S10: Critique & Contemplation

[grasshopper64]

*jumping back into thread*

I have to say I've actually liked most of the second half of S10, until Family Ties that is. To me, Quest 2, Line in the sand, Road not taken and the shroud were all good eps. I even liked The Bounty, I took it for the silliness that it was

Bad guys not so good but Talion, finally Teal'c got an episode. I guess to me the second half has been better mainly because of the great reduction in D/V, plus they have actually allowed Cam and Vala to interact, and there's been a little bit of Sam/Vala as well.

But it's too little, too late We'll have to wait and see for Unending and Dominion but Family Ties, I agree with what's been said about Vala's Dad,
he was just predictable and unconvincing, and Landry, Lam and his ex wife I just couldn't see the point in doing all of that so close to the end of the season when there are so many other storylines they could have done but got forgotten long ago. This is the last ever season of SG1 and it feels like a waste.

[JessM]

Note to self: Skip episode except for last 30 seconds.

That's my gameplan if I decide to rewatch it.. man, really wish I could get back those 41:30 or so minutes of my life...

[pittsburghgirl]

*jumping back into thread*

I have to say I've actually liked most of the second half of S10, until Family Ties that is. To me, Quest 2, Line in the sand, Road not taken and the shroud were all good eps. I even liked The Bounty, I took it for the silliness that it was

Bad guys not so good but Talion, finally Teal'c got an episode. I guess to me the second half has been better mainly because of the great reduction in D/V, plus they have actually allowed Cam and Vala to interact, and there's been a little bit of Sam/Vala as well.

But it's too little, too late We'll have to wait and see for Unending and Dominion but Family Ties, I agree with what's been said about Vala's Dad,
he was just predictable and unconvincing, and Landry, Lam and his ex wife I just couldn't see the point in doing all of that so close to the end of the season when there are so many other storylines they could have done but got forgotten long ago. This is the last ever season of SG1 and it feels like a waste.

and wasn't it amazing how very Earthlike his conversation and his references were? I mean he used earth slang like it was an everyday thing for him. I found that all quite bizzare.

[ChevronSeven]

Boy do I miss Gekko

And there's the money quote, right there. I can't tell you how much I'd love for Gekko to be back for at least one movie. We'd most certainly get quality product.

[MediaSavant]

they are pleasing 'somebody'

that's evidenced by the simple amount of 'wow, best episode evah' posts.

...and the voting in the polls which always seems to have 80-90% of the fans rating episodes very high.

Yet, their job, my interpretation of it, is to please a MAJORITY.

Initially, their job is to please the network and production company that hired them. It's the network that sees the scripts first, okays them with a few notes, and, then, sees the episodes before anyone else does. Many a showrunner has gotten into trouble with the network before any viewer has see the show.

Then, the public allegedly speaks by either watching or not watching.

Given how all these guys have had their jobs for a long time and continue to have their jobs, someone with the power to fire them, isn't. Yeah, SG-1, the series, may be gone, but they are still getting MGM paychecks, aren't they?

As for pleasing the majority of fans, it's hard to quantify.

They may be enjoying what they're creating, but a good 30% of the existing viewership has turned off the set and left for something they find more enjoyable.

But that means they kept 70%--a majority. As I said, it's hard to quantify. I presume, some of the remaining 70% that are still watching, are not pleased. But, how does one quantify something like that?

Therein lies the reason they are still getting paychecks.

[Skydiver]

and wasn't it amazing how very Earthlike his conversation and his references were? I mean he used earth slang like it was an everyday thing for him. I found that all quite bizzare.

I call that sloppy writing.
seriously, it's like teal'c all of a sudden using contractions. aliens that 'get' and use earth slang is just the sign of a writer that's forgotten that they're supposed to be writing an alien who should have no knowledge of such things

And there's the money quote, right there. I can't tell you how much I'd love for Gekko to be back for at least one movie. We'd most certainly get quality product.

me too. i miss gekko

they produced things that fit in with my taste and my idea of 'good'

[Skydiver]

...and the voting in the polls which always seems to have 80-90% of the fans rating episodes very high..

yes, the oh so vaunted internet poll....where anyone that knows how to throw away their cookies can vote over and over and over and over.

The gateworld polls are also the ones where, for years, an episode averaged a few hundred to maybr 2000 votes...but for crusade, when vala returned, well it was around 22,000 votes the last time i looked.

Just a wee bit too obvious to be anything near credible

...
Initially, their job is to please the network and production company that hired them. It's the network that sees the scripts first, okays them with a few notes, and, then, sees the episodes before anyone else does. Many a showrunner has gotten into trouble with the network before any viewer has see the show.

Then, the public allegedly speaks by either watching or not watching..

and a third of their viewship has responded to the changes by turning the channel. If stargate was a network show, record or no record, they'd have been canned halfway through s9.

...
Given how all these guys have had their jobs for a long time and continue to have their jobs, someone with the power to fire them, isn't. Yeah, SG-1, the series, may be gone, but they are still getting MGM paychecks, aren't they?

As for pleasing the majority of fans, it's hard to quantify.
.

However if mgm wants to shop the franchise around, wouldn't it make it harder to sell it if it was an 'all new creative staff'?? I would think any perspective buyer would take one look at that tag line and go 'umm, no thanks'...unless mgm had managed to get some really popular and famous creative staff in on it. but they cost money, which erodes the profit


The only other excuse that really makes sense is that skiffy has been directing plot, dialogue, casting and doing all but writing the scripts and the folks in vancouver are just poor innocent victims...and if that was the case, i would think outing scifi could do them some good and give them some leverage.

In any case, the changes wrought upon the show since s9 have been so poorly received that the ratings fell low enough that skiffy could can the show.

[jckfan55]

I call that sloppy writing.
seriously, it's like teal'c all of a sudden using contractions. aliens that 'get' and use earth slang is just the sign of a writer that's forgotten that they're supposed to be writing an alien who should have no knowledge of such things

Oh, this is not good. I think after all these years Teal'c understands a lot of slang, but that doesn't mean he'd be comfortable *using* it.

me too. i miss gekko

they produced things that fit in with my taste and my idea of 'good'

Me three. I think RDA had more respect for the intelligence of the audience than we're seeing lately.

[ChevronSeven]

Me three. I think RDA had more respect for the intelligence of the audience than we're seeing lately.

He's said it in a couple of interviews. Something like "don't dumb the dialogue down. The fans are smart enough to understand."

Now...not so much in TPTB's eyes.

[Skydiver]

yeah, but they're not writing for the average fan anymore, they're writing for the teenage boys that think bombs, butts and boobs is all that's needed for 'quality' entertainment

[Rogue]

yeah, but they're not writing for the average fan anymore, they're writing for the teenage boys that think bombs, butts and boobs is all that's needed for 'quality' entertainment

or the men in midlife crisis

I think they are writing what they enjoy writing and not what the fans want to see. No you can please everyone, but I question some of their storyline choices. With only a few eps left they focus on

Spoiler:

Landry, Lam and the ex.? The Landry/Lam storyline was one I could do without in S9. I am surprised it resurfaced so near to the series end.

[AGateFan]

How does anyone have any emotional investment in Lam\Landry. Much like Mitchells friend in Stronghold. One can feel bad from a human to human point of view but ultimatly I didnt really care about that character and I certainly dont care about some badly done father daughter agnst by characters I dont know nor care about.

I am more interested in Feldgers relationship with his mother. But actually well done relationships where I really care would have been Carter and her Father as I know and care about each character. Or Rodney and his sister because I really like the Mckay character but can have great sympathy for any siblings that had to live with him. Landry and Lam are so bland that I could really care less... not to mention the whole nepotism thing is flagrantly overlooked and is an afront to the great cannon stargate had developed for so many years.

[Jackie]

It would have been far more intresting if the new doctor was Hammond's daughter. Or the daughter of an established character. A year and a half to establish both Landry and his daughter and neither character intrest me at all.

With Hammond, I hooked by the end of the first season.

For that matter, they could have tied the new doctor to Fraiser and make her feel like she has high standards to live up to.

Of course, if Jack had a daughter that he didn't know aboput and she came in trying to fill his shoes. Either as a member of SG-1 or a civilian director of the SGC...that could have been intresting.

[ReganX]

It would have been far more intresting if the new doctor was Hammond's daughter. Or the daughter of an established character. A year and a half to establish both Landry and his daughter and neither character intrest me at all.

With Hammond, I hooked by the end of the first season.

For that matter, they could have tied the new doctor to Fraiser and make her feel like she has high standards to live up to.

Of course, if Jack had a daughter that he didn't know aboput and she came in trying to fill his shoes. Either as a member of SG-1 or a civilian director of the SGC...that could have been intresting.

I think that they should have either had
(a) No Lam at all
(b) A Lam who was in no way related to any of the main characters
or
(c) If Lam absolutely had to be Landry's daughter, then instead of being base CMO, she should have been an expert called in from the CDC to deal with the Prior's plague.

[jckfan55]

It would have been far more intresting if the new doctor was Hammond's daughter. Or the daughter of an established character. A year and a half to establish both Landry and his daughter and neither character intrest me at all.

With Hammond, I hooked by the end of the first season.

For that matter, they could have tied the new doctor to Fraiser and make her feel like she has high standards to live up to.

Of course, if Jack had a daughter that he didn't know aboput and she came in trying to fill his shoes. Either as a member of SG-1 or a civilian director of the SGC...that could have been intresting.

I also was hooked on Hammond quickly. I think some of it was that his personality came out through little moments (like when he told Maybourne the Tollans hadn't cleared quarantine to give SG1 more time), not through phoney "Teal'c is family" lines. Bleh.

As for Lam, I like your idea that she knew Fraiser (at least by reputation) and felt she had high standards to live up to. Or they could have had her being aware that everyone loved Janet and finding it hard to fit in. But then they'd have had to mention Janet.

I think that they should have either had
(a) No Lam at all
(b) A Lam who was in no way related to any of the main characters
or
(c) If Lam absolutely had to be Landry's daughter, then instead of being base CMO, she should have been an expert called in from the CDC to deal with the Prior's plague.

I would have preferred Lam not be related to anyone. The prior plague would have been the time to call in an outside civilian expert. I don't think Lam was handled well at all. I wonder if they wanted to bring Lexa on the show and then figured out the character.