SGA and Dublin pt 4
So, I watched the last three episodes of SGA I missed, but I'm only going to comment on "The Shrine." That, honestly, was one of the most well-acted, well written episodes of tv I've ever watched. Period. I wish SciFi stuff got more Emmy attention, b/c David Hewlett's acting in this episode, so deserves a nom.
Anyway,
The Shrine, Oh my god, the Shrine.
I was crying from the first minutes. There were tears before the title sequence.
David Hewlett, you can act your ass off.
From a person like me, who has grown up around people who had mental handicaps much more over physical, with all the schools and programs my sister has been in, trust me, David Hewlett acted his ass off in the initial clip.
The shot of the team on top of the gate in the middle of that flood? Awesome.
Okay, ten minutes in and I’ve had to pause b/c I was actually sobbing. I mean, god, DH has the voice, the mannerisms down. And Kate, reacting so purely, so truly human as Jeanie to seeing Rodney like this, just wrenches the heart.
Oh god, the video clips, showing the days and the deterioration of Rodney’s mind. Very well done. Very good use. You know, Brad Wright wrote this, he gave us this, and yet they still cancel the damn show. Okay, sorry, back to the review.
Okay, from an anthropological perspective I do find it interesting, the conflict we have here. Ritual vs. Science, Official Medicine vs Folk Remedy, Hard Fact vs Belief, and, of course, on a deeper social level, The Western World Cynicism vs well, everything else. This is something that’s been on my mind lately as I’ve made my way through the Dresden Files, and how it’s odd that those of us in this modern world, born and raised in industrial cultures, find it so hard to believe in the mythical, the mystical, and the unknown….and yet, don’t we still knock on wood for good luck, avoid walking under ladders, opening umbrellas inside, breaking mirrors, throw spilled salt over our shoulders, wear symbols to ward against the evil eye etc etc. How soon and how quickly our “rational minds” forget our “folk magic” knack and notions in the face of the unknown, when we demand science to give us an answer. I wonder what will happen, that one day, when a big problem looms and science fails, even if but a little?
Okay, now back to the actual episode:
Tears were cleared until Rodney had the freak out and ran to John. Oh god, did they start again. Two guys, drinking beer on a pier at night. If I ever go Friends Only, that shot of the two of them will be my banner. Oh, John, refuses to saying Goodbye, oh, they are so cute, and sweet, and argue like an old married couple and are the bestest friends ever.
I love how the video clips show, not only the deterioration, but the anger, the frustration, the emotions, the stages of grief. Very well done.
And even amidst all the tears, there is laughter. Rodney’s reaction to the surgery. Classic.
“You’ve thrown a lot of me all at once.”
“That’s life.”
Very, very true.
That was a very good episode of Stargate Atlantis. Perhaps the best, but that remains to be seen. Def. in my top ten. Heartwrenching, tearjerking, but amazingly well done.
****************
Some more shots of the Dublin Tourism Center:
Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Alas, I did not get a chance to tour it. Next time, I will.
Saint Patrick's Park
I was very lost at this point, as I had been wandering the streets of Dublin. I got even more lost after this picture was taken. Still, this is my, "I'm not quite sure where the hell I am" face:
It's Saint Patrick's Park, so I figured a picture of its shamrocks was only the right thing to do: (For those who don't know, it's stated that Saint Patrick taught the Irish about the Holy Trinity by using the shamrock.)
The Guinness Storehouse helped me, and my map, find our way back to the riverside again, and therefore home. I took this picture from one of the breweries as a way of thanks.
The River Liffey and the Bridges over it, were a very welcome sight after being so lost. I mean, I basically wandered into the Dublin Housing Projects before I got myself sorted out.
The other side of the river, this is looking onto Aston Quay and, like, another Quay, with the Temple Bar area right behind it.
Anyway,
The Shrine, Oh my god, the Shrine.
I was crying from the first minutes. There were tears before the title sequence.
David Hewlett, you can act your ass off.
From a person like me, who has grown up around people who had mental handicaps much more over physical, with all the schools and programs my sister has been in, trust me, David Hewlett acted his ass off in the initial clip.
The shot of the team on top of the gate in the middle of that flood? Awesome.
Okay, ten minutes in and I’ve had to pause b/c I was actually sobbing. I mean, god, DH has the voice, the mannerisms down. And Kate, reacting so purely, so truly human as Jeanie to seeing Rodney like this, just wrenches the heart.
Oh god, the video clips, showing the days and the deterioration of Rodney’s mind. Very well done. Very good use. You know, Brad Wright wrote this, he gave us this, and yet they still cancel the damn show. Okay, sorry, back to the review.
Okay, from an anthropological perspective I do find it interesting, the conflict we have here. Ritual vs. Science, Official Medicine vs Folk Remedy, Hard Fact vs Belief, and, of course, on a deeper social level, The Western World Cynicism vs well, everything else. This is something that’s been on my mind lately as I’ve made my way through the Dresden Files, and how it’s odd that those of us in this modern world, born and raised in industrial cultures, find it so hard to believe in the mythical, the mystical, and the unknown….and yet, don’t we still knock on wood for good luck, avoid walking under ladders, opening umbrellas inside, breaking mirrors, throw spilled salt over our shoulders, wear symbols to ward against the evil eye etc etc. How soon and how quickly our “rational minds” forget our “folk magic” knack and notions in the face of the unknown, when we demand science to give us an answer. I wonder what will happen, that one day, when a big problem looms and science fails, even if but a little?
Okay, now back to the actual episode:
Tears were cleared until Rodney had the freak out and ran to John. Oh god, did they start again. Two guys, drinking beer on a pier at night. If I ever go Friends Only, that shot of the two of them will be my banner. Oh, John, refuses to saying Goodbye, oh, they are so cute, and sweet, and argue like an old married couple and are the bestest friends ever.
I love how the video clips show, not only the deterioration, but the anger, the frustration, the emotions, the stages of grief. Very well done.
And even amidst all the tears, there is laughter. Rodney’s reaction to the surgery. Classic.
“You’ve thrown a lot of me all at once.”
“That’s life.”
Very, very true.
That was a very good episode of Stargate Atlantis. Perhaps the best, but that remains to be seen. Def. in my top ten. Heartwrenching, tearjerking, but amazingly well done.
****************
Some more shots of the Dublin Tourism Center:
Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Alas, I did not get a chance to tour it. Next time, I will.
Saint Patrick's Park
I was very lost at this point, as I had been wandering the streets of Dublin. I got even more lost after this picture was taken. Still, this is my, "I'm not quite sure where the hell I am" face:
It's Saint Patrick's Park, so I figured a picture of its shamrocks was only the right thing to do: (For those who don't know, it's stated that Saint Patrick taught the Irish about the Holy Trinity by using the shamrock.)
The Guinness Storehouse helped me, and my map, find our way back to the riverside again, and therefore home. I took this picture from one of the breweries as a way of thanks.
The River Liffey and the Bridges over it, were a very welcome sight after being so lost. I mean, I basically wandered into the Dublin Housing Projects before I got myself sorted out.
The other side of the river, this is looking onto Aston Quay and, like, another Quay, with the Temple Bar area right behind it.