A critical look at 'Critical Mass'

[trinityofone]

I felt kind of out of the loop for parts of this episode, 'cause I don't watch SG-1, and thus spent a lot of those scenes going, "Am I supposed to know who you are?" (Though I do persist in having a BRILLIANT THEORY that that bald(ish) SG-1 gateroom guy is actually Gunther from Friends.) But overall: points for intensity, and for keeping me consistently curious (not just unsure: curious) as to who had planted the bomb. So in that sense, it was a good hour of sci-fi action television.

Character-wise...

Well, there are problems. Some of them are interesting problems: namely, that Elizabeth--and not just Elizabeth, but John too--was willing to resort to torture. Everything Kavanagh said about her, though malicious and pig-headed, was also on some level right, and everyone's treatment of him was simply abominable. It's of course kind of a cheat that Ronon didn't actually get to do anything to him, but I understand why they (the writers, etc.) didn't actually go that far, because if Ronon had tortured a prisoner--and an innocent, one of their own people, no less--Elizabeth would be open to some pretty nasty reprisals, wouldn't she? As it stands, I hope she gave Kavanagh a damn handsome apology, and, I don't know--a kidney? An 'I almost got tortured for a crime I didn't commit and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' novelty tee? What can you possibly do to make up for something like that? It's an important question, and I don't care how morosely Elizabeth fiddles with her watch (what was the significance of that watch? Am I being stupid/forgetful?), it's a question I don't think we're ever going to see satisfactorily addressed.

(Gratuitous Rodney squee the first: I loved how uncomfortable the idea of torture made him, how he was the quiet, almost helplessly dissenting voice there. [Anyone who was still wondering whether or not his remark in 'Condemned' about the electric chair was a joke? I'd say this was a big YES.] Oh Rodney, you are so humane and Canadian! You show those over-hasty Americans!)

Caldwell. Okay, I really like Caldwell, and I hope that my admittedly sketchy knowledge of how the Goa'uld work doesn't make me wrong in hoping that he can be all successfully unimplanted by whatever Hermiod is doing, and also, that he wasn't a Goa'uld for very long. Because I want the Caldwell we saw in, say, 'Aurora,' to be the genuine article. But I'm confused about the timeline here: I know the Daedalus makes frequent trips back and forth, but when was he supposed to have gotten infected and done all that wacky stuff on Earth? What the heck is the Trust?

Okay, so I'm going to just keep talking about each of the characters here, because I'm too lazy to give this any kind of narrative flow. Bullet points, whee!

•Cadman. I may be in the minority here, but I like her. I like her a lot better than, say, Katie Brown, because unlike our trembling flower of a botanist, Cadman doesn't put up with any of Rodney's crap. (Which, IMO, secretly means that she gets him. This is good.) Loyal McKay/Sheppard 'shipper that I am, I have to admit that I do continually keep an eye out for a girl for Rodney, 'cause you know Shep's going to keep hooking up with stock alien women Ancients, and I want Rodney to get laid, dammit. McKay/Cadman could be fun. She tap dances! He plays piano! *insert requisite 'Duet' pun here*

And yeah, I'd feel bad for Carson, but I'm just not seeing sparks there. But Cadman...Cadman gets under Rodney's skin! *insert dirty insertion joke here*

•Teyla. Nothing all that interesting there, which is too bad, 'cause I like Teyla. But I didn't hate the Spontaneous Concert as much as I thought I would during the first few wincing seconds--the song played nicely over the montage, and was reasonably pretty. Pretty cool, though, that along with Wraith-sensing abilities, Teyla's got a built-in microphone in her throat.

Also, I understand why Teyla didn't think she was ready for the ritual. Nothing, no amount of time, could prepare you for that dress.

•Ronon: so wishes he were Jayne. That is all.

•Zelenka continues to be the most adorable person in this galaxy or any other. I loved him all Lost Boys'd up. (Not those Lost Boys, the other ones. The ones that flew, not the ones that were high. Right.) But could he please have an actual storyline soon? I mean, I don't want to get greedy--especially if my greed for more screentime means someone will hurt him: perish the thought! But c'mon: Zelenka! We all want more Zelenka, dammit!

•Rodney and John. They actually seemed almost periphery in this episode. But they were easy with each other, and I like that John has apparently taken 'What Would McKay Do?' to heart, right down to the mannerisms. We need more scenes of just them chatting. We need more scenes of just the two of them, period.

Overall, I guess I'm ambivalent. The most interesting issues here will probably be swept under Teyla's mysteriously appearing Persian rug; I can't imagine we'll see the fallout, and that's really what's crucial: not just raising the question, "What makes us different?" but answering it. No supposedly profound fade to black. Deal, people, you have to deal! And I want to see it.

(Oh, and because I apparently let that thread drop, gratuitous Rodney squee the second: just...the arms, the hands, the shoulders, the eyes...what do you want from me? Why isn't this man getting regularly sexed? The women of Atlantis must take hormone suppressants or something.)

Comments

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

That's what got me about the M/S interaction this ep, that they were so easy together (and that they walked so close and sat so close and worked together and Rodney chuckled at John's joke about having a weekend off and my mind went all kinds of dirty places).

Uh. Yeah. Good points. :D

[dar-jeeling.livejournal.com]

Teyla's got a built-in microphone in her throat.
Ahahahaha.

Also, word.

My, aren't I eloquent today?

[aurora]

(Though I do persist in having a BRILLIANT THEORY that that bald SG-1 gateroom guy is actually Gunther from Friends.)
Hee, he could be his scifi twin.

Some of them are interesting problems: namely, that Elizabeth--and not just Elizabeth, but John too--was willing to resort to torture.
I know! John surprised me. I know he's military, but still *evil vibes*. Also, I agree about Rodney. As soon as the idea was on the table, you could see him cringing. And me with him.

I really hope this isn't the last we'll see of Caldwell.

Nothing, no amount of time, could prepare you for that dress.
The costume designer should be shot. Or forced to wear the 'dress'.

Ronon: so wishes he were Jayne.
Eeep, plz explain to the Firefly-challenged under us (aka me) :">

I really want to see fall-out for this ep, dammit.

Oh, one thing I adored though, was the consistency about the kid planet and the one from 'The Defiant One'.

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen the ep, but just had to comment (cause I saw a spoilery photo that made me shoot milk out of my nose) -- Zelenka. Rules.

Also, is it just me, or are David Hewlett and Paul McGillion getting... buffer? I kind of noticed it in Epiphany, the scene where they're getting all their supplies back on Atlantis. The arms, the chest. Am I dreaming, or am I seeing some nice definition?

Oh yeah. Shallow post. Bwaahah. :)

[coreopsis.livejournal.com]

We all want more Zelenka, dammit!
Yes. Yes, we do.

We need more scenes of just them chatting. We need more scenes of just the two of them, period.
Yes. Yes, we do.

That's pretty much all I've got. *g*

[caseymae.livejournal.com]

...At first I thought you were talking about the monthy bike phenomenon in select cities around the country. I quickly realized my error.

[wychwood]

I'm sorry, you didn't enjoy it, because I thought it was FUCKING AWESOME.

(also, sorry, I don't usually swear, but I'm totally going round LJ going FUCKING AWESOME on every comment I see at the moment. This is how awesome it was.)

Also, way to go on the secondary characters. Zelenka, Kavanagh, Cadman, Charin... And the montage! And Caldwell! OMFG! I seriously have, like, almost no criticisms of this episode.

The Weir-torture thing - Yes, I agree. I was sitting here going "No! No! Don't do it, Elizabeth!" But at the same time, I can see why she made that decision. He behaved very suspiciously, and she had, what, ten minutes until the city exploded? It was a bad call, but an understandable one. And she does come back to it afterwards. I would like to see more come-back on that, but they handled it much better than I thought they would when the issue first came up.

Yes, Kavanagh had a point in his comments. But he was seriously unpleasant. And in the situation, he had to know that he was making it worse for himself. Also, Weir doesn't resort to force until the last minute. Ronon... I kind of expect that sort of reaction from him. And John is too quick to advocate the quick-and-dirty solution, he's done it before. Advocating stealing the ZPM from the childrens' planet, for one - he does tend towards expediency. But I don't think I'd agree that the treatment of Kavanagh was "abominable". Wrong, yes. And eeeee for Rodney as the voice of reason and not-torturing-people!

And wow. Caldwell.

Just.

*twitches with adrenaline overdose*

[wychwood]

PS - from what I understand:

The Trust is the successor to something called the NID, which employed Q John de Lancie at some stage *g* They're a secret organisation who also know about the Stargate Program etc, and want to use it for their own ends, mostly seeking power etc. They infiltrated government and such, and SG-1 had to fight them. Clearly they've been infiltrated themselves by the Goa'uld.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Clearly I am suffering from a BRAIN DEFICIENCY, as I didn't even think about the weekend line that way! But yes, absolutely--and we need "weekend off" fic, like, now.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

*icon bounce*

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I really hope this isn't the last we'll see of Caldwell.

Same! Here! I'm, like, surprisingly attached. Especially since Caldwell is my magic crackfic joke-maker: if I need a random character to do something or say something, it's automatically 400% funnier if that character is Caldwell. I neeeeeeed him.

You're right about the continuity from 'Childhood's End' and 'The Defiant One'--that was, indeed, cool. But since I'm still holding out for fall-out from 'Sanctuary,' I'm not holding my breath.

Eeep, plz explain to the Firefly-challenged under us (aka me) :">

In the pilot episode of Firefly, Jayne...oh man, there's no way I can explain this properly; you really have to see it. But basically, he waves a knife around and threatens to torture a spy, and it's hot and hilarious. Mal (the captain) says, of their prisoner: "Just scare him a little," and Jayne's response, super-earnest, is: "Pain is scary." It's great! You need Firefly in your life, man.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Bwah! Pain is scary...

Hee! I just quoted that to aurora_84! *dances around with you, singing 'The Man They Call Jayne'*

the whole Atlantis Idol bit

Best. Description. Ever!

I wonder if they'll ever implant a Goa'uld in a Wraith.

Ooh, interesting thought. I don't know enough about the Goa'uld to know if it would work, but they can live in creatures other than humans, right? Wasn't there a S1 episode of SG-1 that dealt with that?

*sigh* I'm going to have to watch more SG-1 just to get a handle on this--unlike John, I can't just read the mission reports. ;-) I have so much new sympathy for the people who watched Angel without having seen Buffy. ...Um, there were people who did that, right?

[soupytwist.livejournal.com]

Yesyesyes. Exactly. Thankyou for putting my issues about this much better than I managed to in my rambling about this episode. Just.. that's a huge thing they've pulled out of the bag, there, and they're going to just put it back and pretend like nothing happened, and just, you were sanctioning torture. Gah!

I hope somebody puts up an explanation of the SG-1 side of it for those of us who either haven't seen it ever or gave up trying to handle the 9 seasons worth of stuff to get through or whatever. Cause, um, what? (Caldwell is COOL, dammit!)

Total ditto the Rodney squee. How does he have only Miko as a fangirl? He'd so have RPS-writing fanclubs... if, er, Atlantis was run by me. So he's probably quite glad it isn't. (Though I maintain I'd be better than Weir.) And I like Rodney/Cadman so much more than Rodney/Katie Brown - I like Cadman/Beckett more, but the banter and the getting it rather than being a simpering doe-eyed possessor of breasts makes all the difference.

Ronon: so wishes he were Jayne

AHAHAHA SO TRUE.

And there can never be too much Zelenka squee. If anybody's deserving of a sainthood while still alive, it's him. Dude. Sweetest person in two galaxies... and yet still cutely grumpy. Hee. Yay.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

ZELENKA IS MY KING.

Dunno about the buffer thing, to be honest. At this point, I'm so blindly in love with Rodney, I can't even really separate out the why. And with Beckett, I'm kind of like, "Nice accent, but OMG RODNEY."

I totally fail at being a lascivious woman. I think a remedial viewing is in order. ;-)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, I just left almost an identical comment on your journal.

WE ARE TWINS IN USELESSNESS! WHEE!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

The what? *is ignorant of RL, but damn does she know her SF*

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Oh, I liked it! This is me liking it. I just had issues with it. (And I wonder why people call me over-critical. *g*)

I do think torture's pretty abominable--no matter what the circumstances, but especially considering that Elizabeth was working off of no evidence besides "I don't like you very much." And yes, Kavanagh was an asshole to her, but jaysus, I don't think I'd be so great under those circumstances, especially if the person interrogating me pretty much came in thinking I was guilty.

I hope we get Caldwell back. I'm all sad now; my insta!joke is gone. *pouts*

Re: well

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

No, Teyla was lovely. It just seemed like a stock kind of storyline, not to mention one that left me going, And the point is...?

He's sweet, that SG-1 scientist whose name I can never remember.

Yeah, I had no idea who he was, but he rocked! Especially since I had a similar "nobody gets my references" experience today...

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Ahhh. Thank you! I...well, I'm still confused, but less so. Someday I'll catch up with SG-1...if for no other reason that I'll then be able to write the wacky time travel crossover fic I've had the idea for for months...

[some-stars.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything! ...I have more, but I just made myself actually physically tired ranting/squeeing on my lj, which is SO SAD OH GOD MY LIFE, so um. yes. I agree with everything! Especially Rodney being EXTRA HOT this episode. GOD. FWOOSH.

[wychwood]

Oh, I liked it! This is me liking it. I just had issues with it. (And I wonder why people call me over-critical. *g*)

Heh. Yes, I'm seeing a lot of people with your kind of level of "liking" this evening. And then the odd two or three like me squeeing so hard we pass out.

I do think torture's pretty abominable--no matter what the circumstances, but especially considering that Elizabeth was working off of no evidence besides "I don't like you very much." And yes, Kavanagh was an asshole to her, but jaysus, I don't think I'd be so great under those circumstances, especially if the person interrogating me pretty much came in thinking I was guilty.

Torture: yes. Always wrong. I have no argument there. I thought you were talking about their behaviour more generally.

I think there was more to it than "I don't like you", though. I mean, apart from anything else - the whole "coming back to Atlantis then leaving again almost immediately just before we find a bomb" thing - if he had been the spy, that's pretty much a perfect profile. Possibly too perfect, but seriously suspicious. And the coded emails to his friends whom he just told her didn't exist? Again with the suspicious. Add in his extreme unpleasantness, his known dislike of most of the personnel, and the way he wasn't even bothering to claim innocence most of the time... I can see why he was waaaay up the list of possible suspects, as compared to eg Caldwell who was acting pretty much as normal *g*

I hope we get Caldwell back. I'm all sad now; my insta!joke is gone.

:lol: I hope so, too. But OMG, the glowing eyes! AWESOME. If he had to go, I seriously couldn't have imagined a better way...

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

While, yes, torture squicky and bad, I'm not surprised they went there. They've already done the "Geneva Convention? What Geneva Convention?" thing, not to mention atomic bombs and biological weapons. This ain't Dr. Jackson's SGC, that's for sure!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yes, I'm seeing a lot of people with your kind of level of "liking" this evening.

I bitch because I love. Really--if I didn't care this much I wouldn't, well, care.

And yeah, I get how a lot of Kavanagh's behavior was suspicious, but there was no smoking gun, you know? Or even a conspicuously mounted gun. Just: "Ew, what an asshole. An asshole with an icky ponytail!"

Heh. Elizabeth should have threatened to cut Kavanagh's hair. That would have been a threat I wouldn't have minded seeing her follow up on.

But OMG, the glowing eyes! AWESOME.

Oh, it was intense all right. It convinced me that the Goa'uld are creepy far more than the limited bits of SG-1 that I've seen did. But...*is sad* It ruins the three-way fight between Caldwell, Lorne, and Zelenka for Elizabeth's affections that they've been setting up. Okay, that I've been setting up. In my head. (Anything to distract from Sheppard/Weir, y'know?)

[tikiaceae.livejournal.com]

I found myself agreeing to what Kavanagh was saying to Weir about her being too emotionally involved to make a good leader. In the last week's episode, what possible sane reason did she have for following Sheppard into the doorway? She's interested in the guy (totally one sided obviously!) so she leaves Atlantis in the hands of... Lorne? Zelenka? and goes off?

Also, IMO, she did let her dislike for Kavanagh cloud her judgement. She can't see Zelenka betraying them but can see Kavanagh doing the same in a heartbeat? WTF?

Other than that, I really enjoyed the ep, especially the whole McKay/Sheppard bits. I even liked Teyla's singing... who knew.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

that's a huge thing they've pulled out of the bag, there, and they're going to just put it back and pretend like nothing happened

Yeah! And it's not that I mind that they pulled it out--in fact, I actually think it's kind of cool: I mean, let's go dark, baby--but that I really do fear that they're going to be all, "See? She was mildly guilty! All better!" And we'll never hear about it again.

But hey: maybe they'll prove me wrong. There was some interesting follow-up on the Iratus bug with 'Conversion.' (But still nothing on 'Sanctuary'--grr!)

I hope somebody puts up an explanation of the SG-1 side of it for those of us who either haven't seen it

wychwood explains a little bit about the Trust above. I really need to catch up, though--I hate the feeling that I'm missing something. Especially when I write fic, 'cause there's always a chance that I'll contradict something that's already been established. Just--not on my show.

I want more Miko, like, yesterday. Or just somebody: give Rodney some LOVE!

but the banter and the getting it rather than being a simpering doe-eyed possessor of breasts makes all the difference

Hells, yes. With Katie, I was just like, "Oh no, you're all wrong for Rodney; he needs some one with some balls, dammit!" Okay, maybe not balls... Okay, balls. *eg*

Sweetest person in two galaxies... and yet still cutely grumpy. Hee. Yay.

Cutely grumpy and speaking CZECH! Seriously: So. Much. Love.

(Oh, and I still want to talk to you more about the characters' sexualities and stuff! Why do I have so much to do? I just want to comment on LJ, gosh darn it.)