And that was the week that was

[danceswithwords]

I've been really terrible about commenting. I'm in the midst of the pre-release crush at work, and this last week was full of deadlines, with more to come in the next few weeks. But I feel like I'm making progress is my goal to achieve better life/work balance, because I'm getting through this cycle

Comments

[toysdream]

Trust me, you do not covet the New Nelson's. There's a reason they subsequently put the old one back in print. Long story short: They reorganized all the kanji based on the traditional Chinese indexing system, rather than just going by the radical in the top left as in the old version, so that univeral radical index is now the only way to find anything. It's dreadful!

Between being distracted and juggling too many things in my hands while walking the dog to the mailbox yesterday, I almost put a bag of dog poop down the mail slot. I'm pretty sure that's a federal offense.

Really? I thought dog poop was eligible for discounted bulk mail rates. I certainly get enough of it in my mailbox.

On to the 'Gates!

You can tell how incredibly evil the Ori are because they're BURNING BOOKS. Bad, bad, bad.But actually rather appropriate, given the setup that they have a single holy book of fortune-cookie wisdom that supplants all other sources of knowledge. Plus, getting people to destroy all their own cultural and scientific information leaves

[danceswithwords]

They reorganized all the kanji based on the traditional Chinese indexing system, rather than just going by the radical in the top left as in the old version, so that univeral radical index is now the only way to find anything. It's dreadful!

Aieeeee. That sounds dreadful. I thought the universal index was an addition, not a replacement.

Plus, getting people to destroy all their own cultural and scientific information leaves them utterly dependent on the Ori.

SG-1 actually did this storyline really, really well in the "2010"/"2001" episodes. But I agree that it makes sense for the Ori to supplant all previous cultural institutions with themselves.

I don't think we're supposed to think about how Adria could be using her power more effectively.

And yet, it was the first thing that popped into my mind. "Hey, if she can do that, why hasn't she just found a way to defeat them with her awesome mind-invading powers instead of going on this convoluted quest?" But then we wouldn't have the dragon. So.

I'm glad they devoted so much

[toysdream]

Aieeeee. That sounds dreadful. I thought the universal index was an addition, not a replacement.

I'd call it a crutch, or maybe a desperate bug-fix. But I swear, I've thrown that book across the room so many times the covers have fallen off. (And I put them back on with duct tape, because I'll be damned if I'm paying good money for another copy.)

SG-1 actually did this storyline really, really well in the "2010"/"2001" episodes. But I agree that it makes sense for the Ori to supplant all previous cultural institutions with themselves.

Works for me. It even helps justify their strange habit of doling out high-tech weapons to their medieval followers - perhaps they're keeping their followers in the Dark Ages on purpose, so that the advanced technology they put in their hands seems like a gift of the gods. If so, I wish they'd explore this a bit more, but maybe the writers feel they already went over all this with the Goa'uld and the other storylines you mention.

But then we wouldn't have the dragon. So.Oh, and we wouldn't want to

[danceswithwords]

From the little I've seen of them, I was already inclined to think of them as a bunch of arrogant twits, and this episode certainly didn't do much to disabuse me of that notion.

It seems like the Earth people started out from a place of reverence for the Ancients' technology and acomplishments, and that reverence has gotten more and more tarnished as they've had to deal with crisis after crisis where the Ancients refused to get involved.

[asta77]

Seriously, this enjoying SGA has to stop. And the Ronan/John thing had to be ad libbed. Look at Rachel's reaction.

But I'm confused by Vala's sleep mask, because I thought sleep masks were not supposed to have eye holes.I assumed it was Vala, once again, not quite getting earth customs. Or she went to bed with a headache

[kernezelda]

I thought Vala was wearing an eyemask. I have one with a gel filling that can be worn cool or warm. Figured it as a nod to her vanity (and upkeep of assets), a nice little luxury to go along her fancy robe and what looks like VIP quarters - shiny patterned pillows, wooden headboard, framed picture on the wall. Not that I know what anyone else's quarters look like, but I first thought she was waking in an apartment rather than being on base.

Jason Momoa manhandling Joe Flanigan was cute, and I loved that Rodney and John were calling each other on Earth. And Carson's wee baby turtles!

[danceswithwords]

I thought Vala was wearing an eyemask. I have one with a gel filling that can be worn cool or warm.

That's probably it. I have very little familiarity with these things; it's sort of a miracle if I make it out the door with my hair brushed. But I did notice that she's filled her quarters with bright, shiny bits of color and wears idiosyncratic pyjamas; it's such the opposite of the rest of the team's utilitarian approach to things, and shows she wants to make a home for herself as well as put the stamp of her personality on her surroundings, so it was a nice touch.

Baby turtles! Doomed baby turtles.

[danceswithwords]

Seriously, this enjoying SGA has to stop

It's like up is down and black is white!

But it does beg the question, if Adria can manipulate people and technology as she apparently can, why now? Why not sooner?

Yeah, that was the issue that raised for me, and I don't think that's what the writers intended.

I didn't realize people were angry at the LoM conclusion. I didn't have a problem with it even if there weren't more episodes, largely because to me, I think, the point of the show is Sam's journey and how he got there is somewhat incidental to that. I thnk he must be in a coma, but he made peace with something from his past, and that, to me, was more important than whether he woke up or whether we found out why he was in 1973.

[eva_mac]

I found Atlantis just delightful! - someone above called it like a good fanfic, and I think that's why I liked it so much. Seeing the characters outside of the normal routines of Atlantis, but still sharing that bond...and the writers took their time with the character moments, so there was real palpable affection and regret in the separations

[danceswithwords]

I'm still a little unsure on the insertion of the Ancients as present-day characters, though.

It makes me a little nervous too, because they're a much more powerful idea when they're theoretical than when they're right there. But the development of the Ancients on SG-1 has been fairly ambiguous--they prefer to remain above the fray, even when there are terribly important things at stake in the fight. What we saw of them in Atlantis is fairly consistent with that--they have their own priorities, which may not be helpful to the humans.

What's Adria's problem with Daniel? Was that ever explained beyond him being important to the Ori in some yet-to-be-determined way?

It has all just been hints so far that the Ori have something planned for him.

[cofax7]

Also, I totally covet the red cabinet Elizabeth has in her living room.

Actually, the nicely appointed apartment was a mistake, I think. Because if you really want to show Elizabeth not moving on, you show her flopped on the futon with all her crap still in boxes, not neatly unpacked (she must have had it all taken out of storage, and signed a lease?) and arranged around her apartment. If she's not sure she's staying in Colorado Springs (which is where I assume she is, given how close they are to the Mountain), why did she get another apartment and get her stuff out of storage? Eh. ::handwave::

As for Vala, I didn't like the hairdryer gag, although I laughed at it. She's not stupid, and if she's used one on Earth she knows she needs a power source. Also, she's so transient that she can clearly get along without a lot of stuff for long periods (she showed up on Earth the first time with nothing but the tablet), so I'm not sold on her insisting on bringing silly toiletries on an offworld mission. Ah, well. At least they have

[danceswithwords]

I have to handwave all of the living situations when they return to earth, whether it be in fantasy or reality, because they always seem to return to existing homes, and they always seem to be living near the mountain, and that makes no sense when you think about how they left.

Then again, I also have to handwave the hair dryer, because if you start thinking about it, it's crazy-making; not everyone on the team even had packs on, and how is that enough gear for all of them?

[thedeadlyhook]

Ooh, nice sweater! I'm not at the finishing stage of anything myself yet - still at the how-do-I-stop? end of the learning curve. I have one long piece of knitting at the moment. It might make a very skinny scarf someday.

* Jack!

That was my reaction too. : )

[danceswithwords]

I still feel like I have so much to learn. But it was nice to put this sweater together and feel like I could actually do it, even if all the flaws are glaringly apparent to me.