Aquarium 4.15 -- "Outcast"

[hth_the_first]

Posting this after my first viewing, which I rarely do (I usually watch one time for the fun of it, then a second time with the pause button and something to take notes with, which then become the basis of my lj comments and YES, I KNOW, IT'S ABSURD HOW SERIOUSLY I TAKE THIS SHOW. I have no defense.) I'm just saying, in case this is all jumbled

Comments

[not_sally]

Like usual, I love some of the points you've made, because I felt exactly the same.

The whole not asking John for permission: Yes. Exactly. I understand what you said about the lack of Teyla, because all that team love would have made me cry before the first five minutes were up.
Ronon not being a fan of the wasted breath: hee. I love how diametrically opposite Ronon and Rodney are, and at the same time, not. They both love the same things: Food and John Sheppard. XD
The moment when John introduces Ronon: YES!!! The second Ronon appeared by John in the gate room, I thought "He's gonna introduce the boyfriend to the family". And even though obviously this show is a little more McShep oriented at heart, the scene with David was so perfect in its awkwardness and reality. I loved it like few things before.

It truly was perfect. This episode for me was all about that, and I think there were some replicators or something. Also, JEANS!!!

[mecurtin]

I think maybe? the replicator plotline was supposed to parallel John's outcastitude? somehow? But (as as been pointed out before, I forget by who) the SGA writers have this habit of starting a story and forgetting what they meant to be doing. But there's some parallelism between replicators & biological family that they seem to be working with, whether they're conscious of it or not.

And *yes*, about the introducing Ronon to Dave scene. Now, when we first heard that this ep was going to involve John taking Ronon to his father's funeral, we said, "how can they make it not look like Ronon's his boyfriend?" But what's astounding is that they didn't *try*, TPTB just *went* there. How much of this was JF's choice? My guess is "lots", and that this is the part of John's background that he's been playing all along, even though they've moved the family out of the military and way, way upscale.

I am more hopeful than you that John is actually becoming more able to show and accept love, it's just he's such a crippled woobie!

[copracat]

What if the writers really are saying Sheppard is gay? Okay, I know that they're a bunch of emotionally stunted idiots who can't plot a consequence to save their lives and that they aren't saying Sheppard is gay, they just had to get Ronon to Earth and as Ronon and Teyla are the two emotionally mature team members: QED.

But that scene.

As for the treatment of Ava - the end completely threw me, as though someone in the writer's room thought it would be great to rip off the Next Gen episode about Holodeck!Moriarty without actually bothering to think about how it might work in this situation.

[zvi_likes_tv]

rsi 2day. sry 4 bad type.

stopped watching sga but +1 on ur review.

[cathexys]

Your reviews have become my favorites even though (or maybe because) we don't agree on a lot of premises...and yet I tend to agree on most of your conclusions :)

Your description of that scene was as moving as the scene itself. Because, yes! It really really read that way and for them not to actually *name* the basis of the familial split (though knowing the writers, I assume that John joining the military would be seen as the most obvious?)

I wasn't as upset about the male replicator (probably because I still have slight nightmares from all the various replicator plotlines) but the female resolution just seemed so perfect and yet sososo problematic. Not that they did it but that noone seemed to think it wasn't all fab!!!!

Thanks as always for a brilliant and though provoking followup!!!

[cathexys]

I've just rewatxhed that scene a few more times and it's...perfect! The leading from David...like he's daring John to correct the cover narrative he's creating for him for Ronon... "You two...eh...work together? In the airforce?" There's like a world of disbelief and willingness to humor his (younger) brother...

And that look of pity when John says "He's a civilian contractor." Like he can't believe John hasn't yet learned to lie better... And then that "Right" which is just resignation and so many other things rolled into one...and then John's I know I messed up but I'll just pretend noone noticed face with the lips and the...

And you said all that much more eloquently but I just had too...

And David was played great...I guess the actor has had some experience with the homoerotic tension in his day job :D [it took me a sec to place him and then I was like, DUH...]