Series Rewatch: Thirty-Eight Minutes

[popkin16]

 

It's that time again, folks! A new episode in our series rewatch. You know how it works: feel free to post anything you'd like, as long as it doesn't contain bashing. We want to keep things fun for everyone :) Please feel free to comment on old posts as well, we'd love to hear from you!

This week's episode is Thirty-Eight Minutes.
 

The team's first offworld near-death experience! Share your thoughts, meta, and fic below! To get the ball rolling: what do you think the answer to Elizabeth's question to John at the end of the episode truly was?

Comments

[melagan]

I love that visual of the Jumper ''stuck'' in the gate.

Actually, I love the whole concept of having vehicles designed for travel through the gate. (a combination of logical and awesome that makes my sci-fi heart go pitty-pat)

[popkin16]

My goal is to pick scenes that really tell people what the episode is about LOL It can't be all gifs of John & Rodney ;)

[selenic76]

Another wonderful gif! I think that really captures the tension of the episode.

I'd forgotten what a great episode this is. The plot seems fairly simple, the Jumper is stuck, John has the bug on his neck, and both problems need to be solved before their 38 minutes are up. But while solving them you get to see so much wonderful character interaction! And you also get to learn something about the origin of the Wraith, even though the bug thing is creepy.

I kept wondering what thoughts must have gone through John's head. Since it's only revealed in a flashbacks, you don't get the full picture until near the end, and to think he must have thought his chances were really slim since even the Wraith saw him as good as dead. Yet he keeps his composure throughout most of the ordeal 'cause it would only upset the others more. That is insanely brave.

And Rodney. It was interesting to compare his behaviour and mindset in this and in 'Grace under pressure'. Here he had the others to help him keep focus, and Rodney even apologizes to them for slipping into despair. Yet he remains very much himself, asking for food when he knows it's imperative for his brain to function even though to others it may seem something trivial under the circumstances :) I also loved how in charge he got in the beginning, making others realize how little time they had.

I also loved Ford in this, he is just awesome, and it made me sad to think about what happened to him later. And Zelenka made a wonderful first appearance! ^_^ Seeing all the different teams work together to save everyone was also wonderful. Even Kavanagh. Someone once pointed out to me, that he too has an important part to play, no matter how annoying he is, and after seeing this I do have to agree. Someone has to point out the things others don't necessarily want to focus on, and he did in fact help save the day in the end with his suggestion to blow the hatch.

And since I love John and Rodney, I of course adored all the looks they shared, especially the one at the end when John tells Elizabeth the answer was 'take care of each other' :) Rodney's little smile is wonderful ^_^ I like to imagine that Rodney knew exactly what John was going to say, and that it was definitely not going to be any love confession to any woman ;)

[melagan]

Part of what I love about this episode is we see the team just figuring out how to work together - as a team. There are a few rough patches, impatience, and exasperation floating around. It's only after watching later episodes when we see how well they work as a team that the contrast shows clearly.

Kavanagh is a great character foil for Rodney. I'm glad he suggested blowing the hatch. The writers didn't have to give him that moment of redemption and most series wouldn't have done that, preferring the 'hero' to have that moment.

It's one of the things that made SGA different from run of the mill shows. ♥

[selenic76]

It's one of the things that made SGA different from run of the mill shows. ♥

Yes, exactly! ^_^ I love how they didn't make things black and white, but create occasions that force us to think who actually is the good guy or the bad guy, or if they are both at the same time. I think this holds especially true for the Ancients and the Gennii.

[popkin16]

I really love getting to watch everyone interact. It's still early on, they're still a new team, so it's fun seeing how the dynamics play out. I thought Teyla was a bit more impatient with Rodney than she would have been later in the show - like when Rodney asks for food, and she gives him a dirty look.

I miss Ford :(

Oh my god, yes. I love how brave John is, keeping it together despite believing there was nothing that could be done to save him. He was really good at keeping Rodney on track even while paralyzed! I do love Rodney's smile at the end, too ♥

[librarychick_94]

"Don't tell me how screwed we are." And the truly nasty look that Teyla gives Rodney. Yikes.

Zelenka!

"What can I do to help?"
(smile) "Stop talking please"

Kavanaugh, shut the fuck up.

Man, Teyla is NOT happy with Rodney in this ep.

I have no clue what John wanted to say.

"Hit me with the defibrillator."

Chest!

Into the event horizon.

"Rodney, you have 7 minutes"

Kavanaugh redeems himself.

"We've got a pulse."

Quite the hickey.

This has always that one of my favorite eps due to the lovely John whump.

[melagan]

Quite the hickey indeed. :)

We get John whump (and bare chest) and a team that's trying to figure out how to work together.

We also get to see another glimpse into the Althosian culture.

[popkin16]

I find the nasty look Teyla gave Rodney sooo interesting. Obviously they're still a new team, so they don't have that basis of trust and understanding. It's so different from how TEyla would handle it later on~

Radek's first episode ♥ ♥

[selenic76]

"What can I do to help?"
(smile) "Stop talking please"

I love that scene! It's such a great intro for Radek, who's one of my favourites ^_^ And him speaking Czech always gets me, ♥! :)

The John whump was delicious indeed :)

[librarychick_94]

Fic rec

Being Brave by Taste_is_Sweet

https://archiveofourown.org/works/328314

Ep tag to 38 Minutes and part one of her Balcony Sessions series!

[popkin16]

Ahhhh thank you for the rec ♥ I just reread her Balcony Sessions series, but maybe it's tiem for another reread ;)

[melagan]

According to the commentary, this was a very uncomfortable episode to shoot. The puddle jumper set was small, not much room for the actors plus the cameras, it took days to shoot, and a lot of the time it was hot and dark.

The end result was fantastic though.

We're seeing our team working as a team for the first time.

We learned in Rising that John has no gate/off-world experience when he's . Standing in front of the gate and asks Ford, "What's it feel like?"

For all Rodney understands the workings of the Stargate he's never been on a team and we have no idea if he's ever been through the gate. (Does anyone have info to the contrary?)

Teyla has plenty of gate experience but not with people from a culture that know nothing about the Wraith. She has to find her footing with Earth weaponry, resources, and the gate team structure.

Ford is gate experienced. We see that in his joyous whoop though the Stargate in Rising. That implies he's gate team experienced as well, and even if he weren't, SG-1 have would set the example to follow.

This team is not SG-1.

Despite their collective inexperience they're learning, and it's of the best damn things I love about this episode.

[popkin16]

I love the mixture of experience/inexperience on the team. They balance each other out pretty well, I'd say!

I don't think Rodney HAS been through the gate before Atlantis. He was working at Area 51 before his first appearance on the show, and then he was sent to Siberia. When he was recalled to the SGC again, I think he was sent back to Area 51 after. It's possible he went through the gate, but he's never actually been "stationed", so to speak, at the SGC.