Another episode, another "Today in Scott's Sex Life"

[FallenAngelII]

So I created a thread after the pilot aired because of the, IMO, pretty random and unnecessary sex scene in it. I posed the question whether or sex scenes (or possibly just sex, or at least I meant to ask that as well) was going to play a large part in the show, or at least in Scott's characterization.

Episode 3 rolls around and lo and behold, what's the first thing we find out about Scott in the flashbacks of the episode (which is kinda significant seeing as how the aforementioned sex scene took place in flashback as well)? More info about how Scott got tail.

Don't get me wrong, I'm infinitely happy that at least this time, it served merely as a way to portray his character, as a way of telling his past. There was no actual sex scene, heck, we didn't even get to see the girl.

However, the fact that the first thing we get to hear about Scott's past is how he got a girl pregnant as a young man (we later found out that it was when he was 16 or younger) worries me. Will this play a large part in his characterization?

So will he actually, as I feared, become Sheppard 2.0? The new Sheppard of the show and getting much further than John and constantly getting tail? I mean, this time, he didn't get tail in the episode itself and we didn't see him get the tail, but we were told about it.

How at 16 (or younger), he had reckless sex with another 16 yearold and got her pregnant, probably without there being any love involved (the priest asks him if he loves her and he says that it doesn't matter, you probably wouldn't say that if you actually loved someone). So basically, every few episodes, we're gonna either see or hear about how Scott gets/is going to get/once got tail in one way or another?

I mean, if we are to interpret his characterization insofar logically, it's basically based on sex... a lot. In the pilot, the only thing we find out about him in the flashback was that he likes to shirk his duties to have sex in supply closet. Some people said that this was merely to portray him as someone irresponsible who is not thrust into command and that he'll grow out of it.

Fine. Then episode 3 rolls around and we find out that he already has been irresponsible when it comes to sex before, at 16, getting a girl pregnant no less. So, basically, he didn't learn his lesson at all and is still going around screwing people without fear of consequences (seeing as how there appears to be indications of him and James not actually being an item but merely having sex for the sake of having sex)? Despite the fact that he's, apparently, been haunted by the death of his adoptive father due to massive shame because of his actions (this is inferred in the episode) since he was 16?

I mean, at least we don't have to actually see it anymore, but will we have to keep hearing about it? I'm not saying this episode was bad. It was really good (except for the fact that we never find out what that sand-wind-maybe-Ascended-being really was). I liked it a lot (I hated the sex scene in the pilot, this time, I liked the way Scott was portrayed).

However, if we keep having to hear/watch Scott's sex life unfold before out very eyes, it's going to get tired pretty fast for people like me, even if it's written in a good way because it'll still just be a whole bunch of episodes at least partially dedicated to Scott's sex life (and I bet no one else's).

[ciannwn]

However, if we keep having to hear/watch Scott's sex life unfold before out very eyes, it's going to get tired pretty fast for people like me, even if it's written in a good way because it'll still just be a whole bunch of episodes at least partially dedicated to Scott's sex life (and I bet no one else's).

If that happens it's going to get tired pretty fast for me, too, and I'm a heterosexual female.

[The Prophet]

It's a character flaw. I don't think you'd be complaining as much if he was an alcoholic, took heroin or a misogynist.

[kirmit]

It's a character flaw. I don't think you'd be complaining as much if he was an alcoholic, took heroin or a misogynist.

Very good point. People are so focused on the sex being TPTB's way of bringing in a bigger audience that they're failing to realise what it says about a persons character and as you say, their flaws.

[FoolishPleasure]

I liked Scott to begin with, even with the dumb sex scene, but now with the info on his past, and the obvious hints that he is gonna be banging on that gawd awful Chloe soon, I'm not so sure I like him at all. I'm giving this another week or two to see where it goes, but if this show remains in soap opera hell, I'm out.

[Lightning Ducj]

So he's shown to have sex twice in about six years...???

I don't think that the sex with the girl when he was younger was meant to show anything about his sex life or proclivities so much as to set up the relationship between him and the priest which was a way into his religious leanings which helped explain the (what I think were) hallucinations

[Hermiiod]

If we're going to have a character flaw that will constantly be showed or talked about in episodes to come; then I'd rather see Scott have a bad habit of smoking cigars all the time like Woolsey, rather than the character flaw have to do with sex.

[kirmit]

If we're going to have a character flaw that will constantly be showed or talked about in episodes to come; then I'd rather see Scott have a bad habit of smoking cigars all the time like Woolsey, rather than the character flaw have to do with sex.

That's your preference, I personally detest smoking and would rather not see that.

[FoolishPleasure]

So he's shown to have sex twice in about six years...???

I don't think that the sex with the girl when he was younger was meant to show anything about his sex life or proclivities so much as to set up the relationship between him and the priest which was a way into his religious leanings which helped explain the (what I think were) hallucinations

TPTB could have shown the relationship with the priest without getting into the "Oh, btw, I got a girl pregger" issues. The first time we see Scott, he is playing the humpty with a co-worker, and the first flashback he has a girl he barely knows knocked up. I think its pretty simple to follow the dots where the writers want us to go. Frankly, its sorta gag worthy.

[Lightning Ducj]

TPTB could have shown the relationship with the priest without getting into the "Oh, btw, I got a girl pregger" issues. The first time we see Scott, he is playing the humpty with a co-worker, and the first flashback he has a girl he barely knows knocked up. I think its pretty simple to follow the dots where the writers want us to go. Frankly, its sorta gag worthy.

I think you[plural] are connecting dots that were not laid there with intention by the writes

[Orion Antreas]

Wow, a little character establishment for Scott and rants-- well, I shouldn't say rants cause that is a strong/harsh term; more like highly opinionated posts are formed.

Besides, it is a portrayal of real life. He is flawed. If you don't like, don't watch. I on the other hand thought it was interesting along with others. But of course that is only my opinion just like your post is one opinion as well. (I highly, HIGHLY doubt they are gonna continue the show and dedicate all of it to Scott and 'sex sex sex'.

EDIT: That scene simply portrayed that he was hurt that he 'sinned' and that while he is a strong believer in faith and all, he is flawed and has urges just like any other male his age, or in general, any human being.

[Mongoletsi]

If we're going to have a character flaw that will constantly be showed or talked about in episodes to come; then I'd rather see Scott have a bad habit of smoking cigars all the time like Woolsey, rather than the character flaw have to do with sex.

Why?

[FallenAngelII]

It's a character flaw. I don't think you'd be complaining as much if he was an alcoholic, took heroin or a misogynist.

If we're going to have a character flaw that will constantly be showed or talked about in episodes to come; then I'd rather see Scott have a bad habit of smoking cigars all the time like Woolsey, rather than the character flaw have to do with sex.

They are different kind of character flaws. And they can be represented on-screen in different ways. And I'm pretty sure there's no way to use titillation (such as sex scenes) to portray alcoholism, heroin addiction and misogyny.

Also, yes, they are different things. A character flaw can be many things. The character flaw of chewing one's lip is much less annoying on-screen than the character flaw of, say, constantly burping. Likewise, the character flaw of alcoholism (on-screen) is, IMO, much less annoying than the character flaw of "likes having irresponsible sex a lot... and then the audience has to see/hear about it".

I liked Scott to begin with, even with the dumb sex scene, but now with the info on his past, and the obvious hints that he is gonna be banging on that gawd awful Chloe soon, I'm not so sure I like him at all. I'm giving this another week or two to see where it goes, but if this show remains in soap opera hell, I'm out.

Exactly, that's another problem I touched upon last week. There are constant hints (also in this week's episode) that he and Chloe are gonna get together. That'll create a triangle between them and James, no doubt.

I was half-expecting them to at least hug and then see James watching them from outside the door or something at the end there.

So he's shown to have sex twice in about six years...???

I don't think that the sex with the girl when he was younger was meant to show anything about his sex life or proclivities so much as to set up the relationship between him and the priest which was a way into his religious leanings which helped explain the (what I think were) hallucinations

Some people don't see the bigger picture.

Like on Atlantis. During 5 seasons, each character who wasn't named John Sheppard on the show got an occasional flirt, at most, maybe, say, once every season.

Every character named John Sheppard got several flirts, sometimes even full-blown hanky-panky hints throughout each season. It's not a question of that a few times a year, John Sheppard got to flirt with people or that twice during his stay on Atlantis, we got pretty much confirmed instances of him having sex.

It's about how out of all of the characters on the show, he alone was the one running around doing all that and that several episodes a season, we had to sit through watching him either overtly flirting (several times per season) with people or actually sex someone up (two confirmed cases, one with an ethereal squid). That added up to almost an entire season alone of John Sheppard running around doing the Kirk-thing. And it got tired very fast for many of us.

The same thing applies here. In two out of two episodes, we've been presented with examples of Scott, and Scott alone (and James, but I doubt they're gonna Kirk her) having sex. Two out of two episodes. If this is gonna become a recurring trend, it's gonna get tired fast. Even if for the rest of the season, he'll just be flirting with people a lot and we never actually see him having sex (we never actually saw John having sex except with the squid).

It's not just about quantity, it's also about concentration. If they want to make this some kind of Sex and the City in Space, fine! I like Sex in the City. I watched that show. However, in order for it to be Sex in the City, pretty much everyone has to get in on the action... like in Battlestar Galactica. I haven't actually seen the show, but from what I understand, a lot of characters get in on the action, not just the one.

Once, twice, twelve, it's not that big of an issue if it becomes the tone of the show in general and a lot of characters get in on "the action". But if it's merely the "tone" of one character and he (and it's always a he on shows such as SGU) alone gets the tail, then I roll my eyes and go "Well, I better start looking for new shows to watch, I guess."

And as FoolishPleasure noted, it was entirely possible to portray his relationship with the priest without the random insertion of the part where he got a 16 yearold girl (that he didn't love) pregnant without losing pretty much anything story-wise, just as they could've easily done without the sex scene (or at least toned it down considerably) in the pilot.

That's your preference, I personally detest smoking and would rather not see that.

I, too, detest smoking, but I would much prefer it as an on-screen character flaw to "Sex, sex, sex".


I just have to say that I'm surprised and relieved at the response I'm getting. Last week, it was pretty much 70-30 "against"-"for" my view where about 70% of replies were "I don't care" or "You're too up-tight!", especially among the initial replies. This time around, a lot more people seem to be on "my" side. I guess a consecutive episode where Scott's sex life (and only his) gets delved into puts things into perspective.

And I'd like to reiterate that had this episode stood alone without last week's episode and without future random references to his sex life, I would've viewed it as a pretty good way of characterizing his youthful indiscretions. However, since they're seemingly making it a running "joke"/character flaw/characteristic, when you look at the big picture, it's beginning to look a lot like Sex and the City... In Space... Where Only Scott Gets Sex.

[FallenAngelII]

Besides, it is a portrayal of real life. He is flawed. If you don't like, don't watch. I on the other hand thought it was interesting along with others. But of course that is only my opinion just like your post is one opinion as well. (I highly, HIGHLY doubt they are gonna continue the show and dedicate all of it to Scott and 'sex sex sex'.

The problem is not that he is flawed (in fact, the problem with seasons 4-5 of Atlantis was that Keller was pretty much without flaws), the problem is the nature of his flaw and the way it is portrayed and how it can and will be interpreted by the viewers.

EDIT: That scene simply portrayed that he was hurt that he 'sinned' and that while he is a strong believer in faith and all, he is flawed and has urges just like any other male his age, or in general, any human being.

There are many different ways to sin, especially if you're a Catholic. Why sex? Especially after the pilot? The question remains: Will this be a recurring issue when it comes to Scott?

It seems that way:
1) In the pilot, he's shown in an explicit sex scene in his flashback, the purpose of which (all flashbacks) was to present each character with some backstory and/or character exposition. Apparently, Scott's character is "Likes sex a lot".
2) In this episode, out of all of the issues he could've had, it was "I had irresponsible sex (possible without protection) with a girl (whom it is inferred didn't love) and got her pregnant".
3) Constant hints of a Scott-Chloe ship in the future on top of the already existing Scott-James one.

All of this points toward the distinct possibility of Scott's sex life becoming a pretty big part of his characterization.

Why?

Because in my opinion, it is much less annoying to see such a flaw being shown on-screen than the "sex maniac" flaw. Because the "sex maniac" flaw can only be shown on-screen through either constant talking about it/double-entendres/flirting or actually showing someone engaged in sex.

The smoking is limited to just that, smoking. While it's a disgusting habit, at least it's much less annoying to actually see. If I want softcore pornography, I'll watch softcore pornography. If I wanted constant sex-talk, I'll watch <insert one of a bazillion shows here>.

On-screen smoking is mainly just there, mostly in the background. We didn't even see Woolsey smoke that often.

[Avenger]

The problem is not that he is flawed (in fact, the problem with seasons 4-5 of Atlantis was that Keller was pretty much without flaws), the problem is the nature of his flaw and the way it is portrayed and how it can and will be interpreted by the viewers.

That he's a typical young man who likes to get laid? Granted, I can see it being an issue if it were something that happened every single week, but at this point, it's speculation.

There are many different ways to sin, especially if you're a Catholic. Why sex? Especially after the pilot? The question remains: Will this be a recurring issue when it comes to Scott?

Hey, he could have shagged a married woman. Then he would have committed 2 sex related sins! So, what kind of sin would you have preferred? Now, keep in mind that the real world consequences of many sins would have precluded him from being in the military.

Because in my opinion, it is much less annoying to see such a flaw being shown on-screen than the "sex maniac" flaw. Because the "sex maniac" flaw can only be shown on-screen through either constant talking about it/double-entendres/flirting or actually showing someone engaged in sex.

Now you're just sensationalizing. Seriously, do so even know what a sex maniac is? As in someone with an addiction? Because what we''ve seen so far is not anything close to sex addiction.

The smoking is limited to just that, smoking. While it's a disgusting habit, at least it's much less annoying to actually see. If I want softcore pornography, I'll watch softcore pornography. If I wanted constant sex-talk, I'll watch <insert one of a bazillion shows here>.

It's not softcore porn. Again, you're sensationalizing.

TPTB could have shown the relationship with the priest without getting into the "Oh, btw, I got a girl pregger" issues. The first time we see Scott, he is playing the humpty with a co-worker, and the first flashback he has a girl he barely knows knocked up. I think its pretty simple to follow the dots where the writers want us to go. Frankly, its sorta gag worthy.

Not if that specific conversation was what led the priest (who raised Scott, mind you) to drink himself to death.