Holiday (217)

[Chaka's_Mum]

True. I don't think I ever considered Machello to be a 'villain' in the conventional context. After all, despite what he did (and, remember children, swapping your dying body with a younger person's is wrong), his motivation for doing so was incredibly powerful; and the older he got, the more desperate his need to act. Nothing gags your conscience faster than desperation.

It would have been great if Machello could have been saved at the end - though how they could possibly hope to have done it I wouldn't know. By the sound of it, all his organs were failing one by one, and there simply was no way to keep him alive once he returned to his body. In some ways, that added to the power of his gratitude once he finally accepted that what he had done to Daniel was totally at odds with the principles that prompted him (and his people) to stand up to the Goa'uld. After that, I guess he treated his brief sojourn in Daniel's body as a time of insight into the benefits his sacrifice had brought to another race; and that brought him (we hope) some peace.

[Heru'urs_first_prime]

True. I don't think I ever considered Machello to be a 'villain' in the conventional context. After all, despite what he did (and, remember children, swapping your dying body with a younger person's is wrong), his motivation for doing so was incredibly powerful; and the older he got, the more desperate his need to act. Nothing gags your conscience faster than desperation.

I agree, i want to be angry with machello...........but..............he's just gone crazy with age and couldn't elp himnself (even though its wrong)

[Chaka's_Mum]

I agree, i want to be angry with machello...........but..............he's just gone crazy with age and couldn't elp himnself (even though its wrong)

Bearing that in mind, do we feel sympathy, empathy or pity? I suppose there's a bit of all three there. We feel sorry for him, and understand (to a degree at least) what prompts him to take such an appallngly drastic step - because the consequences for the person he swaps with are so rotten. On the other hand, we feel anger with him for being so utterly selfish. Even though his selfishness has grown out of years of bitterness and misery.

I like that sort of complexity in a character.

[Heru'urs_first_prime]

Bearing that in mind, do we feel sympathy, empathy or pity? I suppose there's a bit of all three there. We feel sorry for him, and understand (to a degree at least) what prompts him to take such an appallngly drastic step - because the consequences for the person he swaps with are so rotten. On the other hand, we feel anger with him for being so utterly selfish. Even though his selfishness has grown out of years of bitterness and misery.

I like that sort of complexity in a character.

i think youve summed it up very wel

[Chaka's_Mum]

I aim to please!

[Heru'urs_first_prime]

[Rune]

Bearing that in mind, do we feel sympathy, empathy or pity? I suppose there's a bit of all three there. We feel sorry for him, and understand (to a degree at least) what prompts him to take such an appallngly drastic step - because the consequences for the person he swaps with are so rotten. On the other hand, we feel anger with him for being so utterly selfish. Even though his selfishness has grown out of years of bitterness and misery.

I like that sort of complexity in a character.

*applaudes* very well put, watching Holiday always puts me in two states of mind - initially outrage that Machello has done this and also sympathy because as you say he knows what he's done but is still desperate enough to do it.

I think that's one of the best things about this whole epiosode for me, along with wonderful innocence of Machello's that shines thru, the 'kid in a candy store' thing almost and of course seeing his feelings portrayed via Danile makes me remembee how he was in so many of the earlier eps with that boundless enthusiasm, all roud cool ep &&

[Chaka's_Mum]

Made all the more fantastic by the superlative performance by a certain MS, of course. But then, when isn't he brilliant?

Plus all the bodyswapping.

[Rune]

Plus all the bodyswapping.

Oh yeah , that too

[Heru'urs_first_prime]

Plus all the bodyswapping.

that was the best!!!!!!!!

i would have liked Sam and Jack to swap!!!!!!!
think of all those Jokes Jack could have made!

[Daniel's_twin]

Mm-mm. As I think I said earlier, it was a good thing they didn't do that kinda thing. They really didn't need that kinda joking around (Farscape doing that cost them our viewership). Besides, I think it was funny enough seeing Teal'c being Jack.

[Chaka's_Mum]

True. I think the Jack/Teal'c swap was enough - to have swapped anyone else on top of that would have gone far too far into slapstick; particularly as everyone was aware by that point that they could neither reverse the switches nor handle the machine without risking further ones. The bodyswapping thing served its purpose in exposing the dilemma ahead - i.e. how to get Daniel and Machello back in their own bodies again given that the machine only switches one way.

But it's fun to speculate on some fun switches, just for the humour value. After all, the prospect of Jack suddenly finding himself inside a female body (imagine the scream!!! ) definitely opens up all sorts of comedy avenues.

[Heru'urs_first_prime]

On the DVD for this episode they should have a bonus extra where they tried to swap everyone body around n stuff!

[.:Lemon:.]

I know alot of people who don't like this episode. but I actually enjoyed it!

[Chaka's_Mum]

So did I. I recall the first time I saw it, repeated on Sky Mix. I enjoyed it so much I went out that weekend and bought the Season 2 DVD Volume with it on. I still have it. Even though I have since purchased the entire Season 2 box set...