Counting down to Stargate
Mar. 12th, 2004 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
corilannamI've been good. I've been so, so good. Even though I've had The Lost City Part 1 downloaded for over a week, and Part 2 since Tuesday, I have not watched either of them, because I promised ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chelseafrew that I would wait until tonight. This is really hard because -- Jack! There must surely be Jack in these episodes! Right? Please?
In the meantime, to distract myself I've been thinking about the last few episodes. I never did write anything about them, mostly because I watched them ahead of time, and by the time they aired here and people were discussing them, I'd lost the urge. But I had a few brief impressions I wanted to get down for my own memory.
Heroes part 1 -- I liked it. I think. I liked getting an outsider's perspective on the SGC, and watching everyone get defensive and downright juvenile in response to the perceived invasion was amusing.
I was a little surprised that Daniel was so strongly against the filming, though. I can see him not wanting to talk about his sensitive personal issues (and boy, does he have a lot of them!), but I would have thought that an archaeologist of all people would understand the need for a record of historical undertakings. I would have set it up so that he was the cooperative one, and Sam more defensive, but I suppose it's more fun watching cranky!Daniel than cranky!Sam. Does Sam even really get cranky?
But having Jack and Daniel on opposite sides of this issue would have made for some fun discussion between them, too. Assuming, of course, that we could have gotten them into the same room long enough to have that discussion, which doesn't seem to be possible this half of the season. Ah well.
Heroes, part 2 -- I'm really not sure what to say about this one. Watching this episode made me feel very unsettled. And in the end, I think, unsatisfied. The structure of the episode was interesting, trying to keep with the outsider's view, but they were inconsistent about it, and I think it did the episode more harm than good.
We never actually got see Janet's death, and more importantly, we never got to see the moment where *any* of the main characters found out that she was dead. That moment of realization is what makes death episodes work for me -- seeing them when they're already trying to cope doesn't have the same power. Did she die instantly? What did Daniel do to try to save her? Did anyone else come to help him? How did they get her back through the gate? When did Sam realize it? So many questions, and while, yes, fanfiction is wide open to answer them, I would rather have seen some of them on the screen.
Ultimately, I felt like they were just trying to create fake suspense, and in the process they denied us (or at least me) the catharsis that you expect and need at the death of a major character. I cried a little during Sam's speech at the memorial, but really just felt empty and unhappy.
Other people covered the "where was Cassie?" issue, but I'll just pipe up to note that it bothered me, too. If they couldn't get the actress, or didn't have time to deal with Cassie finding out, etc. they could have picked a different throw-away line to say that she was away at camp/college/vacation/whatever to explain her absence. Because that absence was really, really glaring.
Daniel in black suit -- hot. Daniel waving with the teddy bear -- adorable. The baby being named Janet -- kinda lame, but very sweet, and the one part of the episode that made me feel any better.
Resurrection -- I've been looking forward to this episode since the moment I heard about it. I have a personal attachment to Sekhmet, so I was pretty excited when I heard we were going to meet the Goa'uld version of her. Alas, not so much with the screentime for any version of Sekhmet. I didn't care for the actress playing Anna/Sekhmet -- not that she was bad, I think I was just looking for something different. A little more power, maybe, when she goes from ingenue to killer. But oh well. At least the backstory they gave Sekhmet mostly matches what I had thought up, so I can still do my little AU if I want to.
Barrett and Sam still do a cute Mulder and Scully. You'd think that with AT directing this episode, she'd have dressed MS a little better. Bummer that the S/D kiss turned out to be just what AT said it was. Sigh.
Inaugeration -- This must be the West Wing homage, what with the walking and talking and quirky presidential snark. I liked it, despite my weariness with Kinsey.
The thing that amused the hell out of me, though -- Kinsey is a Sam/Jack shipper! He's looking for the subtext in the reports! He doesn't understand why no one else sees it! He's trying to convert everyone around him! He's the Uber-S/J shipper! I love it! I want an icon now.
Hmmm... I should have gone all the way back to Death Knell, which I adored for all the intergalactic political stuff. But now I'm out of time. Probably for the best. *g*
Tonight, Jack! And no more potential jossing of my WIPs until July 9th. Thank you, PTB.
chelseafrew that I would wait until tonight. This is really hard because -- Jack! There must surely be Jack in these episodes! Right? Please?In the meantime, to distract myself I've been thinking about the last few episodes. I never did write anything about them, mostly because I watched them ahead of time, and by the time they aired here and people were discussing them, I'd lost the urge. But I had a few brief impressions I wanted to get down for my own memory.
Heroes part 1 -- I liked it. I think. I liked getting an outsider's perspective on the SGC, and watching everyone get defensive and downright juvenile in response to the perceived invasion was amusing.
I was a little surprised that Daniel was so strongly against the filming, though. I can see him not wanting to talk about his sensitive personal issues (and boy, does he have a lot of them!), but I would have thought that an archaeologist of all people would understand the need for a record of historical undertakings. I would have set it up so that he was the cooperative one, and Sam more defensive, but I suppose it's more fun watching cranky!Daniel than cranky!Sam. Does Sam even really get cranky?
But having Jack and Daniel on opposite sides of this issue would have made for some fun discussion between them, too. Assuming, of course, that we could have gotten them into the same room long enough to have that discussion, which doesn't seem to be possible this half of the season. Ah well.
Heroes, part 2 -- I'm really not sure what to say about this one. Watching this episode made me feel very unsettled. And in the end, I think, unsatisfied. The structure of the episode was interesting, trying to keep with the outsider's view, but they were inconsistent about it, and I think it did the episode more harm than good.
We never actually got see Janet's death, and more importantly, we never got to see the moment where *any* of the main characters found out that she was dead. That moment of realization is what makes death episodes work for me -- seeing them when they're already trying to cope doesn't have the same power. Did she die instantly? What did Daniel do to try to save her? Did anyone else come to help him? How did they get her back through the gate? When did Sam realize it? So many questions, and while, yes, fanfiction is wide open to answer them, I would rather have seen some of them on the screen.
Ultimately, I felt like they were just trying to create fake suspense, and in the process they denied us (or at least me) the catharsis that you expect and need at the death of a major character. I cried a little during Sam's speech at the memorial, but really just felt empty and unhappy.
Other people covered the "where was Cassie?" issue, but I'll just pipe up to note that it bothered me, too. If they couldn't get the actress, or didn't have time to deal with Cassie finding out, etc. they could have picked a different throw-away line to say that she was away at camp/college/vacation/whatever to explain her absence. Because that absence was really, really glaring.
Daniel in black suit -- hot. Daniel waving with the teddy bear -- adorable. The baby being named Janet -- kinda lame, but very sweet, and the one part of the episode that made me feel any better.
Resurrection -- I've been looking forward to this episode since the moment I heard about it. I have a personal attachment to Sekhmet, so I was pretty excited when I heard we were going to meet the Goa'uld version of her. Alas, not so much with the screentime for any version of Sekhmet. I didn't care for the actress playing Anna/Sekhmet -- not that she was bad, I think I was just looking for something different. A little more power, maybe, when she goes from ingenue to killer. But oh well. At least the backstory they gave Sekhmet mostly matches what I had thought up, so I can still do my little AU if I want to.
Barrett and Sam still do a cute Mulder and Scully. You'd think that with AT directing this episode, she'd have dressed MS a little better. Bummer that the S/D kiss turned out to be just what AT said it was. Sigh.
Inaugeration -- This must be the West Wing homage, what with the walking and talking and quirky presidential snark. I liked it, despite my weariness with Kinsey.
The thing that amused the hell out of me, though -- Kinsey is a Sam/Jack shipper! He's looking for the subtext in the reports! He doesn't understand why no one else sees it! He's trying to convert everyone around him! He's the Uber-S/J shipper! I love it! I want an icon now.
Hmmm... I should have gone all the way back to Death Knell, which I adored for all the intergalactic political stuff. But now I'm out of time. Probably for the best. *g*
Tonight, Jack! And no more potential jossing of my WIPs until July 9th. Thank you, PTB.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 02:27 pm (UTC)And Lost City... Maaan, you've got stuff to look forward to...
no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:20 am (UTC)Great icon, btw!
no subject
Date: 2004-03-19 09:02 am (UTC)Heh, I was probably grateful that the death scene wasn't too extended. I would most likely have bawled my eyes out.
Great icon, btw!
Doesn't it rock?! It's made by
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 02:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 03:47 pm (UTC)I thought it was poor writing, trying to FORCE us to feel something, dammit! And I'm really mad about Cassie. Especially since it was SAM with the throwaway line. SAM who lost her mom at a young age. GAH.
I hope tonite rocks:)
no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 04:01 pm (UTC)These are the mysteries of fannish life. *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-13 07:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:35 am (UTC)*g*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-12 06:08 pm (UTC)(from your shippy icon)
Anyway, I'm glad you waited for Lost City. Now we can all squee together tonight!
no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 06:55 am (UTC)And squeeeee!
no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 04:10 pm (UTC)Okay, first it's het. There are very few het couples that work for me i.e. John/Aeryn (Farscape), Buffy/Riley, Buffy/Giles. More importanly though, it's Sam and Daniel. In my mind, their relationship is much more sibling-like. Sam treats Daniel like her little brother. Ewww.
To each their own though. I happen to actually like Sam and Pete. *g*
no subject
Date: 2004-03-14 07:21 pm (UTC)But I also think in some alternate quantum mirror universe, maybe one where Jack never joined the Stargate program, a version of Daniel and Sam are having really hot monkey sex. And it's darn pretty.
What can I say, it's a guilty AU pleasure. *g*