'Identity' (518) General Discussion

[Briangate78]

well, we'll find out in the next episode, when she'll find.....

ooooo, I cannot wait!!

[JohnDuh]

That's no way to talk about the writers! *ba boom*

[JohnDuh]

Wow, was that lame. When I heard about jet another 'someone in someone elses body' I thought a redeeming feature would be Staite playing it, having greater range than many of the others - but oh no, they bring in some unknown twit to spend some money on.

Oh well.

[JohnDuh]

Thoughts?

I don't think they should cast people based on what makes you horny.

[JohnDuh]

I will say it again... I really dislike love stories in my Sci Fi if they dont make sense.. and this situation really doesnt..

It wasn't a love story.

[Pandora's_Box]

Wow, was that lame. When I heard about jet another 'someone in someone elses body' I thought a redeeming feature would be Staite playing it, having greater range than many of the others - but oh no, they bring in some unknown twit to spend some money on.

Oh well.

Yeah, that was pretty pointless in my view.

I can understand why SG-1's season 9 episode Avalon was done the way it was, with the audience seeing Vala and Daniel. Why would we care to see two previously unheard of and unseen characters for 2 episodes?

That same question applies here. Why in the world would TPTB use a guest star instead of Staite to play not!Keller? Why give so many lines and so much screen time to someone we've never seen and will never see again in the third to last episode of the series?

It makes no sense.

[Skydiver]

maybe jewel's availability was limited? maybe they didn't have time to use her all the time

I do agree, it would have been interesting to have seen Keller - as we know her - act odd and stab zelenka adn have everyone puzzle it out. hold hte audience in suspense rather htan giving away the punch line in the first 10 seconds

[Pandora's_Box]

maybe jewel's availability was limited?

Too limited to not be available for the show she's contracted as a regular cast member for?

maybe they didn't have time to use her all the time

How so? Any scene with Olivieri would have been with Staite instead and vice versa.

I do agree, it would have been interesting to have seen Keller - as we know her - act odd and stab zelenka adn have everyone puzzle it out. hold hte audience in suspense rather htan giving away the punch line in the first 10 seconds

Agreed. As it was, there was no suspense.

[Crazedwraith]

In Avalon, aside from a brief establishing shot: we always saw MS and CB, not guest stars. We see the person who's mind it is, not the body.

Doesn't make much sense, especially in this case when we mainly see the quest star, but there you go. They were actually being consistent with themselves. If they hadn't people would have called it a plothole. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[jenks]

Let's not forget they decided to dumb everyone on Atlantis down for no reason. Jennifer acting all strange, not herself, having forgotten lots of things, like how she doesn't have the ATA gene and how Jumpers cannot be flown by pressing their buttons?

Nothing wrong there!

At least the Jennifer-part was kept to a minimum. She was barely in the episode. That's the silver lining, I guess.

Uh, if you watch the episode you'll notice that they did notice something was wrong, all of them. But you can't really expect them to automatically assume that because she's acting a bit strange, she must be under the influence of some alien device/entity, no sane person would.

[Pandora's_Box]

In Avalon, aside from a brief establishing shot: we always saw MS and CB, not guest stars. We see the person who's mind it is, not the body.

The reason we saw the minds and not the bodies was because the minds in question were a main character and a significant guest star.

Would Vala being burned alive and Daniel looking tortured have had nearly the same impact as two unknown guest actors being burned alive and looking tortured?

Would the episode have been as engaging if we'd spent nearly 40 minutes not seeing any recognizable characters from SG-1?

Doesn't make much sense, especially in this case when we mainly see the quest star, but there you go. They were actually being consistent with themselves. If they hadn't people would have called it a plothole. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Plot hole?

Is there are rulebook somewhere in the Stargateverse stating that in all cases of body-switching, the "mind" must be shown rather than the body of the character in question?

TPTB decided to show it this way. I think they made a grave error. Like Skydiver pointed out. There would have been a heck of a lot more suspense (especially for those unspoiled) if we'd seen Jennifer stab Zelenka in the beginning.

[Crazedwraith]

The reason we saw the minds and not the bodies was because the minds in question were a main character and a significant guest star.

Would Vala being burned alive and Daniel looking tortured have had nearly the same impact as two unknown guest actors being burned alive and looking tortured?

Would the episode have been as engaging if we'd spent nearly 40 minutes not seeing any recognizable characters from SG-1?

Yes, I know that was the point but that was the precedent that was set, which Identity followed for better or worse.

Plot hole?

I agree it wouldn't actually be a plot hole, but I'd wager there'd be a thread claiming it was one. Gateworlders seem to a have a very wide defination of plot hole at the moment.

Is there are rulebook somewhere in the Stargateverse stating that in all cases of body-switching, the "mind" must be shown rather than the body of the character in question

In general terms: no. Holiday always showed the bodies and the actors doing impressions of each other. (Hence, the Hilarity)

But the case of this particular device then: yes, it was established in Avalon. Although I can't remember if Crusade mainly had Shanks-prenting to be Black , or Black for most of its scenes.

TPTB decided to show it this way. I think they made a grave error. Like Skydiver pointed out. There would have been a heck of a lot more suspense (especially for those unspoiled) if we'd seen Jennifer stab Zelenka in the beginning.

Not for anyone who'd actually read any sort of summary for the episode at all.

Plus that would mean the guest star was in the shots were Keller is in trouble/about to be executed and so forth; which would ruin the intended effect in the same way burning random extras to death in Avalon would,

[Killdeer]

It wouldn't have been a plot hole. How the audience sees the character has nothing to do with how the device actually works. It's an artistic/storytelling choice, and in this case I think it was the wrong one.

Plus that would mean the guest star was in the shots were Keller is in trouble/about to be executed and so forth; which would ruin the intended effect in the same way burning random extras to death in Avalon would,

Only for promotional sake. In the actual episode, I think the impact would be the same if the audience knew that Keller was in Neeva's body.

[pjt]

Oh, dear Lord! This is getting ridiculous. No, not ridiculous, pathetic.
I'm officially re-lurking in the Atlantis threads.
Bye.

[Crazedwraith]

It wouldn't have been a plot hole. How the audience sees the character has nothing to do with how the device actually works. It's an artistic/storytelling choice, and in this case I think it was the wrong one.

Yes. I know this. Hence why I said:

I agree it wouldn't actually be a plot hole, but I'd wager there'd be a thread claiming it was one. Gateworlders seem to a have a very wide defination of plot hole at the moment.

Reading comprehension is a plus folks.