![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
SGA 4x15: Outcast
Still not feeling like doing long reviews, so itty bitty comments instead!
BATES!!!!! I was totally unspoilered for that ... and thrilled to death to see him, and find out what he's been doing over the last couple of years.
I liked the episode a lot. Sheppard's early life ... REVEALED! *g* I was a little bit spoilered for this, to the extent that I knew he had an older brother and that his dad was (probably) dead -- but I really loved those bits, and I ended up liking his brother a lot more than I was expecting to at first. The plot was pretty good this time -- Terminator, not exactly a new idea, but I didn't expect the twist with the female scientist and I loved how they solved the problem, in the end, using actual science! Score! (I'm really fond of clever uses of the technology they have. The whole thing with the knife-beacon and beaming an enemy into re-entry -- that was smart!)
I did really love that we got a little scene at the beginning with Rodney making a stab at being comforting and wanting to go along for moral support; I think I would've been very disappointed if the episode hadn't had anything along those lines. Having said that, I do like the way that they've been mixing up the characters this season into different combinations -- last week, we had a ton of Rodney/John interaction, so it was nice to get Ronon/John this week, for balance.
And I do love, love, love how we're getting a deeper understanding this year of who John is. Last season basically did that for Rodney, and this season is doing it for John. One thing I find really interesting, after this episode, is how much of his isolation pre-Atlantis is apparently self-imposed. What I mean is, it's not that he didn't have people who liked him and cared about him -- it's that he pushed them away. It wasn't just John, of course; it takes two to have a fight -- but I really liked that aspect of this episode, that we saw it was at least as much him walking away from them, as them walking away from him. It makes him much more human, and less of a woobie victim than he's often written in fic that deals with his past.
Yep, liked the episode very much. Want tags now. :D
BATES!!!!! I was totally unspoilered for that ... and thrilled to death to see him, and find out what he's been doing over the last couple of years.
I liked the episode a lot. Sheppard's early life ... REVEALED! *g* I was a little bit spoilered for this, to the extent that I knew he had an older brother and that his dad was (probably) dead -- but I really loved those bits, and I ended up liking his brother a lot more than I was expecting to at first. The plot was pretty good this time -- Terminator, not exactly a new idea, but I didn't expect the twist with the female scientist and I loved how they solved the problem, in the end, using actual science! Score! (I'm really fond of clever uses of the technology they have. The whole thing with the knife-beacon and beaming an enemy into re-entry -- that was smart!)
I did really love that we got a little scene at the beginning with Rodney making a stab at being comforting and wanting to go along for moral support; I think I would've been very disappointed if the episode hadn't had anything along those lines. Having said that, I do like the way that they've been mixing up the characters this season into different combinations -- last week, we had a ton of Rodney/John interaction, so it was nice to get Ronon/John this week, for balance.
And I do love, love, love how we're getting a deeper understanding this year of who John is. Last season basically did that for Rodney, and this season is doing it for John. One thing I find really interesting, after this episode, is how much of his isolation pre-Atlantis is apparently self-imposed. What I mean is, it's not that he didn't have people who liked him and cared about him -- it's that he pushed them away. It wasn't just John, of course; it takes two to have a fight -- but I really liked that aspect of this episode, that we saw it was at least as much him walking away from them, as them walking away from him. It makes him much more human, and less of a woobie victim than he's often written in fic that deals with his past.
Yep, liked the episode very much. Want tags now. :D
no subject
The only problem now is that I want more details on John's life! I didn't even realize Dave was his older brother, so that's one detail, but - his mom? She wasn't mentioned, so I'm assuming she's dead, and probably died long before, but... And then the marriage? Oh, man. What a disaster that must have been!
I was also very, very amused by how most people at the funeral must have gotten the impression that John had brought his boyfriend. XD I mean, seriously - "civilian contractor"? Suuuuure.
It makes him much more human, and less of a woobie victim than he's often written in fic that deals with his past.
I found that really interesting, too - and in my eyes, it makes his relationship with his team even more special, because it isn't just that they're not being horrible to him in some way that makes him love them. Like you said - he's had people in his life who cared for him, and he made the choice to push them away. At the point he's at with his friends in Atlantis, I don't think you could PULL them away from him, and the whole thing just makes me happy. ♥ He had a family, and he chose to leave them. Then he came to Atlantis, and found a family he'll do anything to keep. How can that not make me smile? ♥
no subject
Well, apparently, from looking at other people's comments, that's just a conclusion that *I* jumped to, based on ... nothing, apparently. The thought hadn't even occurred to me that he wasn't the older brother. It could go either way, really.
I was also very, very amused by how most people at the funeral must have gotten the impression that John had brought his boyfriend. XD I mean, seriously - "civilian contractor"? Suuuuure.
AHAHAHAHAHA! Would you believe I hadn't even thought of that?
But the thought did occur to me that, if you wanted to make a case for canon John being gay, it would actually fit perfectly with the details of his life as revealed in this episode. We don't know what his big fight with his father was about, although it's inferred that it had to do with not living his life as his father would have wanted. We don't really know why he broke up with Nancy; it appears to have to do with personality differences, but one interesting wrinkle is that he appears to have kept in touch with her until leaving for Atlantis (with her comment about not having heard from him for four years -- surely their divorce had to have been earlier than that!). I don't think the episode implies that he's gay (though I'm sure some will disagree XD), but, like I've said before, they really could have him come out of the closet without it being a total bolt from the blue, and that's as true after the big "John backstory episode" as it was before.
At the point he's at with his friends in Atlantis, I don't think you could PULL them away from him, and the whole thing just makes me happy. ♥
Eeeee, so much love for that. ^_^ And, yeah, I agree with you; it makes it even better to know that he's walked away before, but here, he's found something worth staying for. I've always felt that one of the things I really like about SGA is how the characters aren't joined at the hip -- the team is close, but they aren't the only important things in each other's world; they've all got a social circle that extends beyond the team. And for me, this just adds to that and deepens it. If John ever did lose the team, he's kinda got a place to go; it would break him in all sorts of ways, but he wouldn't be completely alone, just like Rodney's got Jeannie, Zelenka and others to get his back, and Teyla, er, used to have the Athosians, and now her baby. It makes their world feel a little more real that they aren't the only important thing in each other's universe.
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
That thought went through my head, but I think it was more that off all the people on the base the one who looks the least like he works with the Air Force it would be Ronon. It's the dreads and the way he holds himself. He just does not look like a member of the US Military...So I think that was what behind the surprised looks.
I do wonder what Rodney's reaction to seeing how Sheppard was raised would be.
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
Aww, the whole episode he looked so hurt all the time that it was impossible to forget the personal tragedy he was experiencing but he had to do his job anyway.
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
As for Ronon standing beside him as the gate is dialled!! - 'Where are you going?' 'With you' - and walks through the gate before John can argue!! So matter of fact, sooo Ronon!!! And can't you just see the scene prior to this - Rodney complaining that he can't go, Teyla offering but Rodney saying (bluntly as always) that turning up with a pregnant woman might not look good for John, too many questions, and Ronon saying he'll go! And then not telling John his intention until it's pretty much too late for John to argue (and making it clear he's not taking no for an answer)!!!
Oh, and Ronon with the food at the wake, especially when it's confirmed that it's free ... LOL!!
As for the replicator thing - excellent ideas! I suspected the woman wasn't all she seemed when she was back at the lab and John was asking her about possible outside contacts ... but I think we were supposed to realise something was up with her by then. But I NEVER would have guessed she was a replicator as well!!
I love the science bits - getting rid of the male replicator the way they did - putting the female one into a virtual environment (I couldn't work out why they were releasing her, it didn't make sense, and then suddenly it did as John left the VE!!)
And I agree about the background on John - seems it was more than just his family turning away from him, but also him turning away from them. As he told Ronon; it's complicated. Cudos to him for visiting his brother at the end there. Let's hope he does a McKay and starts to mend some fences.
Okay, this isn't going to be an episode I watch a lot, but I will be watching it again from time to time. I preferred it to Epiphany and Travelers (Epiphany had more team in it, but I fast forward most of John in the village bits (boring), and Travelers has some cool effects that keep me entertained (I'm a FX junkie!!) and some team bits too (Teyla's oh so expressive eye roll! LOL!) so they might get watched more than this one, but overall I think this was a better episode for John than they were! If that makes sense!!).
Just watched the trailers for Trio (on both MGM and Sci-Fi sites) ... and oh, oh, oh, I CAN'T wait for that one ... though I guess I will HAVE to!!!
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
Do you really think Dave was older? I got the vibe that maybe he was the younger one who had to step in and take over when rebellious John slipped the net.
no subject
I'm loving the different character pairings this season (er, that sounds very wrong), but I am slightly saddened by the lack of a Ronon/Rodney episode! I would really love to see one showcasing those two.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
I love seeing John in a suit, but couldn't we have him in dress blues? I guess it was a token of respect for his father since he probably didn't approve of his son enlisting (btw North Corea?? spy!John!!) but still... dress blues! God, I hope it doesn't take what it did last time to get him into those...
On a side note: they have to be choosy with which episodes they put Carter in because they have a limit and they bring her in for two lines like that?
no subject
I was actually glad that they had Carter in there for the telling-him-about-his-father scene, though I do kinda agree that it seemed a bit odd to only have her for a few lines. But it was nice to have it come from her, rather than having yet another episode with Carter inexplicably absent.
no subject
So (according to all the many spoilers I've been reading) his past makes perfect sense.
And like I said on another post - Ha! No fodder for the anti-kirkers! John didn't have an affair with another woman!
no subject
But I don't mean this to sound like I'm criticizing him, because honestly, it's John's flaws that draw me to him -- and to know that he's capable of being stiff-necked and irrational and carrying grudges is actually a point in his favor, in my book. I feel like we've really gotten to know the character a lot better this season, his strengths and his weaknesses, and I really love that.
And it also says a lot about how much he's changed through the course of the series that he's willing to seek reconciliation with his family in season 4, where he wasn't willing to do the same in season 1.
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
I liked his moments with his brother,(although i was sure he was called graham to start??? when the intial spoilers came out!) and him going to the coffin and Ronon leaving him be.
Perhaps i should do this in order;
- the start with r and r being together and sam telling him and his face!!
-rodney trying to comfort him........
-the gate scene
-everything at the house........"I told you i had an ex wife right?" and him deliberatly not remembering her other halfs name and Ronon's little knowing smile
-the running around hawtnes with the gun and those little earpiece thingies that go on the neck...hubba hubba.......
-the suit??? even on the apollo????weird!
-him and nancy and theur awkward/caring relationship. He seems comfortable with her. I like.
-the whump......not enough but good what we had.
-the science fixing ideas! the VR world was genius
-ronon and John...when he takes the shotgun and r asks him if he's okay...
and im sure there is more but i cant think right now. I think if there hadn't been the start scenes with sam/rodeny/and the gate and tonon i might have thought this ep felt flat...but it was nicely tied up at the end when John went to visit his big brother. I thought that was sweet
no subject
I hadn't seen the spoilers, but the actor who played John's brother used to play a character called Graham Miller on Buffy, which explains it.
no subject
no subject
I loved the scene with Rodney and John as well. It was just so them. Two people who are so bad at the giving/receiving comfort trying to do just that. That said, I do wish they would do the same sort of thing when other characters are not in an episode...say a scene with Ronon in last weeks episode or at least a mention of Teyla in either.
no subject
That said, I do wish they would do the same sort of thing when other characters are not in an episode...say a scene with Ronon in last weeks episode or at least a mention of Teyla in either.
Yeah, I agree. Just a throwaway line of dialogue would do ...!
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
Loved this episode to bits. Background information!! YES!! Finally! And totally fanoncanon. Wow. Yes, loved the mansion, the brother, the ex-wife, loved Bates, loved whatshisname from SG-1, loved LOOOOOVED McKay's awkward Speech of Comfort (I knew he wasn't coming to Earth with Sheppard, and okay, I think he should have, crappy reason, send Zelenka, but still, well done, grateful they even put it in there) and I totally adored John. And Ronon! Let's not forget Ronon, joining Sheppard at the last second and looking SOOOOO good in normal clothes. So. Wow.
no subject
(And Rodney walks into his room without knocking, as in "Miller's Crossing." This is definitely a habit, it seems.)
no subject
And Ronon was awesome. And Nancy seemed almost as emotionally awkward as John. And suits! ♥
no subject
Mmmm, I quite agree. John and Ronon in suits ... I could really look at that all day!
I was amazed to find out John came from a moneyed background; I would never have guessed that. The brother thing was a shock, too, but, well, a shock that happened several weeks ago when the spoiler started turning up, so not so much of a shock anymore. But certainly not something I would have anticipated; it's interesting to try to fit all of this into the picture of John that we've gotten to know onscreen for the last 3 1/2 years.
no subject
And I do love, love, love how we're getting a deeper understanding this year of who John is. Last season basically did that for Rodney, and this season is doing it for John. One thing I find really interesting, after this episode, is how much of his isolation pre-Atlantis is apparently self-imposed.
Absolutely. That's the impression I had of him, and also the majority of the explanations I found in fanfic rather than the "woobie victim," although that's probably my reading-selection process at work. Agh. It's late, I can't think or speak.
Also: I thought of you (your stories) when next week's preview came on. Rodney falls down a hole into a cave and must bravely face peril in the field!
no subject
Ha! It does sound like something I'd write, though I think my version would have a lot more John. *g*
I wasn't able to find time to search for tags tonight, but I'll definitely be hunting them down in the morning! I think this might be an episode where I'm leaning more towards a preference for tags with a gen slant on things, though.
(no subject)
(no subject)
pimpety pimpety pimping.
Re: pimpety pimpety pimping.
Re: pimpety pimpety pimping.
no subject
I saw Dave as the older brother because (as others have said) I cannot see John just abandoning a younger sibling like that. And in a lot of family dynamics, it tends to be more common for the elder sibling to be the more responsible, more willing to follow in parents' footsteps, and the younger to be the rebel. So without any proof I totally read them as that way, but I guess we don't actually know (I rather liked Dave, I've seen people calling him an asshole but I got the impression he was genuinely hurt by how completely John had cut himself off...he just wasn't much better at articulating it than John is. Communication is not that family's strong point, obviously. The same and yet opposite of the McKays...loud fights vs cool silences.)
Speaking of communication, oh, Rodney...he tries, and John knows he's trying, and doesn't seem to mind that Rodney had put in to go back to Earth with him without asking John first, like John actually wants him to go even if he didn't say. John's expression when Rodney leaves is just, "I am loved..." (not even in the slash sense, but John's Atlantis family is so very there for him. Ronon just coming along, awww...!)
And the plot was pretty fun, totally didn't see that she was a replicator, too, and I like what they did with her in the end, interesting option...(she & FRAN should totally hook up XP)
no subject
John's expression when Rodney leaves is just, "I am loved..."
I got that from that look, too -- as awkward as Rodney is with his attempt at sympathy, John gets it. With Teyla, in Sateda, she filled in the blanks for him. But with Rodney, the blanks don't even need to be filled. The two of them just know, and it's so lovely.
And you know, I've been talking in various comments about how much John has changed over the seasons, but the change in Rodney can't be ignored, either. Two years ago, he wouldn't even have thought of coming by to see John. Or, he might even have thought about it, but he wouldn't have done it.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
Also upon re-watch, its unreal to see the 'switch' in Sheppard. From playing dumb to Ava at first, to being very scary in her face as well as during the second interrogation with Dr. Poole. Wow
Okay general question. It was obvious that Ronon was wearing a bullet proof vest and everyone else the tac-vests....so does that mean tac- vest have Kevlar in them?
no subject
LOL! I guess I'm too much of an innocent for my own good. :D
From playing dumb to Ava at first, to being very scary in her face as well as during the second interrogation with Dr. Poole.
I need to watch it again with a focus on the character interactions. I love John's many "faces" -- how he can switch from "oblivious dork" to "ultra-competent military" and back again ...
About the tac vests -- yes, I think they have Kevlar. At least, I've always written my fics from that perspective; I seem to recall that when I first started writing SGA I looked up their various equipment and found that vests like theirs are generally armored, so I've been going on that assumption ever since.
(no subject)
(no subject)
no subject
no subject