Avalon, Part 1 (901)

[nfx]

Vala: Now i could've come by ship and looked for it myself but i know nothing about your fair planet. Other than it seems to have an interesting if somewhat limited gene pool.

Mitchell and Daniel look up, then look at each other.

[Kalliope]

I've been just crying from laughing watching Avalon pt. 1, Vala is great! And it's so great to see Claudia's comedic site, she's really, really briliant actress

"limited genepool"
"I haven't been this disapointed since Daniel and I had sex."
"Let's make babies!"

and the pillow moment, that was really funny.

[GLGusher]

I loved Avalon Part 1. It was realy funny. I also loved Daniel's beard. I loved the part where CM is interviewing new team members and they all suck.

[Ace]

also, his medal??? a congressional medal of honor???? umm, they don't exactly hand those things out like they were candy and, usually, the president gets to hand them out, not some lowly lt colonel (not that i wasnt' glad to see sam)

True... a Medal of Honor is usually presented to the recipient by the President of the United States. However not always...

If I can recall the autobiography correctly... Lieutenant Audie Murphy (America's most decorated soldier) was given the Medal of Honor by General Patch, the 7th Army Commander. Murphy was obviously in the 7th Army...

EDIT: Ok I looked it up... and here is the exact quote from the official Auide Murphy website.

"On this day, Major General O'Daniel presented to 1st Lieutenant Murphy the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star. After Major General O'Daniel pinned the medals on Audie's uniform, he pulled out of his pocket a Medal of Honor. Without giving it to Audie, Major General O'Daniel showed the medal to him and stated that General Alexander Patch, the 7th Army Commander, would soon pin it on Audie during a different ceremony."

But to continue with the episode... I did not see Carter actually hand Mitchell the award. Nor did I even see it in the scene, I'll have to double check to be sure. But Carter may have just been there with her entourage to "formally" inform Mitchell that not only had he been put up for the award but had received it. So Carter may have been doing what General O'Daniel had been doing... kind of informing him of the medal that he would later receive when he was on his feet and not lying down in a hospital bed.

Ace

[Kalliope]

I must admit that I didn't expect having so much fun watching SG-1. But the writers surprised me in a very positive way, congrats RCC and BW! Great job! I've been just crying from laughing watching Avalon pt. 1 and Vala is definitely my favourite character at the moment. It was also great to see Claudia's comedic site, she's really brilliant actress.

Poor Cameron, trying and failing to reunite SG-1 team... but auditioning new members was really funny, especially this last guy doing push-ups.

Daniel's beard - looks good

Teal's hair - looks great

Is it next Saturday yet? I can hardly wait to see the next part...

[Spimman]

I loved Avalon Part I, but right when the action started to pick up it cut off...I'm looking forward to the conclusion being much better in terms of content and getting the SG-1 team back up and running...this episode had necessary set up to new characters that was getting me excited but I really can't wait until next Friday.

[Spimman]

I liked it when they joked about having to get married and Vala said, "Oh fun, lets make babies" or something to that extent...she was pretty funny! Great beginning to two new seasons!

[ApophisLives]

At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I absolutely loved this episode. Two thumbs up, four out of four stars, whatever you want. It took everything that made me worried about the new season and utterly demolished them. Even Daniel's beard didn't seem so bad, though I won't shed any tears if/when it goes.

First, Ben Browder/Cameron Mitchell. I have never seen Farscape, so I wasn't sure what I was going to get. I was worried that he wouldn't be a "friendly" character, that there'd be some animosity between him and the other SGCers, or that there just wouldn't be any chemistry. I thought he did a fantastic job, and am more excited than ever to see the rest of the season. I loved his humor; it didn't come off at all to me as trying to impersonate or replace Jack. He was a great blend of newbieness (to being on SG-1) and confidence (being a respected officer). I thought his reaction to the apparent disbanding of SG-1 was perfect; it's exactly how I would feel.

Second, Claudia Black/Vala. Prometheus Unbound was one of my favorite season 8 episodes. I thought the levity in her relationship with Daniel was fresh and entertaining. We really haven't had anything like it before. The closest thing would be Carter and McKay, but there's not really any sexual tension there; it's just McKay's crush and Carter's annoyance. That same levity was preserved well, and several times during the episode I was glad that I wasn't drinking anything at the time, or it would have ended up all over the place. She really just says what's on her mind, and has absolutely no regard for tact or protocol; I love it. When she said "Well, I haven't been this disappointed since Daniel and I had sex" was one of those potential spit-takes. It was so unexpected and blatant, plus Teal'c's reaction sold it.

Third, Beau Bridges/Hank Landry. I'm not as overly pleased with his character as I am with Mitchell or Vala, but I think I will like him more after a couple more episodes. Don't get me wrong, I liked his character here too, but some of his dialogue seemed a bit...off. Like reminiscing about Jack telling him about the SG program while they were playing chess. Regardless, the new General was one of my big worries, and suffice it to say that I am no longer worried.

Fourth, the opening. I was puzzled by the inclusion of the Atlantis-style gate. I prefer the older, longer opening, but I'm not too distraught over it. I often fast-forward the openings when I'm watching the DVDs anyway.

Fifth, the actual episode. I am really interested in the whole Merlin/Arthur mythology, so I definitely am looking forward to this arc. I thought the flashbacks were very well done, and familiarized us with Mitchell much more than saying "oh, he was at the battle over Antarctica, and he's...like...cool and stuff." Given the characters they had to introduce (and reintroduce), I thought they did a good job keeping the action going, thanks in part to the aforementioned flashbacks. They managed to get all that exposition done and still advance a storyline a good amount. Kudos to TPTB.

It was sort of funny, though...I sometimes turn on closed captioning, because sometimes some dialogue is hard to hear, while other dialogue is fine (I think it's my TV). If you turn them on during the last scene, where the ceiling is being lowered, and Teal'c is trying to hold it up, a la Chewbacca in the trash compacter, he yells out "Colonel Mitchell!" But the CC shows it as "uno momento!" There were a couple other errors, such as "IVC" instead of "IDC", but that one was the most hilarious.

And as Keshou said, the thing with Merlin being an ancient, I find that rather hard to believe. Firstly, Merlin was a myth, and probably didn't exist at all, and if he did, he came way after the ancient's time.

As opposed to Ra, Apophis, Thor, Anubis, etc.? That's kind of the fundamental core to SG-1: taking mythological figures and explaining how they came about; namely, because of Goa'ulds, Asguards, etc. taking on their personae.

They've done Egyptian mythology (Goa'uld), Roman mythology (Ares), Celtic mythology (Morrigan), Norse mythology (Asguard), Babylonian mythology (Baal, Nem/Omoroca), Aztec mythology (Quetlezcoatl from Crystal Skull), etc. I think The Merlin/King Arthur mythology is a fine extension.

[KatG]

My comments before I read anyone else's.

I didn't hate it. I didn't love it either. It was an enjoyable way to spend an hour, had some funny lines, and the Daniel/Vala dynamic was much better than PU. Glad they found a way to have Sam be a part of the episode.

As for RDA's part, honestly I was disappointed. Not that it was a small part, but that he just didn't seem to be into it at all. When he was talking with Landry he seemed kind of wooden to me.

[CovertOperative]

I liked the part where Mitchell was interviewing the possible SG1 candidates

[DigiFluid]

OK, I got it. "Limited Genetic pool", "Vala's pregnancy" and "Playing hard to get"...all Farscape.

I never really watched Farscape....but the "limited genetic pool" thing seemed to me more like making fun of the fact that Shanks and Browder look alike.

[NightGloom]

Is it bad to say that I liked this ep. better than some of the ones last season? Of course, there were some bad things, but I wasn't looking at the clock to see if it was almost time for Atlantis like I was some of the time last season *cough* Affinity *cough*

Good things...
-Vala's "limited genepool" comment to Daniel & Cameron
- "I'm pregnant, there's a 1 in 10 chance that it's your's" *wink to Ben Browder*- Yes, I actually liked the Farscape nods, I think it would have been slightly uncomfortable for Farscape fans to watch it without them there.

- Even though I don't really like Vala and I feel slightly uncomforable sitting there when my parents walk in and she's wearing that dominatrix outfit, I did like her and Daniel together... "still not a minute... still not a minute"

- The "crash" flashback... awesome!

- Cameron interviewing people was kind of amusing "People call me... Dave"

- Teal'c!

- Incorporation of Sam... even though it didn't explain why she went or why she wouldn't come back (well, we all know why AT can't be in the episodes, but it didn't explain why Sam wasn't there)

- Daniel's correction to CM that the "sword in the stone" wasn't actually Excalibur... I hate it when people mess that up (even Monty Python got it right...kinda)



Bad things...
- Too many CM flashbacks- just show they crash, I woulda been fine with that

- The whole "buried treasure" thing I found kind of cheesy. Please don't turn SG-1 into a children's show. "There are 10 Jaffa... 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10... 10, 10 Jaffa"
-also, this is not Indiana Jones... did anyone else get
the whole "Indiana Jones" feeling?

-Vala's outfit...

-Vala's comments about sex every 3 seconds

- No straight out explanation as to what happened to Jack... or anyone else really

- Daniel's beard

- Cameron is not exactly a character yet, more like a bunch of lines that aren't really tied together evenly. If they don't fix him soon, he's going to get really annoying. As long as it's not "John Crichton Goes Through the Stargate"

-Daniel's beard

- shortened intro

- Did I mention Daniel's beard?


So, all in all- SG-1 is going to need some fixing. However, I do think they may be headed in the right direction.

[Croatoan]

Totally loved the first episode of the new season.

The new general seems to have some depth to his personality where Jack obviously was lacking as the general. The scene where they played chess was pretty interesting that Jack would beat someone at chess when he plays dumb oh so often was very nice touch.

So far mitchell is a golden find. There seems to be alot of discent about this on the board wiether hes good or bad for the show but in his first episode I think he brought back some of the early humor that Oniel usted to bring to the show.

Vala - I think its great how they used her. There was alot of sexual tension between her and daniel back in permetheus unbound and it makes sense that hed at least want to hear her out on his home turf if it remotly sounded like it would work. He heard her out was ready to send her packign and the new General made him look into what she had. It was ancient after all and in code - two things that are synonimous with potential new knowledge and weapons. Everything else about her was a piggy back of how her character acted before, which i totally felt appropriate.

The ongoing tension showed between her and daniel. Their little side squables - it all makes for good TV.


Bottom line over the course of 9 season of television there are many many many forks in the road where TPTB could go one way or the other. Fans are going to pout and cry if you dont go there way and with at least one fork each episode your bound to have bitter fans after 9 years - the fact that they watch the show to complain is just as good for the show as those who watch and love the show because it all comes down to ratings which are based on how many people tuned in!

Croataon

[Kalinda]

So, let's see... it certainly lived up to my expectations I was afraid Mitchell would be lacking in the humour department, but I really like him and he had some amusing lines. I'm so glad he wasn't "the Jack-wannabe". Props to BB and the writers for making the character quite likeable; Stargate does indeed produce likeable characters.

I loved the flashbacks and how they were built into the episode, plus Mitchell's attempts to get the team together again. I was a little concerned about how the whole "Hey, SG1 split up" thing would work out, but it was done quite well in the end - people do move on, go to different places, etc. I, of course, can't wait to see Sam back again. Nice she had a cameo.

I also really liked Vala, the funniest moments with her were when she made the comment about Earth's gene pool and the way Mitchell and Daniel look at each other Also liked when Daniel threw the pillow at her when they were in the infirmary and "Let's make babies!"

And General Landry; I'm glad he was different then Hammond but still a good character. I did feel sorry for Daniel when Landry told him to get to the point, though.

The most amusing part of the episode had to be when Mitchell was interviewing various people in an attempt to decide who could join SG1.

My only complaint about it was that it felt like the episode took a bit too long to get going as far as the "finding treasure" plot was concerned, but it was also important to establish Mitchell's character (loved how they did that), so it's forgiveable.

Cliffhanger could've been more interesting, but I was still left with a slight sense of peril. I did see it coming, though, when the doors closed I figured there'd be some kind of boobie traps.

Great episode, I give it an Outstanding rating on the GW poll and a 9.5/10

Oh and the opening credits suck I pray that the DVDs will have the full version. And also that SkyOne will show them.

Season 9 is off to an awesome start, can't wait for more

[JJL]

Firstly, the decision to eliminate the full opening credits was disastrous. What an incredibly pathetic, myopic decision by SciFi. It was a blatant shameless money grab and illustrated their contempt for the fans of the show. Atlantis has an Emmy nod for their theme music - what the hell is going on in SciFi's mind? IMO they intentionally delayed the announcement of the 10-second P.O.S. intro they subbed in because they knew the fans wouldn't be happy. They seriously need to have their ears boxed. There are some very, very poor decision makers sitting in leather chairs at SciFi right about now. Keeping BSG's intro and eliminating BOTH Stargate intros was immeasurably stupid. I'll forgive them if they reverse this incredibly bad display of judgment ASAP.

Out of a scale of 100 I would have to give this episode a 90.

The way the episode unfolded seemed a little unnatural to me, but they are also trying to explain ALOT in only a short amount of time. We'll learn more as the season unfolds, which is exactly how I like it.

Ben didn't convince me with his character - now when I say that I do not mean it as a crticism. He is new to the series and is essentially replacing RDA. I could sense that he is feeling his way around and is trying to get comfortable with his new role - I know that after 5 EPs its going to be all good. We know about Lt. Mitchells achievements, what he did previously and how he came to the SGC... but its still very early and we don't know anything about WHO his character really is. People are comparing Mitchell and O'Neill... I don't think thats very wise. There are already startling differences - Mitchell's strength is leading by example whereas O'Neill's strength is leading by excelling in a commanders role. Mitchell is naturally funny and Jack is funny in a "yeah, I know I'm funny" way. Mitchell is very eager and wide-eyed, whereas Jack is hard-nosed and experienced almost to the point of being jaded. I think there is enormous potential for Ben's character and once he's comfortable with being in "the family" he will maximize that potential.

Claudia's character is a nutball. I love her. She should have never been allowed to come to Earth, but I can understand why Daniel ok'd it... he's freaking Daniel and is eternally willing to give people a chance. She is a bit of a hornball... and I am by no means a prude (gimme a break, I'm a 20-something guy that loves women) but they could probably dial back the sexual stuff a tad. We get it - hell we got it when she first appeared in SG-1. She is a sexual deviant and she in no circumstances should be trusted.

I wonder if this version of Teal'cs haircut is going to be his last. Hell, I bet Chris Judge is asking himself that question right now.

Teal'c and his interaction with Mitchell is odd but understandable. Teal'c sees O'Neill as a brother and they are extremely tight. I don't blame Teal'c for looking at Mitchell with a degree of skepticism. I sense that Mitchell's character is the type of guy who is a hard-nosed soldier and born leader, so eventually I think that Mitchell will do something very heroic that will earn the respect of Teal'c.

Carter - see you in a few episodes!

O'Neill - sad to see him go. Its RDA's life and if he wants to enjoy the spoils he has earned and be with his daughter who could blame him? Good luck and I hope you return on occasion RDA.

General Landry - No opinion yet really. I think Beau did a nice job. We haven't really seen him in the commander role yet. I trust that things will be fine and that fans will like the character.

Overall I thought the episode was a little bit too campy for my taste. I want to see how the characters interact when the shtuff really hits the fan. I respect Mitchell's determination to assemble the original SG-1... that guy doesn't take no for an answer and will basically do whatever he has to do in order to make it happen. I love seeing that in a military character. It feels like a completely new show to me. I have to see about 5 episodes or so to really know how I feel about where the direction of the show is going, but so far so good!