Thirty Eight Minutes (104)

[Lythisrose]

Joe Mallozzi's memories of this episode:
http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/...ntis-memories/

38 MINUTES (103)

In this episode, Brad Wright does what he does best: places his characters in a tight spot and then allows their personalities to shine through in their responses to their dire predicament. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a tighter spot than the back of a jumper trapped just outside the gate’s event horizon. The episode succeeds in creating a tense, claustrophobic feel but also grants the audience some much-needed respites in the form of flashbacks and cutaways that offer insight into, among other things, wraith biology, Athosian rituals, and the dynamics of the science team.

This episode introduces us to a couple of supporting players who would eventually establish themselves as forceful secondary personalities over the show’s run: Zelenka and Kavanaugh. In truth, Kavanaugh’s prominence in this episode was, while not exactly a happy accident, the result of a need to shore up an episode that needed the extra time. The gag at the time was that 38 Minutes was a most appropriate title given that the episode was running about five minutes short. Two scenes were subsequently added: Weir’s conversation with Kavanagh and Weir’s discussion with Halling.

Aside from that rubber bug, I thought that this was a pretty solid episode which left one big question maddeningly unanswered: What WAS Sheppard going to say to Weir in those final moments?

[ZRFTS]

Thirty-Eight Minutes

Bang, boom, zip! It starts off with our heroes escaping some unknown planet, there's a sense of tensity around them, there's a man down, they have to make it through the gate, there's even stuff going on over at Atlantis; it's so tense, it's so exhilarating, it's so heart pounding, it's so different... That tension serves itself well with the decent camera angles, the lighting and the music that you expect whatever they hint at to have the same intensity.

Then they get stuck in the gate somehow...

The idea of being in a situation where potential death is on the line is nothing new for Stargate; I mean just look at what Teal'c went through in "48 Hours" but the idea of potential death while being inside of a machine is something new for Stargate; just the idea of the machine going wrong and getting itself stuck in a situation where it's difficult to get out of, especially an ancient built Gateship like that. You think that the idea of them working to get themselves through the gate is intriguing, all while someone goes through possible death and time is on the line.

Then the episode goes downhill...

Yup... Business as usual...

Throughout the majority of the episode, you're watching these characters as they try to make it through a difficult situation and that's the problem; the solution is so simple. Sure, they try to make it complex but it's just trying to compensate for the simpleness and the episode run time. While it does attempt to make you care about the situation and also give it some serious weight (revealing stuff about the Stargate, not making it easy to come out, involving circuitry.), it cannot deter from the fact that the best thing anybody could of done was to just go outside and retract the thing manually. I mean they have oxygen, they have spacesuits, they have ingenuity; who's to stop them from going outside manually instead of adding complexity to the situation to make it look more deadly?

A lot of the episode drags on for who knows when, for much of the episode we have to deal with people at Atlantis trying to figure out how to get them out with Rodney being mostly good while unfortunately being somewhat annoying and tons of self-referential mentions and meta gags. (which I thought were out of place as this seemed to be a serious sci-fi situation, not a comedy.) There is barely anything interesting going on between these scenes, while I understand they're supposed to reflect the situation at hand, you have to engage your audience if you want people to care about the situation at hand. Unfortunately the audience has no intention to care, same goes to the actors who mostly put in sub par performances; the actor behind Ford doesn't seem like he's putting all that he can into it, many of the people on Atlantis don't seem that much concerned about the situation and Taylor just seems like an afterthought.

However... there are bright spots. A sideplot involving Shephard that involves a creature and a little thing called death serves to provide much of the entertainment value of the episode. I have to say, even though the subplot was nothing special, Shephard's acting and Taylor's insight (even including a scene with the village people involving death rituals which gave the episode some much needed metaphorical weight) fueled what could be the best scenes of the episode; there are a lot of times where it drags on but when Shephard yells, when the actor behind Shephard puts his heart into it, it makes these scenes very worthwhile to the point where you care about Shephard wanting the thing off and everybody trying to get it off at the same time. The explanation behind the creature is also a nice touch as it was something I thought was going to go under the radar, just something SGA does so good, which is explaining the unknown.

Truly an entertaining moment.

Dr. Weir manages to be exceptional as always. Even though the show is four episodes in, I find Dr. Weir to be my favorite character; she just has that friendly aspect that makes her relatable, that boldness that makes her a leader, that aggressiveness that shows she's serious and that determination that just makes her such an admirable person. The determination that she shows in regards to saving the crew works well within the episode as her actions both showcase her character and reflect the tense environment that we're in, you'll enjoy Dr. Weir as she tries to manage the situation while at the same time, focusing on the fact that time is limited, complete with countdowns of how long the gate is open for. The additions of the flashback were nice as it allows us to see what our heroes were doing, see them in action, see what happened to certain things and break up the monotony; even though some of the scenes mock whatever you happen believe in. (Hint: Shephard's situation was easily avoidable.)

And the episode gets better as time draws near, bringing out some admirable performances (including a good Rodney performance) exceptional moments, great endings and a sense of closure that ends the episode on a sweet high note; even though it was undeserved. The scenes near the end are classic Stargate as they figure stuff out and try out certain things even risking death and the outcome, well let's just say that's classic Stargate as well; however... If it starts off good, ends good and is mediocre in the middle, do the beginning and end parts make the episode exceptionally good? The answer is obviously no.

So... Just another average day in Atlantis. Average episode, above average acting, average concept with a hint of exceptionalism, intrigue and uniqueness throughout. Yup...

6.0/10

[Cluas]

This one was kind of boring. I liked the start, but it just became boring. Hope the next will be better.

Wier was great though

[Baron Of Hell]

I like this episode. The only problems I had is how Weir handled the prayer request and the lead scientist guy. She should have ask Teyla what she wanted and didn't have to break the scientist guy because he had a real concern.

[zbir]

Loved it!
My favorite part:

FORD: The Puddle Jumper has shifted slightly. The rear compartment has now breached the event horizon. Doctor McKay ... (he looks down at McKay and emphasises his name) ... Doctor McKay ... (McKay looks up at him hopelessly) ... is still hopeful he can retract the drive pod in time.
(McKay looks at him for a moment, then stands up and gets back to work.)

[zbir]

New, Improved Puddlejumper Supply List:

1. Owner's manual (Cliff's Notes version)
2. A copy of "The Worst Case Scenario Handbook"
3. An AED
4. Big ol' can of Raid
5. XXL size Hershey's Syrup (in case #4 fails)
6. WD-40, if the jumper's stuck really, really badly. Plan B: Use the K-Y.
7. Something stronger than Tylenol
8. Athosian Death Prayer Tea Service for 6 (in case nothing works)
9. Subscription to OnStar service (darn, they could have had those pods retracted in no time!)
10. A bigger boat
11. More MRE's, for McKay's manly hunger
12. Large quantities of cheese, to go with his whine...

:-)))) That was golden!

[M1cha]

Can someone explain why Ford can't move the jumper from inside?
I understand newton's 3rd law but if you're sitting on a chair you can move it with some momentum without touching anything else.

[Britta]

When he pushes on the Jumper, it pushes back. He transfers that force back into the Jumper through the floor/air. The equal but opposite reaction has to leave the Jumper to achieve thrust.

I could be wrong though.

[M1cha]

I thought the same but it confuses me that you can move chairs or your bed this way.

[Falcon Horus]

Chairs and/or your bed isn't generally half disintegrated in an open wormhole. They lost their momentum of moving when they got stuck.

Or better yet... you try moving your chair and/or bed through an opening that is just one bit too tight, it won't work either (even without the disintegration). No matter how hard you push or bump against the object. The reaction will come right back at you being bumped back.

[StargateMillennium]

I think momentum would also be a factor. The jumper will resist the change in motion because of its size and there was no way Ford would push it hard enough to get it through the gate. It's like trying to move a car by drop kicking its grill.

[zbir]

..or trying to get out of a swamp by pulling your own hair

I think (but I could be wrong) that you need an external hinge for the role of the fix point. When you move the chair, it's the floor. When you move a swing, it's the rope junction.

[mrscopterdoc]

New, Improved Puddlejumper Supply List:

1. Owner's manual (Cliff's Notes version)
2. A copy of "The Worst Case Scenario Handbook"
3. An AED
4. Big ol' can of Raid
5. XXL size Hershey's Syrup (in case #4 fails)
6. WD-40, if the jumper's stuck really, really badly. Plan B: Use the K-Y.
7. Something stronger than Tylenol
8. Athosian Death Prayer Tea Service for 6 (in case nothing works)
9. Subscription to OnStar service (darn, they could have had those pods retracted in no time!)
10. A bigger boat
11. More MRE's, for McKay's manly hunger
12. Large quantities of cheese, to go with his whine...

great list!

[Janet Fraiser]

Looking at the blurb for the ep, I wasn't looking forward to watching this; switching between SG-1 and SGA episodes is time-consuming and means I can't rush right into the next episode in a series, after all . I assumed that pretty much the whole episode would take place in the jumper and would be pretty boring, but I'm so glad that it was more entertaining than I thought it would be.

Kavanaugh, though. Oh, god. I've seen people mention that there's some weird chemistry or sexual tension between him and Elizabeth, and just having the thought makes me want brain bleach. Just no.

[Falcon Horus]

Kavanaugh -- oh, we remember him fondly. He was such a "lovable" character.

I paired him once with McKay for a ficathon. Was a pinch hit, but everyone deserves a story written for them in these things so I volunteered.