Home (109)

[GateWorld]

DISCUSS ... HOME EPISODE NUMBER - 109 McKay's efforts to harness the energy of an alien planet's atmosphere allows for a return trip to Earth -- but the team may not be able to return to Atlantis. Visit the Episode Guide >>

[Excali5033]

Best ep yet, IMO. The idea's been done, but rarely as well as this. And man, it was good to see Don in uniform again. Seeing Teyla act so giddy about the mall was funny, if a little strange.

[Mio]

Overall It was a good episode. It's good to know that we can destroy the Wraith's ability to get to Earth by just dropping that control crystal, instead of blowing up the gate.

[cdcarter]

It was beautifly done. I like how we saw the inside of a semi-charged ZPM. Shouldn't a vacuum have been created though?

[Mio]

Originally Posted by cdcarter

It was beautifly done. I like how we saw the inside of a semi-charged ZPM. Shouldn't a vacuum have been created though?

I think that was McKay's point for dropping it. It didn't cause a huge accident, so it wasn't real.

[Calicto]

It was definitely a good episode. But probably not that great. *sad*

If they gave more information about the aliens and their history, then it would have been a 10/10... but it was predictable... but still cool... 7/10

[chris_h]

VERY good. Kept me guessing. I almost thought it was some sort of twisted AU ep.

[Grumpyguy]

Seemed more like a filler episode here. Basically, once again, we didn't explore Atlantis, we didn't find any new technology, we didn't learn any more about the Wraith.

When Hammond morphed into the mist being, I thought, cool, maybe these are Ancients that stayed behind, maybe they stayed hoping that humanity would progress to the point where they could assist them defeat the Wraith.

[Major Fischer]

I'm really finding myself enjoying this episode a lot, on a number of different levels. Probably one of my favorites of the entire series ...

A) Primarily because of the character developement. Weir, Sheppard and McKay got the most here IMO. Though Ford, and Teyla got a fair amount as well. Getting to see where some of the major characters lived gives a great feal for their personalities. I think the best aspects though, were how well the script explored each of their feelings about Atlantis, about Earth, and more importantly, about the people they have taken the expedition with. They wanted very badly to go home, but only with the idea that they might be able to come back.

Each wants to go home, but not blindly. Each has, in their heart, the adventure, the idea of Atlantis. Of the possibilities which... seems to be so much more real than many sci fi series which are about supposed to be about exploring the unknown. It's a light in their eyes, and all I can think of is that it's a combination of very good writing and very good actors who can crawl far enough into their characters heads to absolutely be there.

You know that Weir does love Simon, and she's sorry for hurting him, but she really isn't in love with him enough to give up what is deeper in her soul. You know that despite Sheppard's flippant attitude occasionally, she trusts him. Absolutely. Things had bothered her before, but the idea that Sheppard had betrayed her trust was the moment that she knew it wasn't real.

Sheppard we learned, I think, the most interesting things about. It was his imagination we were seeing more than his longing. It gives a hint of so many possibilities that seem almost deeper than the idea that Jack is the next step in human evolution. On a less deep level (for lack of a better term), the book seen is telling. It was about how he was a very smart man, who wants to learn something, but when someone comes to close to asking him about that, of discovering that part of himself, he covers it up with snark. And I think Elizabeth saw through it.

McKay was much more subtle. Sure, we saw his appartment, and watched him eat months old snack food. That was McKay. But I think the truely important thing we learned was that when the myst beings could read their minds, even he was not selfish enough to want home at the expense of millions of intelligent beings. Rodney as hero, much like Hide and Seek Atlantis is his place to be a hero. He would never have a chance to show those qualities at home. And I think personally, that he knows it.

B) The plot. So there had been a great many discussions before this episode aired about how it had been overly spoiled. How even SciFi had given too much away in the promos. It wasn't all that long into the episode that I realized that the information that they weren't really back on earth wasn't a spoiler at all. Or at least not an important thing. As things started to be 'off' it became about trying to figure out with the characters what was really going on. We all know there will be an episode next week. If we're watching SG1 we know that there are things wrong with the world anyway (Hammond, the lack of O'Neil, or any of SG1 for example) The threat that they could never return to Atlantis wouldn't have worked for real tension. How they were going to get out though. That's where the tension was.

C) Production things... I liked the CGI on the planet. Thought it was a nifty image, nicely done. Was I the only one who felt like they had shot the epsiode in a way so that the scenes on earth were more vivid, more bright than they were in the Atlantis shots. Like a visual clue that this isn't real?

So things I think would have made the episode tad better... Could they have possibly gotten some of the SG1 people to ... just walk though a scene? Even if they weren't part of the episode. I for one felt like the biggest missing element though was Carter. I have difficulty with the idea that McKay wouldn't have wanted Carter there to work on the problem.

Or that McKay wouldn't have dreamed about Carter.

--

Best line of the epsiode. Most definately the bit about looking through a microscope and seeing dancing hampsters.

[puddlejumper747]

Someone answer this PLEASE:
Why did Weir say that they could "go home and brief Gen. Hammond"? She knew he wasn't in charge of the SGC anymore. I mean she took over because he left! And Jack sent her off! So why didn't she (or any other member of the team) question the presence of Gen. Hammond and the lack of General O'Neill????

[Calicto]

It had a few plotholes. New Order came before Rising. Therefore, O'Neill was appointed General... Weir didnt ask on screen on what happened to General O'Neill and the rest of Sg-1?

""Yeah, you know, I remember that. I also remember that you were killed two days later just outside of Kabul."

I loved that completely.

[buckner]

Originally Posted by puddlejumper747

Someone answer this PLEASE:
Why did Weir say that they could "go home and brief Gen. Hammond"? She knew he wasn't in charge of the SGC anymore. I mean she took over because he left! And Jack sent her off! So why didn't she (or any other member of the team) question the presence of Gen. Hammond and the lack of General O'Neill????

I was wondering the same exact thing. It did not make sense .

[NightGloom]

Pretty good episode IMO. It was nice seeing Narim... err, Simon again. It got pretty confusing near the end, but that might be due to the acute lack of sleep. Still haven't seen too much in Teyla though- when Shepard said at the end "I thought that was you" I couldn't really figure out how he could even tell.

[Excali5033]

Hammond's in charge of all space defense now, so he'd ultimately be the one to talk to. But I thought it was strange that she question him being there as soon as she stepped through.

[Mio]

Originally Posted by buckner

I was wondering the same exact thing. It did not make sense .

General Hammond oversees both the SGC and the Prometheus. It would stand to reason that he also Oversees Atlantis as a seperate project related to, but not part of, the SGC. Therefore, O'neill doesn't need to be involved.

[ShadowMaat]

First of all, I just need to say, Sergeant HARRIMAN! HA! Take that Darren!

Easily the best ep of the series so far, IMO. Great stuff. Loved every reality-shifting minute of it. The denounement at the end seemed a little too easy, but for the moment I'm willing to forgive it.

Very interesting the way the realities were structured. If it was supposed to make them happy and content, how come all the bad things kept happening? Weir getting relieved of command, Ford getting reassigned, Rodney being given gobbledegook... Or is that a reflection of the ultimately pessimistic nature of EVERYONE? Is McKay rubbing off on folks? They figure they won't be allowed to get what they want? Or was it all part of the scheme to try and convince them that they could never get back to Atlantis?

One BIG question... why Hammond? Weir had to know that Hammond was off on another assignment and wasn't likely to be brought back to Stargate Command. And has Shep even MET Hammond? Betcha it's those genes of his that let him manipulate things so completely, but borrowing images from other peoples' minds? Or did The Mist just nab Hammond whole cloth and use him as a bridge between them all?

Nothing in this ep really added up. I love that. Although now that I think about it... I wonder if The Mist is any relation to The Water in Watergate? Similar premises. At least as far as wanting to prevent the team from killing millions of their kind, then expressing shock that the team would be willing to let things drop as long as they were returned "home".

Poor McKay. "You have no new messages." hehe. And dammit, we still don't know the name of his cat. Would have liked to have seen the little furball. LOVE the shirt. I have a similar one on order from Cafe Press.

Good Ford stuff in this ep, too. Liked the interplay with McKay.

[VirtualCLD]

Hammond is in charge of homeworld security. She knew O'Neill was in charge of SGC, but she wanted to brief Hammond, the head hancho. I don't think any of them were expecting Hammond to be there waiting for them immedeately though.

EDIT: A couple of minutes and my reply gets burried under many other posts.

[Major Fischer]

Originally Posted by puddlejumper747

Someone answer this PLEASE:
Why did Weir say that they could "go home and brief Gen. Hammond"? She knew he wasn't in charge of the SGC anymore. I mean she took over because he left! And Jack sent her off! So why didn't she (or any other member of the team) question the presence of Gen. Hammond and the lack of General O'Neill????

The lack of O'Neill is a plot hole, however, the idea that she would brief Hammond is not. Hammond is in charge of homeworld security, he is the one with authority over the Atlantis expedition (it comes out of the Antartic Outpost not the SGC, New Order told us they were considered seperate projects). O'Neill would have been there for the briefing, but she would have been briefing General Hammond.

[chris_h]

Originally Posted by puddlejumper747

Someone answer this PLEASE:
Why did Weir say that they could "go home and brief Gen. Hammond"? She knew he wasn't in charge of the SGC anymore. I mean she took over because he left! And Jack sent her off! So why didn't she (or any other member of the team) question the presence of Gen. Hammond and the lack of General O'Neill????

General Hammond is the head of "Homeworld Security:" a conglomerate of all the myriad of agencies: the SGC, the 302 and 303 programs, the Antarctic outpost, the Atlantis mission, etc.

[Excali5033]

Heheheh, satisfied now?