Stargate Atlantis: Whispers
I often try to figure out what the writers have been watching that "inspired" them. Sometimes it's really obvious, like the Aliens episode. So obvious, one of the characters (usually John) makes a reference to it so the audience knows that the writers know it's obvious. Last episode ("The Shrine") was Grey's Anatomy in Pegasus. Keller was Lizzie (only not quite as hysterical) and Rodney was Denny. And doing brain surgery on the field with a dirty power drill? Lizzie on Grey's totally did that 2 seasons ago.
This week's "Whispers", I've decided, was brought to us courtesy of
1) The Descent (horror movie about a group of women on a spelunking trip who run into scary, cave-dwelling humanoid creatures who are blind and rely on sound to stalk their human prey) and
2) Japanese horror films. The 1st creature with the long hair covering her face and the one climbing from the well were totally ripped off from The Ring/Ringu.
3) I think there was a dash of American zombie movie in there too.
Despite all that, "Whispers" wasn't the least bit scary. It was way too predictable to even make me uneasy. Of course the first thing to jump out of the shadows is going to be an innocent villager. Sealed stasis pods? Of course someone will open them. Of course, since they were careful to do a body count, we find out there's a bunch more. Of course John's plan goes completely sideways, but works anyway. Of course John and Carson manage to hide and survive even though, by all rights, they should have been offed by that hail of bullets. No way does it make sense to me that they escaped without a scratch. Of course they run from the monsters, stop to take a breather and turn their head to find the monster right there. Using that same technique over and over during the episode didn't help, either.
The only thing that remotely surprised me was Dusty, Teldy and Potter. I really liked all 3 of them. And because I did and because they're guest stars, I fully expected one of them to be dead. Since they survived (How the heck did that swarm of hybrids not kill Potter and Dusty?), I'd love to see more of them. I want Teldy to take over for John or at least be there to point out that his plans could use some work. Potter was who I wanted Keller to be. And Dusty needs to meet Ronon. I figure either they'd kill each other or become best friends forever.
Which brings me to the greatest sin: No Ronon? Not even a glimpse? And no Teyla or Woolsey? I was glad they used Carson instead of Keller. And though I would have fainted in shock if it had happened, I wish they'd used Ronon instead of John.
I also wish the writers had watched Scream because if they're going to offer us paint-the-numbers pseudo-horror, a healthy dose of amusing, self-referential irony would be a big help. And never leave Ronon out again. Never! If I had known about the complete lack of Ronon, I would have skipped this one.
But I have questions. Why doesn't John know about this all-female team? Isn't he still in charge of the military on Atlantis? And why are the hybrids crafty enough to keep themselves hidden for months and snatch people away while barely being seen, yet they run straight into gunfire like mindless zombies? How, in any galaxy, does that make any sort of sense for something designed to be a predator? Why didn't the team explore enough to find the 2nd storage room? Wasn't that hard to find it once it was dramatically convenient, was it?
Why so serious? This is SGA, I know. *sigh* If it weren't for Ronon...
So, yeah, I'm sad for the actors and hope they find other work. I really hope Jason gets something soon that I can watch him again. (Someone needs to make another Farcape mini-series and cast him in it!)
But more than anything, I'm relieved that the end is nigh.
This week's "Whispers", I've decided, was brought to us courtesy of
1) The Descent (horror movie about a group of women on a spelunking trip who run into scary, cave-dwelling humanoid creatures who are blind and rely on sound to stalk their human prey) and
2) Japanese horror films. The 1st creature with the long hair covering her face and the one climbing from the well were totally ripped off from The Ring/Ringu.
3) I think there was a dash of American zombie movie in there too.
Despite all that, "Whispers" wasn't the least bit scary. It was way too predictable to even make me uneasy. Of course the first thing to jump out of the shadows is going to be an innocent villager. Sealed stasis pods? Of course someone will open them. Of course, since they were careful to do a body count, we find out there's a bunch more. Of course John's plan goes completely sideways, but works anyway. Of course John and Carson manage to hide and survive even though, by all rights, they should have been offed by that hail of bullets. No way does it make sense to me that they escaped without a scratch. Of course they run from the monsters, stop to take a breather and turn their head to find the monster right there. Using that same technique over and over during the episode didn't help, either.
The only thing that remotely surprised me was Dusty, Teldy and Potter. I really liked all 3 of them. And because I did and because they're guest stars, I fully expected one of them to be dead. Since they survived (How the heck did that swarm of hybrids not kill Potter and Dusty?), I'd love to see more of them. I want Teldy to take over for John or at least be there to point out that his plans could use some work. Potter was who I wanted Keller to be. And Dusty needs to meet Ronon. I figure either they'd kill each other or become best friends forever.
Which brings me to the greatest sin: No Ronon? Not even a glimpse? And no Teyla or Woolsey? I was glad they used Carson instead of Keller. And though I would have fainted in shock if it had happened, I wish they'd used Ronon instead of John.
I also wish the writers had watched Scream because if they're going to offer us paint-the-numbers pseudo-horror, a healthy dose of amusing, self-referential irony would be a big help. And never leave Ronon out again. Never! If I had known about the complete lack of Ronon, I would have skipped this one.
But I have questions. Why doesn't John know about this all-female team? Isn't he still in charge of the military on Atlantis? And why are the hybrids crafty enough to keep themselves hidden for months and snatch people away while barely being seen, yet they run straight into gunfire like mindless zombies? How, in any galaxy, does that make any sort of sense for something designed to be a predator? Why didn't the team explore enough to find the 2nd storage room? Wasn't that hard to find it once it was dramatically convenient, was it?
Why so serious? This is SGA, I know. *sigh* If it weren't for Ronon...
So, yeah, I'm sad for the actors and hope they find other work. I really hope Jason gets something soon that I can watch him again. (Someone needs to make another Farcape mini-series and cast him in it!)
But more than anything, I'm relieved that the end is nigh.