Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Whispers & Stargate Fandom / Unusual Reception

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

    Whispers & Stargate Fandom / Unusual Reception

    I can't pretend to be a regular on these forums (as my post count clearly reflects) but having spent plenty of time reading the kinds of opinions and topics bouncing around these boards, I find myself really, really perplexed by the attitude of some fans. Never before have I encountered a show where the fans seem to want it both ways. I shall attempt to explain before I run the risk of getting "flamed" (not sure if that's the correct use of the term but I'll throw it out there regardless).

    The timing of this post comes after reading the initial reaction to Whispers. Phrases like "standalone", "bottle show", and "contributed nothing" seem to be flying around a fair bit. Now, the fact that I disagree is one thing, but for me, this is symptomatic of a larger issue, one that I'm sure others have touched upon (my argument here isn't admittedly very original you see, but I present it anyway because I feel very passionately about this).

    I don't really know what qualifies as an "arc" or "major story" episode these days, but it seems as though no episode is “decent” or "worth watching" if it doesn't advance the Atlantis story in leaps and bounds. I guess it comes down to the fact that I have no problem with episodes like "The Seed" and "Whispers" just because they don't necessarily deal with or advance all the major story threads being dangled. I really don't think there's anything wrong with the Atlantis producers and writers pacing the season and padding them out by telling different kinds of stories.

    It just amazes me that an episode like "Broken Ties" receives a generally average reception from fans when the parts of it that, in my mind, are crucial to making episodic television successful, regardless of the genre (quality of writing, pacing, and most importantly, the acting) were fantastic. Surely this cannot be disputed in the case of “Broken Ties”? What’s wrong with just being entertained by an episode of the show when it features these elements in obvious abundance?

    Other standalone episodes, like “Whispers”, were tightly written (some nice exchanges between Carson and Porter, Dusty was pleasantly irreverent), well paced (nice gradual introduction of the bad guys, and in terms of canon, were not just random angry zombies prancing around for the sake of throwing them into a story, but instead, an earlier form of Michael’s hybrids.. “canon” I believe is the correct phrase), and well acted (good bunch of actresses making up the squad, Nicole De Boer was awesome as always, and Carson and Sheppard were a nice double act). Writing, pacing, and good acting. I ask the question again: What’s wrong with just being entertained by an episode of the show when it features these elements in obvious abundance?

    And to be perfectly honest, I've never understood this generalisation with "standalone" episodes that they are never as good as the so called "arc" episodes. A criticism of them that leaves me the most confused is when people say things like "contributed nothing to the overall story". In the case of both "The Seed" and "Whispers", not only did the stories both involve the Wraith in a big way (the series' primary bad guy, or have I not been paying attention since The Pilot?), but provided useful information that has significantly broadened our knowledge and understanding of them. In the case of the former, that they use human hosts to grow Hive ships. In the case of the latter, that even Michael couldn't control the earliest forms of his hybrid experiments.

    Now, you present that kind of information within the framework of episodes that are either visually distinctive (“Whispers” certainly hits the mark here), contain high drama and difficult choices (Woolsey in “The Seed” without a doubt), are well paced (“The Shrine” was fantastic in this regard), cleverly written (“Ghost in the Machine” managed to believably present the Weir character without the need for Torri to be involved) and impressive and believable acting (“Jason Momoa” in Broken Ties surely?!) and you've got, in my mind, a successful episode, "standalone" or not, of Stargate Atlantis, or (if you want to view this in the broader context), episodic television.

    Or am I completely alone in these views and share nothing with the critical consensus of Stargate fandom?
    Last edited by Klinjon; 06 September 2008, 04:16 AM.

    #2
    ok first, my normal language is dutch and my enlgish is bad so dont shoot me for it.
    As you see i also don't post much but i read a lot.
    I also find out that almost everyone here says: bad ep, bad this, bad that, boring, nothing to do with the big atlantis story,.. can't you all just talk about the positive things maybe?
    Lots of people liked the first seasons of sg1 more because it was more adventure and less technobabble but now that they do it in sga it is suddenly a bad ep... i don't get that.
    For me it was a good ep, it didnt add much to the 'big atlantis story', but it was well written and everything was done nice.

    beire

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by beire View Post
      ok first, my normal language is dutch and my enlgish is bad so dont shoot me for it.
      As you see i also don't post much but i read a lot.
      I also find out that almost everyone here says: bad ep, bad this, bad that, boring, nothing to do with the big atlantis story,.. can't you all just talk about the positive things maybe?
      Lots of people liked the first seasons of sg1 more because it was more adventure and less technobabble but now that they do it in sga it is suddenly a bad ep... i don't get that.
      For me it was a good ep, it didnt add much to the 'big atlantis story', but it was well written and everything was done nice.

      beire
      yeah adventures but where were the rest of the team??

      Comment


        #4
        I think they're SG1 season1-7 fans who still haven't gotten over (what they think is) the franchise's downhill tumble.

        I agree, I don't know why they just don't watch the four episodes they only care about (opener, mid-season two parter, and finale). For that matter, I don't know why they watch the show at all, because from what they say, it's such a pain and makes them nauseous.

        I can understand people who don't like the character Rodney, but COME ONE, you can't deny David's skillz in The Shrine. As much as I would like for even more people to watch it due to it's cancellation (more ratings = win), these types of people really do need to go back to watching Heroes (no, I'm not bashing that show), or what ever crap on basic cable.

        Also note, I realize people have different opinions. However, the people I'm describing don't like ANY episodes. Seriously, go away.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by nightmare_warrior View Post
          yeah adventures but where were the rest of the team??
          Maybe they just wanted to introduce a new team/some new people and with the whole sheppard's team there would have gone more attention to shep's team instead of the new team?
          Actually i don't know
          But still they made a good ep even without the rest of the team.

          beire

          Comment


            #6
            OK, I didn't want to start an "anti people who don't like certain episodes of Atlantis" thread, and I don't intend to. But I too am mystified by the blanket negativity of some of this forums users. (See my above comments regarding what I feel makes up the different elements of successful episodic television for further context).

            "Lots of people liked the first seasons of sg1 more because it was more adventure and less technobabble but now that they do it in sga it is suddenly a bad ep... i don't get that."

            "I agree, I don't know why they just don't watch the four episodes they only [seem to] care about (opener, mid-season two parter, and finale). For that matter, I don't know why they watch the show at all, because from what they say, it's such a pain and makes them nauseous."

            Both well observed contradictions that seem to be flying around in abundance throughout these boards. I can't understand how this forum is incapable of having a general discussion thread without the need to separate posters and their respective opinions into separate, completely one sided "Compliments and Praise" and "Complaints and Misgivings" threads.

            Again, I'm not trying to start an "anti gateworld forum methodology" thread here, this is just my opinion. I'm trying to present it in the most balanced way possible, as I feel episodic discussion should be done as well, rather than encouraging "blanket negativity" or "overwhelming praise" from it's users.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by beire View Post
              Maybe they just wanted to introduce a new team/some new people and with the whole sheppard's team there would have gone more attention to shep's team instead of the new team?
              Actually i don't know
              But still they made a good ep even without the rest of the team.

              beire
              no way! bringing in the team of girls only make the episode worst including Dusty, she shouldnt of gotta killed by the monsters...

              Comment


                #8
                Well, let's say there are different points of view. I also don't read or post often (what I read sometimes stun me).

                Some people prefer some episodes to others, that's their choice.
                10 seasons of SG1 and 5 seasons of SGA, all the episodes cannot be liked by everyone. We like or not the turn the writers are taking. But in the end, I think both shows are very entertaining.

                So, peace brothers... it's just a show... (a damn good one)

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Nath View Post
                  it's just a show... (a damn good one)
                  yes it is

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by beire View Post
                    yes it is
                    i give it thumb down

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by beire View Post
                      yes it is
                      Thank YOU !

                      Comment


                        #12
                        "So, peace brothers... it's just a show... (a damn good one)".

                        Exactly what I'm trying to say. The rest is above

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by nightmare_warrior View Post
                          i give it thumb down
                          "Whispers" or Stargate: Atlantis?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Klinjon View Post
                            "Whispers" or Stargate: Atlantis?

                            Comment


                              #15
                              lol, I was asking what you were giving a "thumb down"...?

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X