Epiphany (212)

[FallenAngelII]

Since I assumed they slept together, then leaving the way he did seemed cold. I have to admit, she behaved pretty creepy. If I had been Sheppard, I definitely wouldn't gone for her.

Even if he was somehow seduced by her whole "I've been waiting for you my whole life!" act, the whole "I've been stalking you using my powers" would have freaked him out enough to hightail out of there as soon as he could. Not to mention getting creeped out by her and not wanting to talk to her o_O O_o.

I mean, think about it. A woman like that managed to reach Ascension. And now she's an Ascended being. WTF! What if she gets horny and feels like Ascending a random Wraith?

[lissa1000]

What if she gets horny and feels like Ascending a random Wraith?

I almost peed my pants when I read that! You make a good point about her not being a good candidate for ascension. I wonder if tptb wanted her to come off better than she did. Otherwise it wouldn't have made sense for Sheppard to want to make-out(or more)with her.

[somethinghuman]

I almost peed my pants when I read that! You make a good point about her not being a good candidate for ascension. I wonder if tptb wanted her to come off better than she did. Otherwise it wouldn't have made sense for Sheppard to want to make-out(or more)with her.

I think we were meant to like her not think she was seriously sleazy and creepy. If that is what they were aiming for then why oh god why??

[atlantisrocks]

I'm really curious about how the episode would have turned out if they had kept it the way Joe had wanted it. Well, just for the backstory alone it would have been 2000 times better. I think this is an episode that I will never be able to bring myself to watch fully ever again. And the commercial alone makes me cringe.

I think we were meant to like her not think she was seriously sleazy and creepy. If that is what they were aiming for then why oh god why??

Don't you know that creepy, empty-headed babes drooling over men (mostly Sheppard) is hawt?

[Spooks99]

Don't know what prompted it, but I had my own epiphany about this episode today. At first I just hated it blindly, and wished it had never been made. Now I think it is, in a way, even more tragic, because it really did have a lot of potential. I remember really looking forward to the episode, which is probably why my initial reaction was so strong--like, what, THIS is what we were promised? I think the writers really, truly could have made this a fantastic episode, though--similar to 100 days but with an even more staggering choice presented to Sheppard.

Basically the writers should ahve ditched the entire Beast plotline for some character development. The wannabe Ancients could have been perfectly suited for this, if they had just been written a little better--a little more sophisticated, a little wiser and more in touch with the whole philosophy of ascension, which I think involves more than just physical evolution + meditation. They just took all the mystery out of it. I mean, the real question seems to be, if these people could ascend, who can't? If they'd been just a tad more Oma-like, they could've helped Sheppard work through some of his own abandonment issues--his hurt, worry and resentment at his team for leaving him behind, his own lingering guilt from Afghanistan, etc.

I would have also liked to see Sheppard moving on a little like Jack did in 100 days, becoming more a part of the community, maybe becoming curious about ascension himself. I mean, who wouldn't be? If I thought these people might have some special insight into the process, or into the ascended ancients, I sure would have been asking questions! The whole romance plotline should also have been ditched, although I would have been fine with Teer being more of a personal guide.

At the end, I think Sheppard should still have been presented with the choice--ascension or no ascension--but before his team got there. At that point we should have seen a slightly wiser Sheppard, a little less flippant and gung-ho, maybe a little more like Daniel after his encounters with Oma and the harcesis. He would have been faced with a more wrenching dilemma-- ascend and gain all the knowledge and awareness humans had been seeking throughout the entirety of their history--and in the process, give up on his team? Or choose not to ascend, and be left on that planet, absolutely alone for who knows how long, maybe never to see another living soul as long as he lived. And yeah, we'd all know what he would choose, but that wouldn't be the point--the character development would the focus of the episode. Then the rest of SA-1 would show up, to Sheppard's obvious and sweet relief at having made the right choice.

That could have been an excellent stand-alone episode, with some general continuity in future episodes just in the team relationship--they would feel a little guilty for almost losing him, he in turn would have a renewed faith in all of them, but esp. in Rodney, which might have been missing after Trinity (now there was an episode that could have used some continuity).

Whew. Sorry, that was practically an essay. I'm just in a contemplative mood tonight.

[Raziel]

Well.... I sow again the episode yesterday and....

McKay driving a Puddle Jumper??? it's not supposed that he doesn't have the Ancient gen?..... then, he couldn't made this!!!!.....

some explanation here, please?.....

and, in other things.... Sheppard is very good without the Kirking.... hates it!....

[Daniel's_twin]

Well.... I sow again the episode yesterday and....

McKay driving a Puddle Jumper??? it's not supposed that he doesn't have the Ancient gen?..... then, he couldn't made this!!!!.....

some explanation here, please?.....

and, in other things.... Sheppard is very good without the Kirking.... hates it!....

Um, if I'm reading right, you're saying that McKay isn't supposed to have the Ancient gene?

Well, naturally-occuring, no. He wasn't born with it. But after
Hide and Seek he was given the artificial Ancient Gene. He has also driven a Puddle Jumper before, a'la the Defiant One. So McKay driving a Puddle-Jumper isn't breaking continuity.

And totally agree with the Kirking thing. Yay Sheppard, boo Kirking.

[somethinghuman]

But Sheppard cant help it if slightly creepy alien women hurl themselves at him. Poor little Shep!!
The problem I had with this ep was that although Sheppard had the 'beard' to show he had been there a really long time children, it didn't seem like he'd been there anytime at all, learned anything about the people. There didn't seem to be a point to the story other than to point out the Ancients built some weird and wonderful things. It went
Land ship
Get stuck
Monster
Montage, Montage, Montage
Snog
Yey McKay
Bye Bye

[FoolishPleasure]

But Sheppard cant help it if slightly creepy alien women hurl themselves at him. Poor little Shep!!

One would think a highly educated and disciplined soldier would have the word, "NO" in his vocabulary.

If he can't resist a babe, he sure wouldn't last long under enemy interrogation.

[Raziel]

One would think a highly educated and disciplined soldier would have the word, "NO" in his vocabulary.

If he can't resist a babe, he sure wouldn't last long under enemy interrogation.

hahahaha! you have a point, Foolish Pleasure!....

Daniel Twin: ok ok, I understand now.... hehehehee...

[harsiesis child]

Great deception for me... ascension badly treated, the habitants are just peasants without the wisdom of Oma or Shifu, and Shep's kirking, boring...
The end is too fast with the beast,
no, definitely not well treated
May be the worst episode of SGA

[vaberella]

I have to give my input on this. I don't know about any changes that were made on Joe's original script and this is not prompted because I know it's JF who wrote it.

When I first saw the episode I thought it was utter crap, and it wasn't the slow start, because I actually like shows with slow starts. It's the original presence of the Phantom. The first time I saw that shadowy silly thing I was like oh god, it's playing out like a crap B movie.

But then I sat there and decided I'm going to give it a chance and watch it in it's entirety. I have to say I loved it. It was a great ep, I know it's supposed to have backstory which seems omitted, but it does give you a glimpse into John's personality and I felt it was an all around excellent team ep and it moved from a 2.5/10 to a 7.5/10. I really came to like it.

Now unlike people who stress Teer she's not my concern. I personally liked her character and the interaction between her and John. But I wasn't expecting much from the character and she didn't provide, but her presence. I actually liked John's sort of detachment and annoyance by the people, and I liked that we really understand how much he values, honor, courage for what you believe, and also never leaving anyone behind.

I thought the dialogue was on point and it was far more a story of moral a glimpse into the ancients, and to connection between the team and Shep. It was just a plain Team ep that could have been juicier which I won't deny, but as is...was fine and I really enjoyed it. I still cringe when I witness the first intro of that thing...but I liked everything else.

[Serenity228]

I loved this episode! It was my favorite of the last half of season 2. I was sorry that so many fans disagreed.

Okay- the beast was bad. I enjoyed everyone's comparisons, especially to ST:TNG. Did anyone think it sounded like a T-Rex? What was that about? Mybe it was TPTB's way of sneaking in that dinosaur scene that they couldn't afford from season 1 in The Seige.

Regarding the title, Epiphany, I got a slightly different idea from many of the posts. As you know, an epiphany is a sudden realization. Teer and her people spent endless time meditating. As a people they believed that "violence is not the path to ascention" so they avoided the beast. Enter one John Sheppard who has made a career out of self-defense and was also supposed to be the one to lead them to ascention. It was John's belief that they needed to fight the beast. I believe that Teer got an epiphany after talking to John; she realized that they could not ascend until they defeated the beast. At the end of the episode, John asked her if that was all, implying that it had been easy for them to defeat the beast, but to Teer and her people, deciding to fight after a lifetime of being pacifists was definitely not easy.

This was obviously a stand alone episode and stand alone episodes are often not big on budget and high on action. Instead I think that TPTB went out of their way to make this a great looking episode. The scenery is beautiful, adding a sense of serenity to the etheral quality of the sets. And as always, the score for this episode is marvelous. It is so delicate and unobtrusive with a minimalist quality. And look at the lighting. The sunlight is gorgeous, especially when it backlights the people who are meditating.

It is an episode I have seen several times while pining for July and the new episodes it will bring. I hope those who didn't care for Epiphany the first time will go back and give it a second chance.

[Catsitter]

Oh dear, another really hokey episode. Just a few thoughts that sprang to mind: Did Shep never think of finding the power source and turning it off? Surely in 6 months he would have found it? After all, Teer seemed to think Rodney would find it pretty easily. Why did the Ancients put this "sanctuary" on a planet with a space gate? So only people who had space travel could try to ascend? Not very good parenting to ascend leaving your children behind, is it? Especially if there is a monster around, or did the monster only appear after Teer's parents had already ascended? Why didn't the parents just stick around long enough to see Hetta grow up? Did Shep just grow that beard to prove to the team how long he had been in there?
How come Ronon didn't go in after Shep? Just because RODNEY told him not to?! After all that "orders" stuff with Teyla a few episodes ago? And Rodney can't give Ronon orders anyway, surely?
It is just another one of those episodes which makes no sense, but at least the characters are in character and there are some good lines.
I would have loved to see Rodney telling Zelenka that his probe thing didn't work as it was meant to.
I think I will just try to forget about this one now.

[Pharaoh Atem]

would have worked out better of actually had used Joe's idea