Rewatch: Be All My Sins Remember'd

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1870835]

Comments

Comment 1

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

So many emotions conveyed in this episode. We first see a team fall at the gate on a world the replicators have just arrived at. Gate is blown up, with a couple thousand people stranded.

But, the next scene is of the Daedalus and Apollo showing up, their commanding officers beaming down and a bit of silliness with the repetition of “Colonel”. Aw, Rodney, you're not playing the “Colonel” game.

Uh-oh, Professor McKay is at the podium and he's boring everyone. But he's challenged by Abe Ellis. Oops. Rodney takes it as a putdown of his manhood. Still he manages to get Sam to agree to give him ten hours to try to shut down the replicators. After he leaves, Abe continues to express his dismissive views of Rodney, but Sam puts him in his place pronto. Interesting bit of protocol that she didn't do it in front of Rodney, a civilian as well as an egotist of the highest order.

Again, some unexpected humour in the next scene between the still-unnamed Wraith ::waves HI to the future Todd:: and Rodney. Rodney reminds him that he does his best work under pressure, so the Wraith offers to threaten to feed on him. At least Rodney recognizes it as a joke, though the guards didn't. Still, just in case, Rodney moves to work at the other side of the room. But poor Mr. Wraith. Rodney's been subjecting him to tales of Rodney's past glory. Lots and lots of anecdotes.

It's now nighttime. John comes in to tell Rodney time's up. Rodney's surprised. And, no, he's not finished. So they'll have to go with Plan B. Rodney declines the invitation to go for a ride.

The Daedalus and Apollo jump out of hyperspace. John is with Abe while Sam is with Steven. Ha! Steven calls the replicators “our guests” but the welcome they'll get is anything but hospitable.

An Aurora-class ship comes through a window and the two ships attack it with the fancy Asgard beam weapons. Ship go boom! Steven is very optimistic about how effective the weapon is, but Sam tries to dampen his excess enthusiasm. Not only that, it's one down, 37 to go.

It's one week later when Steven's back for a visit. Since the Daedalus and Apollo are now operating independently, they've nabbed another 5 ships. Steven's intending to go out again in an hour after resupplying, but John says “there's been a little change in plans”.

A little later, John, Steven and Rodney are in Sam's office while Abe is on the screen. It seems the replicator ships are retreating to their home world. Abe thinks that's terrific, that they'll be one target for elimination. Just one problem: 2 ships vs the entire (if slightly diminished) replicator fleet. Plus, as John reminds them, the drones they'll be launching from the surface.

Rodney's definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time, because Abe says it sure would be a good time for Rodney to announce he's perfected his killer programme that he was supposed to have ready ten hours ... and one week ago. Oops. Luckily, Sam deflects the heat from Rodney and he retreats back to his lab.

Rodney and the Wraith are running a simulation. Unfortunately, it fails. Rodney realizes he's going to have to admit failure, even though he doesn't understand why he's failed. And then something in his mind clicks, apparently the first good idea he's had in three weeks.

Rodney's talking to Sam and John. Instead of severing the bonds of the replicators, he wants to increase their attraction ... to turn them into a nanite magnet. Of course, John think that'll produce a “Godzilla-sized super-replicator”.

Luckily, Sam grasps the concept and she and Rodney exchange encouraging technobabble. John wants to know how it'll work, if Rodney intends to upload a new command to their base code.

But Rodney's all grinning confidence as he leads them to a lab that contains a weird-looking table. And he utters familiar words in the genre: “We have the technology.”

Comment 2A

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

John's suspicious as to what Rodney's going to make on the table. A whole replicator? Nah, Rodney just needs a block, something that can be beamed into the replcators' midst. Only one problem. It'll take some time before the programme will work and the replicators could just escape in their ships. Rodney's reply is extra confident: “Unless we disable or destroy them.” Which is so not going to happen with a 30 vs 2 disadvantage.

But then John gets an idea. Time to visit the Brig where the Wraith is. He thinks he could guarantee 12 ships. But he'll need to do it personally. So it's time for a 'jumper ride for the team plus one and landing on a Hive. I think Teyla's feeling sicker than she already was.

The Wraith manages to convince them they should unshackle him. And then they lower the hatch. Too bad there are several Wraith with stunners and team is now taking an unscheduled nap.

Back in the lab, in front of the Ancient table that now holds a shallow silver layer-puddle, Rodney's is arguing with Radek about the dry spell he hasn't had. Or rut. He types a command and the layer pulls toward the centre of the table and up until it's all contained in a small cube. He. Did. It. And the music swells up in heroic acclaim. But then there's a squiggly sound and the cube collapses. Disappointed, Rodney goes back to work.

In the 'jumper, our 3/4 team is lying on the floor. The Wraith shakes John awake, then gives him his gun back. John's not too thrilled they were all stunned. But the Wraith maintains the others wanted to speak to him without interference. End result is 7 hive ships. John's pouting because the Wraith promised him 12. Well, that's all he's getting. And, while they were out, the 'jumper was left behind as the hives took off. Anything else? Oh, Rodney expects the Wraith to come back to help him.

Back in the lab, Rodney still trying to get the cube to ... uh ... stick together. He's using a forcefield to try to persuade the cube to form cohesive bonds ... okay, just joking. The forcefield is to give the bonds time to form. He releases the forcefield, the cube maintains its shape ... and then it falls back into a sheet. Rodney's just figured out that if disabling too many of the cells' basic protocols doesn't work, there's only one thing left for him to do. Well, Radek can't stick around to watch, as he's called away to fix an emergency.

Comment 2B

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

Back in the 'jumper, Ronon's got an attitude problem and he's glaring at the Wraith. Just then, Teyla announces there's a hyperspace window opening. John thinks it could be the Wraith again. It's not. An Aurora-class ship comes through, perilously close to the 'jumper. Naturally John thinks the replicators have found them. But then there's a transmission. Gues who? Oh, only your basic kidnapping space bimbo ... er, I meant ship's captain and recruitment officer. Snerk. Yes, it's Larrin. Oh, joy.

They both demand to know what the other is doing there. Larrin's guys are really eager to kill the Wraith when they find who's in the 'jumper. But John won't let them. He just wants a chance to talk.

[Time out to growl at TPTB. Yes, Larrin's back in her space bimbo outfit. BTW, are there so few women in the Travelers' ships that she seems to be the only one on that ship? And – insert swear words of choice – what was the point of having John tied up in a chair? Unless TPTB are sharing one of their juvenile fantasies with fandom ... i.e. that all men secretly want to be tied up by a dominating woman dressed in low-cut, tight leather. ::rolls eyes:: Riiiiiight.]

So this time, Larrin wants no secrets between them. And why does John look down her cleavage? Oy. At least she's willing to listen, only because they visited one of their trading partners recently, but it had been razed. Larrin says she'll put the proposal in front of their council and leaves the room. John's still tied up and getting irritated.

Back in Atlantis, Rodney's waiting near his lab as Radek hurries to join him. So, how can he help, now that the emergency is fixed. Ah, but Rodney doesn't need his help. He's done a lot in Radek's absence.

How much? Well, inside the lab, there's a youngish woman with dark hair and replicator-style clothing sitting on the Ancient table (in front of a guard). She smiles at Radek and says, “Hello.” Radek is certainly surprised.

The 'jumper is back in Atlantis as the rest of the team has returned. Teyla tries to excuse herself to go to the Infirmary because she was stunned. Since John's just being a pain, Teyla finally admits she needs to get checked out, as she was stunned, because she's pregnant. First John thinks she's joking. Nope, no joke. After he tells her she's off the team, he storms off, Ronon congratulates Teyla and guesse correctly who the father is (Kanaan). He then accompanies Teyla to the Infirmary. They hold hands. Awwww. [I still think it's too bad TPTB didn't make these two a couple (as they'd thought of it). And I wonder if one of the reasons why John may have been more than a little riled up is because of how Larrin treated him. I think suddenly he probably wishes he lived in a monastery.]

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

Tense beginning - John, Teyla and Ronon all talking about their settlements being safe, going out again, etc. Trying to protect the human population from the Replicators.It begs the question: Why didn't they do this to protect people from the Wraith?

Anyway, Another team has gotten some people off their world, and brought them to Atlantis. John talks to the soldier on the other side of the gate, who is saying some people decided to stay behind.

While they're talking, the Replicators attach, and the gate, and therefore the communication link, is destroyed.

I want to know how Teyla was able to to estimate that 2000 settlers remained on the planet?

[that-which.livejournal.com]

Why didn't they do this to protect people from the Wraith?

Well, the wraith were capable of killing humans before the Atlantis folks stepped in. The replicators, not so much.

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

That is certainly true, but they did wake up the Wraith waaay before they would have on their own. I realize they can't relocate a galaxy worth of people, but they seem to be trying to do it because of the Replicators.

I suppose the Atlantis people might feel that the Replicators are a threat with a possible end, whereas they'd have to commit genocide to get the Wratih to stop.

I don't know, but thanks for making me think about it more.

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

I want to know how Teyla was able to to estimate that 2000 settlers remained on the planet?

Just because these were mostly pre-industrial worlds doesn't mean they didn't have bureaucracy. After all, remember that 2012 years (give or take a few) years ago, Joseph and Mary had to travel to comply with the census.

Also, if the Wraith were the primary threat that usually didn't leave behind any evidence ('cuz ... culled), then most worlds would WANT and NEED to know who'd been taken. Even if only to give closure to families and stuff like that.

But, you know, that's one of the neat things about this rewatch. It makes you think (or exposes the lie that TPTB were able to) about all sorts of aspects of life in Pegasus.

And the short answer is that it may have been the governing council of that world that had told Teyla how many people had evacuated and how many people refused to.

In any case, this stubbornness of people brings back those horrifying pictures of residents of NOLA who would NOT abandon their homes after Hurricane Katrina, even as they were surrounded by floodwaters carrying disease and death. But often their homes were the ONLY thing many of these people had.

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

Just because these were mostly pre-industrial worlds doesn't mean they didn't have bureaucracy. Oh, I don't doubt that, but they'd just that second gotten the gatecall, and I thought that was the first Atlantis was hearing about people refusing to leave. I just couldn't understand how Teyla was able to get a number so quickly. But, if they'd heard from the planet before, that would make more sense.

But often their homes were the ONLY thing many of these people had. I've been fortunate, in that I've never been in this kind of situation, so I've never had to make those kinds of choices. The people in the Pegasus Galaxy certainly don't have anything easy.

I have to wonder what they would have accomplished if the Ancients hadn't come to them. They wouldn't have had the gates, and the other sources of technology, but they wouldn't have the Wraith, either.

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

Why didn't they do this to protect people from the Wraith?

Well, they had no idea where the Wraith would strike next while here they had that convenient core thingy that gave them an idea where the Replicators were headed next. Also, the Wraith just culled but the Replicators razed entire worlds. I know that dead is still dead, but there are survivors and firm ground under one's feet after the Wraith have left.

[twinsarein.livejournal.com]

All excellent points. I hadn't really thought that one through, I guess. The Wraith need to keep their food supply replenishable, but the Replicators have no need of human lives. Thanks for making me think about it. That's the best part of these rewatches (as you said above) - the chance to think about the show in new ways, or at least see things through a different POV.

Comment 3A

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

John's reporting in to Sam who notices that he's not exactly bubbling with glee over the ships that are banding together. He tells her Teyla's pregnant and off the team. Ha! Sam can top that. John stares at a video feed from Rodney's lab and sees the replicator. Now he's furious with Rodney. [Suddenly, I'm also thinking it's because the replicator is in the form of a woman that's bugging John. Just women in general at the moment.] There's a bit of an argument, but Rodney says this is the only way he could reach his goal. Interesting to see that Sam says “she” while Rodney says “it”. And Sam brings up the topic of self-awareness and death. Rodney scoffs at the concept, that the replicator's “consciousness is just a bunch of ones and zeroes”. Um ... Rodney, you were IN the previous couple of episodes. Did you think your alternate replicated selves were just ones and zeroes, that they weren't really sacriticing themselves so that you could live? Okay, I'll claim writing fail for this one. Still, Rodney says they don't have any other choice. John can understand, what with teaming up with the Wraith for this mission.

Back in the lab, the replicator has been double-checking Rodney's work and says there's a problem.

It's time for a quick switch to the conference room where there's a colourful mix of characters: Larrin, Sam, John, Steven, Abe and the Wraith. Rodney's 'splainin' his new plan which is to overload their ZedPMs so that the super-dense replicator mass will compress even further until it turns into a fusion bomb. Then it and the whole planet will go boom. I think Larrin was very impressed.

Abe questions that they're trusting a replicator. But John sticks up for Rodney, saying they're trusting him. I think he's surprised himself for having said that in public.

Not that Rodney's plan will be easy. He still has to beam down to the Core room so he can make the ZedPMs overload. While that's happening, the armada will be spread out around the planet.

Larrin calls dibs on John. She wants him in her Chair. Oh, John simply can't wait, lol.

Rodney says they'll be beaming Fran into another part of the city. When Rodney explains what the letters stand for, John glares at him. How dare Rodney name anything? But, hey, the android wanted to have a name, so....

There's a sweet scene between Fran and Rodney, with Radek there too. Interesting to see that, while Rodney has problems with the concept of the android sacrificing itself, Rodney IS the one who made it in a conventional human shape and sex. It's not as if he created a metallic Maria from Metropolis. And this android is certainly capable of adapting to human behaviour, wishing Rodney good luck.

Comment 3B

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

It's time for the showdown. There are two separate beam-downs. Rodney's busy in the Core room. Uh ... that core drive always reminds me of an upside-down Jell-O mold, made with different colours!

Back in space, there are explosions going on. We see our Wraith piloting one of the Hive ships.

Rodney's done his job and now Fran's ready to do hers. And she's so friendly and polite! The other replicators look surprised until they begin to disintegrate and their component parts flow to Fran, covering her in a silver layer.

As the battle rages out in space, the super-blob is forming as the city is crumbling into waves of white stuff.

Then the replicator ships start to lose their crews, with streams flowing down to the planet to join the super-blob. Abe is impressed (even stunned) and praises Rodney.

Back on the super-blobby planet, Rodney's about to set the countdown on the ZedPMs, but then all the lights go out. No power. Uh-oh. Rodney has a quickie emergency chat with Sam, and they solve the problem. Or the problem solves itself, because of the composition of the neutronium that will cause it to implode in the planet's core.

All the ships beat a hasty retreat through several hyperspace windows. Then the planet explodes taking with it the empty husks of the replicator ships. Major big boom!

Above New Lantea, John's talking with Larrin. She's surprisingly soft (well, for her) in this scene. John's offering to have their guys look over her ship, but she says they already did a lot to make her battle ready. Besides, she has things to do, places to go. Such as? Oh, nothing for John to worry his “pretty little head with”. Man, does Larrin ever push his buttons. And John just asks for more, wanting to know how to get in touch with her ... for “professional reasons” only. Yeah, sure, John. Keep digging that hole deeper. He only has the opportunity to undress her with his eyes once before he's beamed off her ship.

John is beamed to a balcony off the Control room where Rodney is. So, the Wraith are their enemies again, the replicators are no more and Rodney's over his dry spell. According to John, that is.

So John wants to know what Rodney's busy with. He's just removing a planet from a database which seems to be a lot of work. John makes a Doranda joke but it seems to have finally lost most of its bite for Rodney. In any case, he's ready and the dialogue is fun: “M7R-227, you were a constant pain in the ass. It's good to see you go.” He presses the Enter key on his laptop and planet all gone.

There's more terrific banter between John and Rodney as well as a reminder of their friendship as Rodney suggests a late dinner and John accepts eagerly.

Rodney still is wistful, wishing he could have seen Abe's face when the plan worked. He says, “He's such a tool.”

But John says he likes him. Why? Well, John thinks he's a “good guy” and “excellent judge of character”. Rodney finds that VERY funny. So NOT.

As they walk out of view, there's something weird happening on the wallscreen where the planet used to be. Suddenly we're in the real space there watching remnants of the planet colliding. Then a replicator warship is revealed with bridge crew and a captain wearing all black, including leather jacket and boots. [Yup, PTB and their fetishes.] Finally we see who's in charge. It's Elizabeth Weir who leaves us with a puzzling and troubling message. As I said ... weird.

And that's the end of the episode.

Closing thoughts A:

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

First of all, I'm still in the same DVD and computer in different rooms situation. So the only music I could truly praise in detail was when Rodney first created his cube. But, still, there were many moments when the music offered a nuanced layer to the action.

So ... this was an episode that dealt with dichotomies. Many of them. My list isn't in any particular order, just what I'm remembering right now.

1* Teyla withholding news of her pregnancy:
John reacted very badly and Teyla tried to counter by saying that Athosian women remain active, no matter what. Makes me wonder whether Teyla was sacrificing her own comfort and risking her health (she seemed to be under the weather a lot) because her overriding goal was both to find her people and to help evacuate worlds targeted for destruction by the replicators. But I also started thinking that at least one doctor (Jennifer) and I'll bet at least one nurse knew about the pregnancy. Would it not be possible that Teyla would have been told how – back on Earth – women in the military who become pregnant are forced into desk jobs. So Teyla put off telling John precisely because she didn't want to be grounded. As she inevitably was.

2* John's dichotomy of applying Earth practices, especially U.S. military ones, across intergalactic space:
Even with his emphasis on the need to know as team and military leader, John fell back on military rules he'd grown up with. However, what he knew was a formal military organization built on Western concepts, one which had only recently begun to open up roles for women. Even now there are restrictions about combat. However, in other parts of the world, especially in guerilla groups, women have fought side-by-side with men. And the cause was always accorded a higher priority than simply maternal safety. And, like it or not, we're not in Kansas any more.

3* A good replicator being sent out for the express purpose of wiping out evil ones:
Yet it seems that this ultimately destructive creation had more empathy for millions (are there at least a million beings in Pegasus or am I being optimistic) of living creatures than the original replicators, for whom most other life was deemed technically irrelevant. We're also reminded that the bad replicators were quite lazy and self-serving. Instead of going after the Wraith themselves (as the code unleashed by Rodney should have directed them to), they attacked their food supply. What that might have done, if allowed to continue, is to drive the Wraith into hibernation. However I feel the replicators had found just another target on which to unleash their arrogant aggression. No wonder the Ancients discarded them.

4* Rodney creating a replcator that is young and attractive, drawing on the audience's natural reaction of unease and protectiveness:
There's no doubt that FRAn was acted wonderfully by Michelle Morgan. But, at the same time, I'm claiming writing fail by having Rodney create a being intended to make others uncomfortable about its ultimate goal and self-sacrifice. Um ... why make her young if only to put additional emphasis on her innocence? I don't think MG is sophisticated enough to try to draw parallels with the grotesque use of child-soldiers around the globe, either now or a thousand years ago. And, yet, even with the youth, attractiveness, ability to reason and to speak, then Rodney can only think of his creaction as an “it”. Is that intentional to convey – once again – that hard scientists aren't emotionally involved in their work? We already know there are far too many people who are interested only in the results, and it doesn't matter what the human repercussions are. I'm still unsure about that one.

Closing thoughts B:

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

5* Let's pick on Rodney ... again:
Here's one that has happened before. Though the character of Rodney McKay has had most of the writing staff behaving like juvenile fanboys for the show's duration, we've also witnessed how they dump on his inability to sustain his genius ... or – often – on the physical attributes or lack thereof of the actor playing him. Which is definitely tacky.

What I found here is that Rodney was made to look very pedantic. Someone who would bore you to unbearable tedium (as Todd will certify) while not maintaining the foundation that would support his work. [I believe the last scientist-nerd TPTB did this with was Bill Lee – all for cheap laughs.] Both Radek and John note Rodney has not been his productive self lately. But there still seemed to be something degrading to me: as if TPTB/writers have lost their love for and excitement of writing the character. To me, it feels as if they're pulling Rodney's character – and ego – back down to an Earthly level. It just gave me an uneasy feeling.

6* Sam as military leader and scientific genius:
Sam was better used in this episode which showed the advantage of having someone experienced in both fields to weigh consequences. She understood military strategy and could also deal with Rodney as an equal. But I definitely know that she could not have been the head of Atlantis from day 1 (as neither could Sumner have survived and kept his position) because John had to deal with his issues with authority first and get most of his rebellious streak out of his system. But, four years in and, especially in a time of war, Sam's the right person for the job. It's just too bad there were too many holes in scripts when she wasn't booked for filming. And thank goodness that idiotic, juvenile vying for her attention by – you guessed it – John and Rodney didn't go (onscreen at least) past her introductory episode.

7* Here's one I just though of, namely the dichotomy between the production of Wraith intended as soldiers and the creation of FRAn as a kind of soldier as well:
Todd lets slip one reason why he was unable to bring more than 7 Hive ships into the armada: not all Hives have a Queen (as they're meant to), so it's harder to create ::shudders – ugh:: more soldiers. There's a certain monotony to the idea of Wraith reproduction, as if it's for survival purposes only. And, yet, is that not also the very reason why FRAn was created? Though at least she's unique and not just an undistinguishable Wraith drone.

*** I think I've covered all of the aspects that made an impression on me. So ... time to go do some chores.