S10: Critique & Contemplation

[jckfan55]

It was sometimes hard to pin down but something often felt missing...

[RealmOfX]

It was sometimes hard to pin down but something often felt missing...

intelligence, professionalism, winning because of ingenuity (instead of stealing some tech) ...

[fems]

intelligence, professionalism, winning because of ingenuity (instead of stealing some tech) ...

Expertise, actual friendship, logic and a good sense of humor, not that juvenile crap.

[dipsofjazz]

Can ya'll provide examples of how the team didn't feel united in the final seasons? However, I did notice this trend on Atlantis, beginning in the fourth season.

Perhaps it would just be easier if you read through the posts in this thread for your answer?

[hedwig]

Can ya'll provide examples of how the team didn't feel united in the final seasons? However, I did notice this trend on Atlantis, beginning in the fourth season.

For me it wasn't so much of a team, as it was the original remaining members babysitting the newbie who was supposedly in charge of the team. And even Teal'c got annoyed with the new guy at times, and didn't hesitate to let him know it. Seems (IMO) the original members were far more mature and mission-oriented than Mitchell.

And while I'm at it, this was supposed to be a team. Yet, he would often take it upon himself to rush off to do the hard work when it should have been a team effort doing the hard work. He was like a little boy jumping up and down with his hand in the air, yelling "I'll do it! I'll do it!" And if they didn't agree to let him do it, he'd run off and do it anyway.

For instance, in "Arthur's Mantle", when he and Sam were invisible, Mitchell insisted on rushing off to save Teal'c, because nobody else could do it (he being invisible, after all). He should not have gone, regardless. He acted as though he alone cared enough about Teal'c to rush off and rescue him. It was completely irresponsible of him to do that, even if by being invisible, he could go rescue Teal'c.

In "Flesh and Blood" he booted the navigator out of his seat on Odyssey in order to "drive" the ship to rescue Sam. He should not have known how to fly that thing, since he's never had any experience at flying a space ship beyond an F-302, and I hardly think flying them is even a little bit similar.

In "Prototype", Daniel had to actually yell at him for touching stuff he had no business touching, and his reply was "well, you do it all the time". Daniel has had 8+ years of experience; Mitchell has had not even six months experience.

In "Collateral Damage" he walks out of a reception with his teammates for a little rendezvous with a lady scientist. Hello! Huge mistake.

He may have been part of a team, but he frequently acted as though he was out on his own with three back-up players.

All of this is my own impression, and I realize others may not see it that way.

[Snowman37]

Now that you've cited examples, I can see where you're coming from. Mitchell was extremely impulsive. His running off against advisement almost reminds me of how Daniel Jackson would run off in the early days of SG-1 against O'Neill's orders. I don't think I'd have minded Mitchell's impulsiveness if there'd been consequences, forcing him to rely on his team's seniority and experience.

Really, why didn't they just leave Sam in charge and have Cam transferred from another SG team to SG-1?

[Mandysg1]

We were asking that question ever since s9

[jckfan55]

Now that you've cited examples, I can see where you're coming from. Mitchell was extremely impulsive. His running off against advisement almost reminds me of how Daniel Jackson would run off in the early days of SG-1 against O'Neill's orders.

Though Daniel was not presented as an experienced military officer.

I don't think I'd have minded Mitchell's impulsiveness if there'd been consequences, forcing him to rely on his team's seniority and experience.

yes, if he'd learned from his mistakes.

[Mandysg1]

Funny thing is, he said he wanted to learn from the best...but didn't try to learn anything. He just went all 'gung ho' and left the others to chase after him.

[ReganX]

Now that you've cited examples, I can see where you're coming from. Mitchell was extremely impulsive. His running off against advisement almost reminds me of how Daniel Jackson would run off in the early days of SG-1 against O'Neill's orders. I don't think I'd have minded Mitchell's impulsiveness if there'd been consequences, forcing him to rely on his team's seniority and experience.

Really, why didn't they just leave Sam in charge and have Cam transferred from another SG team to SG-1?

Mitchell's impulsiveness would have made at least some sense in a younger, eager junior officer - Major if they were set on having Ben Browder, but Captain or Lieutenant if they hired a younger actor - who was placed on SG-1 because there was an open slot. A character who is on SG-1 more out of luck of the draw than because they're awesome in some way (obviously, the SGC would have high standards but he's not head and shoulders above the other recruits for SG teams) could feel the need to prove themselves worthy of their spot and get into trouble when they run into the thick of things, trying to make themselves useful.

As for why they didn't leave Sam in command, it's been the subject of much discussion.

I've been crediting TPTB with the ability to count so they presumably knew when Amanda Tapping would return from maternity leave, and how long Sam would have to be out of the picture. The first five episodes of Season Nine take place over a very short period of time, no more than a couple of weeks, so Sam's absence could be explained away with a broken leg or a nasty case of the flu rather than a transfer to a new position, allegedly because Cassie was having a hard time and needed her. How Sam was able to take sort out Cassie's problems in a couple of weeks, while changing jobs, moving house, running a department and working on the bomb she was making is beyond me. Cassie was apparently fine after Sam returned since she and her problems don't rate another mention.

[poundpuppy29]

Sam went on to another command R&D at area 51 did you guys forget that and IMHO it suited her character more than leading SG-1 I really think you guys really didn't want to accept another character leading SG-1. I have gone round and round with some of you and the impression I get you were willing to accept another character if he was sub servant to Sam. Sam was not the center of the show Jack was. So when the center leaves you get another center that's why Cam got so much attention and screen time.

Cast changes happen in long running shows they just do SG-1 is no different prior to Sanctuary AT didn't carry a show Ben Browder did in Farscape that is why he was brought in when RDA left as much as I love MS he was not a lead either and did not carry a show either. There are lots of examples of shows that are long running where the leads leave for a variety of reasons and they have to get new leads, ER, Law and Order, CSI, Charmed and many many more.

I am not saying seasons 9 and 10 were perfect but they had their share of lemons but no more than prior seasons of SG-1

[siles]

Sam went on to another command R&D at area 51 did you guys forget that and IMHO it suited her character more than leading SG-1 I really think you guys really didn't want to accept another character leading SG-1. I have gone round and round with some of you and the impression I get you were willing to accept another character if he was sub servant to Sam. Sam was not the center of the show Jack was. So when the center leaves you get another center that's why Cam got so much attention and screen time.

Cast changes happen in long running shows they just do SG-1 is no different prior to Sanctuary AT didn't carry a show Ben Browder did in Farscape that is why he was brought in when RDA left as much as I love MS he was not a lead either and did not carry a show either. There are lots of examples of shows that are long running where the leads leave for a variety of reasons and they have to get new leads, ER, Law and Order, CSI, Charmed and many many more.

I am not saying seasons 9 and 10 were perfect but they had their share of lemons but no more than prior seasons of SG-1

You couldn't have been more wrong! I could have accepted Reynolds or Dixon commanding SG-1, maybe even with Sam returning back to SG-1. TPTB were wrong to think they needed a new lead. A Sg-1 team with Sam, DAniel, Teal'c and Reynolds/ or even Jonas for that matter would have worked fine. They brought 3 characters to replace 1 and imho the show wouldn't have gotten S10 but for beating X-Files record for highest no of episodes

[Snowman37]

On some shows, when the star left, a new actor was brought in as the new star. On other shows, when the star left, an existing cast member was promoted to the starring role. For example, when David Duchovny (Fox Mulder) left The X Files, Robert Patrick was brought in as "John Doggett" to fill the void. However, he wasn't the new star of the show. Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully) was promoted, and Robert Patrick's character was her new skeptic partner. This is what we all wanted to see: an existing character promoted to starring status. It wouldn't make sense for Teal'c or Jackson to be team leader, so Carter's the natural choice. Now... that doesn't mean she had to be left in charge and become star of the show. Ben Browder's character could have been portrayed differently. What if he'd been second-in-command of another team, say SG-2 or something like that? He's could have been portrayed as an equal to Carter, only having command, because she'd left for R&D. Once returned, he's been in charge, so she's stuck to the role of #2 again.

Tapping not being the star isn't the issue. Mitchell's back story and impulsiveness is the issue.

[fems]

Tapping not being the star isn't the issue. Mitchell's back story and impulsiveness is the issue.

Yeah, this.

Cast changes happen in long running shows they just do SG-1 is no different prior to Sanctuary AT didn't carry a show Ben Browder did in Farscape that is why he was brought in when RDA left as much as I love MS he was not a lead either and did not carry a show either.

And why is that? Because TPTB of SG-1 never gave her the chance! After SG-1 she went on to do SGA's fourth season, after which she started Sanctuary. She has carried that show for four years (plus the webisodes), that's longer than SG-1's last two seasons and yet she didn't have any more experience leading a show by then.

It's just kinda weird to see how Sam - who commanded SG-1 successfully for a year - apparently was important enough to replace the President in giving Mitchell the medal of honor (which is normally only given by the President in person) in his fantasies "memories" from when he was heavily medicated, yet had to be ordered around by an impulsive rookie with no gate/ground combat experience, who had no regard for his teammates' lives. That's all.

If it wasn't for Sam's rank as a lt col I wouldn't have minded to see Dixon, Ferretti or even Reynolds (although I still don't like how he skipped a rank) take over SG-1 with her as 2IC in the last two seasons. Truth is, it simply doesn't make sense to have two high-ranking officers on the same team, especially not when they're the only two military members (let alone give one command over the other more senior officer).

[poundpuppy29]

she became a known actor thanks to SG-1 just like MS and X files are different that show had 2 leads SG-1 only had 1 big difference I have to go will pick this up on monday