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SGA 4x08: The Seer
In brief (and it actually is brief this time!):
An episode I really don't have a whole lot to say about, for a change! This one mostly felt like setup for, presumably, bigger events down the road. I was all a-squee to see the Common Ground Wraith addressed again -- and several people that I've discussed episodes with already "called" the Replicators attacking the Wraith at their food supply. D'oh! Once again, another Atlantean plan falls flat on its face. I loved the little scene with Sheppard trying to talk Rodney out of his guilt over the mass murders. In fact, most of what I loved in here was little scenes and bits of byplay between the characters, but luckily there was quite a lot of that: Ronon circling the cage and the Wraith trying to ignore him (and then his gleeful expression when he might finally get to shoot a Wraith! yay!), Woolsey being ... Woolsey, Sam's combination of sympathy and strength that was nicely underplayed and reminded me why I liked her so much on SG-1, Keller's cute little grimace when she delivers the news about Woolsey taking the test results, Teyla's fear of her teammates' reactions when they learn she's pregnant and her voice breaking when she asks to go look for her people.
And, er ... they still have the Nameless Wraith on Atlantis, I guess...
(If the Sci-Fi Channel website is right, then two weeks until the next episode? Noooo!
ETA: One more comment before I start reading others' reactions -- while normally I feel like the dark/serious episodes are the least effective ones on this show, I quite liked how they handled it here, and I've been enjoying the more serious turn the series has taken this season compared to last. Even if the characters' willingness to betray their allies still makes me twitchy at times.
ETA2: You know, the more I think about this episode and the more I browse other people's insights, the more love I actually have for it. It didn't just knock me over the way some of the episodes have been doing this year, but it's subtle, and it did a lot to make their universe feel a little more real -- actions have consequences, not everything needs to be resolved by shooting it, and there are problems that can't be fixed in 45 minutes.
An episode I really don't have a whole lot to say about, for a change! This one mostly felt like setup for, presumably, bigger events down the road. I was all a-squee to see the Common Ground Wraith addressed again -- and several people that I've discussed episodes with already "called" the Replicators attacking the Wraith at their food supply. D'oh! Once again, another Atlantean plan falls flat on its face. I loved the little scene with Sheppard trying to talk Rodney out of his guilt over the mass murders. In fact, most of what I loved in here was little scenes and bits of byplay between the characters, but luckily there was quite a lot of that: Ronon circling the cage and the Wraith trying to ignore him (and then his gleeful expression when he might finally get to shoot a Wraith! yay!), Woolsey being ... Woolsey, Sam's combination of sympathy and strength that was nicely underplayed and reminded me why I liked her so much on SG-1, Keller's cute little grimace when she delivers the news about Woolsey taking the test results, Teyla's fear of her teammates' reactions when they learn she's pregnant and her voice breaking when she asks to go look for her people.
And, er ... they still have the Nameless Wraith on Atlantis, I guess...
(If the Sci-Fi Channel website is right, then two weeks until the next episode? Noooo!
ETA: One more comment before I start reading others' reactions -- while normally I feel like the dark/serious episodes are the least effective ones on this show, I quite liked how they handled it here, and I've been enjoying the more serious turn the series has taken this season compared to last. Even if the characters' willingness to betray their allies still makes me twitchy at times.
ETA2: You know, the more I think about this episode and the more I browse other people's insights, the more love I actually have for it. It didn't just knock me over the way some of the episodes have been doing this year, but it's subtle, and it did a lot to make their universe feel a little more real -- actions have consequences, not everything needs to be resolved by shooting it, and there are problems that can't be fixed in 45 minutes.

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...Gateworld agrees, and says next ep airs Nov 30. MEEP! Don't wanna wait for that long...! Now I'm all sad. (And also really, REALLY looking forward to it! *bounce*)
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I think this is an episode that I'm liking more and more as I digest and think about it. In general, in the past, I've felt kind of let down or disturbed (and not in a good way) by the more "serious" episodes, but I really liked how this one was handled.
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The only problem now is that I want more. More! And more now, not in two weeks! ...I am weak.
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And the guilt - awww. Poor, poor Rodney. And then Sheppard knew exactly what was getting to him, and tried to talk him out of taking all the blame. ♥ This at the same time as he's telling Sam that they are responsible for what's going on in the galaxy, and can't just save themselves and let countless other people die because of it.
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Hey, there is a certain resemblance, though!
This leads to the entertaining idea that somewhere on Atlantis or at the SGC, there is probably a team of biologists trying to figure out Wraith taxonomy and assigning names to various subspecies. The Common Garden Wraith being one of the less terrifying ones ...
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I did enjoy seeing Sam being Sam In Charge and kicking Woolsey's ass. Also I did like the fact they addressed that the visions are all about interpretation, as much as events that could happen. Good to see Martin Jarvis in another good supporting role too - he's a well known character actor to us Brits :)
All in all, not a standout but one of those quiet episodes that will, I think, be enjoyed much more later when we know how things play out.
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I'm not sure who Martin Jarvis was playing in the episode -- was he the Seer?
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And I agree, I do like seeing the consequences of past actions come back around. But then I always squee at good continuity anyway :)
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When I saw his name in the credits, I did a little squeal "Martin Jarvis!" and my friends who were watching with me all looked around and said "Who?". A few of them watch Numb3rs so I said "the guy who tired to blow up the bridge in last year's finale". They nodded, but in truth, I actually remember him from Old School Dr Who and other British shows (Inspector Morse springs to mind).
I'm not British, but I did watch a LOT of British TV while I was growing up.
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I was thinking about that scene earlier today. I know I'm a trifle biased (being a fan of the John and Rodney friendship above all else) but I really do love how nearly every episode has something like that -- a subtle reinforcement of the idea that they lean on each other, rely on each other and really enjoy each other's company.
I would assume that losing Elizabeth would have led to even more of that sort of thing -- previously, they formed a sort of leadership triad with Elizabeth, but I doubt if they know Sam well enough yet to really open up to her, so I'd guess that there is a lot of back-and-forth between them as they go about their leadership duties in their respective divisions of the city, where previously they might have gone to Elizabeth.
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I was thinking about it, and I realized that John trying to cheer Rodney up was something that Elizabeth would have done in the past. That she would have been to ones saying the things needed to keep Rodney focused on the task at hand and not rehashing old "what-ifs". But she is isn't there anymore (and neither is Carson who had also been good at keep Rodney on an even keel) so he has to do it. As of right now it wouldn't occur to Sam that Rodney would need to hear that "this isn't entirely your fault". That means it is pretty much up John.
In short, I think you are correct that losing Elizabeth has brought them closer together, because they know have to rely a bit more on each other to do thethings that Elizabeth use to do.
And while they may not be able to open up to Sam I do love that they both looked to her to make the calls. They are starting to form the same sort of triad with Carter that they once had with Elizabeth.
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I do agree with you, I'm liking Sam on Atlantis, which frightens me some, because I was about half and half on her on SG-1 (sometimes I really liked her, and sometimes I wanted to smack her). She was really good in this episode, being the "quiet" support, which I'm finding quite endearing. I think I'm finding the difference between her and Elizabeth's leadership style, for some reason I always see Weir as a sort of motherly influence, and Sam has less of the "mother bear" attitude and more of an equal colleague, if that makes any sense.
My favorite moment though is John and Rodney commiserating as Destroyers of the Known Universe. Oh, boys!
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No, it does make sense, and I agree. Rewatching older episodes, it's really interesting to me how much of a command presence Weir actually is; I never realized it until seeing Sam's more laid-back leadership style. Not that Elizabeth was a dictator; the vibe there was really more, as you said, "mother" to the entire city. Sam seems to do a lot more stepping back and letting others step up in their areas of expertise.
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I'm wondering exactly what Teyla expects when her teammates learn? Is it just the absolute smothering they will no doubt give her, trying to keep her safe and comfortable? I wouldn't want to tell them either! Or is she afraid they'll be angry that she had this relationship--and didn't even tell them?
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More, though, I liked the exploration of the consequences of decisions. Sam had to make some tough calls and worried she might sacrifice the lives of her people. Rodney and John learn the dire consequences of the decision they made with the Replicators. You can never tell the collateral damage that might result. That scene between John and Rodney? Wonderful. The episode? Dark. Complex. I can dream that more such episodes are coming, but I won't bet on it.
You are right that many of the best parts of this episode were the little moments between characters. And I know I didn't predict the shift in tactics by the Replicators.
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I've been really happy to see that a lot of people liked this episode. I was kind of braced for a lot of negative reactions, especially after the last couple of episodes, but it seemed that there was a lot of appreciation for this episode and I was really happy to see that.
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I also really love the fact that Teyla's hiding her pregnancy from the boys, if only to see their reactions when they finally find out.
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I've been incredibly happy with how they're developing the "Teyla's pregnant" storyline. None of my dire predictions have come to pass. *g* If things keep going at the level they have been, I will be one happy fan indeed.
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But as usual, reading what you wrote has me nodding and saying "yeah, that what I thought" even though I didn't articulate it at the time.
I love that the Atlantean crew make mistakes and that those mistakes have consequences. Rodney blaming himself and John talking him down was, of course, an immediate little squee-fest as we were viewing. And we agreed that it really did show how far the characters had come. Rodney admitting that sort of stuff out loud and John trying to discuss it with him seriously instead of "bantering it out". It kinda showed the maturity which is the other side of the coin of two character that I adore for their often juvenile behaviour. Yes, they can act like adolescent boys, even in moments of crisis, but in quieter moments of serious contemplation they can be mature adults.
Keller is a character that I adore more with each episode. That's no disrespect to Carson, but I really click with Keller's uncertainty and fallability. She's not incompetent, especially not when it comes to medicine, but she's young and has been thrown in the deep end and she's finding her way slowly but surely. The way she asked whether they were bringing seer back to help him medically or to study him was so absolutely spot on for me. She didn't know and she was trying to get a feeling for what politics dealing with. She didn't get on her high horse with stuff like "I'm a doctor and I took an oath" type stuff. She was just trying to find out where she stood so that she could work out how to deal. I adore this character! She's so freakin REAL!
Woolsey being ... Woolsey
Ditto. I also adore Woolsey because he's portrayed as a believable political animal. Not Evil Incarnate, but he has an agenda that he acknowledges and he's a much needed counterpoint to the idealism of Our Heroes.
And, er ... they still have the Nameless Wraith on Atlantis, I guess...
Yeah, that's something that my group of friends all said when we watched the episode. John hasn't named the Wraith yet! Is he slipping? Does the fact that he hasn't given this wraith a token name show an increased level of respect for this particular individual? Hmmm...
If the Sci-Fi Channel website is right, then two weeks until the next episode? Noooo!
Really? Aw, crap!
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Oh, I hadn't really thought about that, but you're absolutely right. And seeing this sort of scene with them (like the scenes where Rodney comes to Sheppard with problems, as in "McKay & Mrs. Miller") gives a nice added depth to their relationship; they aren't just buddies who hang out together, but they're also friends who support each other and talk out their problems. Definitely a squee moment. And it was also nice to see them dealing with guilt over the consequences of their actions; this is something that we rarely see, and one of the big problems I had with the Michael storyline, in fact -- that we didn't see them dealing with the emotional fallout subtly suggests that they weren't especially bothered by their actions, which in turn bothered me. I was glad to see that they didn't do that here.
I adore this character! She's so freakin REAL!
Obviously, I don't have any basis to critique her portrayal as a medical doctor, but I love her too. Now, I'd been prepared to like her, because I really loved Kaylee and the actress both ... but I'm really, really happy that she's turned out to be a character I can enjoy wholeheartedly, without reservation. It's really too bad that she came on the show in such a way as to invite comparison with a beloved and much-missed character, because I think there's still quite a bit of fannish resentment of her simply because she isn't Carson. But as far as I'm concerned, she's an excellent addition to the cast and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow over the rest of the season. Now that season 5 is on the table, I really hope that they don't drop her to bring back Paul -- I'd love to see Carson back on Atlantis, don't get me wrong, but I don't want Keller to get kicked aside to make room.
Not Evil Incarnate, but he has an agenda that he acknowledges and he's a much needed counterpoint to the idealism of Our Heroes.
I agree! (Big surprise, no?) Actually, it seems that humanizing their supporting characters and human antagonists is one thing the Stargate franchise is quite good at. Not in every case, of course, but Woolsey is really an excellent example of how well they can do it, because he could quite easily be written as a two-dimensional bureaucrat with no redeeming features, but they don't do him that way. As little as we've really seen of him, it's still obvious that he's not a bad guy; he's just a guy doing a job, and a pretty decent guy at that.
John hasn't named the Wraith yet! Is he slipping? Does the fact that he hasn't given this wraith a token name show an increased level of respect for this particular individual?
I put it down to respect. The naming of the other Wraith was essentially a way to belittle them and reduce their stature as opponents. That he hasn't done it with this Wraith indicates, to me, that he's interacting with the Wraith as a person, rather than a monster.
I'm really hoping that we'll get a discussion of Wraith names at some point. Originally, I thought that they didn't have individual names at all, but as we see more of them, they actually do seem to behave as individuals rather than as components of a hive mind -- and I'm starting to think it makes much more sense that they would have some individual form of address than not. At the very least, they appear to understand what it means when humans name them, which makes me think that they have the concept of it.
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I like that they're finally giving us scenes between women. I've complained somewhere (can't remember where) that SF tends not to give us believable scenes between women; guys can talk to guys all they want, men can talk to women, but scenes with just two or more women tend to be rare. I don't recall Elizabeth and Teyla talking much; the only hints I got that Teyla and Kate had become really good friends were in "Doppelganger"! Dang. Now we're seeing Sam relating to each woman, differently, and they're all not so much relating just as women, but as people.
I seem to be in the minority who was bothered by "Wraith humor"; my husband takes it as a sign that he's insane, or at least abnormal, and I'm inclined to disagree.
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I actually was thinking more of her just being a REAL character in terms of having a believable personality, rather that her specifically being a medical doctor (although re-reading what I said, it wasn't exactly clear). And that too anyway. LOL! I haven't noticed any HUGE medical snafus on her watch (okay, aside from defribbing John's abdomen in Doppleganger, but there is a plausible explanation for that). And then again I tend to block out all but the most aggravating medical inaccuracies. I'm sure she'll make some. Nearly all TV doctors do. (Don't even get me started on House!)
It's really too bad that she came on the show in such a way as to invite comparison with a beloved and much-missed character, because I think there's still quite a bit of fannish resentment of her simply because she isn't Carson. But as far as I'm concerned, she's an excellent addition to the cast and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow over the rest of the season. Now that season 5 is on the table, I really hope that they don't drop her to bring back Paul -- I'd love to see Carson back on Atlantis, don't get me wrong, but I don't want Keller to get kicked aside to make room.
I feel the same way. I love Carson and would love to see him return (if it can be done plausibly), but I don't want Keller sacrificed to make way for him.
Actually, it seems that humanizing their supporting characters and human antagonists is one thing the Stargate franchise is quite good at. Not in every case, of course, but Woolsey is really an excellent example of how well they can do it, because he could quite easily be written as a two-dimensional bureaucrat with no redeeming features, but they don't do him that way. As little as we've really seen of him, it's still obvious that he's not a bad guy; he's just a guy doing a job, and a pretty decent guy at that.
Exactly. I saw an old SG-1 ep the other day and it reminded my that one of my favourite recurring characters on that show, Major Davis, started out a "Pentagon mouthpiece" causing trouble for Our Heroes. They brought him into the fold beautifully too.
Oh, and what was that ep of SG-1 where they were testing Vala and had Woolsey act all slimy and ask her to "betray" the team to him - and it all turned out to be ruse that General Landry put him up to. That used his character's abiguity perfectly.
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The major plot arcs:
Carter establishing her authority
The Replicators' destruction of the Wraith "food supply"
Teyla's pregnancy
Carter's vision of the destruction of Atlantis (or something that looks a lot like Atlantis--ie: the Replicator city)
The 'Common Ground' Wraith essentially stranded in Atlantis
Whether the entirety of the virus was transmitted to McKay's computer prior to the hive ship's destruction
All of these things (and I'm sure that there are more) combined to create a very complicated and interesting episode. In between the various plot threads, the writer (Alan, I think it was) managed to put in some good characterization.
Nice details:
The oft-mentioned conversation between McKay and Sheppard
Teyla's low-key-but-obvious desperation about finding her people, even going to far as to contact a 'Seer'
Sam's leadership, which is at least as good at Weir's and not nearly as annoying as I thought it would be (and I have to say, maybe my e-mail to Mallozzi about Tapping's distracting habit of beginning dialogue with little vocalised stumbles is seeing some fruits. She isn't doing that much at all these days).
My personal favorite: Ronon sees the virus code and he's all 'That's it?' and McKay's all 'Yeah. What did you expect?' and Ronon says something like 'A big gun. Something that goes boom.' Heh. *Loves Ronon*
Woosley is a marvelous character. I'm usually thinking what he's saying. How do we know this? Why are you doing that? He is the part of us that stands back from our suspension of disbelief and, usually, his ideas flow from pure logic, when, as sci-fi fans, we know that intuition plays a huge part in these stories and how they are eventually resolved. I would love to see him be dead-on right about something one of these days.
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Oh, I forgot to mention that wonderful scene with Ronon and Rodney! I love them together; I think they're presently right behind Rodney and John as my favorite character relationship on the show. I also like the implication that Ronon is simply hanging out with Rodney while they download the virus, because why else would he be there? Either that, or he's attached himself to Rodney as a protector from the Wraith in the basement, which is its own whole world of cute.
And yes, Woolsey's fantastic. I love that he's actually sympathetic, which makes his scenes so much more interesting than if he were simply a one-note baddie bureaucrat.
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SMALLISH SPOILER FOR NEXT EPISODE BELOW:
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But I have to wonder at the ending... with a Wraith on Atlantis and a virus to work on, knowing that delay could cause further planets to be attacked by the Replicators... why does Rodney go to Earth in the next episode?
I've got to wait two weeks (plus the time it takes to get on the net) to find out...! I really hope they do address this issue.
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I can only assume that it is going to be worked into main continuity somehow; I'm very curious to see how.
And man, I'm looking forward to seeing the team's reactions to finding out Teyla's pregnant! I think it's pretty certain that they're not going to do it off-camera after all this build-up.
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I haven't seen a preview for Miller's Crossing online yet, but I'll keep an eye out for you. I can't believe it's two weeks... sob. Still, as Sky One isn't taking a break, it means those lucky UK fans that get that channel only have to wait a few days instead of a week and few days to catch up!
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http://stargate.mgm.com/video.php?id=85
Obviously, contains a few spoilers, and it's made me even more desperate to see it!!! Oh, oh, oh, NOW please!!!!
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Another favorite moment was Rodney, Sam and John talking to Woolsey. John tells Woolsey it isn't his call to make, and Woolsey leaves the room to "contact his superiors". It was the atmosphere when he left. I really felt a sense of solidarity between Rodney, Sam and John. It was so great to see them stand together.
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Robert Picardo is great.