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The tale of two Rodneys

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    The tale of two Rodneys

    I'm watching SGA first season now because it's been a while I watched it last time and boy this season was good... It's a shame it didn't stay at the same quality in the later seasons, some of the best military action sci-fi the franchise can offer... But that's not the point.

    If one looks at the great "38 minutes" episode or not that great "Suspicion", one can see that Rodney is out there already, battling the Wraith, getting shot in the face with Wraith stunner... In "Suspicion" we see him coming in hot with Sheppard wounded and yelling at Weir that "We have to get back there" (without even thinking about that there are Wraith on the planet) because Ford and Teyla stayed behind. In "The Defient One" he empties 2 magazines from his gun into the menacing Wraith, he maybe does not now what he must do but he is not that afraid that he can't even pull the trigger- he can and he shoots well. In the following episode "Hot Zone" he basically takes charge of the team of scientists, orders lockdown because of infection, orders all the people to stay where they are, is calm and even though is scared, works hard till the last minute when he is supposed to die.

    Now in "The Siege" it started to go wrong... Rodney now is so scared of Wraith that he obviously has forgotten how to handle a gun (in "Aurora" too). We don't see scared and arrogant but still competent and adequate Rodney, we see a comic relief- he gets shot in the ass, he is afraid of solar radiation and wears a stupid costume in "The Runner" (when he was possibly calmer as Shep when dealing with Genii atomic bomb radiation in season 1). And we see him completely lose his mind in another "infection" episode "Quarantine", in the one where they tried to ship Ronon and Keller... (that was only one of the wrong things with the episode).

    I know that the producers saw Rodney as one of the viewers favorites and obviously wanted to please the fans but why, in many cases, they went much further than they did with him in season 1 and made him a complete joke? Of course, I liked the humor but it was painfully to watch SGA to go from season 1 quality to seasons 3, 4, 5... and that all started in season 2-3 you know... Ford, Weir, Beckett... Shep becomes a clichee and Rodney a joke...

    I know some fans think that season 5 was an improvement... well, "Shrine" mid-season two parter, last two episodes and probably two more- that's 7 episodes, 1 brilliant, 6 better than good... but still not much of improvement... So I'm glad they ended the suffering...
    - the guest member of SGU book club

    #2
    I personally thought it was a mistake for tptb to bring the mckay character to SGA. I saw his eps in SG1 (48 hours was the first ep) and the character only irritated me. I stopped watching season 1 of SGA because of mckay and only after seeing a couple of non-mckay centered eps (yes there are a few those) did I get into the series again. When tptb wrote it as a team show they did a good job, but the focus on mckay was a mistake especially because as the previous poster said, they didn't write him consistantly at all. Unless it was consistantly as a jerk.

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      #3
      well i suppose we could just complain about it then....


      was it jsut me or was i the only one to to think that while sheppard was 'kirk'ish (with the ladies) he never got with any of them (with the exceptions of the ones where it was shown/hinted that he did) i dont think he was even seeing anyone on atlantis, it was never mentioned yet people are saying all this stuff about him


      the shows over people, it cant be changed, just enjoy what we got and await what we have to come.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by latvian_stargatefan View Post
        I liked the humor but it was painfully to watch SGA to go from season 1 quality to seasons 3, 4, 5... and that all started in season 2-3 you know... Ford, Weir, Beckett... Shep becomes a clichee and Rodney a joke.
        Season 1 sucked compared to the rest. Fords acting was terrible, and the rest weren't settled into their characters yet.
        BSG (Drama/Soap Opera)

        Soap Opera: The main characteristics that define soap operas are "an emphasis on family life, personal relationships, sexual dramas, emotional and moral conflicts; some coverage of topical issues; set in familiar domestic interiors with only occasional excursions into new locations

        Drama: A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes

        SG1/SGA are not Drama/Soap although some elements are touched on to add depth to these action/adventure series. If you want to see a show focused on Soap/Drama go watch BSG or Days of our Lives.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by escyos View Post
          well i suppose we could just complain about it then....


          was it jsut me or was i the only one to to think that while sheppard was 'kirk'ish (with the ladies) he never got with any of them (with the exceptions of the ones where it was shown/hinted that he did) i dont think he was even seeing anyone on atlantis, it was never mentioned yet people are saying all this stuff about him


          the shows over people, it cant be changed, just enjoy what we got and await what we have to come.
          Rodney was more of a Kirk than Shep. After all he got the girls (Katie and *shudders* Keller )....Goodness knows how though
          sigpic

          Comment


            #6
            it wasn't rodney for me but it sure seemed like episodes got lamer with each season... rodney was always a bonus to an episode, i don't really care about plot holes and inconsistencies connected with him.

            this is a p.m. for latvian_stargatefan.. don't get mad...
            latvian_stargatefan hehe nezinaaju ka te ir arii citi latvieshi bez manis
            ...science/physics/universe can't tell good from bad, which means that both concepts are abstract and don't matter... don't be afraid of acting on this knowledge...

            Comment


              #7
              I don't care what anyone says. McKay is awesome! He is the only character who doesn't have a one dimentional personality. The episodes centred round him were very good character-wise. He provides a realistic alternative to Carter's perfect personality and he is easier to identify with. His character is developed very effectively, with moments of cowardice like in episode 2 but also moments of bravery. He provides a considerable amount of humor in several epsiodes without actign as a deterrent to action driven episodes. his inclusion in the series provides an excellent SG-1 cross-over. Anyway, that's the way I see it.
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              Comment


                #8
                Rodney is by far my favourite character on Atlantis, I get that some people found his arrogance annoying but I thought it was pretty funny most of the time. It doesn't hurt that David Hewlett is a brilliant actor as well.
                sigpic

                Comment


                  #9
                  personally, I like Rodney's character.
                  It's the genius we need, but he's not perfect, he's paranoic, stressed, a perfet geek, and that's what makes him so funny, and the perfect victim for TPTB's jokes.
                  besides, I think he's the kind of man that can loose himself in a small glass of water but bravely stand a typhoon. he's not as coward as it seems.
                  sigpic
                  Sig by RogueRanger

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I like Rodney as well. People want characters who act "more human" and don't handle every situation perfectly, well Rodney was an arrogant, whiny jerk, yet somehow he still comes across as funny and strangely likable.

                    I agree that season 1 is the best. Actually, as far as individual episodes go I think it's in the top 3 seasons for the Stargate franchise. The stand-alone episodes are good, the arc is great as tension builds toward the fantastic three-parter "The Siege". We learn more about the characters, and we are still discovering more about the actual city, the Wraith are still scary and cool, etc.
                    "Yo, Adrian!" -Rocky in Rocky
                    "That'll be the Day" -John Wayne in The Searchers

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Bytor View Post
                      Season 1 sucked compared to the rest. Fords acting was terrible, and the rest weren't settled into their characters yet.
                      Yeah, Ford was the weakest link but he still was a nice character... Maybe his killing off was for the good of the show but Ronon never (except maybe "The Runner" and "Sateda") episodes convinced me that he was the new tough guy who really well replaced the kid.

                      And about Rodney, in "Hot Zone" he gets to know there might be an infection, he says "ok people, there is an infection, we need to set up quarantine, follow me, Ford- do that, do this..." In "Quarantine" all he does is whine in front of his girlfriend "I feel it already, oh my God, I'm going to die, Oh My God, I can't feel my This, I can't feel my That..." It is such a contrast. Of course, at that point, deep in season 4 McKay was the only interesting thing they could offer so they probably changed the character and, in my opinion, even if they made him more funnier, there wasn't so much of character development... the character became a joke
                      - the guest member of SGU book club

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by latvian_stargatefan View Post
                        And about Rodney, in "Hot Zone" he gets to know there might be an infection, he says "ok people, there is an infection, we need to set up quarantine, follow me, Ford- do that, do this..." In "Quarantine" all he does is whine in front of his girlfriend "I feel it already, oh my God, I'm going to die, Oh My God, I can't feel my This, I can't feel my That..." It is such a contrast.
                        Hot Zone and Quarantine were completely different situations for Rodney.

                        In hot zone he was able to take charge of situation, In Quarantine he was trapped and unable to help and didn't trust his teammates were smart enough to help him out.

                        I can go on about the different situations and how they affected rodney differently but its pointelss.
                        BSG (Drama/Soap Opera)

                        Soap Opera: The main characteristics that define soap operas are "an emphasis on family life, personal relationships, sexual dramas, emotional and moral conflicts; some coverage of topical issues; set in familiar domestic interiors with only occasional excursions into new locations

                        Drama: A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes

                        SG1/SGA are not Drama/Soap although some elements are touched on to add depth to these action/adventure series. If you want to see a show focused on Soap/Drama go watch BSG or Days of our Lives.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          McKay was often written very differently from episode to episode and i always hated it when his character was reduced to the bumbling fool for the sole purpose of being laughed at.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Linda06 View Post
                            Rodney was more of a Kirk than Shep. After all he got the girls (Katie and *shudders* Keller )....Goodness knows how though
                            I always suspected bribery myself! (or he stole lucius' "love juice")

                            Originally posted by mckappa View Post
                            I don't care what anyone says. McKay is awesome! He is the only character who doesn't have a one dimentional personality. The episodes centred round him were very good character-wise. He provides a realistic alternative to Carter's perfect personality and he is easier to identify with. His character is developed very effectively, with moments of cowardice like in episode 2 but also moments of bravery. He provides a considerable amount of humor in several epsiodes without actign as a deterrent to action driven episodes. his inclusion in the series provides an excellent SG-1 cross-over. Anyway, that's the way I see it.
                            the only dimension I ever saw of mckay's was "jerk":...he was a one-note character IMHO.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              McKay was a take charge kind of fellow when it was something he had the tools and the expertise to handle best. In Quarantine he wasn't able to help so he got all paranoid and whiny. When it came to fighting the wraith, he got a little scared, but he's Doctor not Capt or SSGT McKay. He'll pick-up a weapon to help his friends, so he's loyal. And as much as the arrogance can grate, he backs it up. Gotta give the man props for that.
                              "I only understand about 1% of what she says half of the time."

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