Deep breaths

[danceswithwords]

My mother is coming into town on Saturday for a week. I am trying not to freak out, given that she keeps a totally sterile house and mine is... not so much. Also, she's coming without my dad, and while I love my mother dearly, we have never been able to spend that much time together without a buffer without fighting about something. Also, I'm

Comments

[katie_m]

Er, why was Sam, a theoretical astrophysicist, working with a top geneticist at the Pentagon? I take it she's just Good At Science?

Anyone who is Good At Science is Good At All Science. Didn't you know that?

Aw. Sam's dad is so proud of her. I'm starting to feel bad for calling him a jerk.

He's not really a jerk. Well, okay, he can be, but he also amuses me so it's okay.

[danceswithwords]

Anyone who is Good At Science is Good At All Science. Didn't you know that?

I don't know what I was thinking, visualizing science as a bunch of distinct disciplines, each of which take many years to master to any degree of true expertise. And I obviously didn't heed the warning signs when she was writing computer programs willy-nilly. Fortunately, I have been shown the error of my ways!

but he also amuses me so it's okay.

Mitigating factors are important! :)

[cofax7]

Selmak does wonders for Jacob's personality, I gotta say.

And What Katie Said about Science. Sigh.

And I suspect the writers, sensible types that they are, saw Crichton and went, "huh, fun character and we know the actor can pull it off." And thought no further about it. Sigh.

[danceswithwords]

Selmak does wonders for Jacob's personality, I gotta say.

This is me, falling over in shock that there is not an apostrophe in "Selmak."

And I suspect the writers, sensible types that they are, saw Crichton and went, "huh, fun character and we know the actor can pull it off." And thought no further about it. Sigh.

It's interesting, because it makes for a much more amped-up, vivid characterization than seems to be the norm for the show. Vala was also like that, and she really drew Daniel out, but I wonder how it's going to work with just Mitchell. I suspect that Browder is far from a one-trick pony, and it would have been nice to see him do something really different, but hey, Stargate is a total pastiche--it's not shy about borrowing and repurposing from other shows.

[asta77]

* Holy crap! Jack sure does get speared a lot. And he's noticed--"Aliens are always poking me full of holes." Word, Jack. Word.

Ya know, I haven't even seen that many episodes and I know this to be true.

[danceswithwords]

That's kind of how I was feeling about Daniel Jackson dying given how frequently it had happened in the six or so episodes I'd seen by the end of last season.

[50mm]

I love the tag on 'Bane'! Teal'c is the King of Dry Understatement. I have the feeling that Michael Shanks wasn't expecting to be hit with the supersoaker. ::snickers::

I really like the Maybourne character. It's nice to see decent characterization in a bad guy and a recurring character.

Cameron Mitchell is a like a big lab puppy who just knocks against your hand and gives you the puppydog eyes until you break down and pet him.

Where can I get me one of them puppy dogs? heh...

Good luck with the mom visit. Deep breaths. :P

[danceswithwords]

I love the tag on 'Bane'! Teal'c is the King of Dry Understatement.

It was an awesome end to a very meh episode.

I'm really surprised by the number of recurring characters, the sense of the military in the show as an organization staffed by people we know. I had really low expectations going in, and it's been great to see that level of worldbuilding.

Thanks for the well wishes on the mom visit. I get along very well with her in general, but that's a lot of time for us to spend together without my dad around.

[thedeadlyhook]

* This Tok'ra business is very Dax-like. My god, I am an enormous geek.

Well, if you are I am, because I thought it too. The whole goa'uld thing feels very Dax-symbiote. Which is not a bad thing, 'cause neat idea. (We saw the ep the other night about Teal'c's son, and I was amused how much the implantation played like a circumcision.)

I liked Mitchell's plea, based on the idea that faith does not require proof--that it actually is in some ways antithetical--and the idea that the Ori's power is in any case not proof enough, that what they do with the power is the key, and that submitting to them means a complete surrender of everything that has defined the Sodan so strongly for so long-- their rituals, their culture, their entire way of life.I agree that was definitely the most interesting part of the ep. Mitchell's argument (gah, I still find myself wanting to call him "Browder" or "Chricton") in fact stopped just short of saying that gods themselves aren't really necessary at all, even if the faith is worthwhile - actual powerful

[danceswithwords]

Discussion in our house arrived at the conclusion that the team feels scattered without her - oddly enough, she was the unifying factor that interacted with everyone, almost the substitute Jack O'Neil.

I think this is totally true. The writers really haven't figured out how to reestablish that team dynamic with Mitchell and without Jack. But I hope they'll ease back into it; it took them a while to get going at the very beginning of the show, and this season has in a lot of ways been a restart. And really, the team is the thing on this show. It's the emotional center.

[thedeadlyhook]

And really, the team is the thing on this show. It's the emotional center.

That's really been my impression from what I've seen so far. It's all about the character interaction. And aside from Mitchell and Teal'c, I don't think they've even all been in the same room that much. Carter is such a question mark right now! Maybe they're saving all the big stuff for the second half-season. (I agree that the "season finale" thing is about as confusing as it gets - I mean, wtf? The season just started!)

[danceswithwords]

Carter is such a question mark right now!

She's been in the background a lot so far, hasn't she. I'm hoping we get an episode that focuses more on her soon. Although, from the first two seasons, my impression is that she's the most weakly and inconsistently written of the characters, and I'm a little skeptical of the show's ability to write decent female characters on a sustained basis.

[danceswithwords]

That's why she looked like she was groping her own stomach. Aha!