Stargate Atlantis musings (spoilers for S1-S2)

[elgrey]

I've been catching up on Stargate Atlantis on DVD now that enough of it is out that I wouldn't get stuck on a cliffhanger. The more I see of TV shows on DVD, the more I think this is the only way I want to watch them. I've really enjoyed the show. More musings behind the cut, including spoilers for S1 and S2.

Have now watched 28 episodes of Atlantis and have enjoyed every one of them. (S2 Vol 3 doesn’t come out until June 5^th or I would have watched more.) The show really reminds me of early season Stargate, with the same zip and enthusiasm from all concerned. It’s making me very keen to see S9 of Stargate and if the same zip is apparent there. So far, I’ve liked all the characters, even Sheppard, who I expected to find annoying, although I do worry a little for a group of people whose most senior military officer went on a trip to another galaxy and forgot to pack a comb.

 

The show has done nothing to cure me of my 48 Hours-induced McKay crush as he simply rules. Still think he should be with Sam but I’m just starting to get over my snit about Atlantis bagging him instead of him staying on Stargate. Zelenka is adorable and every home should have one. I want to pet him and feed him cookies every time he bounces around enthusiastically like Daniel’s eccentric Czechoslovakian uncle. Love Weir; such a change having someone in charge who doesn’t get into entrenched positions. I suspect she has a What Would Daniel Do? badge hidden somewhere in her room. Much as I adore Hammond, I'm pleased to see someone in charge who isn't military. Love Teyla although I do feel that on missions she is often in the unenviable position of being the only grown up amongst a group of unruly squabbling schoolboys. Beckett is a sweetheart. There can never be too much of him. I really liked Ford, but prefer Ronon, and think the Ford story so far has been excellent, very moving and RSF did an incredible job showing his conflict before heading off to be with the Wraith. I like to think of Ford munching his way through a whole ship of them although I suppose that’s not very likely.

 

So far all the plots have been great, even the slightly cheesy ones have been saved by sharp scripting or a new twist. Some really sympathetic people have died, and the effects are incredible. I found Atlantis rising out of the water in Rising was so beautiful I was in tears. Love the music too.

 

I don’t usually like inter-team ship, especially in the Stargate universe, as the writers on this show aren’t very good at progressing romances and having people come out the other side of them, as things happen in real life, and usually leave them in a ridiculous holding pattern of yearning glances and no physical contact like twelve year olds trying to get up the courage to ask each other to dance. However, even though I know it would probably be very bad for the show on all kinds of levels, I really *really* want Ronon and Teyla to have lots and lots of sex where I can watch them having it, because they’re just so amazingly hot together. They can break up afterwards and decide to remain friends or whatever so there isn’t too much tedious mooning around, but I would really like them to have the lots and lots of sex first. Perhaps aliens could make them do it just for me? Ronon has the same effect on me as Teal'c. I just want him to stand there so I can walk around him going ‘Wow…’

 

I’m not seeing the McShep thing, although I’d like to as I love their interaction on the show, and I am seeing the Shep/Weir thing although I’d really like not to as I think it would be a terrible idea, not least because Sheppard is nothing like good enough for Weir. However, now Ronon is around I do find it very hard to believe any woman on the base is going to want to look at anyone except him even if Sheppard strips naked and turn cartwheels. Unless they’re a lot less shallow than me, of course, which is perfectly likely.

Comments

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

When she came back in S9 Sam had actually stopped annoying me, which was as much as I could hope for. She was fine, she was there, I didn't feel the urge to fast forward through her, and things were okay. I really felt the drop in energy with Vala gone, but that wasn't Sam's fault. So, all fine. Then Ripples happened, and there she was annoying me all over again. *sigh*

With Mitchell it's not his energy that I have an issue with, it's that after the early episodes are over with and he's been introduced, he directs that energy into being a moron all too often. For someone who's apparently read about all previous SG-1 missions, he acts like a prat too often for me, and some little personality things have irritated me too. That's such a shame, because I liked him when he first arrived. He changed over S9 and I'm hoping he will change back in S10 otherwise I just won't be interested in him. I think part of it is that I don't rate the actor - not that I think he's hopeless, just that he's not on the level of MS or CJ or CB. If Arthur's Mantle is the one I think it is, I did like the Daniel/Sam stuff in that and liked the story in general, but I found Mitchell's behaviour to be annoying. He's too impulsive for the role he's in, and he doesn't seem to truly understand the concept of teamwork. He likes to be the hero and doesn't seem to think any of his behaviour through either before or after the event. It's not the kind of personality trait that I find appealing in an adult, and especially not in someone who's meant to be leading a team that has so much experience. Also, the main episode that is meant to introduce us to Mitchell as a person has him off somewhere without the rest of the team - a complete waste of time, IMO. Even by the end of the season - a whole year for the team - I feel no sense of connection between Daniel and Mitchell or Teal'c and Mitchell. I only saw a few bits of episodes of Farscape and really didn't like it, so this is my first real experience of BB. I suspect my view of Mitchell is different from that of a big Farscape / BB fan, but I can only go on what I've seen.

If you liked Prometheus Unbound and the Daniel / Vala chemistry there, then I think you'll love the first four episodes of S9. The chemistry is there in spades, but Daniel is so very much Daniel and not MS. MS is absolutely brilliant in those episodes - he's given big challenges and he exceeds expectations every time. CJ is given fewer challenges than MS but he still has a lot more to do than he often had in previous seasons, so there's plenty of good Teal'c stuff to look forward to. And some of the Teal'c / Daniel stuff makes me all melty. *sigh*

And back to McShep. It wasn't the McShep in the fic that made me see it in the show - it was already in the show for me even when the show itself didn't impress me greatly. I watch shows for characters first and foremost, so with Weir annoying me, Teyla making very little impression at all, having Shep as some kind of surfer dude pale imitation of Jack, and basically having to rely on Rodney plus the few bits of Beckett and Zelenka for my interest? The show couldn't hold me. Reading fic gave Shep the depth I still can't see much of in him in the show even now (I suspect quite a bit of that's down to the actor, though), which meant I could fill in the emotional blanks myself while watching. That let me enjoy him a lot more, and also Teyla a lot more, so gave me enough to keep me going. What I really like is the bigger cast of characters who are important to SGA, as well as the whole Atlantis set itself. I dearly wish they'd done a lot more exploring of the city, since that was the whole raison d'etre of the expedition in the first place. Perhaps we'll get more of that in S3, who knows. At some point I'm going to buy the S1 SGA DVDs when I can find a R2 set that I know for sure have episode commentaries on them.