sholio | SGA 3x14 (or possibly 3x15): The Tao of McKay

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SGA 3x14 (or possibly 3x15): The Tao of McKay

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... yeah. Incoherent.

Now that I've managed to come back down to planet Earth ... this was weirdly like an SG-1 episode -- the whole feel of it, the weird changes happening to a team member (I never realized just how OFTEN that sort of thing happened to SG-1, compared to how often SGA has to deal with it, 'til we went back and rewatched SG-1 season 1 recently), and most particularly the team interactions. I ... guh. I mean, I NEVER thought we'd get anything like this in SGA. In a weird way, it kind of threw me a little bit. You know how it is, when you want something and then you get it and you're not absolutely sure that you wanted it after all ...? There were moments that felt a teeny bit out of character for Rodney. I know he's dying and all, but things like ... the scene in Teyla's quarters ... I just don't know if I could see him *doing* that. If it happened in a fanfic, I would have thought it was OOC.

On the other hand, maybe when you scrape away all the layers of sarcasm and defenses ... this is what you're left with. A genuinely nice person. I mean, yeah, we always knew Rodney was a decent guy deep down ... but this is the first episode where we see more than just glimpses -- where he's actually *been* nice and managed to keep it up for a significant part of the episode.

I have this wishlist for SGA. Things I'd love to see in an episode that I thought I never would. I ... think it's quite possible that very nearly everything on that list happened in this episode. There is exactly ONE item I can think of that wasn't in this episode. (In case you're curious ... Sheppard performing CPR on Rodney. Or vice versa. But I don't think we'll ever see that in this series. Everything ELSE, however ...)

The *one* thing in the whole episode that didn't make me DROP DEAD ON THE FLOOR was the not-so-subtle hints of McWeir. But you know what ... Rodney being Rodney, I can actually see the scene at the end as his attempt to make light (and make sense) of an utterly incomprehensible thing to him -- having a bunch of people tell him they love him. He has to rationalize it away as sexual desire, simultaneously feeding his ego *and* his insecurities. And in the end, they go to lunch as friends. Just like before.

There's really no point in listing everything I liked about the episode. Just start at the first scene and run through to the last. But there were two real standouts for me. When he's going through and doing his goodbyes and making amends ... there were two scenes in there that really made me ... well, stop and stare. And I think the timing of the whole sequence is entirely deliberate. Those two scenes are the bracketing ones, his goodbye to Zelenka and to Sheppard.

Zelenka's the very first one, because Zelenka is the person he has the most to make up for -- and while I kind of got the impression with some of the others that he was just trying to come up with something, ANYTHING that he could do for them, with Zelenka there really *was* something that needed to be done ... probably the hardest thing in the world to do: Apologize for being an ass for the last two and a half years. And he did it, and it was truly heartfelt.

The other scene was the one with Sheppard. Throughout all the rest of it, I kept thinking, "I can't WAIT to see what he does for Sheppard." But what made that scene stand out was that he didn't have to do anything at all. There was nothing between the two of them that needed to be said or done. Everything they needed had already *been* said or done. They were good. End of story.

I ... *still* can't quite get my mind around this episode. I think I will go die of squee now. see ya ...

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Boy did DH have a lot of dialogue.

I did smile at the McWeir and I am waiting for the fic's to roll out.

I am waiting for the fic's to roll out.

The thing about this episode, though ... what would you fic? Everything was THERE! Okay, yeah, I can think of a few tags that could be done. But we practically got everything that we normally get from fic!

GUH.

And LOL at the dialogue comment, because I was thinking the same thing during the episode! I actually kind of felt sorry for the actor in this one! Like with GUP ... I can just see poor DH sitting around learning about 400 pages of dialogue ...

I supose so - but the tags and inbetween bits are possible. Sheppard the superhero?

LOL! OH the possibilities ...

And I really thought, in the middle of the episode, that Zelenka was going to step into the machine and he and Rodney were going to end up duking it out in superhero mode. Granted, the episode went in a totally different direction ... but still. It was SO CLOSE.

True. This episode was a good tie in with Irresponsible and the superhero theme. Especially liked the Batman and Ronon. LOL.

A virtual hyperspace generator for the puddle jumper? Certainly has possibilities. Hehehe imagine the conversation between Hermiod and super Rodney.

And 'With great potential [deliberate misquote for 'power'] comes great responsibility', the most quoted line from 'Spiderman' of course. Totally right that John gets to say that line - our gorgeous geek in denial, would know his Marvel films. My love for Damien Kindler knows no bounds right now... ah-hum "we love you Mr Kindler!"

Right, let's try this comment - WITHOUT the stupid typos!

Yep, that was exactly my thought! I could just see them throwing balls of light at each other, or doing the whole trying to choke each other with their minds thing....

A bit like Joe Flanigan's role in the *so bad it's just bad, but oh look - Joe is HOT!* 'Birds of Prey'...

Seriously - this episode had me laughing my head, off, getting close to tears, and then laughing my head off at the end. I'm currently juggling M&MM, Echoes, a slightly self-edited version of 'Common Ground' and 'Tao..' as my season three 'can't decide which is best'.

I was (metaphorically) on the edge of the seat going 'please let them do a scene with John, don't let them cheat us of that' and the scene was perfect, absolutely in keeping with what we know of those two. It cemented my conviction that they're best buddies but will barely admit it to themselves, let alone to each other or anyone else. Nothing to say, because beyond all their differences, those two *get* each other. And who else would you give your last requests to but the person you're closest too? Perfect. And toward the beginning, did John really need to *say* that he would keep an eye on Rodney? I mean isn't that his default position? LOL!

Oh and John admited to loving him in the way that friends do - by proxy and via the means of asserting his masculinity of course - but in his pwn way he made it clear that he agreed with what Elizabeth said! Am I getting subtextual here? Anyway, I can't wait for the better quality version so we can see the look on his face when Rodney's near his end...

GUH.

My god. Did I just watch that?

I think McKay was very in character throughout, keeping in mind that he was, in fact, undergoing a change. He was still arrogant and snarky, and determined to do whatever it took to solve the problem, even if it meant *gasp* unleashing his burdens by talking to his friends. The scenes with Shep are pure magic.

Many aspects of this episode are very deep, and very eastern philo oriented, hence the episode name, but the depth that was touched startled me. I'm not sure even the writers knew what they tapped into.

Too many squee moments to count! McKay was getting on my nerves, as he should, because the character is meant to be an ass. I don't think he came across as too soft or friendly, in fact this McKay is very like the McKay we first saw on SG1. Arrogant to a fault but very human, not quite as defensive as he is on Atlantis. This, as he came across in this episode, is definitely his core being.

It's given me a lot to think about while writing Sea'scape Three, that's for sure.

This episode I can sink my teeth into, provided I can slap McKay around a bit. LOL! Ronon was classic, absolutely brilliant!

AWESOME EPISODE!!!!!!!!!

Kam :D :D :D

Yes! I agree!

I thought the scene with Ronon, the basis of it, was awesome, because it showed a great side of Rodney. With Zelenka, like you said, he had to apologise, that was obvious, and with Teyla we can assume he hounded Halling to get some info :), but Ronon. He had to think about that one, didn't he, find something that was meaningful, and I really loved that he did.

Of course, he was OOC (that's not meant to sound as rude as it does). He didn't have anything to hide anymore, and while I agree that the scene in Teyla's quarters was a bit strange, I couldn't have seem him go to Teyla and tell her how he felt, just blurt it out like he did for Zelenka. I suppose Halling told him that that particular thing would really mean something. So by offering the ceremony, Rodney could tell Teyla that he respected her and she was so important to him that he would take the time to sit and talk with her. The tea was weird, but I thought the roundabout way of getting his feelings out there was very much Rodney.

But John, and the slouch, and the not talking about it! They could've kept that scene going forever. :)

Also, Elizabeth was great, she didn't back down and just said what needed to be said. It was so "no, Rodney, don't diiiiiiiie" and I loved that. The scene at the end was well done, Rodney getting back into his Rodney suit, being obnoxiously adorable.

This episode was love!

And, darn, was The Hewlett hot (sorry, I felt it needed to be said, again, caaaaaaaaaps are coming up, you can bet on it)

Yes, yes, YES to everything you said about John and Rodney. I never in a million years would have thought they could pull off a scene with John telling Rodney that he loved him and have it be in character ... but they DID. And of *course* he gives his last requests to John. Another thing I noticed was that John was the only one that he really seemed to open up to, about his fears and doubts there at the end.

I LOVED THIS EPISODE.

GUH.

My god. Did I just watch that?

That was about my reaction. I swear they let the fanficcers write an episode! I know half the season has been that way, but this one ... I still haven't picked up my jaw off the floor.

And yes, I loved that all of the making-of-amends at the end was basically still Rodney in problem-solving mode -- if he'd just been dying of something relatively ordinary, he might not have reacted that way (although you never know, he still might've) but it really *was* a Rodney thing to do, approaching the whole thing analytically even when he's apologizing to his friends.

Yeah, the Ronon thing -- very well said, and I agree 100%. It was obvious that he'd really had to think to come up with something that he could do for him ... and he even asked if it was okay beforehand (sort of).

Throughout all the making-amends parts, I loved how he was still so Rodney -- barging into Teyla's quarters, apologizing to Radek and then running off leaving him in shock. Even when he's being nice, he's still got this bull-in-a-china-shop sort of attitude to him.

And the John scene, OMG ...

In addition to the awesomeness of the 'healing scene' with Ronon, was the tag at the end with Ronon very oudly and very happily announcing to everyone that he didn't understand anything they'd just said, and then just HUGGING the crap out of Rodney (while Rodney has a WTF moment). It was a beautiful mirror to the first hug, with the roles reversed. I wonder whether the hug was scripted, or whether like in 'The Return, part1) Jason improvised? Anyway, it's lovely to see the moments of friendship between the unlikely pairs.

More Teyla would have been nice, but in a way it wasn't needed so much. Teyla's affection for Rodney is quite clear to me, and it hasn't been complicated by past events. Rodney and Elizabeth's friendship has seen much stress and strain, so it was lovely seeing her fight and keep fighting for Rodney. It also seemed to bring them closer together - I think she saw a side of him she'd forgotten about and instead of leaving him to get his mid-afternoon snack by himself, she makes an effort to spend some non-work time with the man who wrote her a 500 page biography. Very lovely indeed.

LOL. True. I was recently watching a YouTube Clip of DH at a con where he was talking about how one of the reasons they brought Radek in was otherwise there would be times when there would be no need for the other actors... It would just be McKay going on and on for page after page. That is pretty much what happened here... So yeah, I am sure DH had mixed feeling about this episode. A great chance to show his stuff - but ton of lines to learn...

It was AWESEOM!! :O)

" But what made that scene stand out was that he didn't have to do anything at all. There was nothing between the two of them that needed to be said or done. Everything they needed had already *been* said or done. They were good. End of story.

That's what I loved the most about the scenes between John and Rodney - it just proved for me that both of them already know where they stand with each other. They don't NEED anythimg more - which is pretty much why I laugh at all the stories where Rodney is feeing so insecure because "John is so MEAN to him" or some other BS like that! What show are people WATCHING?!?!?!

I also feel the same way about the scene at the end where Rodney says "thank you" to Carson - that was all that needed to be said between them and AGAIN I ask why people think that Carson is mean to Rodney when Rodney obviously doesn't think so.

Yeah, Rodney operates on the level where he understands and appreciates the snark - he gives as good as he gets after all. People who write such stories may be indentifying too strongly with Rodney and making him too much like themselves - they wouldn't cope with John's behaviour, therefore their Rodney can't.

I think that others may have more problems with the Carson/Rodney interaction simply because there's a lot less screen time given to that friendship (and Carson in general - his character's not been properly developed IMHO). And yes, I agree - Rodney doesn't think he's mean - but occasionally the timing of Carson's snark is perceived by viewers as being 'off'. I still struggle a little with the scene in 'Common Ground' - you know the one! I won't list reasons why here.

But Rodney himself is certainly no put upon victim.

People who write such stories may be indentifying too strongly with Rodney and making him too much like themselves - they wouldn't cope with John's behaviour, therefore their Rodney can't.

*nods* exactly! Also I think you have to take into consideration how men interact with each other and how women interact with each other ... totally different types of interactions.

I think that others may have more problems with the Carson/Rodney interaction simply because there's a lot less screen time given to that friendship (and Carson in general - his character's not been properly developed IMHO).

I started thinking about that the other day and I think you're right. For a lot of people all they see IS the snark so they don't see it as Carson being a friend to Rodney but the thing that bugs me about that is that Rodney is JUST as snarky with Carson as Carson is with Rodney so I don't see a problem.... *shrug*

I still struggle a little with the scene in 'Common Ground' - you know the one! I won't list reasons why here.

The one where Carson asks Rodney WTF he's doing after he makes an ass of himself in front of the Marines? Dude *I* was asking myself the same thing Carson did to be honest. Rodney really had no business doing that, seriously. Sure it was a cute moment but I agreed with Carson - "Rodney what are you on about?" was a fair question.

I know I keep saying "I agree" with everything in this thread, but ... I agree! Especially with your comment about the handling of the different friendships, and it really says a lot about the writers that they understand their characters so well. There was healing with the relationships that needed healing; and then with Rodney and Teyla, they don't really ever DO things together, so he found something that he could do with her; and with Sheppard and Carson, those friendships are solid and comfortable and don't need fixing, so there was nothing to fix.

I just don't think I could possibly love this episode any more than I do. I'm kind of *still* in shock that TPTB gave us an episode like this. *squee*

I just love how thoroughly the writers know these characters, and how each "character moment" was just perfect for the relationship that Rodney has with that particular person. It's ... just ... guh. THIS EPISODE! *hearts*

Exactly!

I ended up deleting my rant on my LJ that you replied to... of ocurse I deleted it AFTER I replied to you ... *SIGH*

anyway I tried to ask for your email address from the comments in my "brainstorming" post becaue I don't have it saved like I thought I did...

I've had this conversation with

derry667 before ... about the over-identifying thing. And I think that's exactly what it is -- rather than seeing Rodney as his prickly self, certain fans put themselves in his place and then they think, "But I wouldn't want MY friends to talk to me that way!" Well, maybe THEY wouldn't, but that's just how Rodney interacts with people. Even Teyla is on the receiving end of his snarkiness at times (like his "Conan and Xena" comment). It's just how he IS. He *expects* people to do the same to him right back, and everyone who is close to him understands that.

At this point you'd think that even the dullest fan would have been sufficiently clomped over the head with the idea that RODNEY'S FRIENDS LOVE HIM (they *SAID* so!) and the snark is all surface. And if anyone STILL doesn't get it ... then I'm sorry, there's just no hope for them. ;)

Oh yeah - Ditto to everything you said.

Oh crud, I do owe you a comment in that thread. I've really been falling behind in my online correspondence. My email is layla ...at... ravenschildren.com.

If I remember right, you'd asked me about the spellings of Jeannie/Jeanie and her husband. You know, I'm really not sure. The spellings that Gateworld uses (whatever they are) are likely to be correct. I think that "Kaleb" is actually the correct spelling, but I just HATE spelling it that way (I always spell it Caleb in my stories) because I've never seen it spelled with "K" and it looks wrong to me. I know, I know ... canon slut that I am, I shouldn't be respelling characters' names just because they look wrong to my eyes. But I can't help it!

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SGA 3x14 (or possibly 3x15): The Tao of McKay

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