Letters From Pegasus (117)

[Ohper]

I thought there was a drain in power when Thor came so they couldn't close the Iris and squish him.

True. But Thor actually knows what he's doing.

[Easter Lily]

Maybe you technical types here can help me. Mr E.L. was commenting on what he thought was a typical Stargate inconsistency... he was surprised that the message from Atlantis could could be relayed through the iris. Is there a precedent to this? Or is it one of these Stargate plotholes that we're just supposed to ignore (like aliens speaking English) and assume that it just happens. He used Anubis' attack on the Stargate on a previous occasion as an example of its improbability.

[Ugly Pig]

Man, what a mushy, crappy piece of crap! That was, like, the worst thing ever!! Everyone involved in the production of this steaming pile ought to be dragged out into the street and brutally beaten!!!

Come on, Piggy, tell us how you really feel!

Hmm... Maybe I should. (I guess you guys didn't buy that, huh?) Okay, here goes:

PIGGY'S USELESS OPINION
of 'Letters From Pegasus'

Well, that was unexpected. I've always thought that Stargate did good clip shows, but I was still prepared for an episode that would probably be mostly fluff. Boy, was I wrong. Because this was as enjoyable an episode as I could ever have hoped for. I just really hope that no-one will avoid seeing this episode because they fear anything that smells of "cheap clip-show". Some folks will automatically dislike any episode just because of that. And that pisses me off. Because, in case you didn't guess it by now, I loved this episode. Every last second of it.

And can it even be called a clip show? The clips from previous episodes were not only relatively few, short and mostly far between, but they were extremely well utilized. In fact, it almost seems like they were used with the specific intent of making a good show, rather than for budget reasons. I mean, look at everything that happens in this episode - this was not a cheap one, for sure.

For one thing, we see (for the first time) an all-out Wraith kulling. And it was gruesome. It almost felt like a realistic war movie. Even though all the death and destruction is only seen from a distance, it felt, as Sheppard said, "bad". If the Wraith never came across as being as menacing as they should, if their "space vampire" routine isn't really that scary, this is. The Wraith are now officially as evil and as powerful and as scary as I, for one, would ever want them to be.

And you know what? I was actually afraid that Teyla's friends, that nice family, wouldn't make it, and I was relieved when they did. I admit it - I'm an emotional pig, and this episode did a whole lot for me in that department. When Weir was recording the messages for the families of dead team members, intercut with footage of their deaths (brilliant sequence, by the way!), I really got the sense that even though we never got to know and love these characters much (the only one whose name I remembered was Markham), each and every one of their deaths was a deep and horrible personal tragedy to someone, somewhere. I also loved the scene at the end, where she addresses the families of all of the expedition members and talks about their bravery as we watch examples of it. (Great use of the Atlantis theme in the score, right there!)

Basically, I now feel that I have an emotional connection to the Atlantis expedition as a whole. I wish for McKay to be reunited with his sister (and his cat!), I want Bates to get to go home and see his little brother again, I hope Beckett will see his mother again. And the same for Ford with his grandparents... While he still hasn't gotten a whole lot of character development, he did get something to do in this episode besides following Sheppard around, as well as significant screentime. And, hey, I like him.

Right now, the only member of the expedition I dislike is Ego Guy (I'm not sure, but I believe his real name is Kavanagh?). Man, this guy's just hell-bent on making us hate him, isn't he? First time we see him he wastes everyone's time when time is extremely precious and six lives are on the line just because his ego was hurt. Now, he's using his only opportunity to send a personal message home to badmouth Weir for no other real reason than a personal grudge. I wasn't expecting to see this guy again since he's only appeared in one episode early on and been absent ever since, but now I'm thinking that the writers are probably going somewhere with him. We'll see, I guess.

Random observations!
- What was that blue beam Sheppard and Teyla saw during the kulling? At first I thought it was a previously unseen Wraith weapon, but on my second viewing (yes, I've seen the episode twice) I noticed that it shot up from the ground below, rather than down from a Wraith ship. Although I suppose that doesn't exclude the possibility of it being a Wraith weapon... I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.
- Loved the clip of the city surfacing from 'Rising' with Zelenka's narration. Like last week, I fully expect the Czech guys to provide us with a translation (although I'm sure they already have... I haven't been reading anything since the episode aired.)
- So, McKay wants to know the ending of 'The Sixth Sense'? I'm sure Sam could have told him, we know she's been watching M. Night Shyamalan movies...
- Could this be the beginnings of a larger conflict between Sheppard (alternatively, the military in general) and Teyla?
- This is the second episode in a row that follows up on something from the previous ep. Looks like this will keep up for the rest of the season, at least... I think we're in for a heck of a climax.

Okay... This may change (and probably will, depending on my mood), and it's too early to tell if it will hold up on repeat viewing, but as of right now 'Letters From Pegasus' is my favorite episode. Time to pull out the ol'

[Fox McCloud]

Dunno if its been mentioned (be buggered if im gonna read a 6 page thread at 2am) but did anyone notice that at the end, when the gate locked with earth, Carter/Walter couldnt really give a **** about this particular incoming unscheduled wormhole.

Wouldnt all 8 chevrons have lit up and they wouldve been like "Oh my god, either the asgard or !!ATLANTIS!!" but nope. It was like "hmm, what was that, it only lasted 1 sec, aw well. ...whats that on your laptop ?" and only then it was like "ITS ATLANTIS !!"

..? Or dont all 8 chevrons lock on the oter side ?

Oh and the whole Kavanagh thing, is probably the reason why shes kinda getting replaced by that dude. Not replaced as in gone, but she aint super leader anymore.

ERm, yeh, didnt explain very well but..draw your own conclusions *runs away*

[Mio]

Dunno if its been mentioned (be buggered if im gonna read a 6 page thread at 2am) but did anyone notice that at the end, when the gate locked with earth, Carter/Walter couldnt really give a **** about this particular incoming unscheduled wormhole.

Wouldnt all 8 chevrons have lit up and they wouldve been like "Oh my god, either the asgard or !!ATLANTIS!!" but nope. It was like "hmm, what was that, it only lasted 1 sec, aw well. ...whats that on your laptop ?" and only then it was like "ITS ATLANTIS !!"

..? Or dont all 8 chevrons lock on the oter side ?

Oh and the whole Kavanagh thing, is probably the reason why shes kinda getting replaced by that dude. Not replaced as in gone, but she aint super leader anymore.

ERm, yeh, didnt explain very well but..draw your own conclusions *runs away*

It's possible that all 8 chevrons would light up, however, #8 is well hidden, and I just watched the last few seconds again. It was doubtful that the SGC dialing computer would show the 8th chevron, as they've had so few intergalactic incoming wormholes. The dialing computer only showed 7 chevrons locked, which is probably simply a limitation of our equiptment.

Oh well!

[Fox McCloud]

They wouldve had to have coded it in for them to go to Atlantis in the first place.

And if not, the computer screens wouldve gone gone abit bonmkers when the PoO wasnt locked into the 7th chevron, like it did in Fifth Race.

--edit


jsut check the ep, it would seem that 7 chevrons light up on the screen.

still, one has to wonder. they really need to explain these things lol

[Mio]

They wouldve had to have coded it in for them to go to Atlantis in the first place.

And if not, the computer screens wouldve gone gone abit bonmkers when the PoO wasnt locked into the 7th chevron, like it did in Fifth Race.

--edit


jsut check the ep, it would seem that 7 chevrons light up on the screen.

still, one has to wonder. they really need to explain these things lol

Why? An Incoming wormhole would be completely different from an outgoing one. The outgoing part was coded by O'Neill in 'The Fifth Race'.

The Incoming wormhole part just monitors the gate.

[mathwizard]

Maybe you technical types here can help me. Mr E.L. was commenting on what he thought was a typical Stargate inconsistency... he was surprised that the message from Atlantis could could be relayed through the iris. Is there a precedent to this? Or is it one of these Stargate plotholes that we're just supposed to ignore (like aliens speaking English) and assume that it just happens. He used Anubis' attack on the Stargate on a previous occasion as an example of its improbability.

The messages are electromagnetic waves, not matters. They won't get disintegrated. Anyway an example would be GDO code transmission... that would have to pass through the iris obviously

[Mr. Seven]

So do you guys think Ford kept all of McCay's monologues in the outgoing transmission? I have to say it would be funny if he did.

I laughed my butt off at the part where McCay was talking about his dog and talked about his dad not wanting to pay for a license. That was golden. Although I think I have memorized his opening monologue.

Oh and it stinks that we can't go right into the action next episode...

The Teyla spotlight ep better be good.

[Teal'c]

So do you guys think Ford kept all of McCay's monologues in the outgoing transmission? I have to say it would be funny if he did.

I laughed my butt off at the part where McCay was talking about his dog and talked about his dad not wanting to pay for a license. That was golden. Although I think I have memorized his opening monologue.

Oh and it stinks that we can't go right into the action next episode...

The Teyla spotlight ep better be good.

I'm damn sure there'll be action next week too

[Vyse]

For those who are interested, I ran a stopwatch on the actual clip segments and came up with a total of just a little over 2 minutes screen time.

Damn, you beat me in posting that!
I thought this episode was great. It's because of episodes like these that are about the human side of the story, that the action episodes are great. I don't like it when people don't like episodes like this just because there isn't alot of shooting involved. I got really teary-eyed at the end of the episode, it was very emotional and extremely well done.

[Buzz Lightyear]

Damn, you beat me in posting that!
I thought this episode was great. It's because of episodes like these that are about the human side of the story, that the action episodes are great. I don't like it when people don't like episodes like this just because there isn't alot of shooting involved. I got really teary-eyed at the end of the episode, it was very emotional and extremely well done.

Heh, I was surprised someone else hadn't posted it earlier, since folks were going on and on about how much they disliked clip shows.

I like the entire Stargate series, even the weaker episodes. The criteria for whether I personally rate an episode highly are very unscientific. If the episode really draws me in as I'm watching, making me laugh, tense up, eagerly anticipate the next few minutes, then it's a winner for me. The ones that bug me usually have more to do with plot developments and characterizations that make me feel frustrated and remind me that I'm just watching a show.

Happily, most of the Atlantis series fits the former criteria while a number of SG-1's S8 eps follow the latter definition.

[Vyse]

Heh, I was surprised someone else hadn't posted it earlier, since folks were going on and on about how much they disliked clip shows.

I like the entire Stargate series, even the weaker episodes. The criteria for whether I personally rate an episode highly are very unscientific. If the episode really draws me in as I'm watching, making me laugh, tense up, eagerly anticipate the next few minutes, then it's a winner for me. The ones that bug me usually have more to do with plot developments and characterizations that make me feel frustrated and remind me that I'm just watching a show.

Happily, most of the Atlantis series fits the former criteria while a number of SG-1's S8 eps follow the latter definition.

I agree that if I enjoy it I like it, but I also greatly enjoy critically analyzing the show's. even though I'll find a bunch of plot holes I'll still enjoy it as long as I find it entertaining.

[OfF3nSiV3]

too much to read the damn thread..
i just want to say that teyla is a pain in the ass and the hive ships..oh man..so beautiful and impressive!
when i knew i was going to see live active hive ships i got all excited!
well they lowered my doubt on how they managed to defeat the ancients

[tlfoust]

Not quite right, I think. Thor on one occasion showed up through a Stargate instead by a ship and when he dialed in the power in SGC have been drained. My guess is it has been an additional power needed to maintain the wormhole. The Asgard must have something special powering their gate or Thor wouldn't make it back.

I have to agree that it was asgard technology to prevent the iris from squishing Thor, not a power drain from an intergalactic wormhole.

Spoilers for "Lost City" (highlight to read)
Anubis used the same thing in Lost City before his assualt, and we know he aquired similar asgard technology.