Prometheus Unbound (812)

[lord-anubis]

i just remeber another great part of this ep is the fight sceen with MS and Claudia Black. that was the funnyest fight i seen and i think that was the frist time i seen danel fight any one.

[Jace021903]

You must have forgotten the nude Sha're scene from the pilot that Showtime insisted on. It's on the season 1 DVD btw.

Nope, didn't forget. I can't let my son near that DVD If I recall correctly, that scene was put in due to the influence of Showtime which definately has adult programming.

I've read that the producers weren't in favor of the nudity for that scene and wished they hadn't done it.

What I was referring to is the sexier clothing on duty and the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff being more of the main plot of an episode.

Jace

[muffo]

I'm with you. This was a very disappointing episode. Things were just great, really almost perfect until CB took off the helmet. Things went rapidly down hill from there. The only part that was any good after that were the scenes with General Hammond and his crew on the Alkesh.(Exception is the hiccup lady--they really over played that big time!) Here again we have a dead end episode, no more knowledge at the end than we had at the beginning. The humor was not very humorous except at the beginning between Jack, Daniel and Hammond. That was wonderful. Fooled me into thinking this was going to be a decent episode. If this is a portent of season 9, I'll be gone.

Muffo

[Buzz Lightyear]

Nope, didn't forget. I can't let my son near that DVD If I recall correctly, that scene was put in due to the influence of Showtime which definately has adult programming.

I've read that the producers weren't in favor of the nudity for that scene and wished they hadn't done it.

What I was referring to is the sexier clothing on duty and the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff being more of the main plot of an episode.

Jace

Well, letting the SG-1 characters have a personal life showing some intimacy is hardly provocative in the overall scheme of things. Compared to other sci-fi shows, Stargate is very PG, in my opinion.

As for the Sha're nude scene, at least we know why Michael Shanks fell in love with actress Vaitiare Bandera and had a child with her.

[American3.141592654]

actually i have to disagree. it was funny, and it was great seeing don s. davis again but the whole episode, hammond seemed out of character big time. like him going over to the cargo ship was tottaly irresponsible of him as the ranking officer. i loved the episode. loved seeing don s davis again, but didnt like hammond in the episode, it wasnt hammond.

Well it sorta was, if you remember the episode where he was forced by the NID to retire by them showing to him that they could get to his grandchildren, he says just about the same thing. So it's got to be something that's at least in the back of his mind... I can understand him in a way, it's sorta the difference between Warcraft and WoW. Thing is he wants to get in the thick of things and feel like a man again. He's in his own twilight years and possibly doubting himself a little because his body may be starting to fail him these days and wants to have an adventure. Since he's in command and can do just about anything he wants he decides to do just that. It may be the kind of behavior which may get him questioned by his own superiors but it's the kind of thing a man in doubt of himself (but only to an extent, like a shadow of doubt haunting a pillar of self assurance, he knows he's capable and has proven himself time and time again but it has been so long that he can doubt his own abilities) and he needs to prove to himself that he deserves his own station. You see this is a thing called character development. Characters written by good writers develop over time and evolve as you dig further into the story and if based on the assumption that he is human he is flawed and can make errors of judgement and have doubts of his abilities even if he does KNOW that he is capable he is losing faith in himself because of his age. I think it was absolutely fine for him however there are other reasons to get annoyed with the episode.

One thing that I thought was sorta strange was when a trained military officer looks grossed out about the idea of giving mouth to mouth to his superior officer who happens to be and older gentleman. Thing is, he shouldn't have played it as over the top as that... It would have made some sense that he looked concerned (not grossed out) cause he is not medical personal and it may have been a long time since he recieved instructions on how to perform CPR and Mouth to Mouth... But it wasn't that great though cause Military officers are trained in basic first aid including CPR and mouth to mouth and to apply pressure on a wound and a treatment that could be even more awkward such as how to treat hypothermia (you strip the patient naked and strip yourself down as well and using either a heavy blanket or sleeping back, bundle yourself up with them and wrap your arms around them to bring their own body temperature up with your body heat) and all sorts of simple things that can save a life in the field. For a military officer to start to look squeemish is terribly unprofessional but then again, it is awfully human and he may very well just not be a very good officer. So then again this episode was exagerated and over played in many places and the situation is unlikely but understandable however I still thought it was a fun episode. It was a bit unorthodox for them to make some of the choices they made and to act in some of the ways they did however if you want ot portray characters as profession ideals or as stereotypes that's one thing but if you want to portray characters as humans with flaws and capable of making mistakes then that's another thing and that appears to be what they did here. This group made all combined a LOT of mistakes but all the mistakes they made were understandable when you look at them as humans and consider that humans are fundamentally flawed. I liked it however I don't think this goes down as one of the all time greatest episodes but lets face it, the episode is still TONS BETTER than Space Race. THAT episode sucked... hehe.. Anyway that's just my thoughts on it... The characters were exagerated in some ways but the actions they took over all were believable even if some of the actors over did it. I was satisfied by this episode myself.. I mean they can't ALL be "The Other Side" or even "The Other Guys"

[valaCB]

As for the Sha're nude scene, at least we know why Michael Shanks fell in love with actress Vaitiare Bandera and had a child with her.

i didnt know that! cool

[Albion]

I was expecting PU to have a serious tone to it, and then I’m suddenly hit with the reality that it’s all fluff.

This point has been made by several posters who disliked this episode. Isn't it a little unfair to blame TPTB for your misinterpretation of what the episode would be about? Why are they to blame for the fact that you thought it would be a serious episode and it turned out to be light-hearted fun? Why would you expect it to be a serious episode in the first place? It's definitely not a given or in the contract, that I know of.

And once again, I have to roll my eyes at those posters telling us that Atlantis is a better show than SG1 these days. <sigh> A word in your shell-like, folks - Atlantis is in its first season! Trying to compare two shows, one in S1 and one in S8 is like comparing apples and oranges. Ergo - you can't. A show in its eighth season could be the greatest show on earth and it still won't measure up to one in its first.

Atlantis has all the advantages here. New characters for the audience to get to know and a fertile writing ground for the writers to fill in the backstories of. New worlds and locations to explore. New villains to get to know. The list is endless. There's just no way that SG1, in its eighth season, can capture that spirit of new adventures, just starting out, no matter what it does. By this point, its designed to appeal not to those looking for new characters and worlds to explore, but those wanting to adventure and have fun with characters they've grown to love and feel comfortable with.

Wait till Atlantis is in its eighth season and then make a comparison between the two. It would be both fairer, more logical and definitely more appropriate.

I can practically guarentee though, that those whining about S8 of Atlantis 'just not being the same anymore' will be the same people now telling us how it knocks SG1 into touch.

Albion

[valaCB]

i love the epi and i LOVE Chrisopher Judge
and here what he said about the episode -

"An episode I wasn't in, 'Prometheus Unbound,' is just fantastic. It's hilarious. It's one of the more fun -- that and 'Zero Hour' are probably the two most fun episodes of the year. And Claudia Black is in that one, and her and Shanks just have such a great rapport together. I saw a cut of it, and it came out fantastic, it really did." ("Teal'c" actor Chrisopher Judge, in an interview with GateWorld)

[the dancer of spaz]

Dude, didn't have high expectations of this episode, and then it toally surprised me. It was funny, and for the first few moments on the Prometheus I was completely distracted by the absolutely HOT jacket that Daniel was wearing. And I'm not a thunker or anything, but that was totally worth the entire episode.

Besides that, I like Claudia Black's character (not as much as Carter, but hey, don't we ALL have a history with Carter), and I recognize that we're not supposed to compare the two, but why ELSE would they feel in need to bring her in during S9? They want some estrogen, that's why. Some strong estrogen.

Anywho, I loved the part when he finally let her out of the brig, and she had this plastered, fakely bright smile on her face. That was classic.

There were many other moments, but it's late, I'm tired, and... well... it's late.

[Jace021903]

The Chicago Tribune reviews Prometheus Unbound...

"Cast chemistry keeps `Stargate' appealing


By Maureen Ryan
Tribune staff reporter

Some older TV shows -- and we're too kind to name names here -- settle into a state of suspended mediocrity, puttering along and recycling old stories as they wait for someone to cancel them.

"Stargate SG-1," which is in the middle of its eighth season, is not one of those. The episode airing at 7 p.m. Friday on Sci Fi is a treat, and it should be as much fun for "Farscape" lovers as for "SG-1" fans.

Claudia Black, the steely Aeryn Sun of Sci Fi's canceled cult series "Farscape," guests as Vala, a wily woman who manages to hijack a spaceship that belongs to Earth's secret Stargate program, which battles various baddies across the universe. When not shooting at him or otherwise trying to take him down, Vala also attempts, with some success, to seduce "Stargate" scientist Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks, at his bemused best)."

Read the rest of the review (along with reviews of other shows) here

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/t...elevision_heds

[Sela]

I really liked this episode. I was so happy to see General Hammond back in his chair and I loved the was he waltzed in and took the chair, Daniel and Walter and Jack couldn't say a word! It was hysterical! I missed Hammond so much. They really need to let us see him more.

As for Vala...she was ok but I'm hoping for a little more depth from her character in future. Ok, she's attracted to Daniel - aren't we all? But I hope she's not just there to play the sex kitten - she could be so much more than that. I did however love the way she kicked Daniel's butt. My son was in the room when that happen and not a big SG fan he said, "Why did he just let a girl kick his butt?" He felt much better about it when Daniel punched Vala out without a second thought. (I am going to have to have a long talk with him....)

For honorable mention, I liked Novak a lot and hope we see more of her. I think she's be great as O'Neill's assistant. She'd drive him batty with her quirky personality and under the breath comments. I thought she was funny as all get out.

[Hatusu]

Did anyone else have the same problem I had with that episode? I just feel uncomfortable with a man and woman beating up on each other, and treating it as sexy, like a screwball comedy.

I also felt cheated. I was looking forward to the trip to Atlantis.

That's not a knock on Claudia Black. I'm a "Farscape" fan.

As Pelagia mentioned earlier, I don't even feel like Daniel Jackson was in this episode. All I saw was Michael Shanks. I think they are losing his character with all this macho stuff.

And every time Jackson or Carter channel "Jack" type lines, I jump right out of the show. At least they should preface those lines with, "As General O'Neill would say..."

To be more positive, I loved the opening scenes. It was great to have General Hammond back. And it was nice that they let Walter "Chevron guy" get out in the field.

[TameFarrar]

personally, I loved PU I laughed myself silly so often in this episode that I was first just happy about that

I didn't really get into any deep thought about *how* Vala and Daniel were doing the fight scenes....I saw it more as *Slap-stick* humor involving two people instead of just one.

I also am not normally a fan of Daniel-centric episodes but this one held my interest for the entire 43 minutes. I can't say if it was because I am a huge Claudia Black fan or if it was just that these two actors seemed to have a chemistry that played off each other very well and the episode just flew by.
I really enjoy a story that has action, adventure and Sci-Fi....and even a bit a weird, quirky romance

Who knows what Vala is really up to..but we will get the chance to find out in season 9 and it would be really cool to see Daniel dealing with an agressive, strong woman and all that entails while trying to proceed with the mission. I don't look for Daniel to be macho or gung-ho on any episode...so I really enjoyed seeing this side of him. It was the character being taken *out of his comfort zone* Daniel is always trying to find some way to talk his way out of a situation and this was an interesting departure for the character.

Claudia seems to be able to bring *sex-appeal* to anything and MS probably was no exception. Personally I am glad that writers didn't try to overlook that in her and used it instead to make this a funny and many faceted episode that can go anywhere when Vala returns.

[Cinephilic TV Addict]

PU was absolutely horrible. This should have been scrapped the second they saw the final product.

I don't feel like writing a book, so let me hit a few of the main points -

1) Everybody says "It's a fun episode, so loosen up." You know what I say - "Fun episodes are inherently supposed to be fun." If the dramatic part of the episode is dominant, a barage of silly jokes only hurts the episode. In other words, if you want a fun episode, make its theme and aura fun in the first place. This episode was dark in aura - the episode was a dramatic one unsuccessfully written to be funny. If it's gonna work, it's gotta be the other way around - a funny episode at heart, with an underlying dramatic quality that adds neccesary conflict so that the episode is just not a rambling mess. In short, this episode should never have been considered to be made into a funny one.

2) Who actually laughs at stargate jokes nowadays? They are NOT funny. The 'humor' in this episode was ridiculous - Jack O Neill was the comedy in the first five seasons, and his jokes were SPARSE and WELL-CONCIEVED. Nowadays, as in PU, you get a joke every two seconds written by writers who have no capacity to write an episode bulky with comedy. Yes, the writers are good, and yes, they deserve their jobs, but they are slacking off and putting out crap that they would never have risked doing back in the early days of the show, when you make gold or you're off the air.

Honestly, here's a solid argument for the reasons why this episode was so bad - Every time the writer came to a point where thought was needed to decide what happens next, they ditched thought and put in a lame joke.

Example - General Hammond, a fan favorite, has his moment of heroism (the only good idea that came out of this episode). He's passed out, and the drama reaches its peak. Us fans are on the edge of our seats, and what happens? A stupid stupid stupid bad bad bad unfunny unfunny ridiculously unfunny joke about mouth to mouth which was impracticle and ruined the intensity of the scene. i happen to know that this writer also wrote icon and space race (which together may constitute the three worst episodes of the series), but at the same time he wrote avatar, the only decent episode this season.

in other words, everyone knows the potential these writers have, but everyone can clearly see that they are refusing to use it and instead replacing it with bad, poorly written jokes.

If I was in charge of stargate, priority number one would be to take out every single joke in an episode, shoot it, and then put in four or five good ones afterward. I'm sorry, but the writers aren't funny. Their talents are in drama, not comedy, whether they like it or not.

3) Everything about Vala was horrible. Her character was not believable in any way what-so-ever (writer's fault, not the actress's) and every time she and Daniel fought or spoke or even breathed together i wanted to jump out my window to save what little intelligence I had left. I wasn't watching stargate when PU was aired - I was watching a B movie from the 1970s with tin-pan dialogue and a lously plotline. Maybe the producers think that because they've been on for eight seasons, they can put on anything and the fans will like it...wrong. In fact, I'd bet that they know their show has jumped the shark, but everything they try to do to fix it only makes it worse. Do I feel sorry for them? - NO! If you can't fix it, get it off the air and out of my sight. PU was junk.

4) Also, as in all episodes nowadays, there are too many plot elements for a forty-some minute episode. And putting in too much material means that every scene loses quality. If you want me to believe that Vala shot and dragged the whole crew of the Prometheus to the rings before Daniel could go get one gun, than you, mr. stargate writer, are gravely insulting my intelligence, and that makes for a bad episode. besides, once the crew was ringed off, how did they get moved off the ring platform before the next set of knocked out crew was ringed over?

This episode is the apitamy of what should not be on TV. No excuses - it should have been canned.

[Hatusu]

Whoa! I hate to say this (because you stated your thoughts so bluntly) but I agree with you, except the part about "Jumping the Shark". Almost every season has a bad one. It doesn't mean the show is over.

As a former CPR Instructor, I really hated the CPR Hammond joke. I found it so painful that I totally blocked it out, and forgot it happened.

I did find the entire plot to be slapdash and unbelievable. I will do what I did with the Hammond joke, "Space Race" and my most hated "Star Trek" episode (the one with the space hippies). I will place them in their own universe and pretend they didn't happen.

Thanks for letting me know that I was not the only one who had this reaction to the show.