New Eps VS. Old Eps.

[jasminaGo]

I like the older SG-1 episodes better than the newer ones, but the newer Atlantis episodes better than the older ones.

I thought SG-1 was better at establishing the characters and the team dynamics at the beginning which allowed viewers to work their way into the show.

Atlantis had a little more trouble finding its feet but after it did it really took off from there.

ITA

[Briangate78]

I agree. I loved Season 1, but Season 2 almost turned me into an ex-viewer because while Season 1 seemed to have a clear direction, the writing for Season 2 was all over the place. Thankfully, in Season 3 TPTB tried to correct some of the issues I had with Season 2 and as a result, I'm still a regular viewer - complaints and all.

I know you said you liked Season 4 also or was that 3 you were talking about? You seem to be very critical on SGA, which is good, hey makes a very passionate fan, imo. It's the dooming of the show that irks me, but can't do anything about that.

[ToasterOnFire]

One reason why it may feel like the newer eps have less depth is because there was a run of eps toward the end of s4 (Harmony, Outcast, Trio) that had only one plot/POV and featured only a few of the team members.

[maxbo]

I know you said you liked Season 4 also or was that 3 you were talking about? You seem to be very critical on SGA, which is good, hey makes a very passionate fan, imo. It's the dooming of the show that irks me, but can't do anything about that.

I've enjoyed many episodes and moments in Season 4, however, I've been frustrated with what I perceive as a lack of overall direction in Season 4. My feelings about The Last Man pretty much summarizes my feelings about Season 4 because although that episode had several moments that I enjoyed, it didn't make sense to me as a season ender.

[Infinatus]

I actually thought The Last Man was the deepest Atlantis episode to date. The early episodes were just a romp in another galaxy shooting space vampires and making half hearted attempts to throw in out of place moral dilemmas such as whether or not you can take hope away from a few people in Pegasus by blowing up Atlantis to save billions in the Milky Way. On the other hand, the season 4 finale touches on the complications of altering the timeline (especially the possibility of making things even worse). But I liked all seasons of the show so I'm not complaining.

[EdenSG]

For me, it has always been difficult to compare the first season of any TV to subsequent seasons in terms of depth. I think one thing the first season of a TV show always has going for it is it’s “newness”; new characters, a new story, a new place/environment and finding out how those characters interact with each other and respond. It is a season of discovery for both the characters and the viewer. I think there is a feeling of freshness and an excitement of newness in a first season that can never quite be matched in the same way in subsequent seasons.

The foundation of both the story and the characters needs to be well established in season 1. If the writers and actors don’t establish a good story premise and interesting characters there will likely not be a season 2. So for me, a season 1 – if done well – needs to have a lot of interest and depth. I think this was done very well in Atlantis season 1 . I was intrigued by a good story, interesting characters and a unique place. It drew me in, made me a fan and got me to return for season 2.

For me, season 2 has been the weakest, with the least depth. Season 1 had a very strong, compelling focus; survival after being cut off from Earth and find a defense against the Wraith. And while season 2 did have its “focus”, keeping Atlantis a secret and general exploration, I do not think it was as compelling as season 1. And many of the episodes are what I would term “light.” However there were a few stand out episodes for me that - in my opinion – had depth that did a good job of combining both an interesting story that was unique to Atlantis and good character building/exploration; these were “Duet”, “Trinity”, “Conversion” and “Michael.”

Season 3 I think tried to make up for some of the short comings of season 2. There was more conflict for the characters, the introduction of the Asurans, and the continuation of the Michael saga. There were a lot of good team moments and characetr moments. For me, Season 3 was a season of extremes because it has some of my most favorite and what I think are some of the best Atlantis eps – “Sateda”, “Common Ground”, “McKay & Mrs. Miller” and “Tao of Rodney,” and two of my least favorites; “Irresponsible” and “The Game.”

I think Season 4 started out with an abundance of really good ideas- Teyla’s people missing, Weir missing, introduction of Carter and Keller, the Asuran/Wraith War, introduction of the Travelers and later on the Michael saga - that held the promise of what looked to be very compelling, dramatic storylines that could be carried through the season. And while I really enjoyed season 4 and on a whole think it was a good season with a good amount of drama and depth, I thought one weakness was the sort of hit and run feel I got with some of these storylines. While I think I can see there was a conscious effort to try to weave these plots into several different stories, it still felt a bit choppy to me and took to long between eps to follow up, revisit or simply update these storylines. When you really get into a story line it can be frustrating to not see any progression with it for several episodes or worse, half a season. You run the risk of having the viewer lose interest because the storyline loses importance, it becomes less compelling. I think the eps that did feature these storylines were dramatic, excellent and had strong character moments; “Adrift”, BAMSR, “Spoils of War”, and “Kindred 1&2". “Miller’s Crossing”, “Reunion”, “Midway” were great stand alone eps that I think also had a lot character interest and depth.

Even though I have some issues with season 4, overall I think it was a great season. In season 5, the storylines of the renegade Asurans, Michael, Carson, and Woolsey are ones I am most looking forward to see continuing. I hope for season 5 that we are given a compelling mission or storyline/s that can be more evenly and well delivered through out the season. I think it will give additional drama and depth to the story and characters. And while I don’t mind stand alone eps, (some of my most favorite eps have been the stand alones), overall I would like season 5 to be more compelling, less hit and run and offer more personal challenges and even more tension for the characters. I don’t want to see serial eps like Lost and BSG, but just more connections between storylines & episodes and more progression of the major storylines. It is a fine line.

[Mitchell82]

Season 2 was more of a crash and burn. The premiere was good, but then it fell off tangent. The mid-season was decent, and the finale was the weakest finale of the series, imo. But I still enjoyed Season 2.

I agree that season 2 was the weakest but it still s a good season. I loved the season finale but it still is the weakest.

[Mitchell82]

I agree. I loved Season 1, but Season 2 almost turned me into an ex-viewer because while Season 1 seemed to have a clear direction, the writing for Season 2 was all over the place. Thankfully, in Season 3 TPTB tried to correct some of the issues I had with Season 2 and as a result, I'm still a regular viewer - complaints and all.

Season 2 was the weakest of the four we've seen so far but it wasn't bad enough to make me consider not watching. The writing was a bit wonky at times but still a decent season.

[SGFerrit]

One reason why it may feel like the newer eps have less depth is because there was a run of eps toward the end of s4 (Harmony, Outcast, Trio) that had only one plot/POV and featured only a few of the team members.

I think they should have dropped either Quarantine or Harmony. I enjoyed them, but IMO three standalones was a bit too much. I enjoyed Trio more than those two though. Outcast is debatable as a standalone episode, I think it ties more into the overall Replicator arc really.

[SGFerrit]

Season 2 was the weakest of the four we've seen so far but it wasn't bad enough to make me consider not watching. The writing was a bit wonky at times but still a decent season.

Season 2 was the weakest IMO also. It had the weakest finale and the weakest mid-season 2 parter, and the weakest line-up overall IMO. But there were some great episodes in there, and a great premiere too. I think season 5 will be great, very strong. Out of 10 episodes of the first half, I am dying to see 6, and considering we don't even know what two of the other four are about, I'd say that's pretty good, for me atleast

Mind you, I was really looking forward to Travelers for season 4, and look how that turned out...

[FreeJaffa]

maybe it's just that they are so jam packed these days.

I like jam!

On topic: I think new episodes of Atlantis are much improved from the old ones. As far as the old eps of SG-1 are concerned, I like em all.

[Redhooks]

Season 2 was the weakest IMO also. It had the weakest finale and the weakest mid-season 2 parter, and the weakest line-up overall IMO. But there were some great episodes in there, and a great premiere too. I think season 5 will be great, very strong. Out of 10 episodes of the first half, I am dying to see 6, and considering we don't even know what two of the other four are about, I'd say that's pretty good, for me atleast

Mind you, I was really looking forward to Travelers for season 4, and look how that turned out...

I thought season one of SGA was pretty darn good and then after the strong start of The Siege, Pt. 3 in season 2, I thought it gradually went downhill and I lost interest in the show. Not until I learned that Jill Wagner would be guest starring on the show did I come back to it and I saw that I missed some good eps in the first half of season 3.

As I stated, I came back to SGA due to Larrin and the Travelers. I was excited with all the info/spoilers that were out in the late spring and summer and that TPTB were heavily promoting the Travelers as the "new" race in SGA. My excitement was tempered when I saw the episode because I thought there were much better scenarios for the episode in the pre-airing/speculation thread here on GW than what was actually shown in episode. From all the promotion this new race had, I had hoped that TPTB would use the Travelers to give a better history of the PG after the Ancients abandoned Atlantis 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately to me, the episode was much more an action shoot-em up than the intelligent, reflective history lesson of how some Humans had survived the Wraith along with more info on the Ancient gene Sheppard has and why the Travelers had seemingly never come across any PG native who had the gene like the ruling family in The Tower. It only seemed the Travelers were a convienance in order to get more ships for the BAMSR space battle and I wonder if Alex Levine's comment in his Sci-Fi blog for Travelers about there originally going to be another episode using the Travelers' ship set ever got past the planning stage? For as much as JM & PM promoted them during last summer, it seems to me that basically 1.5 eps was not enough time to show this new race. I hope one of the things done this season is to show more history about the PG galaxy which should have been done in season's four second half instead of the weak (in my opinion) stand-alones that were presented.

[Mitchell82]

Season 2 was the weakest IMO also. It had the weakest finale and the weakest mid-season 2 parter, and the weakest line-up overall IMO. But there were some great episodes in there, and a great premiere too. I think season 5 will be great, very strong. Out of 10 episodes of the first half, I am dying to see 6, and considering we don't even know what two of the other four are about, I'd say that's pretty good, for me atleast

I don't think the lineup of season 2 was that weak the only ones that were really weak for me were "The Tower" "Condemned" and "Epiphany." The rest were really good IMO like "Instinct" and "Conversion" for example. Overall yeah it was the weakest season but still had lots of great moments.

Mind you, I was really looking forward to Travelers for season 4, and look how that turned out...

I did like it but yeah it didn't turn out as good as I expected either kinda like Epiphany though like that ep I still enjoyed it.

[Athosian Death facilitator]

.: The old episodes of the first three seasons were much better.

.: In season four they crashed and burned.

CRASHED and BURNED? that's a little bit harsh to me.

They did a great job(not with the replictors IMO, you can't destory a superace in a year(even though the replicators are still out there somewhere.)

I mean, the themes were great Travelers could have been better(definitely storyline wise.). But eps 10/11/12, are IMO so rushy.

OLd 1's rule

[Athosian Death facilitator]

One reason why it may feel like the newer eps have less depth is because there was a run of eps toward the end of s4 (Harmony, Outcast, Trio) that had only one plot/POV and featured only a few of the team members.

really good point.