'Reunion' (403) General Discussion

[Matt G]

1. I'm not going to complain about Teyla in leather!

2. And I'm not going to complain about her best fight scenes for ages.

3. I reckon that part of the reason Ronan's old crew tempted him was because of the changes at Atlantis, he wasn't sure whether to trust Sam and ultimately she's the boss not his good mate John.

4. Called something going wrong with the Setedans, but my call was that they'd been Replicated.

Overall, quality ep, deffo better than lifeline though Adrift still has the edge.

[Falcon Horus]

I finally saw this episode and boy oh boy...

It started off funny.

Teyla and Ronon off-world was hilarious, great start of the episode. Teyla kicked some serious a$$. I love that girl. *sigh*
Ronon meeting up with his friends was also very nice, all huggybear.

Radek and Rodney together in Atlantis. Rodney boasting and Radek convinced the world was coming to an end if Rodney was going to be in charge.

And then Carter turned up and I started getting urges to throw things at the screen. I skipped the scene between her and Teal'c entirely. And I went in with an open mind but it just didn't work. She just doesn't belong in Atlantis, I'm really sorry but I want Lizzie back asap.

John and Rodney in discussion about the fruitbasket and later finding that same basket in Carter's quarters was funny. I felt sorry for Rodney and gasped when he cussed. Don't think I have heard Rodney swear like that before.

Btw the people in the gate room looked like they had been bribed to be there when Carter arrives. That was just plain ridiculous. They didn't even look interested. Bwoahahahahaha!! That was the best Carter-scene.

I think the story was okay. Poor Ronon, betrayed again by people that were his friends once. The fight scene was a little too heavy, in my personal opinion. But Ronon doped on rage is spectacular. Also, I really liked his quarters and his painting. I wonder if Lorne painted that. All the stuff in the Wraith-lab was pretty cool, except the Wraith himself. He should have taken another trip to the Wraith-hairdresser... His hair looked ridiculously fluffy. It's the fur, it makes me look poofy.

And Carter, sweetie, you're the new commander of Atlantis, which means you have to stick to paper-work and other administrative things like making sure everything is in order with the people of the city and with its supplies and stuff, and whatever else a commander is supposed to do. You don't go off-world, even if that's what you've been doing for 10 years. That era is over now. You're the (wo)man now. You have people to go out and rescue Sheppard. Lorne is an expert in rescue-ops by now.

A big thorn in the eye there...
******

And since people will say Weir went off-world too...let's compare shall we (of the ones I can remember:

* The Siege II -> The Genii specifically said they didn't want to talk to anybody else but Elizabeth and she was well aware she was going to walk into a trap. Nevertheless it would have been a loose-loose situation anyway. If she hadn't gone they would have been wiped off the face of the planet. If she had gone and they hadn't given her the bombs, they would have been wiped off the planet. The Genii couldn't let this opportunity go to waste... too proud of a people.

* Progeny -> They were convinced they were meeting Ancients. I bet if they had known these friendly neighbors had been Replicators and not of the friendliest kind, Weir would have stayed home to watch the fort.

* Epiphany -> Not sure what she was there for but if I'm not mistaken she insisted on tagging along. She translated some of the ancient on the walls of the doorway... No danger here except that angry fake monster, and she had Rodney, Carson, Teyla and Ronon to protect her.

* Condemned -> To find out what had happened to her team... Never in danger and Lorne's team along as bodyguards.

All in all, Elizabeth never ventured off-world if there was a chance of becoming Wraith-food, or Genii-fodder. She didn't have a choice in The Siege and there already she was ready to sacrifice herself for the safety of the expedition.

******

Also, shooting at a Replicator with a P-90 ... Dudes, it's a replicator!! That was just stupid.


If Carter hadn't been in this episode to ruin my view I would have loved this episode to pieces. Unfortunately she had to be there under TPTB's orders and therefor I will be glad to edit her out for my viewingpleasures.

Ronon FTW like he stared her down!!

[Ltcolshepjumper]

Also, about Weir in the Siege, Col Everett was in charge technically so she wasn't really leaving the city un commanded.

[Falcon Horus]

Also, about Weir in the Siege, Col Everett was in charge technically so she wasn't really leaving the city un commanded.

Mmm...even though his command seemed more on paper than anything else since I can remember John not following his orders directly, but only after Weir was included. But that's besides the point since it is still Weir who went off-world, the leader took a leap of faith there...a big one.

[PG15]

Well, I think the Condemned situation was quite similar to Carter's thing in this episode; both leaders didn't really know what they will be facing, after all.

[Falcon Horus]

Well, I think the Condemned situation was quite similar to Carter's thing in this episode; both leaders didn't really know what they will be facing, after all.

Err... I don't see it. In Codemned they weren't facing evil Wraith who wanted to kill them. I don't think Carter didn't know what she was facing. Otherwise she wouldn't have taken that second jumper.

[PG15]

I haven't watched that episode in a while, but how did Weir know that the the planet the team headed for wasn't attacked by the Wraith, thereby causing their disappearance?

And Wraith or not, if your team is taken, then there is risk. A bullet can kill you just as well as a Wraith's hand...better, in fact, since it's long-distance.

[Falcon Horus]

If I remember correctly Weir had contact with that big dude in the city, therefor she did know what she was running into.

Ah well.... it doesn't matter anyway... TPTB can do whatever they damn well please with Carter. It doesn't matter that she's the commander, they still see her as a member of SG1 apparently.

[RealmOfX]

If I remember correctly Weir had contact with that big dude in the city, therefor she did know what she was running into.

Ah well.... it doesn't matter anyway... TPTB can do whatever they damn well please with Carter. It doesn't matter that she's the commander, they still see her as a member of SG1 apparently.

Seeing as they have already established the ridiculous precedent of the military commander (Shep) also being a team leader and going offworld all the time, I really don't see it as a problem when Carter goes offworld on a rescue mission once. If one character can do it then so can another.

Personally I think both of them should be mainly on base because of their workload and responsibilities however TPTB have set the unrealistic precedent since Col Sumner died in Season 1. So if you are going to whinge about one character then you'd better whinge about both of them

[Falcon Horus]

Seeing as they have already established the ridiculous precedent of the military commander (Shep) also being a team leader and going offworld all the time, I really don't see it as a problem when Carter goes offworld on a rescue mission once. If one character can do it then so can another.

In that case Rodney can't go off-world either since he's the leader of the science-team. Lorne's team should be going off-world as the flagship team. Teyla and Ronon would be on his team, in that case.

Personally I think both of them should be mainly on base because of their workload and responsibilities however TPTB have set the unrealistic precedent since Col Sumner died in Season 1. So if you are going to whinge about one character then you'd better whinge about both of them

Does the bolded word have the same meaning as whining?

In case it does, then I have to say I'm not whining, I'm just stating a point of view.

In case it isn't, could someone please explain me what it does mean?

[Melora]

In that case Rodney can't go off-world either since he's the leader of the science-team. Lorne's team should be going off-world as the flagship team. Teyla and Ronon would be on his team, in that case.

In a realistic scenario, this would be correct. Rodney and Shep, being in positions of authority, would rarely go off-world. Likewise, Weir would never have gone off-world and the same with Sam. IMHO, it would make for a very boring show - but it would be much more realistic.

Personally, I prefer the slightly unrealistic scenario in the case of SGA. I like that Shep and McKay go off world regularly. I liked that Sam, Daniel, Jack, and Teal'c went off world in SG1, even though they were are much too vital to the SGC to realistically risk their lives like that on a daily basis. I also liked it when Weir got to leave the city every once in a while and I have very few problems with Sam doing the same on SGA if the situation calls for it. Having said all this, in this ep, one of the few problems I had was that Sam went off world on the rescue mission. But I have accepted and come to terms with it.

IMHO Sam, as a new leader, probably felt the need to demonstrate how far she would go to protect the people under her command. I am reminded of an episode of the series, "Band of Brothers," which is based on the experiences of a real-life company during WWII. In it, a new inexperienced officer was assigned to command a group of men. Although he was unprepared and had very little knowledge of the situation, he was encouraged to go on a dangerous mission to show his team that he was willing to risk his life for his men. The mission was supposed to be both a learning experience for him, as well as a bonding experience. From what I understand, new commanders often feel the need to prove themselves to those under their command early on to make a strong first impression and set the tone for their command.

In contrast to this, Sam was apparently aware of what she was getting into and had the necessary skills to take care of herself and the others on her team. But like the situation in "Band of Brothers," Sam probably felt the need to prove her convictions and abilities to those under her command - especially to Ronan, a person who had actively challenged her leadership earlier. She probably also felt by proving herself to Ronan that it might convince him to stay in Atlantis. But then again, I am a fan of the Sam character and don't actively try to pick apart everything she does.

I try to give most of the characters the benefit of the doubt, even if I don't like them much.

Does the bolded word have the same meaning as whining?

In case it does, then I have to say I'm not whining, I'm just stating a point of view.

In case it isn't, could someone please explain me what it does mean?

Whinge (v) - To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.

Whine (v) - 1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint. 2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion. 3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch.

As far as I can tell, both refer to complaining. "Whine," however, refers to doing so in a more childish or petulant fashion. I think RoX was saying that you (and others) have been complaining about Sam going off-world, but you (general) have completely brushed aside the fact that other vital members of the expedition have done the same thing on numerous occasions (i.e. - if fans are going to criticize one character for going off world, they need to be equally critical of the other characters in similar positions of authority as well).

I just also want to say that there isn't anything wrong with a little whinging. I do it myself every once in a while. Not good to keep things all bottled up, after all.

[John117]

I like the episode but something i think is hard to believe. The Team along with Ronon and his friends flys to the wraith outpost on a jumper obviously through a spacegate and after they get capchured Ronon returnes to atlantis through the gate on foot so he had to make it not only out of the wraith base but also to the gate not knowing where it is on the planet without getting capchured as well.

[Falcon Horus]

Well I have not read all posts in this thread and maybe someone allready mentioned
it but though I like this episode there is something strange about it. The Team along with Ronon and his friends flys to the wraith ship on a jumper and after they get capchured Ronon returnes to atlantis through the gate on foot so do the wraith have stargates on board now or how did he do that?.

If you had been paying attention (and I have no doubt you weren't) you would have noticed the gate was in an open area, and they were solely using the jumper to get to the Wraith lab undetected. Ronon must have run back (he's pretty good at running), dialed home under fire I imagine and straight back to Atlantis. Sheppard and the team were initially only going to be the designated drivers.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

What's everybody talking about Carter going off-world for?

After seeing this episode I wanna see more of the Satedan fighting style.

[Yeade]

"Reunion" is another episode, along with "Lifeline," that I've only watched once. What's more, my copy kept skipping--at one point, I believe, right over the entire sequence wherein McKay gets captured by the Wraith. My impressions, therefore, may be mistaken.

Now that I've got the disclaimer out of the way, I must admit I enjoyed this episode somewhat less than "Adrift" and "Lifeline." I found a lot to love, yes, but my overall impression is that "Reunion" was uneven. I think I would've been more pleased if Ronon's storyline and Carter's had been divided into separate episodes. As it is, I felt the episode suffered from having to do too much and didn't have a chance to pay attention to the nuances of either plot. To be sure, I did see a certain juxtaposition between Carter leaving an old life for a new and Ronon leaving a new life for an old... so perhaps if the two had been better integrated? I'm not sure how this could've been accomplished though. <shrug>

Somebody on LJ, IIRC, wondered whether Ronon's the only Satedan who thinks Satedan honor is something real and grand and worth dying for. Admittedly, I think this was meant in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way but, given Kell and the actions of Ronon's friends here, this question might do with a bit of serious consideration.

I do think Ronon's young. At least as young as Ford, who was 25 in S1, quite possibly younger. So, I suppose it's not surprising that Ronon holds a few idealistic views of those high and lofty concepts I feel all societies try to impress on youth--love, honor, and all that stuff. This is, IMO, in fascinating contrast to his pragmatism when it comes to the Wraith and fighting the Wraith. Something I think all Pegasus natives develop and undoubtedly honed by his seven years as a runner.

On the one hand, Ronon is fully aware of the threat of the Wraith and of the futility of Sateda's resistance. OTOH, he thinks he can save Melena, save that anonymous girl at the hospital, and takes Kell to task for abandoning what was always a hopeless cause. Granted, Kell sacrificed others to save his own life. Yet, from Ronon's short speech after he shoots Kell in "Trinity" and the reactions of the, presumably, other Satedans there, a number of Satedans (those formerly of Kell's command?) were aware of Kell's actions. They felt no need to kill Kell for what he did. Ronon did.

Likewise, in "Reunion," where I think it's clear that Ronon will brook no excuse for helping the Wraith, his three (former) friends felt otherwise. Though, of course, it must be noted two of his friends resisted to the death.

All of which leads me to speculate that Ronon is, perhaps, one of the very few remaining survivors of Sateda's young, impassioned officer corps. The only real-life comparison I can think of--well, that I have any knowledge of--is the Japanese officers of WWII. A significant number of whom, as I understand the matter, took to heart the idea that they were continuing the noble traditions of the samurai and got a bit fanatic about 'death before dishonor.' Only instead of the cause being Japanese imperialism, I guess it's Satedan victory over the Wraith, whether militarily (not likely, IMO) or spiritually. Ronon, as a Satedan officer, may have been well supported by Satedan tradition or military law in killing his friends as traitors to the cause. Maybe there's even some proviso that such matters must be settled by hand-to-hand combat. Or this aspect is due to the personal nature of the betrayal. Well, it's something to think about. Or for me to think about, lol.

The Wraith sucking the life out of and then giving the life back to Ronon's friends as a way of breaking them into Wraith worshippers is... pretty cool, IMO. I wonder if the process can be made to hurt or feel good at will.

What else? Ronon's fugly painting is at once hilarious (look at it!) and sort of heartbreaking (because of what it, I assume, represents).

P.S. Also read on LJ: Iron Chef Sateda! Today's secret ingredient is... betrayal!