Saturday 26 May 2007

Sunday


I know people are upset by this episode, and i'll probably get slammed for it somewhere down the line, but i've never been one to shy away. So, i'm jumping in with two feet. I actually loved this episode, for me it had everything I wanted to see apart from Carson's 'passing'. From my perspective there was an inordinate amount of things that the fans have requested to see in SGA, in particular how the team interact on their off duty hours, and do they spend any time together outside of 'work'? Some people have said that some episodes have felt forced when team bonding was thrust upon them.. and they are entitled to their views. For me this episode showed just how much everyone cares for each other.

The Good points
  • We had girlie talk between Teyla and Elizabeth (which some fans wanted to see)
  • I laughed my head off when Sheppard was trying to get Teyla to play golf with him and Ronon, and Ronon tried to head Teyla off at the pass, hehehe.
  • Loved the pat on the arm from Teyla to Ronon as a thank you for the heads up.
  • Then we had the Golf game *Thwack* ;o)
  • We had poor Carson, desperate attempts to go fishing and nobody wanted to go. Bless.
  • Loved that Atlantis has a chess tournamount *g*
  • We had Ronon and Sheppard fighting *fight to the death*
  • We had Rodney trying to make a date with Katie Brown and him stumbling over the marriage proposal. (very sweet)
  • We had Weir actually relaxing and enjoying herself for once.
  • We had Lorne painting.
  • We had Zelenka in the chess club playing for rations.
  • Carson holding Teyla's hand.
  • But most of all we had Carson meeting and speaking with everyone on his last ep.

PM did a great job with this, even down to the smallest details of him getting excited that he and Rodney were going fishing was so sweet. I loved the fact that Carson wouldn't leave his patient. He knew the dangers to himself, but he didn't want to risk anyone getting hurt and it just goes to show how self sacrificing the character is and would do anything to save his patients... just as Janet did in SG1 *stops self compairing the two*

What broke my heart in this was how everyone reacted differently. Teyla was at a loss for words. Sheppard's, "It hasn't hit me yet" packed a punch in my stomach. Rodney was so filled with remorse it broke my heart *sniff* especially the ending where he's packing up Carson's belongings and finds the photograph of the two of them from Duet.. *grabs a tissue* When Ronon came in to check to see if Rodney was okay I began to 'well up'. But when Rodney began feeling guilty, Ronon's simple word, 'Don't' was just enough to get my bottom lip quivering. But what sent me over the edge was the bagpipes. *sniff*

The whole of the 'gate room was deathly quiet (no pun intended) and then the bagpipes started playing. It was so serene. Then, as the camera panned around to get everyones reactions, you could feel how much they were hurting, because in a sense they had lost their friend....The ending couldn't have been more perfect (imo) it wasn't corny or cliche as i've heard some people say. You'd be surprised what you think, feel and see when someone who's close to you has died. So, I think having the last moments of Rodney alone and then the Carson and Rodney together at the very end was beutifully done. McKay is hopefully going to have lots of issues over this. And I know I seem to saying this old chestnut quite often these days, but it would be nice to see the impact this has on the characters and not brushed aside.

The Bad! Not much I have to say...

I didn't want carson to go at all, but thanks to Save Carson Beckett, we at least get to have Carson/PM back with us for a short time. I have to say *waits for the tomatoes* I don't know if I want him back. I'd like his death to have meant something, and it's a bit hard to see this ep again and feel the full impact, knowing that he's coming back. Watching it again several months down the line from when I watched it the first time, and knowing what's ahead now; I did look at this ep differently. It didn't have as much as an impact the second time around, probably because I knew that it wasn't going to be his 'Beckett's final scene' so to speak...

What caught my attention in this episode, was surprisingly not Carson's death (as I knew going in that this was going to happen), but it was cleverly scripted so that all the cast had sufficient lines, and character development.... something that has been out of sync, in certain episodes. So did it take PM's leaving to bring this to the foreground? Were there too many 'main cast members' to give good character develpment for? I honestly don't know. We've been afforded the good grace of having stand alone type episodes for each of our characters, and for me that has worked very well. In between those eps, we've also been afforded the opportunity of having some very good team eps such as, Vengeance, Phantoms and Tao of Rodney. Irrespective of what I think, you will always have people having a good whinge that their favourite character hasn't had sufficient development. It's the whole Oliver Twist analogy; when a person's character has a chance to shine, it leaves people always wanting more, and more. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, the problem occurs when they don't get that on a continued basis and can leave them bitter and twisted; which unfortunately can create tension amongst the fanbases. Is it logical? Nope, but then when are emotions ever logical.

So has the tension begun to rise after this ep? Heck no. It started at least 4 months ago now. Fans of PM have stated that they are boycotting season 4, some people are now harranging individuals for liking the new doc; Doctor Jennifer Keller; purely on the basis that she has 'replaced Carson'. I've seen posts from individuals saying that they can't stand the new actress, Jewel Staite because of this! Now personally, I don't think it's a slight on JS or her acting abilities. I honestly think that it would'nt matter who took over, some fans will find a way to 'dislike that character' however great they are, because for those types of fans, that character/actor has essentially 'taken over' from someone they loved. It hasn't just happened with JS, it's also happening with Carter/AT. So, I say to those people who won't even give the individual a chance... get some perspective, or don't watch, but have a modicum amount of decency and at least be honest with regards to why you feel like that. I may not agree with you, but at least you're not hiding behind some misguided guise that, that's not the reason you're unhappy. Have the courage of your convictions. But some fans need to realise that we don't have access to all the information. As nice as it would be that we understand why certain decisions are made, we will never know. So, we have no choice but to put our trust in TPTB and have a little faith that everything will work out. And *fills her glass half full* I for one am feeling very postive about Season 4. ;o)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm the anonymous person you replied to over on Joe M's Blog. I just wanted to come over here to reply back so it didn't take over his blog.

What you said is EXACTLY what I've felt about the characters all along. Espcally this part:

I see Rodney and Shep's relationship more as siblings, but definately more family than friendship. Whereas I see Carson and Rodney as friendship more than family...

I was starting to think maybe I was wrong in how I saw things so it's nice to have someone else see the same thing.

Did you ever see the orignal Star Trek series? To me John, Rodney, and Carson are the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy of Atlantis.

I also just read your Sunday post and I loved everything you loved about it :O) Nice to find at least one other person who liked the episode just the way it was. I'll have to check out the rest of your blog.

I've got my own blog over here if you want to check it out:
http://jrscifi.com/pegasus/

Anonymous said...

I've just caught up with your blog and read your post!

I really liked so many aspects of Sunday.

It had such great character moments for me. All the ones you've mentioned I loved too.

I wasn't so keen on the Weir/Mike bit. It's not that I didn't like seeing Weir have some personal time, I just really didn't like the guy she was given to play with. He seemed too pushy and smooth to me - in fact he totally gave me the creeps! That's a small niggle though.

Some have expressed dislike of the exploding tumour storyline. I liked it, and actually it is possible. Anything in life is possible, and, hey, it is scifi! Lol!

Now, I don't particularly want Carson back either, though it does depend how the story is executed.

For me, when you're dead, you're dead. Carson didn't ascend, therefore he's gone. It does belittle his death to see him back, IMO, though I obviously will keep an open mind about his return. It may well be a stroke of genius, or it may well be not a real return for the character at all. It could be total pants too! But, Carson died, and his death was so moving that it sort of leaves a sour taste in my mouth that I cried for him, when, hello? he's coming back for a short time!

Do I think the Carson/Rodney best friend thing didn't work? Hmmm, I have no doubt that Carson and Rodney were friends. Best friends? To me, this rather smacked of a plot device. JF and DH have said several times that Shep and Rodney are close friends, even best friends, but I've never heard any comment from DH or PM about Carson and Rodney being best friends.

I do believe they were friends, yes. Best friends? I'm still not personally convinced, though I do think Sheppard and McKay are like squabbling siblings for much of the time! In the scheme of things it doesn't matter, but it did feel a bit forced to me personally.

On to the sticky topic of certain fans being insulting towards JS and AT.

You know what? Two things come to mind. Gross immaturity and the need to get a real life!

To blame actresses who are coming to SGA to play roles and who will fill the gaps left by departing actors/actresses is ridiculous.

I just can't understand the animosity and vitriol aimed at those two poor ladies.

I think certain fans, and we all know who they are, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for acting that way.

They look like sore losers and honestly don't get any respect from anyone with half a brain. It's just petty whining and stamping of feet. Decisions have been made whether we like them or not. You go with them and move on, or you don't. What's the point in continuously whining when you can't hope to change anything?

You can't blame actors who are hired for a job, and to slam them for doing a job is immature and ridiculous.

Also, hello? This is television, and it's a cut throat industry. Characters are axed all the time. No, it's not nice, but it's a fact of life.

Again, I do think some people forget that SGA is fictional, but actors are just making a living. Some would say, well poor Torri and Paul for losing their jobs, and I'd agree with that. My heart goes out to them. Happens a lot in all areas of business though.

I do wonder if some can separate the fictional character from the actor involved though?

I adore Sheppard, and like Joe, from what I've seen of him, but none of us really know the actor behind the character, and yet some seem to act as if the actor is a close personal friend or family member. I find that quite bizarre, personally. None of us know how the actors feel at losing their jobs, we can imagine certainly, but one thing I have been impressed with is PM's understanding of the nature of the business. He won't slam TPTB. Firstly he's not stupid. Slam your old bosses and hey, nobody's going to want to hire you again. Secondly, he's been around the block and understands the nature of the business. So, he gets a thumbs up from me for the professional way he's handled things.

Sunday was a controversial episode. But, for me, it was 43 minutes or so of entertainment. I liked it, and thought it was a fitting tribute to a departing character.

Do I think they needed to kill Carson? No, I personally don't. I suspect this wasn't just a ratings thing, but was a business decision too. I think if Paul had remained a recurring character, that he'd probably still be in the show. But that's just my take on the situation.

My feeling is, that making him a regular character actually was a disservice to Beckett. He was stuck in scenes for no reason, and the quality of writing for the character went down hill. That is just my opinion though.

So, all in all, Sunday was a big hit with me. Not my favourite of the season, but up there with the best of them. :)

crazymom said...

*waves*

I agree with everything you said! Also, you make me laugh every day over at JM's place.