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    #76
    Hmmm…a decent one, certainly better than the crud that was Epiphany and Tower. Granted, the plotline was trivial but at least the episode seemed to move along at a decent pace and there were some nice nods to the continuity fairy.


    More points:

    -Why on earth did everyone decide that it was a good idea to infect Shep with the alien after Weir was already infected? Sure, let’s put both our leader AND our military commander at risk. Bang-o idea! At least Caldwell stated his concerns, but he should have raised more of a stink.

    -The plotline where a crewmember is forced to do things against their will because they have been taken over by something or someone has been done three times so far this season. Can we drop it now? Seriously.

    -Has the Atlantis chain of command finally been canonized? Weir then Sheppard then McKay?

    -Great acting by Torri – she really portrayed the alien well. I was a bit disappointed that Weir ran around with a gun, since I remember her and a PTB stating early on that she would never use one on the show. Oh well, guess the writers would say it’s not really Weir so it’s okay, just like they excuse away all the kissing.

    -Along those lines, it would appear that TPTB is getting a kick out of jerking shippers around with possessed kisses and real/not real declarations of deeper feelings. Oh joy. Can’t wait to see what they do in season 3.

    -While those lights on the wraith guns and Ronan’s gun may look cool, they stick out like a sore thumb when everything’s dark. Don’t those come with off switches?

    - Caldwell! That was his best show yet, and it was nice to see him get along with Weir and show his leadership skills in the control room.

    -I admit, Rodney grated a bit in this ep. It was most noticeable when he actually stopped trying to get the command code, even though he knew there was a time crunch, to argue with Caldwell.

    -It was odd to me that Ronon, who seems to shoot first and ask questions later, was so easily fooled by the alien in Shep rather than stunning him immediately and then sorting things out from there.

    -Always good to see Teyla thinking quick on her feet. Giving the gun to Shep so he can shoot Weir and then kicking it away because she still didn’t trust him. Smart gal.

    -The new control room guy (Grodin replacement?) that we’ve been seeing a lot of…reminds me of Dawson.

    Comment


      #77
      Just watched the ep. It was awesome, but it's not better than Conversion I can tell ya that. I give it a ***1/2.

      Cool ending huh:


      I think this season is becoming the season of bests: Joe in Conversion and Torri in this episode.

      And a cool episode for sound clips (for Ronan's Gun and the Wraith stunner: Hand version).
      sigpic

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        #78
        Originally posted by ToasterOnFire
        More points:

        -Why on earth did everyone decide that it was a good idea to infect Shep with the alien after Weir was already infected? Sure, let’s put both our leader AND our military commander at risk. Bang-o idea! At least Caldwell stated his concerns, but he should have raised more of a stink.
        Great point... having the two lead actors compromised obviously comes from the days when the Captain beamed down with the landing party... in all fairness, having two "red shirts" go through this would not have been as interesting, but it might have worked with one lead and one recurring character (imagine one of the aliens inside Zelenka instead of Sheppard... or Weir...)... much more unpredictable dynamic.

        Originally posted by ToasterOnFire
        -The plotline where a crewmember is forced to do things against their will because they have been taken over by something or someone has been done three times so far this season. Can we drop it now? Seriously.
        Amen. And that goes for all other sci-fi shows for the next ten years....

        Originally posted by ToasterOnFire
        -Great acting by Torri – she really portrayed the alien well. I was a bit disappointed that Weir ran around with a gun, since I remember her and a PTB stating early on that she would never use one on the show. Oh well, guess the writers would say it’s not really Weir so it’s okay, just like they excuse away all the kissing.

        -Along those lines, it would appear that TPTB is getting a kick out of jerking shippers around with possessed kisses and real/not real declarations of deeper feelings. Oh joy. Can’t wait to see what they do in season 3.
        See the "dream season" of Dallas that was all in Pam Ewings' head... that was the ultimate in "real/not real" mind-frakkings... lets hope the producers of SG1 and SGA NEVER get that desperate.

        Originally posted by ToasterOnFire
        -While those lights on the wraith guns and Ronan’s gun may look cool, they stick out like a sore thumb when everything’s dark. Don’t those come with off switches?

        -It was odd to me that Ronon, who seems to shoot first and ask questions later, was so easily fooled by the alien in Shep rather than stunning him immediately and then sorting things out from there.
        Both excellent points... against the establish character of Ronon. He's a soldier, a survivor... a glow-in-the-dark gun may look cool in press photos but in a "quasi-realistic" portrayal of combat, it just looks stupid... during my own military training, glowing objects were one thing we were trained to look for - for example, small red lights at night were a good indication of someone carelessly having a smoke... we were instructed to watch the action then shoot at the spot where the red light glows - you were quite likely to score a clean kill (I never actually tried this in real life, but my rifle instructors made it sound good...). A glow spot on the back of a pistol would amount to the same thing. Ronon might like the gun, but the first thing he'd do is camouflage that light with paint or tape.

        As for the confusion with Sheppard... the best way would be to neutralize the target, then figure out the indentity later... that's what stun settings are for. Sloppy scripting as far as I'm concerned... it's a lazy writer who arranges character actions merely to advance the plot. Ronon is a pro, who would NEVER be that lax in combat - that is a hard and fast rule of his character. To have him slip up should be a momentous occasion, and maybe even a signifier of deeper, darker troubles. It should not have been done just to get him out of the way... that was one of the things about the episode that annoyed me the most.

        Comment


          #79
          i just want to say that it was good and u can all agree with me that it was one of the best so far this season i mean. Um o yea and we finally saw another race in the pegasus galaxy that is advanced but they had to be the last 2 survivors so it sucks i mean dammit i wanted to atleast hear them say how their civilization was and how they handled the wraith, i mean it sounds like they new how to defend themselves. I just hope we actually meet some new advanced race that is still alive and could become our allies. They dont have to be all that advanced atleast ship wise if they had spaceships that would be great, because genni suck they are our enemies and we dont need more enemies
          sooner or later the day comes when you cant hide from the things that youv'e done anymore-BSG adama

          Comment


            #80
            Originally posted by AutumnDream
            Why are these glorious plot ideas always being reduced to the most basic simplicity within their scope of potential?
            What a really seriously excellent question. I've thought that too, and I'd like an answer to it, also. My initial guess was that the writers are churning stuff out on too tight a schedule. But other shows turn out excellent scripts w/ as little time.

            It's a shame, because it's a great cast of characters and a set-up with huge, untapped potential.

            Comment


              #81
              Also having only two marines to guard the ZPM was incredibly stupid, especially considering the recent trouble with the Trust and with the Wraith capable of beaming in when they attack (Remember how in season 1 they knocked out a generator in The Seige Part 2?). Not locking down sections of the city immediately to force Weir and Sheppard into confined areas was another idiotic mistake by the expedition team that I would have expected Caldwell to think of. This is the first episode where he has also been "infected" with the "stupid syndrome".

              Comment


                #82
                Having Ronon act so stupidly was IMO a big step back for his character.

                It really ruins that great part in Runner where Ronon is holding Sheppard's P-90 and Sheppard starts to explain that it's dangerous then Ronon expertly coackes it (or whatever one does with a P-90). That scene just flat out said "I'm much smarter then you think I am".

                It was so out of character for Ronon to fall for the alien pretending to be Sheppard when Caldwell specifically told him and Teyla Sheppard and Weir were not to be trusted. I actually thought for a time that Ronon had a plan of his own to use Shep to catch Weir then take both of them out at once but no such luck.

                5th Season of Supernatural Premiering September 10th!
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                Comment


                  #83
                  Originally posted by Micronaut
                  No, instead of the "trouble/anomaly/bad guy" of the week formula, they need to start with a personal situation and integrate that crisis into a story that helps the character(s) deal with their own internal problems in the context of the environment. The producers need to encourage the writers to start with the characters and give them an emotional (stress, love, sex, jelousy, inadequacy, fear, hate, etc... just about any emotional imbalance) or personal issue (McKay misses his cat, Sheppard tries to play football, Weir needs to get laid, Ronan needs toothpaste, etc.) and intertwine that little story into a big bad crisis. There is so much that can be done with the Atlantis environment that it is a serious waste of time, talent, and effort to be popping out formulaic action eps... they have vast riches of real drama that can be mined, and it is sad that all they are digging up is pathetic little nuggets from the past...
                  Yes! Thank you. Did you ever hit the nail on the head....

                  I would love love looooooveeee to to see the writers develop stories that way. When I discussed it in another forum, however, I was told that the writers don't work together in a way that encourages continuity and that Atlantis isn't a "soap opera".
                  I don't want a soap opera. I'd just like to see the stories use the characters and develop them, etc.

                  Take Atlantis as it's been written lately and you could insert any old cast of characters. It wouldn't matter a hill of beans, because the plots barely utilize personalities or grow them or change them.
                  I hope too that that will start to change with Season 3 or sooner.

                  Comment


                    #84
                    Here's another question, that, yes is nitpicky, but....still....

                    If Alien!Wier had access to all of her memories she would know what a kick ass-fighter Shep is, right? And know that he is very in shape and military trained, right? So why the hell would she decide to put her worst enemy in that kind of weapon if she wanted to kill him? Wouldn't it have been better to put him in, say, Beckett? No offense to the Doc, but he's nowhere near as fit as fit as Shep and knows very little about the layout of the city. It would have put him at a *huge* disadvantage to her, and from what we saw she's not exactly all noble or anything. It's not like she had tons of morals about making it a fair fight.

                    And it would have been cool seeing Beckett in commando mode.

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                    Comment


                      #85
                      Originally posted by PartyLikeIts1984
                      Here's another question, that, yes is nitpicky, but....still....

                      If Alien!Wier had access to all of her memories she would know what a kick ass-fighter Shep is, right? And know that he is very in shape and military trained, right? So why the hell would she decide to put her worst enemy in that kind of weapon if she wanted to kill him? Wouldn't it have been better to put him in, say, Beckett? No offense to the Doc, but he's nowhere near as fit as fit as Shep and knows very little about the layout of the city. It would have put him at a *huge* disadvantage to her, and from what we saw she's not exactly all noble or anything. It's not like she had tons of morals about making it a fair fight.

                      And it would have been cool seeing Beckett in commando mode.
                      Well, as Caldwell mentioned, Sheppard and Weir knew the city better than anyone. As far as military training goes, Thalan would still retain his own training anyways, so I don't think that was a big concern. If she picked Beckett, he'd still have Thalan's military training. Plus, I got the impression that Phoebus kind of enjoyed the chase.
                      "Sometimes we reach what's realest by making believe..."
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                        #86
                        I'm a bit disappointed by this episode. While still entertaining, the team was just behaving too much like a chicken who lost its head in the first few moments of losing both Weir and Sheppard. Additionally, it was also absurd that they allowed this to happen at all (although it is definitely more interesting this way).

                        Anyway, the glowing part of the guns were distracting and a pretty stupid designs that really bothered me. Ronan also was fooled way too easily but I guess it just to show how much he had opened up to trust Sheppard now. Teyla had a good moment for the first time in awhile, which was good. The acting was also a plus...once you get over the silliness of the plot.
                        I just love shows about wormholes!

                        Comment


                          #87
                          Originally posted by Micronaut
                          Great point... having the two lead actors compromised obviously comes from the days when the Captain beamed down with the landing party... in all fairness, having two "red shirts" go through this would not have been as interesting, but it might have worked with one lead and one recurring character (imagine one of the aliens inside Zelenka instead of Sheppard... or Weir...)... much more unpredictable dynamic.

                          I think if Weir had kissed Zelenka like that, he might've passed out. Or maybe he would've just kissed her back...
                          Either way, it would have been very entertaining to see.
                          It's a shame the writers always take the predictable route.

                          Comment


                            #88
                            Originally posted by PartyLikeIts1984
                            Here's another question, that, yes is nitpicky, but....still....

                            If Alien!Wier had access to all of her memories she would know what a kick ass-fighter Shep is, right? And know that he is very in shape and military trained, right? So why the hell would she decide to put her worst enemy in that kind of weapon if she wanted to kill him? Wouldn't it have been better to put him in, say, Beckett? No offense to the Doc, but he's nowhere near as fit as fit as Shep and knows very little about the layout of the city. It would have put him at a *huge* disadvantage to her, and from what we saw she's not exactly all noble or anything. It's not like she had tons of morals about making it a fair fight.

                            And it would have been cool seeing Beckett in commando mode.

                            But that's no fun from a hunter's standpoint. It would be like the Wraith using Zelenka for a Runner instead of Ronon; there's no joy in the chase. She didn't just want to kill him, she wanted to hunt him down in a situation where he had a fighting chance and see the look of defeat on his face when he lost. She didn't just want to kill him, she wanted to beat him, and it's no fun beating someone who doesn't provide a proper challenge.
                            They say the geek never gets the girl...what about the girl getting the geek?

                            Rodney/Teyla...it could happen

                            spoilers for "200"
                            Spoiler:
                            Gen. Hammond: It has to spin, it's round! Spinning is so much cooler than not spinning. I'm the general, and I want it to spin!
                            ********

                            Vala: Are you saying that General O'Neill is...

                            Cam: My daddy?

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                              #89
                              Originally posted by xfkirsten
                              Well, as Caldwell mentioned, Sheppard and Weir knew the city better than anyone. As far as military training goes, Thalan would still retain his own training anyways, so I don't think that was a big concern. If she picked Beckett, he'd still have Thalan's military training. Plus, I got the impression that Phoebus kind of enjoyed the chase.
                              Yeah, I don't really think it would have mattered who they chose. They still had their own training. For example, Weir, by herself, would have been ripped apart by Lorne's men. Where as Phoebus can take care of herself, as we saw.

                              Comment


                                #90
                                Originally posted by PartyLikeIts1984
                                Here's another question, that, yes is nitpicky, but....still....

                                If Alien!Wier had access to all of her memories she would know what a kick ass-fighter Shep is, right? And know that he is very in shape and military trained, right? So why the hell would she decide to put her worst enemy in that kind of weapon if she wanted to kill him? Wouldn't it have been better to put him in, say, Beckett? No offense to the Doc, but he's nowhere near as fit as fit as Shep and knows very little about the layout of the city. It would have put him at a *huge* disadvantage to her, and from what we saw she's not exactly all noble or anything. It's not like she had tons of morals about making it a fair fight.

                                And it would have been cool seeing Beckett in commando mode.

                                Because Damian Kindler thought, "Wee! I can make Weir and Sheppard kiss with absolutely no consequences or long-lasting effect in the Atlantis canon, just like I was ordered to do by the gods of discontinuity!" and consequently overlooked all potential problems with the plan in blind pursuit of the idea.

                                Just a theory.

                                (Looks like the fans are really up in arms now. Come save us, Martin! And christ, let the other writers read this thread "cover to cover".)

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