'Earth' (107) General Discussion

[Blizzah]

The focus on the personal relationships that SGU has makes it quite different from the other SGs and I am still not sure if I like it. This epsiode was good, though, definetly had some going ons that seemed offside if you are borrowing someones body but that's how it goes sometimes. This whole body switching thing reminds be of a bad Stephen Baldwin movie that for some reason I watched. I think the movie was called "Xchange" totally at B or maybe C movie.

[garhkal]

I didn't like the fact that the Destiny was shown flying through the sun again so soon, it took the wow factor out of it. When that happened for the first time i thought it was so amazing and i wish they had left it until they needed to recharge again at least.

True but it did let us finally see the ships weaponry...

[maneth]

[SamanthaJenniferChloe]

Hello!

I just watched this episode. I thought that it was quite intense.

I can understand that Jack thought that the plan to help the Destiny was a good one. He is used to science being able to solve bad things. However Jack and everyone on Earth have not had real access to Destiny. I am sure that Jack will help them later on.

I was glad that Rush made Telford go away in the end. I do not like Telford who acts like he knows what is needed even though he is not there on Destiny on a daily basis. I did not like that Telford locked up Greer again. I mean things are different now.

Rush is very interesting. He seems to be in tune with the Destiny somehow.

I think that Young should just let go of Emily. I have a strange feeling that Emily may end up going for Telford.

I really like Eli and Chloe. I don't think that Chloe will go with him but I hope they turn out to be friends in the end.

[garhkal]

I loved it when rush 'showed up telford.. but it also set up a lot of issues with people not being willing to believe in him later on when Eli's planned dial in was retried later on.

[Mrja84]

I loved it when rush 'showed up telford.. but it also set up a lot of issues with people not being willing to believe in him later on when Eli's planned dial in was retried later on.

Remember only spoilers for this episode. They hadn't see the future episodes, so...yeah...

[ZRFTS]

This is the worst episode of SGU but somehow it's not completely terrible. I guess there's a gift and a curse with this show, there's no truly terrible episodes (I'm looking at you "Irresistible") but there's also no amazing episodes either ("Window of Oppertunity" for example.)

Nonetheless, the episode was dead in the water before it even began; there was oppertunity for some real character development here. People forced to stay on Earth while their counterparts try a plan to dial home but the only real character development here is Eli who we get to see interact with his mother in the most charming and unique way possible, lieing about it through another person but telling him his most essential moments, essentially trying to give hope and show his love to and for his mom. It's something that gave him soul.

The rest... Well I hated Young's sex scene. See, it's like this.

*Young knocks on door*
*wife answers*
Young: Hey baby, you want to have pointless sex with me.
Young's Wife: I don't know, according to the script I'm supposed to be hating you.
Young: Don't be nervous, you know you want me. Besides, I already did a dramatic performance where I yelled and slammed on the door, you must have me.
Young's Wife: Well, since you put it that way.
*few minutes later*
SGU Viewer: What am I watching? Is this Cinemax? Jim, did you change the channel again?

He may have been in Telford's body but that didn't give it any depth; there was no purpose, no development, no substantial benefit other than to show the questionable morales of Young and attempt to create a character thread involving infidelity and loyalty which didn't pan out.

The club scenes were also bad; this show instantly changed from serious character drama to Degrassi within the span of a few minutes.

SGU Viewer: Jim, stop changing the channels! I want to watch SGU not TeenNick!

Having a person sing a song as if she were a featured guest is a really bad idea; we came here for character development, not to see someone sing to a pivitol moment in the show while a pop up reminds us we can buy her single on iTunes.

Eli and Chloe were just acting like hoppy teens, neglecting the character that was provided up to this point and devolving into common cliches. Friends who used to be friends hating Chloe, check! Eli being awkward while somehow remaining cool, check! Generic dialog done with the finesse of a teen actor, "I hate my friends, I hate my life" check and check.

Let's not forget the awkward kissing scene that is all style and no substance, I felt weirded out of my mind watching that, it just didn't work out. Which actually proves a major point, this tries to do admirable things to the characters. Show the hidden thoughts, the wills and wants, their personalities and some elements are done decently but everything that is shown on "Earth" dilutes that and wouldn't matter if the world were to suddenly be attacked by the Lucian Alliance.

The premise also has major problems as well... This is supposed to be an episode where these guys are sort of in a prison while the Earth guys roam around free in Destiny but they seem to be having the time of their lives, let's not forget the fact there's a real lack of security with them around. And the entire "dial home" thing suffers from what is easily the most generic portrayal of our government people so far. Politics is an ever essential part in the SG universe but here it's been dumbed down to the lowest common demonimator, there's no conflict or motives here, all it's doing is relating to the lives on the ship which becomes old fast without any interjection or argument from anybody. (Especially considering Destiny.)

The earth guys had only one potential motive "Hi, we're evil, we may seem like we're good but we're really evil." They make no attempts to even seem natural instead throwing the book out of what the previous SG series had in terms of politics. It's like we're watching an alternate universe, where much of the episodes that showed Earth in a good political light never existed and that just irked me. (Not helping matters much is the whole "you could blow us up" insistence throughout the episode.) I considered this episode Telford's first appearance, I was wrong but this episode gave him such a bad mark that it actually created a hill for him to climb up to, one which he would never get over.

The best thing about this episode. Richard Dean Anderson! Jack outshines everybody in the episode with just a few lines and a few minutes of screen time. His serious performance actually works well for the show and if given more episodes to appear in, I'm sure he could of made the show even better.

On a personal note, I watched this twice and on the second watching I still thought it was dreck. It's no wonder why they had "Time" air after this.

[NowIWillDestroyAbydos]

It was probably worst then the last episode.

At least we got to see what Destiny's weapons look like.

Monday, the episode I've been dreading to watch during this Rewatch. I hate horror.

[Krisz]

This is not one of the better episodes of the season, funny, it's one where the characters are on Earth by means of those wretched stones! The use of the stones were probably one of the things that let this season down overall for me. Bar one or two inventive stories surrounding them I thought they were more trouble than they were worth. How can going back to someone else's body on Earth offer some consolation, given the awful feeling of knowing you will be going back to possibly die horribly at some point negates the whole idea of using them in the first place I feel, it would depress me rather than make me feel better?!

The whole idea of loved ones accepting that it is actually you in someone else's body is really daft. The Young sex scene with the moment as he involuntarily switches back at....well......!!! It just makes me laugh at the absurdity of it every time I see that scene.

A couple of moments were the saving grace of this episode for me. Rush at the end. Feeling very smug and happy with the "theatrics" he put on to convince Telford and the IOA scientists that their plan was failing and Destiny was about to blow up. Loved how he knew they would cut and run without a second thought!

Young standing up to the IOA and Homeworld Command telling them in no uncertain terms that he was in charge, only he and those stuck with him on Destiny could decide and act on their fate. A great moment as he tells them that the time he allotted for the meeting was up. O'Neill's look of surprise was funny but he didn't show it to the others who were really angry. Guess he was the only one who really knew where he was coming from, he looked unhappy about Young's stance but understood and showed Young that he was there for him as a commander earlier in that great moment as he overrode the IOA guy's reluctance to let them continue to use the stones for personal use.

[min min light]

I couldn't agree more about those stupid stone. Who came up with this loony policy that you hand over your whole body and they can do whatever they want with it? It's just absurd, who would sign on for that? There are so many ethical problems with it that I don't even know where to begin, let alone the physical dangers, and not even getting into things like someone figuring out that they could essentially become immortal so long as they replaced the bodies when they started aging. It's just too unbelievable that anyone would go along with this, in real life there would be a list of rules a mile long, starting with "no sex." But I'm trying to roll with it this time around, so that's my one vent.

[Lieutenant Sparrow]

Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart! Go Captain Planet!

Sorry couldn't help myself.

Not a bad ep.

Didn't really enjoy the Earth scenes. That's to be expected from Stargate now.

That sex scene. Talk about awkward. As if you would have sex with your ex who's in another persons body anyway. Telford got quite the shock.

The scene with Eli and Chloe in the car was pretty funny.

Our first look at Destiny's weapons. Pretty cool.

Very nice trick from Rush. Typical of Telford and the others to run for the hills as soon as there was trouble.

And now Telford is out for revenge against Young. Pretty low.

[VampyreWraith]

I'm not a big fan of this episode. For the most part, I hated how the communication stones were used. The parts with Chloe and Eli visiting their mothers were ok; so was Wray's talk with the IOA guy, but otherwise... I couldn't believe that the IOA/US military would be ok with allowing Chloe and Eli to hang out/drink at a club while borrowing other people's bodies.

I also couldn't believe how accepting Young's wife was. She doesn't really know Telford, she doesn't know where his body has been, and she couldn't ask him because he wasn't in control of his own body; her estranged husband was. I really ended up disliking Young after this episode(my dislike for the character persisted until sometime during season 2, the first time I watched the series).
I had a lot of issues with the way the communication stones were used.
I enjoyed the parts of the episode on Destiny. Rush and the "bit of theatre" he used to trick Telford and the scientists was great.

[Matt G]

Midweek, another ep of SGU...

1. I think Jack's problem here is that he didn't know the grief Young was getting on Destiny. Let's face it, the Destiny crew are operating a lot less smoothly than SG1 did.

2. Must have been pretty awkward for Eli, I'd have probably tried slipping in some hint that I was my Mum's son or that I wasn't being entirely honest with her.

3. Again, I don't get people's beef with the bodyswap sex.

4. Again, the powers that be on Earth were taking too many things for granted.

Still a decent ep though.

[Sp!der]

This was my last episode that I watched on wednsday, will watch Time tomorrow sometime. I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either, the only good thing about this episode were the interactions between Eli and his mother. Rush was awesome as well.

Ah, the stones. Useless, Pointless but there you have it. Why being stranded on a ship far far away and still have communications with Earth ? I know for the sake of the story they did include them but it would be far more interesting to see how the stories would have developed if they left out these stupid stones, I already hated them when they introduced them in Season 9 on SG1.... for the sake of completion I watched it because SG:U has only this much episodes but it was quite useless this episode.

[ZRFTS]

I already hated them when they introduced them in Season 9 on SG1....

Actually, it was introduced in Season 8 with "Citizen Joe", it was only about Season 9 when they started to develop them and Season 5 of Atlantis when they decided to change them. (I'm guessing either because it seemed more logical that it was a body swap or to introduce the method they were going to use in the more serious SGU.)

But of course, that episode was a clipshow so yeah...