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SGA 4x09: Miller's Crossing
I normally write my episode reaction before I go around reading other people's, but in this case I've kinda done the opposite, so a dozen other people have already pretty much covered everything I would have.
But, wow. Wow.
Okay, I have a confession to make here (not much of a confession, really, for those who know me). I have a lousy track record at correctly gauging and intepreting John Sheppard's character and behavior. At the end of season 2, I insisted that the Woobie!John with trust and touch issues was just an invention of the fandom. Then season 3 totally blew me out of the water on that one. I've been insisting with equal or greater vehemence that the "darkness" so many fans perceive in John isn't really there, or at least isn't really something that the writers intend to be there; it's just John, a basically decent human being, responding to circumstance.
Um. So. I'm totally sold on the "dark John" characterization now. Sold. It's not that John's a bad person (which I don't think anyone's been trying to say, anyway); it's just that he's capable of doing some really freakin' scary things to protect his loved ones. When he said "... anything, for any one of you" in Sateda -- he wasn't kidding.
I didn't realize until this episode that we've never actually seen him pushed that far before. In Doppelganger, I remember feeling much the same way -- that he'd never been pushed that far, never put in a situation where denial wasn't cutting it and he really had to face up to both the reality of losing a loved one (*cough*Rodney*cough*) and to his own subconscious issues. But Miller's Crossing took him that one step further, and put him in a similar situation, but one that he can't shoot his way out of, can't solve by throwing himself on a grenade (which actually was what I was expecting him to do at first -- offer himself in exchange for Rodney). In Doppelganger, there was an enemy to take down. Here, there wasn't one -- just an implacable disease and a broken man who'd watched his daughter die and even been responsible for hastening her death.
And John took that broken man and emotionally manipulated him into sacrificing himself in Rodney's place. What makes it worse is that you can see (in the lab, and then at the end) what it's done to him to do that, and the lengths of denial that he's going through to rationalize it as something other than murder. John's not a psychopath; he's still John, but what he did was ... chilling, there's no other word for it. In a sense, he threw himself on the grenade anyway, even if it wasn't his life he gave up. Rodney was willing to sacrifice his own life to save Jeannie; John sold his soul to save Rodney. I loved the thread of family and love and sacrifice running through the episode, with the stakes ever escalating, from Wallace to Rodney to John -- three people faced with the loss of someone they were willing to give anything to save.
Anything.
And it was perfectly played, too. You could see how much it was costing John to do what he did. The writing, acting, everything in the last 15 minutes of the episode was just fantastic -- the subtlety, the way so much of what happened was unspoken, would never be spoken, but was there for the seeing nonetheless. The level of John's desperation, the way he turns it around and makes Rodney's problem all about him, because he knows that it ought to be Rodney's decision but "... I can't." He can't, he just can't lose another one of them, and he's willing to play every card in his hand to prevent it, first pulling out the team-leader card and, when that doesn't seem likely to work (because, really, John, you KNOW how Rodney is about following your orders!) he'll take another path ... a very dark path, but when the choice is between someone else's life, or the lives of his family? He'll willingly walk into that Hell.
Of course, Wallace isn't innocent. It's not like John went out and grabbed someone off the street to use for Wraith fodder. It was, after all, Wallace's direct, calculated actions that got them into this, even if he didn't want it to go this far. John's not just rationalizing when he says that he merely presented the situation and let Wallace make the decision. And from John's point of view, of course, this is the right decision for Wallace to make -- it's Wallace's mess and surely, as John sees it, it's Wallace's responsibility to clean it up, not Rodney's. In John's mind, Wallace should have walked into the SGC and offered himself in sacrifice anyway, and all that John did was lean on him until he made the "right" decision.
But what makes it trickier yet is that what motivated Wallace is exactly what motivates John. Did Wallace do anything John might not have done under the circumstances? Not necessarily ... and in fact, after the way that the events of this episode played out, I'm thinking John would totally have done what Wallace did. He probably would have tried a more direct approach in the beginning; I don't see an immediate resort to kidnapping and threats being John's style. But, you know, if Rodney or Teyla or Ronon were dying, and John had in his grasp a scientist who could save them but wouldn't, I can see him putting pressure on the other guy in exactly the same way that Wallace did here: putting one of the other guy's loved ones in exactly the same peril as his own, forcing him to come up with a solution. Especially in light of this episode, isn't that a "John" thing to do? And it would all work out, and John would be lauded as a hero, albeit a desperate one. But for Wallace, it didn't work out and he ended up paying the ultimate price, at John's (somewhat metaphorical) hands. The only difference between Wallace and John is that Wallace's plan failed and John's didn't. Well -- that, and Wallace never set out to kill anybody. John did and it's not right, to the integrity of the show or John's character, to gloss over that.
And they didn't! How much do I love that they didn't. Of course, this is SGA and the effects won't really carry through into the next episode. But they had that final scene in John's quarters, and again with the subtlety -- let no one say that Rodney can't be emotionally sensitive when he tries, because he sees exactly what John's doing with the rationalizations, and, in total contradiction to what you'd expect Rodney to do, he doesn't push it ... just plays along and then offers him a much-need shot of normality at the end there. Rodney probably needs it as much as John does, because Wallace died to save him and his sister, and if he and John both tell each other that it wasn't their fault often enough, it makes it easier to live with.
Wow -- I've gotten so deep into meta-ing about the last 15 minutes of the episode that I haven't even really addressed the rest of it! But, you know, I don't have a whole lot to say. I was pretty "meh" on the first half -- it was awesome to see Jeannie and I adore the whole "John and Ronon on Earth" thing, but the episode moved along so fast and jumped from point to point so quickly that there was no time to dwell and enjoy any of it. Also, the Rodney and Jeannie interaction seemed a little flat at first. Things were just moving too quickly for much banter or interaction to take place between anyone. (Although it's wide open for missing scenes! John playing with Madison, John introducing Ronon to Earth culture ...) One of the things I always liked about SG-1 was the way they periodically dealt with the effects of the Stargate program on Earth technology and politics, and I was very happy to see some of that here. But ... the plot holes! What kind of trained government agent goes to check out a tip with nothing but a civilian for backup? Just exactly how many people know or at least have to suspect about the Stargate program at this point, anyway? (For starters, Wallace's henchmen? His daughter's caretakers? The Vancouver PD? Just what exactly have they been telling people, anyway?) How on Earth did John sell Landry on his plan regarding Wallace? And I really could have used at least a throwaway line of dialogue mentioning Teyla's absence; there are perfectly valid reasons why she'd have stayed at home, but the fact that it wasn't even mentioned cast a bit of a pall over the early part of the episode for me.
But, there were still so many little bits of squee. The Rodney/Jeannie banter and the way they're so much more open with their affection now -- from estranged and wary siblings to something more like regular, bickery-but-affectionate siblings; the scientists at the beginning; the hotness of Ronon and John in suits; Walter in the caferia (how has the man SURVIVED this many years at the SGC?); the casual way that Rodney walks into John's quarters and sits down at the end, making it evident just how much John doesn't mind Rodney in his personal space, and Rodney knows it. (And he called him John again! Squee!)
But, wow. Wow.
Okay, I have a confession to make here (not much of a confession, really, for those who know me). I have a lousy track record at correctly gauging and intepreting John Sheppard's character and behavior. At the end of season 2, I insisted that the Woobie!John with trust and touch issues was just an invention of the fandom. Then season 3 totally blew me out of the water on that one. I've been insisting with equal or greater vehemence that the "darkness" so many fans perceive in John isn't really there, or at least isn't really something that the writers intend to be there; it's just John, a basically decent human being, responding to circumstance.
Um. So. I'm totally sold on the "dark John" characterization now. Sold. It's not that John's a bad person (which I don't think anyone's been trying to say, anyway); it's just that he's capable of doing some really freakin' scary things to protect his loved ones. When he said "... anything, for any one of you" in Sateda -- he wasn't kidding.
I didn't realize until this episode that we've never actually seen him pushed that far before. In Doppelganger, I remember feeling much the same way -- that he'd never been pushed that far, never put in a situation where denial wasn't cutting it and he really had to face up to both the reality of losing a loved one (*cough*Rodney*cough*) and to his own subconscious issues. But Miller's Crossing took him that one step further, and put him in a similar situation, but one that he can't shoot his way out of, can't solve by throwing himself on a grenade (which actually was what I was expecting him to do at first -- offer himself in exchange for Rodney). In Doppelganger, there was an enemy to take down. Here, there wasn't one -- just an implacable disease and a broken man who'd watched his daughter die and even been responsible for hastening her death.
And John took that broken man and emotionally manipulated him into sacrificing himself in Rodney's place. What makes it worse is that you can see (in the lab, and then at the end) what it's done to him to do that, and the lengths of denial that he's going through to rationalize it as something other than murder. John's not a psychopath; he's still John, but what he did was ... chilling, there's no other word for it. In a sense, he threw himself on the grenade anyway, even if it wasn't his life he gave up. Rodney was willing to sacrifice his own life to save Jeannie; John sold his soul to save Rodney. I loved the thread of family and love and sacrifice running through the episode, with the stakes ever escalating, from Wallace to Rodney to John -- three people faced with the loss of someone they were willing to give anything to save.
Anything.
And it was perfectly played, too. You could see how much it was costing John to do what he did. The writing, acting, everything in the last 15 minutes of the episode was just fantastic -- the subtlety, the way so much of what happened was unspoken, would never be spoken, but was there for the seeing nonetheless. The level of John's desperation, the way he turns it around and makes Rodney's problem all about him, because he knows that it ought to be Rodney's decision but "... I can't." He can't, he just can't lose another one of them, and he's willing to play every card in his hand to prevent it, first pulling out the team-leader card and, when that doesn't seem likely to work (because, really, John, you KNOW how Rodney is about following your orders!) he'll take another path ... a very dark path, but when the choice is between someone else's life, or the lives of his family? He'll willingly walk into that Hell.
Of course, Wallace isn't innocent. It's not like John went out and grabbed someone off the street to use for Wraith fodder. It was, after all, Wallace's direct, calculated actions that got them into this, even if he didn't want it to go this far. John's not just rationalizing when he says that he merely presented the situation and let Wallace make the decision. And from John's point of view, of course, this is the right decision for Wallace to make -- it's Wallace's mess and surely, as John sees it, it's Wallace's responsibility to clean it up, not Rodney's. In John's mind, Wallace should have walked into the SGC and offered himself in sacrifice anyway, and all that John did was lean on him until he made the "right" decision.
But what makes it trickier yet is that what motivated Wallace is exactly what motivates John. Did Wallace do anything John might not have done under the circumstances? Not necessarily ... and in fact, after the way that the events of this episode played out, I'm thinking John would totally have done what Wallace did. He probably would have tried a more direct approach in the beginning; I don't see an immediate resort to kidnapping and threats being John's style. But, you know, if Rodney or Teyla or Ronon were dying, and John had in his grasp a scientist who could save them but wouldn't, I can see him putting pressure on the other guy in exactly the same way that Wallace did here: putting one of the other guy's loved ones in exactly the same peril as his own, forcing him to come up with a solution. Especially in light of this episode, isn't that a "John" thing to do? And it would all work out, and John would be lauded as a hero, albeit a desperate one. But for Wallace, it didn't work out and he ended up paying the ultimate price, at John's (somewhat metaphorical) hands. The only difference between Wallace and John is that Wallace's plan failed and John's didn't. Well -- that, and Wallace never set out to kill anybody. John did and it's not right, to the integrity of the show or John's character, to gloss over that.
And they didn't! How much do I love that they didn't. Of course, this is SGA and the effects won't really carry through into the next episode. But they had that final scene in John's quarters, and again with the subtlety -- let no one say that Rodney can't be emotionally sensitive when he tries, because he sees exactly what John's doing with the rationalizations, and, in total contradiction to what you'd expect Rodney to do, he doesn't push it ... just plays along and then offers him a much-need shot of normality at the end there. Rodney probably needs it as much as John does, because Wallace died to save him and his sister, and if he and John both tell each other that it wasn't their fault often enough, it makes it easier to live with.
Wow -- I've gotten so deep into meta-ing about the last 15 minutes of the episode that I haven't even really addressed the rest of it! But, you know, I don't have a whole lot to say. I was pretty "meh" on the first half -- it was awesome to see Jeannie and I adore the whole "John and Ronon on Earth" thing, but the episode moved along so fast and jumped from point to point so quickly that there was no time to dwell and enjoy any of it. Also, the Rodney and Jeannie interaction seemed a little flat at first. Things were just moving too quickly for much banter or interaction to take place between anyone. (Although it's wide open for missing scenes! John playing with Madison, John introducing Ronon to Earth culture ...) One of the things I always liked about SG-1 was the way they periodically dealt with the effects of the Stargate program on Earth technology and politics, and I was very happy to see some of that here. But ... the plot holes! What kind of trained government agent goes to check out a tip with nothing but a civilian for backup? Just exactly how many people know or at least have to suspect about the Stargate program at this point, anyway? (For starters, Wallace's henchmen? His daughter's caretakers? The Vancouver PD? Just what exactly have they been telling people, anyway?) How on Earth did John sell Landry on his plan regarding Wallace? And I really could have used at least a throwaway line of dialogue mentioning Teyla's absence; there are perfectly valid reasons why she'd have stayed at home, but the fact that it wasn't even mentioned cast a bit of a pall over the early part of the episode for me.
But, there were still so many little bits of squee. The Rodney/Jeannie banter and the way they're so much more open with their affection now -- from estranged and wary siblings to something more like regular, bickery-but-affectionate siblings; the scientists at the beginning; the hotness of Ronon and John in suits; Walter in the caferia (how has the man SURVIVED this many years at the SGC?); the casual way that Rodney walks into John's quarters and sits down at the end, making it evident just how much John doesn't mind Rodney in his personal space, and Rodney knows it. (And he called him John again! Squee!)
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