gelbes_gilatier (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gelbes_gilatier) wrote2009-01-10 08:07 pm
gelbes_gilatier) wrote2009-01-10 08:07 pm
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A few thoughts on "Enemy at the Gate".
Since I just saw it, it'll probably be all just some unstructured rambling, but anyway.
Oh well. So that's it. No more SGA on TV (that is, regularly). Overall... it was a good episode, but I'm not sure if it's really what I would have wanted to see in a finale.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wraithfodder was right, it seemed a bit rushed and it would have been better if we had had a two-parter. For example the whole Ronon-resurrection. I know that sounds pretty twisted and everything, but I would have liked it if they'd given us a little more time for suffering, a little more insecurity as to his fate. The full impact of "Oh God, Ronon's fucking dead!" didn't even have time to register, because he'd already been resurrected by the time it did. A two-parter would also have given us the opportunity of a lot more team scenes and maybe even a few more John/Teyla or Ronon/Amelia scenes.
That said: I liked it that it was finally a team episode again rather than another episode of "That McKay Show". For me, the team episodes were always the best because I like the chemistry between all of them. In the team, even McKay is bearable and I can actually enjoy watching David Hewlett's acting skills without being pissed off constantly by the character he plays ("Brain Storm" was a kind of trauma in that regard...). I liked the few little John/Teyla moments (such as the moment Teyla tells John that they couldn't save Ronon or the final moment on the balcony) and the nice exchange between John and Ronon in the infirmary. BTW, how come they could write such a nice little scene between Ronon and Amelia and just suck at McKeller (no McKeller rant, no McKeller rant, no McKeller rant...)?
I also liked seeing Sam in command again. I didn't mind Woolsey as much as I thought I would mind him, but I really enjoyed seeing Sam as the soldier and leader she is supposed to be, not being under the command of someone else. She's been on the Stargate programm for what? 11 years? It was really about time she got to be something else than a team 2IC. So thanks to whoever had the idea of giving her temporary command over the SGC (BTW, where the hell was Cam? Ah, better not ask) and after that the command over a ship (nice touch with naming it General Hammond, of course).
And yes, I could just hold back myself from squeeing when a certain Major made his entrance. He looked great, and I just love my combat mode Lorne :D Thanks for not killing him, BTW. Keep it that way, okay? Anyway, it was short, but it was great to look at and he deserved to be in the finale (he also deserved to be on the balcony in the last shot, but that would probably have meant to do without another McKeller scene and we really can't have that, can we?). Of course, in a two-parter... alright, I'll just shut up.
Another thing: Zelenka made the calculations for that incredibly complicated jump and he doesn't even get to be on the balcony? Not fair. But I'll try not to fret about this because it's already great that Zelenka actually got the harder part than McKay this time and managed to fulfill it. It felt a lot like Zelenka (like Lorne, but we already know that) has been underused in the last few episodes, so thanks to TPTB for giving him a chance to shine. He's had far too few of them, if you ask me.
As for the plot: Like I said, not long enough. Good ideas, solid action, some great moments... but cramped, cramped, cramped. Hopefully, they'll give the movie more thought than this and don't try to fit too many plot lines into too little time. And hopefully, Atlantis will return to the Pegasus Galaxy. As nice as the idea was to bring it back to Earth, it (and its crew, BTW) still belongs to Pegasus. Bring it back for the movie, please?
Okay, so, I just bet the moment I'll hit the "Send"-button I'll remember all the other stuff I'd also wanted to write about "Enemy at the Gate", but it's 2045 and I still want to watch a little "Buffy" today, so I'll just stop here. Let's just say that I still stand by my resolution to give SGU a chance. Neither the actors nor the crew are to blame for the way SGA got cancelled (unlike certain writers and producers) and I do think they deserve it that I have a look at the first episode at least. And I know myself: I'll watch maybe the first three episodes or something and then move on to fanfiction anyway (is it just me or is there a very strong tendency that Stargate fanfiction seems to become infinitely better than Stargate canon writing?) ;)
Also, note to self: No more crack!fics or near crack!fics for me. A thousand times I listened to "Centerfold" (oh, you know, "my memory has just been sold... my angel is the centerfold") and nothing ever happened... and suddenly... plot bunny of DOOM. Argh.
Oh well. So that's it. No more SGA on TV (that is, regularly). Overall... it was a good episode, but I'm not sure if it's really what I would have wanted to see in a finale.
wraithfodder was right, it seemed a bit rushed and it would have been better if we had had a two-parter. For example the whole Ronon-resurrection. I know that sounds pretty twisted and everything, but I would have liked it if they'd given us a little more time for suffering, a little more insecurity as to his fate. The full impact of "Oh God, Ronon's fucking dead!" didn't even have time to register, because he'd already been resurrected by the time it did. A two-parter would also have given us the opportunity of a lot more team scenes and maybe even a few more John/Teyla or Ronon/Amelia scenes.That said: I liked it that it was finally a team episode again rather than another episode of "That McKay Show". For me, the team episodes were always the best because I like the chemistry between all of them. In the team, even McKay is bearable and I can actually enjoy watching David Hewlett's acting skills without being pissed off constantly by the character he plays ("Brain Storm" was a kind of trauma in that regard...). I liked the few little John/Teyla moments (such as the moment Teyla tells John that they couldn't save Ronon or the final moment on the balcony) and the nice exchange between John and Ronon in the infirmary. BTW, how come they could write such a nice little scene between Ronon and Amelia and just suck at McKeller (no McKeller rant, no McKeller rant, no McKeller rant...)?
I also liked seeing Sam in command again. I didn't mind Woolsey as much as I thought I would mind him, but I really enjoyed seeing Sam as the soldier and leader she is supposed to be, not being under the command of someone else. She's been on the Stargate programm for what? 11 years? It was really about time she got to be something else than a team 2IC. So thanks to whoever had the idea of giving her temporary command over the SGC (BTW, where the hell was Cam? Ah, better not ask) and after that the command over a ship (nice touch with naming it General Hammond, of course).
And yes, I could just hold back myself from squeeing when a certain Major made his entrance. He looked great, and I just love my combat mode Lorne :D Thanks for not killing him, BTW. Keep it that way, okay? Anyway, it was short, but it was great to look at and he deserved to be in the finale (he also deserved to be on the balcony in the last shot, but that would probably have meant to do without another McKeller scene and we really can't have that, can we?). Of course, in a two-parter... alright, I'll just shut up.
Another thing: Zelenka made the calculations for that incredibly complicated jump and he doesn't even get to be on the balcony? Not fair. But I'll try not to fret about this because it's already great that Zelenka actually got the harder part than McKay this time and managed to fulfill it. It felt a lot like Zelenka (like Lorne, but we already know that) has been underused in the last few episodes, so thanks to TPTB for giving him a chance to shine. He's had far too few of them, if you ask me.
As for the plot: Like I said, not long enough. Good ideas, solid action, some great moments... but cramped, cramped, cramped. Hopefully, they'll give the movie more thought than this and don't try to fit too many plot lines into too little time. And hopefully, Atlantis will return to the Pegasus Galaxy. As nice as the idea was to bring it back to Earth, it (and its crew, BTW) still belongs to Pegasus. Bring it back for the movie, please?
Okay, so, I just bet the moment I'll hit the "Send"-button I'll remember all the other stuff I'd also wanted to write about "Enemy at the Gate", but it's 2045 and I still want to watch a little "Buffy" today, so I'll just stop here. Let's just say that I still stand by my resolution to give SGU a chance. Neither the actors nor the crew are to blame for the way SGA got cancelled (unlike certain writers and producers) and I do think they deserve it that I have a look at the first episode at least. And I know myself: I'll watch maybe the first three episodes or something and then move on to fanfiction anyway (is it just me or is there a very strong tendency that Stargate fanfiction seems to become infinitely better than Stargate canon writing?) ;)
Also, note to self: No more crack!fics or near crack!fics for me. A thousand times I listened to "Centerfold" (oh, you know, "my memory has just been sold... my angel is the centerfold") and nothing ever happened... and suddenly... plot bunny of DOOM. Argh.