'Life' (109) General Discussion

[Landers]

This whole body swapping for sex is really getting sick. And then we get our fearless leader, Young, swapping bodies by impersonating a scientist, just so he can beat up someone he dislikes. How stupid is that? His wife told him there was no affair, but of course he can sleep around with TJ, right?

Add that horrid twangy song at the end and. . .

Ugh, this was so bad it isn't worth discussing.

[ZoSo]

But I think the show is relying on those stones too much, and I think it is taking the quality away from the show.

I agree. Its hard for the audience to feel like the team is stranded ala Atlantis season 1 when they can visit Earth whenever they want.

[Jeff O'Connor]

I agree. Its hard for the audience to feel like the team is stranded ala Atlantis season 1 when they can visit Earth whenever they want.

Yeah, I was really looking forward to seeing a darker, deeper version of Atlantis S1. Unfortunately, it's (ironically) a lighter angle.

[Coronach]

I didn't mind the Camille/Sharon scenes, though I won't say I'm in love with them, either. The Scott scenes were just really not my drink. Anything involving 'YOU HAVE A SON' moments rubs me the wrong way and I don't even know why. I've probably just seen it a billion, billion times and don't want to see it anymore. It doesn't help that I don't really care for children, anyway.

I'm glad to see someone else agrees with me on the Young/Telford thing. Another issue I have with it, though, is that I don't feel... anything regarding Young's wife. No offense to her actress on a personal level, but the woman doesn't do a damn thing for me. And they gave her too much makeup, too. She just strikes me as so jarringly housewife-esque from what little we can see of her character's day-to-day life, that I'd rather Young was done with her and worked more on the ship.

I see what you mean. In fact, it's not so much the fact that Lt. Scott had a son that intrigued me. It's more (as I said) the way he reacted to it. Despite what people think about Lt. Scott, my impression of him is that he is someone who is caring and really tries to do the "right" thing. I really liked how he felt guilty over the situation his ex was in, even though it wasn't really his fault given that he was never told.

Regarding Young's wife, I'm in a tough position. I do like the actress and I think she does a great job portraying her. On the other hand, I'm not sold on the idea that she is actually the right one for Young. His scenes with TJ resonate with me far more, and I'm really not sure why yet. Perhaps it's because TJ also comes across as such a caring person. I'm not sure, but I'm certainly interested to see where all of this goes.

And just to help elaborate on my feelings, I can at least admit that I think SGU could certainly use a healthy dose of action too...it's just that I'm not displeased with the show overall. I feel like TPTB have the right idea for how to run this kind of show, but perhaps they just won't pull it off perfectly in season 1. In any case, I'm enjoying the show enough that I'll be sticking with it to see where it goes

I'm not worried.

[les fleurs]

"I read"--- best line of the episode.

Thought this episode was good.

[jelgate]

I agree. Its hard for the audience to feel like the team is stranded ala Atlantis season 1 when they can visit Earth whenever they want.

I don't see so much as relying on the stones as more of a different avenue for storytelling

[Coronach]

This whole body swapping for sex is really getting sick.

There was no body-swap sex in this episode at all.

And then we get our fearless leader, Young, swapping bodies by impersonating a scientist, just so he can beat up someone he dislikes. How stupid is that? His wife told him there was no affair, but of course he can sleep around with TJ, right?

This was my initial reaction, but then I realized it was heavily implied that Telford was deliberately trying to sabotage Young's relationship with his wife simply for revenge.

Ugh, this was so bad it isn't worth discussing.

Well, that's a defeatist attitude

[qksilver99]

before anyone ask:
flogging molly - the worst day since yesterday

thank you!!!!!

[Saquist]

10. This rocks
9. It's tight
8. pretty good
7. not bad
6. I've seen better
5. Average
4. I'm seasick
3. Eat my shorts
2. One word....
1. Kill me.

It was a 6/10

There was nothing special here.
+2 points for Character development
+2 points for The Rush Twist
+2 Point for the Telford Young slug.

-2 for predictable you're a father routine
-2 Unfocused and threaded character plots

[Yoshi442]

Gag me....please.

Shall I tie you up first


Amusing episode, although I could've done without the Young/Telford drama. Are these high-ranking military officials or high school boys in a *** measuring contest?

[Saquist]

10. This rocks
9. It's tight
8. pretty good
7. not bad
6. I've seen better
5. Average
4. I'm seasick
3. Eat my shorts
2. One word....
1. Kill me.

It was a 6/10

There was nothing special here.
+2 points for Character development
+2 points for The Rush Twist
+2 Point for the Telford Young slug.

-2 for predictable you're a father routine
-2 Unfocused and threaded character plots

Check that....5/10 average

I'm taking a point away from character development
and -1 point for the music/song at the begining and end of the episode.
That was annoying and hokey.

[Jeff O'Connor]

I see what you mean. In fact, it's not so much the fact that Lt. Scott had a son that intrigued me. It's more (as I said) the way he reacted to it. Despite what people think about Lt. Scott, my impression of him is that he is someone who is caring and really tries to do the "right" thing. I really liked how he felt guilty over the situation his ex was in, even though it wasn't really his fault given that he was never told.

Hmm, good point. I liked that, too. While I wouldn't react quite the same as him, this is probably the first of the three Stargate series in which I get the feeling the writers aren't assuming I would react as a main character reacts and writing their characters accordingly. (See: All the times particularly in SG-1 in which 'our heroes' would do something 'good' and we'd be automatically expected to embrace it, and I'd often come away from the episode subtracting points for it.) I do like how SGU gives us this dynamic and more opportunity for us to question whether or not we agree with someone's actions instead of giving the answers to us on a silver platter.

Regarding Young's wife, I'm in a tough position. I do like the actress and I think she does a great job portraying her. On the other hand, I'm not sold on the idea that she is actually the right one for Young. His scenes with TJ resonate with me far more, and I'm really not sure why yet. Perhaps it's because TJ also comes across as such a caring person. I'm not sure, but I'm certainly interested to see where all of this goes.

I didn't really think TJ would catch on with me until a couple of episodes, but recently I've come to the option that she typically enhances the scenes with everyone else she's around. She's great. As for Young's wife, well, hell, I can't even remember the character's name offhand. I don't know, she just doesn't do it for me. So the Young/Telford conflict, for the most part, doesn't do it for me as an end result. If they were fighting over TJ instead, I'd get some kind of emotional reaction out of it. Not that that would work, but still.

And just to help elaborate on my feelings, I can at least admit that I think SGU could certainly use a healthy dose of action too...it's just that I'm not displeased with the show overall. I feel like TPTB have the right idea for how to run this kind of show, but perhaps they just won't pull it off perfectly in season 1. In any case, I'm enjoying the show enough that I'll be sticking with it to see where it goes

I'm not worried.

I'm largely in the same camp, although I am worried. I'd probably give the show a 7 right now. Five of those seven points are from absolutely stand-out amazing moments in the franchise, though, so that's important to point out. The remaining two are from things I've seen that I could see evolving and becoming better, like you said about the first season being rocky but latter years being potentially grand, given what the writers are (hopefully) learning along the way, here. The three points I'm subtracting have a lot to do with the (IMO) needless and relentless sex, the subplots I don't care for and certain scenes, like Chloe's angst at the nightclub in 'Earth'.

7/10 is far from a death knell for me, though. But I hope it cranks up to a 10 by the end of the year.

In any case, I'm off for the night, or at least until a couple of hours from now. It was fun bouncing back and forth a bit with you.

[Cecil Brax]

Well,

I have to say this episode was a rollercoaster of high and low points.

Some of the High Points:

Young and Telford going head to head.
Rush giving the crew false hope.
Spencer going increasingly ‘aggressive’ the longer he is on the ship.
More information about the seeder ships.
Some new interactions between the non-Main Cast of the show.
A ‘flaw’ in the communication stones.
A little more Scott back story.

Low Points:

Eli seemed to have very little real purpose in this episode.
Once again, Chloe seemed to have very little purpose.
One Word: Wray.
A little more Scott back story.

I did list Scott twice, because while some of the elements of his interactions with the mother of his child were good, others were not so much. We see that he is a man of honor, and does want to take care of his family. Unfortunately, they chose one of the most cliché directions to take his character which is the “Child he didn’t know about” angle. That unfortunately, is a little more Soap Opera then previous weeks. After so much great interaction with his character last week, taking his character down the ‘mystery child’ road really I felt hurt the storyline. All the people who say “It’s a Space Opera” are only going to feel more justified in this.

We did however get to see some ‘Scott’ depression moments, and him retreating to the ship for some quiet time like that is really his place. Unfortunately Eli’s scene with him, while realistic, I felt really didn’t help his character. It may have exposed a character weakness, but it was kind of like the producers grabbed a dead fish and whacked us over the head with it going “SEE! SEE! He has a weakness!” until we were blind in one eye.

Eli did have some good moments, like working on the “Stargate Powered by the Star” plan, as well as him showing he was trying to get in shape working out with Chloe.

However, Chloe really lost more points with me this week which is hard to do since she hasn’t built many. He going to Eli and telling him about Scott’s kid? That just seemed wrong. If he wanted everyone to know I have a feeling Scott would have said something himself. She actually seemed Jealous about a woman who was literally billions of light-years away. She seemed to have little positive scenes in this episode. While she is ‘slowly’ being fleshed out, the season is almost half over and she has so little positive influence on the crew as of this point.

Now … Rush and Young. That was some classic battle of the minds this episode. Rush showed a big flaw by not wanting to get in the chair himself but wanting someone else to sacrifice themselves. Young stood up and showed he was in charge, and really dropped the hammer on Rush this time around. While Rush did it for a good reason, what he did was actually very wrong and very misplaced. If he wanted to give false hope he should have gone through Young for that, but his own agenda certainly didn’t help his cause. I think it was a really good character conflict storyline.

I like how this episode they made it about the technology, as well as the characters. You got to see some character development, but you also got to see some technology development. They are repairing the ship, finding things, trying to grow some food, working on long term goals. I really felt like this episode in the end they actually ‘got’ somewhere and not just ran around in circles around the characters themselves. While the bulk focused on the characters, three quarters of the storyline was about the characters, and half was about the ship. How does that work you ask? Well, because a good chunk of the character development centered around the discoveries and long term plans on the ship. We even got to see a flaw in the stones involving residual memory.

Finally, Wray. I don’t know how else to say this, but I think I dislike her more then Chloe. As one of the high ranking members of the IOA she completely abused some young woman’s body by engaging in intimacy with her partner. I have nothing against same sex relationships, but the young woman she was inhabiting might. What if she is having a dream one night and it ends up being in her residual memory. How is that fair to her? I have a feeling this will come up again later. Now, I’m not mad about it on a personal level, but from a character perspective it is a major violation of her ‘host’ bodies privacy. While I got some insight into her character, none of it was positive especially how she spread what Rush did around the whole ship when it could have been contained. It really showed a major flaw in her character. I certainly don’t wish her off the show, but she will probably be a character I like to dislike kind of like how McKay started out for some, or Mayborn in SG1’s earlier years.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode from a storyline standpoint, though I think this episode really hurt the development of some of the characters. Still, it was an interesting episode to watch.

Post number 100! I figured I would submit an ‘official’ review for my first triple digit post. Thanks for reading, if you got through it all.

- Cecil Brax

[ZoSo]

This whole body swapping for sex is really getting sick. And then we get our fearless leader, Young, swapping bodies by impersonating a scientist, just so he can beat up someone he dislikes. How stupid is that? His wife told him there was no affair, but of course he can sleep around with TJ, right?

That's what Telford said, but its a lie. At least that's the way I interpreted it. The scene a couple episodes back with TJ and Young kissing was just a dream.

But yeah, the writers are certainly not putting any limits on the body swapping thing. Its not getting my panties in a bunch, but I definitely don't blame anyone who reacts that way.

[GateLadyM]

There was no body-swap sex in this episode at all.

I guess you missed the lesbian thing, right? Its bad enough we've had Young using other bodies for sex, but would you like to be the "volunteer" for Wray to visit her lesbo lover? Uh, that was a whole bunch of squick!

I know Young hates Telford, but using the stones and faking his identity just to go punch someone is beyond unprofessional. But I guess its okay to bang away on TJ and get upset over a perceived affair. *shakes head* I was just starting to like the guy but now he is at the bottom of the list with Lt. BORE Scott and the useless Chloe.

Definitely the worst episode so far. So bad I'm not sure I'm coming back for more.