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    Jump the Shark!

    Has Stargate Jumped the Shark? Why or why not? Can it be saved? Can it NEVER jump? Why?

    For me, I still think the biggest bad spot was Full Circle and what happened to the Abydans. The premiere of S7 wasn't too hot, either. There's a big difference between "homage" and "blatant rip off" and as far as I'm concerned, Stargate did the latter. Shallow plotting, poor characterization and coincidences which were too frequent and too massive to ignore detracted from the eps as well.

    Anyone else care to comment? Bueller? Bueller?

    #2
    For the sake of discussion, I'll comment.

    It seemed to me that the S6 finale was a bit rushed, and didn't really fit together. I do also feel sorry for Abydos. The S7 opener started off with a bang, but I'm not sure if that was a good thing. It didn't really feel like it fit in, it seemed like the authors were scraping from the bottom of the barrel for a way to get rid of Anubis's ship. I think that it could have been handled better.
    Dark Helmet: So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.
    Dark Helmet: No, it's not what you think. It's much, much worse!

    Col. Sandurz: Prepare for light speed.
    Dark Helmet: No, no, light speed is too slow.
    Col. Sandurz: Light speed too slow?
    Dark Helmet: Yes, we'll have to go right to...Ludicrous speed!
    Col. Sandurz:Ludicrous speed! Sir, we've never gone that fast before. I don't think the ship can take it.
    Dark Helmet: What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz...CHICKEN?!

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      #3
      For me, a show has to descend into the plain ridiculous for it to 'Jump the Shark'. Just as Happy Days did, when Fonzie did actually jump that darned shark.

      For me, the show isn't what it was in season 3 - that was the pinnacle. But even then, it is still way better than anything else on TV, and even at its worst, it is still immensely watchable TV.

      Unlike Enterprise, or Angel, I haven't found myself so bored I actually drifted off and did something else without even realising it.
      sigpic

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        #4
        I found myself either walking away a lot, or working on the computer, or putting the DVDs of the earlier seasons on (and yes, I've got s1-6 on DVD), making books, putting my kids to bed, doing the dishes, going to the garage to get the laundry done...

        When a show doesn't keep me in my seat for the show, even through the commercials, and does that on a regular basis, it's off my list of favorites. That's what happened with Angel, and Buffy towards the end (I only watched that final season just to see how Whedon was going to wrap that up, and out of real loyalty). Plus, if the premise doesn't hold my attention anymore, I switch off. That's what happened with Law and Order...after a while, my taste changed.

        In this case, I would have gladly followed SG-1 until the end of its run, but the premise seems to have changed, the Lead roles have changed, the plots have become shallow mockeries of what they once were, and the characterization -- well, for some of the characters, it sucks lemons.

        So, for me, it has jumped the shark. Esp when I read the upcoming spoilers for s8. More SamGate and Her Many Loves. And I'm really not interested in watching TPTB destroy what are now my favorite characters, simply because they can.

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          #5
          Originally posted by Gategrrl
          And I'm really not interested in watching TPTB destroy what are now my favorite characters, simply because they can.
          Amen! That's one of the reasons I've given up watching- because I don't want to see something I love being destroyed. I'd rather remember the GOOD times than have to suffer through the bad, knowing that things will only get worse.

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            #6
            No i don't think the show has "jumped the shark" it's changed and grown over the years and that is what makes it still entertaining because it does move the over all story foreward. I hope sg1 makes it to the big screensome day.
            ......TARA......

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              #7
              Originally posted by tara3583
              it's changed and grown over the years and that is what makes it still entertaining because it does move the over all story foreward.
              I'm glad you still think that the story is moving forward. My personal opinion is that most of the changes for the past few seasons have been for the worse and that in S7 in particular the show is devolving, not evolving. Change is good, but only if it's for the better, and as far as I'm concerned, the latest changes in Stargate have been for the worse...

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                #8
                Originally posted by ShadowMaat
                Change is good, but only if it's for the better, and as far as I'm concerned, the latest changes in Stargate have been for the worse...
                Right. Change in and of itself is not good. Just because a show changes doesn't mean it's making progress or improving. I agree that imo the changes that have been made are worse.
                I'm a girl! A girly girly girl!

                Okay, you got me. I can't accept change. This message may look like it was typed on a computer and posted on the internet, but it is actually cave drawings delivered by smoke signals.

                Naquada Enhanced Chastity Belts -SG1 edition. On sale now! Heck, I'll give them away

                Daniel Jackson Appreciation and Discussion -because he's more than pretty

                http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=89


                Daniel Jackson: The Beacon of Hope and The Man Who Opened the Stargate

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                  #9
                  I don't think it's jumped yet. I do agree that the show has changed a lot. With the reduced schedual of RDA, I feel we aren't getting the team-based episodes of the first few seasons. The team is, IMO, the strong point of the whole show, as the stories are much stronger.
                  sigpic

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                    #10
                    As someone else said above, for me a show has to become truly absurd and cringeworthy before I'll say it jumped the shark (kinda like season 9 X-Files). Though I've questioned at times some of the . . . directions they're taking the story lines, I still watch Stargate every week and always enjoy it. So no, I don't think it has jumped the shark.


                    -Kay Brooke

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                      #11
                      I would have to say that because Stargate has yet to go beyond the ridiculous and has still utilized plausible story lines- granted I don't always like them or agree with them-I do not believe they are close to Jumping the Shark. As a fan there is just to much overall I like about the show still to give up on em because of some of the things I don't think are all that great
                      Life is short, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And live out loud with no regrets..

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                        #12
                        Well for my two cents worth, while I think it's redeemed itself just enough with the 2nd half of season 7 I think the jump the shark moment came with Daniels 'de-scention' and the way it was handled. I mean, they may as well have had him in the shower when Teal'c came out of Khel-nor-eem (spot the sp anyone?).

                        geeky

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                          #13
                          I'm not completely sure the show has jumped the shark yet, though it came pretty close several times in the second half of the season.

                          I'm hoping that at the end of Season 8 I will be able to look back and see that the team came back together, that Jack and Daniel's friendship was given the attention it deserved, that Sam regained the respect she has lost as a result of Grace, Heroes, Lost City etc. etc. and that Teal'c finally had something significant to do, without Chris Judge having to write the episodes himself. I hope we will have many episodes going through the Stargate to explore new worlds, and make contact with our own mythology. That the writers will remember that there is more to sci-fi than big explosions.

                          On the other hand, I'm afraid that looking back in retrospect I will have to say that Grace was when the show jumped the shark, when they finally decided to introduce a pod person instead of the Sam Carter I knew and admired, and the show forever became a showcase of "homages" to other shows rather than the original concept it had been in the beginning.

                          Only the next year will tell.

                          SallyK

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                            #14
                            I was going to do a long treatise on Season 7 jumping the shark but have decided to concentrate on the element that is primary to me and has been shark-bitten the worst, namely the characters of Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c.

                            To say I was shocked at the crash-and-burn Season 7 did is only part of it. The real shock is that this long-running, quality show jumped the shark so suddenly. Granted, Disclosure and Full Circle in Season 6 were pretty bad but I've chalked it up to TPTB writing for a series finale and tie-in to a feature film and Atlantis.

                            The first half of Season 7 was okay enough to have 5 episodes I enjoy rewatching. Even with that stupid episode Avenger 2.0, I continued to be hopeful that some significant character and story movement would come through in the second half of the season. Boy, was I wrong! The horror of the bad writing, insipid storytelling and pathetic character regression became even more appalling.

                            After watching Chimera, Heroes Parts 1 and 2, Resurrection and Lost City Parts 1 and 2 along with Enemy Mine, Space Race, Avenger 2.0 and Evolution Parts 1 and 2, I don't recognize this as the Stargate SG-1 I loved for six seasons and I don't know who these four people are anymore.

                            Jack's dumb routine has reached the saturation stage, even for him. Added to it is the rank crudeness that has suddenly been added. I don't like Colonel Jack O'Neill anymore and wish he would be promoted to the Alpha site, rarely to be seen again. Never mind being an ancient information-site downloadee. What he really needs is a personality transplant.

                            Teal'c was wonderful in Season 6. He showed us how much he'd changed and how far he'd come since Children of the Gods. Now he's back to being the monosyllabic, eyebrow twitching, grumpy alien he was in Season 1. I really feel sorry for him.

                            Sam is the one I feel sorry for the most. From the strong, take-charge, polished Air Force officer and brilliantly adept scientist she'd fully achieved in Season 6, she's been relegated to a whimpering stereotype female, driven solely by her emotions. What she needs to do is lose Jack and Pete, neither of whom are good enough for her. TPTB should get her back on track with her career and DUMP THE SHIP COMPLETELY!

                            The Daniel character breaks my heart the most. This once dynamic, vibrant personality is now stuck in emotional neutral since his deascension. He's not the Daniel he once was and he hasn't been allowed to become the Daniel he could be if TPTB had used his return to its fullest advantage. He is boring. He's also lost a few marbles somewhere. I wanted to strangle him for giving the tape back to that weasel Bregman! Angst isn't just for fan fiction, guys.

                            Season 7 can be summed up in a few short, descriptive phrases: numerous lost opportunities for character advancement, a gone-nowhere story progression and a huge slap in the face to the viewers, the worst of which was that two-part abomination Heroes.

                            What's really sad is that Season 8 looks to be more of the same. RIP Stargate SG-1?
                            Last edited by Mar9645; 04 May 2004, 04:18 AM. Reason: Word & Phrase corrections.

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                              #15
                              Why or why not? Can it be saved? Can it NEVER jump? Why?

                              For me, I still think the biggest bad spot was Full Circle and what happened to the Abydans. The premiere of S7 wasn't too hot, either. There's a big difference between "homage" and "blatant rip off" and as far as I'm concerned, Stargate did the latter. Shallow plotting, poor characterization and coincidences which were too frequent and too massive to ignore detracted from the eps as well.

                              Anyone else care to comment?

                              I don't think SG1 has 'jumped the shark' I also didn't like Full Circle but generally the show is still telling good stories with interesting characters I think. I'm still watching and enjoying.
                              Erika

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