'Gauntlet' (220) General Discussion

[g.o.d]

Am I the only one dissapointed they didn't show O'Neill one laast time?

that would be waste of money

[AndSoItBegins]

that would be waste of money

Agreed.

[AndSoItBegins]

Wow.

Just wow.

That sure was emotional. It hit me harder than I expected.

This analogy may come across as insulting (that’s not my intent), but when I learned that SGU was cancelled it was like getting the bad news that a new and close friend was dying. I had months to prepare for it and thought I had steeled myself for the eventual passing. That passing away took place at about midnight on Monday (or Tuesday morning if you like) since I waited for the second broadcast on SyFy. As impacted as I was by it wasn’t until the following days that it really, really hit me. Basically it took the funeral for me to truly come to terms with my emotions.

These last few days I have been thinking a lot about SGU. Especially about the characters. I can’t get them out of my head. I won’t allow myself to cry but I can’t contain my melancholy. I most likely won’t be seeing these characters ever again. Monday the crew said not only goodbye to each other but to us, the audience. And what a perfect way for them to go about it with the stasis tubes. Simply brilliant. If it had ended at the table with all of them hearing a final toast then it would not have been as effective. But to see them all enter into a kind of sleeping chamber that would put them on “ice” for about three years was profoundly powerful and sad. I shouldn’t say “all” because one person made what could be the ultimate sacrifice. Eli’s decision at the end was a major highlight and allowed me to appreciate the character more than I ever have before. Now I can’t help but think of all the possibilities for these individuals. It is easy to say that they will survive, to want them all to survive. Heck, why not? It is our imagination. However it is just as easy to imagine that not everything will turn out alright which would be keeping with tradition for this show.

I know some are not happy that certain characters were not still around for the final toast but I think dividing up the sequences and times in which the crew went into stasis was the smart decision. It help distribute the wealth a bit throughout the last half of the show and gave individual characters their moment in the spotlight. First we got Varro. In the second part we saw James head off to sleep (a curious choice considering her role as a reliable officer for Young) and Barnes as well. Obviously TPTB were not thinking from the view point of the reality those characters inhabited but instead about which actors/actresses were considered to be the main leads rather than supporting players. But that’s okay. That allowed the Three Musketeers of Brody, Park and Volker to get their own moment in the sun when they went next. How much we have come to love those characters. There may not have been a goodbye that got me choked up as much as the quick handshake between Volker and Brody who are now basically brothers. A nice touch was Greer leading Park tenderly to her tube and taking her shades before stepping back. He looks sad as he stares at her and she is looking in his direction as if desperate to see him one last time but of course she can’t. Right behind Greer, staring directly at Park, is Volker already in his tube. How fitting, as others have pointed out, that even with his being directly across from Park she won’t be able to see him, just as she wasn’t able to “see” his feelings for her these last past months.

Then, for the fourth round, we see Scott and Chloe kiss goodbye before going into their pods, followed by Greer and TJ. When those guys shut down you know that, hey, this is really happening. The show is ending. Of course Young’s attention would be held by TJ as she goes into a state of hibernation. All the things he never said, never got a chance to….

Finally it is down to Rush, Young and Eli. Interesting how Young only nods in Rush’s direction. There are no handshakes between him and the two men. Rush may be “family” but the only people who would probably display real warmth to him are Camille and Chloe (reminds me that I almost saw a hint of sadness in Rush as he observed Chloe about to enter her tube). Eli does extend a handshake to Young buy Young declines and raps Eli in a bear hug instead before finally getting that overdue rest he was in need of.

The last moments with Eli have been discussed plenty so I won’t add on more other than to say they were beyond terrific. As was the final rear shot of Destiny flying beyond where our eyes could follow.

Of course these moments would not have been nearly as effective if it was not for the beautiful, haunting and hopeful score of music by Mr. Goldsmith. One thing Stargate does much better than Star Trek is its music. TPTB of modern Trek wanted to deemphasize music scores. TPTB of SG realized it is stupid to waste one of the most important components of storytelling for TV and film. Goldsmith had been coming up with great pieces these past two years for SGU and he did not disappoint for the finale.

Other things I liked about the episode:
-The frightening persistence of the drones. Putting blockades around every gate and star in the galaxy? Amazing. I don’t care if they don’t have a distinct personality or a figurehead that could speak with the crew of Destiny. They were a GREAT enemy who in the second half of season two really caused all sorts of problems and permanent change to the crew. And, yes, the drones do represent the fans who hated SGU to me.

-Camille’s story regarding her sorrowful breakup with Sharon.

-Young walking away as Park discovers that her blindness may be permanent.

-TJ’s bitter but brave speech to Chloe about accepting the hand that is dealt you.

-Greer’s private talk with Park about the growing list of obstacles. She was right to think that Greer could possibly volunteer to be one of the eight. I love Greer’s response about how they goy into the situation together and should get out of it together as well.

-Park sharing her plan with Young and others on the bridge and the lift that gives her spirit as she understands she can still be useful. The handholding with Greer was nice as well.

-And while I’m on the subject of Park that shot of her on Earth, thru stone use, in which she was allowed to see once more was heartbreaking. Kudos to Ms Spence for portraying the emotion perfectly. I would think TPTB would have preferred a more sunny day to shoot that scene but perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps that would have been too much of a cliché. And for Park it probably doesn’t matter if it is rainy or if the skies were blue. She just wanted to see again.

-After making him look like a jerk most of this season they allowed us a moment to remember that Mortensen (sp? I think that is his name) is not some bad guy who doesn’t contribute to the ship.

-Young’s speech around the table. Short but sweet. Great work by the writers and or directors to have the camera focus on Eli, Greer and TV respectively when Young mentioned the words “the smartest”, “the bravest” and “the most compassionate”. Very nice touch.

-And perhaps it was just me but when everyone seemed to full to eat but Greer still had a strong appetite, I thought it was an inside joke regarding Jamil’s reputation for always eating heavy loads of catered food between shooting (something I learned by listening to the commentaries of the season 1 DVDs).

-Young and Telford’s final talk and handshake. Telford’s line about some of them having a few more gray hairs when they next would meet was an example of how real these characters come across to me.

That’s all I can think of as of now. I probably missed a few things but that’s unimportant. All I have left to say is the only final episode of a sci fi show that moved me as much as “Gauntlet” was Babylon 5’s “Sleeping In Light”. And it is no coincidence that both had a soaring score to accompany them. Interesting how both shows produced those marvelous finales despite being in states of uncertainty. When “Sleeping In Light” was filmed B5 was not ensured at the time of getting a fifth season so the ep jumped twenty years in time as a wrapup. Fortunately for B5 it did get that final season and “Sleeping in Light” was fittingly able to slide at the end of season five rather than season four. SGU didn’t get that lucky. But it provided a classic finale nonetheless.

Goodbye, my friends. Sleep well.

[Baltic]

Too bad the stargate is ended. It is possible they continue this massive franchise


But you may look this thread: http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/8...ate-Chronicles

[garhkal]

How can one view that page.. when i click on it, i get

"Sorry, garhkal! You do not have access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. If you've recently signed up, your new account may still be awaiting activation. Have you received your validation e-mail?
2. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. Only advanced members may add items to the Calendar. Check the FAQ for more info."

[jelgate]

How can one view that page.. when i click on it, i get

"Sorry, garhkal! You do not have access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. If you've recently signed up, your new account may still be awaiting activation. Have you received your validation e-mail?
2. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. Only advanced members may add items to the Calendar. Check the FAQ for more info."

It usually means its been suck in for moderation

[Pharaoh Atem]

How can one view that page.. when i click on it, i get

"Sorry, garhkal! You do not have access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. If you've recently signed up, your new account may still be awaiting activation. Have you received your validation e-mail?
2. Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. Only advanced members may add items to the Calendar. Check the FAQ for more info."

the mods pulled the thread for some reason

[garhkal]

Hrm!

[generaloneill]

Wow.

Just wow.

That sure was emotional. It hit me harder than I expected.

This analogy may come across as insulting (that’s not my intent), but when I learned that SGU was cancelled it was like getting the bad news that a new and close friend was dying. I had months to prepare for it and thought I had steeled myself for the eventual passing. That passing away took place at about midnight on Monday (or Tuesday morning if you like) since I waited for the second broadcast on SyFy. As impacted as I was by it wasn’t until the following days that it really, really hit me. Basically it took the funeral for me to truly come to terms with my emotions.

These last few days I have been thinking a lot about SGU. Especially about the characters. I can’t get them out of my head. I won’t allow myself to cry but I can’t contain my melancholy. I most likely won’t be seeing these characters ever again. Monday the crew said not only goodbye to each other but to us, the audience. And what a perfect way for them to go about it with the stasis tubes. Simply brilliant. If it had ended at the table with all of them hearing a final toast then it would not have been as effective. But to see them all enter into a kind of sleeping chamber that would put them on “ice” for about three years was profoundly powerful and sad. I shouldn’t say “all” because one person made what could be the ultimate sacrifice. Eli’s decision at the end was a major highlight and allowed me to appreciate the character more than I ever have before. Now I can’t help but think of all the possibilities for these individuals. It is easy to say that they will survive, to want them all to survive. Heck, why not? It is our imagination. However it is just as easy to imagine that not everything will turn out alright which would be keeping with tradition for this show.

I know some are not happy that certain characters were not still around for the final toast but I think dividing up the sequences and times in which the crew went into stasis was the smart decision. It help distribute the wealth a bit throughout the last half of the show and gave individual characters their moment in the spotlight. First we got Varro. In the second part we saw James head off to sleep (a curious choice considering her role as a reliable officer for Young) and Barnes as well. Obviously TPTB were not thinking from the view point of the reality those characters inhabited but instead about which actors/actresses were considered to be the main leads rather than supporting players. But that’s okay. That allowed the Three Musketeers of Brody, Park and Volker to get their own moment in the sun when they went next. How much we have come to love those characters. There may not have been a goodbye that got me choked up as much as the quick handshake between Volker and Brody who are now basically brothers. A nice touch was Greer leading Park tenderly to her tube and taking her shades before stepping back. He looks sad as he stares at her and she is looking in his direction as if desperate to see him one last time but of course she can’t. Right behind Greer, staring directly at Park, is Volker already in his tube. How fitting, as others have pointed out, that even with his being directly across from Park she won’t be able to see him, just as she wasn’t able to “see” his feelings for her these last past months.

Then, for the fourth round, we see Scott and Chloe kiss goodbye before going into their pods, followed by Greer and TJ. When those guys shut down you know that, hey, this is really happening. The show is ending. Of course Young’s attention would be held by TJ as she goes into a state of hibernation. All the things he never said, never got a chance to….

Finally it is down to Rush, Young and Eli. Interesting how Young only nods in Rush’s direction. There are no handshakes between him and the two men. Rush may be “family” but the only people who would probably display real warmth to him are Camille and Chloe (reminds me that I almost saw a hint of sadness in Rush as he observed Chloe about to enter her tube). Eli does extend a handshake to Young buy Young declines and raps Eli in a bear hug instead before finally getting that overdue rest he was in need of.

The last moments with Eli have been discussed plenty so I won’t add on more other than to say they were beyond terrific. As was the final rear shot of Destiny flying beyond where our eyes could follow.

Of course these moments would not have been nearly as effective if it was not for the beautiful, haunting and hopeful score of music by Mr. Goldsmith. One thing Stargate does much better than Star Trek is its music. TPTB of modern Trek wanted to deemphasize music scores. TPTB of SG realized it is stupid to waste one of the most important components of storytelling for TV and film. Goldsmith had been coming up with great pieces these past two years for SGU and he did not disappoint for the finale.

Other things I liked about the episode:
-The frightening persistence of the drones. Putting blockades around every gate and star in the galaxy? Amazing. I don’t care if they don’t have a distinct personality or a figurehead that could speak with the crew of Destiny. They were a GREAT enemy who in the second half of season two really caused all sorts of problems and permanent change to the crew. And, yes, the drones do represent the fans who hated SGU to me.

-Camille’s story regarding her sorrowful breakup with Sharon.

-Young walking away as Park discovers that her blindness may be permanent.

-TJ’s bitter but brave speech to Chloe about accepting the hand that is dealt you.

-Greer’s private talk with Park about the growing list of obstacles. She was right to think that Greer could possibly volunteer to be one of the eight. I love Greer’s response about how they goy into the situation together and should get out of it together as well.

-Park sharing her plan with Young and others on the bridge and the lift that gives her spirit as she understands she can still be useful. The handholding with Greer was nice as well.

-And while I’m on the subject of Park that shot of her on Earth, thru stone use, in which she was allowed to see once more was heartbreaking. Kudos to Ms Spence for portraying the emotion perfectly. I would think TPTB would have preferred a more sunny day to shoot that scene but perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps that would have been too much of a cliché. And for Park it probably doesn’t matter if it is rainy or if the skies were blue. She just wanted to see again.

-After making him look like a jerk most of this season they allowed us a moment to remember that Mortensen (sp? I think that is his name) is not some bad guy who doesn’t contribute to the ship.

-Young’s speech around the table. Short but sweet. Great work by the writers and or directors to have the camera focus on Eli, Greer and TV respectively when Young mentioned the words “the smartest”, “the bravest” and “the most compassionate”. Very nice touch.

-And perhaps it was just me but when everyone seemed to full to eat but Greer still had a strong appetite, I thought it was an inside joke regarding Jamil’s reputation for always eating heavy loads of catered food between shooting (something I learned by listening to the commentaries of the season 1 DVDs).

-Young and Telford’s final talk and handshake. Telford’s line about some of them having a few more gray hairs when they next would meet was an example of how real these characters come across to me.

That’s all I can think of as of now. I probably missed a few things but that’s unimportant. All I have left to say is the only final episode of a sci fi show that moved me as much as “Gauntlet” was Babylon 5’s “Sleeping In Light”. And it is no coincidence that both had a soaring score to accompany them. Interesting how both shows produced those marvelous finales despite being in states of uncertainty. When “Sleeping In Light” was filmed B5 was not ensured at the time of getting a fifth season so the ep jumped twenty years in time as a wrapup. Fortunately for B5 it did get that final season and “Sleeping in Light” was fittingly able to slide at the end of season five rather than season four. SGU didn’t get that lucky. But it provided a classic finale nonetheless.

Goodbye, my friends. Sleep well.

If you don't mind i'll quote you, because you summed up everything i like about this episode and you said it better than i ever could.

[Captain James]

I also liked the ending of this episode and too bad that it was cancelled early as it was.

[Marshian]

What a beautiful show. The production design and cgi are amazing... dark-dreamy. I wish there was a place in art history for all the artists, carpenters and technicians who worked on it. I miss it.

[Blizzah]

I can't believe it is over.

[OutandAboot]

I can't believe it is over.

So... what did you think of the show as a whole now when you seen it all?

[LtColCarter]

So... what did you think of the show as a whole now when you seen it all?

While the second season was worlds better than the first...especially the 2nd half of the 2nd season...I'm still plagued by the first season. The second half of season 1 was better...but as a whole the series sits in "like it" category. It could've been "love it" if it wasn't trying to be a BSG clone.

[jelgate]

While the second season was worlds better than the first...especially the 2nd half of the 2nd season...I'm still plagued by the first season. The second half of season 1 was better...but as a whole the series sits in "like it" category. It could've been "love it" if it wasn't trying to be a BSG clone.

Then you should love it because it never did that