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Stargate SG-1 (10.13) “The Road Not Taken” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
Colonel Sam Carter is conducting an experiment to enlarge the field of the Ancient device that Merlin had created, when she is drawn into an alternate universe. Dr. Lee and Major Lorne run in and she finds out that things are not as she left them, and is somewhere else.
General Hammond is briefed by Major Lorne, and orders him to get to the bottom of things. The Major is questioning Carter, and Carter pleads with him to see the surveillance tape from their side of the accident. Their Major Carter was conducting an experiment to try and bridge between universes, and enable the draining of a small amount of energy from each universe to help power up their Ancient chair to fight off the Ori. This was going on at the exact moment that Sam was doing her experiment to enlarge the phase field of Merlin’s device. That dragged Sam across the bridge, killed Major Carter, and left Sam stuck in the alternate universe.
Hammond speaks to the President to inform him of what happened, but before the viewer can see what went on, Hammond goes and speaks to Sam to enlist her aid with the Ori. He needs her to finish the experiment Major Carter started so they can fight off the Ori. Hammond tells Sam that the intel they have states that the Ori are advancing and will attack Earth in five days.
Sam shows Hammond, Dr. Lee, and Major Lorne, Merlin’s device and shows them how it works, explaining that their plan was to hide the entire planet, only now it would hide this alternate Earth. She gets to work to improve the field, and Lorne comes in later to see how she’s doing. Over some conversation, she finds out that in this universe, she was married to and then divorced from Rodney McKay, who is a dot-com billionaire. He’s a jerk in this universe, too.
Carter manages to get the field expansion to work, but they don’t have enough power to operate it, since the ZPM is depleted. She is introduced to the President of the United States, who is President Landry, not her General Landry of her home universe. He tells her that they’ve been planning a back-up source of power for just such an emergency, which will deplete power from the Continental USA. The Ori ships advance, just as Sam and Dr. Lee are powering up the device. They implement the device just as the Ori get within firing range, and the Ori fire harmlessly through the planet, as they think the planet is just cloaked. Sam is taken by President Landry to a press conference, as he wants to milk their success for all it’s worth.
Sam is then flung into the world of celebrity, and as she watches things unfold, she realizes something is very wrong with this world. She finds out that while Landry may’ve pulled the US out of crisis three years ago, their heightened security and use of military weapons to quell protestors is only for political gain. She goes to see Rodney to ask for his help in getting her home, as she realizes that they plan to keep her there indefinitely. He doesn’t believe her story at first, but then sees the truth in her words. While that is going on, the President confirms Sam’s fears and tells Hammond that they’re keeping Sam as she’s proving very useful.
When Sam gets back from convincing Rodney to help her, she finds out that Landry is using her to win a plebiscite to keep him in office. Sam refuses to help, but Landry tells her that she can’t leave. Sam does some digging, and pays a visit to Cameron Mitchell. After that visit, she decides to “cooperate” with Landry’s agenda, but uses the publicity to push her own agenda of freedom. She pays for her actions by being taken from a public place, and dragged onto the Prometheus to see the President. She gives him a talk about doing right by others etc, and when she returns to the SGC, she finds out that Rodney now has her old job, and he’s been authorized to send her home.
Once Carter gets back to her universe, everyone is glad to have her back. They spent two weeks looking for her, thinking she had been stuck out of phase, and then they took turns speaking to what turned out to be an empty room. Everyone begs off when Sam asks them what they talked to her about, but Vala, being sentimental, gives Carter a hug and a sincere welcome home.
All right, while this whole, “thrown into a universe that isn’t your own” isn’t new by any stretch, as it has been played out with variations on this theme; it did provide a morality play for everyone to learn by. Now what did the boys and girls learn today? Anyone? Anyone? ...All right, apparently there aren’t any takers. This was an overt lesson in defending the freedoms and rights protected under the Constitution, as well as a more subtle lesson in what happens when we make the choices we do.
The overt lesson regarding the protection of our precious rights and freedoms is particularly telling at this moment of our history. The episode writers are yelling at the viewer, “Look! Look at what happens when you become complacent in your life! Your rights are usurped in the name of National Security! Are you prepared to lose your hard-won rights?” If you’re sitting there wondering what they are getting at, please wake up. America has been under the long-standing “threat” of terrorism for nearly six years. 911 was a horrible event, and while terrorism is still very real, one cannot live in fear of something that “may” happen. We have passively sat by and watched our rights to privacy collapse under the Patriot Act, watched as people’s rights to legal representation, proper trial, and ability to defend themselves to their charges disintegrate under some undefined “threat to National Security”. Terrorism wins if you fear the unknown. They don’t have to lift a finger because their agenda is completed for them, by your investment of fear. This is the bash-your-head-in lesson that I believe the writers were trying to get across. I could be wrong, but they weren’t too subtle.
The more subtle lesson is where one can look at the way they make decisions in their life. See how different things could be if you had only made a different choice back when? The writers seemed to be saying, “take a look at how you live your life. Really see how you make decisions.” Are you missing potential happiness or have you avoided some awful fate by the choices you made? I think that a lot of people just live their lives as things come. Some things are planned, yes. Like buying your first home, or getting married. Others aren’t, such as falling in love, or that unexpected pregnancy. If we really looked at our lives, and the decisions we made, would we see how it could have been? Would we have regrets? Are we pleased with the way things turned out? Sure, we’ve seen quite a bit of “what-could-have-been” scenarios in media. Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” is one of the best loved films that deals with this scenario. It has been revisited time and time again by sci-fi shows and other genres. It is a gentle reminder to everyone to be conscious of oneself, and remember you are responsible for your decisions and thus, your life.
This wasn’t a bad episode for SG-1; Amanda Tapping managed to carry the episode very well. I always enjoy seeing how the show decides to portray the world outside of the SGC. While we visit “alien” worlds on a weekly basis, I like seeing the Earth they create. Sure, everyone knows they film in Vancouver, but it’s fun to see the city dressed up as somewhere else.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was how heavy-handed the overt lesson was. I am personally not stupid, and I can get subtlety just fine. Smacking me over the head with one’s morality play isn’t the way to win me over. Sure, some people need a good whack in the head, but know that I am not one of them. My brother on the other hand, yes. Whack away. If you need a hand, just ask. I know where to hit him so it’ll leave a good mark. But leave the whacking out of the show. It’s unnecessary.
This episode gets an 8.0 out of 10.0, even with the smackdown.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 30, 2007
BBC Launches Interactive 'Doctor Who' Comic
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that the BBC is launching an online interactive Doctor Who comic book that will enable fans to take their very own trip of a lifetime in the Tardis alongside the Time Lord.
"For the very first time, fans of the show will be able to create their own magical Doctor Who adventure and bring it to life,” says the sci-fi drama’s supremo Russell T Davies, who will also offer online guidance to the participants on how to construct their journey. Users will also be able to upload a photograph of themselves to the site for use in the comic.
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'Torchwood' To Begin Shooting New Series
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that John Barrowman has revealed that the second season of Torchwood will start shooting in Cardiff on Monday.
The actor, who plays Captain Jack Harkness in the Doctor Who spin-off, confirmed the news on ITV chatshow Loose Women on Friday afternoon.
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Anderson: "I didn't hate 'The X-Files'"
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Gillian Anderson has responded to headlines that she hated her time on The X-Files.
The 38-year-old actress was so enraged by recent reports that she regretted her nine years on the show that she posted a message on her official website to clarify her feelings.
She said of The X-Files: "The series went on for a long time - longer than any of us had anticipated or some of us had wished. It was the hardest work I will ever do in my life. I hope for the sake of my children and my sanity that I never have to work that hard again.
"Did I hate it? At times yes. Did I love it? At times yes. Did I regret it or do I regret it now? Not for a second."
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'Iron Man' Director Gives an Update!
superherohype.com is reporting that Iron Man director Jon Favreau has updated his MySpace Iron Man group blog with the following:
I just got back in town. The company has been on the road for many weeks. We started off in the mountains of Lone Pine which doubled for Afghanistan. We then moved to Edwards Air Force Base. We finally closed out the out of town work with Fontana, CA. Let me confirm a few things: The movie will contain both the gray suit and the gold and red. The light you see in the photo on Robert's chest in the USA Today article is the chest piece glowing through his shirt. He is in captivity and forging the mask of the Mark 1. Both suits have been built practically by Winston Studios and are busily at work as we speak.
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Doohan Treks To Space
scifi.com is reporting that the cremated remains of original Star Trek star James Doohan (Montgomery "Scotty" Scott) were finally blasted into space on a commercial rocket on April 28, the Associated Press reported.
Wende Doohan was one of the relatives who fired a rocket carrying a small amount of her husband's ashes, along with those of other people, including Apollo astronaut Gordon Cooper, at 8:56 a.m. local time from a New Mexico launch site. The suborbital flight plummeted back to Earth, coming down at the White Sands Missile Range.
Lost: "D.O.C." Review
By: jiggyj
First up, the flashbacks of the episode were mostly superfluous filer that didn't really add anything dramatic to the show, because unlike some past weeks where the flashbacks have had close ties to the current day plights going-ons on the island, this week there wasn't anything dramatic, unless there was some poorly constructed idea to make a pregnant Sun (who doesn't know the father of her child) be parallel to that of Jin's whore of a mom, but that'd just be stupid. The most interesting thing to come from the flashbacks is the reveal that the splintering of their marriage didn't exactly start with Jin having to go to work for her father, but rather that, because she asked her daddy for money to pay off Jin's mom not to reveal to him the truth, she actually sealed the deal that convinced her dad to hire on Jin into the "real" business of his company, which we know to be that of a gangster like thug who hired Jin to beat people up and get messages across.
Sun was still involved with the best moment of the night, however, when Sun and Juliet went to a previously discovered hatch, which they thought was empty, but Juliet revealed they just hadn't looked in the right spot for the evidence. In the dramatic scene, Sun must receive one of two answers: 1) either the baby isn't Jin's and she lives, or 2) the baby is Jin's and she dies. It's ultimately a lose-lose situation for Sun, because she doesn't want it to be the other guy's baby, not after having rekindled her marriage to Jin. When news comes that Sun will die because it is indeed Jin's, there is a moment of sadness, and yet then it as if Sun couldn't be more happy to hear it is Jin's. The whole scene was really well written and acted, as not a single moment feels forced or fake, and entirely believable.
Juliet also remains her mysterious self, because though she goes back to leave a message on a hidden tape recorder to Ben, she finishes it off with a "I hate you." You have to wonder what Ben has over her, that is obviously making her do things that she doesn't really want to do.
Then of course we have our "camping" survivors trying to get Naomi – the girl who fell from helicopter – help so she doesn't die since she could be their ticket off the island. And wouldn't you know it, but Mikhail saves the dead. Uh? Wait? Uh? Yeah, the guy Locke through the fence and killed is alive and well. Don't you just wish you could live on the island too? He certainly seemed dead at the time, and if he was, you have to wonder why we've had so many deaths on the island. If you can die (if he did die) and just come back, shouldn't Eko, Boone, Shannon, Anna Lucia, and everyone else really be alive?
And then we get the water-cooler moment, where Naomi tells Hurley they couldn't be the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, cause that plane was found, and there were no survivors. We'll assume that a plane was found with dead passengers, but probably something more like Dharma setup so their island and the real survivors wouldn't be discovered. The writers have said on numerous occasions that this isn't a "purgatory" island, plus how would Ben have access to a TV with a real-world sports game. Plus, with the introduction of Penny and the arctic explorers finding out the island is there, it's highly doubtful purgatory is an actual island. So take it for a grain of sand, but we highly doubt our survivors are dead.
Unlike past episodes of recent that have been solid from beginning to end, this one instead came more in spurts and stolen moments. Not a terrible episode by any stretch of the imagination, but not as good as of recent.
Rating: 7.8
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 27, 2007
Paquin on the 'Wolverine' Spinoff
superherohype.com is reporting that ComingSoon.net talked to Anna Paquin about her new movie, Blue State, but also got some comments from the "X-Men" franchise star about the Wolverine spinoff. Here's a clip:
CS: You were signed to do three "X-Men" movies, so if they get around to making a "Wolverine" movie, would you still be interested in playing the character or are you over it and want to move on?
Paquin: I mean, you know, I think it would be like anything else. I loved the people I worked with and they are people I've known now for a really long time, as far as a lot of the creative people behind and in the movie. If it was something that was really interesting and exciting and I got to do something cool, of course I'd want to do it, just like anything. It would be very nice to do more of that if the timing works out or whatever.
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Pimp My Ride, 'Fantastic Four' Style!
superherohype.com is reporting that The Hollywood Reporter says MTV will feature the Fantastic Four sequel on "Pimp My Ride."
For Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," MTV will use a different strategy to promote that film. On "Pimp My Ride," tuner experts will transform a viewer's car into a Silver Surfer-themed vehicle complete with a built-in plasma screen and an Xbox 360.
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Robert Downey Jr. Forges 'Iron Man'
superherohype.com is reporting that the USA Today has published an article on Jon Favreau's Iron Man movie that includes a new photo from the film. Here's a clip:
"We didn't want to just go with a safe choice," Favreau says from the set of the film, due in theaters May 2, 2008. "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic-book character who is having trouble in high school, or can't get the girl. Plus, he's simply one of the best actors around."
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SCI FI Summer Dates Announced
scifi.com is reporting that SCI FI Channel announced the summer release dates of new and returning series, including a new version of Flash Gordon, the investigative adventure reality series Destination Truth and the third season of Doctor Who.
Flash Gordon premieres Aug. 10. It puts a 21st-century spin on the SF classic. SCI FI's contemporized version stars Eric Johnson.
Destination Truth debuts June 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The one-hour weekly series invites viewers along on one man's search for the truth while investigating stories of the unexplained across the globe. Josh Gates stars.
The as-yet-untitled Derren Brown Project premieres July 25 at 10 p.m.. The series stars British mentalist Derren Brown.
Among returning series, Ghost Hunters comes back June 6 at 9 p.m., Doctor Who July 6 at 9 p.m., Eureka on July 10 and Who Wants to be a Superhero? July 25 at 9 p.m.
Babylon 5 - Soul Hunter (1.2) - Review
By: AeloraLane
The second episode of Babylon 5, ‘Soul Hunter’, opens with the appearance of the station’s new doctor, Stephen Franklin. Taking over for Dr. Kyle (who was introduced in the pilot, The Gathering), Franklin is personable, dedicated, and extremely hot.
And therein lay the only reason to watch this episode. The rest of it makes me want to stab an ice pick through my eyeballs repeatedly. Oh! I’m sorry. Was that my outside voice??
Okay, okay. During Franklin’s introduction, Commander Sinclair receives a notification from CnC that there’s a disturbance coming from the jumpgate and he should probably get up there. He excuses himself, leaving the doctor in the capable hands of his second-in-command, Ivanova. Franklin asks her if it’s always that busy, and she replies, “Yes, and we like it that way.” Ah, Ivanova. Always with the amusing responses.
When Sinclair makes it to the command deck, he is informed that a ship of unusal configuration is coming through the jump gate. It is out of control and on a collision with the station! Oh no!! Cue dramatic music…
Blah blah blah Babylon Project…
Sinclair suits up into his flight suit and heads out to attempt to grapple the out of control space ship. He doesn’t want to destroy the ship because it’s a first contact situation. Though there’s plenty of overly dramatic music (actually, as much as I totally and completely love the scores by Christopher Franke, and even own some of the soundtracks, Babylon 5 always had a tendency to overdo it at the oddest moments), Sinclair succeeds in his task and brings the ship onboard, along with its pilot. Of course, I would have preferred he had failed.
On his way to Medlab to check on the patient, Sinclair is joined by Ambassador Delenn who heard about the first contact, and wishes to help out since the Minbari have encountered far more races than the Eathers have. Sinclair is grateful for the assistance and agrees. Unfortunately, things get complicated the moment Delenn sees the unconscious pilot and wrestles away Garibaldi’s gun in an attempt to shoot the pilot, declaring that they have to kill it. She calls it a Soul Hunter. Aside from the overly dramatic demand from Sinclair as to “Why?! Why should we kill it?!” the scene provides enough curiosity for the viewer to be drawn in as to why Delenn, who was portrayed as the calm, level-headed alien of the bunch, would have such an extreme reaction.
Eventually, Delenn apologizes for her behavior and we get an explanation from her, which is truly one of the silliest sci-fi plotlines ever and yes, I’ve watched all of the Star Trek series’. Soul Hunters are apparently drawn to death, so that they can capture the soul before it goes into the Great Beyond. They only want the souls of really great and important people, though, the ones who are visionaries and dreamers, so that they can keep that mind alive… but who knows for what reason. It’s not as if they’re apparently using these souls for anything, or even sharing them with the rest of the galaxy. But it’s still imperative that they collect them – whatever it is that they’re collecting.
I really try not to think about this episode too hard.
As Delenn is telling her story, including the fact that certain classes of Minbari are particularly sought after by the Soul Hunters (hey, at least she’s humble!), we’re shown a particularly ridiculous group of bums and hustlers in Down Below. Actually, every human vagrant and villain on this show is so stereo-typically overdone that you’re often torn between laughter and horror whenever they’re introduced. It’s part of the camp that I love, but also the one thing about Babylon 5 that really annoys me. I can’t help but wonder how much more the already impressive drama this show delivered would have been had so many minor characters and extras not been so… stupid. Anyway, the Soul Hunter awakens in Medlab as the lurker (the name given to those who live in Down Below) who has no teeth has cheated another who has really big hair, and been caught. There’s a dramatic chase scene (I totally wrote that with a straight face!) through Down Below between the two lurkers that ends in the death of No Teeth. Throughout this entire scene, there are quick jumps back to Medlab where Doctor Franklin gets to listen to the Soul Hunter describe the attack. This is the point where I am already wishing Delenn had succeeded in killing the Soul Hunter…
When No Teeth is brought into Medlab, and Franklin’s team attempts to save him, the Soul Hunter continues to describe the man’s last breaths in one and two-worded sentences. I think it was supposed to increase the intensity of the drama or something. Franklin tells someone to “kill that speaker” and, of course, I like to imagine that he meant “speaker” as in the one who was talking. Ah, well, he didn’t, and the Soul Hunter continues to go on about “Gone now… Gone… “
Have I mentioned that I’d rather be battling murlocs than watching this episode, again??
Sinclair appears in Medlab and tries to have a discussion with the Soul Hunter. In order to achieve this, he refers to him as a thief. When the Soul Hunter speaks, he basically confirms everything that Delenn already told Sinclair, so the scene is kind of pointless. The conversation between Sinclair and Franklin, in which the doctor declares that he doesn’t believe a word of it as it is all superstitious nonsense, is at least a bit more insightful as to the beliefs of our main characters, and the question as to whether or not souls really exist.
The same sort of conversation continues between Franklin and Ivanova as they send the body of No Teeth off into space. Franklin says that life is too short, and hard to figure out. Ivanova comments that even if humans lived to 200 years, they’d still be human and still make mistakes. This one line is perhaps the shining moment of this episode, as it encompasses the majority of the storyline behind Babylon 5. The doctor tells Ivanova that she’s a pessimist, but she chalks it up to being Russian.
Eventually we discover that this particular Soul Hunter isn’t like the rest of his race. Apparently he’s a bit of a loser, always getting to the people too late and missing out on capturing their souls. His biggest mistake came when he was not allowed by the Minbari to collect the soul of their great leader, Dukhat, when he was killed. So the Soul Hunter went a little crazy. Once he realizes that he’s seen Delenn before, at the death of Dukhat, and that she is Satai, and a member of the Grey Council, he decides to make her his next achievement and breaks out of Medlab in order to do so.
Luckily, another Soul Hunter appears on Babylon 5, warning Sinclair and Garibaldi about the crazy Soul Hunter they had in Medlab, and that he now kills the people that he needs to in order to collect their souls. The moment they discover Delenn is missing, they have their new Soul Hunter friend (this would be so much easier with actual names!) help lead them to where she may have been taken, and Commander Sinclair goes off on his own (because that’s what heroes do!) to save her.
The Soul Hunter has already begun the process of draining Delenn’s soul from her, with the most outlandish-looking machine possible – not to mention, one has to wonder how he got that thing all the way in Down Below without anyone anywhere noticing him dragging it along – when Sinclair finds him. They briefly have a shooting match, and then begin hand-to-hand combat, which the Soul Hunter is clearly winning, before the little glass balls of souls that the Soul Hunter has collected, and kept in a bag, begin floating over to their captor and surround him. Apparently they aren’t too happy with being held in little glass balls, and while he is distracted by them, Sinclair turns the outlandish machine on the Soul Hunter, instantly yanking his soul into its own little glass ball.
The stupidity, it burns.
Whenever I rewatch this episode, I always find myself wondering what caused me to tune into the third episode. Obviously, I had no idea how good Babylon 5 would become until I sat through it all. Looking back, while season one has its moment’s of brilliance, few of the episodes can even compare to the rest of the series, with ‘Soul Hunter’ being one of its low points. And yes, I’m as equally dreading my repeat viewing of ‘TKO’…
Luckily, as with every episode of Babylon 5, there are a few saving graces of ‘Soul Hunter’. It’s one of Delenn’s stronger early episodes, showing a more vindictive side of her that we don’t often get a chance to see. The storyline also alludes to the mystery surrounding the Minbari’s request for Sinclair to be placed in charge of the Babylon station when in Medlab, Delenn tells him that “we were right about you”. It also brings up the question as to why a leader of the Minbari people, a member of the mysterious Grey Council, is performing the duties of an ambassador.
Aside from the obvious philosophical debates that the question of ‘soul hunting’ can spur, and the introduction of Doctor Franklin, ‘Soul Hunter’ provides very little worth taking away from the Babylon 5 series. We never see another Soul Hunter in the series, nor are they ever spoken of again, and there were no consequences from what happened in the episode. If it weren’t that every episode of the series offers at least a sentence’s worth of a hint toward the overall storyline, I’d suggest to most new viewers to simply skip it. This show has far greater, brighter and more engaging stories to tell.
Notable quotes:
Ivanova: "This is not a clear and present danger? I must read the rule book again."
Ivanova: “I'm Russian, Doctor. We understand these things.”
Sinclair: “Two soul hunters. Did someone book a convention without telling me?”
Garibaldi: “I really hate it when you get heroic. It cuts into my business. Man’s gotta make a living, you know.”
Franklin: “And that sort of talk will get you sent off on a very long vacation.”
Anime Review: RahXephon "Pluralitas Concentio"
By: samwiseb
Following the broadcast of the TV series, the staff at Studio BONES produced this feature film -composed mostly of recycled footage- that offered a uniquely different perspective on the existing story. But it also spoiled the series for anybody who hadn’t already seen it. Be advised that this review will have the same effect (still reading? You’ve been warned).
14-year-old Haruka Mishima couldn’t be happier. She loves her boyfriend Ayato Kamina, and their relationship seems to be progressing well enough that he’s finally introduced her to his mother. But when she mentions going out of town to visit relatives, Maya Kamina seems just a little too interested in knowing her travel plans. No sooner has she left Tokyo when the entire city disappears off the map, surrounded by a spherical barrier that looks like the planet Jupiter. Haruka cannot return to her home, or to Ayato.
Humanity soon finds their world is being invaded by pan-dimensional beings calling themselves the Mu, who are more or less human but with blue blood. Haruka eventually joins the military organization TERRA that exists to combat the Mu threat. And fifteen years later, she participates in an operation to penetrate Tokyo Jupiter and retrieve Ayato, along with the Mulian humanoid artifact RahXephon.
But inside Mu-occupied Tokyo, time moves at one-fifth normal speed. And its mind-controlled citizens, cut off from the rest of world, wrongly believe that theirs is the last surviving city on Earth. When Haruka is at last reunited with Ayato, she finds he is still only a teenager due to the time differential. And furthermore, he has no memory of her.
Ayato returns with Haruka to the outside world, whereupon TERRA reluctantly enlists him as the pilot (‘instrumentalist’) for the RX. Further complicating matters, Ayato is found to have the Mu-phase in his blood. And the mysterious Bahbem Foundation, which supplies TERRA with its advanced technology, seems to have its own interest in Ayato and RX. Can TERRA trust Ayato, even if he knows nothing of his situation? Can he retain his humanity despite his Mulian blood? Who will control the Tuning of the World? Does Haruka still have a chance to win back Ayato’s love before the world itself is changed beyond recognition?
The retooling of popular television series into ‘movie’ format is a well established trend in anime. On rare occasion, the story might in fact benefit from being so trimmed (the Gundam movies being such an example). But usually such a movie will, at best, serve as a worthy companion to its parent series, perhaps allowing new insight into its characters and story. For a series as tightly-written and complicated as RahXephon, one can certainly make the case for such a movie.
About 70% of the animation is recycled from the series, with some fresh footage added in. Much of the new material exists merely to provide shortcuts to move characters more quickly from point A to B. Some of it gives us a look at important scenes that may (or may not) have occurred “backstage” within the continuity of the TV series, offering a clearer focus into motives and subplots that might previously have overwhelmed viewers.
However, the movie itself is its own continuity and therefore not compatible with the TV series canon. Most obvious changes to the storyline include:
-The movie seemingly being presented from Haruka’s point of view. This is problematic in itself, as Ayato had already twice as the amount of screen time in the original footage to begin with. In the single most ridiculous scene of the movie, Haruka commits statutory rape with Ayato while visiting him in solitary confinement.
-The removal of Ixtli (“Reika Mishima”) from the storyline. In the TV series this entity assumed the form of ‘younger’ Haruka and hypnotized people into ‘recognizing’ her in whatever context she chose, conveniently distracting Ayato (and us) from figuring out his connection with the real Haruka.
-Quon being kept in suspended animation throughout most of the movie. In the second most outrageous scene, Ayato is forced (literally, as in kicking and screaming) to “kiss” Quon in order to Awaken her. Itsuki loves her instead of Haruka, and no mention is made of him and Ayato being brothers.
-Quon’s RahXephon being ‘defective’, to the point that it will actually destroy the world if she controls the Tuning. Thus the Mu -and Quon herself- have placed their trust in Ayato despite his human upbringing (though the Mu still hope their idea of a properly ‘tuned’ world will be the one that’s realized).
-Maya is Ayato’s actual mother this time, as opposed to having merely adopted him. Ayato’s loss of memory is now attributed to being born a full-blooded Mulian, rather than under some external mind control.
-In the interests of minimizing exposition, several characters (including Futagami!) are simply spliced out of the film altogether.
-A new epilogue replaces the “coda” sequence from the series, hints at the outcome of the Mu and human worlds, but this time leaves the post-Tuning fates of Haruka and Ayato open to interpretation.
How does the movie play for the uninitiated? It doesn’t, really. In my opinion there is still too much information to absorb in just under two hours. And the plot driven elements often don’t flow well with the Haruka/Ayato relationship, now the exclusive focus of the story as far as character empathy is concerned. The movie wisely skips over the episodic battles that made up the middle act of the series, avoiding some obvious potential pacing problems while creating others. The downside of this is that it’s really unclear what most of the supporting characters actually do, as they now have minimalist roles and seem to just be waiting for the plot to move them. The movie does at times manage to channel the awe-inspiring beauty and pathos of the series… but for anyone who just walked in, it does so without seeming to have earned it.
Ultimately two important factors prevented me from recommending the movie as a “sampler” for the series. First, there are a couple scenes (see above) that just seem so far out of character as to leave a rather distasteful first impression. And second, while the movie is true to the emotional core of the original story, it’s just not as epic. And the (comparatively) linear narrative mode of the story here, giving away some of its most important mysteries right up front, just isn’t as much fun.
Oh, and remember how I commented on the series' tendency to get all 'experimental' with its use of different aspect ratios in key episodes? Well, it comes back to bite this movie big time with its dependence on recycled footage.
For what it’s worth, I believe the movie complements the series nicely enough, and does in fact serve as a helpful reference toward better understanding the series’ storyline -providing you can pick out the details that blatantly contradict it. But in the end, no two-hour movie can substitute for 26 episodes of character development and story. Think of this as an “encore” presentation only, nonessential viewing, and cautiously respect it as such.
My score for RahXephon “Pluralitas Concentio”: 7 out of 10.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 26, 2007
Three Clips and Behind the Scenes Footage from 'Heroes' String Theory!!
iesb.net is reporting that "String Theory" Episode 20 of NBC's Heroes will premiere on Monday April 30th! A throw back to the Uncanny X-Men and their "Days of Future Past," on Heroes this coming week Future Hiro must counsel present day Hiro to put right what once went wrong. Oh boy!
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 |
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Heroes 119: .07%
By: Zotquix
What an episode! Starting with the recap, the writing is already excellent in ".07%". Linderman's narration is not just informative about the other characters, but about himself as well. And it does relate what has happened so far to the major players while providing us additional information about those players. The dialogue in this episode is realistic, original, and intelligent. I especially like when Mr. Bennet says to Thompson, "If you were going to kill me, you would've done it already," to which he replies, "We're just waiting for the order. That's how we do it here. We follow orders." Way to take a cliche line and use it to chilling effect.
It is probably note worthy that Thompson offers to bring Mr. Bennet a book by Graham Green. Mr. Green is an author who well could have written the story of Heroes. He likes to deal with the moral challenges people face, and emphasizes the journey they take, even when that journey ends in tragedy. In "The Quiet American," he writes about the Vietnam war and the moral quandries colonialism presents, which seems particularly applicable to Heroes (and not merely because of Linderman's backstory - see the graphic novels for that story, but rather because it resonates with the stucture of competing powers impacting people's personal lives). Possibly more familiar to some readers is the movie "The Third Man" which Green scripted and starred Orson Welles (regularly placed on lists of the top 10 movies of all times). Both pieces have bittersweet endings to say the least, and one can see how what these works are really about is how human relationships and moral decisions interplay and sometimes even conflict with dire consequences.
Literary references aside, it isn't just the writing that is good in ".07%". Mr. Bennet guiding Matt Parkman through his escape is some of the most deft direction I've seen on television in some time. Previously I've credited Greg Grunberg's acting in these 'playing against no one' scenes, and that is no less true here, but it takes more to carry this complicated series of events off without losing the audience. The choice of shots to communicate the story is excellent and at the same time the director isn't afraid to allow some overlapping dialogue. It is the perfect mix of realism and storytelling, and because it is a success it works without confusing the audience at all.
One thing I noticed this week, is that both the actors who played Peter Petrelli and Theodore Sprague looked a little unrecognizable. Matthew John Armstrong shaved and without the dialogue to identify him, one might not realize he is the radioactive Sprague. Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Peter, looks like he's been working out or has somehow gotten taller. Not a bad change though and possibly reflective of where his character is at. Peter seems to have come out of his shell and is really his own person. He is ready for this weeks fight with Sylar, and we should not be surprised that he holds his own.
And yes, the rematch between Peter and Sylar is everything we hoped it would be. Even if it is short, multiple powers are used and the special effects are flawless. I really enjoyed watching that scene, as it is the heart of what super-hero comics are. Yes, we live in a new age of literary realism, but without action, you might as well be watching a straight up drama. The promise of "Heroes" (and of modern day comics) is to combine drama with extraordinary action to create stories that are realistic in every way other than their fantastic premises. And this episode (as a few others have) does that very well.
Even better, the action scene is upstaged by the drama at the Petrelli apartment. Before I go further, I do have a complaint. It seems unlikely that Mohinder would take Peter's body (though his reasons are understandable) back to the Petrelli apartment. How do you get somewhere in New York with an apparent corpse? Certainly it would've been better if Suresh had taken the opportunity to kill Sylar and then he could have left Peter where he was. Still I am willing to accept this minor contrivance for the circumstance it creates.
And what a circumstance. So many elements converging makes for an amazing milieu. Having Clair, Peter, Nathan, and the elder Mrs. Petrelli all in the same place for the first time this season is just an incredibly exciting opportunity, and it is not wasted. There were many ways this could go, and it is a little surprising that Claire is more interested in Peter than in Nathan (Peter, her apparent uncle with whom she feels a connection and has just shockingly died, as opposed to her father, Nathan), but everything unfolds naturally, and we get to see many of the conversations we have waited so long for.
Screentime is spent how it should be and where it is needed. We don't dwell overlong on Nathan and Peter telling their mother about the special powers which we know she already knows about, but the conversation between Peter and Nathan about Peter's ultimate fate is given more weight as it is of greater importance. Again, the writing and direction ingeniously weave what *has* happened into drama about what *will* happen. And Nathan continues to be one of the most problematic characters in the entire show, rivaling Linderman himself. For so long Nathan has seemed not to care about his brother or anyone else at all, and now, whether his brother lives or dies tips the scales of fate for how we will conclude this "Volume".
There is a great deal of confusion about the future of Heroes. Many heard during the teaser for next week's episode that these last four episodes were the final four of the 'series'. To clarify, Wikipedia cites Spoilerfix.com and scifi.com's scifiwire as saying there will be another season and, "The [next] season is referred to as "Volume Two: Generations". It will focus on the relatives and families of the heroes from season one, including Mohinder's deceased sister Shanti. According to Tim Kring, the second season will consist of "new people and new storylines...and new heroes"." So this season should see a great deal of closure, but we can still look forward to more content in the same universe. And is there anything that honors "Heroes" comic book roots than its continuity and serial nature?
If anything, the show is much closer to being a graphic novel than its online support materials. While the artwork is well done and appreciated, calling them graphic novels is a bit of a stretch. These things are about five pages long. And while I've enjoyed them, there is better stuff out there in the world of real graphic novels. Which reminds me, when did female Mossad agents become the next KGB/NAZIs in comics? I love 'Y the Last Man' and everytime I see Hana Gittelman I think, are there really all these hot Israeli spies running around? Maybe I need to join the Mossad.
However, I digress. The conclusion of ".07%" is somewhat unexpected. Seeing Candice with Micah and Linderman confirmed that "The Company" and the Linderman Group really are same organization. Which is a rather strange situation. While they have never actually worked against each other, the organizations seem to have different motivations at least. "The Company" seems to have an air of legitimacy, or at least governmental authority. Yes, Hana Gitelman's graphic novel stories suggest otherwise, but until it was at least possible she was being misled. Their primary purpose seems to be to study, track, contain, and utilize people with special abilities. The Linderman Group's approach includes much more heavy handed tactics. Extortion, threats, sending rapists and murders to intimidate people. If they were part of the same organization, why not, say, use Eden to persuade people to do what Mr. Linderman wanted them to do (before she met with her ultimate demise)?
The other question I have is, how important it is that Sprague chooses to go to New York rather than Las Vegas? Neither Peter Petrelli nor Sylar possesses his power yet, and this seems to be the essential component to having the exploding man...explode. Most of what we know suggests that the exploding man must be Peter, but even that is not a certainty. And after a whole episode of talking about how we can't fight the future, I still have some skepticism that the disaster won't be averted altogether. If Hiro wanted to pick a spot to return to in the present/past, this would seem to be an optimal spot.
I give ".07%" a 9 out of 10. One waits through most a season for these moments and thinks, "It can only be a let down". Instead this episode met and surpassed my expectations. As for, uh, eye candy, I would've been disappointed by a lack of 'Wireless', but Candice is actually an even better in this regard. On the whole, I still haven't seen any 'it changed my life' episodes, but yeah, ".07%" is almost as good as it gets otherwise.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 |
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Roswell (3.07) “Interruptus” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
When we rejoin the happy newly-married couple, about to leave on their honeymoon, Isabel tells Kyle to tell the guys about the Kevar situation. Kyle is disgusted by her refusal to deal with the issue at hand, but she is determined to not ruin her honeymoon with it. Kyle tells the guys and they find Kevar on the videotape. Max and Michael decide to fly out and deal with Kevar in person, who they believe will follow Isabel to her destination in La Jolla, California. When Isabel and Jesse get to La Jolla, everything seems idyllic, until Kevar shows up and inserts himself into their honeymoon.
Back in Roswell, Maria overhears Jeff Parker and Phillip Evans talk, but can’t make out what they’re discussing. Maria tells Liz, and she tries to get the skinny from her Dad, but gets nowhere. Phillip Evans then goes to the Valenti house to try and find out more about his son Max, as he has questions. Kyle tells Maria and Liz, and they talk about the situation.
Maria figures out that Kevar took the body of a man named Denny, and they must warn Max and Michael before they kill him. As this is unfolding, Kevar asks Isabel to meet him by the water. That evening, she is pulled to meet him, but she wants to tell him to leave her alone. He pleads with her to go home with him. She refuses, even after he kisses her, and runs back to Jesse.
Things get worse, as Max and Michael confront Isabel about the kiss and their need to destroy Kevar. Isabel argues with them, and they agree to have Isabel stay with Jesse for the night and at dawn leave him, find Kevar, and let Max and Michael put an end to the charade once and for all. They leave and Isabel imagines how Jesse would react if she told him about her alien status. Deciding it wouldn’t go well, she lets it go and tells her new husband that she’s feeling icky and they need to just go to bed.
The next day, she sneaks out and meets Kevar. Her alter-ego Vilandra takes over and tells Kevar that she’s ready to go home. Max and Michael try to stop things but are fought off by Kevar. Just before they step into some kind of portal to go home, Jesse shows up and tries to take on Kevar on his own. This jolts Isabel out of her delusion and she knocks Jesse out so she can deal with Kevar. She leads Kevar to the portal and tells him that if he tries to come back, she’ll kill him herself, then shoves him into the portal. The human he possessed is thrown out of the portal and Michael leads him away from the scene.
When Jesse comes too, he sees that they’re back in their room. Isabel gives him a reasonable explanation for what transpired and they make love. Back in Roswell, Liz has followed her father to Phillip Evans’ law office, and when they leave, she sneaks in and finds a hidden bulletin board with the question “What is Max hiding?”, and cards about her, Tess, other information about Max’s activities. The episode ends with a pan across the board.
This was the second act to this arc, and I personally found Kevar non-threatening. I actually found him to be a bit of an ass. The kind of guy where, when he hits on you, you cringe and tell him to get lost before you call security. The kind of guy, when he asks for your phone number, you give him the number to the local SPCA. I haven’t actually done that, but boy, have I been tempted. Kevar was written as the common species, “Bardus vir”, or in English, “Stupid man”. An affliction common to the Western World, but also found in regions across the globe. The writers obviously had a bad break up with someone when they wrote this character, because he wasn’t scary at all, just moronic. And don’t most relationships end with this revelation?
I nearly choked with laughter when I saw Isabel’s flowers left over from her wedding on the table at the court-side bar where she, Jesse, and Kevar/Kevin were having drinks. Oh dear, those flowers certainly do live on. Could the production value of this episode be any lower? Well, yes. But it was really bad even though it could’ve been worse. That “resort” wasn’t even near the ocean, and they filmed it in L.A.! What, did they run out of money so they couldn’t afford to film anywhere other than some pathetic back-lot? Man, for a third season, the producers sure didn’t fight for better stuff.
The only thing I enjoyed about this episode was Isabel wore some nice clothes, even if they are officially out of date by now. While she wasn’t the height of fashion for the time period this was filmed in, she at least looked presentable. Jesse looked good as well. Not in clothes, mind you. Those were sad and a wee bit ugly, but when he shucked them for very little else, that was pleasant. I’ve simply got to find the good in everything I see. That was it.
I’m giving this a 6.5 out of 10.0, because I can’t get over the terrible production values I witnessed. This could’ve been filmed as a Canadian production for Canadian television back in 1990. That’s when we did most stuff out of Toronto, and it showed. For an American production out of L.A in 2001, that’s the kiss of death, baby. Think about it.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 |
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Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 25, 2007
New 'Fantastic Four 2' Posters
latinoreview.com now has up some new Fantastic Four 2 posters.
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A "Legend" Scene Costing Millions
darkhorizons.com is reporting that there's talk all the time of expensive film sequences which didn't make it to the screen. For now the most notable remains the many millions spent on several space-set sequences in "Superman Returns" which didn't make the final cut.
Now, Yahoo News reports that Warner Bros. $150+ million sci-fi actioner "I Am Legend" spent at least $5 million for six days of night shoots in January to film a key scene for the Will Smith project.
Stargate Atlantis: “Echoes” Review
By: droopymcc
Welcome, all Gaters, to my inaugural writings for Sci-Fi Brain. I have been charged with Stargate Atlantis reviews for the site and I’m approaching it with the unique perspective of someone who is new to the series and the franchise.
My previous Stargate experience can be summed into two events. The first is watching the movie upon which all this is based (which I liked, mind you). The second dates back from when SG1 premiered. They would incessantly air ads for it and I’d know some snippets from the first episode by heart (to this day, if my brother or I mention we have nowhere to go, the automatic response is “For this, you can stay at my place”).
As for science fiction pedigree, I cut my teeth watching original Star Trek episodes on Saturday mornings on the CBC. As a kid, the sets and action were enough to keep me interested but as I got older and re-examined those same episodes, the stories and ideas came forth. It was a gateway (no pun intended) to more sci-fi to come, yet somehow that never included Stargate...until now.
I will continue a bit more with my musings on science fiction in my next review but let’s skip directly to this latest instalment of Stargate Atlantis, “Echoes”. It being my first episode of either series, I was hoping it would be stand-alone enough for me to jump into and understand a bit of the characters and situation. Thankfully, it turned out to be enjoyable and accessible enough to new viewers, which is something a series like this should be able to do; their goal is to assimilate new viewers as quickly as possible to ensure the success of the franchise for this series and beyond.
The teaser opens up with Sheppard, Ronon and Zelenka returning from a trip to find their jumper’s instruments are behaving oddly. At first, they think that Atlantis has disappeared but realize that their navigation systems are off. Correcting course, they return home. After Ronon tries meditation with Teyla, she is witness to a bizarre encounter in a hallway of Atlantis. A concerned-looking woman appears, speaking a language she doesn’t understand, taking no notice of Teyla and eventually walks straight through her. A ghost, perhaps? Looks like we have a mystery on our hands.
Walking down another hallway after a sparring session with Ronon, Teyla sees the woman again. She mentions it to Ronon, who sees nothing. The woman walks by and a door opens. A badly burned man, with his flesh scarcely hanging on, stumbles out, before disappearing. Teyla’s medical scans come back clean, despite her frequent headaches, and show no indication as to the source of her visions. She speculates she is seeing ghosts of those who have died recently, trapped between this plane of existence and the next. It is her feeling that these ghosts need her help to move on. Things get more interesting, however, when the burned man appears to Weir and then Dr. Beckett also sees doctors working on the burned man in surgery.
Separately, McKay notices a whale-like fish (which he names Sam, after SG1’s Samantha Carter) swimming around the city. This is the same whale that saved his life in a previous episode from last year. While studying the whales in a jumper, both McKay and Sheppard begin having headaches and bleeding from the ears. They turn back to return to Atlantis while Zelenka, who is assisting them from the city, notices there are now dozens of whales in the ocean, all converging on Atlantis.
In a meeting, Weir reveals that more people in the city are seeing one of three visions: the woman, the burned man or scientists. Regardless of which vision people see, the common element connecting them is that they appear to be Ancient and they seem to be warning the people of the city about something. Teyla thinks there is a connection between the whales and the visions, as they both started at the same time. She has a lengthier vision, including the woman, the scientists and the burned man, who she identifies as a pilot by his uniform, before collapsing with a bloodied nose. Teyla is taken to the infirmary, now full of people incapacitated by headaches and bleedings caused by the whales’ songs. The Daedalus arrives and Caldwell suggests killing all the whales to solve the problem, an idea Weir dismisses immediately.
Meanwhile, McKay discovers an ancient lab that was used to communicate with the whales long ago. There is equipment there specifically calibrated to communicate with the whales. McKay tells Weir that the Ancients were communicating with the whales, in an attempt to teach them their language, when a traumatic event occurred, which was stored in the whales’ genetic memory. The visions everyone is seeing are “reruns” of that incident, a warning from the whales to the people of the city of an impending disaster. Putting some of the whales’ speech through a filter in the ancient lab, Weir recognizes some words as Ancient and singles out the word “Adaris”. Doing some research on the word, McKay and Sheppard discover it was the name of an Ancient scientific vessel whose entire crew, save the pilot, was killed by a sunspot explosion. He managed to open a hyperspace window just as the radiation hit the ship and made it back to Atlantis to warn them. The Ancients were able to extend their shield over a large portion of the planet to protect it from the blast. They realize the whales are warning them of another sun blast like the one 15,000 years ago that killed the crew of the Adaris. The problem this time is that with a single ZPM, Atlantis could only power a shield over the city, leaving the rest of the planet unprotected. But Sheppard has a plan.
Sheppard decides to use the Daedalus like an umbrella. He gives them the ZPM, despite McKay’s protests, in an effort to boost the ship’s shields. The Daedalus then positions itself as close to the source of the blast as possible and deflects it out of the way of the planet. After a few tense moments where heat build-up looks like it may destroy the Daedalus, the sun blast ends, the ship survives and crisis avoided. The threat having passed, the whales disperse and everything reverts to normal.
This being my first episode of Stargate, I had no idea what to expect. Would the acting be horrible? Would the special effects be bad? I try not to judge a show by its special effects or acting and rather concentrate on the ideas of the story. So in my first exposure to this franchice, what I found turned out to be a highly enjoyable hour. It had a nice mix of humour, mystery and adventure. Yes, some of the acting has that distinct Canadian style but that’s to be expected. As a Canadian myself, I’m used to it and it’s kind of comforting, really. Secondly, the effects were very nice. The brief glimpses of the whales were pretty, as was the effect of the sun blast off the Daedalus’s shields. But as I mentioned, all that is meaningless without a nice story to tell.
At first, when the ghost appeared, I thought this would end up being like a bad version of TNG’s “Sub Rosa” (as if that episode wasn’t bad enough). Then, Ronon and Teyla’s meditation brought back shades of Trip and T’Pol’s massages on Enterprise. But soon, I learned to dismiss bad memories of recent Trek and accept Stargate as a different breed. It has a sense of fun and adventure missing from some other shows that take themselves too seriously.
The plot of this episode went somewhere completely different than where I expected it to go. This is an episode without an A and B story. Rather, they had enough story to tell to fill the entire episode, with both halves coming together in an unexpected way. I did find the explanation that the Ancients’ traumatic event embedded in the whales’ genetic makeup a little hard to swallow. There was no explanation beyond that one line and it didn’t make any sense to me. Also, if the whales could sense this sun blast phenomenon, why didn’t they warn the Ancients at the time? And another thing: these sun blasts only explode out in the direction of the planet? I understand that once emanated, the blast will fan out but what if it’s at a time of year where the planet is around the other side of the sun? How do these whales know that this particular blast is destined to hit the planet?
Besides some reservations I had about some aspects of the plot, I appreciated some character moments throughout. All these people are new to me but I could still appreciate their interactions. The Teyla/Ronon moments were nice and seem like there is something there for the future and McKay and Sheppard make a good odd couple, helping each other out but also mocking each other at times. However, I didn’t buy that Sheppard would so quickly go out to indulge McKay’s fascination with the whales, just to mock those who would do such a thing, calling them “tree-huggers”, later in the episode. But besides all that, I did enjoy the episode. It wasn’t full of continuity, which I appreciated for my first episode, and it made for a fun way to spend an hour, even though we knew Sheppard’s plan would work from the start. The ship is named Daedalus, after all, and not Icarus.
Full disclosure: “Echoes” gets a few extra points due to some lines about the CFL and the pronunciation of Zed instead of Zee.
Score: 7.5 teleprojecting whales on 10.
As a final note for any readers who have concerns about someone new to the show writing its reviews, I ask you to put those uneasy feelings to rest. I’ve acquired all previous episodes of the show and have already begun watching them in order. I’m hoping to catch up as quickly as possible to be able to infuse my forthcoming reviews with greater understanding of the characters and depth of the story. See you all next week in this space.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 24, 2007
The Hulk Will Definitely be Green
superherohype.com is reporting that Empire Online just confirmed what we were thinking, that the Hulk will just be a different shade of green and not a completely different color, such as gray. Producer Avi Arad cleared up his comments from Friday:
"It was a joke!" laughs Arad, in town to talk up Spider-Man 3, which opens on May 4. "Here's what it was. There were 30 people around a table, and they said 'is there going to be a grey Hulk?' And I was thinking about it and I said, 'who knows?' It was one of those moments. I had just got back from Japan and I was trying to talk about Spider-Man and this guy was pushing me on The Hulk so I thought I'll be coy. I don't know what colour it is, and all of a sudden it's headline news."
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'Doctor Who' Season Three Travels to Sci Fi
zap2it.com is reporting that The Doctor is in on American television.
Sci Fi Channel and BBC Worldwide Americas has acquired the third season of the popular time travel series "Doctor Who" for premiere on Sci Fi in July.
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Week 2 Ratings Fall 30 Percent
gateworld.net is reporting that new episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis took a major ratings hit on Friday, April 20, with SG-1 falling 30 percent from the mid-season premiere the week before.
"Line In the Sand" aired at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, earning a 1.1 average household rating (Live + Same Day). This is a drop of four-tenths of a point from the previous week.
Atlantis followed at 9 p.m. with "Echoes." The episode earned a 1.2 rating, down 15 percent (two-tenths of a point) from the previous week.
Stargate SG-1 (10.12) “Line in the Sand” – Review
By: jesuiscanadien
The team has moved on, even though Daniel Jackson is still missing. They’ve been testing a device to make solid objects not just invisible, but out of phase enough so that other solid objects can pass through easily. General Landry has ordered the SG-1 team to go to P9C-822 to help a village opposing the Ori, and use the new device to hide the village. Sam Carter isn’t too enthusiastic about the idea, but Vala has already jumped in with both feet, as it were.
The SG-1 team goes to P9C-822 and are introduced to the people. Thilana leads the villagers, and she helps get the team settled. Sam gets the device up and running, rendering the village essentially invisible, but it only lasts a few hours. A power fluctuation causes the failsafe to trip and the village is thrown out of phase. Sam works feverishly to get the device up and running again, but is not successful. The Ori show up and rain on her possible parade.
Colonel Mitchell gets some of the villagers armed to fight, but the Ori forces overtake them. Sam is injured in the fire fight, and Mitchell has to activate the device. He manages to get it running, but only gets the immediate building to disappear. This is witnessed by some of the soldiers, and they question those outside. Vala saucily tells the soldier that, “Perhaps it was the will of the gods”. Before the soldier can kill her, he’s stopped by Tomin, Vala’s husband during her Ori occupation. Tomin orders everyone else killed, and Vala watches horrified. Mitchell has managed to get Sam bandaged up, and tells her about how the device activated.
On the Ori Mothership, Vala is Tomin’s prisoner. He has been ordered to convert Vala as his punishment for Vala’s behaviour as his wife. If Vala does not conform, she will die. Teal’c has managed to hide from the Ori soldiers, but when he talks to Thilana, one of her men, Matar, tells Thilana that she must accept Origin on behalf of the villagers to save them. Teal’c and Thilana see things differently, and advise him of their opinion.
Mitchell is caring for Carter, and trying to outline a plan to get her safely back to Earth. Carter vetoes it, saying there is no way he can get her to the gate alive, and besides, she might not make it. Mitchell isn’t hearing that kind of talk, and believes he can get them out. On the Ori Mothership, Tomin is preaching blandly to Vala, and she keeps interrupting him, trying to help him see what he’s really doing. It ends badly with Tomin smacking Vala, and her telling him that maybe he should kill her now.
The soldiers demand to know how the building disappeared, and when Thilana expresses ignorance, Matar speaks up and betrays Teal’c. The soldiers take Teal’c but also Thilana and Matar. Seems Matar may’ve signed his death warrant with the betrayal.
Back on the Ori ship, Tomin apologizes to Vala for hitting her, and Vala tells him a story about how the Ori came into their power. Tomin listens, but seemingly does not believe Vala, and closes the door on her, possibly for the last time.
Planetside, the Prior has come to visit, which bodes ill for Teal’c, as he is willing to use his staff to probe Teal’c’s mind. Matar tries to save himself, but the Prior seems to have other ideas. In the shielded building, Sam and Mitchell talk, but the Prior comes into the room and uses his staff to try and find them. It doesn’t work and the Prior commands that they come out and show themselves or the village will be razed to the ground. Mitchell breathes a sigh of relief when he leaves and their hiding spot is not revealed.
On the Ori ship, the Prior tells Tomin that the village will burn because they have been “touched by evil”. Tomin clearly has issues with the way the Prior has interpreted the passages, but the Prior rebuffs his query. Back on the planet, Mitchell watches as the Ori soldiers vacate the village, and prepare to bomb from orbit. Teal’c comes to after the Prior’s probe, and Thilana tells him that she had to give up the info about the device. Matar comes in with some others to kill Teal’c, and Thilana convinces Matar to let their people die free. Matar gives up his weapon, and Teal’c nods in thanks.
On board the ship, Tomin asks Vala why her team do not give up and show themselves. Vala senses that he is not happy with the decision of the Prior, and Tomin tells her about how the Prior twisted the words of their holy book. Vala tells him that people do not have to die and he’s the only one who can do anything about it.
Carter is giving Mitchell instructions on how to fix the device so they can save the village. It is tricky, but they manage to hobble together a power source. Just as the Prior fires upon the planet, Carter and Mitchell manage to expand the range of the device to protect the village. Tomin rescues Vala, telling her that while he could not save the people, he could save her. She asks him to come with her, and he tells her he can’t. She arrives planetside to see the burned out ground. Suspecting that the village is out of phase, she calls out to them. The village appears around her and she tells Mitchell that she believes the Ori Mothership left as soon as she was ringed planetside. Mitchell tells Teal’c and Vala that Carter is in rough shape and they’ll need a medical team ASAP.
Back on Earth, Mitchell comes to visit Carter in the infirmary. He brings her macaroons, which she tries to refuse, but Mitchell tells her that it’s his grandmother’s recipe, and gives one to her. She takes a bite and he guesses that she really doesn’t care for them. She thanks him anyway, not just for the macaroons, but for everything.
Okay, this was a nauseating episode for me. Fundamentalism at its worst. Even though, I know that this is fictional, it resonated with me. People twisting words of supposedly “holy” books to suit their own purposes. Initiating wars and killing innocents because they do not fit their religious paradigm. The Prior of the Ori saw the situation planetside and using the “Book of Origin”, he twisted the meaning of the content to suit his purposes, sending innocent people to their deaths. He had been so deeply corrupted by the power of the Ori, that when confronted by the valid questions of a believer, he reprimanded the believer and suggests that the believer has been corrupted instead.
Perhaps the writers meant to illustrate the situation of the real world, or perhaps they have merely skirted any potential controversy by suggesting that this storyline is simply a work of fiction, timely though it may be. It is still a powerful account of what has happened throughout history and continues to happen today. Whether one believes fundamentalism is good or bad, it plays a part in how the world is run. Stargate SG-1 clearly suggests that this type of religious fundamentalism carries a heavy price. I do not suggest that this episode relates to any specific type of fundamentalism present in the world today, I simply suggest that the cause and effect of the storyline mirrors real life. As a viewer, what can one take from this scene and learn from it? How do we, as regular people, affect the world around us? Do we subscribe to this type of behaviour, or do we act in other ways?
This episode got me thinking, not just about how much I enjoy seeing the SG-1 team work together, but about how I as a member of the human race view the world around me. Do I twist beliefs to suit my own needs? Do I respect others if their beliefs are different from my own? Perhaps this is a case of navel gazing, but the Ori storyline has made me think about the imprint I leave upon this world.
On a surface level, this was an okay episode. It was nice to see a woman in charge of the village, and she was strong enough to challenge the men under her. While Sam and Mitchell pulled another one out of their collective fanny, the plot was something often visited by the writers from previous episodes. The philosophical questions raised by the episode and Ori storyline may or may not have been intentional, but they made the episode worth watching.
I could go on about how I’ve seen that village one too many times, and how the repetitive plot of how SG-1 gets into trouble, but miraculously manages to get out of it in the nick of time, is starting to grow old; but that’s nothing new. Maybe it’s time to start looking at the episodes as not just fun escapes from the daily grind, but images culled from real life. Images to prod us into being introspective, and look deeper at why we do the things we do. Perhaps some disagree with that assessment, but ten years of a show that has managed to survive the slings and arrows of the ratings machine, possibly has caused some of the writers to delve into more heady philosophical issues. Whatever the root cause for this storyline, it lends itself to deeper thought. Plus, it manages to throw in some kick-ass explosions along the way. So whether one wants to think deeply or just watch the pretty colours from the pyrotechnics, it serves the viewer well.
This episode garners an 8.0 out of 10.0, because even though the issues brought up disturbed me, they made me think, and not many shows do that anymore.
Sci-Fi Brain News -- April 23, 2007
Simm Slams BBC Over 'Life On Mars' Budget
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that fresh from bowing out of hit drama Life On Mars, lead actor John Simm has vented his fury over the way the BBC handled the second series, after the first was reportedly delivered on time and under budget.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Simm revealed how lack of funds and time angered the cast: "We were furious. I don't know where they get their wisdom from about how you reward a hit show. It made it not particularly enjoyable because the workload was just unbelievable."
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Gillian Anderson Hated 'X-Files'
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Gillian Anderson has confessed that she hated her time on The X-Files and will never appear in another TV series.
The actress insisted that the only reason she played Agent Scully for nine years was because she enjoyed the financial rewards of starring on the show.
"I couldn't get out of it. I didn't have a choice. I had to sign a contract for five-and-a-half-years before I even went to my first audition - when I didn't know if I'd got the part," Gillian told Stella magazine. "Back then I was all innocent and I thought, 'Wow that sounds wonderful.'
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Kylie for 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special?
digitalspy.co.uk is reporting that Kylie Minogue is to star in the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special, according to a tabloid report.
The News of the World claims that the Australian singer has met the show’s executive producer and Russell T Davies ahead of filming in July. An insider is quoted as saying: "She is flattered to be asked to be in such a classic TV show. The Doctor Who team are delighted they've got someone as sexy and high profile as Kylie to ensure they win the annual ratings battle with ITV."
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Statham confirmed for 'Death Race 3000'
moviehole.net is reporting that as Latino Review reported a few weeks back now, the trades are saying that Jason Statham (“Crank”) is as good as signed for the remake of the Carradine/Stallone classic “Death Race 2000” – now titled, “Death Race 3000”.
Originally set-up with Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner as producers, the film will now be captained by the corporal of crap, Paul W.S Anderson (“Alien Vs. Predator”).
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Spotnitz: 'X-Files 2' In Works
scifi.com is reporting that former The X-Files executive producer Frank Spotnitz confirmed on his official blog that a second movie is in the works. "It's true," Spotnitz wrote on April 17.
"Several people have e-mailed to ask about reports that the second X-Files feature is finally in the works," Spotnitz wrote. "A script is indeed in development, but I'm afraid that's all I can say. Thanks for your good wishes and support all these years."
Lost: "Catch-22" Review
By: jiggyj
I'm a sucker for Desmond. I thought from the moment we first saw him he has been a great character, and I hated when he had to leave the hatch. Of course, thankfully the island didn't allow him to leave, and he has been back in a big way this third season. It's still unclear how Desmond got unshifted in time and he is able to go back in time (once we've seen) and see glimpses of the future, but we're enthralled.
This week saw Desmond seeing Charlie die, but unlike last times, he was okay with him this time because he thought letting that event in particular would allow Desmond to find Penny. In the end, Desmond's moral scale won out over his "do anything" mentality to be with his Penny again, and he saved Charlie. However, we find out the rest of the vision came to fruition, though instead of it being Penny, it was some woman that knew Desmond by name. Watching another flying vehicle crash and seeing the first person to know one of our survivors is a HUGE deal. You've got someone who went looking for Desmond and found him – a turning point for the show perhaps.
The flashback wasn't the best it has ever been, but it was pretty interesting, seeing that Desmond had once been a monk and where he discovered the "brother" saying he uses so frequently. The two big things to come from flashbacks was seeing the old woman Desmond saw in his flashback episode earlier this season who knew what was going on with Desmond (she was in the head monk's picture on his desk in a brief flash) and seeing how Desmond and Penny met. We want Desmond and Penny to get together so badly on this show – it's such a sweet, romantic relationship you can't help but care about them. Seeing Desmond and Penny meeting for the first time and seeing Desmond struggling to get the helicopter pilot down thinking it was a now dead Penny was heartbreakingly touching in the way it was edited together.
And say what you will, but I like the love square between Jack, Juliet, Kate, and Sawyer. It was childish how Kate got revenge on Jack sharing time with Juliet by sleeping with Sawyer, but it was sad for Sawyer to catch her crying, when you can tell she is imagining Sawyer really being Jack who is touching her. And usually we wouldn't care about Sawyer's feelings, but seeing him getting along with Jack, playing a game of table tennis, makes us feel bad now that Sawyer probably won't find love on this island and will probably feel some heartbreak in the process. And despite what you might think, we really prefer his middle-ground Sawyer rather than the complete jerk we seen early on in season one, or the too friendly one we saw in parts of season two.
Rating: 8.0
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