3.04 - Sateda

[tielan]

Sorry, cherryblosomjen! I only just got around to watching the episode!

Joe Mallozzi really wasn't kidding when he said Sateda was "an actioner".

This was good. Fast-paced and full of KABOOM, yet with the sense of a deeper feeling between the team. I liked the team-moments, everything from Shep's quip about "pain in the ass" to his "Teyla wouldn't let me" at the end of the episode. (Teyla is not holding the bit and bridle, John - at least, not one you're going to admit to!)

It was good to see Ronon's history, what happened to his family, to his wife - and the idea that he has a different kind of family now. The theme was reiterated in Shep's little confession to Teyla on the Daedelus - his team is his family - and at the end with the reunion on the 'jumper.

And I'm still in the "John can do glib when it's not about his own feelings" category. What a surprise. And when has he really said anything about his past situation vs his present one before? In canon, I mean. What he said to Teyla was pretty personal for a guy like John - and he clearly wasn't comfortable confessing it, not just to Teyla, but to anyone.

Jason Momoa did a brilliant, emotion-filled characterisation of Ronon - passionate, angry, determined. When he's nearly shaking as he holds the knife to his own throat, I was nearly shaking, too. And JF and RL did wonderful portrayals of John and Teyla - knowing Ronon and his nature, unwilling to let him go, trying to buffer his anger and bring him back to them.

Ahahaha. And Rodney and his lemon-patterned boxers.

I'm loving the team. *pets*

Comments

[sjhw-tolerance.livejournal.com]

And Rodney and his lemon-patterned boxers.

They were smiley faces. :-)

[tielan]

D'oh! They looked lemony...

[sjhw-tolerance.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they did in squinty vision.

[alasse-fae.livejournal.com]

not smileys ;)
http://geek-love.net/photos/index.php?spgmGal=Stargate_Atlantis_-_Season_3/Rodney_in_boxers_from_Sateda#?

[sjhw-tolerance.livejournal.com]

Well, they sure look like smiley faces to me!

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

Nope, definitely citrus of some sort. :)

[sjhw-tolerance.livejournal.com]

Lemon smiley faces. ;-)

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

Lol, you win. :D Lemoney smiley faces it is.

[fugacious-love.livejournal.com]

I wish there were more team moments like that every week.

Ahahaha. And Rodney and his lemon-patterned boxers.

And his gluteus maximus. ^_^

[tielan]

Apparently this is going to be the year of the team. The writers have acknowledged that there wasn't enough team-love in the last two seasons and are rectifying their greivous error.

WOOHOO!

Ah, Rodney. We love you, lemons and all!

[majorsamfan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was a good one!

[tielan]

They're doing pretty well this far into the season! I'm kinda shocked.

[r-becca.livejournal.com]

It's fantastic to see the 'team as family' concept actually made canon. :) I loved seeing the bonds between the characters so clearly in this ep.

And for what it's worth, I think they're lemons. :)

[tielan]

Apparently they are lemons after all!

And, yeah, while it was strongly implied (but never expressly voiced) in SG1, it seems that Atlantis is loosening up on a few things, to the point where it's okay for Rodney to go on about the 'deeper bond' he has with Ronon.

*dies laughing*

[madjm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this was a very team-y episode. Loved it. As much as I loved the John/Teyla conversation on the Daedelus, I think my favorite part was Carson and Rodney arguing over who was going to go help fight the Wraith. I love those guys.

[tielan]

I liked the scenes with Ronon, John, and Teyla - both the one where they're in the stocks and at the end when they find Ronon in the shattered hospital.

[madjm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those were great also. And "Ronon appears quite angry" cracks me up every time I think about it.

[vaberella.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm taking the opportunity to go on a schpiel of Teyla's phrases and what they mean in this ep.

'They promised?!' ie. Are you Daft?! or WTF?!
'They are wraith!!' ie. Get a clue fool?! or You're a damn ungrateful example of uninvolved humanity, if you havnen't gotten what this all means?! ---> Followed by F***ers!
'We can't take on a hive ship now!' ie. Damnit all to hell, are you stupid or something?!
'Ronon' ie. Sit boy!

:D

[vaberella.livejournal.com]

I gave my extended love and admiration to this ep on GW's ep section so I won't go into a very long post again, although my rating was a 100/10. :D

As for John/Teyla...what was so significant to me abuot this scene, and it's not to compare in a shipper factor. But it's to say, that when comparing the scene in The Long Goodbye, where he had that damn playstation. He used it as a tool to ignore a conversation and to go into deep feelings regarding the situation.

But in this, when Teyla came to talk to him, he actually stopped the toy and put it away. He didn't ignore her, when it was clear this was a hard thing for him. I really appreciated that.

And it shows that he feels that comfortable with her that he would be able to express something so obviously intensely emotional with her. Plus, it made me love Teyla more---especially when she says, 'thank you, for all the things you didn't say.' It was clear--she also read the other things that were going on in his head, even if a small amount; or she could deduce as much. It really made it a powerful and sweet scene.

Hey man, you don't even have to be a shipper to see this. I know a few die hard slashers on GW, who saw a little something something more in the moment between J/T---shocker of all shockers, they admitted it!

[tielan]

Well, you won't find an argument from me on the "John avoiding a conversation with Elizabeth, but not avoiding one with Teyla" front.

Thinking it through, the important thing about the scene was not that John stuttered his way through it all, but that he was saying it before Teyla, when I'm pretty sure he hasn't said such things to anyone before that we've seen in the show.

I'd be interested in the link to the gateworld thread, actually. I don't visit anymore (haven't for quite a while now) - it's a bit too frenetic for me to keep up.

And I'm not sure about the overall attitude to the scene within the fandom - I have a feeling that there are a couple of Shep/Weirs who are really angry about it - a couple of comments scene - or a complete lack of comment from at least two people from whom I'd expected an outburst - but I haven't bothered checking the newsletter.

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in the link to the gateworld thread, actually. I don't visit anymore (haven't for quite a while now) - it's a bit too frenetic for me to keep up.

I can testify to what's on the first seven pages or so. That night when I was desperate for your review I resorted to checking out the GW episode thread ;). I hadn't been there in a while either.

All but one review on those pages was completely positive. Many remarked that it was the best episode yet, had lived up to the hype... There were a few nitpicks about insignificant things -- but on the whole the response was positive. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of positive reaction to J/T (at least on those pages) -- I always thought the J/T fans were few and far between on GW.

One thing I thought was strange was that some seemed a little angry that every episode wasn't as good as Sateda. IMO, there are always going yo be certain episodes that outshine others. Plus, there's the inevitable money issues...

[vaberella.livejournal.com]

I agree with you in regards to the first statement, to go back to LFP and compare that to his other instances with either Ronon, McKay, Ford, and Weir, is totally marginalizing John/Teyla moments. She has definitely been able to pull the main emotions from.

His stuttering made even more poignant, he was going somewhere, not where she didnt' want to go, but that he didn't even want to go to. So Seeing that was endearing, I would have been shocked if he was so sure of himself in that moement. And He kept his eyes very steady with her, he may have shifted once in a while to get his bearings, but when it came to saying it, he focused on her eyes. Which is definitely more than I can say to others.

The thread where I gave my review is not the shipper thread. Too much stupidity when I was arond on that thread, and I won't bother wasting my time. Although there are few people I like there. Here is the link as to where I posted my review: http://forum.gateworld.net/showpost.php?p=5607217&postcount=38 . I will say that the thread does have it's level of negativity, but said negativity spreads her negativity all over S3 and other threads. But majority of everyone really liked it. And they have this great section you might like to post on...it's: http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=31841 . I haven't posted there, since I want my wording to be correct, but it's a nice place to review, and you'll notice said negativity spewing forth in all her negative ways. :(
---------------------------------------------

Well this the interseting thing. We call the scene--'That Scene' because it was dubbed said name by the shep/weirs. From what I gathered, a few were angry with it, and then there were quite a bit of them who actually liked the scene and admitted to liking it. Others, and surprise of all surprise (these are the people I find hardest to see J/T), the slashers were really really really impressed and actually seriously loved the interaction and the acting by both parties. Even some admitted to feeling a bit of J/T. My sister who hates the idea of ship was like, 'Damn you!' cause she was like, if you didnt' see the energy that could be seen as romantic, then your blind.

To go back to the shep/weir department and ronon/teyla's, damage control was in full effect.

I heard comments by one Shep/Weir who stated, 'You all know if it was our ship, we'd say it was near canon. The shifting would represent his crush on her and being nervous with someone he likes. Why is something else, when it's primarily Teyla/John?'

Another said, if it was Weir/John it woudl be different, and I'm like they had moments again as mentioned in TLG and Intruder, but it showed nothing, and most people put it to two friends talking.


Others were like explaining away how it looks like friendship only and nothing else. And of course there were the snide remarks by idiots about her shirt (eyerolls galore, from me). But most didn't deny the scene, and saw it for what it was, friendship, possibly more. It was rather docile response though. Nothing compared to what happened in TLG.

A lot of other shippers and non shippers pretty much have said that the path of relationships is pretty much set up for J/T and they don't mind.

The Ronon/Teyla fans...well they would see gold in shit; pardon my chinese. So it was uber-shippery for them. *shrugs*

Teyla says, 'Ronon stay.' Teyla says, 'Ronon, fetch.' <----Oh my god, squee....they love each other! :D

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

Intriguing comparisons of instances with John and his playstation. I feel like watching Long Goodbye again, because I can't seem to remember that scene. Was it at the end, after they'd been released from the alien's control and were sitting up in bed?

[vaberella.livejournal.com]

Yuppers, that was the scene, I was mentioning. Since there are people who are shep/weir who on occasion have claimed that if the scene was reinacted with S/W it would be different. Technically speaking, they had about two scenes, and both turned out the same way. Dead energy from Shep. But this is not to in anyway discredit S/W, it's too point out his reltaionship with others.

I can also mention for instance Shep/McKay in episodes like Trinity, he pretty much pissed off the incident, when he obviously cared; while McKay really felt bad about the situation.

So seeing J/T scene and you compare it to other moments with others or even LFP---you Teyla has been able to really reap out emotions from him that he doesn't express with other characters.

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

I rewatched the episode and saw the contrast of the two scenes. Very interesting.

Sheppard was the first to reach out to Teyla (thinking back to Rising, when he mediated for Colonel Whatshisname). That, in addition to the shippiness, may be one of the factors that makes her able to draw out (make him verbalize) 'feelings' (to quote Sateda) that others might not typically.

Cancellation of SGA/Awful Sateda Ratings!

[vaberella.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's a good point. You should also rewatch the beginning of Intruder, with Weir/Shep, ithas the same feel as well.


Anyway the big talk now is the cancellation of SGA. You guys won't believe the ratings. Sateda got a 1.4 on the scale. Supposedly anything below 1.7 is due for cancellation, and they opened the season at 1.5.

My rant thread at GW on the topic:
http://forum.gateworld.net/showthread.php?t=32700

You'll find the link to the posting I'm talking about. I'm bloody gutted by this possiblity. I really!!

Re: Cancellation of SGA/Awful Sateda Ratings!

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

GASP! Cancellation?!

No way. That's -- that's grrr completely unacceptable!

Re: Cancellation of SGA/Awful Sateda Ratings!

[ladysarahjane.livejournal.com]

Bugger. This is actually the first I've heard of it, though I have checked out the provided link. I'm not surprised though, while Stargate Atlantis seems to hvae a great fan base it's ratings have never been good.

I wouldn't start panicking just yet, though about either Atlantis or SG-1. Sci-Fi has been talking (for a few weeks) about a possible 3rd spin-off. It's hard to imagine they'd bring in a new spin-off and cancell the old one. They'd be stupid to try to pull something like that, they'd piss off too many fans.

[cherryblosomjen.livejournal.com]

BTW, thank you for your review. Sometimes I'm so greedy, just waiting for new updates (be it reviews or your lovely fiction).

I would have been here sooner to enjoy this if my internet wasn't out. Evil of it to cut out like that, EVIL!

[ladysarahjane.livejournal.com]

I agree. This episode was fantastic. I alway saw Ronon as a fighter from Day 1, but that episode changed that. Ronon prefered to run. It was kind of werid to see him like that because before this episode (in the flashbacks) we never saw him run, he always stayed and fought.

It really showed how the team is A TEAM. Their family. There was a lot of team bonding going on. I loved it when Carson and Rodney were fighting about which one got to go outside and fight. It was fantastic.

Ronon's love for Teyla and John showed through when he forced their captors to let them go and Teyla and John's love came through when they immediately (no questions asked) went right back through that gate.

I hope that this is a theme they'll continue to expand on and show during the rest of the season and the show.