sga_squee | Rewatch: Sunday

twinsarein.livejournal.com posting in

With everyone having a Sunday off - something recommended by psychologist Dr. Heitmeyer - all of the members of the Atlantis team pursue leisure activities. Rodney McKay and Carson Beckett are scheduled go fishing; Sheppard decides to teach Ronon Dex about golf; Teyla spends some time in the gym; and Elizabeth Weir has a lunch date with the handsome Mike Branton. Their day off however is interrupted by a powerful explosion near the mess hall killing and injuring several members of the team. McKay thinks he knows the cause of the problem but more importantly, realizes that a device found by two junior members of his team many have turned some of them into walking time bombs by creating explosive tumors in them. When a tumor is located in one of the scientists, Carson Beckett insists that he can remove it before it goes off. Written by garykmcd

[Poll #1850550]

I'm sorry everyone. I'm in Florida visiting an aunt, and she's having difficulty with her internet connection. I couldn't get a signal at all, yesterday. Just an FYI, I'll be here until next Saturday, so this may or may not be an issue next week, too.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

helenkacan.livejournal.com

Oh, wow. This episode screamed out for a female writer or co-writer. There were SO many hideous things in it.

1: Elizabeth professes that she's not interested in a relationship with a subordinate, but then goes to her quarters and changes into a top that shows cleavage. And wears perfume. For lunch!!!! Oh, yeah, right. The guy will still get the message that this is just putting fuel in a body, slightly more exciting than staring at a wall.
2: Is Mike Branton a mouthpiece for the way TPTB actually think about how men and women relate to each other (whether they even can be friends). It would explain SO much.
3: Is Mike's calling Elizabeth "crazy" SEVERAL TIMES merely a reflection of how some men treat women ... and the women like it? Besides, this is his boss's boss, a person one should be treating with greater courtesy. Not to make her untouchable (because Virgin Queen is a lonely life) but ... just NOT the way he was behaving.
4: When Mike is trying to talk Elizabeth into dating him, he uses some really gross and manipulative pickup lines including that grotesque "Don't think" speech. Also ugh with the self-flattery of how "charming" he is. And interrupting Liz which, as many women will attest, is one way of diminishing a woman's sense of autonomy by eliminating her voice in a mostly male environment. But, hey, TPTB are – like – 12, so why should I expect decent thinking or writing from them.
5: Then there's the – yes - "way out of line" kiss. Hey, Mike, you said it was just getting lunch. But you stupidly had to try to hit on Liz who had this vulnerable look of betrayal on her face after you did it. Man, are you ever tacky on top of persistent. And we wonder why she's like the Mom of the show, without a romantic relationship. In any case, I felt she let him down much more gently than he deserved. But, then again, she IS a diplomat.
6: Another sexist ugh. In the closing credits, the woman in the infirmary who'd been playing volleyball in her sandals is listed as Pretty Marine.

Audio commentary is with Will Waring who directed and Martin Gero who wrote it. Um ... so according to them this was a "delicate" episode. Are they kidding me?

Oh, it gets worse, believe me. Gero mentions "when the decision came down that we had to get rid of Beckett". Of course, those of us who have been around have learnt that the power wannabe (JM will never be a PTB) really loved the idea of killing off major characters. Something about having actors be scared for their jobs. Such a nice guy NOT!

They filmed the kissing scene first ("to get the juices flowing" ugh-ugh-ugh) and then went backward.

At least there was something I liked: the outdoor scenes where we see all sorts of secluded nooks and crannies. Those were cool and inventive.

I really have to laugh at Teyla's diplomatic credentials, considering they got her out of playing golf. I loved that playful you're-on-your-own-buddy slap to Ronon's arm as she left.

It was an extra on set who leaked the bit about the Scottish flag on the coffin. Gee, that sure ruled out any other possibility of whom TPTB had killed off. Though they were hoping to deflect some of the certainty by having Teyla be severely injured.

Whoa! Jason's one-handed swing was real and something he just did. I think Joe WAS really jealous.

The gymnasium where they played the silly capture-the-flag game is actually the conference room set. That's one thing the set people did really well, as in imagining more than a single use.

From:

helenkacan.livejournal.com

I don't know what it is, but I thought that Joe F's face looked really stupid in the beer-drinking (and can crushing) scene in his quarters – and I'm saying this about an actor whom I find very fetching. It's almost as if he'd stuffed some cotton in his cheeks, because the familiar lines and angles were missing. I know Joe loves-loves-loves to make faces, but it seemed that Every. Single. Expression was an ugly face. Also, John's being stupid. We're expected to believe the military commander has forgotten how long Ronon's been there. I can see him perhaps not keeping track of the newest Marines, but give me a break.

OTOH, I thought it was very cool to have John suggest "or a man" to Ronon. VERY cool. Though it seems weird to me that Ronon hadn't mentioned Melena before. I thought he had. Oh dear, I'll have to recheck Sateda. But we do learn that John was married once. Gee, character background for John. What a novelty! Though, uh, John and Teyla? [Yes, yes, I know about the shippers, but I always get a very stilted vibe between these two actors.]

Oh, adorable-looking Rodney. With bedhead and wearing an actually not ratty bathrobe. So, canon that he doesn't always fall asleep with his face mashed into his keyboard. And I loved his little rant and how Rodney mentions Madison's presumed superior abilities. Martin confirms that he's a big McKay fan and that it's no secret.

Now they're ragging on Paul McG's inability to mime fishing. They wonder if he's ever seen anyone fishing. Uh ... guys, then perhaps you should have SHOWN him how it's done before you filmed the scene.

In the botany lab, originally David H and Brenda J were acting all awkward with each other until they were reminded that they've more than likely had sex with each other already, so they loosened up. Actually, looking back to this episode makes me really question TPTB (not that that's anything new) about their decisions in Quarantine. Katie already knew what Rodney was like and his faults. But S4's Quarantine made it seem as if this was all a revelation to her, how he would react in an emergency especially when cut off from his electronic aides. They did seem to be fun together and (you know where I'm going with this, right?) made a much better couple than what TPTB subjected us to in S5. Okay, mini-rant over.

Oh, dear. They bring up something that was mentioned in the Duet audio commentary. Yeah, she's too beautiful (which someone like Rodney could NEVER attract), but awkward and dorky enough to be with him. ::sighs:: TPTB really do have a problem with stereotypical physical attractiveness or lack thereof.

I liked Rodney's little noise when he saw Mike and Elizabeth at lunch together. Mind you, I've never seen him be and act so perceptive, especially about personal relationships. Continuity error or character evolving?

I thought that Rodney and Katie were adorable during their lunch (along with all of those apparently carnivorous plants). I really felt as if David H was recalling some of the confidence (without the attendant obnoxiousness) of Rod in this episode. So, yay! And a hilarious thinking-of-getting-married-but-backpedalling immediately monologue.

So let's just add to the Ancients-were-insane category. Sure, create a weapon that will form explosive tumours. And don't destroy it when it affects everybody, not only the bad guys. ::growls in frustration::

Oh, yuck. A gratuitous mention of Dr. Mallozzi. ::shudders:: But Radek really looks like someone who can play chess instinctively, as he just won without really paying attention. And Carson's still looking for a fishing partner.

Yay for seeing Evan outside painting the spires. Martin Gero actually had a really difficult time to get that bit of his backstory accepted by TPTB, 'cuz it was all SO artsy. And we can't have a sensitive military man, can we? ::rolls eyes::

From:

helenkacan.livejournal.com

Here's another sorta sexist (or just insensitive) bit. Carson's reduced to visiting Dr. Biro who seems really happy to see him. And he stops himself from asking her. Is that supposed to be a comment on the fact that she's a pathologist who doesn't have to deal with live patients and has very poor social skills – because we don't see her hanging out with any friends. And she's sitting in what appear to be her quarters with the door wide open.

It was sweet for Carson to relieve Dr. Cole so she could try to get rid of her migraine. But talk about her precognitive "you're a life saver".

Oh, gee. So they apparently had some of the contestants from Canada's Next Top Model audition to play the pretty Marine getting her ankle bandaged. I think Brandy was one of the contestants. And just why was she almost totally undressed ... for an ankle injury??? Or was that her ... uniform during the game? Anyway, the scene was supposed to be played much more "flirty" but Paul McG objected, observing that "she's very young". Thank YOU, Paul, for trying to inject some sense and decency where it's lacking in TPTB. Mind you, as he was getting killed off in this epi, no wonder TPTB allowed him that leeway. Because, when he returned as Carson's clone, they made him act totally guy-stupid about going on a mission (which is WORK) with an all-female team; I guess Paul McG wasn't about to rock the boat then.

It was fascinating to see Rodney echo his SG-1 character, when he claimed "the man is already dead" though at least this time he seemed to have more compassion and horror in his voice. Not only that, here he was thinking of more than just one life. There were several lives at stake, not to mention the worry about the stability of the building that housed the infirmary. There was a lot of emotional intensity in the music here. It was interesting to see that Liz thought that Carson's decision was "crazy", so Carson was alone against everybody else in the command structure.

Oh, stupid explosion that makes me very angry (and sad too). So close ... and yet it just wasn't enough.

The scene of Rodney packing away Carson's things is really touching. David H plays devastating sorrow so well. I noticed that Ronon called him "Rodney" instead of "McKay" as he usually does. He also said "John" instead of "Sheppard" when they were drinking beer together. I believe this may be the first time Ronon's ever done this.

So, apparently, Joe F hates wearing dress blues, even though Will and Martin agreed he looks very handsome in them. Duh. Of course he does. And, as expected, John keeps his emotional responses tucked away.

The funeral scene looked lovely (I know, as much as any funeral scene can). And it was good to see Rodney walk away from the casket as if he'd just finished speaking (the eulogy perhaps) ... so he really was being given the honour a "best friend" would have.

Oh, that look between John and Rodney as they led the pallbearers. I found the choice of people intriguing. It made sense for both John and Rodney as the heads of their divisions to be there. And Dr. Cole. But I wonder how they decided to include Evan, Radek and Ronon. I don't know the answer to that.

Apparently the show was about 4-5 minutes over so they had to cut a lot of things out (mostly by trimming i/o deleting).

The closing scene with a ghostly Carson visiting Rodney on the pier was not a part of the original script. Martin says he wrote it in about ten minutes. I'm glad he did, because it would have been like a lump of lead stuck in my throat otherwise. It was a lovely gesture to have that soft music at the end along with Rodney's hesitant wave goodbye. But it's always oddly jarring to know that the same boneheads who write stupid stuff can show rare moments infused with such delicate nuances.

From:

helenkacan.livejournal.com

I believe this may have been only the second time I've seen this episode (well, make that the fourth as I watched it twice as well as the audio commentary) because I didn't even remember the bit with Mike Branton; I consider myself lucky! It made me question the way Martin Gero thought about the nature of friendship. It was either something fluid and easygoing (Teyla with Elizabeth or Dr. Hewston) or it was forced and awkward (everybody declining Carson's request to go fishing; Ronon being bored out of his head by playing golf with John; Teyla probably congratulating herself on having escaped). What does that say about friendship: that friends MAKE you DO things you don't like?

And, getting back to that question whether men and women could be friends without sex getting in the way, I guess TPTB had forgotten about Teyla with the team. ::sighs::

But there also seemed to be a certain casual cruelty how so many people were deciding to cancel their previously-arranged plans, as if it shouldn't matter to the person who was being stood up. I've thought about it and am wondering whether this is a side-effect of too many people who have been stuck on an isolated mostly-closed base without sufficient down time (which is why Kate Heightmeyer instated the mandatory Sunday rule) and have forgotten how to behave graciously with one another. OTOH, Radek had no problem sticking to his original plan, though I guess winning (greed) was his primary motivation. Even so, I just thought it was weird that Martin wrote in so many examples of people NOT wanting to spend time together. Or else I'm just being way too analytical about the whole thing. But, yet, John and Rodney never had trouble enjoying their down time together in activities they BOTH engaged in through – count 'em - FIVE SEASONS. I just don't understand it.

So ... was that really an ascended Carson who visited Rodney one last time on the pier (though that shouldn't really shatter Rodney's world view as he did some pretty fancy post-death dance himself in Tao of Rodney); or were we seeing inside Rodney's dream? Another unanswered question.

I know I'll probably have more after I've slept on it, but I remember how fans were shaking their heads over the sudden news that Carson was Rodney's best friend. Huh? Since when? Well, I guess since TPTB decided on it retroactively. So, all those times Rodney called Carson a blood-sucking vampire or similar epithet, he was just being friendly?

One final thing: the Athosians' every four days observance of a rest day is totes FTW!