SGA: Kindred pt 2...

[sholio]

Um. Not so happy here. About one specific thing in the episode, at least.

Okay, so remember how my huge DO NOT WANT for this season was that I did not want a monster baby for Teyla?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system...

I totally called the Carson thing! (Edit: Actually, naye called that one, pretty much. I'd been thinking along the same lines, but she's the one who really laid the theory out in the open, so she ought to have credit.) Except I didn't expect the degeneration. Overall, I was happy that we got a lot of Rodney/Carson interaction -- I also liked the Carson/Keller bits and I loved Ronon's overall awkwardness with the whole situation, right up to the hug at the end, and the sad way he laid his head down on Carson's shoulder? That was pretty much my dose of "awwwwwww" for the episode. Awwwwww!

But aside from that little scene at the beginning where they're outside the isolation room, we really didn't get any reaction scenes with the others discussing and digesting the whole situation, and that left the whole thing feeling kind of flat to me. I think in particular what I wanted was *something* with Rodney getting support from his team, or Sheppard, or even Carter, who's done the whole "He's dead! Oh wait! He's back!" thing too many times to count. Presumably, there would have been scenes like that during the slow times in the middle of the episode -- while Carson and Keller are working at the microscopes, for example. But I wanted to see~! There was lots of stuff with Carson, which was nice, but I didn't really get the sort of emotional impact and teaminess that I wanted from the episode. Maybe I just wanted too much ...?

I did appreciate the fact that Rodney, at least, recognized that a Carson clone with all Carson's memories *is* Carson, for all intents and purposes, which is something that they didn't seem willing to acknowledge with the RepliTeam. I liked Rodney's protectiveness, even to the point of pushing Carson out of the way of bullets and covering him in the field. And ohhh, I hurt for Rodney, having to vicariously relive the deaths of Elizabeth and Original!Carson ... and then losing him AGAIN. And Sheppard, losing Teyla, maybe permanently. I think they (and Ronon ... that sad little hug still breaks me) need to go get really drunk together now.

And they got the Athosians back! Well, most of them! (Er, aside from the dead ones and the really *important* one, of course.) That was pretty neat. Once they get back Teyla AND HER BABY, she'll have somewhere to go.

In conclusion, I'm utterly unspoiled for the season finale and hoping to stay that way (haven't even watched the previews, don't have a clue what to expect other than the title) ... and then we'll be done with the season!

EDIT: Okay, now that I've had time to think and digest the episode a little bit, I'm feeling a lot better about most of what bugged me, emotionally. I think the problem *was* that I had certain sorts of scenes I wanted to see, and we didn't see them, and I was irked by that. But I did like what we got! (Well, except for the Teyla thing. NOT GOING THERE.)

Comments

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

Re: Teyla's baby. I console myself with the fact that Michael is a raving lunatic. He thinks Teyla's baby will help his research. I have my doubts. Surely Teyla and Kanaan can't be the first 2 people with The Gift that have made a baby over the centuries. The boy may have a strong gift, but that doesn't make him a monster baby. Yet. I'm really hoping (and I have seen no spoilers for S5 so this is pure speculation) that they'll go a different direction than having Michael steal the kid leaving Teyla searching the galaxy for him all next season.

On Rodney and comfort - when Carson turns to Rodney after Ronon hugs him, McKay turns away and looks at the stasis pod. John keeps an eye on him, but I don't think Rodney could handle "comfort" at that moment. He never stopped talking, he never said goodbye, he didn't even shake Carson's hand. DENIAL. To accept comfort from someone else would make it real. I think John knows him well enough to understand that (John's the same way).

I absolutely ADORED the Rodney-Carson friendship moments. *hugs Rodney*

I'm like naye, I don't cry, but when Ronon admitted that his reluctance was due to being afraid of losing Carson again and then HUGGED him. *sniff* In some ways, I thought this was sadder than Sunday.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes! Rodney is too deeply in denial to accept anything remotely like comfort at this point, because he doesn't need comfort, because they're going to save Carson, soon, and he's not going to acknowledge any alternative any more than Sheppard would think (or let Ronon) think about the syringe.

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

The boy may have a strong gift, but that doesn't make him a monster baby.

I'm getting the idea from reading comments that not everybody interpreted the Michael-Teyla scene the same way I did. I'd just assumed that he injected her baby with whatever he used to turn the other Athosians into hybrid bug people. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I just can't think what else that stuff could have been.

One of the things I really appreciated about this episode is that everyone (well, everyone except Teyla) got to say goodbye to Carson this time, which in Sunday, they didn't. I know that it's not the same version of Carson, but they still got a sort of closure that they didn't get before.

I could see Rodney spending a lot of time down in the stasis chamber, though, just quietly working on his laptop and keeping Carson company...

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

I originally thought he sedated her but realized that he wouldn't have injected that into her abdomen. The reason I don't think it was the wraithifying drug was 1) his comment that the child was unique and that he'd made progress in his work but he still had details to work out and 2) she could use some help in taking care of him. We've already seen that she refused food.

I don't think he would start the wraithifying drug before getting the chance to take some samples and study the baby. I think the injection might have been some kind of nutrients.