Comments | gardendoor: Torchwood versus Atlantis

gardendoor

Torchwood versus Atlantis

Mar 05, 2007 13:32

Over the past two weekends, I've ended up watching two first seasons, one of which I'd put off forever, certain it would be crap, and the other of which I staked out on Youtube because there was no way in hell I was going to wait for it to maybe be released to Amercian TV/DVD. And of course, I ended up loving the one I'd expected to hate and ( Read more... )

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Comments 6

mab_browne March 5 2007, 23:18:40 UTC

I haven't watched Torchwood myself, but I've heard quite a bit about it from cross_stitchery, and she has many of the same gripes as you do (especially relating to Gwen). So I'm awaiting a chance to take a look, but without the enthusiasm I might have had.

Otoh, hoorah for SGA - I'm not invested in it, but by golly, it's fun. *g*

gardendoor March 6 2007, 13:52:06 UTC

Indeed! It doesn't really look at issues and implications in the same way SG1 did, but OTOH, it's a shade more character driven. Watching Rodney spitting out his last words FAST before he can collapse with a brain aneurism... fantastic. Like I said, I was literally on the edge of my seat or sixteen hours straight.

briarwood March 6 2007, 13:58:15 UTC

Torchwood lost me on the first episode. I won't watch a show that makes a joke of rape. A pity, because I generally enjoy UK-made science fiction. But I've heard nothing since to imply the show had any redeeming features. I've always needed something more than eye candy.

SGA I would have enjoyed if the fandom didn't go so crazy over McKay. I hate McKay. I guess for the same reasons I hated Wesley in Angel - the audience was expected to just accept a total character transformation. It doesn't work.

gardendoor March 6 2007, 14:47:23 UTC

Interesting. I don't entirely disagree with you on McKay, though. Here's my take on him: He's a brilliant, egotistical man who is capable of compassion or being worried on other people's behalf when he's slapped across the face with something terrible. That was true of him on both shows. The more he thinks he's right, the more nasty he gets towards people who disagree, because he's used to being the smartest guy in the room, so listening and collaborating was a waste of time growing up and it's taking him a while to break out of that mindset. I also think some people, especially egotistical ones, do much better and are much better people when they get to be the star or the leader, in their own territory, than they do when they're bucking the traces as guests or subordinates. Does that make sense?

briarwood March 6 2007, 16:01:02 UTC

Yeah. It makes sense. For me it comes down to a) unacceptable sexual harassment and b) he tried to kill Teal'c. With that track record, in my mind he's irredemable. I don't have a problem with him being a character in the show; I do have a problem with him being a hero. Because he never will be in my mind.

In SG1/SGA the characterisation of McKay is more or less consistent - the problem is writers who don't comprehend that this is a character who should be punished before he can be redeemed. They're guys guys (a bunch of jerks, in other words) who figure it's okay to skip the penance part.

In Buffy/Angel Joss made a similar mistake, but in a different way: he just gave Wesley a total personality transplant and expected his audience to not notice. I did.

But I was never in that fandom. I was in Stargate fandom. And it's the way the fandom went ditzy for McKay that has driven me away from the show.

gardendoor March 6 2007, 16:39:39 UTC

And it's the way the fandom went ditzy for McKay that has driven me away from the show. Okay, got it. And since I'm new to the fandom, I missed all that ( ... )