SGA 4.1, "Adrift"
Sep. 28th, 2007 11:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bironicGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. This whole episode could have been done in half an hour with room either for part of next week's ep or for more subplots along the way. Why did they need the complication of the asteroid belt? It was a cool idea, but nothing happened that couldn't have happened for other reasons: the jumpers cleared a path with no casualties* (excuse for action and special effects?); Zelenka got zinged but survived (excuse for suspense and special effects?); the impact damage they were trying to fix and the power drop that left them unable to initiate the hyperdrive because it took so long to fix the damage could have been a result of any of the other things that had gone wrong earlier.
* Not even the new redshirt doctor who it seemed was being groomed for tragic death.
(I did love Sheppard throwing Zelenka, and the CGI zoom around them as they floated across the rift, and the drone-firing action sequence, and Sheppard wincing when his proto-pilots struggled to stay in formation, and Rodney's jokes about being terrible at Asteroid. And the blue-lit EVA suits were pretty.)
But. Nice to see everyone again! Rodney seemed to have especially wide eyes this week, or maybe that was an effect of camera shots holding on him longer than usual. They looked more hazel than blue in the light and against his uniform. In fact, I missed the blue filter tonight; with a few exceptions, we seem to have slipped into gray-green and yellow and brown, perhaps to highlight their Dire Situation and underscore the sense that something in the city is Wrong, and I'm not sure I like it.
Sheppard had some lovely Intense Gaze moments, too, most notably when his and McKay's men died in vacuum in the outskirts of the city, and when he looked like he was holding back tears at the news that even if she survived, Elizabeth was never going to be the same. And when he got in McKay's face about what he did to Elizabeth.
Because Sheppard and McKay's power struggle = awesome. Good on the writers for planting the seeds earlier in the episode where Sheppard complained that Rodney was making decisions without consulting him, and then having them argue over whether to treat Elizabeth. That showdown outside the infirmary—fantastic! Rodney stood up to him! Sheppard got mad! Rodney insisted! They fought over who knew Elizabeth better! Significant tension began to brew! Except then, in true SGA fashion, cyborg!Elizabeth woke and derailed the whole thing before it got really good. Another minute and they might have come to blows. Once again, I wish the writers would push more. At least the hostility didn't completely dissipate afterwards, even when Rodney apologized; Rodney looked half pissed off and half left out when Sheppard addressed all his questions to Zelenka instead. It'll be interesting to see whether Sheppard's semi-avoidance of Rodney continues into next week, and how much of that tension ends up hinging on the behavior of the reactivated nanites (i.e. Sheppard forgives him if nothing bad happens, and condemns him if it all goes Horribly Wrong) vs. Sheppard's irritation that Rodney disobeyed him, put the city at risk and possibly violated Elizabeth's personal wishes as to how she wanted her body to be treated. Ooh, I want to watch those scenes over and over.
(Would this show "dare" to have a character suggest letting her die now that she's awake again? Would Elizabeth ask them to kill her, or try it herself, to save the city? From next week's preview, it seems not; her new nanite-a-licious self will undoubtedly save the day in a way ordinary Elizabeth couldn't have done.)
Interesting how they chose to focus on Ronon's connection to Elizabeth rather than John's or Rodney's by having him visit her bedside. It was nice, if unsurprising, that he wanted to thank her for taking him in, but it was still weird to have had so many establishing shots earlier in the episode where he watched her being wheeled in and operated on with such concern. Where'd that come from?
Not very happy with how much time passed between Carter/Lam/Apollo scenes; I'm not sure what else they could have done, other than insert a fourth scene where they begin to actually take action, but with the amount of time spent on the initial shot of the zero-gravity midway station (where Carter looked distractingly as if she were being wheeled and turned on a programmed dolly rather than actually floating in zero-g, as opposed to when Sheppard demagnetized Zelenka's suit), an equal amount of time later would have balanced it better. Some of the scene cuts were kind of weird, too, ending too early or lingering too long.
I love Keller so far. (Yay, Kaylee! with her pretty ponytail.) She's calm, clear, level-headed, honest, intelligent and earnest. Possible downside lurks in her silence when Sheppard demanded that Rodney explain himself after they uploaded the program into Elizabeth. I understand that she's still very uncomfortable in her new position and that as CMO she doesn't rank with Rodney or Sheppard, but she could have stood up for their decision.
Oh, you know what I liked in the beginning? When Sheppard said, "You dumb this down any more, you're gonna get hit." Fans have complained before that the technical exposition isn't so complicated that it needs to be explained six times in progressively more obvious ways; perhaps this was an acknowledgement on the part of the writers.
What else... Ronon in a tank top? Kinda hot, yet inserted all sorts of weird subtext into his visit to Elizabeth's room.
Speaking of weird, was it just me or did Sheppard make stranger faces than usual when he stopped by Ronon's bedside and asked how he was doing?
Ya. All in all, a rocky (ha ha, pun) start. Judgment withheld, however, until the third part airs.
ETA: Lenore on the ethical dilemma (f-locked); friendshipper's rxn
* Not even the new redshirt doctor who it seemed was being groomed for tragic death.
(I did love Sheppard throwing Zelenka, and the CGI zoom around them as they floated across the rift, and the drone-firing action sequence, and Sheppard wincing when his proto-pilots struggled to stay in formation, and Rodney's jokes about being terrible at Asteroid. And the blue-lit EVA suits were pretty.)
But. Nice to see everyone again! Rodney seemed to have especially wide eyes this week, or maybe that was an effect of camera shots holding on him longer than usual. They looked more hazel than blue in the light and against his uniform. In fact, I missed the blue filter tonight; with a few exceptions, we seem to have slipped into gray-green and yellow and brown, perhaps to highlight their Dire Situation and underscore the sense that something in the city is Wrong, and I'm not sure I like it.
Sheppard had some lovely Intense Gaze moments, too, most notably when his and McKay's men died in vacuum in the outskirts of the city, and when he looked like he was holding back tears at the news that even if she survived, Elizabeth was never going to be the same. And when he got in McKay's face about what he did to Elizabeth.
Because Sheppard and McKay's power struggle = awesome. Good on the writers for planting the seeds earlier in the episode where Sheppard complained that Rodney was making decisions without consulting him, and then having them argue over whether to treat Elizabeth. That showdown outside the infirmary—fantastic! Rodney stood up to him! Sheppard got mad! Rodney insisted! They fought over who knew Elizabeth better! Significant tension began to brew! Except then, in true SGA fashion, cyborg!Elizabeth woke and derailed the whole thing before it got really good. Another minute and they might have come to blows. Once again, I wish the writers would push more. At least the hostility didn't completely dissipate afterwards, even when Rodney apologized; Rodney looked half pissed off and half left out when Sheppard addressed all his questions to Zelenka instead. It'll be interesting to see whether Sheppard's semi-avoidance of Rodney continues into next week, and how much of that tension ends up hinging on the behavior of the reactivated nanites (i.e. Sheppard forgives him if nothing bad happens, and condemns him if it all goes Horribly Wrong) vs. Sheppard's irritation that Rodney disobeyed him, put the city at risk and possibly violated Elizabeth's personal wishes as to how she wanted her body to be treated. Ooh, I want to watch those scenes over and over.
(Would this show "dare" to have a character suggest letting her die now that she's awake again? Would Elizabeth ask them to kill her, or try it herself, to save the city? From next week's preview, it seems not; her new nanite-a-licious self will undoubtedly save the day in a way ordinary Elizabeth couldn't have done.)
Interesting how they chose to focus on Ronon's connection to Elizabeth rather than John's or Rodney's by having him visit her bedside. It was nice, if unsurprising, that he wanted to thank her for taking him in, but it was still weird to have had so many establishing shots earlier in the episode where he watched her being wheeled in and operated on with such concern. Where'd that come from?
Not very happy with how much time passed between Carter/Lam/Apollo scenes; I'm not sure what else they could have done, other than insert a fourth scene where they begin to actually take action, but with the amount of time spent on the initial shot of the zero-gravity midway station (where Carter looked distractingly as if she were being wheeled and turned on a programmed dolly rather than actually floating in zero-g, as opposed to when Sheppard demagnetized Zelenka's suit), an equal amount of time later would have balanced it better. Some of the scene cuts were kind of weird, too, ending too early or lingering too long.
I love Keller so far. (Yay, Kaylee! with her pretty ponytail.) She's calm, clear, level-headed, honest, intelligent and earnest. Possible downside lurks in her silence when Sheppard demanded that Rodney explain himself after they uploaded the program into Elizabeth. I understand that she's still very uncomfortable in her new position and that as CMO she doesn't rank with Rodney or Sheppard, but she could have stood up for their decision.
Oh, you know what I liked in the beginning? When Sheppard said, "You dumb this down any more, you're gonna get hit." Fans have complained before that the technical exposition isn't so complicated that it needs to be explained six times in progressively more obvious ways; perhaps this was an acknowledgement on the part of the writers.
What else... Ronon in a tank top? Kinda hot, yet inserted all sorts of weird subtext into his visit to Elizabeth's room.
Speaking of weird, was it just me or did Sheppard make stranger faces than usual when he stopped by Ronon's bedside and asked how he was doing?
Ya. All in all, a rocky (ha ha, pun) start. Judgment withheld, however, until the third part airs.
ETA: Lenore on the ethical dilemma (f-locked); friendshipper's rxn
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 04:13 am (UTC)The John/Rodney fireworks were very interesting. I just hope that the writers aren't setting up a rift between the characters that will then be exploited by the arrival of Carter.
I'm not sure if it meant anything, but Rodney actually called John by his first name early in this episode—something he rarely does. (Plus he apologized, which is even rarer!) My slashy mind was wondering whether they had gotten much closer after the events of "Tao" and "Sunday."
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 12:55 pm (UTC)Very true, and of other trilogies as well (LotR, etc.). Still, (a) I didn't know it was the second of a three-parter until the end, (b) I remember not minding "The Siege, Part II" as much (perhaps because when they wrote it they didn't realize they were going to do a third part?), and (c) this is the first three-parter (or even two-parter) SGA episode I've watched "live" with a week separating them, as opposed to having it right there on DVD/download. Almost makes me want to record everything for a few weeks and then watch them all at once.
I just hope that the writers aren't setting up a rift between the characters that will then be exploited by the arrival of Carter.
I don't know, I think a few weeks' worth of simmering animosity might be interesting, Carter or no Carter. (Emphasis on temporary.) Imagine Sheppard and McKay both appealing to her and then glaring at each other.
Rodney actually called John by his first name early in this episode
Heh -- everyone whose reactions I've read has mentioned that, and I didn't even notice it. I wouldn't be surprised either if they've gotten closer in the past little while (although not romantically/sexually -- I still can't quite see the slash in the show, for all that I love reading it in fic).
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 04:25 am (UTC)I thought it dragged some, and I agree the whole asteroid-belt crossing could've been eliminated in favor of some meatier story-telling. Still, I thought it had picked up by the end and I could have sat through another hour.
Loved the Sheppard/McKay battling -- at one point I turned to my husband and said "testosterone poisoning!" Heh. Loved it that McKay called Sheppard "John." Want to see much, much more of that. Loved McKay standing up for himself and refusing a direct order. Yes, I'll have more of that too, please.
Overall -- enjoyed it, want to see the resolution. Which I guess is as good as it gets for the producers. Hee.
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 04:36 am (UTC)Hee! Me too. Plus I wanted a lot more angst and pain regarding Zelenka's injury, once it became clear the writers weren't going to kill him off.
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 12:59 pm (UTC)I wish we could've! Doing it as a two-hour premiere would've been great, instead of drawing it out over two weeks with the "stretch" episode standing alone.
Loved McKay standing up for himself and refusing a direct order.
Yes yes. He's never taken orders well, has never been exactly deferential to military commanders (ex. "ha, I don't think that's your call" to the Apollo commander in the last episode), and it was kind of awesome to see him stand his ground with Sheppard, especially if it implies that he's comfortable enough with Sheppard to disobey him so blatantly (knowing Sheppard can't/won't punish him?).
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 06:53 pm (UTC)Or perhaps I'm still floating on the chocolaty goodness that was the House premiere.
no subject
Date: Sep. 29th, 2007 10:43 pm (UTC)In other news, I've just watched it two and a half times and still haven't caught Rodney calling him "John." D'you know where that happened?
no subject
Date: Sep. 30th, 2007 12:38 am (UTC)Oh, never mind, I've got it.