Popstar.com: What Makes a Great Show Go Bad?

[Starrtom]

If downhill means into the valley of the Jolly Green Giant then I agree. Season 4 and 5 were huge, imo.

I know from all your posting that you are a fan of seasons 4 and 5, but IMO losing Weir was a big mistake. For me she was the soul of Atlantis and although there was some good things about 4 and 5, they just didn't click for me like the first 3. The sadest thing for me is that there is no more Atlantis, and I just don't think it achieved the potenial it promised.

[Briangate78]

I know from all your posting that you are a fan of seasons 4 and 5, but IMO losing Weir was a big mistake. For me she was the soul of Atlantis and although there was some good things about 4 and 5, they just didn't click for me like the first 3. The sadest thing for me is that there is no more Atlantis, and I just don't think it achieved the potenial it promised.

Weir was one of my favorite characters. The drama of Season 4 was so powerful it hurt me that the actress did not return for "GiTM" it would of likely been one of the most dramatic darkest eps of the series. Put MM did a great job. Carson came back, but they did not use his full potential until the 2nd half of Season 5.

[Reiko]

I think there are plenty of ways to keep Elizabeth around yet 'expand' her character, whether it has to do with the replicator nanites or not. We did a whole bunch of creative brainstorming on the SW Thread for creative ways they should have included Elizabeth as an S4 regular; I don't see how TPTB couldn't also come up with such brilliant storylines.

In short, it was too early for her to go.

[Briangate78]

I think there are plenty of ways to keep Elizabeth around yet 'expand' her character, whether it has to do with the replicator nanites or not. We did a whole bunch of creative brainstorming on the SW Thread for creative ways they should have included Elizabeth as an S4 regular; I don't see how TPTB couldn't also come up with such brilliant storylines.

In short, it was too early for her to go.

I agree, but I did like the replicator arc. I think she could of become that recurring ally like a Jacob Carter to pitch in and help now and then. She could never be leader of Atlantis, but Woolsey has been doing an excellent job.

[Stormtrooper]

The first and third seasons were my favorites, with a few episodes from the second season. I especially liked "The Siege" and even "Adrift" from the fourth season. It was very suspenseful waiting for that season to start because "First Strike" had a very powerful ending scene - Atlantis, floating through space, in the middle of nowhere. I can still hear the background music from that scene when I think about it.

As far as the fourth season, I really liked "Miller's Crossing" - all of the episodes with McKay's sister were extremely good. And I liked "Travelers" - that was a storyline that had a great deal of potential to it. Things I really disliked, that were introduced in the second season, was the arc with Michael. I just never found that storyline very appealing.

The fourth and fifth seasons may not have lived up to my expectations, but that didn't stop me from watching them, like any loyal fan would. I own all of them either on DVD or through Amazon Unbox. I can't tell you the number of times I've had marathons of the entire series - including SG1, which I never liked until after I was really into SGA.

I don't think my article needs defending and that's not why I signed on. Every one is entitled to their opinions and I respect other people's opinions when they are stated in a respectful manner. The point of my article wasn't that SGA was a complete bomb - it's that it could have been so much better. The tone and chemistry between the first three seasons and the last two are black and white. Like I said in my article (in my opinion), it lost its magic.

Loved your article. Congrats!

[Briangate78]

Loved your article. Congrats!

Yeah it was very inspirational, made me appreciate the last 2 seasons even more.

[Duneknight]

I'm the author of the article some of you are bashing. What is so wrong with writing an article about two of my favorite shows and why *I* personally feel they went from great to bad? You don't have to agree with me, but calling me an idiot or clueless is both disrespectful and very childish.

The two shows I wrote about are two of my favorite shows. Many shows get taken off of the air and I could really care less, but these two shows had a *profound* impact on me. That's why they are my favorites and that's why I choose to write about them.

Drawing comparisons between the two does not give the show a bad name. And the least you could do is show respect to others and express your opinions in a healthy and productive manner. I didn't call anyone an idiot or clueless in my article, and I won't do that to any of you.

I tried to express what I felt was great about the shows and what caused that greatness to fall. Pardon me for having an opinion and expressing in a respectful way.

its perfectly fine to have an opinion, personally i thought every season was a hit and a miss. I didnt think it was a horrible thing comparing the two, i just didnt think the two were comparable since one is aimed at a certain demographic and the other is aimed at a completely different demographic. but if you like them both equally then more power you. i must disagree with you, Robert Picardo is more than fit to run atlantis and he does a great job at it. but yes its a shame to see Elizabeth Weir go like that and her absence affected the show greatly, she was also my favorite female TV character.

[Stormtrooper]

Yeah it was very inspirational, made me appreciate the last 2 seasons even more.

See, what you said proves to me that your feelings towards seasons 4 and 5 are not genuine.

[Scary Kitty]

As per Weir, they asked Torri to come back for a multiple story arc according to Carl Binder, but she said no, so only did the one episode.

According to Joe Mallozzi, you mean. Binder has never commented publicly on it, at least to my knowledge.

While we're on the subject of Torri's decision, let's not ignore the reason why Torri turned down GitM. As she has publicly stated more than once in the past year, she wanted a solid closure for the character because she didn't want to keep dragging this out for the fans, and felt that the story she was offered would not provide that closure. Sure enough, she was right; the audience was left unsatisfied, burdened with more questions than answers as to Weir's ultimate fate.

[Briangate78]

According to Joe Mallozzi, you mean. Binder has never commented publicly on it, at least to my knowledge.

While we're on the subject of Torri's decision, let's not ignore the reason why Torri turned down GitM. As she has publicly stated more than once in the past year, she wanted a solid closure for the character because she didn't want to keep dragging this out for the fans, and felt that the story she was offered would not provide that closure. Sure enough, she was right; the audience was left unsatisfied, burdened with more questions than answers as to Weir's ultimate fate.

They wanted to do a multiple story arc. Carl Binder even had a script for Season 6. I think there was an opportunity to make her a recurring character again. But alas the show is over, and was cancelled at one of it's highest points. oh well.

[Jump237]

I agree with the article. By season 4, I gave the show a new nickname: Battlestar Atlantis.

All of a sudden, it got a lot darker and the main characters started dropping off like flies. I also definitely noticed when, for the first time in any SG show, they used the term "jump" when referring to travelling through hyperspace. Was somebody gonna drop a "frak" next, or what? Finally, I felt the strong urge to turn the channel briefly when Weir's brain injury reminded me of exactly of what happened to a close relative of mine in a car accident. Hearing Keller give her prognosis gave me flashbacks. I recognized the medical terms and her explanation was pretty much what I had been told. This hit a little too close to home, and that's not good!

I missed the good ole days of one-off eps where everybody was always ok at the end. They had a killer ensemble, and I wanna find out what happened to Lt. Ford. That was one of the first big screw-ups by the TPTB. They finally did something interesting with the most undeveloped character of the ensemble, and then we never saw him again! I imagine Ford's reaction upon learning of Atlantis's departure from the Pegasus galaxy: "Damn!! They left me?!?! WTF?!?!" Who knows why they really never brought him back? Oh well. I hope the brother gets more work, so let's not speculate.

I really didn't care for the whole Michael arc either. I imagine writer's meetings where they were sitting around looking at each other, saying, "OK, we got the guy from Star Trek and Rachel is pregnant. WTF do we do with that?"

I don't wanna take anything away from the replacement leaders.

Amanda looked damn good in that uniform. Finally, we got to see her in something that didn't include a load-bearing vest or baggy bdu pants. She filled out that uni nicely. That black leather off-world outfit was dead sexy too. I approve.

Woolsey was cool too. You actually forgot how much of a douchebag he used to be, and his character really came a long way during his tenure on Atlantis. A character that actually grew! Imagine that... He earned the respect of his team.

They should have just kept Weir and Ford around as recurring characters.

[Briangate78]

I agree with the article. By season 4, I gave the show a new nickname: Battlestar Atlantis.

LOL, like that is a bad thing. Two shows I love combined into one, works for me.

[magictrick]

LOL, like that is a bad thing. Two shows I love combined into one, works for me.

Yea, if it was Battlestar Atlantis for the last 2 seasons I wouldn't have minded. Unfortunately in my opinion it was not.

Perhaps it will be Battlestar Universe?

[katikatnik]

For me, SGA's seasons 2-4 were made of win. And some eps in S5, too - Prodigal is my most favorite ep of the whole series (action, banter, the music!)! I loved Woolsey, I adored Ronon. But once they started the romancing part, it went downhill. I wanted to see the team, not McKay and Keller boinking - when even the actors themselves say that the love scenes were painful for them to film (see TV Guide's interviews with both David Hewlett and Jewel Staite)... I wanted the team to go on adventures, to blow up stuff, to have fun, to bicker. But the 2nd half of S5 turned into a Days Of Our Lives in space... Ronon fell for Keller, Rodney fell for Keller, that lesbian captain fell for Keller... Hear me roll my eyes. Where did the friendship go? Why did the funny banter disappear? The one writer that always pushed my team buttons was Alan McCullough, that man is a master. But Martin Gero and his geeky need to get the prom queen should never be left unsupervised.

[Stormtrooper]

Yea, if it was Battlestar Atlantis for the last 2 seasons I wouldn't have minded. Unfortunately in my opinion it was not.

Perhaps it will be Battlestar Universe?

One can only hope, but I don't think they would do Battlestar Galactica justice.