'Justice' (110) General Discussion

[Briangate78]

Where does it say officially that the 2nd half will be airing in January?
I tried looking on the Space site and couldn't find it.
Are we really sure? Cause I don't think that would be very beneficial to the show.

http://www.kelowna.com/2009/12/04/fi...-friday-dec-4/

* Stargate Universe reaches the halfway point of the popular sci-fi spinoff's first season, with its so-called "fall finale." The episode Justice finds military boss Col. Everett Young (Justin Louis) and scheming science dude Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) alone together on a remote planet that shows evidence of a new, undiscovered alien life form. And, yes, it ends with a cliffhanger. New episodes return in January. (Space, 10 ET/7 PT)

[DigiFluid]

Which isn't Space as the source...

[DigiFluid]

that doesn't change the fact that this thread is for 'discussion of the current episode and NO SPOILERS BEYOND IT'

so stop with the 'this is what's coming up' stuff please

Have I mentioned lately that I love you?

No I agree completely though. Episode discussion threads are for discussing the episode and AT MOST speculating on future episodes--not spoilers for future episodes.

[Cecil Brax]

i just dont know what im gonna do with myself until april now. there's only so many times i can re watch my sg-1 and atlantis collection before my roommates mutiny on me.

Headphones and a Portable DVD player are your best friend. I have that on my computer desk. hehe.

- CB

[MattSilver 3k]

I have to note, first off, that this was not intended to be the mid-season finale. Space, the next episode, was. It was the network's decision to stop here instead of by Space, and it works out fine - there's a neat little cliffhanger at the end of the episode about Rush being trapped on the Rocky Road Planet, and nearly everything else in the episode was resolved... And the episode was only predictable to the internet crowd because they were overexposed to this stuff - a big interview said Rush would try to frame Young, there were rumblings of a suicide, Spencer was pretty much a goner anyway... Didn't make the episode any less enjoyable.

So yeah, I loved it. Up there with Time, Light and Darkness as one of my favourites of this first half - Justice was a raging force of intrigue, mystery, interesting politics and some very questionable character choices.

To the obvious: Young and Rush. Young, as I've said for a while now, is the man. He has his moments of badassness and leadership stuff, but there's also his dark moments - the moments that make him inherently different than the previous SG-team leaders - that define him. Last week, he beats the living **** out of Telford. Another week, he has sex in Telford's body. This week, he condemns Rush to the planet without seeing ahead and wondering if Rush can still be of use. Don't get me wrong, though, Rush kind of deserved it, though his justification made me pause a little. Two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't know...

This show is really an ensemble, as this episode shows. I immediately noticed that Ming-Na's in the group with the Series Regulars, so good on her for that. It showed when she stepped up and did her thing without a morsel of previous IOA crap, that she can be a pretty competent leader. In a crisis? We'll see. But, her instant dislike of Greer and immediately fingering him seems a little harsh - or not, 'cause we really don't know how crazy-dark Ronald Greer could be underneath the quirky exterior. Greer was great - so damn loyal to Young, its admirable.

Scott, Eli and TJ were good too - Eli's conflicting emotions are pretty much laid out, and I wonder if he will bite Young in the ass come next half-season. Scott was the consummate military second-in-command, and his professionalism was impressive considering previous episodes. In Earth, Water and Air, he showed himself a decent soldier more than anything, and I respect that. TJ looked good with the tank-top, I'll say that! But seriously, there was nothing to hate about Alaina's performance.

Onto whom I consider to be the MVP of this episode - her first award, so good for her - it's Chloe! Wow, she stepped up and steeled herself mightily in those tribunal scenes. I was impressed with the writers for doing so, and finally giving the character an outlet for use. The back and forth between TJ, Chloe and Wray was pretty electrifying - the girls of SGU in full force! (James and Park were present as well, but didn't do that much. Still, previous episodes show them to be competent enough, so bonus points.)

Not much else to say, really. I thought that sudden shift from courtroom drama to planet exploration was off, but it felt fine in the end. I'm eagerly anticipating Space, for obvious reasons - intrigue in this new potential alien species, intrigue on whether or not Rush and Young will meet again... Oh, and if Franklin will be doing something important... Though, fingers crossed, I hope the chair renders him likeable!

[amconway]

Okaaay. Right. I think that's it for me. If it were just the complete change to ancient technology, the IOA running rampant with apparently no involvement of the SGC, never ever seeing a new technology work--or seeing the science to make it do so--and a myriad of other things, I might not feel like writing this show off before my self-imposed timeline of a full season, but it's way more than that. I'm just not interested in watching people that are supposed to be trained professionals in leadership positions go lord of the flies on each other at the worst possible time in place. Maybe I'll be less pissed off in four months, but right now? Chloe would be a better leader, and I mean that sincerely.

[jelgate]

Jelgate's Two Cents

And here we are once again. The mid-season finale has come and gone. As a viewer we tend to expect finales and premieres to raise the bar if you. We expect them to be of higher quality. So that raises the question did Justice achieves this goal? And I say yes. It wasn't huge on action but to be quite frank SGU isn't a lot of shooting action show. It’s about the character. And I felt like the characters were raised a little bit in this episode and that was all interesting. Yes even you TJ. But as always let’s start from the beginning

Who said an angry man can't be funny. I loved Greer as he ate the "sweet potato." It was funny as he ate something that taste so terrible without flinching. Sadly that was all that was good about the teaser. Blame spoilers but I found the rest while entertaining was kind of predictable. Given the last few episodes it was kind of obvious that Spencer was the one who would wind up dead. At least it was for me. Who else saw that coming a mile away?

Now to the investigation. What is to their say? It was okay but their wasn't anything spectacular. I did really enjoy the tension between Young and Wray as they examine the corpse. Its fun for me to watch different ideologies clash with one another. At least it is for me. It tells me how a character thinks and acts. This scene also told me how knowledgeable TJ is but that is pretty self-explanatory. I was a little surprised that Young stepped down to have Scott lead the investigation but it does make logical sense. The air vent was too well hidden. And I think under real circumstance Eli wouldn't have found the gun. It just seemed like he was too smart for his own good

Now to the trial part. I dare anyone to say Chloe is useless. This has to be the highlight of the episode for me. Seeing Wray butt heads with everyone was awesome to watch. The way she tried to outsmart Rush but failed miserably. The way she and Chloe battled in and out the courtroom. As much as I try I can not put its awesomeness into to words. Their was so much tension as they tried to prove Young's innocence/guilt. Probably the highlight of the episode for me. And may I say that was not a verdict I was expecting. Yes I think it was obvious that Young was innocent but stepping down voluntarily was unexpected.

Before I forget I think Greer rallying the military troops to start a mutiny was to say a little shocking. Yes I can see it from. Greer. He doesn't respect the chain of command. Its more you earn Greer's trust and he will follow you. What did surprise me was how many people agreed to follow him. You think most of the military personnel would understand the importance of conducting law and order.

I suppose in logistic sense the next frame of topic is what I have dubbed "the repository chair." This is when I began suspect Rush. I had my doubts in the beginning but this is the first time I really suspected Rush. Wray being less "leadershippy" (Yes I made that word up) it was easier to manipulate her to suit Rush's needs. But here is the twist that I wasn't expecting. I expected Rush have someone used the chair, not study it. So that makes Franklin's actions all the more interesting. Why did he risk his lie life like that? Was just because of the chance to return home or was their some kind of motive? Furthermore did Rush or someone else persuade him? This has so many questions yet their are so few answers. But what would Stargate be without questions?

Is it trusting or is it naivety? Whatever the answer is Scott sure has a lot of faith in Col. Young. No matter what happened Scott trusted Young. It takes a lot of trust in a person to ask Eli to do something a second time. And it was here that I knew it had to be Rush. The deletion of the KINO time codes was just too sneaky to be anyone but Rush. It doesn't sound like that many other people would be knowledgeable enough to miss with such sophisticated piece of technology.

And that leads us into the climax of the story. I am of course talking about the ship on the alien planet. Not much was done with this piece of alien technology. But I suspect that it will play some kind of pivotal role in an upcoming episode especially when you consider Rush being trapped on that planet. Speaking of Rush I didn't think Young had it in him. I knew Rush would have some convoluted reason for doing what he did but Young beating him up and abandoning Rush was one twist I didn't think of.

But this incident raises an ethical debate on two parts. Was it right for Rush to frame Young like that and furthermore was it right for Young to abandon Rush like that. I don't care how much you hate a person or think he is unqualified for a job that doesn't warrant the right to frame a person for murder so I think Rush was wrong in the part a of my ethical dilemma. But I'm not so sure on part b. What Rush did was wrong but did the punishment fit the crime? I'm going to have to think that one.

As I close for the mid-season break it’s been tough at times writing these reviews late on Friday nights but it’s also been fun expressing my thoughts of an episode. I hope you had as much reading them as I had writing. Until Space everyone.

[Cecil Brax]

Okaaay. Right. I think that's it for me. If it were just the complete change to ancient technology, the IOA running rampant with apparently no involvement of the SGC, never ever seeing a new technology work--or seeing the science to make it do so--and a myriad of other things, I might not feel like writing this show off before my self-imposed timeline of a full season, but it's way more than that. I'm just not interested in watching people that are supposed to be trained professionals in leadership positions go lord of the flies on each other at the worst possible time in place. Maybe I'll be less pissed off in four months, but right now? Chloe would be a better leader, and I mean that sincerely.

As for leaders tabbing each other in the back at the worst time ... that just happened at my job during a regional visit from the people who report directly to the board of directors for the place I work. Some managers were stabbing each other in the back to save themselves. Trust me, very realistic if people want something and are selfish.

As for changes in ancient tech, that's to be expected when the Destiny is VERY old technology. Over millions of years, technology evolves. Rush even said something to that effect in the episode.

- CB

[AVFan]

Chloe would be a better leader, and I mean that sincerely.

The split second after I read it I thought you were an idiot for suggesting that. But after thinking about it for a little while, you're absolutely right. She's the only one who doesn't have a grudge against anyone (except Rush still maybe). She's unbiased because she is a civilian but her boyfriend (Scott, although I'm not sure if boyfriend is the right word) is part of the military. She also has some knowledge of politics because of her dad and school (I think?).

Only problem is she has little to no experience.

[Briangate78]

Ok so here is my take on Justice. It did it's job in keeping me interested in the 2nd half and to anticpate more the outcome. This episode went back to your Stargate formula. Suspense, Comic Relief, Action, Adventure, Exploration, and use of Ancient technology. The episode had it all.

Granted I've seen better mid-season finale eps like "The Storm" this episode still kept my interest. It raised a lot of moral questions and I always loved that. They did not use the stones, thank goodness! They kept with the plot and had the characters interact well with what was going on with the situation.

The whole Young and Rush thing has come to a head, and I cannot wait to see them together in the same room, which hopefully that will happen. I think SGU has now left the gates of the rollercoaster and now it's time to make those loopes and all kinds of dips and turns. I still think we need some kind of more action. The brawl at the end was nice, but we need something spectacular. All I can say it is glad that a main character has finally become so twisted like Rush. He always thinks for the greater of the good and the cost at someone's life or creditability. Young is no angel either and I question his actions for leaving Rush behind.

So this episode gets 9/10 on the GW poll and an A from me on the SyFy.com poll. I think the show needed to recover from "Life" and it did.

[randomking]

i personally think that there partners eli has nothing to go back to but his mom....could he be working with rush finding the gun just to look like he is agents him...that way when rush comes back (if at all) eli might stop the ship...or send a signal out for rush to follow?

[Spimman]

They didn't know about the ship when the suicide occurred, and Eli was playing poker at the time...no way to plan for that. This thread makes no sense.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

Spoiler:

rush wont fix the ship....robert carlyle has already said

Spoiler:

that in one episode he encounters an alien race that is studying him,interrogating him or torturing..or all 3...so i think its safe to assume somehow they get him back or he gets back when they attack.

Why did you even bother using spoiler tags for this? The part you didn't tag is enough to ruin it.

[Saquist]

Image this if you will...
A Good Episode.....
Without Sex...

We can do it...
We can make it smarter...
Faster...
Suspenseful...
We have the creativity....

[IrishPisano]

Young

Spoiler:

marooning Rush

= VERY NICE.....

(and great writing)