Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

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

    Originally posted by Scary Kitty View Post
    Erin, I love the fic! That's so cute! So, citywide party? Excellent! I wonder if someone will spike the punch?
    Originally posted by Probie View Post
    Erin: Excellent story.
    Originally posted by Southern Red View Post
    Great fluffy fic. Just what I needed to start the week. I'm thinking this Halloween is going to be very revealing for them. Heh.
    Originally posted by drewandian View Post
    Erin, cute fic! Probie those pictures are so pretty!
    Thank you very much guys!

    Originally posted by Eri13 View Post
    It's so funny--normally I'd say S3 was my favorite for Sparky moments, but honestly, when I think of the first 3 seasons in review, they're all so different to me I can't really pick. If I thought really hard about it I'd say:

    S1: Probably like it best because the stories were the strongest, but the Shep/Weir was crazy over the top since no one had put on the 'OMG this MIGHT BE SEEN AS SHIPPPPPPPPPPPPP' glasses. So people like Gero wrote freely with the characters and they had some seriously great moments.

    S2: Was less 'in your face', but more undercurrent, I think probably thanks to Joe and Torri. They found a way to make it shippy. The stories were still pretty strong but less than S1.

    S3: I think the changing of the guard was underway, so story-wise they're not the best writing. It kinda feels like here the writers all went haywire with their own visions of stuff and we get fluff pot episodes alongside serious character studies alongside stuff like Common Ground. With everything being disjointed, the characters sort of went 'round and 'round, but the actors did what they could. Thankfully for us we had some writers who just enjoyed the Shep/Weir banter so we get some golden moments. But it's annoying that the stories aren't as strong as S1.

    S4/S5: For me, this is the most dramatic of the Sparky moments. Can't say I'm a huge fan of most of the eppies, but in terms of sheer dark dramatic value, you can't beat Joe/Torri/Michelle's performances in these.
    Love this description of the seasons, and definitely agree.

    Originally posted by Eri13 View Post
    Hmm. The only upside I can see to that would be--do you think they'd go after Elizabeth? Honestly books and comic books can go after Weir in a way that they couldn't in movies or shows. Makes me waggle my eyebrows about the title "The Missing". (However, considering that was a S4 episode title, I'm suspicious about it being a book title too).
    It'll definitely be interesting to see what they do. I was just going to mention the Star Wars books like SK. So there's a chance they might bring her back. (it still wouldn't be nearly as good as seeing it on screen though *sigh*)

    Originally posted by drewandian View Post
    The Real World *sigh* I just wanted to say "Oh John" and huggle him tight...he tried so hard to bring her back (and he did in the end yay!) and I'm sorry, but the writers HAVE to see Sparky too, because tbh, it really technically could have been ANYONE to bring Elizabeth back but it was John, because they're meant to be...and the last scene....oh....just *sniff*

    and now i'm rambling and not making any sense... sorry...I got a little caught up again...
    Oh, keep on rambling! The Real World is so so squeeworthy!! *hearts that episode so much!*

    'Cause lookit his face!
    Spoiler:


    That's love.
    sigpic
    Lovely Sparkiness! ~*~ My: Fanfics - Vids ~*~

    Comment


      Originally posted by Erin87 View Post
      It'll definitely be interesting to see what they do. I was just going to mention the Star Wars books like SK. So there's a chance they might bring her back. (it still wouldn't be nearly as good as seeing it on screen though *sigh*)
      Yup, nothing will be as good as seeing it on screen. *joins in the sigh*

      Originally posted by Erin87 View Post
      Oh, keep on rambling! The Real World is so so squeeworthy!! *hearts that episode so much!*

      'Cause lookit his face!
      http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/v...-3x06-2420.jpg
      http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/v...-3x06-2436.jpg
      That's love.
      Puppy!John! *squees and pets him, then shoves John and Lizzie in a closet*
      (This is legal notice that any attempt to censor or delete, for the purpose of oppressing fair and open discussion, any statement made by me will be considered a violation of my right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and will be dealt with in accordance with federal law.)
      Sparky is on screen. Therefore, it is canon. Elizabeth is still out there. And John WILL bring her home.

      Comment


        Originally posted by Scary Kitty View Post
        Yup, nothing will be as good as seeing it on screen. *joins in the sigh*



        Puppy!John! *squees and pets him, then shoves John and Lizzie in a closet*
        My fanfics:http://evil_bad_evil.livejournal.com/3389.htmlMember of the Sisterhood of the Pantster Fan Fic Writers
        sigpic

        Comment


          What can I say? It's all about the closet!smut.
          (This is legal notice that any attempt to censor or delete, for the purpose of oppressing fair and open discussion, any statement made by me will be considered a violation of my right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and will be dealt with in accordance with federal law.)
          Sparky is on screen. Therefore, it is canon. Elizabeth is still out there. And John WILL bring her home.

          Comment


            Originally posted by Southern Red View Post
            Excellent. Thanks for that addition. In other words it's a matter of what you want to hear in relation to your ship. Look at DH and JS for example. Both have admitted being uncomfortable with McKeller but what difference did that make? Zilch.

            And yeah, since Sparky was not scripted and all we got in S4-5 was almost 100% JF and since sooooo many nonshippers suddenly saw the Spark then WTF? Anyway, IMHO I think he's feeling left out of the ship since his whole team is all tied up now and since Elizabeth is no longer around, it's natural to wonder if maybe they would go back to the original idea of Sheyla.

            But again...not gonna happen. So we're all good.

            But I'm still hoping you get to ask him that question. And maybe point out the overwhelming favoritism for Sparky.
            Originally posted by Probie View Post
            Hi!

            Yesterday I said that Joe Flanigan "confirmed" to be a JT shipper. "Confirm" is a big word.lol He just answered a question.

            OMG, I de lurk to find this and I have to comment. *laughs* The whole point doesn't really matter because:

            1) Joe is not John.

            2) it's John and Elizabeth who always had actual chemistry, and if JF doesn't see it (which I doubt, because he was right there when it happened), that's his loss, but everyone who ever had a boyfriend know men can be clueless

            3) SGA is over. What's on screen is on screen and Sparky is on screen, even in S4 and S5, thanx to JF.

            So, yeah. And I'll always love the things he said about Elizabeth.
            I'm not weird, I'm limited edition.

            Comment


              Well, since I have to stay up late to get my sleep cycle ready for midnights I figured I'd set for a spell with y'all. I wasn't here for the glory days, or the "Ship Wars." Good thing too. I'd probably have gotten kicked out. But, on some stuff when folks think Weir was sexually harassing Shep all I had to say was "If Lizzie was harassing you would you complain. And it can't be harassment if you like it." We all know Shep did.

              At the beginning I wasn't really anit-Weir. I know Jessica Steen played her in the S7 finale on SG-1, but the way she told of Kinsey I thought was cool. When Miss Torri took over the roll, I thought Lizzie was a little stand-offish, but not bad. (Not because of Miss Torri, it's the way she was written.) I think people got used to Hammond (who was frakin awesome by the way) because he was a two-star (while he was in charge of the SGC) and didn't need to prove anything. Him and Jack butted heads to start, but they made a great team. Lizzie was a civilian and seen as a pencil pusher appointed by the IOA. She had to prove herself. She did that, and she won folks like Drew over. I thought Lizzie was a good leader. She could be motto when needed. She got all the info and made the call. She stayed focused on the mission and treated her people well. I wouldn't have minded working for Lizzie. (And she can harass me anytime )

              ETA: Anuna congrats on the wedding. Is it an open bar at the reception?
              ETA II: Mandy you have a chapter three of you payment. chapter 3 This one has... ships! Soundtrack available with chapter 4.
              Last edited by pkprd869; 20 October 2009, 08:26 PM.
              "I only understand about 1% of what she says half of the time."

              Comment


                Originally posted by Anuna View Post
                OMG, I de lurk to find this and I have to comment. *laughs* The whole point doesn't really matter because:

                1) Joe is not John.

                2) it's John and Elizabeth who always had actual chemistry, and if JF doesn't see it (which I doubt, because he was right there when it happened), that's his loss, but everyone who ever had a boyfriend know men can be clueless

                3) SGA is over. What's on screen is on screen and Sparky is on screen, even in S4 and S5, thanx to JF.

                So, yeah. And I'll always love the things he said about Elizabeth.
                And Torri, too.

                Originally posted by pkprd869 View Post
                Well, since I have to stay up late to get my sleep cycle ready for midnights I figured I'd set for a spell with y'all. I wasn't here for the glory days, or the "Ship Wars." Good thing too. I'd probably have gotten kicked out. But, on some stuff when folks think Weir was sexually harassing Shep all I had to say was "If Lizzie was harassing you would you complain. And it can't be harassment if you like it." We all know Shep did.
                Oh boy, did he ever! Why else would he start grinning like a loon whenever she so much as looked at him?

                Originally posted by pkprd869 View Post
                At the beginning I wasn't really anit-Weir. I know Jessica Steen played her in the S7 finale on SG-1, but the way she told of Kinsey I thought was cool. When Miss Torri took over the roll, I thought Lizzie was a little stand-offish, but not bad. (Not because of Miss Torri, it's the way she was written.) I think people got used to Hammond (who was frakin awesome by the way) because he was a two-star (while he was in charge of the SGC) and didn't need to prove anything. Him and Jack butted heads to start, but they made a great team. Lizzie was a civilian and seen as a pencil pusher appointed by the IOA. She had to prove herself. She did that, and she won folks like Drew over. I thought Lizzie was a good leader. She could be motto when needed. She got all the info and made the call. She stayed focused on the mission and treated her people well. I wouldn't have minded working for Lizzie. (And she can harass me anytime )

                ETA: Anuna congrats on the wedding. Is it an open bar at the reception?
                ETA II: Mandy you have a chapter three of you payment. chapter 3 This one has... ships! Soundtrack available with chapter 4.
                LMAO! Gee, why am I not surprised you'd say that.
                (This is legal notice that any attempt to censor or delete, for the purpose of oppressing fair and open discussion, any statement made by me will be considered a violation of my right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and will be dealt with in accordance with federal law.)
                Sparky is on screen. Therefore, it is canon. Elizabeth is still out there. And John WILL bring her home.

                Comment


                  *runs in * Found my glasses!!!! *runs out*

                  ! All Aboard The Shipper Train!
                  I Heart ! Proud Member of Thunk For Club!
                  Don't wait for your ship to come in. Swim out to it.

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by nogigglingmajor View Post
                    *runs in * Found my glasses!!!! *runs out*
                    Hooray!!!! *huggles*
                    (This is legal notice that any attempt to censor or delete, for the purpose of oppressing fair and open discussion, any statement made by me will be considered a violation of my right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and will be dealt with in accordance with federal law.)
                    Sparky is on screen. Therefore, it is canon. Elizabeth is still out there. And John WILL bring her home.

                    Comment


                      You know, I was reluctant to post within a thread like this because I'm not what generally you'd usually call a shipper. At all really. Sure I can most certianly appreciate a good TV romance, but I've always thought the focus romantic pairings get from some fans not only on SGA but in approximately everything ever, is a little... weird.

                      However I have mentioned couple times before I liked this pairing. Actually, it probably is the one Stargate pairing I do like. All the others I either have no opinion on or don't care for. So yes, I guess that makes me a John-Elizabeth fan.

                      I never really used to care specifically about anybody in the show's love life, but even when I was first watching the show I always got the feeling that John had romantic build with both Teyla and Weir. And I really didn't care about it one way or another and still picked up on that. Funnily enough, when Elizabeth left I remember thinking to myself before watching her departure episodes (because I learned about it long before I saw it) "You know, if nothing else they better address the issues between them before she goes." And when I watched them in Lifeline and Adrift, I thought they did just that, even if not overtly. And when that was all said and done I said to myself. "Wow. That was good! I like that pairing better now." So by the time about 2 thirds of the was done I decided I supported John and Elizabeth more. Though, I've always found it a little ironic though, that the "character wars" between Teyla and Elizabeth proves so heated because in the end both characters were pretty much screwed over by the writers, one was dropped and the other was marginalized so much that she almost might as well have been.

                      I also am a little curious. Was the whole thing an accident? I mean it's really hard for me look at a lot of their interactions over the course of the first three seasons as something other than at least vague romantic chemistry (even when I wasn't particularly concerned with it). But you never really hear the writers talk about that one. You guys mentioned the "relationship" they was unscripted. But much of the stuff the did just seems like it had to have been written in to be played like it was. I went back and watched Rising sometime later, and I noticed the bond he formed with Weir and Teyla goes back even to day 1. Although in that episode Teyla's is a little more obvious, but still it looked like it was clearly forming.

                      And the other big thing is the love triangle it created was a thousand times better than the one they wrote in Season 5. It was vastly more subtle and spread out. So I'm probably forced to conclude either they wrote a good version of something and then wrote a terrible version of the same concept right afterward, OR they wrote something better by accident than they did on purpose.

                      Anyway, my bottom line here is that you folks can be say that your ship was so actually good that it even got someone who doesn't really care about "ships" that much to like it.

                      I was actually going to post this earlier but got sidetracked. It was a while back when you guys were talking about the prospect of the return of a temporarily evil Elizabeth. I totally would have been down for that for the record.
                      Last edited by Infinite-Possibilities; 21 October 2009, 12:01 AM.
                      "First Weir, then Samantha Carter, and now, you! It's a pity you humans die or get reassigned so easily, or I might have a sense of satisfaction now!"

                      *You got the touch! You got the poweeeeer!*

                      "Arise, Woolseyus Prime."

                      "Elizabeth..."

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by Scary Kitty View Post
                        And Torri, too.



                        Oh boy, did he ever! Why else would he start grinning like a loon whenever she so much as looked at him?



                        LMAO! Gee, why am I not surprised you'd say that.
                        Grinning and invading her personal space until it was theirspace.

                        Originally posted by Infinite-Possibilities View Post
                        You know, I was reluctant to post within a thread like this because I'm not what generally you'd usually call a shipper. At all really. Sure I can most certianly appreciate a good TV romance, but I've always thought the focus romantic pairings get from some fans not only on SGA but in approximately everything ever, is a little... weird.

                        However I have mentioned couple times before I liked this pairing. Actually, it probably is the one Stargate pairing I do like. All the others I either have no opinion on or don't care for. So yes, I guess that makes me a John-Elizabeth fan.

                        I never really used to care specifically about anybody in the show's love life, but even when I was first watching the show I always got the feeling that John had romantic build with both Teyla and Weir. And I really didn't care about it one way or another and still picked up on that. Funnily enough, when Elizabeth left I remember thinking to myself before watching her departure episodes (because I learned about it long before I saw it) "You know, if nothing else they better address the issues between them before she goes." And when I watched them in Lifeline and Adrift, I thought they did just that, even if not overtly. And when that was all said and done I said to myself. "Wow. That was good! I like that pairing better now." So by the time about 2 thirds of the was done I decided I supported John and Elizabeth more. Though, I've always found it a little ironic though, that the "character wars" between Teyla and Elizabeth proves so heated because in the end both characters were pretty much screwed over by the writers, one was dropped and the other was marginalized so much that she almost might as well have been.

                        I also am a little curious. Was the whole thing an accident? I mean it's really hard for me look at a lot of their interactions over the course of the first three seasons as something other than at least vague romantic chemistry (even when I wasn't particularly concerned with it). But you never really hear the writers talk about that one. You guys mentioned the "relationship" they was unscripted. But much of the stuff the did just seems like it had to have been written in to be played like it was. I went back and watched Rising sometime later, and I noticed the bond he formed with Weir and Teyla goes back even to day 1. Although in that episode Teyla's is a little more obvious, but still it looked like it was clearly forming.

                        And the other big thing is the love triangle it created was a thousand times better than the one they wrote in Season 5. It was vastly more subtle and spread out. So I'm probably forced to conclude either they wrote a good version of something and then wrote a terrible version of the same concept right afterward, OR they wrote something better by accident than they did on purpose.

                        Anyway, my bottom line here is that you folks can be say that your ship was so actually good that it even got someone who doesn't really care about "ships" that much to like it.

                        I was actually going to post this earlier but got sidetracked. It was a while back when you guys were talking about the prospect of the return of a temporarily evil Elizabeth. I totally would have been down for that for the record.
                        Allow me to address your post since I seem to be the first one here this morning. I guess this makes you one of those fans we keep talking about who saw the Sparky after she was basically gone. Thank you and welcome to the Sparky nation.

                        Yes indeed they have always said they scripted John/Teyla but not John/Elizabeth and it's easy to see, at least IMHO, because of the obvious anvils in S1. After that except for a few isolated and sometimes confusing moments it looked like they dropped it. But in reading JM's blog, listening to commentaries and reading interviews I found that they all from cast to writers continued to say they were scripting Sheyla. In my own little world I questioned family and friends who watched the show but don't come here just to see if I was being biased toward Sparky and to a man they all said they didn't see any Sheyla at all and I was being paranoid. *shrugs* I know lots of people see that ship and love it and that's good for them. I'm just reporting my own story. There is a good podcast on GW about shipping that says basically the same thing.

                        So where did the Sparky come from? We here at the Sparky thread feel it's just natural chemistry between the actors, the way they related to each other on screen, the constant invasion of personal space, the light flirting and right down to the tone of voice they used only with each other. All these things can be proven with scenes from the show. If you know anything about writing or storytelling, you know that all this kind of staging is foreshadowing for an eventual relationship. That's why we have frequently been confused when they all tried to tell us we were imagining it.

                        As with the RL pregnancy that determined how Teyla's story ended, I think the decision to write out Elizabeth determined how Sparky ended. They said the decision was made not to make John the father of Teyla's baby because it would be inappropriate since she was a member of his team. So with that thinking I believe they also would not have hooked up John and Elizabeth because she was his boss. It was entirely a lack of awareness by TPTB of the fan opinion and just total cluelessness as to what would have worked. JM once said he didn't care how many more people favored Sparky it was not going to influence creative decisions. All righty then. All those people lost all respect for you and most aren't bothering with your new show. Whatever.

                        Back in the day, we used to say a lot of Sparky was in the editing. If you rewatch certain episodes, you will notice that there is nothing in the script that warrants flirting or what we like to call "eyesex". The actors just did it. Maybe unintentional. Maybe not. Somebody needs to ask them in a serious conversation that will allow them to give an honest opinion, not just say what they think a fan wants to hear.

                        I think I would go with your theory that they write ship better by accident. McKeller is certainly an example of that. So maybe we are lucky that it was all left up to the imagination. With a little help from Joe and Torri of course.
                        sigpic

                        Visit us at SGA Rising for our version of season six.

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Scary Kitty View Post
                          That's a possibility, and it's certainly something that's been done in other fandoms-- in addition to Buffy, there's also Babylon 5 and Star Wars that do consider novels/comics as part of the official canon...
                          Don't forget the Start Trek relaunch novels. They've basically picked up where the series/last TNG movie left off and gone way beyond -
                          Spoiler:
                          Picard & Crusher married & expecting a kid; Riker/Troi have a daughter; Sisko's back, Bajor has joined the Federation, Dax is the Captain of her own ship; Janeway's dead, the Borg are gone and Seven's lost the last of her inplants and is wearing normal clothes; and much more.
                          I'd like to see the SG PTBs make this sort of a serious effort with the tie in books - rescue Elizabeth, let some of the couples get together officially, find more ZPMs, etc. But the SG1/Atlantis books up til now have seemed afterthoughts.
                          DDC

                          Comment


                            Infinite-Possibilities I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. I never liked shipping really, but Shep/Weir is the only one I like. SR mentioned some good stuff, that I agree with. I think it's the way Joe and Miss Torri played it. I doubt they scripted "eye sex", "woobie faces", and "tongue porn". The fact it was subtle and always under the current made it great. I think if TPTB would've shipped them, it would HAVE at been the very end of the show. I doubt either of them would break the fraternization rule(Yes, the UCMJ applies to civilians if they are working for the military, e.g. Lizzie). This way they could go into separate chains of command and then have a relationship without worry.
                            "I only understand about 1% of what she says half of the time."

                            Comment


                              SK I like me my closet!smut too!

                              SR Well said...I thought I had something to add...but it's gone now...

                              hubby's downstairs, catching up to my mini marathon from yesterday, I should be able to watch "Common Ground" later today....(it'll only play on his laptop, my computer is a total PITA! )
                              My fanfics:http://evil_bad_evil.livejournal.com/3389.htmlMember of the Sisterhood of the Pantster Fan Fic Writers
                              sigpic

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by Falcon Horus View Post
                                Who cares about an SGA movie anyway?

                                It will have no Kate, no Elizabeth and barely any Teyla - so I prefer no movie, to a movie.

                                The basis for my Little Bang fic (The Real World meets Doppelganger meets me).
                                When? Where? When is it up?

                                Originally posted by Southern Red View Post
                                Ah yes. The golden age of open hostility to Elizabeth plus being told that we were imagining things and that John was being sexually harassed by his boss whom he was afraid to cross. Good times. But it was fun speculating every week about whether there would be a balcony scene or desk sitting. And the days of They. Are. So. Married. were a hoot.

                                As I said earlier, it's much more fun now. You guys don't know what you missed. But a lot of really neat people have gone away or left for other forums where they still enjoy Sparky in peace to this day. We here are just the tip of a very large iceberg.
                                Originally posted by drewandian View Post
                                I'm kinda sad I missed the fun stuff...although I probably would've ended up modded and/or kicked out for speaking my mind to the aforementioned hostility....
                                Hrm...Having been through the waiting with other ships, I think this is infinitely more fun. What's more, with all the infighting I probably would have been turned off the fandom and not stayed with the forums. I dislike infighting.

                                Originally posted by Infinite-Possibilities View Post
                                You know, I was reluctant to post within a thread like this because I'm not what generally you'd usually call a shipper. At all really. Sure I can most certianly appreciate a good TV romance, but I've always thought the focus romantic pairings get from some fans not only on SGA but in approximately everything ever, is a little... weird.

                                However I have mentioned couple times before I liked this pairing. Actually, it probably is the one Stargate pairing I do like. All the others I either have no opinion on or don't care for. So yes, I guess that makes me a John-Elizabeth fan.

                                I never really used to care specifically about anybody in the show's love life, but even when I was first watching the show I always got the feeling that John had romantic build with both Teyla and Weir. And I really didn't care about it one way or another and still picked up on that. Funnily enough, when Elizabeth left I remember thinking to myself before watching her departure episodes (because I learned about it long before I saw it) "You know, if nothing else they better address the issues between them before she goes." And when I watched them in Lifeline and Adrift, I thought they did just that, even if not overtly. And when that was all said and done I said to myself. "Wow. That was good! I like that pairing better now." So by the time about 2 thirds of the was done I decided I supported John and Elizabeth more. Though, I've always found it a little ironic though, that the "character wars" between Teyla and Elizabeth proves so heated because in the end both characters were pretty much screwed over by the writers, one was dropped and the other was marginalized so much that she almost might as well have been.

                                I also am a little curious. Was the whole thing an accident? I mean it's really hard for me look at a lot of their interactions over the course of the first three seasons as something other than at least vague romantic chemistry (even when I wasn't particularly concerned with it). But you never really hear the writers talk about that one. You guys mentioned the "relationship" they was unscripted. But much of the stuff the did just seems like it had to have been written in to be played like it was. I went back and watched Rising sometime later, and I noticed the bond he formed with Weir and Teyla goes back even to day 1. Although in that episode Teyla's is a little more obvious, but still it looked like it was clearly forming.

                                And the other big thing is the love triangle it created was a thousand times better than the one they wrote in Season 5. It was vastly more subtle and spread out. So I'm probably forced to conclude either they wrote a good version of something and then wrote a terrible version of the same concept right afterward, OR they wrote something better by accident than they did on purpose.

                                Anyway, my bottom line here is that you folks can be say that your ship was so actually good that it even got someone who doesn't really care about "ships" that much to like it.

                                I was actually going to post this earlier but got sidetracked. It was a while back when you guys were talking about the prospect of the return of a temporarily evil Elizabeth. I totally would have been down for that for the record.
                                Originally posted by Southern Red View Post
                                Grinning and invading her personal space until it was theirspace.

                                Allow me to address your post since I seem to be the first one here this morning. I guess this makes you one of those fans we keep talking about who saw the Sparky after she was basically gone. Thank you and welcome to the Sparky nation.

                                Yes indeed they have always said they scripted John/Teyla but not John/Elizabeth and it's easy to see, at least IMHO, because of the obvious anvils in S1. After that except for a few isolated and sometimes confusing moments it looked like they dropped it. But in reading JM's blog, listening to commentaries and reading interviews I found that they all from cast to writers continued to say they were scripting Sheyla. In my own little world I questioned family and friends who watched the show but don't come here just to see if I was being biased toward Sparky and to a man they all said they didn't see any Sheyla at all and I was being paranoid. *shrugs* I know lots of people see that ship and love it and that's good for them. I'm just reporting my own story. There is a good podcast on GW about shipping that says basically the same thing.

                                So where did the Sparky come from? We here at the Sparky thread feel it's just natural chemistry between the actors, the way they related to each other on screen, the constant invasion of personal space, the light flirting and right down to the tone of voice they used only with each other. All these things can be proven with scenes from the show. If you know anything about writing or storytelling, you know that all this kind of staging is foreshadowing for an eventual relationship. That's why we have frequently been confused when they all tried to tell us we were imagining it.

                                As with the RL pregnancy that determined how Teyla's story ended, I think the decision to write out Elizabeth determined how Sparky ended. They said the decision was made not to make John the father of Teyla's baby because it would be inappropriate since she was a member of his team. So with that thinking I believe they also would not have hooked up John and Elizabeth because she was his boss. It was entirely a lack of awareness by TPTB of the fan opinion and just total cluelessness as to what would have worked. JM once said he didn't care how many more people favored Sparky it was not going to influence creative decisions. All righty then. All those people lost all respect for you and most aren't bothering with your new show. Whatever.

                                Back in the day, we used to say a lot of Sparky was in the editing. If you rewatch certain episodes, you will notice that there is nothing in the script that warrants flirting or what we like to call "eyesex". The actors just did it. Maybe unintentional. Maybe not. Somebody needs to ask them in a serious conversation that will allow them to give an honest opinion, not just say what they think a fan wants to hear.

                                I think I would go with your theory that they write ship better by accident. McKeller is certainly an example of that. So maybe we are lucky that it was all left up to the imagination. With a little help from Joe and Torri of course.
                                Hi, Infinite! Thanks for your opinion, it's so nice to hear those kinds of perspectives. I don't have much to add to what SR already summed up beautifully.

                                People often take things how they want to see it. What's fun for me about Sparky is that there is so much to work with, whether it was purposeful or not. I enjoy finding all the moments that just signify the closeness of these two characters. I think part of it is writing (Carl Binder in TRW, for example, understood that John was the character most capable of reaching Elizabeth and the one most determined to try), part acting (most of how the scenes are played I attribute to the actors--how they stand, how they share a look, etc) and part production (editing, etc).

                                But Season 4 and 5--particularly Joe F's portrayal of John in the Elizabeth-heavy episodes--gave me a little cause to fall in love with the idea of something deeper than friendship potentially connecting them. I already liked them and saw the potential, and again, it's all perspective, but the reactions of John to Elizabeth's situation kind of caught me by surprise and left me a little breathless. I wasn't expecting the level of pathos I saw. Sparky before had been fun; Sparky after has been tinged with despair and a deeper appreciation of what exactly they meant to each other.

                                I have to go back through and watch all of S5--I haven't seen it yet, to compare McKeller, but my experience with purposeful ships is that unless the writers are solely focused on that ship as the core of the show, purposeful ships end up becoming a mess simply because when you're trying to force something, it feels just that--forced.
                                Visit SGArising.com to read our virtual continuation of the Atlantis series!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X