So, is this also the post where we comment? Because nobody else has started. I just got home from the movies (I know, heresy - on a rewatch night) but I'm ready to share my opinions (and squee), especially since I started rewatching earlier today. [Do I know how to juggle my day or what!]
I felt so bad about not watching last night, but I was exhausted, and went to bed right after I posted. I zonked right out, too. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to watch during lunch today, if not, it'll have to be after everyone's in bed. I'm looking forward to this one, because the events in it were referenced so often in future eps.
Wow. I'd forgotten the immediacy of how this episode started, with John lying in the back of the jumper and the bug just looks gross. Not that it ever looked good. So I'm wondering if it's because I only began to watch later seasons on my computer (right in front of my face), whereas the TV screen was a few feet away.
And, then, what a fabulous shot of the shuttle moving through the wormhole until ... uh-oh, it's stuck. And there's the score with its evocative and ominous prediction.
Interesting seeing the deceptive calm picture of the above shot of Atlantis right after the credits.
I love Rodney's wide-eyed woobie look (and his hairdo) while explaining why the jumper's stuck.
Rodney nodding/shaking his head as Aiden reports the sitch to Elizabeth. And why is she wearing a beige top?
Okay, it's rewind time. Whoa! That's some crater there.
Oh, great. Here come the friendly neighbourhood Wraith. Or not so much.
This episode does start off with a lot of energy, and that bug is totally gross. I'd freak out if something like that was attached to me. John's - 'You mean my day just got worse?' - actually made me lol.
Sheppard has some of the best lines in this episode, although Carson's 'Cling on' line was priceless.
Huh, I've never noticed that that engine that gets stuck is trailing smoke. So they were showing us it was damaged before they went into the gate. How'd I miss that before?
I wonder if this episode was why Carson started to go on missions. It makes sense to have a doctor when you're visiting strange new worlds...oops, wrong show.
Not only is the above picture of Atlantis peaceful, so is the music.
How gross was Ford's arm sticking out of that stargate material? And, who names their child Rainbow Sun? I don't get this trend among celebrities of giving their children such odd names.
With Rodney's desire for credit, I'm really surprised he didn't say something about already closing the bulkhead doors. Although, I guess that wasn't established yet.
Way for Sheppard to lead. Love him bringing Rodney's focus back on where it needs to be.
Rodney to Elizabeth: "We'll call you. Thank you." Snorfle! Just priceless!!!
Awwwww. John's whump face. We didn't really know at the time how much we'd end up seeing it through the series.
Seeing them getting tossed about in the back of the jumper makes me wish – once again – that there were seatbelts or webbing (as in Star Trek reboot) or ... something.
Rodney: "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves."
Oh, boy. Frantic Rodney snarking bitterly about all the expected gory details of the effects of vacuum.
Sure Rodney. We all know how effective a "screen door in a submarine is".
Okay, so are we going to get the official McKay-Sheppard definition of "screwed"?
John's talking about not giving up on Markham and Stackhouse and we sew more wonderful expressions on Rodney's face.
John: "You've got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain."
OMG. Rodney just said "Sorry".
Oops. John's medical self-diagnosis is SO not a good thing. And the team looks so worried. I love them.
Meanwhile, back on Atlantis, Radek is cursing in Czech. Yay! Well, maybe not for him, but I love listening to him (I remember his scramble through the vent shafts in Quarantine).
Yay for scientists and their common behaviour traits. Radek to Elizabeth: "Stop talking, please."
Oh, man, seeing Aiden shoot the bug with the gun at John's neck. And, of course, the not-so-good consequences.
Uh, Carson, you should NEVER make bad jokes.
Eeeeeek. John's just about to run into the web. Can I cover my eyes?
Oooh. Elizabeth just said "ass" to Kavanagh. Hee. And isn't it fascinating that TPTB had Kav put his hair into a practical ponytail, while the women wore theirs loose? As I keep saying, TPTB have had a hard-on for long-haired women (unless they're older but that's a whole 'nother barrel of squid) and it's frankly ridiculous.
I actually liked Elizabeth's argument with Halling, though it could be taken to be imperialist, glossing over Teyla's belief system. Though TBH could you imagine Rodney to have the prospect of his imminent death announced by Atlantis so that he could ... uh ... prepare?
Back on the jumper, they're taking inventory. And Elizabeth is getting chewed out by a pissed-off Kav. Oooh, I love it when Elizabeth makes a threat. And Kav thinks she's kidding? And isn't his line of "We'll talk about this later" a bit uppity, that HE needs to get the last word over that of his ultimate FEMALE boss. And now we know to look out for his resentment.
Yay, Radek (in Czech): "We have it!" I'm glad there are enough similarities to Polish that I can get some of the private dialogue.
Ugh. Aiden's pouring stuff and the bug is ::shuddeRs:: chittering (or worse) in reaction.
Rodney talking with his mouth full of powerbar.
Aiden putting a positive spin while reporting to Atlantis.
Hmmm. Fascinating to see Elizabeth rejecting what she assumes is John's parting speech (hey, it'll be reverse-bookended in The Shrine).
Creepy look by creepy Wraith at John who's gotten ... uh ... attached.
Lovely seeing Aiden so take-charge and serious in this episode.
Okay, kiddies, time for a science lesson on inertia (even I knew that). And Kav makes a good suggestion. So not totally a moron.
Interesting exchange of glances between Elizabeth and Halling after the rescue.
::giggles:: Peter looks completely knackered.
Okay, now we're in that makeshift infirmary "set" again and does everyone notice how somebody from the set crew tucked the blankie In Between John's Legs - All. The. Way!?!?!?!?! Yes, I know we're all voyeurs/voyeuses, but this is ridiculous.
Awwwww. John thanked Rodney. So cute.
And now he's trying to snuggle into the bed to find a more comfortable position. People, he needs a "grownup" bed!
I didn't watch when Ford shot the bug. The sound of it going squish was bad enough. Ford is certainly showing his leadership potential, though.
That Kav guy does come up with good inspiration, thank god he isn't a total loser (just in personality *g*)
What was with all the protective gear the medical people were wearing?
I love that they show us to two pilots were alive and well. On Star Trek, they would have been dead.
That was quite a look between John and his nurse (maybe she's the one who tucked his blankets in *g*). Has there been any speculation about what John was going to say, that Elizabeth asked him about at the end?
I love the sincere thank you John gives to Rodney at the end, and how he adds 'again' - his deeper voice for that one work was sexy, although he should have thanked Ford, too. That was a great exchange, though.
Well, this seems to have been the special "helenka" evening on sga_squee. ::turns away and shnuffles from the feeling of utter loneliness::
I hope others will join me in the squee for this episode throughout the night and day because there were so many remarkable moments.
I also may have gotten carried away with my comments (just a titch, just a tad) because I figured out how to watch the DVD in a partial window, so I could switch between the word doc and it seamlessly.
And there's just one final comment from me for tonight ('cuz I need something called sleep, too). Once again, I'm astounded by the fluidity of David Hewlett's facial expressions and how good he is at coming up with just the right one. I really, really, REALLY cannot imagine anyone else playing the originally intended role (um ... of Dr. Ingram?) because I think even TPTB had no idea (what else is new?) of how to flesh out the character until they decided (at the last minute, natch) to have DH reprise his SG1 character ... with more humanizing aspects. And that's worth a huge *****SQUEEEEEEEEE*****
Sorry you were alone the other night, but you have given me a wonderful batch of comments to read. 38 Minutes remains one of my all-time favorite episodes. This was the episode where I said to myself, "Okaaay, this Stargate Atlantis show could be a good one if they keep this up." Yes, the whumped!John face was great! LOL
I agree that DH really showed his stuff here. If you just look at his lines alone, I feel he's shown almost as much of a whiner and complainer as Kavanaugh. But David's worried looks at Sheppard and his expressions throughout convey a wide mix of emotions. Of course it shows he is scared to death, but you can also see Rodney's mind working on the problem, as well as his fingers working on the wiring.
Every time I see this episode, I'm reminded of Joe Flanigan's comments that when they filmed it, he thought this might be the end of his acting career. Here he was for most of the episode in the back of a jumper set, laying down, with this fake bug on his neck. Of course this was early in the filming and they so far had no idea that the reaction to the series would be good. He had never played in any SF series previously and didn't know if this stuff would go over at all.
I also had forgotten how they had written Ford's character as very competent and smart. I remember the later Ford, and it overshadows this earlier version too much.
And a lovely team scene to end the episode as well. It shows they've bonded very well already, since they've cheated death together a few times now.
::giggles:: Well, I was an only child, so I learned to entertain myself quite easily. Having a terrific imagination helped, and I didn't even have to build a non-working nuclear bomb either.
Looking back at both the Flan's and Hewlett's acting abilities, I believe TPTB got way better than they (TPTB) deserved. It can be difficult to convey a subtle but clear range of emotions. Usually it's either over-the-top soap opera crap or wooden-faced stereotypical macho.
Actually, I'm getting confused by Ford's personality switch. He goes from "Hurts like hell" before he hurls himself backwards with a whoop through the Stargate in the pilot to being by-the-book in this epi. I'm sorry, PTB, but could you please decide WHO you want Ford to be?
Anyway, it may be late, but thank you for stopping by to chat with me!
and I didn't even have to build a non-working nuclear bomb either.
LOL!
I agree that TPTB got better actors than they deserved/wanted. In fact, that seems to have been the problem. Joe said he had NEVER done a show before that did not have read-throughs. But when he asked for them, they had a couple and TPTB apparently got pissed-off that the mere AC-TORS questioned parts of the script. Or that they wanted some continuity in their characters. (Michael Shanks had some of the same problems with TPTB, I heard.) So read-throughs were dumped very early on.
It is amazing that so much good stuff came from such a flawed process. Possibly because of great directors and actors who really cared about the product. Brad Wright is a good writer--witness this episode and The Shrine to name a couple. If he could just check his ego occasionally--to learn about writing women characters for example--he could be a great one.
Ooooh. Uppity AC-TORS and their unreasonable demand to put out a credible product. I suppose TPTB thought that sufficient green-screen could excuse a lot of other inadequacies.
And, yeah, continuity certainly wasn't a priority. As I've noted elsewhere, why the hell was McKay WRITTEN as such an ass (or should that be "boob") on his guest role on SGU, staring at Lt. James's rack ... as if he'd never seen a pair up close and personal before in his life. ::sighs in frustration::
And it would be a marvel to see Brad Wright grow up to become a real boy director who has insight into the authentic lives of realistic characters (including women). Just because it's SF is no excuse.
I'm sorry you were on your own for the rewatch. I still feel bad about that. This is much more fun when someone is on with you. It was a great episode, and I like seeing them after I've just watched the whole series - it's like I can see patterns developing in these early days, and learning things that come to fruition much later.
I don't think you got carried away. I enjoyed reading all of your comments about the episode. It got me rewinding more than once, trying to pay a little bit closer attention to the details you noticed.
David Hewlett is incredible. He does put everything his character is thinking in his expressions - which says so much about his abilities as an actor, but also says something about the character he's developing, even in these early days. It's one of his girlfriends that mentions how Rodney doesn't have a filter on his mouth, so she never has to guess what he's thinking - he's an open book. Well, we see that in his expressions as well. Very impressive that he worked so much out about this man he's playing so quickly.
Even though it's not as much fun playing alone (and I'll let that slip with its obvious double-meaning, lol), I still enjoyed myself, because it's forcing me to pay attention (something I believe many TV shows would prefer their audiences NOT do).
I'm looking forward to tonight. Schedule is all clear.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 03:12 am (UTC)And, then, what a fabulous shot of the shuttle moving through the wormhole until ... uh-oh, it's stuck. And there's the score with its evocative and ominous prediction.
Interesting seeing the deceptive calm picture of the above shot of Atlantis right after the credits.
I love Rodney's wide-eyed woobie look (and his hairdo) while explaining why the jumper's stuck.
Rodney nodding/shaking his head as Aiden reports the sitch to Elizabeth. And why is she wearing a beige top?
Okay, it's rewind time. Whoa! That's some crater there.
Oh, great. Here come the friendly neighbourhood Wraith. Or not so much.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-27 02:13 am (UTC)Sheppard has some of the best lines in this episode, although Carson's 'Cling on' line was priceless.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-30 03:51 am (UTC)I wonder if this episode was why Carson started to go on missions. It makes sense to have a doctor when you're visiting strange new worlds...oops, wrong show.
Not only is the above picture of Atlantis peaceful, so is the music.
How gross was Ford's arm sticking out of that stargate material? And, who names their child Rainbow Sun? I don't get this trend among celebrities of giving their children such odd names.
With Rodney's desire for credit, I'm really surprised he didn't say something about already closing the bulkhead doors. Although, I guess that wasn't established yet.
Way for Sheppard to lead. Love him bringing Rodney's focus back on where it needs to be.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 05:44 am (UTC)I didn't see that.
I'll have to re-rewatch the scene, because now I'm curious.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 03:16 am (UTC)Awwwww. John's whump face. We didn't really know at the time how much we'd end up seeing it through the series.
Seeing them getting tossed about in the back of the jumper makes me wish – once again – that there were seatbelts or webbing (as in Star Trek reboot) or ... something.
Rodney: "Feel free to talk amongst yourselves."
Oh, boy. Frantic Rodney snarking bitterly about all the expected gory details of the effects of vacuum.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 03:34 am (UTC)Okay, so are we going to get the official McKay-Sheppard definition of "screwed"?
John's talking about not giving up on Markham and Stackhouse and we sew more wonderful expressions on Rodney's face.
John: "You've got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain."
OMG. Rodney just said "Sorry".
Oops. John's medical self-diagnosis is SO not a good thing. And the team looks so worried. I love them.
Meanwhile, back on Atlantis, Radek is cursing in Czech. Yay! Well, maybe not for him, but I love listening to him (I remember his scramble through the vent shafts in Quarantine).
Yay for scientists and their common behaviour traits. Radek to Elizabeth: "Stop talking, please."
Oh, man, seeing Aiden shoot the bug with the gun at John's neck. And, of course, the not-so-good consequences.
Uh, Carson, you should NEVER make bad jokes.
Eeeeeek. John's just about to run into the web. Can I cover my eyes?
no subject
Date: 2011-06-30 03:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 05:05 am (UTC)I actually liked Elizabeth's argument with Halling, though it could be taken to be imperialist, glossing over Teyla's belief system. Though TBH could you imagine Rodney to have the prospect of his imminent death announced by Atlantis so that he could ... uh ... prepare?
Back on the jumper, they're taking inventory. And Elizabeth is getting chewed out by a pissed-off Kav. Oooh, I love it when Elizabeth makes a threat. And Kav thinks she's kidding? And isn't his line of "We'll talk about this later" a bit uppity, that HE needs to get the last word over that of his ultimate FEMALE boss. And now we know to look out for his resentment.
Yay, Radek (in Czech): "We have it!" I'm glad there are enough similarities to Polish that I can get some of the private dialogue.
Ugh. Aiden's pouring stuff and the bug is ::shuddeRs:: chittering (or worse) in reaction.
Rodney talking with his mouth full of powerbar.
Aiden putting a positive spin while reporting to Atlantis.
Hmmm. Fascinating to see Elizabeth rejecting what she assumes is John's parting speech (hey, it'll be reverse-bookended in The Shrine).
Creepy look by creepy Wraith at John who's gotten ... uh ... attached.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-30 04:08 am (UTC)I love Carson's reaction when John screams in pain - the reaction of a real healer.
Aiden did put a positive spin on things, but it also got Rodney moving again.
I also love that it's John that comes up with the idea that solves his problem - not the doctors or the 'brains.'
no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 05:11 am (UTC)Okay, kiddies, time for a science lesson on inertia (even I knew that). And Kav makes a good suggestion. So not totally a moron.
Interesting exchange of glances between Elizabeth and Halling after the rescue.
::giggles:: Peter looks completely knackered.
Okay, now we're in that makeshift infirmary "set" again and does everyone notice how somebody from the set crew tucked the blankie In Between John's Legs - All. The. Way!?!?!?!?! Yes, I know we're all voyeurs/voyeuses, but this is ridiculous.
Awwwww. John thanked Rodney. So cute.
And now he's trying to snuggle into the bed to find a more comfortable position. People, he needs a "grownup" bed!
no subject
Date: 2011-06-30 04:24 am (UTC)That Kav guy does come up with good inspiration, thank god he isn't a total loser (just in personality *g*)
What was with all the protective gear the medical people were wearing?
I love that they show us to two pilots were alive and well. On Star Trek, they would have been dead.
That was quite a look between John and his nurse (maybe she's the one who tucked his blankets in *g*). Has there been any speculation about what John was going to say, that Elizabeth asked him about at the end?
I love the sincere thank you John gives to Rodney at the end, and how he adds 'again' - his deeper voice for that one work was sexy, although he should have thanked Ford, too. That was a great exchange, though.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 05:47 am (UTC)And, yeah. ::giggles:: No red-shirts died in the making of this episode!
no subject
Date: 2011-07-03 05:13 pm (UTC)Well, early on in the epi, Elizabeth ordered a medical lockdown of the jumper bay. [I re-rewatched.]
no subject
Date: 2011-06-25 05:23 am (UTC)I hope others will join me in the squee for this episode throughout the night and day because there were so many remarkable moments.
I also may have gotten carried away with my comments (just a titch, just a tad) because I figured out how to watch the DVD in a partial window, so I could switch between the word doc and it seamlessly.
And there's just one final comment from me for tonight ('cuz I need something called sleep, too). Once again, I'm astounded by the fluidity of David Hewlett's facial expressions and how good he is at coming up with just the right one. I really, really, REALLY cannot imagine anyone else playing the originally intended role (um ... of Dr. Ingram?) because I think even TPTB had no idea (what else is new?) of how to flesh out the character until they decided (at the last minute, natch) to have DH reprise his SG1 character ... with more humanizing aspects. And that's worth a huge *****SQUEEEEEEEEE*****
no subject
Date: 2011-06-26 05:18 pm (UTC)I agree that DH really showed his stuff here. If you just look at his lines alone, I feel he's shown almost as much of a whiner and complainer as Kavanaugh. But David's worried looks at Sheppard and his expressions throughout convey a wide mix of emotions. Of course it shows he is scared to death, but you can also see Rodney's mind working on the problem, as well as his fingers working on the wiring.
Every time I see this episode, I'm reminded of Joe Flanigan's comments that when they filmed it, he thought this might be the end of his acting career. Here he was for most of the episode in the back of a jumper set, laying down, with this fake bug on his neck. Of course this was early in the filming and they so far had no idea that the reaction to the series would be good. He had never played in any SF series previously and didn't know if this stuff would go over at all.
I also had forgotten how they had written Ford's character as very competent and smart. I remember the later Ford, and it overshadows this earlier version too much.
And a lovely team scene to end the episode as well. It shows they've bonded very well already, since they've cheated death together a few times now.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-27 03:22 am (UTC)Well, I was an only child, so I learned to entertain myself quite easily. Having a terrific imagination helped, and I didn't even have to build a non-working nuclear bomb either.
Looking back at both the Flan's and Hewlett's acting abilities, I believe TPTB got way better than they (TPTB) deserved. It can be difficult to convey a subtle but clear range of emotions. Usually it's either over-the-top soap opera crap or wooden-faced stereotypical macho.
Actually, I'm getting confused by Ford's personality switch. He goes from "Hurts like hell" before he hurls himself backwards with a whoop through the Stargate in the pilot to being by-the-book in this epi. I'm sorry, PTB, but could you please decide WHO you want Ford to be?
Anyway, it may be late, but thank you for stopping by to chat with me!
no subject
Date: 2011-06-27 05:06 am (UTC)LOL!
I agree that TPTB got better actors than they deserved/wanted. In fact, that seems to have been the problem. Joe said he had NEVER done a show before that did not have read-throughs. But when he asked for them, they had a couple and TPTB apparently got pissed-off that the mere AC-TORS questioned parts of the script. Or that they wanted some continuity in their characters. (Michael Shanks had some of the same problems with TPTB, I heard.) So read-throughs were dumped very early on.
It is amazing that so much good stuff came from such a flawed process. Possibly because of great directors and actors who really cared about the product. Brad Wright is a good writer--witness this episode and The Shrine to name a couple. If he could just check his ego occasionally--to learn about writing women characters for example--he could be a great one.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-27 01:10 pm (UTC)And, yeah, continuity certainly wasn't a priority. As I've noted elsewhere, why the hell was McKay WRITTEN as such an ass (or should that be "boob") on his guest role on SGU, staring at Lt. James's rack ... as if he'd never seen a pair up close and personal before in his life. ::sighs in frustration::
And it would be a marvel to see Brad Wright grow up to become a
real boydirector who has insight into the authentic lives of realistic characters (including women). Just because it's SF is no excuse.no subject
Date: 2011-06-30 04:29 am (UTC)I don't think you got carried away. I enjoyed reading all of your comments about the episode. It got me rewinding more than once, trying to pay a little bit closer attention to the details you noticed.
David Hewlett is incredible. He does put everything his character is thinking in his expressions - which says so much about his abilities as an actor, but also says something about the character he's developing, even in these early days. It's one of his girlfriends that mentions how Rodney doesn't have a filter on his mouth, so she never has to guess what he's thinking - he's an open book. Well, we see that in his expressions as well. Very impressive that he worked so much out about this man he's playing so quickly.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 05:50 am (UTC)Even though it's not as much fun playing alone (and I'll let that slip with its obvious double-meaning, lol), I still enjoyed myself, because it's forcing me to pay attention (something I believe many TV shows would prefer their audiences NOT do).
I'm looking forward to tonight. Schedule is all clear.