Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The Intruder (202)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Originally posted by lunapasa View Post
    Hermoid: crap indeed

    , I never thought an asgard could be that funny.
    I know I love that part
    sigpic

    Comment


      Loved this ep, even if that spaceship gone mad thing was a total rip-off/tribute to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Very well done, though.
      sigpic

      Comment


        Was a good episode but when Sheppard got caught in the 302 it reminded me of when Jack and Teal'c were stranded in a glider that Apophis rigged. As well as other themes that have already been done (and already mentioned in the thread) in SG1. Overall it was enjoyable.
        At the moment it is Phobos (though time is limited; it is suppose to crash into Mars in the next 100 million years )

        Comment


          Crap indeed.

          I've always loved the Asgard, they have such a deadpan delivery. I always enjoyed Thor's interactions with O'Neill for that very reason.

          I would have liked to have seen Hermiod wandering around Atlantis (how can an Asgard travel all the way to the city of the Ancients and not want to spend forever poking around its database?). But I understand that for what it would cost in terms of time and spec-fx and what it would add to the story, it wouldn't really have been worth it.

          Still, would have been fun to see him walk past a couple of folks having a conversation. I bet he'd get a few looks.

          I especially liked this episode because you can see the effect that the deaths have on the characters, particularly McKay. This comes not long after Peter (Grodin)'s death, and you can clearly see how much it affects McKay (just like the death of his scientist friend in The Defiant One, earlier in S1). I think later on in the seasons, death becomes such a common thing that nobody bats an eye when a few marines or scientists kick the bucket, but right now, it's making waves.
          Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.


          Comment


            From Joe Mallozzi's blog last night, thoughts on this episode:
            THE INTRUDER (202)

            The working title of this one was Murder in Space. It took our heroes out of the comfy Atlantis environs we’d grown to know and love over the course of season one, and placed them in the new, comparatively claustrophobic environment of the Daedalus. It’s a tough episode for Weir who not only sees her relationship fizzle back on Earth (Simon, we hardly knew ya!), but suffers a power play at the hands of Caldwell who has designs on her position on Atlantis. Elizabeth shows amazing strength in the face of both blindsides. I particularly love her standing up to the boys in the conference room and telling them, in no uncertain terms, that there will be hell to pay if any attempt is made to force her out. Through most of the show’s first season, she is shown as diplomatic and given to compromise but here, finally, we are offered a glimpse of the take-no-****, won’t-back-down attitude that no doubt won her the position of Commander of the Atlantis expedition.

            Some memorable lines in this one:

            “Airperson, don’t be there.” (ad-libbed by David Hewlett). A not-so-subtle Rodney telling a member of the Daedalus crew to move it.

            “Ten fingers, ten toes. I’ll check the rest later.” (written by my writing partner, Paul). Sheppard’s response the second he is beamed back on board – presumably in one piece.

            “Crap indeed.” (This one’s mine). Hermiod agreeing with the dire assessment of their situation.


            http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...-iii-intruder/
            sigpic

            Comment


              An average (which can be expected after the awesome premiere).

              Rodney holding his crotch before he was beamed, was hilarious. Shep staring at Hermiod.

              I like how they mentioned the SG-1 episode that had a plot similar to this one, I liked that.

              Watching the end credits, Mark Savela makes his debut as Visual Effects producer.

              Tomorrow, Ronon Dex arrives, and we find Ford.
              sigpic

              Comment


                Not too bad an episode with the insidious Wraith computer virus slowly taking away control of the Daedalus from the crew. Loved the idea of how it 'hid' so quickly in various places to avoid the system reboot, and the H.A.L like way it watched through the 'eyes' of the cameras on the ship.

                We also get one of those great Stargate moments with an Asgard agreeing that their situation was.... 'crap indeed!'

                Comment


                  Having an episode in space on the Daedalus was a refreshing change. The story itself was fairly predictable, but it introduced an interesting dimension to the Wraith, technological sophistication.

                  Once again we essentially have no Teyla in this story. She was left babysitting Atlantis while the entire senior staff went home to earth. Sadly, her character is so extraneous at this point that we don't even miss her really. She's like the Col. Reynolds of the SGA. There when you need her, basically invisible when you don't. Hardly a good position for a main cast member.

                  I'm glad they mentioned Ford instead of just dropping him entirely and pretending like he never existed. That's what they'll do after his replacement comes on the scene in the next episode. I am confused by one thing, however. Ford's family received the message sent in the Pegasus project, but later we find out that McKay's sister didn't. What gives?

                  I found Shep's reaction to the Asgard odd. He's spent the last year fight off death from space vampires who suck life from you with their hands and he's weirded out by a little grey guy with no pants?

                  I'm normally a Weir defender, but I can't really abide by her actions in this ep. First, she should be called out for her horrible mistreatment of her now ex-boyfriend. She basically dear johned him via video from another galaxy and then she shows up a year later and is surprised when he's moved on. Come on Elizabeth! Are you really that self-absorbed?!

                  Next, she was absolutely wrong in the way she handled Col. Caldwell and in defending Shep. John absolutely stepped out of line in Hot Zone and now she's using the same excuses he did to defend him. In my mind that really undermines her credibility. If she wanted John as military commander of Atlantis there are plenty of reasons for her to defend that position, but minimizing his inability to follow orders and his leadership inexperience was not the right tack. It made Weir appear weak and incompetent herself.

                  Caldwell, Landry and the AF had some very valid points about Shep not being given command in Atlantis. While he is good at soldiering and clearly dedicated to the mission he has terrible leadership skills and he lacks judgment and experience necessary for command.

                  Weir also behaved very badly on the Daedalus when she goaded and antagonized Caldwell about not getting the Atlantis command in front of his crew and hers. He behaved properly by taking her aside and calling her out on her bad behavior. You would think that someone as politically savy as she's supposed to be would know that once you've pulled strings to get your way you don't continue to rub it in the face of your opponent. As someone who's worked in politics in DC for many years I can say that the successful politicians and diplomats know how to remain cordial with even their staunchest enemies because you never know when you might need them on side. Today's opponent is quite frequently tomorrow's linchpin ally. And in this case Weir still needs Caldwell for transport, supplies, and defense.

                  Comment


                    Midweek, another ep of Atlantis...

                    1. More Hermiod snarking.

                    2. Interesting point about Ford. I presume that because Ford was now officially MIA they decided to show the family the vid.

                    3. Forgot about McKay going into protective mode.

                    4. First time we saw Landry on Atlantis.

                    Still a solid ep.
                    I SURF FOR THE FREEDOM!

                    Comment


                      The Intruder

                      In Feburary of 2012, two "The Intruder"'s aired within a week of each other, this one and "Babar's", is it coincidence... probably; but I like to think it was to acknowledge each other's existence, in a slightly competitive way... After surviving the storm with Pompadour and stopping Rataxes heading home to Earth to connect with loved ones; the crew returns home on the Daedalus, which is unlike Atlantis; this episode is different in that it places the characters in a new situation for the duration of the episode, however it also includes something very common to sci-fi; a virus on the ship... Guess there's some things you can't fully escape I guess.

                      It's nice to see more of the ship even though it's limited to a control room, engineering room, hallways and a fighter bay; it's like the writers know we want to get into how the ship works, how it looks, what it's functions; for people working on sci-fi it's always common to show detailed parts of the ship but still, we're getting a chance to get to know the ship Daedalus and it's nice since it's proclaimed to be a new ship and is is something that may be constantly shown in Atlantis; it also provides the perfect background for the crew to roam around in. This truly is different from them; cramped corners, different machinery, sterileness, etc... It provides much of the tension and fear that this episode requires and it gives something for the characters to work with; the perfect settings often make the best episodes but this doesn't turn out to be the case here as the crew don't seem to mostly notice by it; more so they seem to treat it like they're in Atlantis. I mean this is a radically different location, the least you could do is not act like it's Atlantis; plus it doesn't feel as cramped and tight as the writers make it out to be, the spaces aren't massive but there is a reasonable amount of room for them to move around in; if they wanted to make it cramped, they should of made it cramped.


                      See, plenty of room...

                      Much of the beginning scenes are essential as they set up the worry and tension that makes up the basis of the episode. Since this is a sci-fi show, Atlantis truly ups the limits utilizing a variety of effects and even showing death right in front of us creating a truly creepy environment with a sense of mystery, paranoia and fear that will have viewers entranced; what is shown is somewhat of a twisted place, one where anything can happen and nothing can be done to stop this; and they even manage to add a minor mystery, where the characters do a good job at investigating the subject (many of the dialog scenes get to the point and push hard, which in a mystery is always good) plus there are even clues which aren't overly obvious; which means that you will feel like an appreciated viewer if you manage to solve this mystery. They also manage to make death look awesome and scary; sure it's a common thing but the way they filmed, portrayed and executed it makes the whole thing worth it. Truly the first few minutes start the episode on a high note but after that; things start to go downhill. When our culprit is revealed (within the first few minutes no less), any sense of mystery is lost and it becomes a cat and mouse game of getting rid of the virus before it either manages to invite the Wraith or take control and take the ship directly to them.

                      Things manage to remain tense with fear and worries abound. It helps that they made the virus truly strong, powerful and persistent; for both our characters and the viewers, there seems to be no way to get rid of it, sure they keep trying but the virus manages to get them in predicaments where it seems like near death is an almost certain possibility; they're roaming through a virus infested ship and there doesn't seem to be any escape from the virus and that's one of the things that helps make these scenes engaging, it's something that's truly immersive. Many of the characters do well in handling the situation, the efforts in getting rid of the virus is clearly felt and the characters have a sense of determination that carries them well and some of them even get a chance to shine emotionally, which I thought was nice considering the concept of the episode. McKay seems to appear in most of the scenes and in most of these scenes he does well for himself, giving the episode a technological aspect that helps to both give credence to the virus and give weight to certain points of the episode, plus he does seem sensible and tolerable in many of these scenes...


                      Truly chaotic.

                      That doesn't mean there are downsides though; the conflict between the virus and the humans is compared to a game of chess but it doesn't really feel that way, instead it feels as if both have been dumbed down for the purpose of the plot. Stargate clearly has intelligent people in it's series, many of which have been able to come up with intelligent stuff so why is it that they can't realize the obvious? It's a bad thing when people recognize the stuff faster then the characters, for instance, a scene regarding a ship... a person with a high IQ is able to come up with a situation that explains everything happening in another scene. That shouldn't happen, the viewer shouldn't have to be the smartest person in a sci-fi show. The virus claims that it's a living, breathing artificial intelligence that's one step ahead; so why too can't it realize the obvious? there are just so many things that the virus should of been capable of doing, especially given it's advanced state. I guess the writers felt like they needed to have something that our Heroes can easily vanquish as well as have an episode that fills it's 44 minute timespan which raises the ultimate question; are there people out there willing to risk the status quo?

                      The momentum of the episode slowly degrades and it becomes just another SGA episode with the characters acting the bare minimum just to get their paycheck. They make an admirable effort to maintain the momentum the previous acts had but even the actors find it hard to care, especially near the end of the episode. Rodney is an example of this, at times it feels like he's overacting in order to compensate for the lacking material of the episode; while I did like some of his overacting (it helped...) much of it detracts from the episode, he becomes annoying very quickly with his quick talking, high voice and over-worrying (though I can see why girls would like him for his quirkyness) and worst of all, he contributes one of the worst jokes of SGA; the infamous crotch grabbing scene; For one, why would he grab his crotch? even for him, no person would worry about their crotch regarding the situation at hand, they would worry about their entire body and secondly, Rodney isn't cute enough in order to counteract the whole lowbrowness of the scene; I mean sure, some people find it funny but it's ultimately a cheap joke that has limited humoral value.


                      Not funny.

                      Barely anything happens in this episode, which does explain the appearance of the flashback scenes detailing their trip to Earth; for the way they were done, I can only say that SGA must of been watching tons of episodes of "Lost" and decided to integrate that flashback formula into their episode... It's nice to see their trip to Earth and the various conversations that resulted, Sheppard gets a chance to express his acting skills that makes him a viable actor but it is Weir who shines, showing that aggressiveness that made her what she is today, it's clear that she isn't someone to be messed with, taking on many of Earth's finest and winning. There's also emotional stuff with her boyfriend that show the more human side of her; even though Weir's acting is off at points, she manages to show the emotion and the compassion that truly makes her character involving and relatable. It's a shame about what happened afterwards but at least she got to show what she's about even if her boyfriend wasn't 100% there. The flashback scenes are insightful but everytime I watched them it felt like I was watching Lost which to me detracts from the scenes; when I want to watch Lost, I watch Lost, not SGA.

                      Much of the other scenes in the episode consists of the crew explaining the virus, what the virus intends to do, repeating the obvious and going into overly technical terms (which is appreciated but much of it can be simplified) and this is detrimental for a couple of reasons; we pretty much know what the virus is and the intentions behind the virus, so explaining the virus in a variety of ways just shows to everybody that they're doing this to fill time and nothing more. I'm sure the people are aware that it's audience are smart but stuff like this just panders to the audience, unless they're trying to target the people recently tuning into Atlantis but still... I understand if you have nothing to fill time with but you could of used it to reflect on the environment or even the characters. Something does happen in the form of some pretty cool visual effects and space battles which are done competently enough and are designed to keep viewers engaged with maneuverability, timing, placement and sheer awesomeness; one of the space battles even helps to end the episode on a high note as the people behind the episode effectively showcase the success and finality that ties everything together and the bonus scenes at Atlantis are a really nice touch that bring a smile to anybodies face, though I'm irked at how everything can be fine and dandy after the season finale...


                      Heroic...

                      Regardless of the cool plot, the scary atmosphere, the change of setting and even awesome moments; it ends up getting beaten by Elephants. It does start off good in the beginning and there are some moments that will have you at the end of your seat but it loses momentum midway through and never recovers. It seems like the writers were initially inspired but then lost interest as time goes on and that is reflected in the episode through the amount of averages and time-eating moments this episode has. I will however, say that I liked the flashback moments on Earth and some of the tense moments and this episode is a good way to kill 44 minutes but overall, this is a disappointing episode considering it's awesome episode title.

                      7.0/10

                      Something Else to Watch: Babar: "The Intruder" - Compared to the SGA episode of the same name, this one is more tense, more awesome, more satisfying and an all around better experience. If you haven't seen this; you haven't seen nothing yet...
                      Back from the grave.

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by NowIWillDestroyAbydos View Post
                        Rodney holding his crotch before he was beamed, was hilarious.
                        What the heck was that all about anyway? Was he afraid it was going to get left behind in the transport or something?

                        My LiveJournal post
                        Wow, even after sending the Wraith packing in the last ep, they're still not truely gone!
                        And how many people does McKay have to watch die all together, seriously?!
                        "Thanks to denial, I'm immortal."
                        "A big 'Hello' to all intelligent life out there, and for everyone else, the secret is to bang the rocks together, guys!"
                        "Excuse me, barmaid? You seem to have brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone!"
                        "I'm Jack. It means... what's in the box?"

                        sigpic
                        >-- Czechs Rock! >--

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Zombies Rise from the Sea View Post
                          . . . and worst of all, he contributes one of the worst jokes of SGA; the infamous crotch grabbing scene; For one, why would he grab his crotch? even for him, no person would worry about their crotch regarding the situation at hand, they would worry about their entire body and secondly, Rodney isn't cute enough in order to counteract the whole lowbrowness of the scene; I mean sure, some people find it funny but it's ultimately a cheap joke that has limited humoral value.

                          Not funny.
                          Originally posted by Jae'a View Post
                          What the heck was that all about anyway? Was he afraid it was going to get left behind in the transport or something?
                          I totally agree. That was low brow humor at its worst. It makes no sense and it's SO NOT FUNNY. But what can you expect from a PDL episode?

                          Comment


                            Pretty average ep.

                            I liked being aboard the Daedalus and seeing F-302's in action again.

                            The Wraith virus had it's creepy moments. And that bloke being blown out the airlock was pretty creepy. And Shep's reaction to Hermiod was funny.

                            Other than those things I wasn't very interested at all.

                            Oh and I found Rodney protecting his parts to be funny.
                            sigpic

                            Comment


                              This episode just screams a bottle episode. This is apparent by how the whole episode for the most part is shot on the Daedalus. Now I am not against bottle episodes if it has a good story behind it. The Star Trek: DS9 episode, "Duet" comes to mind as an awesome bottle episode. This however is not a good bottle episode. It seems to simliar to the episode Entity. I could overlook that thier is a lot of reuse of good storylines over the years in science fiction but the story is too simplistic. Every time the solution is lets restart the Deadalus to solve the problem. Its boring. The notion of the Wraith implanting a virus during the Siege is a great idea. Nine times out of ten a bad story starts with a good idea but terrible execution on the writers, directors, and/or the actors. The saving of this episode are the flashbacks. I kind of feel like this episode is the aftermath of the Siege and I like seeing what happens to the Atlantis crew on Earth as a result of the Siege. Finally Caldwell was always a favorite of mine in the tension he brings. He is kind of an antihero. Not a villian for the Atlantis team but someone who disagrees with the team and to butt heads with Weir. Its a shame that tension disappeared after season two
                              Originally posted by aretood2
                              Jelgate is right

                              Comment


                                I liked this one and the actor playing Caldwell is doing a good job.

                                Hermoid was funny

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X