quick stuff on SGA S5 casting spoiler

[aesc]

Aimless ruminations, of the not-bitchy sort.


Okay, Wolsey in charge.

I'm actually willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt on this one. Why? Because of the way they've handled Sam this year. When it was first announced that she was taking over for Elizabeth, I was greatly afeared. I never really watched SG1, but what I gleaned from other reactions, and general comments regarding her, was enough to, well, make me greatly afeared.

But this year, I have to say, I like her a lot. I was waiting for her to make an ass out of Rodney, to come in and be the MarySue-ish character who solves every problem from Wraith to backed-up plumbing and looks great doing it. But that has not happened. She's accepted advice from John on the realities of Pegasus ethics, she's defended Rodney and has turned to his expertise before her own, worked with Rodney to help defeat the replicators. There hasn't been any of the Rodney-crushing-on-Sam-and-Sam-being-condescending horror that I'd been expecting. In short, her role and how the writers have handled her so far has left me feeling charitable.

And Wolsey isn't wholly evil, or wholly incompetent. At least, he defends Elizabeth after "Allies" and supports her against the IOA, and it's probably due to his influence that an Earth presence was allowed to remain on Atlantis during "The Return." A thin commendation (but then, he hasn't been around all that much), but it's enough to make me not rant for the time being. I reserve the right to change my mind, but really, 99% of my life is governed by the "expect the worst, hope for the vanishingly small possibility of the best" philosophy, so please allow me a 1%-sized drop of optimism, however misdirected you may think it.

(I'd like to say also that not long ago a fifth season was by no means assured. For the mere fact that there is one, I am grateful.)

So yeah, there you go.

In conclusion, as inspired by tardis80: I love that my show is imperfect. I love that its imperfection allows me to imagine and play, and engage in a different kind of criticism that isn't excavating information from obscure sources or defending a theoretical orientation. I love that it's brought together a fandom that, in its better moments, is enthusiastic and intelligent and passionate and can engage with the material in such a way that it addresses those imperfections at a number of levels.

So again, yeah. There you go.

Now, back to grading papers.

Comments

[aesc.livejournal.com]

Them is a lot of episodes :D

As I said, everything I thought about Sam was based on the little I knew of her from other people. I can see her deferring to Daniel in cultural matters because, well, Daniel is an anthropologist. But Rodney is a scientist, she's a scientist, and I don't think the same impulse to defer would be there. What makes the difference though (and what I like) is that she's left Rodney to do his thing, because it seems that she recognizes he has more experience out here, both relative to her (as someone who's been in Pegasus for three years) and relative to himself (the man she knew back on Earth), and respects that. That's what I didn't have a guarantee of, and looking at the brief exchange Rodney had with Sam in the SG1/SGA crossover episode (cannot remember a title), where he kind of makes a complete ass of himself in front of her, trying to explain how she "helped him out" (in the puddle jumper, not a wet dream)... That was what I had to base my expectations on in terms of their personal relationship.

It might be a case of ignorance breeding fear *shrug* But either way, I am very happy my expectations--however poorly founded--were not met :D

I am very afraid of Wolsey. Very, very, very afraid.

I can say, in my more optimistic moments, that I'm looking forward to the tension :D (Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind and complain *g*)

[slian-martreb.livejournal.com]

looking at the brief exchange Rodney had with Sam in the SG1/SGA crossover episode (cannot remember a title), where he kind of makes a complete ass of himself in front of her, trying to explain how she "helped him out" (in the puddle jumper, not a wet dream)... That was what I had to base my expectations on in terms of their personal relationship.

Well. They've always worked well in a working sense. They bounce ideas well off each other for the most part (except when his character had just been introduced and he was going to let Teal'c be toast but Sam found a way to save him). It's their relationship that was always awkward and it was awkward when she showed up as commander in S4 (The whole 'I'm seeing...someone' thing).

The crossover episode was The Pegasus Project and watching John give Cam a lemon to ward Rodney off/get Rodney to save the day almost reduced me to tears.