SGA: Reunion

[CaptJodan]

Another week, another SGA.

Good:

Wraith/Replicator showdown. As we discussed last week, the Wraith are getting their asses handed to them by and large by the Replicators. Really, there was a lot in this episode that gave us insight into the whole process.

1. As predicted, the Wraith suck at ground combat with the replicators. No surprise there. How they ever managed to capture and contain a replicator is something the team should look into if they had had had the time (can't be any riskier than what they did last week).

2. The Wraith are the primary targets of the replicators, and seem to be far more important, given that the team was hostile and easy pickings, and yet completely ignored. Whether this is a function of McKay's programming or something Dr. Weir did remains to be seen.

3. The Wraith might find a way to stop this mess, if given enough time. Though I read last week's spoilers so...

Ronon plotline. Both he and Tayla are the least represented of the entire series as regular cast members. At this point Tayla leads in the "no real character" department. She just is kind of there, a back-up muscle. Ronon gets an episode where at least they have some plot other than him JUST playing the Rambo part.

It was sappy, but I still enjoyed seeing a proper alien companion to a team, Tea'lc. It looked like he only had his streak of white on one side, though. Maybe I missed it on the other side.

The Bad:

Sam. She seemed off. I realize that this is a new job, she's trying to gain trust, get used to the ropes, etc, but even accounting for that she just...didn't seem like Sam. Or it could just be new job jitters, and she's supposed to feel "off".

There are probably other things, but these are my first impressions. Overall, I didn't think the episode was as bad as I thought it would be.

[Stile]

<snip>
It was sappy, but I still enjoyed seeing a proper alien companion to a team, Tea'lc. It looked like he only had his streak of white on one side, though. Maybe I missed it on the other side.

That's because he has a white streak only on his right side.

[Netko]

The Ugly:

Ronin and his final fight - "Let's do this as Satedans!" - WTF? Sateda was always up until now presented as roughly present Earth level tech with good firearms tech, why the fuck would "doing it as Satedans" mean unarmed melee combat?!? That up until now always seemed to be depicted as an adaptation Ronin made after being forced into the Runner role and visiting primitive worlds. Not to mention that the fight itself was retarded - standard TV melee with the stupid moment when the big dumb guy gets distracted by the woman's yell and turns around accidentally slicing her throat open. Just WTF? I was really cheering that he might be leaving the team and joining up with his buddies so that we get then as a recurring team every so often - he just doesn't work as a regular character and hasn't worked since the beginning - even to the point where his utter one-dimensionality and uselessness is acknowledged in actual dialog at the end of the last season. Take your own hint writers and write him out!

Other then that a pretty standard episode - the team yet again gets captured, good character moments, etc. Would have loved to see a replicator vs wraith semi-large battle, but alas no confrontation of that sort apart from the single replicator getting freed in the the base.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

As I expected, the best part about the episode was the Carter/McKay dynamic. The scene where McKay came into Carter's new quarters had me chuckling.

Sam. She seemed off. I realize that this is a new job, she's trying to gain trust, get used to the ropes, etc, but even accounting for that she just...didn't seem like Sam. Or it could just be new job jitters, and she's supposed to feel "off".

I agree, to some extent. I think it's the hair. I know Amanda Tapping has been dying for longer hair, but it's just not Sam (I mean come on, Carter is supposed to ride motorcycles. Did this episode's Carter look like she rode motorcycles?). She's also just a bit out of her element, so hopefully that'll pick up within an episode or two.

Her inclusion on the rescue mission seemed entirely wrong though, especially as she was right there in the thick of it. I know she's got that SG-1 mentality and all, which is fine, but everything Carter did during the rescue seemed entirely out-of-character (especially firing at the Asuran -- I would have thought she of all people would adopt a wait-and-see approach. "Enemy of my enemy is my friend," and all that).

[neoolong]

Not to mention that the fight itself was retarded - standard TV melee with the stupid moment when the big dumb guy gets distracted by the woman's yell and turns around accidentally slicing her throat open. Just WTF?

They had Mark Dacascos. I'm just glad they actually had him fight rather than just have him act. Even if the setup was dumb.

[NecronLord]

The Ugly:

Ronin and his final fight - "Let's do this as Satedans!" - WTF? Sateda was always up until now presented as roughly present Earth level tech with good firearms tech, why the fuck would "doing it as Satedans" mean unarmed melee combat?!?

Just being from a society that has guns, hardly means you are immune to wanting to settle differences in manly combat. Duels in reality were occasionally fought with swords long after handguns were invented. Abraham Lincoln chose to fight a duel with broadswords in 1842, even though handguns existed, because it would have given him an advantage over his opponent.

The other Satedans here appeared to be armed only with stunners. This wouldn't have necesserily done well, given that we've seen them resisted occasionally, against someone with a far better gun. By all rights, three of them against one of him should have been a foregone conclusion. Not to mention, if it had been a gunfight, there's a fair chance at least one of them would have died, by spinning Ronan a line about 'like Satedans' he minimised the risk of any of his people being shot dead.

So unless you're suggesting there's any reason why Ronan's judgement wouldn't be impaired by his three long-lost comrades having been broken and turned into obedient little slaves by the local satan equivalent, I don't see the problem with him being emotional and accepting a (perfectly sensible on the part of the challenger) challenge to 'do it like men.'


Evidently the Wraith do build sizeable ground structures. Now I really want to see what's on a 'wraith planet.'

In other news, we now have a reason why the Asurans haven't dealt with the Wraith, and an explanation why Wraith numbers aren't as overwhelming as they supposedly were in the war. It would appear that the Wraith were reduced to their present numbers by the Asurans last time. Given that they've yet to do it, despite regarding the Asurans as 'abominations' it seems likely that the Wraith do not believe they can mount a successful attack on Asuras.

Annoyingly, I think 'programmable Asurans' is going to turn into a brain-bug. Also, that 'test subject' could have at least laughed in the team's faces faces, said 'hello humans' or done a T-1000 style finger-wag at them. Or stolen Sheppard's gun. That would have been amusing. I heartily enjoyed seeing him beat up the Wraith. More of that please...

[DPDarkPrimus]

Not to mention that the fight itself was retarded - standard TV melee with the stupid moment when the big dumb guy gets distracted by the woman's yell and turns around accidentally slicing her throat open. Just WTF?

They had Mark Dacascos. I'm just glad they actually had him fight rather than just have him act. Even if the setup was dumb.

You shall refer to The Chairman by his title!

[Meest]

Ronin and Teyla have become Lt. Fords, Teyla probably does a bit more being a councilor of sort. Was also hoping one of them died so it gives more room for Carter going on missions, she works better as an active commander like Jack. Also disliking the Replicator rehash, they really need to up Earth's presence. Only so many times they can fight overwhelming numbers and overwhelming tech disadvantages. With no Asgard SGC really needs to gain Asgard level power so they can fight on at least closer terms, so it isn't some deus ex machina that wins the day but smart decisions. Or else this is just SG1 v2.0.

[NecronLord]

Frankly, see my comments in the last thread. The Asurans have barely lifted a finger to harm the Tau'ri. If they wanted to, they'd just have to build a Dakara-esque device (something that seems trivial, witness the ARWs that use a related technology), and fire it through the wormhole to Earth.

And I think Teyla's role will increase in importance as time goes by, now that Weir's gone, she'll have to be the 'voice of reason' a lot more.

[PREDATOR490]

Speaking of Carter and Teyla... both of them had romantic intrest arcs that have apparantly died without even a signal of what happened.

Carter supposedly got together with Jack as far back as Mobius and all we got from S9 was that some sort of relationship was going on but it was "complicated". Are we going to be seeing Anderson in this series or have they decided to pull the Mckay and Carter thing ?

Teyla has basically been eye candy and was implied to have a thing for Shep yet nothing has been mentioned since. Not that she has been getting much attention at all lately. Not that I really care frankly. The attempts of a rehash of SG1 with alien sidekicks and romantic intrests was weak to begin with.

[NecronLord]

The Carter that 'got together with Jack' in Moebius was an alternate one stuck in past.

[PREDATOR490]

The Carter that 'got together with Jack' in Moebius was an alternate one stuck in past.

The end wasnt an alternate one. They were sitting fishing and so forth implying they had gotten together. Then she says the same during SG1.

As for this episode, the thing that annoyed me the most was Shep. The fruit basket deal was no doubt meant to be funny but its just another in a long line of things that make him look like a complete prick.

[Zac Naloen]

The end wasnt an alternate one. They were sitting fishing and so forth implying they had gotten together. Then she says the same during SG1.

The whole team was there...

[NecronLord]

The end wasnt an alternate one. They were sitting fishing and so forth implying they had gotten together. Then she says the same during SG1.

Err... Right. Just because something's 'implied' doesn't mean they're boffing like rabbits on viagra, or anything of the sort. The only Jack/Sam relationship that explicitly showed was the one with the past alts.

As for this episode, the thing that annoyed me the most was Shep. The fruit basket deal was no doubt meant to be funny but its just another in a long line of things that make him look like a complete prick.

Yeah. He enjoys winding McKay up (lemon, anyone). Sure, it's not very nice, but it's the kind of thing friends do.