The Real World (306)

[shockwave]

boring episode, I had some high expectations after the improved quality of last weeks
even RDA couldn't save
why is there so much RDA on SGA instead of on SG1, where there wasn't much jack?

[Merlin7]

Bored bored bored. Enought to zone out for the first half quite a few times. Perked up a bit when the team showed up, and loved the last ten minutes when John didn't give up on Weir. Nice carry over on his character. And the preview for COMMON GROUND? That had me all kinds of excited.

As for the nanites not affecting John? I would have paid to see HIS time in isolation. But my fan wank is the nanites in HOT ZONE didn't affect those with the ancient gene. So...I'll go with that.

[Seastallion]

I LOVED Jack..! The episode was... okay. I love stargate to death, but this episode was just... okay. I mean, it was plausible enough, but it was just... okay. I didn't hate it or anything, but it was just... okay. Okay?

OKAY!!!

*Oooh... my 1,500th post..! Yaaayyy!* LOL

[macktheknife]

Bored bored bored. Enought to zone out for the first half quite a few times. Perked up a bit when the team showed up, and loved the last ten minutes when John didn't give up on Weir. Nice carry over on his character. And the preview for COMMON GROUND? That had me all kinds of excited.

As for the nanites not affecting John? I would have paid to see HIS time in isolation. But my fan wank is the nanites in HOT ZONE didn't affect those with the ancient gene. So...I'll go with that.

The nanites designed to kill ancients by the asurans did not affect those with the ancient gene? Unless I'm missing something?

[doylefan22]

Certainly not one of those episodes you can watch over and over (I've felt the same way about similar plotlines on Buffy and SG-1) but still interesting to watch.

Torri was excellent. She played a really fine line between strong, assured Weir who knew she was right and the one who was starting to doubt herself. It was interesting to see how prominently Jack figured in her visions. Clearly she has a great deal of respect for him and trusts him implictly.

I liked Rodney and Carson doing what they do best - they were not going to sit there and be all concerned about her when they could be trying to solve the problem. John's uselessness was well played in contrast. I wasn't surprised by what he did at they end - he'd have acted an done the same if it had been any of them there - but I do think it would have been more interesting and made more sense in a way to have Teyla do it. She is the one more likely to put her faith in mind over matter.

The cinematography was beautifully done. Loved how creepy and cold they made Elizabeth's 'real' world.

[Major Gambit]

This was a great episode, it kept you guessing for a very long time.

[Osiris]

I, for one, really enjoyed this episode! The whole drama feeling, Torri's amazing acting, RDA showing up, great directing are all positive points. Great character development for Dr. Weir! I love her!

I can understand a certain amount of fans found it boring though... (those who need an explosion every two minutes to enjoy an episode!)

Anyway, I've been really impressed by the quality of Atlantis' season 3 so far.

[AutumnDream]

Not too bad. I've always liked Weir, so it's nice to see her doing something. It's too bad "other" shows can handle casts of 14 or so fully developed characters and this one can't even handle 6 - 5 of them being flat - but I'll take what I can get. It was better than last week's trash, anyway. This time when the title sequence came on, I was listening to the theme song and thinking about how much I used to love this show a couple years ago. The more timid, less hardcore Weir was also a nice reminder of Season 1.

Rating: Moderately Enjoyable. ^_^

[Arlessiar]

A rather weak episode with some plot holes and all in all much too predictable - but: I liked it. Yes, I didn't think I'd say that about an episode that has so many logical flaws and clichés, but on the whole I liked it. Torri Higginson's acting was superb in this ep, and personally I also love these freaky-creepy mental hospital plots and settings, always have, so this was interesting for me.

The epsiode was slow, yes, but not dull for me. It was good that we had an ep that focussed on a character and less on action. The plot was strange, many questions I asked myself about this whole nanite thing were already raised in other posts here. The ending - too quick, too short, too vague. The sense of the whole nanite attack? There's none. It was really just a plot device. But ok, in this case I can somehow live with it, because it was the plot device for some sort of AU story I really enjoyed.

But I didn't really like Jack O'Neill in this ep. It was nice to see RDA again, but I think since he wasn't the real Jack his appearance was rather pointless and boring.

I liked the background for Weir this epsiode provided (small tidbits about her life on Earth, her family and her childhood), that was really nice and way overdue.

I could have done without the whole "Fight this, you're not alone" pathos from Sheppard. And how obvious was it that it's him she saw in her nightmarish 'visions'? I thought of Shep when the first blurry vision appeared! Must have been the hair...

That Sheppard didn't care about the quarantine and went to Weir was stupid, yes - but in character. Sheppard reacts this way. There's a part of his family dying (remember 'Sateda'), and even though he rarely gets emotional, there he does - by doing what he thinks he can do best: Fighting for this person. With weapons or words, doesn't matter, and he also doesn't care if his life is at stake. He risks it, and he doesn't give up as long as he can breathe. It's all better than losing someone that is dear to him, and it's the most obvious thing he does to admitting that someone is dear to him. That's a cliché and utterly stupid - and at the same time nice, it would be great to have someone who'd fight for your life like this.

The ShWeir shippers were probably happy with this ep, for me it was a bit much shipping in this ep, especially at the end. But I try to see it from the family aspect, as described above. I guess in the end Shepard would do that for Ronon, Carson, Teyla and Rodney, too.

So, and the rest of the guys?
Well, not much emotion from Ronon - definitely in character.
Teyla was concerned but still her ususal calm self.
Carson was visibly desperate, did what he could, and you could see that he hated to be defeated. Maybe this "We're losing her" came a bit too often for my liking. At least he fought hard for Elizabeths life before.
Rodney - some here said he was insensitive. No, I think then you don't understand his character at all.
Rodney was worried, and I dare to say that he was honestly and deeply concerned about Elizabeth. He doesn't want to lose her - he likes her! He just doesn't show his concern that openly - and I think he generally rather uses his brain to work on solutions while other people are busy worrying. Maybe it's also a distraction for him so that he won't be overwhelmed by emotions he probably couldn't handle well. And he simply is a scientist, with all his being. So he simply doesn't get as emotional as the others do, and I understand that he might easily come across as insensitive then when he talks in such a clinical or sometimes even rude way.
But I'm pretty sure that's just the outside, that's what he wants others to see (and to be or believe himself, maybe). He looks for scientific and realistic solutions. He doesn't believe in things like holding hands for support and strength or in something like a war of wills. Well, I for my part do, so of course I can say that Rodney is wrong, that these things can work, and that it's sad that he doesn't think so. But I can understand and would never hold it against him that he thinks otherwise. It's the way he is, and it's his right to think so, even if one could think that it's insensitve. And who knows, maybe the fact that he can keep a level head in many dire situations (after the usual "I'm gonna die" shock of course ) has helped to save lives already. Emotions can also get in the way.

Anyway, he's there in the infirmary the whole time, looking for a solution as desperately as Carson. Normally he'd be pretty helpless when it's all about a voodoo profession as medicine, but when it comes to nanites he might be able to help. So he concentrates on that. Then Carson has an idea (and Rodney notices it, he's more observant than you'd think), and he works with him on that. When they present the idea he talks too much, yes, after all it was Carson's idea, but that's Rodney, he's proud and in his element (no matter how dire the situation, he'll always be like a child at Christmas when it comes to fascinating science) and he's excited to have something they can actually try to save Weir's life.

All in all I would have liked it if the whole team had lent their support to Weir. Yes, they were obviously concerned and wanted her to get better, but why did Sheppard have to be the only one daring to go to her and tell her to fight? Different scenes and approaches in urging her to live might have been interesting to see. Sadly we didn't get any "goodbye scenes" in "Conversion", so some "Come back to us" scenes from the different team members would have been nice, and maybe it wouldn't have been so tiring to hear it so often as it was when Sheppard said it several times. The ep might have been less shippy then, too.

But well, as I said, it was an episode I really enjoyed, mostly because of the character aspects.

Bye, A.

[Southern Red]

An excellent episode in which everyone gets to do some real acting, not just running around with guns. TH finally got something to sink her teeth into to show us what an outstanding actress she is. And JF? What can you say about a man who does angst like noone I've ever seen. They could do a whole episode focusing just on his face and we'd all know what's supposed to be happening. I also loved the frantic running around that Carson and Rodney were doing, using their brains to save her while John and Teyla provided emotional support. And Ronon, bless him. stood around looking helpless. Once again the team rallies around one of their own.

It's amusing also that so many people see the S/W shippiness that TPTB say doesn't exist. Maybe it's time they actually admit there's something there. For once in SciFi, I'd like to see a ship come to reality that makes sense and isn't based just on physical attraction. No matter whether you support the ship or not, you can't deny that John and Elizabeth have a close bond after this episode. Carl Binder, you write them beautifully.

[expendable_crewman]

... As to the pace and action: I just thought of something while posting in another thread. I get how someone who's watched the gates for a long time can get bored with this episode, because it really doesn't have nearly the amount of action or effects of an average episode. But it was a slow-burn episode, one very akin to Elizabeth's personality. Look at the frenzy of words that was Duet or the hectic GUP for Rodney - both very compatible with his slightly neurotic personality. Sateda was just blasting away with action, and almost oppressively silent most of the time as well. Again, this is very much who Ronon is - a man of action, not always a man of words. And so TRW felt very fair to who Elizabeth is - it unraveled slowly, intensely, every moment being felt and questioned. It just felt right to have her personal episode go down like TRW. In many ways it felt similar to SG-1's Grace, which is another episode that I adore. You see right into the core of two women who don't usually reveal too much about themselves; you can see the wheels turning in their heads. Loved it.

I liked the episode and thank you, RoryJ, for capturing why. I didn't mind the change of pace. It felt entirely appropriate.

I was glad to see at least one thing bleed over from Progeny. Niam at the end of this episode was interesting.

I've seen the "it's all in your head" story before but that didn't bother me. The gem was in the execution and TH did a great job.

The background story-- her staff working to save her --did not disappoint.

As someone mentioned, I know we're supposed to expect Sheppard to do something dangerous. Still, I was happy when he did his thing. Sure, it's a hardwired trait (and therefore predictable) with the character but I don't think I'd like it if he changed direction.

I wished the episodes were ten minutes longer. I knew we were winding up by looking at the clock and I hated that because the shows go right to the last minute and sometimes hit "resolution" abruptly. I suppose it can't be helped. Good ep, though.

[LaCroix]

The only thing that kept me awake in the one was Torri and waiting for RDA's apperance. I thought it was a cross between Buffy's Normal Again, that Lost episode, and a little of Sg-1's Legacy.

[Merlin7]

The nanites designed to kill ancients by the asurans did not affect those with the ancient gene? Unless I'm missing something?

No. I'm just totally fanwanking to appease myself. It's not the same thing, I'm just making it justified so I don't have to roll my eyes so much. LOL

[Stevo]

i think it was pretty good episode in some ways they could have made a feature film out of it with the storyline looking forward to the rest of the season!

[MarshAngel]

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure you will) but didn't Carson state that Elizabeth's white blood cells destroyed the nanites in the petri dish, but that the nanites had somehow convinced her body that they were not a threat?

All John had to do was get Elizabeth to recognize the threat and start fighting back. Then her brain/body would recognize the danger and send in the white blood cells.

Right?

That would be like saying you can fight the flu by sheer will power... unlikely. You do not have that kind of control over specific cells in your body so why would getting past the delusion cause her white blood cells to suddenly do a better job? Were her cells in on the delusion too? Were they just hanging out until they received orders?