Stargate Atlantis Fic: Blue Skies and Ferris Wheels~

[analineblue]

Title: Blue Skies and Ferris Wheels
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Rodney
Warnings: None, worksafe.
Spoilers: Season 5, episode 6, The Shrine
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~5300
Summary: John has a bad habit of not realizing what he wants until someone else gets it.
Notes: So this came about because I was a lot >_> little distraught

Comments

[octoberdreaming]

I have a whole tirade on the Jennifer Keller/Rodney McKay thing, and like you, it has nothing to do with OTP!McShep - it has to do with the hamfisted handling of the relationship.

First rule of tv writing - relationships are a payoff. They only make sense, they only give viewers/fans an emotional link to the characters, if they have been built up over time. Through looks, little moments, that sort of thing. And then, the big realization moment by either one, the other, or both, and later a truly romantic moment where that realization is carried to its natural conclusion. That's the payoff, and it should leave viewers with an "Awwww" feeling of warm fuzzies.

SGA writers either forgot this or never knew it in the first place. I would have more easily believed an onscreen love confession between John and Rodney because of all the emotional buildup between them over four season. (My husband says you don't even need slash goggles to see the intense relationship they have that could so easily be nudged into a romance. He's right.) Keller and McKay? That just left me with a feeling of WTF?

There were long stretches of episodes where no interaction between Keller and McKay even took place, no build up, nothing. Just all of a sudden, there in The Shrine, Rodney's confessing love after, as far as viewers have seen, having a beer together? Now, we know this is a thing with McKay - the whole "let's marry Katie Brown" fiasco - but even so, it makes no sense for him to tell Keller he loved her - unless he was truly not thinking straight, and we know - he wasn't! Love confessions during brain damage do. not. count. And Keller's reaction was uber-creepy; instead of taking herself off the case because of the emotional involvement - medical ethics - she replays that video over and over. Instead of drinking lots of coffee and working like mad to find a solution, which is what any other person on the team would be doing at that point.

And then, the writers add insult to injury with Brain Storm. I won't spoil the episode if you haven't seen it, but... it's just so not good, with added bitchiness and creepiness. It made me even more uncomfortable with the Keller character; made me hate her, actually. And that's sad, because I love Jewel Staite, and Keller had the potential to be such an awesome character until the writers turned her into a creepy cipher capable only of serving as a love interest for Ronon and McKay.

Sorry for the long reply. I just had to get all that off my chest! And again, great fic. :)

[analineblue]

Yeah, I really, really agree with you. Had the romance been say, John and Elizabeth in Season One, or even Carter and Rodney, that I would have been upset about (for selfish OTP-breaking reasons :P) but I would have at least believed that it made some kind of sense to someone. :P And it's exactly for the reasons you mentioned, because there's some history there, some something between the characters, hence the payoff. But for them to have Rodney, RODNEY of all people do this weird, off-screen romance thing not once but twice, just... GAH. NO. :P

I was a little more okay with Katie, I think because we never saw her? But it was really the same thing as with Keller--we never saw them together, and then all the sudden they've been together over a year? XD;;; You just...can't do that with a character that we see ALL THE TIME. >_>

And with Keller it's just plain weird. O_o Especially since they remind you right in the same damn episode that they've done nothing but have one beer together. *sighs* And I agree that her reaction was creepy. I mean, I get that she was touched, but... You're right, we should have seen her really moving her ass, really fighting to save him, and... Well, she saves him, great, but it's not exactly what I would expect from a professional in that situation, you know?

I haven't seen Brain Storm yet. >_> But I've heard...rumors, I think. >_< But I think I already hate Keller though, pretty much as much as possible? :D In fact, I really hated her from the beginning, from before I knew she was going to have this stupid thing with Rodney. I wanted to kill her that entire episode where she's with Teyla just...whining and being an idiot? XD;;; Anyway. :D I guess I had a bit of a tirade too. ^_~ Thanks for listening to me rant and... for the lovely fic comment. :)

Oh, and actually, this is a question I've been meaning to ask someone who's seen to the end... Aside from Brain Storm, and I'm assuming the final episode, from what I've heard... Do we really see Rodney and Keller together very much? Because I'm really, really hoping for another Katie Brown here. :P I don't know if I can make it to the end of the show if I have to actually see and/or hear them addressing the relationship...much. XD;; So I'm just curious. ^_~

[octoberdreaming]

Please, rant away - I am in total agreement with you.

I'm going to try and answer your question about the relationship without too many spoilers, and I'll preface this by saying that I *know* what happens in the end, but I haven't watched the last three episodes (except Vegas and part of Infection) because of how horrified I was by Brain Storm. But read with caution - this might be a little too spoilery for you.

It's not Katie Brown-like at all. You do see them together, and in fact, Keller gets a whole frakking episode all focused on her - that would be Identity. Which I skipped because ew.

Vegas is a beautiful episode, and I strongly encourage you to watch it; it is canon AU, has almost no Keller and is just gorgeously filmed. The music also was fabulous. This was the last episode they filmed, so they blew out the budget on it. It truly is a work of art, and I'm glad it's there and part of canon. Plus, there are some good, strong Rodney & John scenes - some of the last good interaction for them in the series.

Infection - I watched part of it and read transcript for the rest. It has some great lines and great moments, but a horrible Jennifer/Rodney moment at the beginning - shoulder rubbing, gaaaah. Todd, as always, is completely wonderful.

I'd say - watch Brain Storm just to work up a righteous anger at how the writers treated the character of Rodney McKay, how they had Jennifer treat him. And, in the beginning and middle scenes, when everyone is being asshats to Rodney, just imagine how any other team member would have reacted to that kind of treatment directed at Rodney; compare that to what Jennifer does. It. Is. Horrible. Aggghh. I think I'm going to add your journal to my flist, if that's OK - when you do watch the episode, post about it! That way, I'll have someone to pick it to pieces with - no one on my flist watches SGA.

On a meta level, the Jennifer/Rodney thing makes me cringe because Jewel Staite and David Hewlett are so. obviously. uncomfortable. when they're playing out their on-screen relationship. No chemistry, and it... sort of looks like a father kissing a daughter, even though their ages are not that far apart (14 years). So - awkward.

The worst comes at the end of the last episode, though. The final shot of what should be TEAM is Rodney standing apart from the rest with his arm wrapped around Jennifer, and the others leaning on the rail, and Chuck and Zelenka aren't even THERE.

I'm going to try and watch the last episodes, I really am, but the story direction and the RM/JK thing make it so, so hard. :( Right now, I'm drowning my sorrows in season 1 of Torchwood - and Captain Jack Harkness. >_>

[analineblue]

Oh, god. XD; Sorry my brain kind of got stuck on it not being like Katie Brown (which really SUCKS *sob*) and then that bit about it being like a father kissing a daughter, which is also a very very very unpleasant thought, and just.. dammit. :P I'm going to try my best to get to the end of the series, because I really want to complete the experience, and I like them all so much, but... I just hope it doesn't make me completely kill my John/Rodney love in the process. XD;;;

I keep telling myself that they're just writers and that what they decide to put on the page for them for this episode, or that episode doesn't change the characters that I fell in love with, but... Damn if they aren't making it HARD. ;__;

At least I'm looking forward to Vegas? I've seen clips from that, so I wouldn't miss that for anything, and then I guess now that I kind of know what to expect, I can brace myself for the rest? XD; I'd heard about that last shot with Rodney off on the side though, so that makes me extra sad. *sigh*

I will definitely watch Brain Storm, and post my (likely awful XD;;) reaction so we can pick it apart. *nodnod* :D I don't have too many people that watch the show on my flist either, so it will be nice to have someone else who knows what I'm talking about! ^_~

.......I think I need to write more John/Rodney to get this awful feeling of impending doom to go away. XD;;;;

[analineblue]

I didn't discover it until all the seasons had already aired, but started at the beginning, so... I don't know, I just liked it a lot better when it was focusing more on the team and letting us make our own assumptions (or not) about relationships, and attractions, I guess? I know I'll get to the end, because I'm just methodical like that? XD;; But I'm pretty sure I won't like it as much as I did the first few seasons. ...And I think I'm both really looking forward to, and really dreading this Brain Storm episode. ^_~

[analineblue]

Just added you back. <3