Ronon's care for Teyla

[vida-boheme.livejournal.com]

Ronon: Congratulations. Kanaan is the father?
Teyla: You knew that we were ...?
Ronon: I could tell – the way you talked about him.
Teyla: Yes. He is the father.
Ronon: I'm sorry.
Teyla: I will find him. He is still alive – I feel it.
Ronon: We'll find him – together. I promise. Come on – let's go get you checked up. You know, uh, "Ronon" – it's a good name ... boy or girl.

I love this brief exchange so much, especially for the way it shows us so much about Ronon. He understands Teyla's fears and concerns (and I'm sure he understands John's) but the first word out of his mouth is congratulations. He responds first as her friend and recognises the fact that this is a treasure to her and not an inconvenience. I love the way he immediately guesses who the father is and explains why he knows. That brain might not be science smart, but he's sharp as a tack and he picks up on things that other people miss. I adore the way he understands her worry about Kanaan being missing, and vows to help her find him. Most of all, I love the way he takes her hand, makes her smile, and goes with her to the infirmary.

So what small scenes do you love, and why? What are the moments in SGA where a brief exchange suddenly made you understand a character better?

Comments

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

You know, I was completely taken aback by John's reaction to Teyla's pregnancy. I can understand his concern from a military POV, since we're coming from a different cultural perspective here regarding women in combat (especially pregnant women) but I felt his reaction was out of character for someone who seemed casually comfortable with the fact that Ronon might easily have had a boyfriend as a girlfriend (as depicted in Sunday).

You'd got me thinking now. I might have to watch eps to find a moment such as this to share. Damn. This could take a while. ;-)

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

Maybe John's scared of babies? Or maybe he's really worried about the risks Teyla takes. He's not a father, esp. not a Pegasus father, so maybe he only sees the risks. Or simplest yet: Teyla's new role has freaked him out immensely!



On Friday nights I miss my show more!

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

Well, he certainly seemed comfortable with Torren at the end of SAR! :-) In fact, that was one scene I'd nominate here for the discussion.

I think his anger was supposed to be about the fact he's in charge and he didn't know she was pregnant--it was also meant to highlight the difference in cultures. I just think I'd have written it differently.

Freaked out I can buy though. People often react unexpectedly when freaked out!

[patk.livejournal.com]

Freaked out - I think he was *totally* freaked out. Not because of the pregnancy as such, of course, but at the idea of what could have happened in those two month he wasn't aware of her pregnancy and couldn't put that info in his decisions. I think the root of his anger here is concern. He usually doesn't spare Teyla anything just because she's a woman and realizing that he was operating on incomplete information for the last two month because she didn't tell him ... yeah, I guess he had pretty vivid images of how he could have killed her baby just by making an uninformed *decision* flashing through his mind.

I think his reaction was not about the question if Teyla was still able to do her job, to fight or "who has the right to tell whom what to do" - that would be stuff for a more reasonable, calmer discussion after the initial shock and anger had faded - but more than anything else just a strong emotional "Ritt über den Bodensee"-reaction.

That's the story about a man who got lost riding on his horse in a snowstorm. When he finally reached a guesthouse he was told that he had been riding all across the frozen Lake Constance. He became so shocked about the danger he had been in without knowing it (despite the fact that nothing had happened) that he suffered a heart attack on the spot and died.

John learned in hindsight that it was pure luck that Teyla's unborn wasn't harmed by decisions he made while doing his job which includes risking the mother's life as a member of his team. I have utter understanding for his reaction. That wasn't against Teyla personally, or pregnant women doing their job in general, that moment was John being scared of what could have happened because he didn't know. Anger born of worry with a good dose of helplessness on the side.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

I hear what you're saying--I understand the emotion very well--it just jarred with me the way it was written. Most likely because it was *left* that way and we never saw any follow up to it.

It wouldn't have taken much to leave it so that we as the audience (and not fanfic writers) *knew* that a reconciliation scene took place. Instead, it was dropped as though it never happened. :-(

[thebiggest-lie.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it might have been that John was hurt that Teyla didn't tell him about both her relationship, and the fact that he was pregnant. So a defense mechanism maybe? A way of dealing with this new information? Instead of facing his actual feelings, he turns it to concern and responsibility as a team leader.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

I think that was what it was *intended* to convey, to be sure. The scene just didn't work for me as written. Felt like something had been left out or edited for time, you know?

But now I have to go back to the subject at hand... :-)

[sp23.livejournal.com]

I think he may have felt kind of betrayed that she hadn't confided in him that she was pregnant, and by not doing so he put her in a situation that could have caused harm to the baby, maybe even caused Teyla to miscarry. I also think it scared the ever living shit out of him and that's why he reacted harshly. Everyone always says it would out of character, but I'm not sure I agree.

[em_kellesvig]

I have to agree with you on this. I think John was terrified that he'd unknowingly placed Teyla's baby in harm's way and that came out as anger. Misplaced anger but still genuine.

Rachel Luttrell did an interview recently about that scene and said that Joe decided to play it with an element of jealousy as well. Teyla was "team" and Kanaan and the baby would take her away from the team. I didn't see it that way but it's an interesting viewpoint.

[sp23.livejournal.com]

Huh, that is interesting. In a small way (and, no, I didn't see that way either) I could see that because John had no other family than his team, and I think he would be hurt at the thought of losing any of them to someone else. Rodney and stupid Keller must have ripped his poor heart out (especially since he's ass over teakettle in love with Rodney ;-P)

[em_kellesvig]

You see the same reaction from John when Ronon decides to leave Atlantis in Reunion. He's very upset and trying to show it. He tries to talk Ronon out of going, does everything he can to keep him part of the team. They're his family. He just doesn't show it well.

[lysambre.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, I never saw that anger as being out of character for John under these circumstances.

From the very beginning of the show it's obvious that John hates to put other people than himself in danger, and that when he fears for them them he gets angry (remember Trinity, the more scared he was, the more pissed off; the Genii also know the result of putting John's people in harm's way).

So yeah, to me it's not really surprising that when he learns he's been putting Teyla's baby in danger for months he get's scared and angry.

A lot of people saw him as angry against Teyla, I saw him as angry against himself, for not realising sooner and for Teyla feeling she couldn't talk to him about it.

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

You guys are making a compelling argument for John being caught off guard and how fear for someone's safety in a situation like that can make you behave like a jerk. Lord knows, I've yelled at my dog when he safely returned from nearly getting himself killed, even though that was the wrong thing to do. I just would have liked to see some follow up. Teyla, I'm sure, would not have left things there.

I feel as though I've accidentally hijacked this thread by voicing this remembered reaction--seriously, that wasn't my intent! Now I'm going to have to come up with some counter-balancing memories. :-)

[sp23.livejournal.com]

I just would have liked to see some follow up. Teyla, I'm sure, would not have left things there.

This is a serious failing that the writers had. And to be fair, not just these guys but this happens in far too many shows... no follow-up. I'm sure the writers just didn't feel like having or felt it necessary to have that follow-up scene where John and Teyla have the heart-to-heart where he apologized for yelling, and she apologizes for not telling him about the baby sooner. I guess that's why we have fanfic. :-)

[patk.livejournal.com]

>>Lord knows, I've yelled at my dog when he safely returned from nearly getting himself killed, even though that was the wrong thing to do.<<

This! Yes! That's pretty much the reaction I saw here coming from John. :-)

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

Yes, but a nano-second later, I have the dog by the face and I'm telling him that he scared the crap out of me and I love him so please, please don't ever do that again. And he *gets* that for whatever reason I went psycho on him before, we're okay now.

I'm not saying John Sheppard has to be as enlightened as I am *snicker* but a single sentence would have put the entire scene into context for me. If John had ended with a frustrated, "Damn it, Teyla! I can't make decisions unless I have all the facts!" as he took his hissy self off, then it would have worked for me. I wouldn't have needed a reconciliation scene between him and Teyla because I would have *known* that it had taken place.

It seems to me there was so many times when a major problem with a scene or a storyline could have been fixed with a single sentence but the writers always let it go.

[vida-boheme.livejournal.com]

You know, I used to put the lack of balance and resolution to that scene down to poor storytelling and scripting by TPTB. Now I wonder if they didn't put some of their annoyance at having to deal with Rachel's pregnancy in Sheppard's mouth - with the added bonus of making John/Joe the 'bad guy'.

Yep, that's how far my distrust of TPTB's motivations goes!

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, those very thoughts crossed my mind as well. I can also see Flanigan, when given the lines to read, deciding with Rachel to play it as a jealousy thing, because that's what they had to work with.

[patk.livejournal.com]

>>"Damn it, Teyla! I can't make decisions unless I have all the facts!" <<

Yes, that would have been perfect - and still in character for John. And in an ideal world with some competent writers at the helm of the show we would have gotten something like that. :-)

Hm... I think I'm just going to pretend that he said this at a point later in the show. *G*

[sgamadison.livejournal.com]

It did, it did! :-)