SGA 4x01: Adrift reaction

[wickedwords]

Stargate Atlantis, how much do I love thee?

First of all, I squeed mightily over the John-n-Rodney show. I dance in gleeful abandonment on fannon's head regarding Rodney being in charge now that we know that running the city is a two-headed hydra, should Elizabeth be absent.  I love that Rodney agreed to the power sharing and went out of his way to keep John in the loop; I also loved that John's response was usually along the lines of 'good to know.  keep up the good work.' He let Rodney lead during all of the city-wide repairs, and the only time that they argued, really, was when the specter of Trinity arose.

(And how much do I love Martin Gero for brining Trinity back so clearly?)

  The whole 'reviving Elizabeth's nanites' so vividly calls up Rodney's attitudes during that ep, and how shaken John was by the whole thing that it laid some amazing groundwork for the motivations behind this argument.  Does Rodney really have it under control, or is this hubris again, and it will end up destroying them all?  Yummmy, yummmy, yummmy.

And Rodney understood what was going on!  That floored me, that he got the why of John's anxiety, and that he apologized for it. Plus John's immediate 'appology accepted'--he's not the type of guy to let that just hang around. This is really trinity in a nutshell guys. There's no long, drawn out groveling, no matter how fandom took the ending of the trinity ep; John and Rodney are good.  Even when they argue, they can get past it, without tormenting one another. They respect each another and this ep really brings out the fact that they are two sides of the same coin.

Just so damn awesome.

I missed the 'John' the first time, but going back, it made me so freakin' happy.  Plus the confirmation, again, that Teyla is in line to run Atlantis.  Elizabeth, JohnandRodney, and then Teyla runs the show--and I bet that last bit is so unofficial that the IOA and SGC doesn't know.  Most of the time, a woman is the leader of Atlantis.

Oh! and did it seem to anyone else that Atlantis's fanonical portrayal as a woman was more in evidence in this show?  'Atlantis won't let us', 'Atlantis is shrinking the shield', etc.  To me, it felt more like Radek, at least, talked about her as a person, not just this technologically advanced city.  There was no discussion of automated protocols the way there was in hot zone.  Instead, Atlantis just...did shit, in order to protect them, and the guys had to react to that.

Plus when did they make the screens talk English?  Back in season 1, all the displays were in Ancient, but I distinctly saw English on at least one of Atlantis's monitors this time out.

Patting myself on the back moments: the fact that the scientists who had the gene were called in to fly the jumpers in an emergency, and that John mentioned that they had 'little experience'--but not NO experience. In fact, one of the guys said that he'd only flown the jumper twice--which implies that yes, it's not just Rodney and the Military pilots using these things.  So my stories about Miko work, and I'm going to say that the Asian woman I saw in the background in science blues was Miko, only she has lasik's surgery and doesn't wear glasses anymore. ;)

The other bit is the Ronon/Weir scene.  Oh, how I would have loved for him to call her 'Elizabeth', but I'll take what I can get.  It really was a wonderful moment, and yeah, that's one couple of one scene from 'four couples not in season 4' that was pretty close to true.  Still waiting for the Teyla/Sam stuff though.  Maybe once they actually share the screen...

Radek is adorable.  He was brave and strong and dedicated, and I just want to hug him and pet him and tell him it's okay.  I hope someone gives him a little tea and empathy when this is all done.  He took a meteorite to the leg, and that has got to hurt.

My show, yay!

Comments

[larianelensar.livejournal.com]

I'll have to watch again for the English on the screens...I know the one time I was paying close enough attention, it was Ancient...but now I'm curious!

I had a moment there when I thought they were going to kill Radek off! I have been avoiding all but the BIG spoilers, so I thought maybe I'd missed this one and was getting all emo about it. NO! They can't kill Radek off NOW! I mean...he was all...'you made the right choice' and John called him Radek instead of Zelenka!

And that Ronon/Elizabeth thing...I think it would have been really (more) awkward for Ronon to call her Elizabeth. It was all heart-wrenching enough as it was, pretty sure something would have exploded if he'd called her anything but Dr. Weir. I'm glad they gave him that moment though, you could tell he was worried about her from the start of the show. (And that big piece of glass in his shoulder...OMG...OUCH!)

I was totally impressed by this episode. I mean, so many of the other premieres this week were a let-down, but this completely lived up to all my expectations and then some! I can't wait for the next episode, 'up for a little heist' ? *hee*

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I'm really curious now, as shusu says that they were English for The return (below.) I know in the Siege, things were still in Ancient (John's puddlejumper is labeled in Ancient) so it had to have been sometime between seasons 2 & 3. Hmmm.

My family was totally scared about Radek being killed. All the signs were there, and Gero is not afraid to kill people off. So you were not alone.

Ronon is the black knight from the monty python sketch, the one that gets his arms and legs cut off yet keeps on fighting. I love how this makes him more vulnerable to me, as it means he is afraid to show any kind of weakness--yet he does when Elizabeth's hurt. What do you want to bet that the reason he shows up behind Sheppard and McKay and overhears them arguing is that he is there to check up on Elizabeth and see how she's doing since they won't let him in any more? Serious puppy dog crush there. *sigh*

I love caper movies. I had been hoping for a 'they break the bank in vegas' type of episode, where 'vegas' is something like a genii fort knox, but I will totally take the replicator homeworld. The ep was utterly awesome for me.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

One more thing. It looked to me that as some point, John and Elizabeth had the DNR conversation, about what would and would not be okay to do to bring them back, which was why John was so freaked out at a personal level. Apparently, he's the one responsible for saying 'turn off the switch', which is kinda freaky. Rodney's eulogy, Elizabeth's DNR--wow. Way to saddle John up with the devastating emotional responsibilities. I did loved that John got teary-eyed when Keller told him that Elizabeth was basically gone. I'm not sure it's actual crying, but it's certainly bereft loss.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

Radek is adorable. He was brave and strong and dedicated, and I just want to hug him and pet him and tell him it's okay. I hope someone gives him a little tea and empathy when this is all done. He took a meteorite to the leg, and that has got to hurt.

As I said last night, that's my brave lil toaster! ;)

Given that they always show him being scared (reasonably so) by things like spacewalks and a little nervous about flying and water, his insistence on finishing the job after he got hurt and then hobbling around the control room were just lovely. *cuddles Radek*

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

He's totally the brave little toaster in this ep! I loved him so much here, and how John kept trying to take care of him. That was awesome.

[shusu.livejournal.com]

Plus when did they make the screens talk English?

IIRC, it *should* be canon by The Return I, when the English on the monitors switched back to Ancient after they pressed the reset button. I think. Don't quote me.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I figured it had to be somewhere in season 2 or 3 as John's jumper is labeled in ancient in 'The Seige,' but I cannot remember the first time we saw it. So you think it was in English before the reset button. Hmmm.

[transtempts.livejournal.com]

i squee when they refer to atlantis as a woman. because, this only supports the idea that interacting with the city is like working with another member of the team, albeit on a bigger scale. and it gives me happy thoughts to think of those dynamics and the benefits people with the ancient gene get in communicating with her.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I like the Anthropomophism of Atlantis as it just makes me happy. I've love it if there was a little more variety to it--where is the story where Atlantis is a guy for example--but it is one of my favorite bits of fannon.

[rhi]

There are no stories where Atlantis is the guy? Really? Huh. ::goes off to consider that::

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Not to say that I have read every SGA story, but none of the ones I know use a male personification of Atlantis. Fascinating, huh.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

On the Atlantis-as-a-woman front, I was fascinated during the first part of the ep by the implication that Elizabeth was a kind of metonym for the city: both of them failing, both of them in danger, both of them requiring heroic measures.

Yeah. This premiere made me really, really happy. :-)

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

oh, nice reading!

And Rache, yes on all your insightful points!!! I love this ep an awful lot for what it tells us about their interpersonal dynamics!

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, rewatching it again now and the parallelism is even more striking this time.

I missed the "John" last night, too, but I caught it this time (obviously) and it's awesome. Also awesome: how John and Rodney can speak in shorthand just like Radek and Rodney can (I'm thinking of the part where John gets the idea about using the jumpers, piloted by gene-holders, to shoot down asteroids), and the moment where Keller comes to Rodney seeking his help. She has a lovely brand of very dry snark ("Oh, saving a life and whatnot") that makes me happy.

There's no long, drawn out groveling, no matter how fandom took the ending of the trinity ep; John and Rodney are good.

Yes. Yes! That makes me so happy. That's a lovely insight.

[emyrys.livejournal.com]

I noticed & loved that parallelism, too. I thought it was very striking, and powerful.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

It was chock-full of relationshipy goodness, and so make me quite happy as well. There's a bunch of stuff in it that some people will object to, but overall, I think it was one of the better episodes for what I want out of the show.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

Loved that parallel. I really love that they are making an effort to make Atlantis a real character in the show, rather than leaving her as so much set dressing. It's very fan-like of them.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

I KNOW!

Oh! and did it seem to anyone else that Atlantis's fanonical portrayal as a woman was more in evidence in this show?

DEFINITELY some mighty anthromorphisation, no matter what the gender.

The other bit is the Ronon/Weir scene.

Same here. I just -- aw. I have a soft spot for that pairing because they were such FUN on-screen, Elizabeth going all awkward teenager around Ronon, and Ronon being all smirky and looking extra manly and...yeah. *g*

They respect each another and this ep really brings out the fact that they are two sides of the same coin.

And KNOWING EACH OTHER'S THOUGHTS -- the scene where John comes up with the jumper solution, but before he's finished the sentence, Rodney KNOWS.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I think it's the first time I've seen them anthropomorphizing Atlantis the way that fans do. Usually they're very clear about it being programs and science, not even going so far as to say there's an AI or any sort of 'personality' to the city at all. This time, this ep...I dunno. It was different, and I am not sure why.

Loved, loved, loved the john-n-rodney sharing a brain moments. I really noticed it last season, when John tells Rodney-n-Radek to 'get a room' because the two were finishing each others sentences and so on, and then he went right on to act that way with Rodney himself. It made me howl then, and it makes me grin now. They are having such fun with these relationships that it makes me happy too.

[emyrys.livejournal.com]

I was very happy. I thought the interactions were perfect, and I swear there were word for word scenes from a lot of my favorite stories in there :-).

I, too, liked the command structure -- Teyla will be a better civilian leader than Rodney, but the 3 of them really work. And the apology! nicely done. I was afraid that they were going to make Rodney be pissy & demand an apology back, but they didn't -- the writer did a good job there.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

It really was like some of the best fanfic, wasn't it? So good.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Oh! and did it seem to anyone else that Atlantis's fanonical portrayal as a woman was more in evidence in this show? 'Atlantis won't let us', 'Atlantis is shrinking the shield', etc. To me, it felt more like Radek, at least, talked about her as a person, not just this technologically advanced city. There was no discussion of automated protocols the way there was in hot zone. Instead, Atlantis just...did shit, in order to protect them, and the guys had to react to that.

And yet at the same time, it was a big blow to sentient!Atlantis/connected-to-Atlantis!John because John couldn't feel Atlantis getting attacked when he was in the chair or anything. So haha, I say, to my most hated bit of fanon. :)

(Also I have a rant about personifying cities/boats/cars/etc. as women and how incredibly insulting and sexist that is, but I will save that for my own journal.)

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

but John wasn't in the chair this ep. That was last season, in first strike, back when they weren't anthropomorphizing the city so much. To me, this ep had a different feel, as usually the show is so careful to note what programs are involved and make a point about the city's non-sentience. They didn't this time, and people talked about Atlantis 'doing' stuff as if it were another character rather than a collection of buildings and programs. I found that fascinating, since as you point out, last season they didn't do that.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

To me it didn't read as anthropomorphisation at all, though. They were simply stating what it was doing, not giving it emotions or anything. I mean, if I say my computer is doing something, that doesn't mean I think of my computer as anything other than a computer, even if I don't specify which program.

But like the leather pants!Draco of SGA that it is, sentient!Atlantis fanon has flourished with absolutely no canonical reason for the previous three seasons, so I am sure it will continue to be a thorn in my side regardless. :D

[sinensiss.livejournal.com]

love, love, LOVE our show.

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

It's so nice to have it back! It was a really long dry spell this time out.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

wonderful review! I completely agree with your analysis of the John & Rodney argument...

and yes, Atlantis is supposed to be run by a woman! ever since the start of Season 2, when we saw that Elizabeth left Teyla in charge while she & the Boys went back to Earth...

and oh, yes, you are so right--I loved Radek so much! and I was terrified they were going to kill him during the space walk...

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I have such love for all of the characters, it's hard to think that any of them could go. That ep made me so darn happy.

[hawtboyluvin.livejournal.com]

In the Apology scene you can see Ronon in the background watching them and as Rodney started saying he was sorry...Ronon left the scene right as Rodney started.
He just left them alone.

And John was SOOOOO angry, he was visible shaking as he was yelling at Rodney.


LOVED the Episode

[wickedwords.livejournal.com]

I think Ronon originally came to the alcove to see how Elizabeth was doing, but then Sheppard and McKay were there arguing, so Ronon made himself scarce.

Smart man. *g*