sholio | SGA 4x13: Quarantine

Major major squee episode. And the relief at the end!!!! OMG, the relief. I didn't know I felt so strongly about that stupid ring.

What I really loved about the resolution of the Rodney/Katie storyline is that it was so ... well, mature. She realized that she was going to have to spend her life being the "positive" person in the relationship, or trying to change him into something he's not -- and I liked that there wasn't really any rancor in the breakup; they both, independently, came to the realization that things weren't working out (although I do think he kinda hoped that she wouldn't agree with him at the end there; the look on his face was so sad). But they don't dislike or resent each other because of it.

Oh yes, the break up was very well done (and now I want to know why Rodney was so keen on marrying her. They didn't even seem to know each other that well.) Poor Katie, she had no clue how to handle a neurotic Rodney succumbing to doom. It's clear he needs his team around to keep him focused.

I gather that it was sort of an outgrowth of the conversation with Jeannie in "Miller's Crossing" and of his own life goals. Like he'd said back in "Sunday", he likes the idea of settling down with a family and kids. For Rodney, I think that's one of those dreams that looks great from the outside, but he hasn't really given much thought to the details -- sort of like there's a part of me that wants to quit my job, buy a piece of land in the middle of nowhere and build a cabin ... but I don't think I'm actually crazy enough to do it.

In Rodney's case, he's about 40 and I can see how the conversation with Jeannie might have jump-started the idea that, if he wants to have kids and a white picket fence, he can't just sit around waiting for it. It makes sense to me that Rodney would have decided "This is my plan and this is what I have to do to achieve it", without really taking Katie herself into account. Heck, he's probably got it all diagrammed out in his quarters! With spreadsheets and graphs.

I don't personally believe that being in love is necessary for a relationship to work -- I also believe (having seen it) that you can start out not in love at the beginning and fall in love later on. However, having said that, I do think that Rodney could easily have mistaken affection and liking for being in love; it's likely that he's had little enough experience with either.

Edited 2008-01-19 21:09 (UTC)

Yes, I can see how the notion of marriage would get stuck in Rodney’s head, complete with flow charts and timetables. *g* And I guess after dating Katie for two years, he couldn’t keep stringing her along (as Jeannie not so subtly reminded him); he either had to move forward (“Second base?” oh John..) or call it quits. Credit to the writers for doing an excellent job on the break-up.

And – while I’m at it – they’re doing an excellent job on Teyla’s pregnancy as well.

My biggest problem with Rodney/Katie was that, whatever Katie really felt about Rodney (and I never could tell, other than her understandable crushing on his awkward adorableness) I never really could tell how Rodney truly felt about Katie as a person. I don't think he disliked her, I just don't think he really liked her that much, either. For him, I always got the impression that it was more about having a girlfriend than the girl herself. He wants to be in love, and be loved, so badly; but he never tried to really bring Katie into his life proper (we never even saw if she met the team!) - as you said, Katie was the dream, the future plan, the white-picket-fence totally apart from his real life on Atlantis.

And I think Jeannie inadvertently hit the nail on the head when she teased him about "You think you're going to find someone better?" because like he talks about in "Sunday," Rodney can't really understand someone genuinely liking him for himself. He likes the part of Katie that likes him, but doesn't really know or even want to know the rest of her...(I've been in a relationship like that myself, and it didn't really work. But then I'm a pretty firm believer that the best relationships are rooted in friendship, not romance, and he and Katie appear to have precious little in common...)

So yeah, I'm glad they broke up - especially for Katie's sake, really, because I agree that he would've made her miserable. Rodney's coming along with the self-recognition. Though even now, he thinks if he ever wants a real relationship, he'll have to totally change himself, fix his flaws...and while that's an important realization and goal, and he'll be a happier person for it in the end, I don't think he understands that it's not the deal-breaker. You should change for yourself, not for someone else - and anyway, while Katie was a poor match for him, there are those who he could make happy just by being Rodney McKay.

I do find it kind of hilarious that the episode I supposedly wasn't going to discuss ended up with the discussion all being in the comments! I certainly don't mind; I enjoy that sort of thing, but it makes me laugh because I didn't really feel like I had that much to say. Guess I was wrong!

I never did really get the people who were all "I hate the Rodney/Katie pairing because they're so different!" because people fall in love with those who are different from them all the darned time. On the other hand, I think this episode did a really fantastic job of developing the idea of two people breaking up because of their differences ... in a way that was very fair to both of them. And yeah, I think they were definitely more in love with the idea of being in love than actually with each other. I've liked the Rodney/Katie pairing from the beginning because I found it very convincing on a human-interest level -- ditto for Ronon and Keller, too; they aren't grand love stories with hearts and flowers, but rather, fumbling and sweet and possibly destined for disaster (well, certainly destined for it, in Rodney and Katie's case, obviously). I can occasionally go for the grand "love will overcome all!" sorts of stories, but I find more appeal in the more low-key, less romantic and more real-world-ish sorts of relationships ... which is what I saw here, including the way it fell apart at the end.

I think Rodney really did care about Katie, and put her on a pedestal, but never got to know her as a person. And, in Katie's case, obviously she was having much the same problem -- she'd apparently never really seen Rodney's less fluffy side before this episode, and the deeper she dug, the less she wanted to deal with his problems. Which, of course, just makes the problems worse, in a way. Poor Rodney ... he's actually had a whole roomful of people tell him to his face that they love him, and he's still got that much insecurity in his little bitter-marshmallow soul.

Maybe it's odd...I am a hardcore 'shipper sometimes, and I do go for love-conquers-all!!!11! hopeless romance in some cases. And then...I actually liked Rodney/Katie, but not as a 'ship, because I knew it was doomed, I never once thought it was going to work out. Not because they're different, but because the way they were different, I couldn't see a real relationship developing (much of that was in how Katie was written. If they had wanted her to be a serious match for him she would have needed to be developed as a person beyond shy dates with McKay - she'd need relationships with the other chars, with Atlantis. Ronon/Keller, now, has a chance, because Keller is an actual char and not just a love interest; we'll see.)

But I liked the Rodney/Katie for being a fascinating exploration of Rodney's character, of his insecurities, and how he is slowly growing and changing, even now. The human-interest level, like you said. I'd never say I 'shipped it, because my 'ships are the relationships I want to see working out, at least in theory, and I had no particular interest in seeing Rodney/Katie succeed (now, Rodney/Sheppard, or Rodney/Sam, that's a different story, I will concede to 'shipping' them.)

(...Gotta say, when it comes to realistic, low-key relationships I think Numb3rs is totally spoiling me; there's a whole lot of romance and friendship there that I wouldn't really say I 'ship, but I enjoy watching play out, because it's people working through their lives together in this warm and feeling and believable way. And unlike Rodney/Katie, I can't really guess from the writing whether the romances are 'meant to be' or not, so they're a happy surprise when the chars do come together.)

Edited 2008-01-20 10:25 (UTC)

(one more thing! ...heee, yes, this ep left us all with much to discuss, it seems! such a fun show <3)

she'd apparently never really seen Rodney's less fluffy side before this episode, and the deeper she dug, the less she wanted to deal with his problems.

Totally right about the pedestal thing, and this especially - the ironic thing is that if Katie were a more confrontational person, it would've worked out...his negativity was clearly bothering her, but if she would have just jumped on him for it, yelled at him to stop being such an Eeyore, Rodney would've handled things much better. The real problem I saw with Katie is that she's so sweet and shy that Rodney would walk all over her without meaning to...or as it turns out, would lie down on the floor and give up, but it comes to the same thing in the end, that she just doesn't have the attitude to handle him, or the mindset to enjoy it (unlike say, Sheppard, who seems to consider McKay-wrangling one of the top 5 most entertaining sports in Pegasus.) And Rodney requires a lot of handling...

Yes! I think I liked the couple for the same reason--more for what it showed of Rodney, and what developed in Rodney, than because of Katie. I liked her okay, but she wasn't a fully rounded character; I ended up filling in bits in my own head.

I am convinced one of the most attractive things about Rodney for Katie must be that he doesn't play games. Sometimes he hems and haws and can't get things out, but he doesn't say one thing and mean another or play "Guess what I'm thinking." If he compliments her, it's real!

I love your whole last paragraph there: Rodney as Eeyore (yes!), Sheppard's McKay-wrangling as sport.

I really loved the end - Rodney and Katie were *really* mature! :-) I was kind of suprised that Rodney was able to see his own failures so clearly. And it was so sad when Katie said "Bye" and he realized that this was the end of their relationship (well, I interpreted it this way...) :-(
But...the rest of the episode Rodney really, really annoyed me! I can't really remember any episode in which he was so...whining and irritating! Poor Katie! Actually I was suprised that it was not her who "cancelled" the proposal. I would have! *cough*
And I must confess I saw no attraction between Ronon and Keller at all! Yeah I know - everybody is talking about this pairing but he came across (for me!) more like a big brother and not a love interest. I was kind of suprised when they suddenly kissed - okay, ALMOST kissed...*gg* And I thought it strange that Keller has so many problems to fit in. Atlantis is full of geeks who skipped classes and have "social problems" - and she couln't find ONE to befriend...? Riiiight! But Ronon was so sweet...;-) And I loved the Jaw-Reference! :-D

All in all a really strange episode - I really wasn't so thrilled while I was actually watching it - but in retrospect there were a lot of small things I liked. Like Radek...*gg* I was waiting for a lighter and a "Yippee-ki-yay, ***" when he was crawling to the power core...*lol* ^^

Yeah, I loved that it wasn't just Katie torpedoing Rodney -- he actually *did* recognize the problem, and it was more of a mutual breakup than anything else.

Rodney didn't annoy me, but I think that's just because that is Rodney to me, the paradoxical combination of brave, sweet, heroic, arrogant, whiny and incredibly irritating. Rodney would be a fantastic, if annoying, friend; but I can't imagine living with the guy without wanting to strangle him. I like that as much as he's matured over the past few seasons, they haven't done a complete 180 and turned him into a nice guy. That wouldn't be any fun!

Ronon with a crush is really adorable. I *did* like getting the canon confirmation of the impression I've gotten of Keller from the beginning, that her social skills aren't so good and she has trouble relating to people because of it -- her feelings of being an outsider in Atlantis are probably mostly because *she* sees herself that way, not because there aren't people here she could relate to. Compared to Ronon's problems, though, it does make her look awfully sheltered; Ronon's rebuilt his entire life and is still dealing with the fallout, while Keller's basically holding herself back. I like Keller, but she's still got a LOT of growing up to do, out here in the Pegasus Galaxy. I really do hope that she sticks around long enough to get a chance, because the most interesting characters are often the ones that change a lot.

I think its rather telling that Rodney can handle a crisis if Sheppard's there but he shuts down around Katie. I'm glad how they handled the break up---even though I never bought into a relationship between two people who still act like they've been dating for two weeks. It did show a maturity on both their parts that neither is ready for such commitments. It was mutual and that was a nice touch.

I thought the Keller and Ronon stuff was sweet, she's in the medical field just like his last love. It also gave us another gentler look into him, I'm loving the added layers we see of him with his interactions with different characters. It does bother me we've learned more about Keller in one season then we've learned about John in four years..sigh.

Wow, we got back-to back personal episodes in a row, feels like a building of something. I'm so glad about the continuity we've been getting over the seasons, makes everything feel more like a community. And once again the dinner scene at the end was love.

I thought the eppy was too slow, but its was a nice middle of the row filler.

I actually much prefer the smaller-scale episodes, like this one or Tabula Rasa or Doppelganger, to the large-scale space-battle episodes. Always have, with this show, really.

Something I read in someone's review -- don't remember where, dammit -- that I thought was pretty much spot-on: that it feels like they're self-consciously trying to build Keller's character rather than just letting it happen naturally. I love Jewel Staite and I like Keller, but I really wish they'd relax a little about trying quite so obviously to make her sympathetic and give us a window into her. They did it in Runner with Ronon, too -- they may as well have screamed "INTRODUCING NEW CHARACTER! CUE CHARACTER INTRODUCTION HERE!" -- and it kinda bugged me there, too. What's really made Ronon likable isn't the stuff they've handed us, it's the little things that have grown along the way, and I think the same needs to be true of Keller.

Having said that, I liked seeing her in the short-sleeved shirt because she looks like a comfortably normal person, not an anorexic twig. One of the things I've always liked about the casting on this show (whatever problems I may have with it in some areas) is that they are pretty good about casting women who aren't fake-looking for their role in the show. I've always appreciated that Teyla is built like someone who actually could throw people around in a fight -- she's trim and muscular and looks like she works out. And Keller, while quite attractive and not by any means overweight, looks like someone who spends her days in the infirmary rather than in the gym. I like that.

ke this one or Tabula Rasa or Doppelganger,

See I loved those two, the plots was meatier...this didn't need to be an action eppy, but it was pretty dull. *shrugs* I prefer only a few space battles per season. I guess I felt the pace just dragged too much. Meh, small things. Upon re-watching I did enjoy the Teyla and John moments and Sam and Zelenka ones.

You are right about Keller it does feel forced, allow us to grow with her so it doesn't feel like that. Its all good, I think this season's been stellar and the best when it has come to giving us all these character moments so I'm not really complaining loud here.. :-D

Yes, Teyla looks like she could kick your ass, I've always loved her for which is odd. Most of the time I've disliked many female characters because of the way they've been written in shows.

I've liked Elizabeth and Teyla a lot. Grown to really enjoy Sam so three out of four is not bad at all! :D

There's certainly no right or wrong to not liking an episode. ^^ I've really been all over the map this season, from Doppelganger being possibly my all-time very favorite episode, to Travelers which is definitely on my short list for least favorite. But others reacted differently; it's just a matter of which ones hit your squee buttons and which ones didn't.

Oh, I agree. Its actually really funny to see reviews of an eppy say that you loved and then seeing how other reacted so differently. We fans are so picky :-P

Though I think "Doppelganger" was my fav so far for , many, many reasons. One of the best team eppys in a while.

Hope you don't mind that I discuss things with you, even when we differ. You're one of the few people I know who writes reviews or discusses the show in a gen way. I don't mind slash but someone times I want to read people's thoughts who not viewing things through those goggles.

And you tend to point out things I don't consider sometimes.

Hope you don't mind that I discuss things with you, even when we differ.

Oh heavens no! I certainly don't want anyone to ever feel like they have to only post observations that tally with mine. Sometimes the differences of opinion get me looking at the show in a new way. And I've never found you difficult to talk to about these things.

Although I'm generally slash-friendly when it comes to this show, I definitely prefer gen episode discussion -- I think it has to do with the fact that slash is somewhat AU for me, but when I talk about the episodes, I want to pore over and dissect what is actually there in canon. I'm not a 'shippy person by nature, and 'shipper discussions of whatever stripe (slash, het or poly) don't do much for me. It's the friendships that always draw me to the canon that makes me fanny, so that's what I usually want to talk about.

Although having said the above, something I was just discussing tonight at

xparrot's LJ is that I actually am starting to believe that John in canon might be somewhat bisexual, or at least bi-curious. I'm not sure if this is simply an artifact of having read too many slash episode reviews, and I'm still about 90% convinced that I'm reading more into it than is actually there, but if they did actually throw in something in Season 5 that indicates he's had past relationships with men, I wouldn't feel like it came entirely out of left field at this point.

I wouldn't be thrown for a loop either because I think there has been some subtext, depending how you view things. Its not canon so I'm not going to think along those lines. I still tend to chalk up his inability to handle intimate friendship type gestures of affection AND his unbelievably strong connections to all members of his team to some personally quick or flaw from his upbringing or the inability to actually believe he can be loved by another person..I don't know.

Despite all the flirtation he seems like a very, lonely man.

Either way I think he's very open-minded and wouldn't bat an eye if any of his friends were bi-curious/sexual or gay.

I might check out that post later on.

Yeah, that's where I am -- I don't really think it's canon at this point and I'm not operating under that assumption in my gen fic, but if they did decide to play that card later on, I think they've set it up well enough that it wouldn't come out of left field. At the very least, he is, as you say, very open-minded about people around him -- I think this applies to a whole lot of different areas, going all the way back to "Rising" and his easy acceptance of Teyla as the leader of her people, a leap that Sumner couldn't make.

If you're interested, here's a link to the discussion in question. (There's a wee bit of manga/anime geekery mixed in, since the person I'm discussing it with is someone I met previously in an anime fandom ... well, a lot of anime fandoms, actually; she and I have a history of coincidentally following each other around through a whole series of different fandoms.)

Despite all the flirtation he seems like a very, lonely man.

Yeah, I agree. I'm really looking forward to Outcast -- though I've so far avoided most spoilers -- in the hopes it'll shed some light on how he ended up the way that he is.

Either way I think he's very open-minded and wouldn't bat an eye if any of his friends were bi-curious/sexual or gay.

In Sunday, he asked if Ronon was dating anyone and specifically said guy or girl (I can't remember the wording). Of course it's usually used as "proof" in fandom that he's so gay. *eyeroll*

Yeah. I really liked that scene; I like the implication that John's an open-minded guy, military or not ... but it was certainly seized upon by the fandom all out of proportion to its relative importance in the show.

For all your Quarantine needs, my weekly review is up. (http://kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com/305412.html) The password thing was definitely my favorite of the night.

Hee, the password scene was great -- I love seeing numbersmart-John, and his "42" comment totally cracked me up. SUCH A GEEK.

I've got my review up here, if anyone wants to read it.

I read half the comments thinking, "I'll come back and reply to this one because I agree with so many things being said!" Then I'd go onto the next and think the same!

I did like Katie, and I think it's not just not having his team around that made Rodney panic--Rodney had nothing he can do. He would have freaked even surrounded by the others. Granted, they'd have done more to drag him out of it. I do think Rodney was showing clear signs of the hypoglycemia he has always claimed to have, and I think they missed a great opportunity to show that while Rodney's a hypochondriac, he doesn't simply make stuff up. I wasn't annoyed at Rodney's declarations of doom partly because if I had been about to go to lunch, already "starving" (as he said), and then been caught in a lockdown, I would have been on the floor convinced I was dying too. Dizziness, feeling hot (often hot and then cold), racing pulse--that's how I get when I need to eat! I start talking (usually whining) and I can't shut up, I don't control what I'm saying very well--I was a little surprised when Rodney came back and said he wasn't sick, it was just "allergies." I wasn't a lot surprised because it would have been expecting too much for the writers to treat Rodney's hypoglycemia as a real problem.

I don't like the Ronon and Keller pairing because I'm just not convinced; I don't feel it. I did feel Carson and Laura (though I figured they'd crash and burn fast), and Rodney and Katie.

I did really like how they handled the ending of Rodney and Katie's relationship. I loved Sam and Radek's scenes--and Radek saving the day! And I loved John's scenes with Rodney and with Teyla. I enjoyed the episode greatly--yes, I'd put it with "Doppelganger" and "Tabula Rasa" as my favorites of the season! Great minds think alike!

Totally agree that it wasn't the lack of team so much as the lack of any options that drove Rodney nuts. He did better in "Grace Under Pressure" when trapped alone but with a computer...

My very mildly hypoglycemic sister had the exact same observation about Rodney's symptoms. Though I think it's understandable that Rodney wouldn't have realized it himself, as when panicking he always resorts to worst-case-scenario. His teammates probably could've mentioned the need to eat (maybe had a power-bar on hand.)

My first thought when he started acting weird was that he WAS suffering from hypoglycemia. I think if it had been, though, he would have mentioned it at the end -- I imagine he'd jump on any actual medical excuse he'd been handed! If anything, I think this episode was a pretty solid bit of canon in support of the idea that most of Rodney's alleged medical problems (hypochondria, allergies) are completely in his head, which fits perfectly with the cavalier way that the others sometimes treat them. He basically managed to induce symptoms in himself through the power of suggestion; there's no reason not to believe that things like his fainting in "Hide & Seek" were basically the same thing. (And isn't there an episode where he mentions having managed to psychosomatically induce an allergy attack in himself?) Note that I'm not saying hypoglycemia is not a real condition, just that, given Rodney's rampant hypochondria (which has been mentioned in canon, in pretty much those terms, by nearly everyone who knows him, including both of his doctors), it's quite plausible that he doesn't actually have most of the conditions that he's self-diagnosed.

I don't like the Ronon and Keller pairing because I'm just not convinced; I don't feel it. I did feel Carson and Laura (though I figured they'd crash and burn fast), and Rodney and Katie.

This is one of the things about shippings and pairings that is SO interesting to me -- how people get so deeply split on them. I've seen "omg Keller & Ronon 4Evah!!!" posts and those that can't stand them; ditto for Rodney and Katie, John and Teyla, John and Rodney in this episode. In general, since I don't experience much squee over pairings, I tend to view them in terms of "... does this make sense for the characters?" And the Ronon/Keller pairing seems very plausible to me, because of her resemblance to Melena. (I also like how John seems to have a physical "type" of woman that he's attracted to -- and Rodney's predilection for short-haired blonds has been mentioned in canon, although in reality he seems to go for quite a physical variety of women; the only constant is that he's always attracted to brainy women, scientist-types.)

In any case, I certainly don't think there's a "right" or "wrong" way to view them -- I'm generally happy with how all of the couples have been handled this season, though I still think I'd have some trouble with overt John/Teyla in canon.

I can totally handle Rodney being a hypochondriac and blowing everything out of proportion. What bothers me is that I feel like the writers a) play him too much for laughs and b) don't keep track of what they're doing.

I've ranted on (a) several times. Rodney is already funny. We don't need him totally over the top to continue being funny; it's hilarious enough that the people in "The Game" made a flag with his face; when Rodney later keeps forgetting that it's not a game, that these are real people, I think it undermines both the humor and the seriousness of the episode. (They did it as well with John, Lorne, and Zelenka in the same episode--and, I thought, ruined a potentially good episode.) I can well believe Rodney has an unpleasant but not necessarily fatal reaction to citrus, and that he gets really hard to deal with when he has low blood sugar. I don't need Rodney actually going into convulsions or coma. (I did rec a story on Stargateficrec that features serious hypoglycemia because I thought it was really well done--here--but I generally don't like the "Rodney gets terribly ill of hypoglycemia" stories; I don't think he has it that badly.)

If he is just a hypochondriac, though, at least before he has been a consistent hypochondriac! Even if he's wrong, he should mention low blood sugar, as he has before. That leads me to (b): whether or not it's real, it's in Rodney's head, and if his symptoms are psychosomatic, then he should be thinking of the illness that would cause such symptoms! I think it was a writing error. I think they should have mentioned it, whether or not they gave us an official diagnosis.

It's a minor flaw in a really enjoyable episode; it bothers me partly because I'm a strong Rodney partisan, and partly because I think it's symptomatic of the problems they do have on the show. I asked Mallozzi on his blog if they had a show bible; they don't. They should.

I'm not enthused about Ronon and Keller, but I'm not very bothered by it. I was just blown away by how well they handled Rodney and Katie, as several commenters have said!

This is my take on Rodney's breakdown.

The real problem was there was nothing for Rodney to do. All he could do was sit (or stand or lie) there and wait for other people to solve the problem. And as we have seen time and time again, waiting is not Rodney's strong suit. As long as he something to do, something focus on, Rodney can keep his panic under control - or at least to a reasonable degree. It's when he doesn't that his morbid imagination gets going and he starts thinking in the worst case scenario. The fact that Katie had never really seen that side of Rodney before, and had no idea of how to deal with it made things worse. Rodney was able to work himself into a real state - something that might not have happened if he had somewhere there who calm him down and get him to relax a little.

I also loved the break-up scene. And I really liked how it was mutual and based more on the idea that neither of them were really ready for such a big step (or for a serious relationship.) In many ways I think that Katie is just a screwed up - if no where near as negative - as Rodney. So it wasn't matter of Katie dumping Rodney, which was a very good thing in my mind.

As for the rest of it...I loved that one of John's first worries was that Teyla was going to go into labor because that what is what always happens in the movies. That an knowing that what 42 is... (and again, one of the best parts of that was the look on Teyla's face.) But also the talks about Teyla's fears concerning her child's future - made even worse by the fact that she still doesn't know what has happened to the child's father. And that her son may never know his father or even his mother if something were to happen to her. And maybe even worse, the child would know little of Athosians and their ways. (something that even if John, Ronon, Rodney and the rest of the city did care for the child they would not be able to pass on the child the same way that Teyla would be able to)

Yeah ... Rodney does *not* deal well with being helpless. I think this might be the first time we've seen him really, truly with NOTHING he can do to change the outcome of his fate ... and no one to goad him into not giving up. (Although, honestly, it did seem to me that if they *wanted* to, they could've given Rodney more to do. It's hard to believe that someone with his science skills couldn't find a way to blow the door. On the other hand, he's also got his own ego to deal with -- he'd written the program, so before he could even try to beat it, he first had to accept that he was fallible!)

I was expecting Katie to dump Rodney like a hot potato after all of that, and I was really happy that it turned out to be a mutual decision -- actually, it was more like him breaking up with her! Although I think, from the look on Rodney's face when she agreed with him, that he kinda wanted to be talked out of it. But, yes, I was very pleased with how all of that ended up. I think the writers made a good case for it being the right decision without bashing Katie, which took a deft touch and an intimate understanding of their characters. Re-watching it, I'm really struck by how utterly wrong she's handling him, but it isn't really her fault; she just doesn't have the right sort of personality to give him the kick in the pants that he so badly needs. (It IS too bad that she never got a primer in "Rodney 101" from John.)

As for the rest of it...I loved that one of John's first worries was that Teyla was going to go into labor because that what is what always happens in the movies.

There were so MANY delightful little nods to classic movie scenarios in this one! In a way this episode was like a semi-serious parody of every disaster movie ever. Ronon and Keller's "million-to-one shot" failed, John's brave and desperate climb up the tower just made things worse (and then he had to climb down!), Radek and Sam were stuck in the classic "... and then they have trapped!sex" scenario without a single thing happening between them; even the countdown to disaster didn't have an actual countdown!

(Although, honestly, it did seem to me that if they *wanted* to, they could've given Rodney more to do. It's hard to believe that someone with his science skills couldn't find a way to blow the door. On the other hand, he's also got his own ego to deal with -- he'd written the program, so before he could even try to beat it, he first had to accept that he was fallible!)

Maybe. I mean sure there was part of what he would have needed to make a pretty good bomb, but first he would have needed someone to kick him the pants to make him think of that as an option. Poor Katie just doesn't have that type of personality.

I get the impression that the reason for trapping Rodney in plant room was so he wouldn't have access to computer and wouldn't be able to do anything but worry and fret. Because if was able to get to an computer he would have seen the same thing that others had and would have realized the same thing. That this was a computer malfunction. (And I think even if Rodney had his comm with him and wasn't able to raise anyone else he would have realized something else was up) Everything was set up for Rodney to imagine the worse and not have any real hints that something else might have be going on.

I also loved at the end how everyone was saying that Radek saved the day. Poor Rodney is not going to live that one down for a long time.

They only thing I would have liked to have seen is maybe John and the others helping to cheer Rodney up. John, Ronon and Radek all sharing beers (or maybe something even harder) with him, Teyla drinking some sort tea or other drink. I am not sure if I would want Sam there as she is "the boss"

The other "problem" had nothing to do with story but was more when the episode was filmed. This episode was filmed right after the mid-season break and it was clear that Teyla was much further along because Rachel was much further along. Ah how the best plans of TV writers can go up to pot because of real life.

Edited 2008-01-20 15:24 (UTC)

Yeah ... while it does have a lot of dramatic punch to end the episode there, I really wish we'd had a "cheer up Rodney" scene at the end.

I wondered if Rachel's size change had anything to do with simply not hiding it anymore. It was pretty obvious that she was showing in the last couple of episodes, and now suddenly she shows up in a dress that not only doesn't hide it, but actually enhances it. (It's hard to imagine they'd do this on purpose, but the whole design of the dress basically does nothing but call attention to her stomach!)

Yes! You're right about the parody element: I really thought the oxygen tank plan would work because it was so far out there, and it failed so beautifully!

And Radek just got really uncomfortable being trapped with Sam, especially when she took off her jacket!

...I went and answered like half your comments here, just because this ep is that full of squee. The small-scale ones always are the most fun in this show!

I think I'm maybe a bit odd for liking Rodney's minor meltdown as much as I did...but then it so completely highlights what makes SGA so much fun. SG-1 is about Big Damn Heroes who save the day no matter what; SGA is more about messed up, flawed people who help one another get through things to save the day. Rodney is the smartest man in two galaxies, but he needs his team to focus that unwieldy intellect before it turns in and drives him crazy with worst-case-scenarios.

...Yup, I'm all about the co-dependency in my fiction. Awww!

(The Ronon/Keller here worked the same way, except Ronon's pretty good at handling neurotic scientist types. I want to like Ronon/Keller, wish they'd let Keller's char grow organically, rather then telling-not-showing her flaws. It's not even that I disagree with her issues - near everyone on Atlantis are misfits with a history of trouble fitting in, but Keller's in a pretty unique and painful situation because everyone still vaguely resents her for replacing Carson. But they've been awkwardly stating her insecurities rather than just letting them appear. Or at least Carl Binder has; I like Keller better in the hands of the other writers. (Really curious about "Trio"!) Admittedly Binder's the only one who's been writing her out of her depth; like Rodney, she does much better when she's dealing with problems she's equipped to handle.)

Re-watching the episode, I was struck by how MUCH of it was the characters acting like total doobs (in their wonderful, loveable way). Keller and Ronon "MacGyvered" a fantastic, million-to-one-odds plan ... and it didn't work. John pulled off this crazy heroic stunt ... which only succeeded in getting the self-destruct turned on and making things WORSE, and then to add insult to injury, he had to climb back down! Radek pulled the wrong crystal, shorted the system and made it impossible for him and Sam to do anything else, so all they could do was sit there and wait for rescue. Rodney just decided to lay down on the floor and die ... and considering how everyone else's cunning plans were turning out, he might have made the best call of all!

I love the whole "dorks save the galaxy, despite themselves" vibe of the show. Oh, SGA, don't ever change. Don't ever grow up.

Rodney just decided to lay down on the floor and die ... and considering how everyone else's cunning plans were turning out, he might have made the best call of all!

XDDDD This is funny 'cuz it's so, so true. Oh, show!

hello *awkward wave* I'm trying to get into the Atlantis fandom more, especially with fics, because I'm running out of good, new fics from FFN on there so can I friend you? If you don't mind? :D

Hi! *waves back* By all means, feel free to friend me! And happy reading; there are lots of good fic out there to read! You may already know of these, but I recommend

stargategenrec for gen,

stargateficrec for gen/ship/slash, and

sga_flashfic for tons of great stories. (And since the Stargate Fan Awards listings are up now, that's another source of good fic!)

yay, thanks :D

SGA 4x13: Quarantine

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