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Spoilers below for SGA 2.13, The Tower
Granted, this was not the best episode ever, but OMG, I was SO AMUSED.
Preface: I love my show reason the nth; or why "cliche plots" don't neccessarily make a bad show
In other words, if you're a fan of plot this episode is not for you. Like really.
Because this? This is SGA by way of SHAKESPEARE. This is, like, the most cracktastic crossover ever of like...Hamlet or something. ::snerkle:: With a good dash of, "What dictatorship would you allow under supposed Wraith!threat" and "OMG Pretty PRETTY BLONDE PRINCESS!" (but no unicorn. ::woe::)
I love love love how John Sheppard has different levels of "fake". I don't care if it's his direction or his own acting or whatever, I get I'm being sorta Watsonian about this, except that it's *consistent* with the way that Sheppard has been throughout this entire series, ever since season 1, that he's been fake.
(btw, quickie litmus test:
Is John dorky? if no, then "fake". if yes, then likely real.
Is John smooth? if yes, then "fake". if no, then likely real.
crooked smile = usually partially-real, if nervous, see Duet, given to Rodney
balanced-even smile = shit-eating, see The Rising, given to Sumner)
I love, along those lines, how his interactions with the princess is so utterly *staged*, it's like a performance of masculinity the way that Audrey Hepburn or Marlene Dietrich performs femininity. I love how *he* was basically lead to a *harem* room and how *he* is set-up against the wall and bed and *she* is set-up against the doorway. Usually you'd have it be the female against the enclosed side and the male against the opening, but here she's being the aggressor which just ticked me PINK.
Well, *that* and,
"It seems that people around here have gotten the wrong idea about me."
What, John, that you're not Captain Kirk? ;D ::cough.orthatyou'renotstraight?cough::
A side note if you want to go that route: John didn't really respond to the kissing until she started *talking*. XD Take that as you will.
Also, I'm not sure what to make of his words to Elizabeth at the end of the show that he "could've got the girl, turned her down". The lovely thing about this is that it could be taken one of several ways, he could have gotten laid but didn't get to bring her to Atlantis, he could have lied about getting laid, it could have be an almost getting laid, he could have be referring to having Rodney...::COUGH:: ahem. XD but yeah, I *love* that the writers are leaving it open like that!
Dude. I was one of those that were raising my eyebrows at the insistence that John Sheppard was being coded as gay, 'cause I could see his actions as simply being coded as a sign of a distanced, masked personality; that he was simply secretive so to speak. But this episode?...DUDE.
AND OH! I WANT CAPS OF BORDELLO!JOHN. 'Cause that need CAPS, yo!
And was not everyone just HOT?
also? IMHOPTEP!!! WITH AWESOME LASHES!
And I like how Rodney's so desperately trying to keep himself collected and together in front of the villager and y'know, getting BAD ideas left and right. It's like Grace Under Pressure, only Rodney's keeping everything internal this time, 'cause he can't afford to let it out because there's a witness. And yeah RIGHT it's a good idea to blow a drone up, it's up there on the list of Bad Ideas with the puddlejumper's thruster thing he tried in Grace Under Pressure, what with the, y'know, EARTHQUAKE.
And I love that they *acknowledge* that it's a fucking stupid idea in the ep! I love that JOHN had to remind *Rodney* of the idea with the overloading the power thing that Rodney figured out two episodes before in Critical Mass. I love that Rodney was *that* frazzled and that his first question is whether John's all right and that John takes the time to answer and that Rodney like, pulls himself *together* as he talks more and more to John, even as John basically ordered him to cause basically another, y'know, EARTHQUAKE. And the two reactions Rodney has are markedly *different*, even though they had the same potential Very Bad Thing happening! (God bless Hewlett. =D)
And oh god, *Ronon*. We saw some of this Ronon in Trinity and he's stillll so PostTraumaticStressed and just...wah. dude. And how Teyla's all, "::BREATH:: okay, we'll HANDLE THIS, I'm going to dig your little ass out of your mess because you're my little bro but WE WILL HAVE *WORDS* LATER." In that brief little glance and in on exasperated turn of her head and oh god they're so like my cousins I could *die*.
Also, let me take a moment here to be really grateful for the t-shirts. 'Cause man, even Beckett is showing some *nice* arms there...and McKay...and Sheppard...and oh hey hi there Ronon glare some more, just like that...
::moment::
::GLEE::
::basks::
AND SQUEE! More drones and puddlejumpers! ::GLEE!!!:: This means more flying things and explosions!!!! ::VIDDER JOY::
In conclusion: I repeat, if you're a fan of plot, this episode is not for you. Like really really really. But I adore character arcs and I adore spoofs of cliches so this was a lovely solid ep for me, if not the best. ::bouces:: ahhh, SGA!
P.S. Dear TPTB. I want a City In The Sky next, and, if you can manage it a City In A Volcano.
I expect Salamanders, just so you know. =D
Granted, this was not the best episode ever, but OMG, I was SO AMUSED.
Preface: I love my show reason the nth; or why "cliche plots" don't neccessarily make a bad show
In other words, if you're a fan of plot this episode is not for you. Like really.
Because this? This is SGA by way of SHAKESPEARE. This is, like, the most cracktastic crossover ever of like...Hamlet or something. ::snerkle:: With a good dash of, "What dictatorship would you allow under supposed Wraith!threat" and "OMG Pretty PRETTY BLONDE PRINCESS!" (but no unicorn. ::woe::)
I love love love how John Sheppard has different levels of "fake". I don't care if it's his direction or his own acting or whatever, I get I'm being sorta Watsonian about this, except that it's *consistent* with the way that Sheppard has been throughout this entire series, ever since season 1, that he's been fake.
(btw, quickie litmus test:
Is John dorky? if no, then "fake". if yes, then likely real.
Is John smooth? if yes, then "fake". if no, then likely real.
crooked smile = usually partially-real, if nervous, see Duet, given to Rodney
balanced-even smile = shit-eating, see The Rising, given to Sumner)
I love, along those lines, how his interactions with the princess is so utterly *staged*, it's like a performance of masculinity the way that Audrey Hepburn or Marlene Dietrich performs femininity. I love how *he* was basically lead to a *harem* room and how *he* is set-up against the wall and bed and *she* is set-up against the doorway. Usually you'd have it be the female against the enclosed side and the male against the opening, but here she's being the aggressor which just ticked me PINK.
Well, *that* and,
"It seems that people around here have gotten the wrong idea about me."
What, John, that you're not Captain Kirk? ;D ::cough.orthatyou'renotstraight?cough::
A side note if you want to go that route: John didn't really respond to the kissing until she started *talking*. XD Take that as you will.
Also, I'm not sure what to make of his words to Elizabeth at the end of the show that he "could've got the girl, turned her down". The lovely thing about this is that it could be taken one of several ways, he could have gotten laid but didn't get to bring her to Atlantis, he could have lied about getting laid, it could have be an almost getting laid, he could have be referring to having Rodney...::COUGH:: ahem. XD but yeah, I *love* that the writers are leaving it open like that!
Dude. I was one of those that were raising my eyebrows at the insistence that John Sheppard was being coded as gay, 'cause I could see his actions as simply being coded as a sign of a distanced, masked personality; that he was simply secretive so to speak. But this episode?...DUDE.
AND OH! I WANT CAPS OF BORDELLO!JOHN. 'Cause that need CAPS, yo!
And was not everyone just HOT?
also? IMHOPTEP!!! WITH AWESOME LASHES!
And I like how Rodney's so desperately trying to keep himself collected and together in front of the villager and y'know, getting BAD ideas left and right. It's like Grace Under Pressure, only Rodney's keeping everything internal this time, 'cause he can't afford to let it out because there's a witness. And yeah RIGHT it's a good idea to blow a drone up, it's up there on the list of Bad Ideas with the puddlejumper's thruster thing he tried in Grace Under Pressure, what with the, y'know, EARTHQUAKE.
And I love that they *acknowledge* that it's a fucking stupid idea in the ep! I love that JOHN had to remind *Rodney* of the idea with the overloading the power thing that Rodney figured out two episodes before in Critical Mass. I love that Rodney was *that* frazzled and that his first question is whether John's all right and that John takes the time to answer and that Rodney like, pulls himself *together* as he talks more and more to John, even as John basically ordered him to cause basically another, y'know, EARTHQUAKE. And the two reactions Rodney has are markedly *different*, even though they had the same potential Very Bad Thing happening! (God bless Hewlett. =D)
And oh god, *Ronon*. We saw some of this Ronon in Trinity and he's stillll so PostTraumaticStressed and just...wah. dude. And how Teyla's all, "::BREATH:: okay, we'll HANDLE THIS, I'm going to dig your little ass out of your mess because you're my little bro but WE WILL HAVE *WORDS* LATER." In that brief little glance and in on exasperated turn of her head and oh god they're so like my cousins I could *die*.
Also, let me take a moment here to be really grateful for the t-shirts. 'Cause man, even Beckett is showing some *nice* arms there...and McKay...and Sheppard...and oh hey hi there Ronon glare some more, just like that...
::moment::
::GLEE::
::basks::
AND SQUEE! More drones and puddlejumpers! ::GLEE!!!:: This means more flying things and explosions!!!! ::VIDDER JOY::
In conclusion: I repeat, if you're a fan of plot, this episode is not for you. Like really really really. But I adore character arcs and I adore spoofs of cliches so this was a lovely solid ep for me, if not the best. ::bouces:: ahhh, SGA!
P.S. Dear TPTB. I want a City In The Sky next, and, if you can manage it a City In A Volcano.
I expect Salamanders, just so you know. =D
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I also loved this: John didn't really respond to the kissing until she started *talking*, which reminds me of my favorite, bar none, Xander scene (to completely hop fandoms). Can't remember the ep title or season--it's the one where Spike's called in all the assassins to kill Buffy and the second Slayer (the South African one) arrives. It basically the opposite of what you describe in this ep with Sheppard and the blonde. When Xander first sees the second Slayer he's gaga, tripping over his own feet following her around; but when he tries talking with her in the library she goes shy and stares at her feet, and--God, I love Xander for this--you can see the lovestruck expression slick off his face as he loses all interest in her. Because Xander's all about the witty repartee and someone who can go head-to-toe with him, so much so that not even the mad hottness of the second Slayer can engage him without it.
And then he and Spike get down an' dirty and there's sexing all over the place ;p.To reign this all back to you, I finally got to watch your Atlantis vid last night, and I loved it. So. Much. More than anything it struck me as a love letter. It gave me this incredible sense that Atlantis had been *waiting* for and *loving* the entire expedition before they even got there. Almost a "Welcome Back Home" rather than strictly "Welcome Home," if you know what I'm groping for. Thank you for sharing it with us!
{hugs}
no subject
oooo, that'll be an interesting AU!
And I can totally see where you're getting the Xander thing! I was getting that vibe too, ::highfives::, and also the vibe like from the wraith-worshipper in The Hive, but from John. The, "Oh hey, you're spilling state secrets!...tell me more." Because he TOTALLY broke off kissing once he'd registered all the implications, like he wasn't really kissing to kiss, y'know?
And yay! I'm glad you liked the vid! And yeah, it was kinda a love letter to SGA, to Atlantis the city, and...yeah, eternal welcome. =D Thank you for letting me know how you felt about it!
::hugs back::