Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

[Ruined_puzzle]

*headdesk*
OMG That girl from 'The Tower' was so incredibly annoying *groans*
I thought Chaya was the most annoying... until I saw 'The Tower'... I really just wanted to slap her too
But of course we never actually saw them "do it", so I always think John kicked her out because his heart and body belonged to Elizabeth

I think John kicked her out because he didn't want to have any babies. That is probably the strongest case as to why nothing happened.

[Scary Kitty]

Good afternoon, Sparkies!

Q&A for The Return, Part 2!

1) Do you think the second part picked up at a good 'cliffhanger' point? What suggestions would you have made to make it better, or was it perfect for you?

I thought it was just right. Some cliffhangers come at a really crazy OMFGBBQ! moment, some come at a quiet pause. To me, The Return was the latter, and given how much action we get in Part 2, having that calm moment as they enter the gate was necessary.

2) The decision to blow up Stargate Operations was a rather risky one--do you think it was a good decision?

Risky, but very effective in leaving the Replicators scrambling while Team Atlantis went to work.

3) 'Elizabeth's plan' involved using Niam as a remote control of sorts--but it didn't end up working. Why do you think the writers gave us the roundabout of 'Plan A' when it ended up failing? What about the 'plans B-D' humor--annoying or did it work?

I think it was a good illustration of the old adage about how the best laid plans rarely survive the first engagement.

4) Richard Woolsey is seen as weak, annoying and a little inept. Was this a good characterization of him? Season 5 watchers, how did it affect your perceptions of him as a leader in Atlantis?

Woolsey seemed like his usual pin-headed bureaucrat self in The Return. And because of the way that he'd been portrayed on SG-1 and SGA up to that point (and beyond; see Season 4's The Seer), I certainly had reservations about seeing him as expedition leader. But I think it actually turned out rather well. I liken pre-Season 5 Woolsey to being like an armchair quarterback; he's got his own opinion of how things ought to be run, but he's not in the field seeing the situation for himself. In Season 5, he's finally the one in the hot seat; he's the one in Weir's and Carter's shoes, and he comes to understand that it's not so easy as he once thought. In short, he grew up and grew a pair.

5) Were the replicator enemies this go around 'scary' to you? What about in comparison to other enemies the expedition has faced--including other Replicators?

The Replicators in The Return were pretty pathetic, compared to Progeny or The Trilogy We Do Not Speak Of, or even the SG-1 Replicators. The Wraith probably wouldn't have had much trouble with them, either.

6) Some of the special effects in "The Return, part 2" are really amazing. Were you impressed? Did you notice? Do you think it was worth the budget money it cost to make them?

Heck yeah, it was worth the money! The shots of the jumper flying through the city were great; reminded me a lot of similar shots of Wraith Darts zooming around Atlantis during The Siege. We always get to see the long, wide-angle shots of the city, but we rarely get to see major parts of the city at such close range like this. It's all about the details.

7) Why do you think the writers/creators included the long underwater sequence in the story?

For a show about a city/ship floating on the ocean, it wasn't often that we got to see any of the characters actually going for a swim. Getting wet. And it was about time that we saw some of the stuff in Atlantis that was below the waterline.

8) The scene with Carson destroying the Star Drive--do you think that was important? A chance for Paul to play the hero? What was the reason to include it?

I guess it was a way to remind people, 'hey, Sheppard and McKay aren't the only ones on Atlantis with the ATA gene!' And it did show how much Carson has grown since being such a fraidy-cat about getting in the Chair.

9) TR, part 2 also gave the characters the opportunity to 'mix it up' and hang out with/comment with people they don't normally hang out with. Did you like that? Did anyone seem OOC?

I loved it. It got everyone out of the rut of being the 'wingman' for certain characters all the time. Ronon with Elizabeth made perfect sense to me; I've always thought that if John couldn't be there watching Elizabeth's back, he'd want Ronon, Teyla or Lorne there.

10) At the end, it's alluded that Jack will snap his fingers and everything will be status quo. Believable?

Heh. Like I said, he's Jack O'Neill. And when you've saved the planet that many times, well, you get the idea...

11)Did you like the hug Elizabeth gave to Jack? How did it feel different from the one she gave John in The Siege, III?

*squees* Loved it! To me, in a way it was kind of a passing of the torch; one leader to another.

[Scary Kitty]

Ewww, the chick from The Tower annoys me!

I think John kicked her out because he didn't want to have any babies. That is probably the strongest case as to why nothing happened.

Word. I mean, his reactions were all over the place in that scene, but it was obvious that he didn't like the idea of being used as a stud service just for his ATA gene.

[Scary Kitty]

I finally finished my Vegas vid in spite of my spinning beachballs of irritation. (Mac humor) So if you want to check it out it's here.

And can be downloaded here: God's Gonna Cut You Down

*runs around squeeing and flailing*

OMG! That video is so damn awesome!!!!

*goes to download and save to harddrive for repeat viewing*

[KrisRussel]

I think John kicked her out because he didn't want to have any babies. That is probably the strongest case as to why nothing happened.

ROFL!! Very true, best reason by far!

[Falcon Horus]

[QUOTE=KrisRussel;9650528]I thought Chaya was the most annoying.../QUOTE]

That pic-nic was a stupid idea over all, but she wasn't annoying... She just wanted to be friends - if you have been alone for so long you'd be happy as a crustation if a guy showed some interest (well, in my case it would have to be a girl) - just to be friends or a bit more on the flirty side.

And don't go tellin' me John wasn't being flirty there...

[KrisRussel]

That pic-nic was a stupid idea over all, but she wasn't annoying... She just wanted to be friends - if you have been alone for so long you'd be happy as a crustation if a guy showed some interest (well, in my case it would have to be a girl) - just to be friends or a bit more on the flirty side.

And don't go tellin' me John wasn't being flirty there...

oh, I'll never deny John wasn't flirty or didn't come on to her... I mean, he kissed her, not the other way around... Anyway, I like to tell my shippy mind that it's because of the high level in ATA-gene they both share and that he forgot all about her when he returned to Atlantis and could flirt with Elizabeth again
The reason I dislike her (and the episode) is because most of the characters act OOC. It's prolly the writer as it was a test-episode for him and we never saw him again after that (which is also telling) and because John fell so fast for her I was like: WTF?!?
Yeah, she was just looking for companionship, but the way it was handled/written didn't sit right with me. But that could be just me.

[Erin87]

1) Do you think the second part picked up at a good 'cliffhanger' point? What suggestions would you have made to make it better, or was it perfect for you?

I thought it picked up at a good point. It wasn't the most drastic of cliffhangers, but it suited the story well.

2) The decision to blow up Stargate Operations was a rather risky one--do you think it was a good decision?

I think it was extremely risky. What if the Replicators hadn't built it back? The Earth team wouldn't have had the tech to rebuild everything. (which leads to questions about exactly how they did just that in later episodes (where'd they get the glass for all those broken windows?)) But overall, it probably was the best way to distract them.

3) 'Elizabeth's plan' involved using Niam as a remote control of sorts--but it didn't end up working. Why do you think the writers gave us the roundabout of 'Plan A' when it ended up failing? What about the 'plans B-D' humor--annoying or did it work?

Well, it wouldn't be realistic if every plan worked all the time, as well as a little boring. I did like the plan humor, though.

4) Richard Woolsey is seen as weak, annoying and a little inept. Was this a good characterization of him? Season 5 watchers, how did it affect your perceptions of him as a leader in Atlantis?

I think, as was pointed out by Scary Kitty, it fit with who his character was at the time. He was weak, he was inept, and had no field experience. And as for how it affected my S5 perceptions, it certainly didn't help his case any.

5) Were the replicator enemies this go around 'scary' to you? What about in comparison to other enemies the expedition has faced--including other Replicators?

Compared to Oberoth and the other Pegasus Galaxy Replicators, these were complete pushovers on the 'scary' scale. They weren't nearly as intimidating as Oberoth, or as creepy as the Milky Way Replicators.

6) Some of the special effects in "The Return, part 2" are really amazing. Were you impressed? Did you notice? Do you think it was worth the budget money it cost to make them?

I thought the effects were great, even though admittedly I didn't recognize it the first time I saw the ep, I was too much into the story. It was nice to see more of the city close up, and so I think definitely worth the money.

7) Why do you think the writers/creators included the long underwater sequence in the story?

I'm not entirely sure why, other than to give Jack a chance to be the hero. And plus it was a pretty cool scene as far as the 'action' element of the ep was concerned.

8) The scene with Carson destroying the Star Drive--do you think that was important? A chance for Paul to play the hero? What was the reason to include it?

Hmmm... I think it was nice to have Carson play that role and have someone besides John use the chair. Maybe to give a reason for including him in the mission in the first place? *shrugs*

9) TR, part 2 also gave the characters the opportunity to 'mix it up' and hang out with/comment with people they don't normally hang out with. Did you like that? Did anyone seem OOC?

I liked it alright. It was nice to shake things up a bit. I can't comment on the OOC because its been awhile since I've seen the episode.

10) At the end, it's alluded that Jack will snap his fingers and everything will be status quo. Believable?

Well, he's Jack. He can do that sort of thing.

bonus:

11)Did you like the hug Elizabeth gave to Jack? How did it feel different from the one she gave John in The Siege, III?

At the time I didn't really like it because I figured it would just give fuel to shippers for that pairing, even though I didn't see it that way. BUT, looking back at the screenshots and comparing it to the John/Elizabeth hug from TS3 (*sigh* happiness!) I can ignore what others might read into it and see it for what it really was - a hug between friends who respected each other - and enjoy it.

[Reiko]

Wow, I love that video SR! Very nice composition you did there. ^^

That pic-nic was a stupid idea over all, but she wasn't annoying... She just wanted to be friends - if you have been alone for so long you'd be happy as a crustation if a guy showed some interest (well, in my case it would have to be a girl) - just to be friends or a bit more on the flirty side...

See, Chaya and Teer I could understand as characters and story-wise. (Teer especially). Larrin was a bad Vala rip-off, but I think she was just fooling around with Shep. (Not really in that way.)

But The Tower Girl. Ugh. She wants to have his babies. She's basically a fangirl. :/

[Falcon Horus]

But that could be just me.

Those damn shippy glasses... you know, once in a while you should try watching without them.

At that time I wasn't as critical of Atlantis as I am now, but to be quite honest characters were just shaping up so no clue really whether they acted OOC or not. It's not like we really knew who they were already, we had an idea (and for some it remained an idea ).

But okay...

[Ruined_puzzle]

but the tower girl. Ugh. She wants to have his babies. She's basically a fangirl. :/

omg hahahaha!!!

[Erin87]

oh, I'll never deny John wasn't flirty or didn't come on to her... I mean, he kissed her, not the other way around... Anyway, I like to tell my shippy mind that it's because of the high level in ATA-gene they both share and that he forgot all about her when he returned to Atlantis and could flirt with Elizabeth again
The reason I dislike her (and the episode) is because most of the characters act OOC. It's prolly the writer as it was a test-episode for him and we never saw him again after that (which is also telling) and because John fell so fast for her I was like: WTF?!?
Yeah, she was just looking for companionship, but the way it was handled/written didn't sit right with me. But that could be just me.

Yep, that's totally what it was.
And agree with this statement too. He really did fall waay too fast to be in character.


And by the way *points back a few pages*, but did everybody see the wallpaper I made? I really don't want this to come off pushy and desperate, (really, I don't!) but I'd love to know what you guys think of it.

[Scary Kitty]

See, Chaya and Teer I could understand as characters and story-wise. (Teer especially). Larrin was a bad Vala rip-off, but I think she was just fooling around with Shep. (Not really in that way.)

But The Tower Girl. Ugh. She wants to have his babies. She's basically a fangirl. :/

Hah! I figured Shep was trying to play her, so he could get the gun/get the hell outta there and back to Atlantis before the greasy-haired wench sucked all the blood outta him for her little ATA experiment.

[Scary Kitty]

And by the way *points back a few pages*, but did everybody see the wallpaper I made? I really don't want this to come off pushy and desperate, (really, I don't!) but I'd love to know what you guys think of it.

Um, could you try posting a link to a bigger version? The one you posted before was so small, I couldn't tell what it was supposed to be of.

[Reiko]

Hah! I figured Shep was trying to play her, so he could get the gun/get the hell outta there and back to Atlantis before the greasy-haired wench sucked all the blood outta him for her little ATA experiment.

Hee. Though I don't think I liked any of the guest characters in this episode.