'Aftermath' (202) General Discussion

[General Jumper One]

You're right, but still, it doesn't make that any less stupid and pointless.

You don't have to kill off characters people enjoy to pretend to be "gritty".

It makes it worse that they've killed one of the few comedic characters that are actually on the show. One of the biggest complaints about SGU was its lack of humour, and they've addressed that complaint by cutting off more sources where that humour could come from.

tv shows don't have to have humor in them for them to be good

[Lt.Colonel John Sheppard]

Stargate weighs 64,000tons.

[Sue_Jackson]

NOOOOOOO!!!! Not Riley!! Why'd he hafta die???

[jelgate]

NOOOOOOO!!!! Not Riley!! Why'd he hafta die???

Character shields are less pretective in SGU

[Skygate]

tv shows don't have to have humor in them for them to be good

But it helps to lighten the mood and variate the tone.

Riley was one of the few mood lighteners.

[Commander Zelix]

Not that I should have to point this out, but...

This show is not an anthology of one-off self-contained stories. It is a series.

You probably haven't read my post before making that comment since I mention a great episode like Peter on Fringe as being an example of an emotional episode with a great plot too. Its possible to do both, but SGU writers decide not to do so. They prefer flimsy plot with a lot of melodrama on the side. The boring kind imo. "Sniff sniff Riley is going to die" is really basic to me. A cheap barebone way to create emotions. Peter's story has much more depth imo.

[GateroomGuard]

Now I realize why TJ is simply a medic and not a full M.D. yet.

She would have been killed off already.

If Riley can die then no one is safe. Well none of the secondary characters are safe anyway, the main cast is still completely safe as always.

[VampyreWraith]

I was sad to see Riley die but I think it was dealt with well as far as having a character die goes. I really liked the character, and I'll miss him. I thought it was a really good ep overall though. I really liked the Rush and wife scenes. I liked Wray more this episode than I usually do, and Young a bit less.

[Carter1994]

I now despise irony with a passion. Just this evening a friend and I were discussing how another show we watch is so good at producing tear-jerkers, whereas we didn't think even killing off Riley would elicit such emotions.

WE TAKE IT BACK! For heaven's sake, we take it back!! It could've been anyone, anyone else PTB... why? I did find it interesting that Young had been apparently holding his breath, i.e., making sure he didn't kill Riley. Young just did it long enough to render him unconscious, thus putting the sergeant out of his pain.

Oh, and any and all character development for Rush? Whoosh! There it goes, out the cracked window of that poor downed shuttle.

[TheHomegaMan]

You probably haven't read my post before making that comment since I mention a great episode like Peter on Fringe as being an example of an emotional episode with a great plot too. Its possible to do both, but SGU writers decide not to do so. They prefer flimsy plot with a lot of melodrama on the side. The boring kind imo. "Sniff sniff Riley is going to die" is really basic to me. A cheap barebone way to create emotions. Peter's story has much more depth imo.

I did read your post, but kudos on the baseless assumption.

This episode was partly emotion, but to wholly discount the plot, as you so clearly did, is ridiculous. Unless you're sitting on the next few episodes, you lack the necessary context. "Peter" worked as a standalone that set things up for the rest of the season. We don't really know yet with "Aftermath". I mean, you pretty blatantly left out the "Rush finds the bridge" part of then plot. If you willfully ignore major plot points, I just can't take you seriously when you say that an episode lacks plot.

You're right, but still, it doesn't make that any less stupid and pointless.

You don't have to kill off characters people enjoy to pretend to be "gritty".

It makes it worse that they've killed one of the few comedic characters that are actually on the show. One of the biggest complaints about SGU was its lack of humour, and they've addressed that complaint by cutting off more sources where that humour could come from.

The fact that you're this pissed off by Riley's death shows that the writers pulled off their goal: you've felt the death of a minor character, and have responded to it. That sounds pretty good to me.

Or are you seriously arguing for character shields for minor characters?

[Sairnath]

Another thought. Aren't they now out of shuttles? Could have sworn they only had two. One was left behind on the Faith Planet and now one crashed and burned.

[hedwig]

Just as a reference regarding the gate in this episode - if you all recall SG1's "Memento" (season 6), where the Tagrean gate was found buried, it took at least a dozen big husky men with ropes and pulleys and a couple of large pieces of equipment to raise the gate from being flat. There's no way our small band of survivors could have raised the gate in this episode with their bare hands and some C4.

Regardless of what Young has done thus far, I feel quite sorry for him. Along with everything else that's happened, he's also lost a child (yes, it was TJ's baby, but we need to remember it was Young's child, too), and as much as he hated doing it, he killed one of his own men with his bare hands. And he has to contend with all the animosity of people pointing fingers at him and saying he failed them. It's no wonder he might be losing it (for now).

And I'm back to having no sympathy for Rush. In my mind, he's directly responsible for Riley's death, because had he simply told the truth from the beginning, that would not have happened; they also wouldn't have lost the only remaining shuttle ... and he's got the nerve to be pointing fingers at Young and saying he's not fit to command anything. Hello - pot calling kettle black?

[Selene1212]

I did find it interesting that Young had been apparently holding his breath, i.e., making sure he didn't kill Riley. Young just did it long enough to render him unconscious, thus putting the sergeant out of his pain.

Dude was totally dead and TJ knew Young did it.

Note: Stargate can't function laying down as it needed to be able to spin to dial up Destiny.

Btw, when did the ancients start adding DHD's to the Stargates? I don't think we've seen any at all in SGU yet.

[morbosfist]

The gates in SGU use those remotes. The Ancients built DHDs for the networks in Pegasus and the Milky Way. They're supposed to be easy to use.

[themeatcleaver]

Dude was totally dead and TJ knew Young did it.

Note: Stargate can't function laying down as it needed to be able to spin to dial up Destiny.

Btw, when did the ancients start adding DHD's to the Stargates? I don't think we've seen any at all in SGU yet.

wow dude you totally proved me wrong on the laying down thing! correction... milky way gates can work laying down. Destiny gates CANT because the whole thing spins! Good catch!

/cant believe no one else called me out on that