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    Writing that "Raised the bar" for Atlantis!

    Well, even with SGA coming to an end we still appreciate some of the writing for the past 5 years and last half season to come. We know it was not lost of interest or ratings the reason for the show ending but what are you going to do, the decision has been made. I think the show has become more interesting and the writing has been more out of the box. I would like to give a shout out to Alan McCullough, who has not only impressed me once, or twice, or three times, but four times in writing an episode that makes the fan/viewer really think and sit there on the edge of their seat.

    Alan McCullough's aired eps to date...

    Tabula Rasa, The Seer, Spoils of War, Outcast, The Kindred, Daedalus Variations, and The Queen.

    Alan joined the writing team in Season 4, and he has written some great episodes and pitched some very interesting ideas. I think he added a lot to this show.

    The other writer's have also raised the bar. Martin Gero has been the mid-season episode go to guy since season one. He has pitched and written eps like, The Eye, The lost Boys, The Return, Be All my Sins Remember'd, First Contact, and the most anticipated "The Lost Tribe" which I think has a chance to get people banging their heads on the table to why this amazing show has been non-renewed by it's production company when there are so many stories to be told.

    Of course the writers and producers are a team, and this team has raised the bar numerous times. "The Lost Tribe" likely being yet another example. We shall soon see.

    Also wanted to add Brad Wright's brilliant work on "The Shrine". Shows how much these characters have come along and developed.

    Atlantis has always had a darker feel to it. More issues with morals and human sacrifice, and leaving friends behind. SG-1 was good at that also, but SGA just had that more darker tone.....no it was not the light setting. Some eps like "Miller's Crossing", "The Shrine", "The Seer", and Ghost in the Machine really made you think about morals and what was wrong or right and if this was the right course of action or not. Episodes like these always added more depth to the show and it's characters.

    So, discuss which episode you think had some of the best writing and how you think it added to the show and it's characters.
    Last edited by Briangate78; 08 October 2008, 06:40 PM.
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    #2
    Originally posted by Briangate78 View Post
    Well, even with SGA coming to an end we still appreciate some of the writing for the past 5 years and last half season to come. We know it was not lost of interest or ratings the reason for the show ending but what are you going to do, the decision has been made. I think the show has become more interesting and the writing has been more out of the box. I would like to give a shout out to Alan McCullough, who has not only impressed me once, or twice, or three times, but four times in writing an episode that makes the fan/viewer really think and sit there on the edge of their seat these past two seasons.

    Alan McCullough's aired eps to date...

    Tabula Rasa, The Seer, Spoils of War, Outcast, The Kindred, Daedalus Variations, and The Queen.
    Agreed. Atlantis never has been plauged with bad writing like so many other shows on TV and those eps are indeed great examples. Sure it has had a few missteps "The Tower, Irrisistable, Irresponsible" and while they weren't awful they could have been better.

    Alan joined the writing team in Season 4, and he has written some great episodes and pitched some very interesting ideas. I think he added a lot to this show.
    Agreed.

    The other writer's have also raised the bar. Martin Gero has been the mid-season episode go to guy. He has pitched and written eps like, The Eye, Th e Return, Be All my Sins Remember'd, First Contact, and the most anticipated "The Lost Tribe" which I think has a chance to get people banging their heads on the table to why this amazing show has been non-renewed by it's production company when there are so many stories to be told.
    Agreed. Though I do think Martin Gero and Carl Binder's Lost Boys and The Hive were also great mid season episodes.


    Of course the writers and producers are a team, and this team has raised the bar numerous times. "The Lost Tribe" likely being yet another example. We shall soon see.
    I have a feeling it will be.

    Also wanted to add Brad Wright's brilliant work on "The Shrine". Shows how much these characters have come along and developed.


    Atlantis has always had a darker feel to it. More issues with morals and human sacrifice, and leaving friends behind. SG-1 was good at that also, but SGA just had that more darker tone.....no it was not the light setting. Some eps like "Miller's Crossing", "The Shrine", "The Seer", and Ghost in the Machine really made you think about morals and what was wrong or right and if this was the right course of action or not. Episodes like these always added more depth to the show and it's characters.
    Agreed.
    So, discuss which episode you think had some of the best writing and how you think it added to the show and it's characters.
    But, but that means I have to think! Dammit!
    Proud Sam/Jack and Daniel/Vala and John/Teyla Shipper!
    "We're Americans! Shoot the guys following us!"
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      #3
      You said the eps that must not be named.

      Anyway, one episode that always stuck out to me was "The Eye". You saw this powerful friendship bond with Sheppard and Weir. Now they did not exactly hit it off in the beginning but they gained a respect for eachother. Sheppard went crazy when he though Kolya killed her. It was just truly a rage of a friend losing another friend. This continued through Season 2 and 3. Season 3 we had "The Real World" which went on to show how much Sheppard cared for Weir. Cared to a shipping caring? I dunno, I just think really good friends and not just a boss to co-boss relationship. Anyway, then came "Adrift" and "Lifeline". When you see that scene that was written with Sheppard screaming "Elizabeth" and her telling him to go, it just brought back the memories of eps like "The Eye" and "The Real World". To me using earlier season emotions and appying them to new eps is good writing. The moment was perfectly written, and I know a lot of folks enjoyed that episode but were also sad.......well then the writer's did their job. Now it continued again in Season 5's "Ghost in the Machine" Yet another powerful dramatic moment. Hey, I love action and explosions, and special effects up the gazoo, but character drama truly makes the show great.

      Anyway, going to talk about Teyla next. But not now.
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        #4
        Brian is secretly a Sparky shipper!

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          #5
          You should see some of the YouTube videos he posted on the Pro Weir thread in the S4 folder
          Last edited by jelgate; 08 October 2008, 09:15 PM.
          Originally posted by aretood2
          Jelgate is right

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            #6
            Oooooh! "The Real World" was definitely a high point for me, it was something that branched out into a different kind of writing then what Atlantis normally does and it was really neat how they showed Elizabeth in a struggle with herself to get to the truth. It's the episode that made me like her as a character again actually.

            "Michael" also went where no Stargate has gone before and questioned the motives of the expedition itself, how far is too far when fighting a war? Do we have the right to strip away someone's identity to win? Sweet stuff. Also, watching that the first time not really sure what's going on...It was a great reveal, one of the few times SGA shocked me.

            I actually also greatly admire the style of "Sunday" (despite it's tumor exploding conclusion, ). The way it went back in forth in a build up to the event was very cool and, again, something that branched beyond what they normally try to do on the show. Despite the slightly ridiculous manner in which he died, Carson's death really hit home for me and had an impact on the show as a whole. (And I'm still mad at Kindred for bringing him back! Totally destroys the message of Sunday. *shakes fist* But that's Off Topic).

            "Thirty-eight minutes", though perhaps not the most masterfully artistic piece of work, works very well for what it is, a fast-moving episode that basically covers the period of time it's named for. The flashbacks add the needed background and I'm not sure that Atlantis ever again did convey the sense of urgency as well as they did here. You could almost see the clock ticking, especially if you watch on DVD with the episode time running underneath, you can see time running out! (Okay, I'm crazy )

            "The Defiant One", is almost simple writing at it's best. There's not a huge amount of dialog but rather the story is allowed to unfold by itself. Sometimes the best way to say something is by not saying very much at all! The characters of Sheppard and McKay have been established at this point and are allowed to settle into the plot naturally, we don't need to force development from them, it just flows out. This episodes just shows who they are, and it's great.
            My only problem with this one is the cuts away to the other jumper which seemed to only be there so that Teyla and Ford would have some screen time, dealing more with Gaul would've been better. Still Gaul's death hits me in a way that most of the death's on Atlantis never do, more so then Carson's even.

            I'll come back later.
            Last edited by GateofDOOM; 08 October 2008, 09:22 PM.
            "Prepare to meet your DOOM."

            "It's not about making money, it's about taking money. Destroying the status quo, because the status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to...rule it."

            GADZOOKS

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              #7
              I found Aurora very well written.....even though i practically have no idea what i'm talking about =| I found Vengeance and First Contact well written too
              Tst

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                #8
                Well, several episodes immediately jump to mind.

                First and foremost, I think "The Shrine" was the best SGA episode ever. So clever and really deep on a character development level. It's not perfect, but it's still very well done. I loved the way it used flashbacks to jump forward and backward, yet still flowed seamlessly through the story. Just very, very well written.

                Prior to "The Shrine," I always counted "Sunday" as the best writing I'd seen on Atlantis. Yes, Carson died, and it was sad. But his death was very well done IMO. It had just enough emotional impact. And the story that led up to it was great. I liked the way it showed the same events from multiple perspectives. The episode slowly reveled bits and pieces about the characters in a natural way, and succeeded in diving into the characters' personal day-to-day lives in a way that most sci-fi can't seem to handle.

                Because GateofDOOM mentioned "Michael," I have to comment. I agree that it was a very well written episode (and wonderfully acted by Connor Trineer). It does play with moral issues in a great way. Unfortunately it also made me lose respect for the Atlantis expedition as a whole. By the middle of the episode, I was rooting for Michael and was pretty angry about what the supposed "good guys" had done. Of course, any episode that has the power to make me so emotionally involved definitely has some quality writing behind it. So yes. Well-written. Definitely a more conscious look at the moral issues than we usually see. But it sill makes me mad.

                I'm going to add one other episode to this list. I haven't seen it in a long time, but a friend recently reminded me about the episode "Letters from Pegasus." I think that episode was another really nice look at some of our characters, and I liked the slightly different style/approach they took to telling the story.
                Chief of the GGP (Gateworld Grammar Police). Punctuation is your friend. Use it!

                Great happy armies shall be gathered and trained to oppose all who embrace doubt. In the name of Hope, ships shall be built to carry our disciples out amongst the stars, and we will spread Optimism to all the doubters. The power of the Optimi will be felt far and wide, and the pessimists shall become positive-thinkers.
                Hallowed are the Optimi.

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                  #9
                  Big shout out to Ken Cuperus! I really wish they'd have kept him on the writing team. His three eps are some of my all time favourites: Common Ground, The Ark and Submersion They were all unique and very entertaining, he used each character to their potential, none of them were left out (team eps woo! ).
                  What we do in life echoes in eternity - Gladiator vghUp the Blades!

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                    #10
                    My favourite writing in Atlantis was in common ground. The Dialogue between Shep and Todd, Kolya's power over a majestic wraith like Todd, Everyone just seemed so believable and it showed how good a wraith/human team can be. I was so satisfied after that epsiode and there was no ship battles or explosions etc. It was all down to the acting and the writing.

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                      #11
                      I agree with "Common Ground" and "Michael".

                      Ken Cuperus however did state that they needed to rewrite a lot on his script so it would be better?

                      At least, someone told me he came on here and said that. I don't know how much they left in there, of his original script.

                      In Loving Memory of Wraithlord.

                      I wish I got to know you better.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Reiko View Post
                        Brian is secretly a Sparky shipper!
                        LOL, well reminds me a little of the bond between O'neill and Carter.

                        Originally posted by jelgate View Post
                        You should see some of the YouTube videos he posted on the Pro Weir thread in the S4 folder
                        Hey now, I think the best video I've seen was the one with the "Show must go on" music. That was some really powerful stuff.
                        sigpic

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Briangate78 View Post
                          LOL, well reminds me a little of the bond between O'neill and Carter.



                          Hey now, I think the best video I've seen was the one with the "Show must go on" music. That was some really powerful stuff.
                          You are obviously sometimes very perceptive.

                          It's refreshing for a change to find something to praise these writers for. TS/TE, the Siege trilogy, BIS, TRW, Adrift, Lifeline, GiTM, BAMSR and some others stand out. Alan M is doing well these days, and CG, no matter who wrote most of it, is excellent. There are others also, which come to think of it, probably outnumber the bad ones. At least in the first 3 seasons. There are really excellent scenes in S4-S5. Two that come to mind are the
                          Spoiler:
                          Sheppard/Wallace scene in MC and the beer drinking scene in The Shrine.
                          But I think the acting has more to do with it than just the writing.
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                          Visit us at SGA Rising for our version of season six.

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                            #14
                            I also think that "The Shrine" is the best episode of SGA ever. everything about it was amazing. major props to David Hewlett for some amazing acting.

                            Some of my other favorite episodes of the show are "The Storm" "The Eye" "Adrift" "The Siege" trilogy, and "Submersion".
                            thanks to Pandora's_Box for the siggie!

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                              #15
                              Tabula Rasa and The Shrine are the episodes which really stand out. Good writing,
                              that's a large part of what made these eps great, but good writing is wasted on mediocre actors, so credit also to the cast of those two eps also, for making the most of the material. (And in turn, the writers of the good eps have tended to write to the strengths of the actors anyway, which is a valuable skill.)

                              What was the ep that introduced Michael? That was another well-written story. As was the one where Grodin died. (sob!)

                              Madeleine

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