Elizabeth Weir/John Sheppard Appreciation/Ship/Discussion Thread

[Pajus]

This episode was written by Martin Gero, who can go up or down for me--but this particular episode happens to be extremely smart in all the right places, and I really enjoy it. On top of that, as tends to happen with the Gero episodes, it has tons of fun Sparky moments.

You forgot to add his title: Worst physics offender in the current TPTB squad (Sorry, but there is just nothing elso I can call him after Adrift, The Siege 3 and Trio)

[gateraid]

Anuna, do you realize that according to your theories, Sheppard and McKay are married since the very first episode?

[Eri13]

Coup d'Etat, Part II

Teyla and Ronon have made an interesting discovery on their explorations--headshots! Nice, black and white headshot imaging of certain Atlantis members--including Lorne, who has been declared 'not dead yet' thanks to Carson's DNA testing.


That's a really nice photo of McKay. Say, who invented portable cameras in the Pegasus galaxy, anyway?

On Atlantis, we get an interesting twist to the story (see, I said it was a fairly smart script)--the arrival of Ladon's sister Dahlia, who is afflicted with radiation poisoning and is given up for dead. She will be a very important key in saving a lot of lives later on.



You may have missed it as the action runs by, but we get another brilliant!Elizabeth moment in Coup. As Teyla and Ronon reveal photographs of the missing soliders--as well as those who are wanted--it's Elizabeth who discovers they're linked because of their gene. And she does it in a snap.

WEIR: To who?
DEX: And why aren't we on it?
WEIR: Excuse me?
DEX (showing her the relevant photographs): Sheppard's on the list; McKay is on the list. Why aren't Teyla and me?
WEIR: What, you're feeling left out?!
DEX: I just wanna know who thinks I'm not a threat and give `em a chance to change their mind. (Elizabeth looks at the photographs.)
WEIR: The gene. They all have the gene.
TEYLA: The gene of the Ancestors?
WEIR: Yes. Naturally or not, all these men possess the ATA gene.

As smart as she may have been there, even she, Mr. "could have been Mensa" and Rodney didn't seem the double-cross coming. What makes Coup all the more interesting is, truthfully, it's a double cross of a double cross. Atlantis wasn't being honest with the Genii in their efforts and it backfires in their faces. But I liked that aspect, too...it was a rather ruthless power move for Atlantis, and I felt like they needed that. And the slap-down they got when it didn't work.




Elizabeth back in the position of being worried--but this time it's all a result of the actions they all took.


Shep Whumpers, celebrate.

We find out that our kidnapped Lanteans and the Genii plot are one in the same. A nice twist, and a relief to find out that Lorne and company are alive.



Now comes the kicker--throughout this story, we've seen double crosses and trick maneuvers that have gotten us into this situation. What gets us out is not really quick thinking, or a sudden "Atlantis saves the day!" but rather a show of care. Whether it was Ladon or Cowen who triumphed, the Lanteans were going to be sacrificed. Not just because the Genii weren't really going to spare them, but because Elizabeth makes clear to Ronon Atlantis's position on negotiations of this sort:

WEIR: Can you cure them?
BECKETT: There *are* some experimental treatment protocols I've been able to get my hands on, although some of them are just too far gone to do anything but pain management, but I do believe I can save at least eight of them.
WEIR: Alright. Let's hope they will trade their people for ours.
DEX: Do we have a back-up plan?
WEIR: We're not handing ten of our Jumpers over to the Genii. Let's just hope this works.

This is a subtle foreshadowing to her position in "Common Ground"--and actually, the end result is the same. For a few tense moments, it appears they really have sacrificed Colonel Sheppard:

COWEN: The Genii need those Jumpers. Until you are prepared to part with them, this conversation is over.
WEIR: You kill one of my people and we are in a state of war.
COWEN (chuckling): Oh, yes, yes! I – well, I don't quite know how I'll live with myself. I will contact you again in fifteen minutes, so you can decide whether you would like Doctor McKay to live. In the meantime, you have forfeited the life of Colonel Sheppard. (He switches the radio off.)
WEIR: Cowen, wait!

Thanks to Carson's abilities, however, the Lanteans end up with a trading card for Ladon--his sister's life. And because Ladon is a well-written character, it matters. When the Coup goes into effect--another brilliant twist by Gero--he opts to spare the Lanteans as well. Ladon is one who doesn't take Weir, or her promises, for granted. Hence why the tense, yet respectful, nature of their relationship is able to be stepped up in "Common Ground".







Coup d'Etat has a lot of things to resolve by the end of the story, so we don't get a lot of time for Atlantis to mull over jumping the gun. We're about to hit another stumbling block for our crew thanks to the decision they made in "Michael", so maybe that's why we're left hanging. But Coup isn't one of those stories that has a ton of crazy plot holes or unanswered questions. Maybe our Atlantis folk should be chastised or regret their actions--or maybe not. Did they do wrong, or did they not? The script leaves it up to the viewer. One thing it doesn't is the stability of the Genii--that's left properly up in the air, and discussed by Elizabeth and John in the final scene.

Speaking of which--I mentioned Coup is one of the best blends of Sparky--both leadership and dialog. They get some really funny shared scenes, a few wistful moments--nothing overly powerful or dramatic here, but nice enough companionship elements. What makes this episode stand out for me, though, is sort of that 'unspoken' vibe we get from time to time. Yes, I think Joe and Torri have enough actor chemistry to where it happens more often than not in all the episodes where they're together, but here, for some reason--I don't know if it was they were enjoying the snarky dialog, or Wood directing made them comfortable, or what--but they just seem extremely comfortable with each other. All smiles and easily flowing language--no stinted lines, easy enough gestures, eye connectivity--it's all here in this episode, culminating with the final scene.















So, who is spinning now, Sparkies? Not me! Questions and discussions, as usual, below! I'll have discussion questions for this tomorrow.

[Pajus]

Sheppard in a prison... That makes my day

[Southern Red]

Great recap Eri. That has always been one of my favorites and an excellent example of why they just worked as leaders.

[Torri012]

i really liked the yellow sunglasses they had to wear in this episode

[Anuna]

I'll analyze more tomorrow, because I'll soon hit the bed, but gotta say - Coup is one of the big sparky episodes, and has several canon moments. It's also one of the episodes that IMO needs more fanfiction.

OT, but Stargate related - Don Davis, the man who played General Hammond, has passed away. I know it's not even Atlantis related, but I liked Hammond in SG - 1 and I was sad to hear this.

[Anuna]

I'll analyze more tomorrow, because I'll soon hit the bed, but gotta say - Coup is one of the big sparky episodes, and has several canon moments. It's also one of the episodes that IMO needs more fanfiction.

OT, but Stargate related - Don Davis, the man who played General Hammond, has passed away. I know it's not even Atlantis related, but I liked Hammond in SG - 1 and I was sad to hear this.

[Scary Kitty]

Good evening, Sparkies. Another day, another battle to get onto GW because the server is just sooo damned sloooow.

First and foremost... Rest in peace, Don. You will be greatly missed.


It's canon!day, and with the quieter mood I think we're all feeling right now, I felt like something a little different than the usual fic recs:

First Strike/Counterstrike snippet, by miss_porcupine. The author's summary: Not how John wanted his last conversations with Elizabeth to go.

By her own admission, the author is not a shipper and writes canonist gen fics, but she's also one of those fans who picked up on the "Sheppard as widower" vibe in Adrift/Lifeline and she definitely misses Elizabeth as much as we do. I like miss_porcupine's stories because of her focus on the military side to the expedition and realistically portraying it in the context of how the U.S. military actually works (as opposed to just glossing it over like the writers on the show). Hence, her stories are primarily centered on Sheppard and his experiences as the military commander of Atlantis, Lorne and his team (all wonderfully developed OCs), and also some very detailed and creative forays into the concept of Atlantis itself being (somewhat) sentient and how those with the ATA gene interact with the city. So check out this fic, and then take a look at her timeline or visit her website to read more.

Soldiering Man, by Psalm_136. Not a story, but rather a poem about John and his feelings over losing Elizabeth. This reflects my personal canon on John in S4 perfectly.

[Southern Red]

Such a sad day. Don Davis was a true gentleman. He will be missed.

[Anuna]

Yes, a sad day. I might refrain from reading something sad. However I second rec miss_porcupine and her stories - such a wonderful author.

I remeber our favorite producer /snark comparing Elizabeth to General Hammond and saying she isn't an important character, but just a secondary one. I never thought of Hammond as a secondary character. To me he was always important part of the story, and Don did such a wonderful job with him. *sad*

[Anuna]

Anuna, do you realize that according to your theories, Sheppard and McKay are married since the very first episode?

LAMAO! Don't pull my tongue, Pajus. This is a bad time of month to do it.

[Pajus]

LAMAO! Don't pull my tongue, Pajus. This is a bad time of month to do it.

Okay. *remembers to keep his lightsaber close at all times*

PS: What does LAMAO stand for?

[gateraid]

I'll analyze more tomorrow, because I'll soon hit the bed, but gotta say - Coup is one of the big sparky episodes, and has several canon moments. It's also one of the episodes that IMO needs more fanfiction.

OT, but Stargate related - Don Davis, the man who played General Hammond, has passed away. I know it's not even Atlantis related, but I liked Hammond in SG - 1 and I was sad to hear this.

Oh my god. Now there's a man with a presence. And I mean the man himself rather than the character (which i also liked). A sad day indeed

[Southern Red]

LAMAO! Don't pull my tongue, Pajus. This is a bad time of month to do it.

Now that's a new expression. We say "pull my leg" but that means to try to trick someone into believing something.

Now I have an announcement which may shock some of you.

Spoiler:

I was wrong.

A TV guide interview with JM has this tidbit:


I'd like to know if there is any chance of seeing another hot Sheppard/Teyla kiss. And will these two get together romantically ? – TheUnitLover
Joseph Mallozzi: Romance blossoms in Season 5 of Atlantis but, alas, not between Sheppard and Teyla. Last we left our favorite Athosian back in Season 4, she had a man in her life — or, more accurately, a half-man half-iratus bug with very conflicted feelings.

I was all ready for the season of Sheyla. I guess not.