Before I Sleep; Great Episode, or Greatest Episode? Spoilers ensue.

[jelgate]

Before I Sleep a great episode?

In SGA? Maybe the Top 20
In the Stargate franchise? It doesn't appear on the list

[Alteran of Atlantis]

The greatest episode, for obvious reasons.

[MickyD]

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why you didn't want to post this in the existing episode thread?

http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=5691

Honestly, i didn't know there was one, i'm rather new here and i don't browse through the various forums. sorry.

also i'm fairly lazy... but uhh yeah in this case... the not knowing thing.

[MickyD]

The greatest episode, for obvious reasons.

Naturally.

[Linda06]

You may.

But you'll find that most people will say they don't due to characters not in their favor getting the limelight. It's almost always the case when people like/dislike episodes.

Just look at the best actor in SGA thread to see that same trend return - half the time it's more about the favorite character which is fictional than the actual actor potraying the character.

Well I wasn't that fussy on Elizabeth one way or the other but I did thoroughly enjoy Before I sleep. I think it was the best Weir ep they done And one of the best AU- ish type eps SGA has done...hmm in fact I think it's the only good AU-ish type they've done.

[MickyD]

I think i might add that i feel this review was mostly objective as Elizabeth Weir is actually quite low down on my list of favourite characters. And that it is infact Torri Higginson's performance and the work of the writers, editors and directors which i am infact praising.

[PG15]

Great episode. I say it was almost the perfect SG episode, as it almost had everything I love about Stargate. Great scifi concept? Check. Great character story, featuring sacrifice and loyalty? Check. Great acting? Check. Great continuity and exploration of SG mythology? Check. Humor? Check. Awesome guest character? Check. Truly, one of the best episodes of the franchise.

However, IMHO it isn't the perfect episode for 2 reasons: it focused on a single character too much and there wasn't enough action. Still, it is my 3rd favorite SGA episode.

[Wib]

I wouldn't say its my favourite episode(s)(that would be the seige three parter), but it is brilliant.

[Miyett]

I gotta say that I always thought this was a decent episode, but reading your review gave me a greater appreciation of just how good it really was! Also made me miss Weir a bit too!

[Eri13]

To answer the title of the thread (while the review will be moved by the mods):

it depends whether you like the character of Elizabeth, or not.

I thought it was brilliant. And nice putting so much time in typing up this review.

I'm a little with Cazz--Weir was absolutely my favorite character but Before I Sleep is not my favorite episode. I actually prefer the team-oriented episodes, and for action and effect I think The Siege Trilogy is one of the best, though my personal favorite was The Storm/The Eye.

For contenders as overall best--writing, directing, acting, etc--Critical Mass or Michael top the list, and perhaps Common Ground (I'm a sucker for Kolya). I love anything where there is true depth and no clear line of good and evil.

But Before I Sleep is a great Weir episode, and a great showcase for Torri. I really appreciate the connection to Atlantis established in this episode, which taints it a little for me too, since AU Weir essentially dies to give Real!Weir two more years of 'living out the dream'. I hate retrospect, sometimes.

But the symmetry of the episode, and insight into the character of Weir--particularly what she was willing to do to save Atlantis and the future of her people--was very nicely told in BIS (later mirrored in a way in Lifeline). This episode was written by Carl Binder (writer of Lifeline as well), who seemed to have a strong understanding and appreciation for Weir's character, especially what I call the 'quieter' or 'more personal' moments.

I also like the fact that we have the birthday gift scene--I enjoy that kind of small personal interaction between characters, it shows they were connected. I wish we had more of those moments for all of the characters. There weren't many through the run of Atlantis.

[Rac80]

I liked both this ep and "the Real World" and felt they were excellent vehicles for Torri Higginson. We got to see sides and aspects of Elizabeth we would not have otherwise seen.

[Teal'c_PI]

I don't think that Before I Sleep is the all-time greatest Atlantis episode, but it's definitely on my top-10 list. (My favorite, however, is Critical Mass...which, coincidentally, was 75% written by Carl Binder! Brad Wright co-wrote the story, but Carl wrote the teleplay, so...)

[Rac80]

ahh carl binder is the writing god of SGA.

[Linda06]

ahh carl binder is the writing god of SGA.

*shakes head* nuh uh... Carl is the apprentice But he could be moved up to god status

[Crazedwraith]

Before I sleep is a pretty damn good episode. Its not my favourite for reasons I can't really explain. Personally I think maybe 'Letters From Pegasus' as my favourite.

Although for some reason 'Tabula Rasa' pops to my mind as possibly the best episode I can remember. Wonderful atmosphere, interesting plot. Made use of the fact that Teyla and Ronon are aliens and the consequences of that.