Redial the Gate: Holiday

[fignewton]

How very lovely to have time for extra redial_the_gate squee!

Tomorrow is Holiday. I have some utterly frivolous observations, and one rather unhappy one under the cut.

First of all, why is ruthless!Daniel so beautiful? When a cold and pitiless Machello is staring down at dying Daniel... I mean, think of Daniel calmly watching the screens in Absolute Power. There's just a certain... something there. I'm not complaining, mind. Just wondering. :)

Sam and Daniel friendship squee for the absolute win in this one. And TEAM! Oh, how much they do for each other. And Sam is so strong and capable here! And Janet and Hammond!

Some of the best acting ever as CJ acts like Jack and RDA acts like Teal'c and RDA and MS do spot-on perfect imitations of each other.

They did such a fantastic makeup job here in Holiday that I didn't know that MS played Machello until I saw a comment to that effect online. Wow. So how come they're so awful at it in other episodes?

On a slightly more creepy note, did anyone else get the impression that Machello-in-Daniel was a little too interested in Sam?

Now for the more sobering thought...

In this S2 episode, Hammond puts the welfare of one of his people before the possibility of huge technological gains. I love him for it, and not just because the person in question was Daniel!

But I can't help thinking that in later seasons, the choices would have been different.

I think of Convenant, and the deliberate deconstruction and destruction of an essentially innocent civilian. I think of S9 and that seriously awful memory machine, which was featured again three times before the end of the series. There are many other examples that suggest that the SGC's moral compass went south as time passed.

Yes, there was moral imbiguity in earlier seasons, too. Secrets springs instantly to mind, and all the NID/Maybourne machinations. But none of these came from the SGC itself, and they were presented as deplorable.

Thoughts? Disagreements? Should Hammond have looked for volunteers, or someone suicidal who wouldn't have minded swapping? Kinsey, no doubt, would've snatched someone homeless off the street and offered him to Machello on a silver platter. How do you think Machello's offer would have been treated in later seasons of the show?

And while we're on the subject of Redial... C'mon, folks. No one has any fanworks to suggest for The Fifth Race? Scandalous! Go rec some! Or write some, even. :)

Comments

[tejas.livejournal.com]

The allure of Evil!Daniel, aka, MS playing Evil is one of the most attractive things about the upcoming Rage of Angels. Seeing MS playing Lucifer is going to be SUCH fun!

[zats-clear.livejournal.com]

*shallow breathing, dilated pupils, racing pulse*

yup, MS playing a complete arrogant bastard is seriously hawt.

And so I don't spam, all comments here (sorry tejas!)

Watched Holiday last week and really really enjoyed it, as always. I particularly liked moving a few of the scenes frame by frame (lurve DVDs for that), like when Daniel/Machello is captured by the police and slammed to the hood of the car and when RDA and MS do their fantastic impressions of each other (oh, that "come hither" finger thing that MS did...). CJ does an amazing RDA. I love seeing him all animated because it just points out what a "presence" he has as an actor and how he brings subtle body language to Teal'c as a character. It is too easy to overlook. As to the interest in Sam? I may have to watch that again for that creepy little bit! I did adore how Daniel-in-Machello told her that she liked him for more than his looks. /fangirl gush

Regarding the welfare of the people vs tech, I think that has a lot to do with the General in charge. I am dead serious about Landry being the kind of guy I have worked for and would never want to work for again. The kind who is so busy covering his own ass, that he hangs your out to dry. Hammond, god love him, was overly involved. Between the two, and both have their downside, I would still rather work for Hammond! /thinkie thoughts

I love redial!! You guys all rock!

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Shoot, I don't mind. ;-)

I'm so looking forward to Rage. Current word is that it's going to be a feature film first (CJ is rewriting the pilot with a screenwriter or two and loving the learning experience) and then may be one of the signature shows for a new premium channel.

Which, of course, means we might get some SKIN! :-) WWWWHHHHEEEEEEEE!!!! I have a feeling CJ's Gabriel is going to be seriously hot, too. :-)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Redial is so great, and it's thanks to everyone joining in the squee! :)

And yes, yes, everyone was superb in this. Just fantastic. It's marvelous to see how they all got perfectly into character for everyone else.

The interest in Sam thing - when he's offering to teach her his sekrit language, when he's suggesting that Daniel is a "casualty of war" - watch his facial expressions, the way he eyes her so coolly. Good stuff.

And yes, I loved that Sam stayed by Daniel when he needed her so badly. ::happy sigh::

Landry, huh. I went from neutral to mild dislike to active dislike with him. Hammond earned our respect; Landry demanded it. Hammond went off-world "for his people" in Prisoners; Landry flounced off for the fun of it. So yes, the general in charge (or not in charge; Landry was more puppet for the IOA than in command, most of the time) has a lot to do with it. OTOH - Hammond was in charge during Covenant, too. Hmmmm.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

It's not that I find him more attractive, I don't think. It's just something MS manages to project. Sort of. It's a kind of cold and sterile beauty that just makes me sit up and go whoa.

Now, Daniel being ruthless with his moral compass still intact? That's stunning beyond words. "A little more time in Danny's world..." :)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Yes! Yes! YES!

The cold beauty hits us deep in our cultural roots. We are still mired in the Greek ideal of what is beautiful must also be good, and vice versa. Even though we tell ourselves otherwise, it's a hard thing to overcome. The dichotomy of Evil!Beauty sends shivers down our collective spines. (Among other things. ;-)

And yeah, when Daniel's morality tells him ruthlessness is the best path to take, oh, MOMMA! :-) And there is NOTHING more dangerous than a person who has decided that the ruthless path is also the moral path.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree with some of this, because I personally have a strong cultural reaction that "classic" beauty is all too often a facade for amoral evil. But I do agree that there's an inherent horror in Evil!Beauty, which is why it strikes as being so powerful.

And there is NOTHING more dangerous than a person who has decided that the ruthless path is also the moral path.

Oh, yes. Because a person who is aware that what they're doing is wrong will eventually apply the brakes out of guilt. If they're convinced they're right? Watch out for the mushroom cloud on the horizon.

[lokei.livejournal.com]

I ADORE "Holiday." It makes me happy in all kinds of good and evil ways. I love the acting jobs, as you point out, where they're all playing each other so beautifully, I love the way even though Daniel-in-Machello sounds like Daniel and IS Michael Shanks, he still sounds like it's coming from someone else's vocal chords, and the Sam&Daniel 'love me for my good looks' moment makes me chortle every time.

Evil!Daniel actually bothers me, a little, but I think that's just because I have never understood the appeal of scoundrels, rapscallions, or villains in general, though I completely understand that many people do find them alluring. Seeing someone with usually so much compassion appear to have none is even worse for me than seeing someone act ruthlessly because it is part of their core. On the upside, that kind of behavior does make a character more complex and interesting, and I can get behind that even when it leaves a sick and twisted feeling somewhere in my guts.

And I'm not ignoring your fascinating question about how this situation would have been handled in later seasons, but I don't have as much familiarity with the later episodes, so I'm just going to sit back and let the debate wash over me and enjoy, rather than sticking my ignorant foot in it.

"The Fifth Race" is also a lovely episode. I have a head full of congestion and not so many words, so with one day to go I don't think I have a story in me, but we'll see.

[lokei.livejournal.com]

*pffft* Spoke too soon. I had a little banter-y fic in me after all. Now I need to nap. *wry grin*

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Whee! And a gorgeous fic, too! :)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

The Sam and Daniel in this one just wins with every aspect, doesn't it?

Evil!Daniel is attractive, I think, because it feels so wrong. It's watching a beloved face and character awash with something that isn't them, but we're seeing them do it. I mean "attractive" in its literal sense, here - something that draws, something that's intense and makes you sit up and notice. I do prefer my Daniel as Daniel, thank you! Although we mustn't forget that he is ever so much capable of ruthlessness if he truly believes the situation demands it. That's why his idealism can be so very delightfully dangerous.

[lokei.livejournal.com]

This is completely true. He's definitely one of those 'courage of his convictions' types, and he has more than one 'shoot the Goa'uld in the tank' moment. And like I said, that kind of thing does make a character more complex and compelling, and that's a lovely thing.

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

This (along with Broca Divide and Brief Candle) is part of what my sister calls "The Classic Stargate Trifecta of Crack". She didn't start watching with me until S4, so she missed all of these delightfully cracky eps, and when Daniel listed them off in Fragile Balance ("Well, there was the time he became a cave man, the time he became a really old man, the time we all swapped bodies...") she was intrigued. So we went back and watched these three so that she would know what Daniel was talking about. She was amused.

Body-swap episodes are a major weakness of mine, it has to be said. I was kinda sad that we didn't get more body-swapping with the team getting shuffled into each other's bodies a little more for the sheer fun of it.

And yeah, something about Daniel when his moral compass has been hijacked it...really pretty. In a slightly alarming way, but really, really pretty.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's hilarious! Come to think of it, Daniel, you all suffered on those three occasions! I loev the idea of your sister picking up on the
references and demanding to see the sources. :)

Yeah, I guess they ran out of time. Still, the actors managed to pack great charaterization into those few seconds, didn't they?

You've nailed it, I think: something about Daniel when his moral compass has been hijacked it...really pretty. In a slightly alarming way, but really, really pretty. As long as I can watch from a distance, anyway. :)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

did anyone else get the impression that Machello-in-Daniel was a little too interested in Sam?
Not me, actually; never crossed my mind.

I think you're quite right about the moral compass getting busted in later seasons.

I love the actors getting to do each other! If only Amanda could have joined in the fun! But that would doubtless take us places I'm glad we didn't go....

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I'm always startled when something even remotely shippy crosses my mind... :)

Sigh for the moral compass being broken, later on. I remember someone, somewhere, asking rather sharply if the Asgard of S10 really should be calling the Tau'ri the "Fifth Race" anymore. I don't know if I agree with that condemnation, but I do agree that there are shades of it present.

I also thought it might have been fun if Sam could've been body-swapped, too, but... as you say. Perhaps better not to go there. :)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Daniel still has his moral compass moments ("Ethon"), but they become thin on the ground. I didn't like Ark of Truth very much. Of course, the Ancients and the Asgard manage to screw up phenomenally and don't always take the high ground themselves, so I think we deserve to be one of the Five Races as much as they do!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

the Ancients and the Asgard manage to screw up phenomenally and don't always take the high ground themselves

Oh, yeah. :) I always got the impression that the Nox (and maybe the Furlings) pushed for moral maturity, and the Asgard and the Ancients certainly didn't object, but their own yardstick was more technological advancement.

(Watched AoT a few weeks ago. Still haven't gotten my thoughts typed out, mostly because I keep revising my opinions. Downwards.)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

(Watched AoT a few weeks ago. Still haven't gotten my thoughts typed out, mostly because I keep revising my opinions. Downwards.)

Ouch, but yes--me too, I think.