Review: Ripple Effect

[MediaSavant]

Regarding the posted review of "Ripple Effect", I disagree that it was only for hardcore fans.

I'm far from a hardcore fan. I've been a casual/once in a while viewer since the beginning. I was a hardcore Farscape fan, not a hardcore Stargate fan.

I really liked "Ripple Effect" and I've found that other Fargaters--most of them *casual* Stargate fans at best--liked it too.

It's not just because of Ben Browder fans. I think people are responding to the faster pacing of the story and the fact that the show was more "lean forward" than usual.

There are times with Stargate that you barely have to pay attention and you can still "get it".

[Lt. Colonel Ryu Gaia]

I was upset because it was so heavily criticized. Daniel has had his episodes and Teal'c has been shined on all season, so if they're not as prominent in this one, it shouldn't matter all that much.

[GatetheWay]

I didn't even notice that the episode practically ended where it started. I thought it was a lot of fun and for once I didn't care it didn't add anything to the over all story arc it still gave us some peaks into future episodes. I liked that.

[FoolishPleasure]

I thought the review for "Ripple Effect" was a bit harsh. I disagree that it was for hard core fans. It was fun and vintage SG1.

[ShardsofGlass]

I thought the review for Ripple Effect was way off base. This was one of the best eps of Stargate I've ever seen. Granted I haven't seen a lot prior to S8, but enough to place this one up with Window of Opportunity. And it's one of the few times SG didn't have long boring stretches of exposition or speeches or just over-explaining in it. At least with this one, humor made those more palatable.

[Shipperahoy]

This is actually the first episode all season that I've watched a second time right after the first. I actually felt excited about this episode. It was the first episode where the new team actually felt like a team to me. They really gelled in this ep. I guess you could say I'm a hardcore fan, in that I've seen every episode, but I didn't really see how it was aimed toward long-time fans. I had my nitpicks with the episode but as a whole I really liked it.

[SGObserver]

First, let me say I suck as a reviewer. I sit down, put my disbelief on the end table, and prepare to be entertained.
That said, I really enjoyed this episode, a LOT. I wouldn't quite put it EQUAL to Window of Oppotunity (so I agree with ShardsofGlass, it IS in the same class). I enjoyed all the references, and being tweaked about Sam's relationship(s), and seeing a TEAM work on the solution. I feel we HAD to give Janet the 'cure', after all, we had to stay EVEN "in the GRAND scheme of things". The only thing disconcerting was Martouf's TEETH ! I feel the reviewer is trying a little too hard to be 'fair', and leaned the other way.

[AGateFan]

It’s odd and hard to judge what to think of a review when you really don’t know anything about the reviewer. And much like polls it can give a skew to the results for people who are only casual fans who happen to come across gateworld once in a while.

They see the early season eps as getting all 3s and 4s (which many will say they deserved) and then this ep gets a 2 rating (I think a lot of the same people that liked the early eps liked this one just as much... I think). But then you note that the reviewers are different so you can’t really compare the reviews or the eps based on those reviews.

Its like your work review.... some managers will give you the highest grade possible all the time as long as you don’t screw up. Others will give their people lower then average scores unless they do something awesome. It just depends on the person doing the review and their criteria and their perception of how the curve should look. For instance most eps should get an average score with only some going up to Excellent and some going down to terrible... but as fans we are more likely to view them as excellent even if they were just average. If this reviewer is consistent then it would appear that this ep just got an average grade which is pretty reasonable as it wasn’t the best ever, but not the worst ever (though I think it should have gotten 3 but then I’m a fan).

If you are the type to be swayed by reviews one way or the other, your best bet is to pick a reviewer who has a record of feeling the same way about things as you do and then sticking with them. Or at least one that is consistent in their views (if they hate it you will love it and vise versa) That way if they say it was good you probably will like it and if they say it was bad then you probably wont be too fond of it either.

I say this reviewer did a good job in stating their opinion of the ep and giving it a score they thought was reasonable. Only after seeing a good number of reviews from this same person will I be able to decide if they are indeed reasonable or biased (for or against) certain aspects of the show and even then it will be just MHO vs theirs.

[JackDaniels]

Debating how to write a response to the published review of 'Ripple Effect' I thought it best to simply write my own, commenting upon any points made in the original as and when they arise. I would also welcome feedback on my review (though not on my undoubtedly poor grammar and spelling mistakes).

I will freely admit that I was looking forward to this episode. The prosepct of seeing Janet and Martouf again is ultimately appealing. After all, when you consider how many characters have disappeared or been killed off in the last couple of years its nice to have a few return, even if it is for a short period of time. Initially you are caught up in the suspense of the show. When you hear the burst of noise before Sg-1 comes through, the viewer is undoubtedly aware of some gate malfunction occurring in the episode but the nature of it at this point is unknown. Seeing Dr Lam (with her usual wooden face and hands in pocket stance - sorry not a fan) led me to expect an injured SG member to appear (habit) but the playout of this SG-1 not being the real SG-1 was a nice surprise and a good beginnning to the true premise of the episode. Whilst the different outfits were useful to establish different teams they were generally unnecessary and in realities that were apparently so close together this didn't really appeal to me (especially not the retro camoflage and Teal'c's gangsta sideways headpiece of a later team.)

As mentioned in the review, the introduction of the two Carters to work on the problem was interesting if not confusing, but again to me this was simply another nod to episodes gone by, in this case Point of View. It was curious that Carter was the only one allowed to interview her counterpart, especially given the results of interacting with herself in both Point of View and Gemini. Though this is the point that I disagreed with the review, which seemed to suggest that there was no point in several Carters working on the problem as they were all essentially the same person. I think it was in some ways necessary, highlighting that a solution was not simple or evident and the old addage 'two heads are better than one' (even if they are essentially the same). The general point of this from my perspective was that Carter struggled to find a cause or solution due to the nature of the problem - as we later discover, the first Carter and her team through the gate set the situation up. It was inconceiveable to our Carter how this could have been deliberately done therefore the answer more difficult to reach.

The multiple nods to previous episodes and charatcers was a nice touch, though unfortunately not as striking as I would have hoped, and honestly the half completed sentences regarding Sam's love life, though a pleasure undoubtedly for some shippers, grated on me, as to, did Daniel's conversation with Janet about how she died. (would anyone really want to know this?) Though it was her relationship with Daniel that I was most keen to see explored, a general 'so how is the Cassie in this reality?' wouldn't have been inappropriate. The other pressing matter to me was the other Sg-1's that we didn't get to see, we saw several that only had Cam (didn't get the band back together, huh?) and as mentioned, one coming through with one Colonel O'Neill (I'm greedy, a Vala would have done as well!) at point would have made my day.

I agree the team seemed more together in this episode, though it was interesting to note, when the Cam's were swapped when the real SG-1 was being held captive, it was Teal'c's suggestion to think like themselves and anticipate their own moves rather than anything Cam2 did that caused them to realise it wasn't him, thereby suggesting that although the band is back and now seemingly working closer together, they still have a way to go before they are a true team.

The most poignant point to me however, was the note that our SG-1 was selfish. When the quantum mirror was mentioned it was interesting to see there was practically no reaction from Daniel. He had to recall it was the decision of those in the alternate reality he visited to help him save his world, when they knew theirs would be destroyed. This SG-1 wasn't so helpful, so willing to do anything except "get more intel on the Ori and stop their SG personnel sitting on their hands" as Landry put it. No immediate threat apart from the potential for a second beachhead which could possibly never happen. This struck me as the difference between Landry and Hammond. Granted it took SG-1 years to 'break' Hammond in, his empathy for others was always present. Landry's concern in his team, his world, even when the threats facing several of these other worlds are imminently more dangerous than their own. I windered how Jack would have responded to this were he still in command. Though his initial outlook may have been the same as Landry's, I considered his final decision would have been to get their alternates home and the Prometheus a final solution (Daniel providing his traditional moral compass - though this ultimately seems to have been lacking since Prototype). Giving the cure to Janet was a nice gesture, they would have been a***s had they not, it wasn't a difficult or problematic resource ot give and yet the way in which it was presented implied Janet and her team did not expect it from this seemingly selfish team.

Overall I thought the episode was good. It will stand out for the familiar faces we thought we would never see again (except in another sci-fi show) and left us considering how the SGC could be if certain losses had never occurred. The final plot revelation of the not necessarily 'evil', but certainly desperate SG-1 causing the ripple effect in the first place justified this seemingly one in a billion chance of it occurring naturally, yet still left me a little cold and having a little FRepliCarter flashback. I'll rewatch it undoubtedly, but if I were Cam, I think I'd cut the green wire first....

[trudy]

Speaking of wooden Dr. Lam, I was so hoping Janet would somehow wind up staying in this reality and Dr. Lam would go to the old puppet's home off base somewhere. What a completely inept actress.

I'd have liked to see Narim again, but it's not likely he would have been on a team, I guess.

I guess we're supposed to think Sam is not with Jack, since she would never have been about to cheat on him with Martouf. Normally that would bother me, but I gave up on the show after the first few episodes of season nine, and just watched this one because of Janet, so this isn't in my reality.

[Dream-a-Little]

I thought this was hands down the most entertaining episode of season 9. I was never a hardcore viewer prior to Ben joining the show, and I didn't need to be to enjoy this episode. Just really, really good fun that holds up well on repeated viewings. Honestly, I fast forward through any scene that Ben is not in when I rewatch any of the other season 9 episodes. On this one my hand never touches the remote. For me, the entire episode was a keeper! I want more like that!

[KillerMercury]

I know that a review is based on one person's opinion, so I respect the reviewer on what they think. Here's my two cents:

Since the last few episodes have a little been drama heavy, this episode was well needed. It wasn't light-hearted, but it definitely lifted up my spirits. Seeing sorely-missed Janet and Martouf defenitely made my day. Multiple versions of the characters never fail to give me a smile. Plus, the interaction between the two SG-1's aboard Prometheus gives a look on how "our" team can be.

I may be alone in saying this, but I didn't feel that the solution was a cop-out. The SGC was getting desperate, and the BlackSG-1 knew that was going to happen (or to some extent). BCarter knows how GCarter would think, and subtly steered her into going into the direction that led the two teams into space. Once again, our Carter got manipulated by herself.

[fan457]

I thought the review was right on. Very nice job. Unlike most of the reviews which seem to function to try to make all the writers feel good about themselves, this review called it honestly.

[HirogenGater]

I don't bother reading reviews of movies or television shows; I like to see it for myself and then judge. I don't put much stock in what other people say.

[STC]

Can a new-ish fan comment?? I've only recently started watching the show, however I've seen all 8 seasons thanks to a friend who had them all on tape. I've spent the last two months watching all the episodes, seeing the different storylines and characters so I'd say I'm up on the franchise.

While I'm a lukewarm sci fan at best, the biggest hook for me to the show was RDA and his humour. I giggled and laughed myself silly watching these eps. I've discovered that the most boring episodes where the ones where he was NOT in them, and I tuned out after watching the first few eps this season. What a bore!

I like Carter/TEal'c/Daniel a lot but to me they are still supporting characters and don't have the charisma that the Jack O'Neill character had. I don't think they can carry the show, and this ep, while fun, is a good example of it. Obviously I don't care much for the BB character.

I looked forward to this ep because it was an opportunity for characters I really liked (Janet and Martouf) to come back. I would have been in heaven if the writers had seen fit to include RDA (or been able to get him back) in some small fashion. Even though I am a Jack/Sam shipper, I am really fed up with the sly hints and remarks at the JS relationship.

It reminds me of the way the writers portrayed Wilson on Home Improvement. No reason, just a gimmick! For gods sake aren't they adults?? AT is looking a little tired of it too. All those different realities, and she doesn't persist in finding out who she's married to?? I think this habit of the writers et al is beyond insulting to the viewers.

Just my two (canadian) cents worth.