'Human' (114) General Discussion

[Sami_]

I love a good character driven episode but as politely as I can say it, Human was not one of them.

I don't really fault the actors for Human I think they did the best that they could with a poor script, the one part of the episode I thought was almost good was when Rush got up at the table and held his wifes hand but we could bearly see his expression because the lighting was so bright - a potentially amazing scene completely ruined by ridiculously bad lighting.

DS9 - The Visitor, thats a great character driven piece of science-fiction.

[The Mighty 6 platoon]

You know what, I'm beginning to really enjoy SGU. It started out a bit shaky and for weeks there, there was always something for me to hate with each new episode (though I still enjoyed the majority of them).

But this episode is yet another episode where SGU just "goes there", another episode which made me completely fall in love with the show again. Because it's a sci-fi show, yet it still goes "there".

What's "there"? Two words: "Light" and "Human".

Episodes where there are next-to or actually no action, episodes driven by character development, inter-character relationships and interactions, emotional drama. SGU is a Sci-Fi Drama (like almost every single other Sci-Fi show out there). Sci-Fi writers often neglect the "drama" part and go all-action-all-the-time and that just ends up being boring to me.

Of course, this type of episode often draws the ire of viewers, most often American, because they aren't used to, especially not on a Sci-Fi show, narratives that are slow, subdued and which rely on character development instead of action. Both episodes begot hate-threads, heck, "Light" begot two (at the very least!)!

But you know what? As a viewer of Japanese and Asian cinema, of a lot of films and television shows that aren't American, where each minute isn't filled with action, where there's not things going on the screen every single second, I welcome these kinds of episodes.

Just because there's a few minutes in an episode where there's not much happening besides two characters sitting around talking doesn't mean those minutes were uneventful! Those characters might just have gotten more character development during those few minutes than they got for the past 10 episodes where they were involved in high-speed action!

"Human" made me cry. I cried when Rush talked with "Gloria" at the end there. There was so much going on in that subdued scene. The emotions on display, the acting, the way they spoke. The actors did their job, they made me feel empathy, sadness and, ultimately, my eyes welled up and a I cried (not bawled, just a few tears).

Because it was good writing, good acting and just darngo**** good everything!

To those who did not like it Try it sometimes, because, really, if you can only be entertained by a movie/TV show if it's jam-packed full of action, then you really need to broaden your horizons.

You know amazingly I agree with you, however I do take issue with the bolded part. There's plenty of Asian cinema filled with action, I'm thinking particular Hong Kong films, a certain Mr John Woo started out there. I think films like Hard Boiled and the Killer managed to rack up more action than 10 American action films put together. Let's not get snooty and declare all American tv to be mindless action, and not delude ourselves that only Hollywood produces action films.

Neither should action be regarded as something that a sophisticated tv show can't have, plenty of gunfights in the Wire and that didn't stop it being the most praised tv show of all time. However what it did, and what I think SGU does is make sure that the story isn't playing second fiddle to the action. They are telling a story over the course of the series and the action comes at appropriate points in the stories, rather than tptb shoehorning it into every episode as if to fulfil some quota.

[Lord Hurin]

Yes, yes, YES! This ep made me feel for Rush, and also made me do a complete 180 on Louise Lombard's acting skills. Damn CSI for casting doubt over her abilities!

Just to kind of play Devil's Advocate here though: I think this kind of show needs a balance. Not all action, not all drama but a sort of fusion of the two. From the sounds of things though,

Spoiler:

we should be getting some action in the last few episodes of the season.

[xxxevilgrinxxx]

You know amazingly I agree with you, however I do take issue with the bolded part. There's plenty of Asian cinema filled with action, I'm thinking particular Hong Kong films, a certain Mr John Woo started out there. I think films like Hard Boiled and the Killer managed to rack up more action than 10 American action films put together. Let's not get snooty and declare all American tv to be mindless action, and not delude ourselves that only Hollywood produces action films.

Neither should action be regarded as something that a sophisticated tv show can't have, plenty of gunfights in the Wire and that didn't stop it being the most praised tv show of all time. However what it did, and what I think SGU does is make sure that the story isn't playing second fiddle to the action. They are telling a story over the course of the series and the action comes at appropriate points in the stories, rather than tptb shoehorning it into every episode as if to fulfil some quota.

assumptions are always bad
I have to applaud TPTB for not going that route. I hope they stay true to the story they're letting unfold

[SG7]

Yes, yes, YES! This ep made me feel for Rush, and also made me do a complete 180 on Louise Lombard's acting skills. Damn CSI for casting doubt over her abilities!

Just to kind of play Devil's Advocate here though: I think this kind of show needs a balance. Not all action, not all drama but a sort of fusion of the two. From the sounds of things though,

Spoiler:

we should be getting some action in the last few episodes of the season.

Agreed! Sometimes an actor/actress is ether given something crappy or barely anything to work with in regards to the writing. If you have bad writing, then it makes all that much more difficault for an actor to translate that into a good scene. Bad writing will still be bad writing. And personally I think that SGU has had some fantastic writing thus far into the series.

We don't need to have a lot of action in every episode for it to be good. Just like we don't need to have every episode be completely filled with drama and character development. Finding the balance is what makes a show a top notch show!

[SG7]

Neither should action be regarded as something that a sophisticated tv show can't have, plenty of gunfights in the Wire and that didn't stop it being the most praised tv show of all time. However what it did, and what I think SGU does is make sure that the story isn't playing second fiddle to the action. They are telling a story over the course of the series and the action comes at appropriate points in the stories, rather than tptb shoehorning it into every episode as if to fulfil some quota.

Point well said! I think that TPTB have found a nice balance of action and story/character development. And it does not feel as though they are cramming one or the other in to fill a quota. In watching "Faith", I have seen some of the best acting I have ever seen portrayed by Alaina Huffman. And yet it was not anything long and drawn out. Just her portraying the anguish that she is dealing with of being alone and pregnant, and on a ship millions of light years from home, and with the possibility of it being with the man that she ended an affair with a few month earlier.

And we then have before that, "Divided" where we see "Military" vs "civillian" and some of the action that came from that. We have a balance between the action and the drama/character development. With neither seeming to be forced into "specific" spots for what ever reasons (quota's etc)

[Replicator Todd]

Human was good, but if every episode was like this I would loose interest fast.

[s09119]

You know what, I'm beginning to really enjoy SGU. It started out a bit shaky and for weeks there, there was always something for me to hate with each new episode (though I still enjoyed the majority of them).

But this episode is yet another episode where SGU just "goes there", another episode which made me completely fall in love with the show again. Because it's a sci-fi show, yet it still goes "there".

What's "there"? Two words: "Light" and "Human".

Episodes where there are next-to or actually no action, episodes driven by character development, inter-character relationships and interactions, emotional drama. SGU is a Sci-Fi Drama (like almost every single other Sci-Fi show out there). Sci-Fi writers often neglect the "drama" part and go all-action-all-the-time and that just ends up being boring to me.

Of course, this type of episode often draws the ire of viewers, most often American, because they aren't used to, especially not on a Sci-Fi show, narratives that are slow, subdued and which rely on character development instead of action. Both episodes begot hate-threads, heck, "Light" begot two (at the very least!)!

But you know what? As a viewer of Japanese and Asian cinema, of a lot of films and television shows that aren't American, where each minute isn't filled with action, where there's not things going on the screen every single second, I welcome these kinds of episodes.

Just because there's a few minutes in an episode where there's not much happening besides two characters sitting around talking doesn't mean those minutes were uneventful! Those characters might just have gotten more character development during those few minutes than they got for the past 10 episodes where they were involved in high-speed action!

"Human" made me cry. I cried when Rush talked with "Gloria" at the end there. There was so much going on in that subdued scene. The emotions on display, the acting, the way they spoke. The actors did their job, they made me feel empathy, sadness and, ultimately, my eyes welled up and a I cried (not bawled, just a few tears).

Because it was good writing, good acting and just darngo**** good everything!

To those who did not like it: Try it sometimes, because, really, if you can only be entertained by a movie/TV show if it's jam-packed full of action, then you really need to broaden your horizons.

Wait, is this a FallenAngel post actually praising SGU!? The Apocalypse is upon us!

But seriously, glad you're finally starting to enjoy it

[carmencatalina]

I just finished lecturing to my class - at one point I asked a question covered in last week's lecture. No answer. The temptation to shout "Then what good are you? Get out!" was nearly overwhelming. However, I refrained.

Professor Rush - not always the best role model.

[SG7]

Human was good, but if every episode was like this I would loose interest fast.

Agreed. Hense why I love that SGU to me has seemed to find the balance between the action and the character development/drama.

I too would loose interest fast if all we had was one or the other.

[SG7]

I just finished lecturing to my class - at one point I asked a question covered in last week's lecture. No answer. The temptation to shout "Then what good are you? Get out!" was nearly overwhelming. However, I refrained.

Professor Rush - not always the best role model.

As I'm sure that would have went over with the rest of your collegues like the perverbial "concrete cloud" as my dad would say.

And then you would have been left with a class of students wondering if you had lost a marble on the way in that day!

[xxxevilgrinxxx]

Human was good, but if every episode was like this I would loose interest fast.

so far, IMO, there hasn't been a 'set' SGU formula as far as how much of something is in an episode or a minute by minute breakdown of what will happen. I like that

[xxxevilgrinxxx]

I just finished lecturing to my class - at one point I asked a question covered in last week's lecture. No answer. The temptation to shout "Then what good are you? Get out!" was nearly overwhelming. However, I refrained.

Professor Rush - not always the best role model.

when your students ask if you're done, you can screw up your face into a perfect RC and shout: We'll never be done!

[carmencatalina]

when your students ask if you're done, you can screw up your face into a perfect RC and shout: We'll never be done!

That's so perfect!

[mere earthling]

I too liked this episode, for me I need to be drawn in and beginning Human with Rush's dream was brilliant. I wanted to follow what was happening, I'll watch it action or not. That's how I like TV, to challenge my normal thought processes however mundane they are!