Irresistible (303)

[PG15]

Well, you know what they say, ignorance is bliss.

[wyndhamfan]

Egads! It seems we can't watch an episode of Stargate Atlantis without reading discussions about a character (usually Sheppard) of rape, sexual harassment and battery. Enough already! It's JUST A TV SHOW!!

If you tell me, Nip/Tuck has more issues than Stargate Atlantis. Irresistible is just a fun romp - why can't we just take it as it is?

[suse]

AM I the only one who said:
Harcourt! Harcourt Fenton Mudd!

And the actor sounded like a cross between Mudd and Uncle Arthur from Bewitched.

I'd give this a 4/10. Not hideous but also not nearly as funny as it was trying to be.
I found most of my amusement by removing myself from within the episode to wondering how much fun/how many takes the actors had/needed.

And yes, I agree that it was rape. Can you imagine the rage these people must feel for the guy?

Yes they were keeping it light. But it was socially irresponsible. There are date rape drugs out there. "But officer, she didn't say no! She was all over me!" Great.

Even more manipulative than Vala, And that is saying something.

Suse

[PG15]

Egads! It seems we can't watch an episode of Stargate Atlantis without reading discussions about a character (usually Sheppard) of rape, sexual harassment and battery. Enough already! It's JUST A TV SHOW!!

If you tell me, Nip/Tuck has more issues than Stargate Atlantis. Irresistible is just a fun romp - why can't we just take it as it is?

Hold on a second, people are always saying how Stargate isn't tackling important issues. Well, apparently we do!

And to think, it was so subtle that I never picked up on it!

[derrickh]

I dont understand why people point to the episode's 'intent' as an excuse. It doesnt matter what the intent was. What matters is what was on the screen. If someone hurts someone else, but they didn't 'intend' to do it, guess what, they're still responsible. The writers may have set out to create a funny lighthearted ep, but what they actually did was make a story that centered around rape and the victimization of a number of women. It would have been easy to avoid this by including a couple of throwaway lines. But they went out of their way to emphasize the sex on a number of occasions. So as far as the 'intent' goes, this episode doesnt get a pass.

Whether or not Lucious raped Wier and Teyla may be a point of contention (I am of the belief that he did) but was -IS- canon, is that he raped at least 6 women. He confessed that much to Shepard. And his punishment was....nothing. If, as some would suggest, only things that happen on screen are canon, then that means he got off with a slap on the wrist. Thats just not acceptable. If thats what constitutes a 'lighthearted and funny' episode, I would hate to see what they come up with when they want try to get serious.

D

[PG15]

But in this case the intent was so far from what some people are getting out of it...it's like giving your wife a shirt with vertical stripes, only to have her be mad at you for thinking that she's too fat, when you thought that the shirt looked pretty.

You know what I mean?

[Easter Lily]

I'm not entirely convinced by the rape assertions although I can see why people might see it that way. My take is that Lucius is a con-man... I think Sheppard called him a "snake oil salesman". He didn't force himself on these women but he sold them an illusion... that he was more attractive/desirable than what he was. It doesn't make him less of a villain because he still used deception to get what he wanted.
I see him more as a cult figure... someone who has brainwashed his followers into believing that he's a god and that giving yourself over sexually to that man, you are attaining "true" spirituality or goodness.

[RoryJ]

Come on people, this is starting to get a little heated. I have to be honest I understand where some of you are getting the rape thing but come on, that was not the intent of the episode. This was ment to be a comical fun episode and it suceeded in doing that. I found it hilarious! My wife and I laughed so hard we didn't see the cat for hours! This was a fun episode and we need to see it as that. It was not ment to be serious. I think it added some life to the show which has been nothing but conflict over the last 8-10 episodes. I absoultly loved it and neither I or my wife ( a social worker) found it offensive. So lighten up people and get a sense of humor! If some of you didn't like it fine, but don't turn it into a bad episode of L&O SVU!

Agreed 500%! Thank you!

The whole rape thing is just too far from the scope of the episode to me. In my mind, it was equivocal to the sleezy guy in a bar who keeps on buying a girl drink after drink, knowing that she's gonna "loosen up" and do something she'll regret. It's disgusting, and so was Lucius. But it didn't leave me feeling morally diminished by TPTB failing to have a public-service announcement condeming this reprehensible man. It just isn't what this episode was meant to be.
If you are really stuck on the rape issue, then find solace in the fact that the scumbag was returned to the scene of his original crime and that those people will probably skin him alive. And so they should. I expect Heightmeyer will have quite a full docket for the next few weeks as well. And that's good enough for me.
I took from this episode what the episode meant to give - a light-hearted stroll before we hit the angst of the next four episodes.

[Quinn Mallory]

Quite an entertaining episode, imho. Very enjoyable with some good lines.

Yes, there may had been some morality issue but the subjects were indeed happy to do things for Lucius. Of course, it's due to the brainwashing from the exposure to the chemical but it's definitely not "rape".

If anything, this just goes to show that the Atlantis team is perhaps too vulnerable. I know that they are NOT a military operation but between the Last Goodbye in season 2 and this episode, it seems a bit too easy to infiltrate the Atlantis base. Hopefully, this will be somewhat addressed in a future episode.

[RoryJ]

Well, they weren't counting on Carson openly breaching protocol. Of course, he can't really be punished for it, but Elizabeth or Sheppard really should have turned him right back around and sent him back through the gate. That's a bit of hindsight bias, though. I can see how he would have seemed nothing more than a nuisance at the time.

As for TLG? (Shakes head that Sheppard could EVER be allowed to be host to Thalan. But it's way over and done. )

[Shep'sSocks]

None of the men or women under the influence of the pheromone gave consent. So, it was rape.

This episode was worse than the Tower. I was seriously disturbed by the episode. What is wrong with TPTB? Between the war criminal behavior of the Atlantis crew in the retrovirus arc and this sleazy episode that gives a wink and nudge at rape, I don't think I can watch this show anymore.

I think the point was to be seriously disturbed. Lucious starts out as a comic character that we're meant to laugh at and then without changing the way he plays it, we get creeped out by him. I note that writing about such things doesn't not mean that TPTB approve of them.

[Shep'sSocks]

I'm not entirely convinced by the rape assertions although I can see why people might see it that way. My take is that Lucius is a con-man... I think Sheppard called him a "snake oil salesman". He didn't force himself on these women but he sold them an illusion... that he was more attractive/desirable than what he was. It doesn't make him less of a villain because he still used deception to get what he wanted.
I see him more as a cult figure... someone who has brainwashed his followers into believing that he's a god and that giving yourself over sexually to that man, you are attaining "true" spirituality or goodness.

I'm convinced. I don't see him much different than someone who slips a date rape drug in a drink. What I'm not seeing is that the writers approved of Lucious' behaviour. Had they done so, I think we'd have seen a vastly different episode.

[Elinor]

Oh this episode was a lot of fun! I really loved it!

Everyone was on cracking form, but I especially enjoyed Joe's and Paul's performances. Their scene in the puddle jumper was fab...'Buck up Carson!'

Shep in charge is a joy to watch (and wow! He even coughs sexily!) and Carson crying is always a treat!

Other highlights for me were...

Yay! 'The Hair' got a mention.

Batman and Catwoman scene....hee!

McKay trying to walk on his hands plus the look he gives Teyla at the end!

Elizabeth being all girly!

Richard Kind's Lucias. A creepy charmer...or should it be a charming creep?! A good addition to the list of Stargate characters.

....oh...and lastly...Shep's big boots!

[derrickh]

Yes, there may had been some morality issue but the subjects were indeed happy to do things for Lucius. Of course, it's due to the brainwashing from the exposure to the chemical but it's definitely not "rape".

Okay, for everyone who said that I was overreacting, the above statement is the reason why I am. Please read it carefully.
That is what is so dangerous about treating a subject like this so dismissively. This episode, even if unintentionally, is reinforcing and validating this type of thinking.

Exposing someone to a chemical that weakens their mind to a point where they can not coherently consent to sex is rape. It is definately rape. No "quotes" are needed. Whether its dropping ruffies in a coke, or getting a girl so drunk she cant walk, or using some made up space herb. It doesnt matter one bit if the person under the influence is smiling and giggling the entire time because of their diminished capacity. Dont go through life thinking that it's okay to do something like that.

D

[JanusAncient]

The episode was completely pointless. I have to say, I didn't get the rape thing, but I did find it disturbing the way Rodney looked at Teyla, when it was discovered that he still had some of that herb in his room. I don't think that he had sex with Weir, or Teyla, he was too busy trying to influence everyone, that's what he spent most of his time doing. Still, I am in agreement the dismissive attitude is no good, shouldn't be tolerated. They shouldn't have allowed him to leave Atlantis, with the information in his possession. None of those women had the ability to consent, they saw this projection, this illusion that he created, so everytime he had sex with any of them, they weren't actually having sex with him, but rather an image that was a direct result of that herbs effects.