S10: Critique & Contemplation

[JessM]

no one in s9 really gave a dang about any of the others. I think hte biggest moment of caring (beyond daniel holding vala's 'body') was teal'c's 'colonel carter' in ethon.

i think that's why so much of the season is unpopular amongst some, it's an absolute dirth of emotions. and if they don't care, why should we?

Exactly. Seems that that is when they made the switch to more plot-driven from character-driven... let's just do all we can to move the plot along at a lightning-quick pace, make sure this gets blown up, these guys captured, then freed in the nick of time, etc. And please, ixnay on the emotions.

Yeah they didn't even give Sam a real welcome when she came back. They copped out and implied they'd all been in contact

Spoiler:

while Sam was at Area 51. Her "when I spoke to you a couple of weeks ago" line. And I don't think Daniel's "It's good to have you back even if it's temporary" line was particularly heartfelt. The scene was mostly about Vala.

But I did love that Ethon scene.

Spoiler:

I did find Daniel's line to Sam pretty half-hearted. I was glad someone did actually welcome (well, sorta) her back, as I wasn't expecting that at all from the way Vala was the darling and even a vocal crowd of online fans were dissing Sam before she even came back. But that scene was disappointing.

I also disliked it when no one seemed to care about what Sam had been through in In the Company of Thieves.

[JessM]

isn't season 9 when the show went from being concidered a drama to being a comedy? I seem to recall reading it was listed as a comedy someplace.

I cannot see how you can take a drama and make it into a comedy. However, that seems to be thier agenda.

The one-liners did seem to be in more abundance. One-liners I don't mind, as long as they aren't the only thing the episode consists of. Of course the farcical situations contributed a bulk of the comedy (i.e. most of Off the Grid, most of the Vaniel stuff).

I gotta say, who was it that mentioned Landry talking about saving Teal'c in Stronghold? How he said Teal'c was part of his family and we have to save the family (paraphrasing here as it's been so long since I saw it)? I laughed out loud when he gave that line.

Two words: Market. Research.

"What do people like about Stargate?"
"Well, 80% of people say they like the humour."
"Humour...That's like jokes, right?"
"Please hold this stick."
"Why does the end you hold have 'wrong' written on it."
"Just checking."

It's funny 'cause it's true, and it's sad 'cause it's true, both at the same time.

[Jackie]

All of the acting in season 9 and the first half of season 10 (that's all I'Ve seen so far) have been halfhearted and shallow. There hasn't really been real angst in the series since season 7. 8 was better than 9 by far but not as good as previous seasons.

Landry is just not Hammond. Not even close to Hammond. Hammond showed real concern for the team when they went back to 1969--and that scene was only three minues long.

We've all seen Bridges in other shows and movies. The man can act! I've seen him bring me to tears in movies. But what they are giving him in season 9 and 10 to act with is so under par. I have no connection with Landry the character what so ever. I would rather they had Hammond back. The Writer's can write for Hammond.

I really wished they had pulled the plug at season 8. Watching the show slowly die while on life support has become pitiful.

[Skydiver]

i think landry's line did sound odd calling teal'c 'family' when he'd only known the guy for a few weeks. i think it could have been better received had it been 'he's one of us. and we dont' leave our people behind' or something a bit more generic
humor CAN be fun. and the show used to have humor in it. but, other than a few goofball eps like Urgo, humor wasn't the sum total of the show. It was more an accent. and lots of the humor wasn't really scripted per se as it was jack giving daniel a look or sam rolling her eyes or daniel frowning, or other smaller bits of interaction.

but once gecko left, the boys went from what i deem mature humor to slap stick. they went from a smattering of jokes to an out and out gag fest and it turned off many fans.

it's like they tried too hard to make it funny, so it was forced and it flopped

[jckfan55]

i think landry's line did sound odd calling teal'c 'family' when he'd only known the guy for a few weeks. i think it could have been better received had it been 'he's one of us. and we dont' leave our people behind' or something a bit more generic

Yes, that wouldn't have sounded so forced.

humor CAN be fun. and the show used to have humor in it. but, other than a few goofball eps like Urgo, humor wasn't the sum total of the show. It was more an accent. and lots of the humor wasn't really scripted per se as it was jack giving daniel a look or sam rolling her eyes or daniel frowning, or other smaller bits of interaction.

but once gecko left, the boys went from what i deem mature humor to slap stick. they went from a smattering of jokes to an out and out gag fest and it turned off many fans.

it's like they tried too hard to make it funny, so it was forced and it flopped

I like the humor too, but as you say it was humor that came out of a situation, not trying to make the show a comedy or saying "we need more jokes" in the episode. I think what they used to do well was make the humor seem natural. What we see more these days feels a bit forced.

[Skydiver]

it's almsot like they were trying soooo hard to recapture the 'four friends for life' that they forced the interaction, tried to ramp up the buddy-buddy banter and thought that it'd work

the problem is, while the words may have been fun and friendly, the body language was anything but. daniel did not sound sincere when he spoke aobut sam. the only real emotion seemed to be between daniel and vala - when she wasn't sexully harrasing him, and teal'c and sam...the four times he was allowed to speak

other than that, they were rather wooden, talking cardboard cutouts, saying their lines, furthering the plot but not emotionally 'there'

[Jackie]

Stargate had a subtleness to the humor all the way till season 8. Then as stated before, when gecko and the boys left. The humor became loud and obnoxious. Vala comes to mind!

It seems to me like the humor has gone from adult to teenie bopper. It also seems to be aimed at teen boys and young adult males.

They could have just renamed the show, "Vala in the Middle" or "Valaville" or the "Daniel and Vala comedy Hour."

Most of this "humor" in the show is Vala centered. It's all about Vala. Vala and the Dukes of Hazard. Vala goes to summer camp. Vala does Dallas....I see a trend here.

I would not be surpirsed with in the least if TPTB annouce, "Vala is coming to Atlantis" for half the season. I wouldn't expect to see shanks there because he indicated he wanted to leave. But I have no doubt in my mind that sometime in season four--Vala comes to Atlantis and stays!

[Skydiver]

well, if slapstick goes to the peggy galaxy, bye bye to the show

IMHO, the juvenile slapstick is one of several nails in sg1's coffin, and atlantis is on far shakier ground. At least with SG1 skiffy had a record to shoot for. they don't have that for atlantis.

and if atlantis gets shot down, there goes the third series too. skiffy will just pocket the money from the two movies and move on to other greats like Mansquito and the Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati

[Jackie]

well, if slapstick goes to the peggy galaxy, bye bye to the show

IMHO, the juvenile slapstick is one of several nails in sg1's coffin, and atlantis is on far shakier ground. At least with SG1 skiffy had a record to shoot for. they don't have that for atlantis.

and if atlantis gets shot down, there goes the third series too. skiffy will just pocket the money from the two movies and move on to other greats like Mansquito and the Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati

Oh my, I could actually see the cockroach movie coming out. (i hope that wasn't a real movie) Right up there with, Snakes in the Mail, Killer Houseflies, The Planet of the Monkeys, Bambi goes Bad; Revenge of the Deer.

[AGateFan]

well, if slapstick goes to the peggy galaxy, bye bye to the show

IMHO, the juvenile slapstick is one of several nails in sg1's coffin, and atlantis is on far shakier ground. At least with SG1 skiffy had a record to shoot for. they don't have that for atlantis.

and if atlantis gets shot down, there goes the third series too. skiffy will just pocket the money from the two movies and move on to other greats like Mansquito and the Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati

Cincinnati has good chili...thats why the monster cockroaches like it .

If Vala goes anywhere near another Stargate show, then as far as I am concerned it is not a stargate show. CB I like and wouldnt mind seeing in another show as another character. Vala is just pathetic on so many levels and unless the show is about a group of criminals she has no place on the show.

As you say, Atlantis is already hanging from a thread with all the turnover on the show since the beginning. One more mistake (which IMHO they are already making) and they are gone. I do not look for it to be renewed next year.

[Jackie]

Cincinnati has good chili...thats why the monster cockroaches like it .

If Vala goes anywhere near another Stargate show, then as far as I am concerned it is not a stargate show. CB I like and wouldnt mind seeing in another show as another character. Vala is just pathetic on so many levels and unless the show is about a group of criminals she has no place on the show.

As you say, Atlantis is already hanging from a thread with all the turnover on the show since the beginning. One more mistake (which IMHO they are already making) and they are gone. I do not look for it to be renewed next year.

I'll have to get to Cincinnati sometime for the chili. I like chili with shredded cheddar cheese on top.Mmmm.

Anyways, SGA is hanging not by a thread--more like an imaginary tractor beam. They think they can save it but the beam doens't really exist.

SGA has made major mistakes. The high turn over of secondary characters. Dropped plots and nonsense episodes that just fill air time. The show lacks: direction, a good first team, angst, suble comedy--though the comedy of sga is far better than the vala hour. Too much development of McKay. If DH leaves the show they are basically sunk. Not enough development of the first team, Weir, Sheppard. The only characters they were devloping was McKay, Beckett, and then Sheppard. They dropped Beckett which is like SG-1 losing Daniel in season 6. Beckett was the heart of SGA--RIP SGA.

[jckfan55]

Stargate had a subtleness to the humor all the way till season 8. Then as stated before, when gecko and the boys left. The humor became loud and obnoxious. Vala comes to mind!

It seems to me like the humor has gone from adult to teenie bopper. It also seems to be aimed at teen boys and young adult males.

They could have just renamed the show, "Vala in the Middle" or "Valaville" or the "Daniel and Vala comedy Hour."

Now why did an image of (a long haired) Daniel & Vala singing "I Got You Babe" pop into my head?

[Jackie]

Now why did an image of (a long haired) Daniel & Vala singing "I Got You Babe" pop into my head?

I was thinking Sunny and Cher when I wrote that! LOL. vala could be Cher and if Shanks grew a mustache--well....the 70's revised.

Vala in platform shoes with her hair long and flowing under colored stage lights. "Babe, I got you babe..." Oh my, she could do cher.

[LaCroix]

Now why did an image of (a long haired) Daniel & Vala singing "I Got You Babe" pop into my head?

In my case, Vala ala Grace Slick singing to Daniel ala Paul Kantner "Somebody
to Love"

[Skydiver]

not that i'm saying that he shoudl, cause i'm not, but i think if Rodney left the show it'd help save it insted of killing it. Far too often the writers have depended on the crutch of m/m buddy bonding ala shep and rod.

And they've done this to the exclusion of pretty much everything else. maybe if that crutch went away it'd force the writers out of thier complacancy and make them get creative and actually explore those other folks that hang around the set all week.