SGA 4.1

[zelempa]

I saw the "review copy" of SGA 4.1, which was a weird experience in and of itself, since there was no music or sound effects yet. Instead, there's mostly silence, or cute moments where some crew member off camera says "Beep beep beep!" or "Argh!" What with that and sound being all unequalized, it really makes you think of it as A TV SHOW THAT THEY ARE MAKING and not The World of Atlantis. Maybe I should have waited?

Comments from realtime:

• Chuck gets another name-drop, this time from Rodney; is briefly electrocuted; and gets to make a saddy-sad face when some redshirts die. He's moving up in the world!

• John pulls Rodney aside to quietly admonish, "You're making a lot of decisions without consulting me." He'll be saying that a lot in the marriage to come.

• Rodney explains something in typical simple-analogy-for-the-viewers fashion to John, who warns him, "Dumb this down any more, you're gonna get hit." Heh.

• Carter's loose-hanging hairdo is awfully stationary for a zero-grav atmosphere.

• McKay: "I'm so happy I'm going to do a little--"
  Intercom: "Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay, please report to the control room immediately."
  McKay: "Okay, that lasted, what, ten seconds?"

• Sheppard: "Do you have better idea?"
  McKay (lying): "Yes!"
  Sheppard: (hilarious "Well?!" face)

• Sheppard (trying to give inspiring speech encouraging scientists to fly jumpers): "Look, you've all logged a lot of hours in these things, and right now, it's the only viable option we have, or, uh..."
  McKay: "Or die!"
  Scientists: "..."
  Sheppard: "...Let's get moving." (glares)

• McKay: "It's like the old video game, Asteroids!"
  Sheppard: "...Whatever works for you."
  McKay: "I was terrible at that game. I actually scored zero once."
  Sheppard: "Then there's only one way to go and that's up."
  (Note that the preceding conversation was held over comm earpieces during Sheppard's instruction-giving so presumably all the pilots had to listen.)

• Sheppard goes right to McKay's jumper when it's all over, of course, to smile with eyes at him and says "You did good, Rodney."
  Intercom: "Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay, please report to the control room immediately."
  McKay: "Aw, COME ON!!!" (Unspoken: "I was just about to get some!")

• Zelenka gets to take a spacewalk with Sheppard! He looks nervous as usual, and in a rare nice moment, McKay says, "Look, you can do this." He doesn't volunteer to go in his place or anything, though.

• WAAUAUUUUUGUUGUGUGGGGGHHH RODNEY SAID JOHN

• I REPEAT

• RODNEY

• SAID

• JOHN

• ("JOHN"!)

• WAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHH

• *hyperventilates*

• It wasn't in a tender moment, or anything, but it was still kind of everything I imagined it would be to hear it in his voice. There is no way they haven't fucked by now.

• The dialogue, in case you were curious:
  Sheppard (when Rodney, over the comm, outlines Dr. Keller's plan to save Elizabeth): "You want to what?"
  McKay: "Reactivate Weir's nanites."
  Sheppard: "That is a terrible, terrible idea!"
  McKay: "What? I've reprogrammed them!"
  Sheppard: "No!"
  McKay: "John. We are losing her here. Keller and her team have done everything they can..."
  You blink and you miss it, but it was there, and we were totally closed-up on John's tender lip-twitching face when he said it, too.

• Continuing the theme of "things I never thought I'd report happening on Stargate: Atlantis," Sheppard is now dwarf-tossing Zelenka. It's kind of slashy, actually, what with Sheppard's "You're gonna have to trust me, Doc," beforehand and Zelenka's "That was... *pant*... unbelievable!" afterward. You heard it here first: dwarf-tossing = sex.

• And continuing the theme of "pairings once discussed by me and yolsaffbridge as the 'worst possible couple on Atlantis,'" we get a sweet moment with Ronon coming in to talk to Elizabeth while she's unconscious. "I just wanted to... thank you... Thank you for letting me stay here a couple of years ago." (leans close, looks like he might kiss her) "Thank you, Dr. Weir." Dawwww.

• Ohhhh, McKay went and did the dangerous thing to save Elizabeth behind John's back, and now he is maaaaad! All "DAMMIT MCKAY!" McKay looks frightened of him.
  McKay: "The replicators are harmless! I am 100% certain they are not going to try to take her over or, or contact the others."
  Sheppard: "No, you can't know that for sure!"
  McKay: "Yes. Yes I can." (looks shifty)
  Sheppard orders McKay to shut it down, killing Elizabeth and ending the Replicator risk, and McKay refuses. Man. They stand almost chest-to-chest facing off. Definitely a cool moment--interrupted before either of them caves by Elizabeth waking up.

• McKay: "Okay, this is stupid."
  Sheppard (glancing sidelong at him): "What?"
  McKay: "This! Us, fighting!"
  (Ronon, looming in the background, executes a comedic turn-to-profile-and-exit.)
  McKay: "Look, I know you're not happy with me and you may have some cause--but anyway, it's not going to matter much if we don't figure a way out of this! Right?"
  Sheppard: "."
  McKay: "We have to work together, so... so... so, so... I'm... I'm sorry."
  Sheppard: (turns to look at Rodney for a moment, mouth twitches almost imperceptibly) "Apology accepted."

• Sweet moment between Teyla and Elizabeth. Teyla of reviving Elizabeth: "In my opinion, it was well worth the risk."

• Nice ending.
  McKay to Sheppard: "You feel up to a heist?"

Good times, people. Season four is starting off nicely with plenty of danger, adventure, Sheppard having complex leadership issues, unusual combinations of people loving each other, and of course highly charged emotions between Sheppard and McKay. AND RODNEY SAYING JOHN OMG Z0MG.

Bring on the season!

Comments

[cross-stitchery.livejournal.com]

*hyperventilates*

me too! OMG! this ep sounds like all kinds of awesome. please god none of the good stuff ends on the cutting room floor.

thanks so much for sharing

[zelempa.livejournal.com]

I know! Will they voice-over Rodney saying 'Sheppard' when they realize their mistake? Does it even matter to them? (Considering this is the time when they bring it out, it seems like no? But then why never before?)

I guess I should have written a more coherent OR less spoiler-detailed review considering that many people won't have seen the episode yet. This is kind of a "good bits [according to me]" version of the episode so I don't forget. But, not to worry, most of the episode was pretty much equally "good bits," I think.

[cross-stitchery.livejournal.com]

I guess I should have written a more coherent OR less spoiler-detailed review

no, it was perfect. i read selected bits to a friend who is also an SGA fan and we were cracking up. loved your reaction to Rodney calling Sheppard "John", and the Zelenka tossing, too.

i wonder if DH had anything to do with the name thing. i remember hearing that some fans asked him about why Rodney never called Sheppard by his first name and he had never realised and was surprised when they insisted he never had.