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**nesais** · 03 November 2010, 05:34 AM

As the environment continues to take its toll on the crew, new situations arising, continual growth of emotional stress compounded by the day to day character drama, people have begun to open up or let themselves go. TJ: that's it - she's had enough of holding it back. Her love is strong and yet respectful, she's the subordinant, she's playing the good wife who doesnt get very vocal until crap is about to hit the fan - she's playing the part of the battlefield medic quite well. The premise of the toll on Young initiates an episode of cohesion between the crew of the Destiny.

Ginn and Eli: the premise and the outcome is the science, yet never would we see this aspect of the story, merely the character development through interpersonal drama. Greer is Eli's bro in this episode, and a little bit of male bonding leads to a little bit of loving between the nerds. The emotional and/or character indulgence of the series, that many people (likely now non-viewers) might want to cast aside, is painted with rich shades (rather than colors). There is quality and it is deliberate in many aspects of how it is delivered. The intended appeal of the series may have been initially misguided, but with the deliverance of season 2, there are certainly aspects that are less confrontational to the fan base of the hour (or 42 minutes if you watch it without the commercials).

The ship is obviously sentient and very intelligent. If it is indeed so, maybe it was fully open to being accountable for its involvement in Youngs fall and rise. If it knew that it could put him out of action, it knew that the rest of the crew could realise what was going on, and that humans would put their leader in his place. The ship initiated cohesion between the characters even if it had no intentions to do that. But the ship had no intention of ending the simulation, which would have driven Young further into insanity. The outcome of this seems rather illogical, likely it could have been a test of Rush, to the end that Rush himself chose to end the torment Young was undergoing in order to push the mission forward.

Science fiction can come in many guises. Every thread in the episode related to other episodes, but also related to this episode. The revelation of the science fiction element evolves through the character drama in the show, and is then reflected upon through the use of character drama. Trial and Error was a step towards a united crew, with adventure on the horizon and science fiction tangled everywhere, even if you don't expect it. Ancient toilets: thankyou.

**gildor23** · 06 November 2010, 08:45 AM

Stargate Universe has hit a bit of a low point as emphasized by the most recent episode, "Trial and Error". While the acting and character development are their usual top notch best, not a single event of substance occurred in this episode. If you missed this episode and you really care about the characters, watch it. If you're more concerned about action and overall plot development, don't kill yourself trying to find this episode.

Col Youngs' dreams have become much more vivid and he feels he is losing his mind. Louise Ferreira does this with gusto. His performance in this episode is it's saving grace. The hard decisions he has had to make on this ship would tax the sanity of any man and Young is no different. This breakdown is portrayed very convincingly in the episode. As a viewer you have seen the signs of wear and tear on Youngs face and the dreams finally push him over the edge. It's impossible to fully compliment the writers on such a gradual and believable decent into madness. Anyone watching would have felt sympathy for this man. You don't feel sympathy if you don't believe the problem.

For anyone who read up on this season before it aired knew that Eli would have a love interest. Even if you didn't read because of spoilers, you know Eli and Scott aren't going to be fighting over Chloe for another 20 episodes. Camille plops Ginn into Eli's room and lets science take it's course. She loves math. He loves math. What a match! As a fan you have to be happy for Eli, but you also have to wonder if she can be trusted. Thats the appeal of this relationship, the mystery.

Eli and Geers friendship also progresses as Greer encourages Eli to make a move. He even gives them time alone for nature to take it's course. This the best friendship on the show. Here are two people who wouldn't even speak to each other if they were back on earth, the nerd and the jock. The situation they are in has forced them to rely on each other and each one has seen the positive attributes of the other as a result a friendship has formed. Greer helps Eli "man up" at times and Eli has proven his courage and loyalty on multiple occasions.

The meat of this episode is th revelation that Destiny is "sentient". This is a non-story. The ship has displayed awareness of it's crew and their needs since the first episode. The battle simulation seemed pointless and was never explained. Also the crew is very dumb. What is more likely: the ship being alive or that Rush is messing with them?

Scott's confrontation with Young Good. Solid acting with smart dialog. It seemed very believable as a result. Anyone watching knew young would need some reasurace from his crew that his decisions were the right ones. Especially the decision to kill Riley.

This episode is what is known as "filler" in the biz. Make an episode where nothing happens and throw in a new relationship to make it seem like something happened. The acting was the only saving grace.

**xxxevilgrinxxx** · 07 November 2010, 12:45 PM

Trial And Error Review [SGU - 206]

By xxxevilgrinxxx | Published: November 7, 2010 | (crossposted at my personal blog)
Look Deeper.

SCOTT: Look, youâ€™re right. I couldnâ€™t do it; live with the burden every day. That is not me, or T.J., or Camilleâ€¦.For Rush, it wouldnâ€™t be a burden. And that is why we need you - because you feel it; and not so much you canâ€™t get up and do it all over again the next dayâ€¦.You know, a real leader, a good commander is not so callous that he stops caring; just enough that he can keep on going. We both know you are a good commander. It is never gonna stop hurtinâ€™. Thatâ€™s the whole point.

Almost every science fiction show worth its salt will eventually produce an episode using the â€œgroundhog dayâ€ scenario and Stargate Universe in no different in that regard. But just like the time loops and dream sequence episodes, SGU tackles this one beautifully.

Like all of the episodes before it, â€œTrial and Errorâ€ is multi-layered in its meaning. There is the forefront scenario with Col. Young and the scenes where he is run through the battle simulations by the program running on Destiny but there are others as well. There is the echo of trials and errors gone past, specifically the events of â€œDividedâ€, where we had the scenario of Wray and Rush and their failed attempt to gain control of Destiny. There is the relationship between Young, TJ and Emily Young, all of whom have definitely gone through a trial and many errors, the most recent on TJâ€™s part as she continues to try to impart her impressions about what has happened to their child, one of the many burdens on Young. Last but not least there is the trial, and error, that Rush continues to undergo at the hands of the Destinyâ€™s manifestations.

First off, I have to say that I find it interesting that this trial is presaged by Youngâ€™s use of the stones. In â€œSabotageâ€, stone use is also implicated in the sabotage of the ship that enabled the seemingly easy return of three lost characters â€“ Eli, Chloe and Scott. In essence I believe that through the stones, the Destiny herself gained access to Young and was enable to perform this trial and that the same sort of thing happened in â€œSabotageâ€ and possibly even in â€œSpaceâ€.

The message that I came away with from Youngâ€™s experience is that, aside from the surface issue of testing his leadership in a mode that would speak to him â€“ a battle scenario â€“ the ship was teaching him something else: Itâ€™s not your fault. That failures happen and thereâ€™s only so much we can do about them. It was a â€œKobayashi Maruâ€ â€“ an experience where failure is the lesson. Failure and the acceptance that comes along with knowing that it canâ€™t be helped, that often times there is nothing that can be done but endure it, get up and move on, preferably without losing what you are in the process. In stopping the simulation short, the Destiny, through Franklin, may believe that Young is not truly ready, that he has never really faced the unwinnable scenario and may be unprepared for what is surely to come.

The battle scenario did highlight Youngâ€™s strengths and the reason why he makes a great commander. Very quickly into the sequence of events, Young appears to catch on to what is happening in regard to the scenario repeating and tackles the issue from several sides. Even when he believes that he might be insane for thinking it, he continues to adapt his strategy, even doing the thing he knows will hurt him the most â€“ handing over Chloe â€“ while he watches as events unfold. This highlights one of the characterâ€™s strengths â€“ his ability to fly by the seat of his pants, to change as facts on the ground change, to adapt. That change often results in failure does not make it a bad thing. It also highlighted his ability to delegate and listen to those around him.

In Scott, an officer the Col. has taken under his wing, we see this training come out in one of the last battle scenarios as Scott counters with a combination of Col. Youngâ€™s previous attempts, save the handover of Chloe. An idealist, Scott is facing a â€œKobayashi Maruâ€ of his own, one that he admits he isnâ€™t ready for, in that he couldnâ€™t hand over Chloe if it came to that. This builds on the events of â€œCloverdaleâ€ and the fight between the two has been something that has needed to happen for some time. Expected perfection is too much for anyone and the lesson for them both is acceptance.

As Young clears his head at the end and re-assumes command, there is hope that he has learned this and, in the fight between Young and Scott, there is hope that Scott has outgrown the need to put Young on a pedestal. If his acceptance of Young becomes more realistic, then perhaps Scott will outgrow his over-idealistic tendencies as well. In any case, in airing this grievance, an important point has been made: That Young is needed precisely because while he is able to make the choices that he makes, he cares deeply about the people involved and that he neither gives up nor loses that part of himself that makes him a good commander â€“ that self same hurt. Scott, Wray, TJ and lastly Rush have in one way or another ruled themselves out, and they need Young.

Another character that impressed me greatly in this episode is Wray, who continues to grow in her own leadership potential as this story winds on. It would have been easy for her to, once Young had come to her with his fear that he was going insane, to present this to the rest of the crew as a way to take power. That she doesnâ€™t do this but chooses to support and try to help Young through a difficult situation is to her credit. Itâ€™s also the first time that I have ever heard her refer to Young by his first name and I hope that this is a sign of growing friendship and trust. In this, that Young is willing to share with others, is a key to his leadership skills and with people like Wray beside him, I have great hope that the dissolution the character has been displaying can be turned around.

Lastly, there is another trial taking place, on the bridge of the ship. Rush has access and he may believe that he has full control of the Destiny but the Destiny has other ideas. The manifestation of Gloria is gone, leaving Franklin as the voice of the ship and with every word to Rush, the Destiny appears to have nothing but contempt for the person currently manning her bridge. Rush may well have managed to cut short the simulation but, as with many of my notions regarding the mercurial scientist, I wonder at his true motives. Did he simply fear that Scott, or Young for that matter, wouldnâ€™t step up and that somehow the ship would be in danger or at the very least stuck? Or did he fear that continued simulations would solidify the leadership choice that appeared to be at hand? Did he fear that the Destiny may have supplanted him, if this choice was made?

In any case, in the eyes of the crew, the Destiny has chosen, and it has chosen Young. If nothing else, this should ease some of the weight that has been crushing Young and enable him to pull himself together and deal with the considerable issues that he has on his plate, including a much-needed talk to TJ, about what has happened to her, and their daughter, as well as the unresolved feelings there.

Any talk of this episode would be remiss if it didnâ€™t mention Eli, Ginn and Greer. Eli and Ginnâ€™s first kiss was simply sweet and, while Iâ€™m not entirely sure that Ginnâ€™s motives are pure, itâ€™s good to see Eli interacting with other people, especially women. Greer is as solid as ever and it furthers his role as the touchstone of the crew â€“ the man who sees a lot more than heâ€™s given credit for. As weighted as Young is by the past, as ever-hopeful about the future Scott appears to be, Greer is solidly in the present, existing in the moment, no matter what that moment may bring.

As for what that moment may bring, only the threat has been dropped, in the form of the Destinyâ€™s warning, issued through Franklin. If this were standard episodic fare, it would be easy to be disappointed with a cliffhanger like that but threads dropped in one entry will carry on in another and I know that this is not done.

Rating: 9/10

**Rachel500** · 23 December 2010, 08:15 AM

â€œTrial and Errorâ€ is another strong episode, and suggests that Stargate Universe may finally be finding the right balance between its new style and its Stargate legacy. After last weekâ€™s great balancing act between episode story and arc-building, â€œTrial and Errorâ€ is more of the same combined with a good mix of humor and drama. There are more great performances from the cast, more great writing and the usual quality production.

I want to talk about the latter first because the quality of the production is something that I have a tendency to take for granted with anything Stargate. I expect that the set design is good, the props in place; that the costumes are taken care of; that the make-up is excellent; that the special effects are seamless and spectacular; that the lighting works; that the music is complementary, and the direction is good. But â€œTrial and Errorâ€ is one of those episodes where I canâ€™t help thinking that it is a prime example of how something is more than just the sum of its parts. Had any one of these elements not worked in â€œTrial and Error,â€ it would have taken away from the rest. Thankfully, all is brilliantly done.

Special mention has to be made for the great special effects in the space battles. Thereâ€™s not only the terrific blowing up of Destiny but also the graphics that map the battle and the alien spaceships. But if the special effects deserve an individual mention, so too do the make-up and costuming of Colonel Young, which shows the characterâ€™s descent into depression in a very subtle way through the lack of care taken in his appearance.

Which neatly brings me onto the story.

Itâ€™s fair to say that the core element of the episode story -- a simulation repeating itself in a doomsday scenario -- isnâ€™t exactly original. But as a common sci-fi trope, repeating events and time-loops is one of my favorites, and â€œTrial and Errorâ€ does a good job with it by making it central to the examination of Colonel Youngâ€™s character. I loved that itâ€™s initially through Youngâ€™s interactions with the female characters of the crew that we see his decline and pain: loved, loved the scene with TJ reaching out to him only to get slapped back (wonderful acting from Alaina Huffman), and I adored the scene with Chloe who gives him absolution, noting she understands that at some point heâ€™s going to have to protect the crew from her alien changes. But I admit that the best scene of the episode is the one where Scott faces down Young in his quarters and they have a frank exchange about leadership and its burden, about Youngâ€™s guilt over Riley. Louis Ferriera puts in a stunning performance throughout the episode. I felt his pain, his weariness, his sense of not knowing what else to do, his depression.

The entire cast though put in good performances once again, and if David Blue and Jamil Walker Smith donâ€™t get the heavy drama of the Young plot, the sub-plot of Eliâ€™s burgeoning romance with the Lucian Alliance scientist Ginn (Julie McNiven) still provides them with material to shine. I loved Greer acting as matchmaker and loved Eliâ€™s fumbling. This thread of the episode provides a nice counter-balance to the other. Thereâ€™s humor here in Eli and Greerâ€™s odd couple friendship; humor in Eliâ€™s awkwardness -- I laughed out loud when Eli begins to talk about him and Ginn in the middle of the control room.

Another humorous moment is the brilliantly ironic ending where Rush shoots himself in the foot by overriding the shipâ€™s simulation and thus confirming to the crew that Young is the leader Destiny wants. Itâ€™s incredibly funny in a dark way. Robert Carlyle plays it perfectly -- again, I felt just how annoyed Rush was with the situation. This is probably the closest Universe has come to duplicating the familiar mix of light and dark in an episode that was so much a feature of its predecessors in the franchise.

But this Universe episode, for the second week running, also provides great balance between its individual episodic plot and the arc-building. The shading here is just right. Both the main plot and the sub-plot use the arc-building within the episode story itself: Youngâ€™s decline, Chloeâ€™s changes, the power play, and the Lucian Allianceâ€™s place in the crew.

Itâ€™s amazing though that as good as this episode was, the minor gripe that I have with it, is the same minor gripe that I had with the previous one -- and it is around arc-building. What was the point of Scott getting Chloeâ€™s blood and placed in quarantine if nothing was going to be made of it? As it is, Scottâ€™s immediately being OK felt very much â€˜we have to get this over with to get on with the rest of the story.â€™

But again, this week Stargate Universe got it right and delivered a great episode. With declining ratings though, I canâ€™t help wondering if itâ€™s going to be enough to save the show from an early cancellation [and since it has been cancelled since this was first published obviously not!].

Previously published at GeekSpeak Magazine

**ZRFTS** · 02 September 2012, 03:00 PM

Trial and Error

Season 2 is certainly the season where SGU is spreading it's wings and one example of that is the episode title which uses three words instead of one! Truly this is certainly a marvelous achievement for SGU as it shows that they are definitely going places. As for the episode itself well this one has high ambitions, putting Young in a situation which tests his ability as well as providing a showcase which should do wonders for his character, but the question posed here is does it succeed?

In a way... Young's character here is amazing, his performance manages to showcase depression, anger and fear pretty convincingly with the actors disheveled looks, emotions, ever changing tone and even actions helping to add to that immersion in the process. There's no telling what you'll get when you watch Young, one moment he's normal and the next he's snapping at various people and doubting his sanity and when he snaps; he certainly provides a performance that blows anybody who's in the scene with him out of the water. There is something about his performance that invites us in, makes us care about him, when he's talking about his "dream", we can sympathize with his fears, doubts, worries and anger the way he expresses it and we can also feel somewhat bad for him as he slips further and further; maybe it's the acting, maybe it's the fact that he's elevating his performance to such a level that it transcends reality, no one knows but what we do know is that Young feels very real here even though there are some scenes which feel routine and neither TJ, Wray or Scott could hope to match the level of quality that Young's performance reaches even though they try their best.

However, Young is faced with a burden. Much of the conflict comes from the usual "is he capable enough to lead, should he be replaced" routine and while it's done in a somewhat different way, it's still manages to be just, "the usual" for lack of a better term. You could almost imagine what they're going to think about once the episode begins; is he losing it, are his dreams affecting him, could recent issues be the cause here? And while Young's performance elevates this to a higher level, the actors can't be bothered to put a unique twist on what could result in an amazing episode that could prove to be Young's best. Additionally, the situation Young faces doesn't seem compelling enough; there is some conflict, some explosions, some people dieing and even some changes but none of it grabs you, instead it just shakes you a little bit, hoping that will be enough to at least excite you. Some of it is the result of how it's portrayed; it doesn't know whether or not to place the characters in a situation where likely destruction is an option or whether or not to show the danger and chaos that comes from these things and as a result, it leads to sort of an awkward situation where they try to do both things but end up either overdoing it or not doing enough. The thing the situation relies on is caring about the characters but it's hard to care about the characters the way they're portrayed here as such, it leaves these scenes feeling a bit flat.

Eli is also of mention here as he begins a new romance with an LA girl that could either lead to a plot which showcases "falling in love with the enemy" or contribute to a newly formed love pentagon between Eli, Chloe, Scott, the LA girl and Weir. Though the LA girl may not be with much character, it does give Eli a chance to act out his own version of a romance plot and he does it admirably, providing a charming performance that showcases the awkwardness of romance while also remaining true to his character. You can see the enthusiasm and nervousness in the way he acts; he has the aspiration but he doesn't have the nerve to go up and just tell a woman that he has feelings for her and that can lead to some pretty good moments such as the moments where he reveals his personal pet projects, talks about his life, interacts with Greer (who I have to admit, acts as a decent father figure though his performance could use some work.) and the way they progress it, the way they integrate the work scenes really makes this worthwhile (especially the scene regarding the video clips). I am irked that Eli forgets about Chloe almost instantly; I mean I may have said that the romance was awkward but she was the first girl that Eli met and Eli was close with her most of the time; to not have Eli mention her, to have Eli treat the girl she's met as the first girl is really questionable and it kind of effected his plot. Had Eli made a mention of her, I wouldn't mind but still...

Scott also continues his rise to prominence continuing to act as if he loved Chloe from the beginning even though the romance started a few episodes ago and being placed in a "possible leader replacement" scenario. While I understand what they're trying to do with him, the way they execute the character is awkward; almost as if we're watching an entirely different version of Scott, a version which cares much for a person and manages to give a compassionate speech almost effortlessly. Granted he does provide some decent scenes but this change in Scott is not going to make me care more for him and while he may not have much of a role in Season 1, trying to alter his personality in a way to make him more essential (even shunning his son) is unwise and Chloe; well she is proving to be pretty useful in Season 2. Her unknown situation and her performance because of that unknown situation really brings out the character in her; the uncertainty, the fear, the rejection, she really pulls it off well and the audience will be drawn to her plot and her situation because of her performance; comparing this to Season 1, this seems like an entirely different character, a character who realized who had some potential in her and decided to use it. I hope future episodes will expand upon Chloe in a way that'll be satisfactory and beneficial to the show itself and I also hope that Rush will be used in those future episodes both with Chloe and the bridge plot itself.

In the end, this episode is good mainly for Young's performance. He puts on a fine act that manages to be compelling, insightful and emotional, fleshing out his character while also blowing those around him out of the water; he even manages to elevate some of the more boring parts. However, the episode is still teeming with a sense of boredom and complacency and those things really drag down the episode at times plus there are some questionable things (Eli's plot for example.) that really test your faith as a viewer but that shouldn't stop you from giving this episode a viewing, if not to see the actor behind Young in fine form.

6.0/10

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