Dominion
My thoughts on SG-1's Dominion. Cutting for anyone who's not seen it yet. Once again, I'm posting while mildly intoxicated. So sue me, it's almost midnight...
Okay, so I've been reading P.N. Elrod's Through the Stargate anthology, which has given me perhaps a wider perspective on the show.
The continuity here pretty much impressed the hell out of me. Bringing together so many diverse elements rocked for me. I know not everyone feels the same way, but hey, I'm not a terribly demanding fan.
The opening, with poor Vala cast adrift by the SGC, gave me some genuine pangs. I've had reservations about bringing Vala on as a full-fledged member of SG-1, but I'd bought into it. The pushy Danie/Vala moments had faded into companionable friendship. And Vala and Sam had female bonding last epi, so both Yay! and WTF??? at this turn of events.
I loved how they brought back both Cam's Memory Machine and the very real Goa'uld threat, in the guise of Ba'al. Yes, we'd almost forgotten about those pesky symbiotes, hadn't we? It's not as if Adria doesn't have enough megamaniacal tendencies all on her own, isn't it? Let's combine her with a deluded parasite as well. I'm not poking fun here, it would be a really fucking creepy combination.
Enter the Tok'ra, who we haven't actually laid eyes on in quite some time. I liked that, though like someone else mentioned, I thought they had more sophisticated ways of extracting a symbiote than actual surgery. But maybe not - it's not like we've ever actually seen it done before.
I truly enjoyed most of the drama in this ep. Vala had some great moments with almost all of the team. Both Cam and Daniel were very nicely compassionate about Vala's dilemma. And... I was really pretty pleased that Vala didn't have to kill Adria. I know that we all could understand why she did it, so I don't think there'd be much blame. But dude! Killing your own daughter? No matter *how* evil? Yes, she tried to pick up the weapon to do it, but that still isn't the same as pulling the trigger. It shows determination and intent, yes, but... falls short of actually doing the deed. And I really wouldn't want her to do it because of what it would say about the character if she was able to do something like that.
It's like when Daniel was faced with Amonet/Sha're and couldn't kill her. Teal'c had to do it. Daniel had the intent and the determination, but fell short of following through. And honestly, isn't that spark of compassion and hope part of what we love about him? Of course it is.
Personally, I have no doubt that Vala could have pulled the trigger, and would have. But the personal cost would have been steep. She would have done it for the team, to save the people who had so much faith in her. No matter what she's said to Cam and Daniel, this is difficult for her and involves some level of self-denial and mental gymnastics. I'm not a big fan of Daniel/Vala, but their scene together, where he turns her face to him... wow. I didn't really read it as overly 'shippy, but extremely compassionate of him. He's honestly concerned for her mental state, surpassing, for me, anyway, any overtly 'shippy context. That's totally not where his mind is at just then.
Plus, we got Sam/Daniel proximity! Yay! I'm liking how they're mixing it up a bit at this end of the series/season. We're getting more combos now, which makes some kind of sense. I know, trust me, I know that it was a bit tiring to constantly see Daniel and Vala paired off together (in a professional 'team' context), but Daniel *was* the one who went to bat for her, team-wise. Makes sense that they'd stick him with her. Now that she's a more trusted and valuable member of the team, she can be paired with other team members.
I'll say it again. At this point Daniel and Vala seem to have a more mentorish/professional relationship now than they did earlier. Vala's approach to Daniel isn't limited to the vamp/coquette/con-artist and he's responded in kind. He's no longer quite so irritated with her and has begun treating her compassionately and more as an equal. This feels like a logical outgrowth of her change in status. There may well be more there and I'm open to that, but it's more complex and interesting now.
And again, Sam/Daniel stuff! I've missed seeing them together.
Claudia Black really did a fabulous job in this ep and I really enjoyed it. Especially the beginning, when she believed she'd been betrayed and cut loose by the SGC. The video scene was pretty priceless. I adored how Cam told Landry that yes, someone was telling Vala the truth, but it wasn't him. LOL! He *so* didn't want that job! Neither did Teal'c, from the look on his face.
SGA: Whatever it was. I enjoyed it, but it was creepy as hell. Considering the spoilers for next season, I half expected Michael to impregnate Teyla. Ewww, I know... but... it could have happened that way. Doesn't appear to be the case, but...
It was a little creature-feature-ish, but good. One of the more engaging eps this half of the season for me.
Now, I must go to sleep.
Okay, so I've been reading P.N. Elrod's Through the Stargate anthology, which has given me perhaps a wider perspective on the show.
The continuity here pretty much impressed the hell out of me. Bringing together so many diverse elements rocked for me. I know not everyone feels the same way, but hey, I'm not a terribly demanding fan.
The opening, with poor Vala cast adrift by the SGC, gave me some genuine pangs. I've had reservations about bringing Vala on as a full-fledged member of SG-1, but I'd bought into it. The pushy Danie/Vala moments had faded into companionable friendship. And Vala and Sam had female bonding last epi, so both Yay! and WTF??? at this turn of events.
I loved how they brought back both Cam's Memory Machine and the very real Goa'uld threat, in the guise of Ba'al. Yes, we'd almost forgotten about those pesky symbiotes, hadn't we? It's not as if Adria doesn't have enough megamaniacal tendencies all on her own, isn't it? Let's combine her with a deluded parasite as well. I'm not poking fun here, it would be a really fucking creepy combination.
Enter the Tok'ra, who we haven't actually laid eyes on in quite some time. I liked that, though like someone else mentioned, I thought they had more sophisticated ways of extracting a symbiote than actual surgery. But maybe not - it's not like we've ever actually seen it done before.
I truly enjoyed most of the drama in this ep. Vala had some great moments with almost all of the team. Both Cam and Daniel were very nicely compassionate about Vala's dilemma. And... I was really pretty pleased that Vala didn't have to kill Adria. I know that we all could understand why she did it, so I don't think there'd be much blame. But dude! Killing your own daughter? No matter *how* evil? Yes, she tried to pick up the weapon to do it, but that still isn't the same as pulling the trigger. It shows determination and intent, yes, but... falls short of actually doing the deed. And I really wouldn't want her to do it because of what it would say about the character if she was able to do something like that.
It's like when Daniel was faced with Amonet/Sha're and couldn't kill her. Teal'c had to do it. Daniel had the intent and the determination, but fell short of following through. And honestly, isn't that spark of compassion and hope part of what we love about him? Of course it is.
Personally, I have no doubt that Vala could have pulled the trigger, and would have. But the personal cost would have been steep. She would have done it for the team, to save the people who had so much faith in her. No matter what she's said to Cam and Daniel, this is difficult for her and involves some level of self-denial and mental gymnastics. I'm not a big fan of Daniel/Vala, but their scene together, where he turns her face to him... wow. I didn't really read it as overly 'shippy, but extremely compassionate of him. He's honestly concerned for her mental state, surpassing, for me, anyway, any overtly 'shippy context. That's totally not where his mind is at just then.
Plus, we got Sam/Daniel proximity! Yay! I'm liking how they're mixing it up a bit at this end of the series/season. We're getting more combos now, which makes some kind of sense. I know, trust me, I know that it was a bit tiring to constantly see Daniel and Vala paired off together (in a professional 'team' context), but Daniel *was* the one who went to bat for her, team-wise. Makes sense that they'd stick him with her. Now that she's a more trusted and valuable member of the team, she can be paired with other team members.
I'll say it again. At this point Daniel and Vala seem to have a more mentorish/professional relationship now than they did earlier. Vala's approach to Daniel isn't limited to the vamp/coquette/con-artist and he's responded in kind. He's no longer quite so irritated with her and has begun treating her compassionately and more as an equal. This feels like a logical outgrowth of her change in status. There may well be more there and I'm open to that, but it's more complex and interesting now.
And again, Sam/Daniel stuff! I've missed seeing them together.
Claudia Black really did a fabulous job in this ep and I really enjoyed it. Especially the beginning, when she believed she'd been betrayed and cut loose by the SGC. The video scene was pretty priceless. I adored how Cam told Landry that yes, someone was telling Vala the truth, but it wasn't him. LOL! He *so* didn't want that job! Neither did Teal'c, from the look on his face.
SGA: Whatever it was. I enjoyed it, but it was creepy as hell. Considering the spoilers for next season, I half expected Michael to impregnate Teyla. Ewww, I know... but... it could have happened that way. Doesn't appear to be the case, but...
It was a little creature-feature-ish, but good. One of the more engaging eps this half of the season for me.
Now, I must go to sleep.