Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

They're not Wraith - they're the Keystone Cops!

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

    They're not Wraith - they're the Keystone Cops!

    I'm not one to usually complain (a lot), and although I found the episode entertaining enough, I also found the ease with which so many Wraith were dispatched - by so few - laughable (again).

    This has always been an on-going problem with how the writers handle the Wraith. After such an excellent episode last week, I get the feeling that some writers are actually interested in the Wraith and in developing them and giving them depth, while others use them as sideshow clowns. I think it's one reason that the Wraith aren't taken very serious anymore - you just know they will all be dead by episode's end, so they really don't present any sort of threat whatsoever.

    It was one thing poisoning Steve, or murdering Bob, or blowing up The Defiant One. The first two were 'defenseless' prisoners, and the last was out numbered and out gunned. But when Ford started single-handedly taking down batches of Wraith, then Ronon, and now Keller...well....ya know...

    It's hard to believe these guys were EVER a threat in the galaxy. If anything, I think they should hang up their stunners and all become hair dressers and fashion designers, because - obviously - THAT'S what they're really good at.

    Now - how would I have made such an episode different?

    1. I would have somehow explained WHY the Wraith hunt. Is it all Wraith? A certain faction of Wraith? Is it for sport? Practice? None of this has been clearly addressed, and it would have been easy enough to have a scene explaining this - perhaps the scene in the cave with the child. I would have preferred to see Keller protecting the child, and her telling it not to hurt the girl, and the Wraith perhaps saying that it didn't want the girl - that she was sick and no challenge to him, and then somehow allude to why they hunt in the first place...THEN Keller sticking it to him.

    2. I would have had the Wraith be more menacing - more threatening. The whole 'run into the bullets' thing gets old after a while. But if they stalked and tormented and terrorized their prey first (a la The Predator, or something) - not just jumping out of the bushes - that would have increased the suspense and the audience's fear for the well-being of the humans.

    Now - that said - I was actually very pleased to see a LOT of faced Wraith in this episode. This episode, along with last week's, have at least suggested that there are more than just two faced Wraith per hive ship. The Wraith, as a hive-based species, should be presented as a 'swarm' - and this episode did convey that feeling. In this it did well. But by making them so easy to kill, so mindless in their predatory tactics, well...it presented them as inept and unskilled, something they are NOT supposed to be.

    das
    Last edited by dasNdanger; 19 September 2008, 09:34 PM.
    sigpic

    #2
    I agree, but wraith as expendable characters is to be expected by now. instead of being built up and presented as a threat, they're just target practice. it doesn't make sense to me why the writers have obliterated the credibility of their main enemy. it's natural that the team/atlantis has become more skilled in fighting them, but this is kind of ridiculous. at least the writers have done one thing right (so far) in regards to the wraith, todd.

    Spoiler:
    maybe TPTB will wise up by the end/the movie(s) at least and not exterminate the entire species.
    Last edited by naamiaiset; 19 September 2008, 08:28 PM.

    Comment


      #3
      Pale and Pesky, just like the TV Guide said....
      I think I like them better when they are not so easy to swat
      sigpic

      Comment


        #4
        I think in the beginning of the series the writers didn't think that the Wraith would become so popular this is due to the fact of Todd. It seems as the season progressed they started to used the Wraith, the masked ones, as expendable background characters not only that they started to 'dumb' down the Wraith as well. This making them look rather silly running toward gunfire. In "Midway" they did this to the mask Wraith with many of them being a filler for our 'heroes' to kill.

        As the season progress they made the Wraith easier to kill where it took several bullets to take down a Wraith now it take two shot to take them out.

        I think some of the writers for SGA don't know what to do with the Wraith. In one episode they are intelligent and ruthless and can't be trusted. Then in another episode they become expendable subjects at the will of the writers because they couldn't come up with a good story involving the Wraith. I would hate to see the fate of the Wraith as this season closes. Like I said in WDC this doesn't bode well for the Wraith.

        LS

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by dasNdanger View Post

          1. I would have somehow explained WHY the Wraith hunt. Is it all Wraith? A certain faction of Wraith? Is it for sport? Practice? None of this has been clearly addressed, and it would have been easy enough to have a scene explaining this - perhaps the scene in the cave with the child. I would have preferred to see Keller protecting the child, and her telling it not to hurt the girl, and the Wraith perhaps saying that it didn't want the girl - that she was sick and no challenge to him, and them somehow allude to why they hunt in the first place...THEN Keller sticking it to him.

          das
          This is a *really* good point. We had "Runner" and we had "Sateda" and now we have "Tracker" and we still have no idea why the Wraith practice this "hunt". Is it a sport for the elite, like fox hunting is for the English? Is it training for the young adults of the Wraith? Is it just an alternative to culling to make life more interesting? Three episodes now and we still have no answers. Trying to make the Wraith more mysterious by leaving out details about their way of life is just doesn't work beyond Season 1.
          The Wraith in the cave with the child was a perfect example to me of how the writers still try to make these the "evil bad guys in black". Now if we'd seen a situation like Das suggested above, or if he had even just acted with some disinterest, that would have been more interesting than the hovering monster threatening the little girl.

          Without going back and watching the episode again, I can remember: a drone/soldier being leveled with one shot, several faced Wraith downed after six bullets were fired into it, one pierced through by a wooden-spike trap and another one skewered by Keller. Now, bravo for Keller (really! I do like her), but none of this makes sense! Todd survived many more shots and was in much worse condition than any of these Wraith in Common Ground. Stabbing and even twisting that blade into the internal organs of a Wraith should not have the same affect as a human, considering it's been stated that, though they have them, they don't use/need them! I thought it had been established at the beginning of the series that the reason the Wraith were a threat was a) because their method of feeding was sucking the lifeforce out of humans, b) as Kenny recently reinforced - this method of feeding gives them their strenth, their ability to heal and their longevity, and c) their massive numbers.

          Now there have been setbacks for the Wraith, such as their early awakening from hibernation, the destruction of civilizations by the Replicators even further dwindling their food supply, and Michael's tainting of their food source by the Hoffan drug. If the Wraith are easier to kill now because they're not able to eat as much, as often, would someone just friggin' say so?

          mfw

          Comment


            #6
            I agree with MFW. I think we really need to get a mythology perspective back into Atlantis, especially leading up to the movies. Alas, I don't think we'll see it.

            Here's hoping for next week!

            Comment


              #7
              I'm just wondering with all the problems that the Wraith have had lately, why they are still spending time tracking Runners. If it is some kind of training program than I guess it would make sense for it to continue, however this was never really explained. I guess I'd just like a good reason why, with all the problems that the Wraith have had, especially lately with Michael and the Hoffman drug, and his other experiments, the Wraith still consider it to be worth their time to chase after Runners.
              sigpic

              Find your Destiny

              Comment


                #8
                I hate to say this, because I'm kind of a fan of the green guys, but this whole episode was one big game of Whack a Wraith!

                Comment


                  #9
                  keystone cops... green for obscure reference

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by DeRoest View Post
                    keystone cops... green for obscure reference
                    Hee! Did I make you google?

                    Thanks for the green!


                    das
                    sigpic

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by MyFavoriteWraith View Post
                      This is a *really* good point. We had "Runner" and we had "Sateda" and now we have "Tracker" and we still have no idea why the Wraith practice this "hunt". Is it a sport for the elite, like fox hunting is for the English? Is it training for the young adults of the Wraith? Is it just an alternative to culling to make life more interesting? Three episodes now and we still have no answers. Trying to make the Wraith more mysterious by leaving out details about their way of life is just doesn't work beyond Season 1.
                      The Wraith in the cave with the child was a perfect example to me of how the writers still try to make these the "evil bad guys in black". Now if we'd seen a situation like Das suggested above, or if he had even just acted with some disinterest, that would have been more interesting than the hovering monster threatening the little girl.
                      I'm sure the writers do not know because they never thought about...
                      I love SGA, but sometimes I wonder if they do not think that the audience is stupid or something...

                      The episodes are like short stories... Nothing is explain! It was the case with the Teyla's transformation into a Wraith Queen, then we have the same problem with this runner... Who is he? Where did he come from? Why did he become a runner? and so on...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I agree das. They have made the Wraith nothing more than target practice. The first season did the battle scenes justice, it took ALOT of bullets to take down one of the "officers". Todd has saved the Wraith, and it will be interesting to see what they do with his story as the season progresses.
                        WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY 2013

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Wardog117 View Post
                          I agree das. They have made the Wraith nothing more than target practice. The first season did the battle scenes justice, it took ALOT of bullets to take down one of the "officers". Todd has saved the Wraith, and it will be interesting to see what they do with his story as the season progresses.
                          What most Todd fans fear is that they will turn Todd evil just because they have watered down the other Wraith so much.

                          I would like to see the Wraith as a whole to be more imposing, a true threat. Tracker would have been a perfect opportunity to have a 'Predator'-style Wraith, or group of Wraith. Of course, in order to do that they would have had to have a couple 'red shirts' - but it could have been done. The Wraith, picking off a couple of villagers first that stand between the runner and Keller, would have just given it a more menacing feel.

                          Instead, they are the ones who are ambushed. They are the ones who fall so easily. Instead of making us hate them, it almost makes us feel sorry for them, which isn't what's supposed to happen. In my mind, they're like the poor emo kids picked on by bullies - I just wanna see one of 'em stand up and fight back, but with this sort of writing, it'll never happen.

                          And don't say 'Todd' - because that's what I'm afraid of. Now - if Todd stands up and saves his kind by making nice-nice with the humans, fine. But if they decide to have him become super evil, hellbent on destroying the Lanteans and regaining control of the galaxy - then I'll be very unhappy. Well...actually - I'd be VERY happy if he did that, and I was writing the show, because it would be a very happy ending for the Wraith. But since the Wraith are the 'bad guys', and since the writers have no intention of making them otherwise, then if Todd was to fight back against the Lanteans, it would mean his death, and I certainly don't want that.

                          So...I guess I should be 'happy' with cartoon Wraith if it means Todd will live. Still, I think so much more could have been done with the Wraith in this episode - something that would have brought them a bit closer to the Wraith we saw last week (cunning, dangerous, intelligent).


                          das
                          sigpic

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by MyFavoriteWraith View Post
                            This is a *really* good point. We had "Runner" and we had "Sateda" and now we have "Tracker" and we still have no idea why the Wraith practice this "hunt". Is it a sport for the elite, like fox hunting is for the English? Is it training for the young adults of the Wraith? Is it just an alternative to culling to make life more interesting? Three episodes now and we still have no answers. Trying to make the Wraith more mysterious by leaving out details about their way of life is just doesn't work beyond Season 1.
                            Exactly. After three episodes dealing with Wraith hunters, we should have decent answers by now. If it's just for sport - FINE. Show us why it's for sport, and who participate. Is it just those of higher birth? Is it for those who have a more sadistic taste for the kill, who savor human suffering more than others, more than those who simply feed to survive, and take it no further than that? We should have some understanding of this by now.

                            The Wraith in the cave with the child was a perfect example to me of how the writers still try to make these the "evil bad guys in black". Now if we'd seen a situation like Das suggested above, or if he had even just acted with some disinterest, that would have been more interesting than the hovering monster threatening the little girl.
                            And the thing is - we have no idea if the Wraith intended to kill the child. He may have been curious - even confused by the child's presence. He may have just turned around and left. Instead, they just tell us he was going to kill the girl, which may not have been the case if they played it out a bit further, and added the 'twist' of him leaving the girl be. THAT would have made more of an impact, because it would have been an intriguing twist, instead of a predictable intention.

                            Without going back and watching the episode again, I can remember: a drone/soldier being leveled with one shot, several faced Wraith downed after six bullets were fired into it, one pierced through by a wooden-spike trap and another one skewered by Keller. Now, bravo for Keller (really! I do like her), but none of this makes sense! Todd survived many more shots and was in much worse condition than any of these Wraith in Common Ground. Stabbing and even twisting that blade into the internal organs of a Wraith should not have the same affect as a human, considering it's been stated that, though they have them, they don't use/need them! I thought it had been established at the beginning of the series that the reason the Wraith were a threat was a) because their method of feeding was sucking the lifeforce out of humans, b) as Kenny recently reinforced - this method of feeding gives them their strenth, their ability to heal and their longevity, and c) their massive numbers.

                            Now there have been setbacks for the Wraith, such as their early awakening from hibernation, the destruction of civilizations by the Replicators even further dwindling their food supply, and Michael's tainting of their food source by the Hoffan drug. If the Wraith are easier to kill now because they're not able to eat as much, as often, would someone just friggin' say so?

                            mfw
                            Yes - exactly. These Wraith should have been like Wolverine, or something. They should have kept coming back, again and again. They should have been left on the ground, wounded, with the humans running away before they healed and came after them again. Well, not the poor fella who got his head chopped off...but, ya know - they shouldn't have fallen so easily IF they were supposed to represent a true threat.

                            Originally posted by JeffKnight View Post
                            I agree with MFW. I think we really need to get a mythology perspective back into Atlantis, especially leading up to the movies. Alas, I don't think we'll see it.

                            Here's hoping for next week!
                            I think the next two episodes will be about Daniel, with Todd and the Wraith as an afterthought, much like how The Return focused more on O'Neill and Woolsey than on actual SGA characters. Sometimes I really wish they'd make up their minds - did they make a new series called Atlantis, or did they just keep making new SG1 episodes?

                            Sad thing is, SGA will NOT get the same attention - if it gets any attention at all - in SGU that SG1 was granted during SGA's run. Sucks, really. Gives me the impression that TPTB never really put their hearts into SGA, and are happy to move on. I really won't be surprised if the movie is just a bone tossed to us to shut us up, with no additional movies afterwards (though Mallozzi tried to reassure me that it's not the case...still...in my gut...I just have this feeling).

                            Originally posted by Aurora24 View Post
                            I'm just wondering with all the problems that the Wraith have had lately, why they are still spending time tracking Runners. If it is some kind of training program than I guess it would make sense for it to continue, however this was never really explained. I guess I'd just like a good reason why, with all the problems that the Wraith have had, especially lately with Michael and the Hoffman drug, and his other experiments, the Wraith still consider it to be worth their time to chase after Runners.
                            Again - it's a case of showing, and not really explaining. If we knew the motivations and all behind the hunters, if we understood the mindset of the Wraith as far as this practice goes, then it really would have added - not just to the show - but to the entire Wraith mythos.

                            Originally posted by Kritter View Post
                            I hate to say this, because I'm kind of a fan of the green guys, but this whole episode was one big game of Whack a Wraith!

                            SO true, SO true!! (Sadly enough... )

                            das
                            sigpic

                            Comment


                              #15
                              They should put Benny Hill music in the background whenever a group of Wraith show up!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X