I want to like John Shepperd, I really do. There are moments when I do like John Shepperd, but last season, I had more moments when my ambiguity on him crossed into serious dislike.
I did like him a lot in the season opener and I hope they maintain that.
Oh, I do understand, so no worries. I know I'm sort of in the minority, but that's okay. Hey, it's a niche :)
One of the things I caught on one of my re-watches was that Lorne, with his leg splinted was in Rodney's jumper when they evacuated the planet. He's in the back when Sam, Keller and Vega go into the jumper. I love that there was that level of detail in this ep. I did wonder where Lorne was when they took off, but wasn't fussed about it. But it did make sense to have him on the same jumper as the doctor. Yay!
So again, no worries. I'm not one of those people who gets all twisted that everyone doesn't like the same characters as I do. Rant about John all you like ;)
John has his moments for me. I find him really hard to understand--mostly, I think, because they write him as this really kind, gentle, good person...most of the time. And then he's a badass, cold son of a bitch for about 1% of the season.
Anyway, I REALLY liked this episode. Which...how did that happen? It's Atlantis!
John has his moments for me. I find him really hard to understand
Exactly! I think that's a big part of my interest in him. He's very hard to read. He's like a puzzle. Some of the stuff he does is like, "Oh, Holy Geez, that's freaking *dark*" and then not long later he seems to be fairly fine with it. I mean, we get tiny indications here and there that it haunts him (like killing Sumner), but... Yeah.
From what I've heard on the commentaries, about, oh, 90% of it is the way he's written and the other 10% is how the actor chooses to play it. But I think he's meant to be a bit of an enigmatic character.
And hey, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm constantly going to defend Sheppard. I'm not. No worries.
And hey, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm constantly going to defend Sheppard. I'm not. No worries.
I think it's cool when people defend unpoular positions, actually, especially when they give reasons for them. And liking the character is different than supporting all the decisions he's made. I mean, I like Ba'al, but I definitely don't think he's all sweetness and sunshine.
And liking the character is different than supporting all the decisions he's made.
Definitely. That's pretty much where I am with John. Once in a while I like him best when he's clearly wrong. But I was really on the fence regarding his dealings with Teyla's pregnancy. I mean, no, he wasn't right, but I *could* understand where he was coming from. On several different levels, even. So while I couldn't actually agree with him, I could sympathize with him.
And I now understand it a little better after listening to the commentaries. More and more, the people giving the DVD commentaries are addressing fan complaints and concerns. In this too, sometimes I don't agree with their rationalization, but it helps to understand where they're coming from.
I'm an avowed Rodney 'ho, (despite his being annoying as h-e-double hockey sticks at times) so Shep was never my golden boy. In fact, HE NEEDS A HAIRCUT!!!
Having gotten that out of the way, I felt like Shep is carrying around a load of guilt about losing Ford and later Elizabeth and it's bled over into every other relationship with his team. Plus he wasn't really thrilled about Teyla being pregnant and keeping it from the rest of them until she kinda had no choice about it.
Just my take on the situation...
And yes, Lorne is made of the Kewl even when he wanted to smack Rodney while they were stuck in the rubble.
Yep, as much as I would pounce on Rodney given the chance, he can be a pain in the backside. Still...
The way I saw it, Shep was pissed on two separate levels when Teyla hid her pregnancy from him for so long. One, they're friends and he was upset she hadn't confided in him. As her commanding officer, he was pissed that she didn't tell him regarding her fitness for duty. And while he might be able to overlook one (not confiding in him as a friend, though that probably stung more), as a military leader it was harder to let go.
That's also the way I see it. And I don't mind a bit of meta. :)
I think I like Shep more when he's being slightly (or a lot) sociopathic than when he's trying to be everybody's best friend. Then again, I'm drawn more to the anti-hero mold. But I guess I like it when we see that side, because it makes him more complex.
As for John and Teyla, well, I don't think Shep's really all that good with stuff like that. Last season, when he flipped about the pregnancy, yeah, he botched that. Badly. And yet, at the same time, I can't really see him reacting in a different way. I'm not saying I like it, but I think I can understand why.
As for the Teyla stuff, I definitely think he was being an ass, but I could kind of see where his brain was at with it.
Yes, I'm exactly the same way. I kind of wanted to slap him and say, "Hey! Wake up, dufus!" but I thought it was an honest portrayal of his character. We didn't have to like it.
I just love Lorne. I'd hoped to see him in the background in the infirmary, but had to be satisfied with catching him in the back of the jumper with his leg splinted.
YES! We finally got to see Marshall in full badass mode. I think it was a really good choice because they've established Mary's kick-ass side. They *needed* to show how Marshall could step up and be just as tough. Loved the way he handed McBride.
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I did like him a lot in the season opener and I hope they maintain that.
But yeah - Lorne rocks.
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One of the things I caught on one of my re-watches was that Lorne, with his leg splinted was in Rodney's jumper when they evacuated the planet. He's in the back when Sam, Keller and Vega go into the jumper. I love that there was that level of detail in this ep. I did wonder where Lorne was when they took off, but wasn't fussed about it. But it did make sense to have him on the same jumper as the doctor. Yay!
So again, no worries. I'm not one of those people who gets all twisted that everyone doesn't like the same characters as I do. Rant about John all you like ;)
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Anyway, I REALLY liked this episode. Which...how did that happen? It's Atlantis!
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Exactly! I think that's a big part of my interest in him. He's very hard to read. He's like a puzzle. Some of the stuff he does is like, "Oh, Holy Geez, that's freaking *dark*" and then not long later he seems to be fairly fine with it. I mean, we get tiny indications here and there that it haunts him (like killing Sumner), but... Yeah.
From what I've heard on the commentaries, about, oh, 90% of it is the way he's written and the other 10% is how the actor chooses to play it. But I think he's meant to be a bit of an enigmatic character.
And hey, I didn't mean to make it sound like I'm constantly going to defend Sheppard. I'm not. No worries.
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I think it's cool when people defend unpoular positions, actually, especially when they give reasons for them. And liking the character is different than supporting all the decisions he's made. I mean, I like Ba'al, but I definitely don't think he's all sweetness and sunshine.
*g*
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Definitely. That's pretty much where I am with John. Once in a while I like him best when he's clearly wrong. But I was really on the fence regarding his dealings with Teyla's pregnancy. I mean, no, he wasn't right, but I *could* understand where he was coming from. On several different levels, even. So while I couldn't actually agree with him, I could sympathize with him.
And I now understand it a little better after listening to the commentaries. More and more, the people giving the DVD commentaries are addressing fan complaints and concerns. In this too, sometimes I don't agree with their rationalization, but it helps to understand where they're coming from.
Reply
I'm an avowed Rodney 'ho, (despite his being annoying as h-e-double hockey sticks at times) so Shep was never my golden boy. In fact, HE NEEDS A HAIRCUT!!!
Having gotten that out of the way, I felt like Shep is carrying around a load of guilt about losing Ford and later Elizabeth and it's bled over into every other relationship with his team. Plus he wasn't really thrilled about Teyla being pregnant and keeping it from the rest of them until she kinda had no choice about it.
Just my take on the situation...
And yes, Lorne is made of the Kewl even when he wanted to smack Rodney while they were stuck in the rubble.
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The way I saw it, Shep was pissed on two separate levels when Teyla hid her pregnancy from him for so long. One, they're friends and he was upset she hadn't confided in him. As her commanding officer, he was pissed that she didn't tell him regarding her fitness for duty. And while he might be able to overlook one (not confiding in him as a friend, though that probably stung more), as a military leader it was harder to let go.
That's also the way I see it. And I don't mind a bit of meta. :)
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As for John and Teyla, well, I don't think Shep's really all that good with stuff like that. Last season, when he flipped about the pregnancy, yeah, he botched that. Badly. And yet, at the same time, I can't really see him reacting in a different way. I'm not saying I like it, but I think I can understand why.
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Yes, I'm exactly the same way. I kind of wanted to slap him and say, "Hey! Wake up, dufus!" but I thought it was an honest portrayal of his character. We didn't have to like it.
I just love Lorne. I'd hoped to see him in the background in the infirmary, but had to be satisfied with catching him in the back of the jumper with his leg splinted.
YES! We finally got to see Marshall in full badass mode. I think it was a really good choice because they've established Mary's kick-ass side. They *needed* to show how Marshall could step up and be just as tough. Loved the way he handed McBride.
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