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Oh, Abyssis. You have my extreme sympathy that you put all that effort into catching up with… this.
Well. Two bright spots.
First of all, Sam and Vala going shopping together is delightful. If I’m not mistaken, this is our first true glimpse of them as casual friends, instead of teammates with a decent working relationship. And while my mind usually doesn’t work like this, I had the distinct impression that Mitchell’s “gallantry” in allowing “ladies first” was more for the chance to watch them in their nice new civvies for a little while longer. :)
Second, Landry’s ex-wife Kim is a truly beautiful woman.
…Okay, two and a half. We got a lot of SG-1-in-civvies scenes, which I always enjoy.
Er. That’s it, really.
I found this episode to be seriously awful. Awful enough, in fact, to rival Avenger 2.0 for the not-so-coveted spot as Worst Episode Ever. I can’t believe they wasted an entire episode on this absolutely awful dreck.
I don’t care enough to go through it bit by bit, so I’ll just highlight all the really wincing points:
They decided to spend an episode on highlighting Vala’s past. Okay, fair enough, I suppose, even if it’s not the wisest decision only three eps from the end of the series. Still, there’s so much intriguing fodder for a truly powerful ep – Qetesh, for example, and a closer look at her post-host years, or even a confrontation with the planet where she was taken as host.
So what do we get instead? Her smarmy father – not even a mention of stepmother Adria. Not a single reference to her lost years as a host. Her box of keepsakes were something Qetesh took along with her, perhaps?
There was no confirmation that dear Dad’s intel was accurate, except for the presence of people on the planet and a heavy concentration of naquadah. And they took his word for it blindly and shot those people and ships without even trying to communicate. For all the SGC might know, those were innocent people that dear Dad just happened to frame for convenience, and his entire story was cooked up in order to get those people killed. Putting this together with the way they killed the guys at the beginning of Bounty, and I’m beginning to wonder just what has happened to the SGC.
It took Teal’c eight years to be allowed off-base, and thanks to the Trust, he was back to living at the SGC in less than a month. He’s still there now, as Mitchell’s suggestion about finding him an apartment last season confirms for us. Vala, as is clearly indicated in this very ep, is also still living on-base. So they give dear Dad permission to waltz off-base to live with the Tau’ri? Why did “sanctuary” automatically mean allowing him to live on Earth? I know he asked for it, but why grant it? The Land of Light, Cimmeria, Edora – or, if you prefer, any planet that wasn’t on the Abydos cartouche, and thus is unknown to the general population. Or toss him through the wormhole to the Pegasus galaxy, and have Weir shift him to one of the planets there. He wouldn’t have been able to complain that he wasn’t safe. …But of course, they needed him on Earth to finish a dangling plot line from ONE EPISODE AGO that no one even knew was dangling. How lovely.
By the way, this makes two eps in a row when the SGC ignores the opinions/concerns of an alien that has supposedly been accepted as part of the team. At least Teal’c had Daniel vociferously defending his views. Vala has nobody. Maybe Jonas should count his blessings that the SGC is content to leave him languishing under the rule of the Ori.
Yawn. Again we need to drag in the Dr. Lam/Landry familial connection? Aside from the concept of father and daughter, there is no similarity whatsoever between Lam/Landry and Vala/dear Dad. Landry’s patronizing attitude is so off-base that it hurts, even without the fatherly attitude towards Vala that made me definitely cringe.
An absolute alien fits seamlessly into Tau’ri culture, just like that? No matter how long his career as a scam artist, there’s no way he could pick up all the tricks and twists of scam artistry on Earth so quickly – never mind the bingo games.
Apparently, the writers wanted to trash any suggestion of Vala/Daniel. While that’s a sentiment that pleases me, I have never seen Daniel so patronizing in ten seasons, despite his tendencies towards arrogance. And where is this attitude coming from? Daniel knows all about not-so-happy families and people who aren’t very good at parentage (yeah, I’m looking at you, Nick, even if you might have been right to make that decision).
How did Teal’c become The Girl of SG-1? He’s been whumped more this season than every other SG-1 member combined, and that includes Daniel being abducted and Priorized. Why did they have to come up with a plan that involves Teal’c being deliberately zatted?
A ship full of weapons-grade naquadah. This means a big boost to the budget, right? And everyone a lot happier with the SGC and the new ability to build more ships and so on, right? …Of course not.
Sam drinking on-base, huh? First Mitchell last season, now this. Shame on you, writers.
You don’t mock Teal’c, writers. You just don’t. And I didn’t see Teal’c sliding down in that chair – I saw Chistopher Judge.
Oh, yes – and broad meta hints about how meeeean the PTB are to end Stargate in the middle of a really awful episode? It doesn’t work very well.
Sigh. 0.5 out of ten, I think. Please, please let next week’s ep be better!
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Yes, this was not the most exciting episode to be caught up for, but it's not like catching up was terribly painful :)
I totally agree - Vala has such interesting backstory potential - to spend an entire episode on really uninteresting, wince-inducing, too over the top to be believable backstory was just a waste.
There was no confirmation that dear Dad’s intel was accurate, except for the presence of people on the planet and a heavy concentration of naquadah. And they took his word for it blindly and shot those people and ships without even trying to communicate.
I'm SO GLAD I'm not the only one who noticed this! I haven't seen anyone else mention it but when they decided "okay, let's shoot it" I was SHOUTING at the tv (okay, computer) because...just...WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? They had no idea, for sure, who they were blowing up. Maybe it was a bunch of people about to bring a ton of Naquadah to the SGC as an offering and to ask for help in Ori defense. Or a hundred other things, rather than taking un-confirmed intelligence from what appears to be an unreliable source. *kicks them*
And YES on why he was allowed an apartment - sure, he had an ankle bracelet, but they obviously weren't trying very hard to keep him in line and other people (*cough* Teal'c *cough*) who've done a lot more to help have gotten less. Stupid stupid stupid. (though, I could understand them not wanting him on base - how about a nice cell at Area 51?)
Yes on the Landry not-great-parallels and the horrible patronizing from Landry and nobody listening to Vala or Teal'c) and how quickly her father fit in. *shakes head*
See, I didn't see Daniel as patronizing. I saw him talking to Vala as someone who really wished he had family alive he could talk to, mend bridges with (and I argue he mended a little with Nick) and reach some form of peace about - I didn't seem as patronizing (especially compared to Landry) but as trying to help from the perspective he has.
Yeah, Teal'c is becoming whump-queen. Dunno.
Maybe drinking on-base is okay, especially in off-hours or personal quarters? I'd be willing to believe it was.
You don’t mock Teal’c, writers. You just don’t. And I didn’t see Teal’c sliding down in that chair – I saw Chistopher Judge.
Yeah. For the most part, I admit to liking that scene, but I didn't like the slide. I can believe his going to something he didn't realize he was getting into and looking around in surprise, but then it seems like he would listen with rapt interest to learn something new, not slide in. Teal'c doesn't get embarrassed.
I'm curious how much of this episode was already written when they learned they were cancelled - since they'd only learned two episodes previously. So...dunno about the meta hints (which, honestly, flew by me until others pointed them out).
*sigh* I really hope they get better, cause this ranked bottom five.
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Yes! I read yours and had the same reaction. Scary, innit? :)
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? They had no idea, for sure, who they were blowing up.
I just goggled at the screen when that happened. They knew Jacen or whatever his name is couldn't be trusted, and they slaughtered people on the basis of his word? Incredible. If they have the firepower to kill them so quickly, they also had the firepower and accuracy to disable their engines, or whatever, instead of going for the straight killing shot.
See, I didn't see Daniel as patronizing. I saw him talking to Vala as someone who really wished he had family alive he could talk to, mend bridges with (and I argue he mended a little with Nick) and reach some form of peace about - I didn't seem as patronizing (especially compared to Landry) but as trying to help from the perspective he has.
It was the way he broached the subject, I guess. "Sit down, please." I'll accept that it works for you, if you'd like! It's unfair to expect me to be impartial on the subject of Vala and Daniel, anyway. :)
I can believe his going to something he didn't realize he was getting into and looking around in surprise, but then it seems like he would listen with rapt interest to learn something new, not slide in. Teal'c doesn't get embarrassed.
YES! That's it exactly. That's ascribing the cultural mores of a regular American male to a Jaffa who's been around for over a century and in completely unfazed by the more bizarre aspects of Tau'ri life. "I have read of a place where humans do battle in a ring of Jell-O."
Oh, some of the meta went over my head until I spotted it in other people's reviews - the "Eureka" bit, for example (I've never heard of it) and the conversation with Mitchell and Siler ("they cancelled it? I didn't even know the new season started," or whatever.) The meta that I did catch was mostly Jacek commiserating over Sam about the SGC not getting the support it used to even though it's done so much for the NETWORK of planets, ha ha. Of course, that was right before he hit on her, and she slapped him down, so you might have missed it. :)
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I admit, I'd heard mutterings of the episode being mediocre and was tired and not paying complete attention while watching, but I literally was only beginning to figure out what was going on when they decided to fire. Which means they really didn't know. I'm not honestly sure they even knew what they were shooting at...STUPID
It was the way he broached the subject, I guess. "Sit down, please." I'll accept that it works for you, if you'd like! It's unfair to expect me to be impartial on the subject of Vala and Daniel, anyway. :)
Okay. I saw that as, "this isn't going to an easy talk, maybe you should sit" but I could see it your way to now. And, yeah, you aren't so much with the impartial :)
YES! That's it exactly. That's ascribing the cultural mores of a regular American male to a Jaffa who's been around for over a century and in completely unfazed by the more bizarre aspects of Tau'ri life. "I have read of a place where humans do battle in a ring of Jell-O."
Yep. I feel like Jaffa have fewer, um, body issues? than Earth/American people do. Why should this be any more uncomfortable than any of a hundred things he's encountered over the past 10 years? I mean, the Stargate creators get enough (sometimes justified) criticism about how it handles gender issues, and usually it doesn't phase me, but this one took the cake.
I don't know if I caught *any* of the meta as intended meta. I think, unless it's the case of something like "200" I don't expect it and I don't look for it. I mostly sat there wondering why SGC was suddenly so underfunded that they didn't have enough equipment and when that happened without us noticing...*is dense sometimes*
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Heh. I don't pretend to be, though, so it should be all right. :)
mostly sat there wondering why SGC was suddenly so underfunded that they didn't have enough equipment and when that happened without us noticing...
Especially as they're currently getting power from a ZPM conveniently shipped over from SGA.
This was a classic case of "change characterization and canon facts for the purpose of suiting the current plot." It's lazy, bad writing, and it's infuriating to get this with only... what, two eps left? Hopefully, the last two of this half of the season will be as good as the first two.
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Nope. When Rodney complains Atlantis should have been able to keep all three ZPMs, Weir tells him one went to the Odyssey and the other to the Antarctic chair (though, that can't be possible because I think they've since opened wormholes from Earth to Atlantis which requires a ZPM so...do they keep shuffling it between Antarctica and Colorado? Seems like that could be problematic in emergencies...)
But, yeah, point.
Maybe they've given up? Which...makes me sad. It works better when shows get to end on their own terms (like M*A*S*H or every Star Trek since the first one - they don't get the tired, lazy, sloppy feeling because they end when they are ready and they can plan for it)
We can hope. SGA lagged and then picked up at the end in it's concurrent season, and so far they seem to be strongly connected between good and bad episodes...
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And SG-1 fans are just supposed to know this by osmosis... sigh. Which leads directly to: Maybe they've given up? Which...makes me sad
I do wonder, sometimes. It doesn't feel like they're trying to make too much of an effort any more - like the crossover details with SGA without explanation, and sloppy writing. At least we got the Gate this ep, and not just the pretty ships. It's not only shipping that sinks the show, it's shipping, too. If that makes any sense.
Still! Two eps to go. Maybe they'll pick up.
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(I do think Vala could have easily gone back to fetch her treasure box after she was de-goa'ulded. But that she would actually have that extreme sentimentalism, I'm not so sure about.)
If it's any consolation, next week's ep is better. Only one plothole, but lots and lots of visits from favorites and solidly on the main plot arc. It totally works for me as a show ender, since you know how much I hate the actual finale. ;-)
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Oh, yes. Even someone with a relatively high dislike for Vala, like me, recognizes that it is completely OOC for her to cling to that "treasure box" after she's been thoroughly and utterly disillusioned of sentimentalism, hope, and optimism from her years as a host.
If it's any consolation, next week's ep is better. Only one plothole, but lots and lots of visits from favorites and solidly on the main plot arc. It totally works for me as a show ender, since you know how much I hate the actual finale.
Uh oh. I was so disgusted by this ep that I forgot the dire warnings I've been getting regarding the finale. So it's only one good ep left, and one awful one? Yipe!
Still, your words of encouragement for the coming episode leave me hoping. So, it'll more or less be like those who consider Threads to be the end of S8 (or even the series!) instead of Moebius?
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Hee! Yes, exactly -- a big tie-up of some of the the major show-long plot points and a good springboard for the movie. (Please, oh please let the movie be good!!!!) And after Unending, like Moebius with it's alternate timeline crapola, you can sort of say "It didn't happen." But, ack! Brain bleach! Dominion is my show ender.
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Deep breaths... :)
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Please, please let next week’s ep be better!
It's...not awful. Not great, but not awful.
I haven't seen the last ep yet.. It's been on my hard drive for over a month, but I've kind of been putting it off. I have to say- TPTB are certainly doing their best to make us not miss the show. But it's too late- we miss the show it used to be. :(
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I have no idea why that makes me giggle, but it does. The Ultimate Litmus Test: can Redbyrd fix this? If she can't, it's unsalvageable. :)
It's...not awful. Not great, but not awful.
How sad that such an approbation has to be considered more positive than most. :(
it's too late- we miss the show it used to be
I've been missing it for two years, now. Sigh.
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I was so proud of myself for writing the fix for PONR.. I didn't *mean* TPTB to take it as a challenge!
But for Family Ties? Any fixit story that starts "all the characters in the story are kidnapped by extradimensional Bad Writers and have their brains rearranged".. is not a good story. Ever. *sigh*
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Loki's second cousin replaced them with clones? You could write the clean-up detail afterwards! :)
You have to dip your toe in the parody pool some time...
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You have to dip your toe in the parody pool some time...
I do??! Do you know what kinds of things *grow* in the parody pool? I mean, marshmellow peeps and god knows what else! *g* (Just kidding.)
Honestly though- the impetus that drives most of my fics is the idea, "this would be such a great story if I could just explain a, b and c that really bug me". And I'm not getting that from S9 and S10, for the most part. There isn't enough 'great story potential' to hang a fic on.
As I was saying to loriel_eris this morning, the Arthurian background of the Ori/Ancients was a horrible turn-off for me. To have Ancients running around on Earth during our recorded history really screwed with established timelines, plus the source material is *so* heavily used in written fantasy.
What they really needed was the pre-Roman mythos (tying into the earlier 'builders of roads' references and the Latin-related language). I mean, why *Arthur* and have him speaking a form of Latin? Gah.
The idea that I am totally resisting (or maybe saving for retirement), is the urge to completely rewrite S9 and 10. With more emphasis on the post-Goa'uld galaxy, the Ori as creepier but less overwhelmingly powerful enemies, the Stargate going public on Earth... because it's really silly that they it hasn't been blown yet: (Okay my train of thought just became totally derailed by commentfic, and since it's a boring afternoon at the office...)
It was a slow day at the SuperShop, and Bill glanced around to see what his buddy Steve was doing. The store had a mix of retirees and high-school kids, but Bill frequently wasn't even sure what language the teenagers were speaking. The two age groups tended to naturally segregate, like oil and water. "'Air Force Teams Journey to Other Planets!'" Bill laughed as his fellow cashier looked up from the newspaper. "Why do you read that tabloid trash?"
"C'mon, Bill," his friend urged. "Don't tell me you still buy the cover-up? Everyone knows there're aliens out there. It'd be on the front page of the New York Times, except that everyone's so terrified of looking silly they won't go to press without overwhelming proof. Remember Alec Colson?"
"I remember that he tried to scam the public into some kind of alien story when he was being indited for securities fraud," Bill said stubbornly.
"He was only indited *after* he put an alien on live television!"
"Which was proved to be some new hologram technology that he was working on for the government."
"Some people think the aliens gave us the hologram technology," Steve said.
"Which is why the government is licensing it to create the new VirtualWorld theme park?" Bill yawned. "Yeah, aliens. I'll believe it when I see it."
A young man came up to his checkout, and Bill turned to him with a smile for one of his regulars, "Good morning, Nyan," he eyed the assortment of basic foodstuffs in the basket. "Traveling again?"
Nyan laughed, "Yeah, sludge in the fridge when I got home. I don't know why I bother."
"You need to freeze more," Bill told him, briskly running his purchases thorough the scanner. "My wife freezes all our leftovers religiously."
"But who'd want to worship frozen broccoli?" the young man joked. Then he got a thoughtful look in his eye.
"Your receipt?" Bill handed it to him.
Nyan took it with a mumbled 'thank you', and hurried out.
"Weird kid," Steve said. "What kind of a name is 'Nyan'?"
"It's a family name, he told me once," Bill said. "He's a nice guy. Works for the Air Force. Weird schedule though, I never know when he'll be in."
Steve lost interest and put away his newspaper. "Well, quiet as it is, I'll go see if I can help with stocking, if you'll hold down the front."
Bill nodded, as Steve locked his register and turned away. Aliens, right. Who the heck was going to fall for that?
Warning: this is just a random free-floating idea. There is *nothing* that will induce me to start working on this. Really. I need to retain the illusion that my writing goals can be achieved in some non-infinite timespan. Like my lifetime.
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"But who'd want to worship frozen broccoli?" the young man joked. Then he got a thoughtful look in his eye.
Can't you just see Nyan bursting into Daniel's office with the horrible news that the Ori have secretly planted worship me nanocytes into the local vegetable patches?
Seriously, though (can we be serious about this?) I understand exactly what you mean: the storyline of S9-10 isn't enough to truly interest me, or charm me, to want to write about it.
The idea that I am totally resisting (or maybe saving for retirement), is the urge to completely rewrite S9 and 10. With more emphasis on the post-Goa'uld galaxy, the Ori as creepier but less overwhelmingly powerful enemies, the Stargate going public on Earth... because it's really silly that they it hasn't been blown yet
I don't care if you don't write this now, or if your Nyan snippet gets thrown away. But I do hope you write this someday, because while I don't care for Mitchell much and Vala makes me crazy as she's presented to us now, I would dearly love to see some kind of sense made out of these last two seasons of SG-1.
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You're channeling the parody *g*. Actually, it's a rather clever insight to some iconography that's been baffling the archeology team. But Daniel totally understood how he got there from frozen broccoli. (It'll probably turn up somewhere eventually- I never throw these bits out!)
And I think they went the easy/lazy route
by picking Arthurian legend
Oh, god, yes. This was the 'gee, we don't have to explain anything because *everyone*'s seen "The Sword in the Stone". Pardon me while I go thump the heavy bag a few times.... okay, better now.