Avalon, Part 2 (902)

[WhatFateAlmondRoca]

Agreed. I think they have to let a little of that side out to make her a three dimensional character rather than a one dimensional spoiled brat type that we saw first. They don't have to have Vala and Daniel become mates to do that, however. I'd be perfectly satisfied with them fighting like Beatrice and Benedick for many seasons before it needs to be resolved into anything else.

Oh, man I could not overstate how much I agree. I remember on one of my DVD special features the writers talking about needing characters you care about. When they showed that part about Vala it made me possibly begin to empathize with her character. In Part 1 it was nails on papyrii for me and old Vala Mal Doran...it makes her real - I mean, who doesn't have a chink in the old chain mail somewhere???

Me too: "upside down L...call that a 7". Yup I woulda got it.

I guess speaking 23 languages plus now ancient, Goa'uld and whatever else Dr. J. needs a challenge - hearing them described upside down is the logical next step If I were Vala in that scene my respect for Daniel would have skyrocked after seeing him do that. I wonder if that's what ushered in a more *amicable* relationship between them in part 2???

[TheCorpulent1]

Me too: "upside down L...call that a 7". Yup I woulda got it.

"Squares unevenly stacked" was my favorite one.

[ValaMalduran]

Couldn't resist to post my 2 cents worth for both parts together. Especially as this twoparter made me realise once again why I like the sci-fi genre.

I started making notes while watching the first part but very soon concentrated on simply enjoying the show. And that scene in Avalon pt. 2 I could only watch through my fingers.

First of all:
How somebody could not like Vala is beyond me.
Yes, she would steal your birthday cake from right under your nose. Yes, she would also make an inappropriate remark about the birthday cake's icing. But she's definitely not just an annoying comedic character.
She's absolutely serious when she anounces that she won't open the wrist bands before they've found the treasure to make sure she does get her share. She's obviously learned that lesson earlier in her life.
And despite her quip after being revived she's more than shaken by the whole incident.
Vala is a fully rounded complex character with obvious depth, even if we've only just seen glimpses of it. And boy, has she fallen for Daniel. To me her sarcastic comments to him are as much for flirting as they're meant to keep him at bay. Don't let anybody get too close to the 'real' Vala.

Various thoughts:
Ben Browder & Michael Shanks look HOT. (yes, I know that's not a very sophisticated statement )

I didn't really like Vala's black leather costume when I first saw some pics, but now I think it's great.

Vala knows how to make an entrance. And she was crestfallen when Daniel ignored her.

Really like T'ealc's sardonic sense of humour. Bullets bounce, indeed.

Testing possible SG1 members: funny, but very scary at the same time. People like that are supposed to protect us from alien invasion? *gulp*

The new title sequence. Are you kidding me? You're kidding me, right?


A.

[the fifth man]

Well, at least tommorow some of us get to see how this three-parter concludes. Can't wait to see Daniel's interaction with the Ori. Wonder how bad he actually pi**es them off.

[greytop]

Well, at least tommorow some of us get to see how this three-parter concludes. Can't wait to see Daniel's interaction with the Ori. Wonder how bad he actually pi**es them off.

Probably not as bad if Jack were there. Jack would do a better job of it.

[the fifth man]

Yeah, agree with you there. But Daniel certainly isn't the person he used to be a long time ago. All his time with Jack has rubbed off on him some, as we've seen in previous episodes. Hope he at least tells the Ori off, you know, on Earth's behalf.

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, but not to the point that Daniel would really aim to piss them off like Jack would. Hell, even in the very episode this thread is devoted to, Daniel barely struggled against the two dudes restraining him and tried, more than anything else, to talk the people into not burning Vala. Daniel's primary and consistent course of action is and always has been to talk to people and try to effect change peacefully. The only difference is that now he realizes that sometimes change can't be effected peacefully and needs a jolt of violence to catalyze it, as we saw when he agrees to help assassinate the System Lords and again when he led the underground movement to overthrow Ra on Earth in the past.

But, as TPTB said, the Ori are a whole new villain and none of the animosity that Daniel and the rest of SG-1 had with the Goa'uld carries over to the Ori. Of course, having to watch Vala burn at the stake would've sparked animosity all its own in Daniel, so maybe he will piss them off by being too aggressive. More likely, I imagine that the Ori's learning there's a whole other galaxy of people they've never touched will spur them on to action more than anything else, just as it did with the Wraith.

Sorry for the circumlocution.

[jree]

It would be different if nobody tried to piss them off. Daniel would pretty much talk to them. And it looks like Mitchell will just talk to them, especially when you read the spoilers and see the pictures. Maybe the Ori are just ascended beings who need adulation to stay ascended, thus they need as many followers that they can get so they try to take over everybody.

[ToastBusters]

When it showed that knight the only thing that came to mind for me was...

The black knight shall always triumph!

I was waiting for one of them to say "it is but a flesh wound..."

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm still confused about how knights and Arthurian mythology is corny, but marsupialized humans with giant retracting snake masks and ancient Egyptian and Classical mythology aren't...

[rosewood]

When lacking a fresh idea, writers seem to retread old stories, and that's my criticism with going to Arthurian legend. Been there, seen that too many other times. If they went for another more ancient mythology, maybe the Asian, Hindu or Central/South American mythologies, maybe I'd be more enthused.

Plus I just like the exotic Egyptian costumes better than those bland middle age peasant clothes.

Aliens as parasites that take over a host body is not new, but SG1 did that in a pretty unique way. Stargate was original in that the aliens pretend to be gods, and they created mythologies (Egyption on earth) as part of conquering their subjects and to hide their technologies.

The intersection of the military with anthropology as the strategic way that the humans are learning and interacting with these various aliens also seems unique to SG1. How many other shows relied on an anthropologist/linguist as a main character to piece things together?

Some people may be wondering if the Aterans, Ori, Prior and Doci just end up being this year's model of the Ancients, G'ouald, Tok'ra and Jaffa. I am mostly spoiler-free, so I have no ideas about that yet. I'll wait to see what the writers reveal in Part 3 tonight!

[TheCorpulent1]

I've always thought Arthurian mythology was pretty interesting, myself. It'll probably be expanded a lot from there, though, just as the Goa'uld branched out from Egyptian mythology to Japanese, Classical, and others.

But I agree with your last statement. We don't know much of anything at this point, so it's best to just wait and see. If the Ori do end up being rehashes of the Goa'uld, I'll be disappointed, but we still don't know if that's where they're headed just yet.

[QuiGonJohn]

When lacking a fresh idea, writers seem to retread old stories, and that's my criticism with going to Arthurian legend. Been there, seen that too many other times. If they went for another more ancient mythology, maybe the Asian, Hindu or Central/South American mythologies, maybe I'd be more enthused.

Plus I just like the exotic Egyptian costumes better than those bland middle age peasant clothes.

Aliens as parasites that take over a host body is not new, but SG1 did that in a pretty unique way. Stargate was original in that the aliens pretend to be gods, and they created mythologies (Egyption on earth) as part of conquering their subjects and to hide their technologies.

The intersection of the military with anthropology as the strategic way that the humans are learning and interacting with these various aliens also seems unique to SG1. How many other shows relied on an anthropologist/linguist as a main character to piece things together?

Some people may be wondering if the Aterans, Ori, Prior and Doci just end up being this year's model of the Ancients, G'ouald, Tok'ra and Jaffa. I am mostly spoiler-free, so I have no ideas about that yet. I'll wait to see what the writers reveal in Part 3 tonight!

Well I am OK with them using the Arthurian mythology. But like you, what I really enjoy about Stargate is the blending of Sci-Fi, Military Aspects and Anthropology/Archealogy/Linguistics.

[Kelso]

I'll be okay with the Arthurian mythology as long as they make use of it. If it was just thrown into Avalon as filler... I will be disappointed.

[QuiGonJohn]

I'd also like to see some society built around Tibetan Mythology!