OMG THE TRAILER! CANNOT BREATHE! NO BREATHING! I do not care if it's the worst ep since season four Smallville? This is already in my top ten for pretty much every scene they showed.

Comments

[logovo.livejournal.com]

I'm totally freaking out over that trailer!
Resisting commenting more as to protect virgin eyes.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

YES OMG HAPPY PLACE!

[cpt-untouchable.livejournal.com]

The trailer! I know! *quietly hyperventilates*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*nodnodnod* So with you there.

[druidspell.livejournal.com]

But OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts. Especially his own.

YES!! EXACTLY!!

And I loved Jack in the ep. Very... himself.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

yes! He totally was.

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

I did not see the trailer! My recording cut out right after the black screen of end credits. Must track down, obviously.

And *yes* to John who rushes into danger. Also, John who *breaks quarantine* because he has to take action, he can't just sit around and wait. I was very happy with the Hot Zone callback.

Elizabeth backstory makes me very happy too. Although I swear, she should have known it was a dreamworld the moment Creepy Doctor (who was Cameron from Ferris Bueller, by the way) told her that she'd been negotiating a North African nuclear non-proliferation treaty. That's just crazy talk. Now, India/Pakistan would have made tons of sense.

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Have now seen trailer, thanks to SciFi's website. OH MY GOD!!!!!! I just might not survive the episode.

[jade-dragoness.livejournal.com]

I too was bored through most of the episode. I kept looking at my watch. And that's just sad.

Next week's trailer made me squeal and bounce. I was more excited from seeing that for most of the entire episode.

Also, when the lady mentioned the others who wanted her blood my thoughts went:

Blood suckers -> vampires -> space vampires -> Wraith!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It wasn't just me! Yay!

[kalikahuntress.livejournal.com]

The trailer, oh my god, I need it now, I hope someone uploads so I can watch it over and over again:)

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

If you go to http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/ there's a "next episode" box to the right of the screen. Click "play video" and then you can watch over and over and jump up and down in your chair.

Eeeeee!

[amalthia]

oh wow this upcoming episode has me bouncing off the walls too! This looks like it has a lot of potential to be exciting.

This last episode was okay...it's just my fannish interest really isn't Weir and I think this episode was done better in Buffy? At least at the end of that you weren't sure if Buffy was really crazy or not. :)

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's part of it, too. It wasn't bad, just not my thing.

[ileliberte.livejournal.com]

I kept clicking refresh on the scifi website and finally, finally! I have no words but !!!!!!!!!!!!! Why isn't next Friday here already? I won't make it. I will die of the anticipation. This is like fanfic! Only canon! SO AWESOME. I don't even care if the rest of it sucks, the preview is a cherished memory and long lasting given that I watched, then rewatched, then rewatched, then re.... you get the idea. Ok, I have to go watch it again now. John!!!!!!!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

YES YES YES EXACTLY!

[denynothing1.livejournal.com]

Okay, I have seen criticism of John for doing his thing there

Bzuh? But, but-- I wouldn't expect him to do anything else. It's what he *does*. In fact, it seemed like he was barely holding himself in check (in a still, Sheppardish sort of way) in all the scenes leading up to the one where he finally charged forward. He fights the bad guys things, *especially* when they attack his people.

If he suddenly started getting all analytical and sensible I'd seriously start to worry. ;-)

Next week's ep looks *so* good.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

God, I'd suspect him being invaded by an evil alien influence. And yes, totally agree, john was on the edge of ripping through the curtain and *staring* her nanites out of her.

*dies* That would be funny.

[piplover.livejournal.com]

The one thing that totally annoyed me, very much so, actually, is the fact that none of the characters seemed to have retained a brain about the nanites. Why did they want to quarentine John? He has the ATA gene, and therefore they can't harm him. The only thing I can think of is that they wanted to quarentine him so that the nanites, if they even could get in him, wouldn't be able to jump about. He wasn't in any danger, after all, since they already established, in two episodes, that the nanites can't harm someone with the ATA gene. It just seemed really melodramatic and a waste of something they could have done a lot more with. Weir could be a very powerful character on her own. I dont' know, it just irked me. I'm not trying to be bitchy, and I'm sorry if I came off sounding that way. But urgg!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

You know, I totally forgot that! *thoughtful* And I'm betting the writers did too, because you're right. Though I can see the logic of isolating him anyway for fear of him contaminating someone else.

Hmm. But they *can* screw with his head. Jsut not kill him. Okay, I am totally in awe of you here, because I completely *forgot*.

[moojja.livejournal.com]

About your ancienty theory. It is kind of weird or a cope out that John wasn't infected.

But when John held her arm, wow, my heart jumped. It is so rare to see him touch anyone in a non-romantic way.

[clarkangel.livejournal.com]

I was so bored untilt he team showed up, that I zoned out alot. But John doing what he did was so JOHN! If he hadn't, people would have bitched about that. I have no clue what it is about John, but people will bitch about his actions no matter what he does. Even when he does what they've been bitching they want him to do. ::Blinks at the weirdness::


But he was LOVE. And the preview has me all excited about CG.

The part of John going into the curtain that made me laugh was the dramatic PAUSE to let him be in there long enough for the words he says and the DRAMA of it before anyone reacts to get him out of there. I wish they had shown John in Isolation. That would have made up for the BOREFEST that was the first 35 minutes of this ep.

[anitac588.livejournal.com]

I loved that the whole team was there, trying to figure out how to help her or just show support.

Elizabeth/John shippers must be very happy with this episode; but even if we don't look through sparky (?) eyes -- John does care for Elizabeth, surely loves her, trusts her and vice versa. He fought for her and refused to let her be alone in the battle -- reminded me of the moment when he said I am [going to order you to go with me in the jumper] to Zelenka in Grace Under Pressure, the same focus and determination.

Also, Rodney getting brilliant ideas in front of the mirror? *G* Oh, Rodney...

Re: Trailer -- Friday cannot come soon enough!

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

This season has been like a particularly tasty bit of fanfic, and this episode like a chapter about one of the female leads so as to not make them totally useless in the face of SQUEEMCSHEPOMG. It was... boring. I did the dishes and played with the dog and pretty much was watching it out of the corner of my eye.

That being said, there were some good parts of the show too, like -- hee! -- Rodney explaining everything to the guys with Carson squawking in the background, and Rodney tossing the canister of Wraith!Chunk in the air. Heh! Very cute. I also loved O'Neill here, and Torri put in a solid performance, even if her gasping squeeks of pain actually made me laugh outloud. The episode was, in and of itself, not bad. Just... about Elizabeth. Who I only tolerate on a good day.

So, all in all -- meh. But... squee! It's a very strange combo here.

[shusu.livejournal.com]

OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts. Especially his own.

YES. EEEE! The character-focused episodes are really springing from Home in awesome and interesting ways. (Same music as when she last saw Simon and Sedge, for instance.) And it's so doubled up, how John's formative experience with Mitch and Dex still affects him, and how Elizabeth deals with her feelings.

What's so very awesome to me is that I sure recognized John's hair... for much of the episode Elizabeth had to overcome her fear of it! Hahaha. (Oh, there's a gay shadow in my room...) They did a great job juggling the father figures of her psyche. She really grew up in a man's world -- that became real apparent when I finally saw The Lost City shows, when she started acting independently of them instead of going along with them. Yet she's still so hungry for approval! I think of all the male figures she's got to choose from -- only John and Daniel have struck that perfect balance with her. I totally need to write an essay on that, because it's the one relationship that John seems to consciously handle the right way. Though her subconscious is afraid of what he represents (that too is consistent).

Yes, that big pause after "profound" made me shriek with laughter.

And YES YES YES I *knew* Critical Mass actually did its emotional closure and there was the watch she was playing with (just before John hitched himself on the desk in his sexatery pose)! I flipped with joy. I'm leaning towards the theory of SGA packing as much as possible into 44 minutes and then doing closure through props, like Sumner's dogtags (which stayed in John's room for a long time).

[sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com]

The trailer made me flail in an uncoordinated fashion that very nearly resulted in the death of my laptop, my mug of tea, and my couch. And I haven't watched it compulsively over and over this morning on scifi.com or anything. Nope.

I agree with you - John wasn't being suicidal, John was doing his whole "anything for family" thing, just as he said he would.

AND - randomly . . . if Blond Guy in Space was able to infect Elizabeth with nanites while choking her, why wasn't Rodney infected when Oberoth choked him? Are they suggesting there's an element of intent? The Replicator has to *want* to send over nanites to do some sort of nebulous evil? (And why wouldn't Oberoth want to do that to Rodney if he could?) /overthinking

thinky. oops!

[shusu.livejournal.com]

Theory above seems to suggest ATA.

Which yeah, I had to slap my head, I thought they were only implying the ATAs are immune, then did a double-take that it's actually pretty canonical.

....though you know, it begs the question, why isn't Teyla with her Wraith DNA attacked?

[fairestcat]

I love Elizabeth, and even I was a bit bored by this ep. Although I spent a lot of time watching doctor guy and going "oh, Cameron, what have you done to yourself" which kept me entertained.

I'm with you on the Elizabeth/Jack btw. It's obvious they were trying to push John/Elizabeth, but I came out of it with a distinct craving for Elizabeth/Jack. Actually, what I really want is Elizabeth/fake-Jack within the context of this episode. Because that would be all kinds of wierd and creepy awesomeness.

As for John's behavior? I don't think it was out of character at all. But that doesn't stop me from thinking it was incredibly, insanely stupid and wanting to shake for it *g*

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I do want Elizabeth/Jack now. Total leader-to-leader bonding moment.

*G* I don't mind the John/Elizabeth. This is the Stargate universe, where no one ever really consummates anything, so I'm not worried. Let them have shippery moments, I say!

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree completely with you on John. In fact, I was just waiting for him to go into her isolation ward, because, yeah, that's what he does.

Otherwise the episode was just not much. RDA was a delight, but he cannot not be a delight so that's expected. :)

I didn't hate the episode, but after the roller-coaster ride we've been on this season, it was just too merry-go-round.

Oh, but KOLYA! **pants**

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It's biggest problem was coming up after Sateda and The One With the Enlightened NanoPeople That I Can't Remember The Name Of - both were heavily action-oriented, so in comparison, this felt very slow. I do think I'll like it later in the season when I haven't watched four high-actions like that.

[technosage.livejournal.com]

Awesome Elizabeth episode. Awesome, and it was really about time.

Which trailer? (There were Heroes, and BSG trailers, as well as SG trailers, all of which made me squee in various ways. Which one did you mean? *g*)

[seperis.livejournal.com]

SGA TRAILER OF MAXIMUM SQUEE.

I am going to need a *paper bag* during viewing.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

when it comes to how John reacts emotionally, he's of the school of thought that there is no sacrifice too great or too moronic. He's fine when working from an objective place. But OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts.

awesome point! and I love & agree with your squee over Elizabeth/Jack, especially in that scene with them by her back patio. so cute together...

I liked Elizabeth's backstory--the scene with her mom was very touching, and the one with her doggie! ::DOG!squee!!:: wasn't that Torri's own RL dog?

his deep, deep need to show love through body counts. Especially his own.

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

Icon-making people need to make you icons! Lots of them!

Oh Kolya, I love you so. I really hope they haven't done something stoopid like not put any McKay/Kolya in the ep, because then I would *cry*.

[aurora]

Oh admit it. You totally went there with that, too.
HELL YES. :)

But OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts. Especially his own. And you know, I love him for that. That is so very John.
So true. I didn't expect him to react any different than he did in this ep.

ALSO OMG NEXT WEEK WILL KILL ME. K-I-L-L. I may have shouted 'oh, god, nonononono' (Brian Kinney QAF 1x22-style) when I first saw it.

[volari.livejournal.com]

You always have such perfect reactions to the episodes! It wsa great reading this, especially: But OMG FAMILY IN DANGER is a hotwire to his deep, deep need to show love through body counts.

John is such a cat. "Look! I bring you the gift of a dead squirrel! And see, I even left it on the doorstep so all the other squirrels will know to run away!"

Oh, next episode was in my top 10 just from reading the spoilers, much less seeing any of the previews. Of course, all they really had to say was JOHN! and I'm there... I just wonder if we'll actually get any backstory or if it's going to be more of him talking without saying anything. Which, as far as characterization goes, I love. But it's so frustrating!