Well, this just proves it to me: Rob Cooper is just awesome. Along with Time, Justice and Lost, Aftermath will go down as one of my favourites in the SGU run. But, if I had to make one complaint about it, it would be this: they crammed too much in. I would've much preferred for the Lucian Alliance to actually get their own episode with Rush in the background figuring out clues, followed by Rush finding the bridge and the whole Riley thing in the next episode. You see, with a title like Aftermath, I was expecting an actual aftermath, a whole episode's worth, of the Lucian Alliance Incursion. Instead, it was like an Afterthought.
Maybe I'll be proved wrong in the coming weeks, but I think we could've benefited from more of an issue being made of the Lucian Alliance - why is Varro sane, why did Ginn finally step up and kill Dannic, what's up with Simeon, where does Telford stand with both sides - and of Rush actually, you know, maybe working on the mastercode just a bit (Or at least hunting down the bridge or something). With the first, we kinda lack a more fleshed resolution I thought SGU's style of storytelling was going to take, and with the second, we get Rush randomly figuring out the mastercode between episodes, finding the bridge and then promptly screwing stuff up.
But I digress. Maybe it's the writers deciding to buckle to the faster storytelling or something, but in the end, I'll survive - Aftermath was still fantastic as is, and me wanting more is just me wanting more. I'm crazy like that.
I liked how the three big storylines played off of each other. Because the Lucians were eating their food, the Destiny crew were willing to try any planet so as not to starve to death. Because Rush found the bridge and how to control Destiny, he decided to get some food as soon as he could and stopped at the super-rotation planet. Because of all that, the team was sent, even though the planet wrecked their shuttle. Young was so distracted by dealing with the shuttle crash that a riot went on, and that pissed him off to the point to kick the Lucians off... blah blah blah, we know how it goes. But still, great.
Now, to Riley. My favourite side character. Who within the first few episodes became one of my favourite Stargate characters. Of all time. And he died.
Well, at least it wasn't an exploding tumour.
In seriousness, I kinda pegged Riley as dead (He did get shot in Incursion 2 after all - he could've been shot and killed right there and then), or dead-to-come. It sucks, but I don't mind, because it was a good death. It was built-up, highlighted all kinds of hopelessness, and ended in a way I would never see coming - having my favourite main character suffocate (With eye contact and all) my favourite side character in a downright gutwrenching scene... It was great to watch, while being depressing.
Poor Young. Dude's sliding downhill fast - I got a kick out of Rush's "The man is mentally unstable!" crack. Yeah guy, nice one. You killed Riley, Rush. That's not a good thing in my book. The bridge stuff was interesting - the Gloria hallucination I liked (Louise Lombard <3), and I just know Young is going to be a mite angry when he finds out that Rush hid this from him. I know I would, and I'm not as psychotic as Young.
Everyone else was there, and they were cool. Chloe's lack of screentime was kinda meh, but her one scene at least highlighted that she and Scott are still going strong. Bet nobody saw that coming. I've been keeping a closer eye on Scott, and he's doing pretty great so far - he just needs one shining moment right now, something to make him stand out and make me cheer. Greer is Greer, always fun. Poor Eli, though - he and Riley were buds, and this whole thing must be sucky to him. Poor TJ (Though I like that Park knows about her baby too - I think she and TJ have a great, understated, friendship). Wray and Telford were cool beans - I liked that they weren't actively plotting or scheming. Good for them.
Overall, a great episode only slightly let down by the fact I wanted to see more, but eh. Oh, and Ginn is awesome. RIP Riley.
Maybe I'll be proved wrong in the coming weeks, but I think we could've benefited from more of an issue being made of the Lucian Alliance - why is Varro sane, why did Ginn finally step up and kill Dannic, what's up with Simeon, where does Telford stand with both sides - and of Rush actually, you know, maybe working on the mastercode just a bit (Or at least hunting down the bridge or something). With the first, we kinda lack a more fleshed resolution I thought SGU's style of storytelling was going to take, and with the second, we get Rush randomly figuring out the mastercode between episodes, finding the bridge and then promptly screwing stuff up.
But I digress. Maybe it's the writers deciding to buckle to the faster storytelling or something, but in the end, I'll survive - Aftermath was still fantastic as is, and me wanting more is just me wanting more. I'm crazy like that.
I liked how the three big storylines played off of each other. Because the Lucians were eating their food, the Destiny crew were willing to try any planet so as not to starve to death. Because Rush found the bridge and how to control Destiny, he decided to get some food as soon as he could and stopped at the super-rotation planet. Because of all that, the team was sent, even though the planet wrecked their shuttle. Young was so distracted by dealing with the shuttle crash that a riot went on, and that pissed him off to the point to kick the Lucians off... blah blah blah, we know how it goes. But still, great.
Now, to Riley. My favourite side character. Who within the first few episodes became one of my favourite Stargate characters. Of all time. And he died.
Well, at least it wasn't an exploding tumour.
In seriousness, I kinda pegged Riley as dead (He did get shot in Incursion 2 after all - he could've been shot and killed right there and then), or dead-to-come. It sucks, but I don't mind, because it was a good death. It was built-up, highlighted all kinds of hopelessness, and ended in a way I would never see coming - having my favourite main character suffocate (With eye contact and all) my favourite side character in a downright gutwrenching scene... It was great to watch, while being depressing.
Poor Young. Dude's sliding downhill fast - I got a kick out of Rush's "The man is mentally unstable!" crack. Yeah guy, nice one. You killed Riley, Rush. That's not a good thing in my book. The bridge stuff was interesting - the Gloria hallucination I liked (Louise Lombard <3), and I just know Young is going to be a mite angry when he finds out that Rush hid this from him. I know I would, and I'm not as psychotic as Young.
Everyone else was there, and they were cool. Chloe's lack of screentime was kinda meh, but her one scene at least highlighted that she and Scott are still going strong. Bet nobody saw that coming. I've been keeping a closer eye on Scott, and he's doing pretty great so far - he just needs one shining moment right now, something to make him stand out and make me cheer. Greer is Greer, always fun. Poor Eli, though - he and Riley were buds, and this whole thing must be sucky to him. Poor TJ (Though I like that Park knows about her baby too - I think she and TJ have a great, understated, friendship). Wray and Telford were cool beans - I liked that they weren't actively plotting or scheming. Good for them.
Overall, a great episode only slightly let down by the fact I wanted to see more, but eh. Oh, and Ginn is awesome. RIP Riley.
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