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Rejoice! For I have completed my first draft of Whispers! Finally, after three torturous weeks (one and a half of which was spent spinning my wheels on that last scene), I’m done. For now. Once the guys have had a chance to read the draft, I’m sure that’ll change. The early reviews (actually review) have been very positive. “I think it‘s great!”raves Alex Levine.

Prep continued today on Broken Ties with a 9:00 a.m. stunts meeting during which we discussed, well, stunts, squibs, and Tyre’s kick-ass sword that Evil Kenny brought in for approval. Halfway through the show and tell, 1st AD Alex Pappas snatched it up and proceeded to show off his mastery of the blade. We were all blown away – until BamBam lost the tip of his ear.

From there, we rolled into the visual effects meeting. We ran through our options with Todd Masters and Mark Savela, talked playback (I later approved a fantastic PET scan), then talked stunners, blasters, matte shots, morphs, the money shot, and the view out the window.

I let Ken handle the extras meeting so that I could work on Whispers and admire my copy of Stargate: Ark of Truth. The description in the back about the I.O. operative had me on the edge of my seat. What is the I.O. operative up to? How does the I.O. operative influence events? What is the I.O.? Are they a new, shadowy organization? An off-shoot of the I.O.A.? A misprint on the packaging? Oh.

Mark Stern and Chris Sanagustin dropped by the studio today as part of their whirlwind tour of Vancouver: upcoming productions, Stargate Atlantis, interviews, and, if they have time, the Vancouver Aquarium. We hung out on set and disrupted a couple of takes, had a nice chat about season 5, and Paul and I thanked them for their support of the show. And tonight, they’re taking us all out for dinner. I’m going to get so drunk that Mark and Chris will have to carry me home and tuck me in for the night. I’ll be sure to report on the evening’s highlights in tomorrow’s entry. Provided I remember anything.

With regard to the ongoing Smoke and Mirrors discussion –

OsirosofLight – You wrote “Reading Snow, Glass, Apples made me think. I mean really think. What if Walt Disney has been lying to us all these years..” As Gaiman pointed out, those classic fairytales have been given a makeover to make them more palatable for family viewing (thanks, Disney). Personally, I would love to see a series that brings to life these fairytales in all of their original dark and depressing glory.

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to birthday gals Angela and Kat S., and belated birthday gal AscendedTauri.

Today’s pics: A box of Truth, Evil Kenny, Tyre’s blade, Alex Pappas shows off his mad sword skills, Producer John G. Lenic, Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Savela, Camera-shy Playback Supervisor Krista McLean, me running the meeting, behind-the-scenes on The Seed.

147 thoughts on “February 29, 2008: Done and done!

  1. AoT: WANT!

    Tyre’s sword: WANT!

    Those incredibly good-looking folks in uniform: WANT!
    (in theory, in reality I have a perfectly wonderful wanted man of my own)

    Too much time on LOLcats, heh?

  2. Awwwww look at you asleep ..the mother in me just wanted to pick you up and put you into bed (and lock the pugs out). Sucks not to get enough sleep.

    Hey is Fondy back???

    Glad you got ‘Whispers’ done.. suppose this is the hectic time of the year? David looks as though he’s saying ‘back to the daily grind’…

    Looking good Paul as always!

    Love that blade……… who gets to keep it afterwards?

  3. Hi, Joe!

    Thank you for the terrific photos! 🙂

    So…Bam-bam’s new nickname is VanGogh?

    4 hours and counting here on the West Coast for Kindred 2. OOhhhh– they just ran a commercial for the AoT DVD on the SciFi Channel! SQUEEE!!!!!!

    Have a wonderful weekend, Joe!

    Morjana

  4. Ah well. no mailbag. But no complaints, given the pictures you were kind enough to provide. Especially the last three…but what is it with the red eyes that Jewel seems to have? Enjoy your evening, and may you wake up sans hangover.

  5. Yay, I get to be one of the first posters.

    Waiting here, impatiently for 10PM while I watch the 9 o’clock rerun of Kindred part 1.

    Joe, I have one question. You’ve talked about episodes for Ronan, Teyla and Shep….what about everyone’s favorite annoying scientist? Can the Rodney lovers get a little crumb from you? (Besides the very nice pic of David on your blog).

    50 minutes to Kindred part 2…can’t wait.

    JoJo

  6. Hey Joe!

    Loving the images of the season in progress, and the facts regarding it as well. It’s one thing to eagerly await a season, but when you can follow the production of said season, it is great. 🙂

    I see another Tim Hortons drink with Mark Savela. Maybe you folks could do a competition to see who can win the most stuff with Tim Hortons’ Roll-Up-The-Rim-To-Win game? 😉

    Thanks as always,

    – Enzo Aquarius

  7. Sooooo glad you’re done the script and soooooo glad you are feeling better! We’ll Done!!! Whoop Whoop!

    So tell me, who is the designated driver tonight???

    Patricia Lee

  8. Way to go! Way to go! Now go and buy some chocolate to reward yourself for a job well done. When you buy it, tell yourself that you can do that because “I’m a good boy who gets his damned scripts done.” That will also help with the mental habits we talked about.

    Sorry Joe! I’m paying for my studenty days by working for an organization where I help people quit smoking.

    Cough.

    Did you know that if you go to a Gay and Lesbian festival with your queer twin sister, people will assume you’re a couple? Dude.

  9. pg15 wrote:

    MCKAY: She was…so young. And to think, if you just kissed her a few more times-

    SHEPPARD: I tried Rodney, you were there. I mean, I even tried tongue, but no, it just didn’t work. Even Lorne tried, but no luck.

    I vote for the attempted resuscitation scene! I’ll be the stand-in for the actress! I’d haul my housebound fat ass up to Vancouver for that! 😀

    Anne Teldy

  10. *rejoices for the finished first draft and gives thanks for the nifty photos*

    Ooh- AoT! I can’t wait to see what that sneaky I.O. gets up to; I like the looks of that Marri fellow even less than Richar Woolse. 😉

    Have fun this evening! ‘Let joy be unconfined. Let there be dancing in the streets, drinking in the saloons and necking in the parlour.’

    -Sheena

  11. Joe-

    Thanks (as always) for the photo of Paul on set. Again, SO glad he’s back! =D

    -Jen

  12. Misspellings on production products are fun! Years ago the company I worked for decided to hold a meeting of all 2000 employees to discuss their new commitment to quality. After the meeting everyone received a T-shirt that proudly said:

    “Quality! Absolutly!”

  13. Hey Joe

    How come you guys at Bridge Studios get the US MGM edition of the Ark of Truth? While the rest of us in Canada get struck with the inflated price Fox edition with a 40% mark up. Please talk to the marketing people about this irradiate.

    More tidbits for the season 5 episodes. Especially about the Space Cows.

  14. It’s interesting to see stargate coordinates on a sword, Are we going to be seeing more the ancients next season?

  15. …then talked stunners, blasters, matte shots, morphs, the money shot, and the view out the window.

    So which episode will “the money shot” appear in? And are you sure that this can be aired on SciFi?? I know, I know; I’m sorry. I will do my best to crawl out of this filthy gutter that I’ve fallen into…

    Hey, I caught a glimpse of a Philip K. Dick book (Valis?) in an episode of Lost from the other week…

    All this talk of Young People Fucking reminded me of (what I think is) a(n) hilarious video making the rounds nowadays. Perhaps you’ve seen it. Perhaps not. If not, you should. And if you don’t like it, sorry. If you want to give it a go, click on these words. Possibly not work safe due to language. But the naughty words ARE bleeped out…

    -Emily

  16. Hey Joe,

    I see you got a lot of Ark of Truth DVDs, very cool. that sword reminds me of Lord of the Rings… what’s David Hewlett thinking? ‘another photo Joe? geez it’s annoying’? LOL Paul McGillion certainly looks happy to be back. I’m so looking forward to s5 and Carson, woohoo! Jewel’s such a sweetie but my favorite pic is definitely #11 🙂 you didn’t get much sleep last night huh? and what’s that book? Eifelheim by Michael Flynn? hm never heard of it

    congrats on the completed draft of Whispers. Alex Levine posted a comment on his blog, sounds great. so that’s what producer do? disrupting takes? hehe hope you have fun tonight

  17. Ok, I figure you’re mom taught you how to share because I would be ever so grateful for a copy of AOT since you have a whole box full. Pretty, pretty please?

    Tyre sword looks amazing! I’m already thinking about the possible fight scenes between Tyre and Ronon. You better tell Mark to look out for Alex Papas. He just might get his ear cut off!

    Wow, you really worked that meeting or it worked you by the looks of that picture.

    Paul McGillion has cute dimples. David Hewlett still a cutie. You know quite a few of the pictures you’ve taken of Jewel have red eyes. Try using the Red Eye feature on you’re camera, it’ll help.

  18. There is a door behind the guy with the flask (Lenic?) – why does it have to stay open?

    I have the nice photograph of Paul from your blog the other night (Paul in the doorway) on my desktop. It is the best picture I have seen of Paul – relaxed and natural.

    Thank you.

  19. Any tricks when there is a writing deadline and tons of writing to do ?

  20. Hey Joe,

    One thing that continually bugs me about Atlantis is that they don’t carry stunners as a secondary weapon, wouldn’t it make sense for the teams to carry them instead of handguns as their backup weapon as they don’t need to be reloaded and can stun, not kill people.

  21. Tonite’s episode just aired.
    and you MADE ME CRY. That’s just plain cruel. Not to mention i’ll have puffy eyes when i wake up tomorrow. Not purty.

    Loved the ep. Dark. Very Dark.
    One more episode till the season ends. Les sigh. I really hate season ends…

  22. So, um, yeah, spoilers and such.

    Ya know, I could have sworn you’d ruled out clone, but I can’t find it. I bet you did say no clone, then went back and erased your tracks when you figured no one was looking. It’s a conspiracy!! Nicely played.

    Did you have to rebuild the ice cube tray, or was it in storage somewhere?

    And of course, the line that made me giggle, “No wonder I felt like a dog’s breakfast ever since I got here.” So who suggested that line?

  23. Kindred part 2 was awesome. And I had to laugh at “I feel like a dog’s breakfast.” Nice inside joke there.

    Can’t wait to see the season finale, but I hate that this fantastic season is already over!

  24. Tonight’s show was so great – and the last scene . . . well I was searching for a graceful way to say ‘made me cry,’ but there is none, so – it made me cry. Carson got the goodbye he deserved, and every character got a moment of being so completely themselves that it just broke my heart – John’s facade of stoicism, Ronon’s sweet loyalty, Sam’s strength, Keller’s compassion, and Rodney’s hopeless babbling in the face of feelings that are bigger than his intellect can corral. Wonderful stuff. Everyone should be so proud.

  25. Kindred Pt. 2 was much better than Pt. 1, IMO. Don’t have a lot of negative about either part, but the ending did require the swiping of tears off my face. Still sniffling. Loved tonight’s episode and the season finale looks utterly fantastic. I can’t wait for that.

    Question: Why does the Daedalus look like it’s firing so slowly at the Wraith ship? In the first part it does seem like the Asgard weapons have a slow reaction time. The Wraith ship appears to outrun the beam.

  26. Joe,

    Just finished watching Kindred, pt. 2. AAAGH! So much on the edge…then I realize that I’m not breathing; get that started again and then here comes the edge again…repeat process for 1 whole hour!

    I’m light-headed.

    I DVR it every week and download it from amazon.com, so I’ll watch it three or four more times before I am able to give a coherent review, but first impressions: WOW!

    I, seriously, have no idea what I’m going to do with myself after next week! When is Season 5 slated for premiering?

    AAAGH!

    sigh…breathe…

    MA

  27. Is that engraving on the sword? I really like it. I’m kind of love with the Pegasus galaxy typography.

  28. The Kindred prt. 2 was great! Rumor has it, however, that there’s going to be another pregnancy in season five?! If this is true, then do we really need another story arc based on another pregnancy…. (obvisouly, developments outside of the show/storyline must be accommodated). And, working Teyla’s pregnancy into the show was quite successful in season 4, but another in season five? Is this going to be a trend for future seasons??

  29. carson said “i feel like a dog’s breakfast” where did i hear that before or see it before?

  30. Do you have ANY idea of how many erectile dysfunction commercials air during Stargate: Atlantis?

    What exactly is the demographic that Scifi is trying to target?

    Really, there are only so many times I want to see the same damn guy with the plastic I’m-getting-laid-smile throw the football into the tire during my favorite weekly tv show.

  31. Just finished watching Kindred 2…it was very exciting! So far in SGA we’ve had the crawling hand, space vampires, Frankenstein’s Monster (a.k.a. Michael), and now huwraithmanus zombies. I think you’ve got the whole horror genre covered! 😉

    Good to see an old friend, even if it was at the sacrifice of a new ‘friend’. Well, there’s always next week! Kudos to C. for pulling double duty!

    das

  32. Well done Joe! I’m sure all pay extra attention to the final scene in Whispers for you.

    25 DVDs – nice! I could put aside work for a day and review it for you. We don’t get AoT ’til April in Oz.

    I was wondering, are there any secret rooms in Atlantis, hidden behind some fancy false wall?

    Cheers, Chev

  33. Oh wow, what a tearjerker!!! Ronon’s goodbye just about broke my heart, and Rodney’s finished the job!

    I have to admit that I’m bummed that Carson is just a clone (curse Gateworld for getting our hopes up), but a) it makes sense storywise, so Michael could control him, and b) I’m mollified by the fact that we’ve kind of been down this road before. You guys pretty effectively established theory that a person is more than their biology (or timeline), that consciousness is what counts more in “This Mortal Coil”. He remembers everything Carson does up to two years back, so for the *most* psrt, he *is* our Carson. (And really, even if the other Carson had turned out to be the clone, that Carson’s death in Sunday would have still been very sad …)

    Loved Rodney’s breaking the news to Carson about what happened to him and to Weir. Poor Rodney, I felt as bad for him in this ep as Carson!

    HALLING!!! Oh, I’m so glad to see him!! 😀 And that he isn’t a hybrid!!

    Loved Rodney’s constantly putting Carson behind him in the firefights!

    Heh, I *knew* that thing was an ultrasound! 🙂

    Okay, so Kanaan is bilogical daddy — I thought it was a chance of that already — from unartificial means. And it doesn’t seem as though Michael has been doing any messing around with it from what he said. I still can’t help but wonder if Michael had *known* about the pregnancy since “Vengeance”, though — maybe he sensed it or maybe he gathered genetic material from her at that point and discovered she was pregnant? I mean, it seems like he was banking a lot on her baby, like he had a long-term investment. Nabel didn’t know Teyla was pregnant, so it’s not like *he* could have told Michael. Although I guess if Todd can hear of things, Michael can too …

    Thanks very much for the Hewlett, McGillion, and Staite piccies!! 😀 (David has been very quiet of late, and we squirrels are going through withdrawl again. Can you ask him to please take pity on his squirrels when next you see him? Pretty please with dark chocolate on top?)

  34. re the trailer for Last Man, McKay and Keller kissing? Doesn’t he have, like, almost 20 years on her? Just a personal squick of mine, in real life these May December things happen all the time…

  35. I just finished watching (live) The Kindred Part 2. I’ll refrain from making comments (until tomorrow)

    Who do we contact at the SciFi Channel to complain about the trailers for “next week’s episode”? This is the second week in a row that they have put the ending in the trailer. I know that YOU (and your colleagues) are not responsible for this, but someone needs to be held accountable (and deserves to get yelled at)!

  36. I forgot to tell you that I like the purple shirt. That is a good color on you.

  37. Aw Joe, you look so cute “running the meeting”.

    In regards to “Snow, Glass, Apples” and the original darkness of fairy tales, talk about interesting timing. I just went for a job interview yesterday where knowledge of this was really helpful. If I get the job (which I hope I will), I’ll be researching and dramatuging (it’s a word now) a play which is a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood (the original, dark one). I think the discussions we’ve had here really helped me make an impression.

    And congratulations on finishing “Whispers”!

    Amy/Amz

  38. Hey Joe,

    Just watched the Kindred Part 2! It did not meet my expectations, it exceeded them. The emotions going back and forth were just very well done. As per the Clone bit, it is Carson in every way, except a little DNA flaw that will hopefully be fixed when they find a cure. So, to me Carson is back! I just hope Carson will be in more than 5 eps next season. He truly is the “Heart of Atlantis”

    Best,

    Squall78

  39. Kindred Part 2: another outstanding episode. Nice that Carson turned out to be a good guy, I thought he would be evil based on the promos. Can’t wait for Last Man.
    Also, I will keep asking this because it is driving me nuts. The video from your blog on September 28th (Wrapping a scene outside the Bridge). Which episode is this from. If it isn’t from Last Man, I would have to guess it was cut from an episode, although I can’t think of which on it could be. A little help for my sanity please.
    And yes, more pics of Jewel please without the red eye.

  40. Hi Joe,

    Liked Kindred 2, but a couple questions:

    Why not give Carson tretonin, or a Tokra symbiote? And Thor stopped Young Jack from breaking down like Carson was, so might there be an answer in the Asgard database?

    I also watched Lockdown right after Kindred. There was a scene where Jack says that no one without gate experience goes offworld…so, did Landry change that policy?? Because how did Cameron get on SG-1 without ever seeing a Stargate before? It was only like a year before and Col. Vasilov couldn’t go, and he was all decorated and a higher rank than Cam. (And way cuter too! 🙂

  41. Kindred 2 was quite good, but in the future, please keep Keller and Beckett apart. Beckett has so much personality and charisma, that poor Keller comes across as a block of wood next to him.

  42. “Working hard, Joe? Or…” 🙂

    Just kidding, and good to read that you finally got “Whispers” done.

    What was the script you ever got the most rewrite suggestions on?

  43. WRT fairy tales, I’ve actually been reading “Grimms’ Fairy Tales” and so far I find them less darkly disturbing and more infuriatingly abrupt and kind of dull.

    Maybe that’s just me, but with a few exceptions they read like “Build-up, build-up, build-up, and then they all went home. And the dog/fox/frog was a prince.” The Fisherman and His Wife was excellent, though.

    Hopefully I’ll be back on the BOTM schedule in March.

  44. Kindred Part II
    Okay – this is getting repetitive, but …
    BEST.EPISODE.EVER….
    Don’t know where to start. Seriously. McGillion was fabulous. Absolutely his best performance yet. The writing for his character – the way he was brought back – brilliant. Him dealing with emotional blow after blow. The heroism and the peril – wow.

    Then there were the reactions to him being back. McKay’s reaction, angst…fab.u.lous. Ronon – “This is what I was afraid of.” Carter being the pragmatist. Sheppard calling him “Doctor” (showing caution in excepting him?) while McKay immediately calls him Carson (desperate to have his friend back?)

    So well written. Excellently acted by all.

    And then there were the previews for next week…Did I see what I THINK I saw?

    Okay, I could use some time travel ability right now so that I could just leap ahead to next Friday. But then I’m afraid my head is going to burst because we’ll have to wait MONTHS to see the resolution to all this….

    And, by the way, just have to say that when you guys create episodes like this one you’re actually undermining the “Watch it live” mantra that’s given to help boost the live viewership ratings. I watched it live and it almost killed me to sit through all of those commercials! I just wanted to get back to the action.

    Really – did they have more commercials during this showing because it felt like an eternity before it got back to the show. Luckily now that I’ve tivo’d it I can just fast forward to the good parts – which was really the whole episode.

    B.E. E. – Best Episode Ever.

  45. Lise Said:

    Well, if Alex thinks it’s great, do you really want any other reviews? :9

    Er… got nothin’ that will pass your moderation. I’ve not been so impressed with some (read:little) of the stuff he loves. Let’s hope this is better.

    suse

  46. Enquiring minds want to know: How did Carson, the clone, retain all of Carson’s memories??

  47. Oh, forgot to say – Damn that Ronon!! How dare he make me reach for the tissues!

    And now, after seeing the previews for next week, I’m gonna go sit in the corner, and worry about the fate of my favorite life-sucker. This is gonna be a very, VERY long week…and I fear the season break will be even longer…

    das

  48. LOVED KINDRED part 2…more emotional than when Carson was blown up! Loved the “dog’s breakfast” quip and am super excited to see what looks like a McKay/Keller lip lock on the season finale…you know how SciFi loves to ruin all the fun by showing us the “SUPRISE”.
    Between last night’s LOST and KINDRED 2…I seem like a big cry baby tonight.

  49. Had to comment on Kindred II. Spoiler alert…..

    Oh, absolutely lovely episode. Finally we find out what happened to the Athosians. We have our new, albiet not improved Carson. The scenes between Hewlett and McGillion were fantastic, especially the scene where Beckett finds out why his rescue took so long… so many questions answered and so much yet to resolve. Given the nature of the next episode, its going to be an insufferably long wait to see how things fall out. I am awestruck at how you’ve managed to keep exceeding my expectations and your own previously set standards. Here’s hoping for a season six after a season five that beats season 4.

  50. Speaking of typos… I just noticed that the on-air Sci-Fi Get in the Gate commercial says that you need to be a citizen of the “Unites States”. Guess nobody is eligible.

  51. Pass the Kleenex please. Sniff.
    Wonderful episode tonight!
    That stasis scene was a 3 tissue scene. At least!
    Wonderful acting from all of the actors, but special props to Paul McGillion and David Hewlett whose scenes together just crushed me emotionally. Sniff.

  52. Yay on finishing your first past of your script.

    And after seeing the promo for next week: Yay! Rodney gets some action!

  53. You guys are on a roll this season! Another fantastic episode. This was definitely (in my opinion) Rachel’s best performance. I was truly terrified for Teyla when Michael was preparing to put that creepy looking syringe into her. And the whole story with Beckett broke my heart, especially his belief that the team was searching for him all these years. I’m really glad that he wrote that letter to his mother (I had mentioned earlier in the episode after he said he needed to go home that I hoped he’d write a letter to his mom). I’m really looking forward to your behind the scenes info on this episode!

  54. After Kindred Part 2 aired my cell phone rang. It was my Mother and she was crying. I was worried something terrible happened, no she was just crying because of Carson. First off because he is a clone and she felt bad for him. And secondly because he was put in statuses. She said it was just as hard to watch as the episode when the other Carson died. We spent the next half hour discussing if she wanted to know if Carson comes back or not. Eventually she gave in and she felt better knowing he would be free of status next season. So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for making my Mother cry! My Dad also wants to say “thank you” since he had to listen to her cry too. 😉

  55. Hiya Joe!

    Just finished the latest episode of SGA.
    very good, as is to be expected. It is a pretty sad episode, but I was pleased.

  56. I’m simply speachless over tonight’s episode, Kindred 2. I was in tears… amazing, amazing episode. Bravo.

    I really appreciate the birthday wish! but….. I’m male.. LOL, it’s ok, you had no real way of knowing, but now you do 🙂

  57. What the heck… Carson is a Clone!!!! And now he is dieing again! Oh come on! half hour to go till the end of K 2… lets hope Rodney can figure out a cure!!! Here’s hoping!!!!

  58. Carson said…. No wonder I’ve felt like a Dog’s Breakfest since I got here!!! ROFLMAO….. WOW!!!

  59. Please delete the previous post made by einzmehr, it wasn’t me…. should learn to not leave computer open

  60. Poor Joe, conked out at the conference table! Congratulations on finishing up Whispers, maybe now you can relax for a bit. Thanks for sharing these photos with us! I especially like the one of David Hewlett and that blade looks downright wicked. I’m glad to see that you’ve got your box of AoT DVDs, hopefully Amazon has them in stock now and will get my copy to me a bit early.

    Also, thanks for an excellent episode tonight. That last scene had me all choked up despite the fact that I know Paul McGillion is coming back in season 5 and I hate to imagine what Last Man is going to do to me next week; I’m definitely going to have the tissues to hand. Good grief, I hope Sci-Fi doesn’t make us wait too long for season 5. 🙁 Thankfully, I’ll have your blog and all of the behind the scenes tidbits you give us to tide me over until then so I won’t be quite so tempted to riot. 😉

  61. Wonderful job on the Kindred.

    More thoughts later but I have to ask… who’s idea was it for the “…a dog’s breakfast…” line and how just how many takes did it take to get that scene without someone breaking up?

  62. hi, joe,

    i really enjoyed ‘the kindred pt 2’! this is the first time i’ve gotten to see the beckett character and he was lovely. and i loved the scene between him and sam, which was the first time they’d ever chatted together. and he called her samantha. =)

    i saw the coming attractions for ‘the last man’. that ep scares me. 😯

    sally =)

  63. I’ll start of by saying, that I am actually fine with the idea that the Carson who died in “Sunday’ was the ‘real’ Carson. I was upset and sadened that he died and if he had been replaced with a clone, I would have been ticked off. All the wonderful episodes in season 3 were of the ‘real’ Carson and to have gone back and said..nope he was a fake…would have rubbed me the wrong way.

    “Our” Carson is gone, but the one we got has all his traits and honestly I don’t know how else they were going to be able to pull this off. I’m glad it will not be a ‘quick’ fix. He’s a clone with messed up DNA and he’ll need constant injections. There’s no magic snap of the fingers that will fix that. I suspect Todd might come into play with this later on.

    I am annoyed that we never got an explanation on how Clone!Carson has all his memories, but maybe even the writers knew that would be even harder to swallow. The point was made that this Carson thinks of himself as real, he DOES have memories and emotions and as Rodney accepted it, the others soon followed.

    I loved that Carson wanted to be effective, wanted to help Teyla. If he was dying, a doctor always wants to try to care and save others. Slowly, the rest of the team learned to accept him and re-attach themselves which made the ending so emotional.

    Ronon avoids Carson so he doesn’t have to experience the pain again of reliving the trauma. In the end he still gives him a hug.

    Rodney sold me on all his scenes. He wants so much to have his friend back and he’s so reassuring and protective. He’s come a long way. With all the bad thats happened, damn it, he’s going to try save his friend.

    John oh John, if he was capable of hugs he might have given C!Carson one. Throughout the episode he’s bottling up all of his feelings, trying to deal with this while trying to find Teyla

    Teyla despite being kidnapped for the THIRD time still kicked ass despite what she went through. She tries to reason with Micheal, tries to re-connect with Kaanan..I’m a little annoyed that she didn’t escape when she had a chance , but seeing a ghost isn’t the must reassuring of rescues.

    I wonder how Micheal has produced such a strong power base over this time all alone. I mean now he has followers, but how did he breed this network of spies?

    Wasn’t expecting the end…..very heart wrenching and emotional It was a brilliant scene and once again. The end wasn’t nice and neat…you can’t just bring a clone back and everything be magically fixed.

    Overall a good episode despite the hand waving to just dismiss some things.

  64. I justed watch Kindred II and the preview came on right before the episode as a tease into it and showed this ship that wasn’t wraith or earth based jump into hyperspace right with the first few cuts that wasn’t even in the episode. What’s the deal with that?

    although, this isn’t the first time I noticed a mix up on those Scifi intros. In fact last week for Kindred I, the announcer guy said that the “the team walks into a replicator trap…” Whoops.

  65. Hi Joe,

    I just finished watching “The Kindred, Part 2” and just have to say I loved, loved, loved the line from Carson about “…feeling like ‘A Dog’s Breakfast'” It literally made me laugh out loud (and I needed a good laugh tonight, thank you!). I’m just curious who was responsible for that line – was it a Gero-ism, a Hewlett idea, or perhaps an ad-lib by Paul M.?

    Whoever it was, I found it quite funny. Of course, I loved David’s movie too, so perhaps that’s why. Anyway, thanks for a bright spot in my evening.

    Jennie in Oregon 🙂

  66. Is it cheaper to have a dummy/puppet thingy playing an Asgard than employing a guy in a costume – a very little guy in a costume – a very little guy with a really big head in a costume?

    For some reason that was my first thought when I woke up this morning.

    I need to get out more.

  67. Sorry, Mr. M., but neither Kindred I nor II worked for me on so many levels. I never thought I’d feel that because I’ve been such a happy little SGA fan. I won’t bore everyone with the details here. Looking forward to TLM, albeit with a modicum of trepidation now.

  68. During “Sunday” I was teetering on suspending my suspension of disbelief with the Beckett exploding tumor thing. Please tell me that transferring Beckett’s complete consciousness, memories and personality will be explained in Season 5, because otherwise I’m afraid said suspension is suspended.

    And as much as I love seeing Beckett back, he’s been xeroxed, and he’s no longer THE Beckett. I wasn’t in tears because all the qualities that I’ve grown to love, respect and trust in the original can’t be guaranteed in the clone.

    Otherwise…great episode for Teyla’s story, and Paul and the rest of the cast were wonderful as usual. Looking forward to seeing “The Last Man”, but not the last episode of the season.

  69. Joe, back again. Just wanted to say Kindred 2 was great, but clearly I need to watch it again because I completely missed the ‘dog’s breakfast’ line that everyone’s going on about.

    I think my favorite Carson moment was when he took out the guards with Teyla without a moment’s hesitation. Yeah, okay, you wouldn’t generally expect a doctor — particularly Carson — gunning people down to be a good thing, but that he did it to try to save Teyla just seemed so right.

    Looking forward to the finale, Ark of Truth, and season 5. And Continuum, but I wasn’t sure where it fit in the “It’s time for new Stargate! It’s time for new Stargate!!” timeline.

  70. My Dear Mr. Joseph Mallozzi,

    I salute you. OMG… The Kindred II was totally amazing. *Stands up, applauds and looks for kleenex tissues* Wonderful! Bravo!!! I was so moved by the combination of Joel’s music and the team interaction at the end that I actually cried at Carson’s ‘see ya later Rodney’ scene. And believe me, that is something I do not do easily! It was so good! Thank you Alan McCullough, Martin Wood and thank you Joe & Paul. *goes to grab another tissue*

    You did a great job of keeping the details and the explanation of how Carson was able to return a major SECRET! And you were right, I was very, very surprised since I thought I remember you said he wasn’t a clone. But that could have been someone else, ah, nuts, I can’t remember! (half-heimers is setting a bit more in lately) Anyway, after the Midway mishap and the SCIFI Promo SNAFU with Kindred 1 revealing Carson in the cell, this episode was a great example of using good Operations Security (OPSEC), and Disinformation. The countermeasures you employed after the latest leaks proved successful. You and the production folks all deserve the Purple Dragon Award! Good Job! In case you or anyone else is wondering where the term OPSEC comes from…
    “In the early days of the Vietnam War, the U.S. lost an alarming number of pilots and aircraft. To reverse that trend, a team was assigned to analyze U.S. military operations. The team, “Purple Dragon,” discovered that crucial planning information was being disclosed through routine patterns of behavior. Countermeasures were quickly initiated.
    Purple Dragon’s analytic process, called OPerations SECurity or OPSEC, was used by the military for the next 20 years. In 1988, President Reagan formalized its use throughout the government and created the IOSS to provide training and guidance to the national security community.” The Goal of OPSEC as a “countermeasures” program, is to deny an adversary pieces of the intelligence puzzle.
    THE FIVE-STEP OPSEC PROCESS
    • Identification of the critical information to be protected
    • Analysis of the threats
    • Analysis of the vulnerabilities
    • Assessment of the risks
    • Application of the countermeasures
    If interested, you can check this link out… http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/a021202b.html

    While I’m absolutely sure that you do not think of SGA Fans as “adversaries”, let’s face it, there are those who make it their mission in life to garner details (spoilers) of things yet to come on SGA and other programs too. I’m sure there are lots of “fans” out there still wishing they could plant listening bugs in your office to gather intelligence on what’s up next for the SGA folks. (You might want to look at a getting a TSCM team to sweep your offices every so often). I prefer to remain surprised and this episode surely delivered. I’d much rather watch the episode and then read or see behind the scenes info on the episode. Much more fun that way, IMHO. Also the way you toy with everyone asking for “Details” in your blog is reminiscent of a good Intelligence Operative playing with his mark! You are so good! Thanks again.
    Okay, so tell me Joe (sinister laughter in the background), what other countermeasures did you put in place besides telling Alex Levine that you had to vet his blog before he posts? Have you made any progress with the SCIFI Network executives in getting them to keep critical plot details a secret in their productions of the promotional videos for next season? Just Curious! Best Episode Ever – Once again BRAVO!
    Patricia Lee

  71. Hi Joe!

    Kindred II is WOW! It was quite a roller coaster ride of emotions. I loved all the scenes between Carson and Rodney. I gotta say when Rodney has to tell Carson about his own death and Weir’s was really done well.

    Ok I have to admit that I was all that surprised that Carson was a clone. With Michael doing all sort of experiments as he did in the past it was only reasonable he’d clone Carson to help him with the virus.

    We can’t forget what’s going on with Teyla and her people. She’s been on one hell of emotional ride. She’s been through so much I keep wondering when is it gonna end?

    The end of the episode reminded me so much of SG-1’s Lost City part 2. The short emotional farewells from everyone nearly had me reaching for the Kleenex box. With Sam there I had to think she was probably reliving the moment they had to put Jack in the status chamber. I loved the hug Ronon gave Carson and then having to walk away right after. It definitely showed how much he cared for Carson without having to say a word.

    Alex Levine said that Joe F’s boys were in the episode as two of the Athosian children. Did they have fun working on the set? I also noticed while Sheppard and the team were freeing the Athosians the younger boy was looking at his dad as they fled in opposite directions. How many times did they have to shoot that particular scene?

    Many, many thanks to both, the cast and the crew, for such a wonderful episode! Keep ’em coming!

    Rigel

  72. Thanks for the photos – especially of David! Whee! Now – one of Joe F.? Pretty please 🙂

    Kindred I and II were pretty good. Nice to see some things tied together from prior episodes. I liked seeing Carson back, interesting twist. Of course, we’re all asking HOW he’s got the memories. Michael was scary, thank god some Athosians were rescued. Todd was funny. Teyla was strong and Oh my, I hope they rescue her soon!

    *groan* no, I don’t want McKay and Keller together, what’s this with kissin!. ::sigh:: I’m not looking forward to next week. She was cute with Ronon.

  73. Salut Joseph =) sa va bien? Moi super^^!!

    aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh …Merci pour ces photos, j’aime particuliérement la 11ieme éhéhé^^! Trop adorable, mais vous dormiez vraiment???

    Quoi, vous ivre? et bien on en apprend tout les jours^^!!

    Vous n’avez pas répondu a ma question hier:

    Il y’aura du Jarter dans Continuim??

    Je ne sais pas si c’est un signe mais il y’a un réveille des fans de jarter c’est allucinant!

    ==> Pour répondre a morgia, oui cette video est trop drôle lol, dans 20 ans ces personne auront vraiment honte de ces images lol XD………Vous inquiéte pas Joseph je n’irais pas justqu’au point a crier votre nom partout, pleurer , m’évanouir ou même camper dans votre jardin lol … enfin je dit sa, mais je ne sais pas comment je réagirer lol!

    Bon aller Kisou, je repassrais! ♥a toute a l’heure =)

  74. Hi Joe, first of all thanks for a great blog and another great Atlantis episode! I know you probably get asked this alot but I was wondering, how are things standing with the Stargate-Universe project, has it been stopped altogether or is it a case of it will be finished when Mr cooper gets time?
    Thanks for another great season of Atlantis, one of the best in my opinion. I cant wait to see the last man next week, good luck with season 5.

  75. Hi Joe!

    I would really really like to know when The Ark of Truth will be released in Belgium on dvd that is ofcourse.

    That swords looks yummy!

  76. Hey Joe,

    I’m not sure if you remember this but back when you used to come to Gateworld, a question was asked about the Asgard back when SG-1 was running. The question was relating to their home galaxy, in the earlier episodes we learn its called Ida yet when Daniel tried to convince Dr Weir to let SG-1 move to the Asgard, he calls it “Othalla”. Well actually Weir says that the Asgard live in another galaxy and Daniel agrees and says “Othalla”.

    Anyway, back on Gateworld you said you would look into it but that they definately lived in one galaxy only. So just wanted to know, do the Asgard live in Ida with the Othalla line being a mistake or they had two galaxies?

    Sorry to bring the old question up, just thought it might be an interesting question to bring up again.

    Take care Joe!

  77. Joe, you disappointed me. I am not a fan of back from the dead but I was willing to give it a go, but really clone? Clone? Sorry guy you lost me on this one.

    Like seeing Sheppard kiss Weir/Teyla/Larrin I am going to pretend this never happened 😉 😛

    *goes to happy place*

  78. Wow, The Kindred Part 2.

    One thing though, Keller a regular instead of Beckett is a mistake. Until I saw the two together I thought I could get used to Keller but unfortunately the only thing I realised was that I will never feel about Keller the way I feel about Beckett. And I really really don’t like getting second best. Reversing the situation and having Beckett the regular and Keller appearing in 5 would work well.

  79. Hi Joe,

    great episode with Kindred P2.

    I was a little bummed that Carson turned out to be a clone. I was hoping that the real one was still around. However, I’m guessing that a cure is found some time soon, if he is out and about by the episode “The Seed”.

    I was also glad to see that even though, he is a clone the team accepted him as if it was the real Carson back, as if they had a chance to get their friend back once more.

    I am very intrigued about next week’s episode and how they’re going to save Carson from that pod.

    Good job…

  80. Before I start this Joe, I am requesting that you not publish this or edit if you prefer. Only because it does mention “The Last Man” and I’m sure a lot of people didn’t catch Sci-Fi’s screw up in the preview. A lot did catch it.

    I agree with amac251, is there someone we – as fans – can contact at Sci-Fi to complain about their episode previews. I don’t mind spoilers but I am really tired of them relieving far too much. There are people who avoid spoilers at all costs and the previews pretty much give everything away. So much for the surprise in the last scene of the season.

    You know how the fans can rally together. Would it help if the fans contacted Sci-Fi (nicely of course as stupid, insulting letters do NOT support a show) and asked them to please change the way they mix the previews? As I have seen many people complaining about them, I believe there would be a large fan reaction to trying to get Sci-Fi to change their editing. Even if it doesn’t work, at least they would have to take notice. And of course some idiot somewhere would send some nasty letter as we can’t control everyone. But most,I think, would be fairly intelligent about what they write.

  81. Hi Mr M!
    Greetings once more from Tipperary!
    Intrigued by Mr Marty G’s new movie…Any sign of a European release date??

    Thanks

    S’n’T

  82. So were the dvds in the box for all your blog fans?

    Enjoy your night out on the piss. remember to give your camera to someone sober enough to take wicked piccies, we want to celebrate with you! Don’t forget to drink plenty of water!

  83. I hope Bambam’s okay! Though I suppose he’s used to getting injured…

  84. “Kathy writes: “Wow 56 pages WITHOUT the final scene? Am I reading this correctly; I’ve always been taught the page count for an hour series should be around 42.”

    Answer: Not Atlantis. Less than 55 pages and you’re in trouble.”

    How do you get from 55 pages to approx 42 mins?

  85. Wow, thank you very much for bringing Dr. Beckett back! The episode was amusing and I liked the ending very, very much. So you knew from the very beginning that you are going to bring Paul McGillion’s character this way back?
    Thank you for posting the photos from the set and the production *g*

  86. I haven’t read the comments yet ‘cos I haven’t seen Kindred II yet, so I don’t know if anyone has posted this link or not. Anyway, it’s to David Nykl’s blog and a photo of Woolsey in his new uniform – I know some people have been asking for something like this:

    http://lettersfrompegasus.blogspot.com/

    It’s the latest post. Nice pic.

    Also, thank you for the wonderful pics you’ve posted – of course, being just very *slightly* biased (!) I love the one of David H most!!

    Though the one of you is fab too. Cool way to run a meeting – just be sure they don’t volunteer you for that unwanted job while you’re asleep…!

    Leesa Perrie

  87. What can I say, another fantastic episode. Ronan’s hug with Carson had me reaching for a tissue although I wanted a little more out of the farewell to Rodney. I knew Rodney would be last and I think I expected a hug there too. Even if Carson had been eye to eye with Rodney rather than in the stasis chamber would have been more emotional. A minor nitpick on a wonderful show.

    Oh, I must be warming up to Keller. The last few episodes she hasn’t bothered me at all.

    And what about that coming attraction? Rodney/Keller liplock. It would be great to see him with someone who can deal with his quirks and love him anyway. There’s an age difference thing, if the characters are the same age as the actors then it’s what, 14 years? THat’s okay since he is so emotionally immature, he’s been growing up throughout the show. I’m hoping there’s no reset button at the end.

    Joe, WHat line of the poem refered to Kindred 2? “An old friend returns” I guess?

  88. Thanks again for more info & even BETTER pix!!
    Coveting that awesome sword (here come the Highlander fans again) and yes I too WANT my copy of Ark of Truth NOW! er without the typo…

    Kindred 2 = its Sunday again… the episode came off absolutely heart wrenching (I was able to hold the tears until Ronon) but I’m really happy with the story because I saw all the reactions from Rodney, John, etc that I thought I’d see. This Carson seemed SO real!! how did Michael make it so good? and about Carson’s mum… I have been mourning the loss of Mrs. Beckett’s scone shipments too. But, I’m glad that the real Carson is really dead, again because of the Michael payback thing I mentioned before which we thought was right (for which Weir & Heightmeier have also paid the price… still wondering when Sheppard is going to seriously pay? maybe next ep?) HALLING!! but where’s Jinto?? Teyla was GREAT, so was Michael (I just can’t get enough of that ski-slope nose yes CT is one of my fave actors too) and Flan’s 2 boys look just like him.

    The Last Man is supposed to be an alt-reality ep, right? so hopefully I only have to gag once on Keller/McKay. Looks like it will be a terrific finish to a terrific season, the prospect of again having to wait months for resolution is… well, your blog certainly helps ease the pain!

    And, OK, its only fair that if Hewlett gets a shout for his Dog’s Breakfast in an episode… I want to hear an actor on Atlantis say Young People Fucking! 😉
    DD

  89. Yeah…I gotta be honest here. I found tonight’s ep to be disapointing. Because, as much as clone Carson is better than no Carson, it’s just a bit cruel to everyone who was hoping to have the real Carson back, in my opinion. Because it’s not really Carson, no matter how much it may look like Carson, and his friends’ willingness to accept him as Carson seems kinda like a slap in the face to the memory of the real Carson. And, purely from a creative, story-telling standpoint, I really, really wish you hadn’t gone with clone. Because that’s absolutely the most predictable thing it could have been.

    Also feeling kinda let down about Teyla’s pregnancy. This is sci-fi, so I had hoped her pregnancy would have come about it a bit more of a dramatic, sci-fi-y way than just the standard. Or even if the guy had been introduced a bit earlier on, so it hadn’t come totally out of the blue and would have at least had us emotionally invested in the child as the child of the both of them. But this just seems so…well, out of the blue, and not in a good way. To me, anyway. But that storyline obviously isn’t finished yet, so I hold out hope that it will turn out to be more interesting than it seems. Maybe Michael will end up taking the baby away and using him for nefarious purposes. (Which would also get Teyla back in the field and avoid the need for a baby as a regular, or at least recurring, character.)

    Which isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the episode at all, of course. There were a lot of great lines and moments. The ADB reference was funny. McKay breaking the news about Weir’s death was just heartbreaking. Ronon hugging fakeCarson was adorable. And Michael rocks, as always.

    I do wonder, though, why everyone was so quick to treat the clone as Carson, when they knew he really wasn’t, when they have recent experience with a very similar situation, with the replicator duplicates, when they never stopped feeling uneasy around them, even the Weir one. And on a related note, I wonder if, once a cure is found, the clone Carson will go off and somehow meet up with the dupliheroes and have a whole “basically the same but not really” gang. (Yes, apparently I do like to imagine guest characters going off and joining gangs amongst themselves. What?)

    And now that I’ve expressed my oh-so-warranted disaproval with your creative choices, might I ask you a question? I won’t be surprised if you don’t feel like justifying your decisions, but, just because I really am honestly curious why you made that choice, even beyond any disapointment I feel at it, just out of sheer narrative curiosity…Why did you guys choose to go the clone route with Carson, rather than one of the multitude of other options?

  90. Joe,

    Something just occurred to me: in the last ep of SG1 the Asgard were “extinct”, so to speak. I can’t remember if the SGA, S4 eps that have shown the Daedalus show Hermiod in his usual spot. Is Hermiod also gone or is he the one remaining Asgard?

    Thanks

    MA

  91. Hi Joe,

    I just watched the episode again and although, I really liked the episode, I can’t help but feel disappointed and cheated.

    I believe that the dramatic effect would have been out the scale if Carson was the real one:

    1 – The realisation that Carson was hoping in vein that his friends were out there looking for him could have been deafening.

    2 – It wouldn’t demise the beautiful episodes with the fake Carson because he didn’t know he was the fake one and he gave his life to save a fellow member.

    3 – What if Michael infected Carson with some virus that required the weekly antidote dose to prevent him from escaping? The end scene with Carson in the pod would have been even sadder. Following few days of joy that their friend didn’t die after all, the realisation that they are losing him again to this virus and the need to put him into the pod.

    I liked the episode but I am not happy with the clone angle.

    I do remember you saying at some point, though, that Carson wouldn’t be a clone. What happened? Why did you change your mind?

  92. Thank you so very much for posting those pics of Pual (talking about pics during the last few days). It’s so great to know he’s back and even better seeing it on the pics.

    I have not yet had the opportunity to watch the kindred Part two and hopfuilly I’ll be able to find it soon.
    But the kindred part 1 one blew me away. I watches it at 1 am in the morning and when it was over I was absolutely over-excited and it took me about and hour to calm down to go to bed :o)
    Hopefully part two will explain how Beckett could come back and if it’s the real Beckett or not.

    I hope you’re not feeling too bad after that dinner.

    So long…

  93. CARSON!!!!! :O)

    Personally I thought Kindred was cool! Okay sure it was a bit predictable and contrived but it’s the Stargate that I love. I love having Carson back and I don’t really mind that he’s a clone since I knew it was coming even before the Gateworld fiasco. I also like that the real Carson was the one that died in Sunday – as it doesn’t mess with who Carson was in the third season. To me “Clone-Carson” is still Carson and I don’t really feel that it does anything to diminish the Carson who died. I think Rodney’s feelings match my own – just happy to have Carson back, who cares if he’s a clone. I do have to admit to being happy to know that he’ll be back for a number of episodes next season so I’m not too worried about how long Carson is going to be “popsicleCarson” – hopefully it will be resolved quickly like what was done for Jack in “New Order”. I was curious about how CloneCarson has all the memories of Carson but that’s probably one of those plot devices that’s best not thought about to much as no matter what it doesn’t really work. Or who knows maybe next season it will be explained more and it will work!

    Anyway I’m definitely in the camp that feels that season four is the best season yet (with a couple of minor issues but then that’s normal, right?) and I’m absolutely looking forward to Season 5 with Woolsey in charge! He’s going to be so much fun! I need to go back and rewatch his episodes!

  94. i would just like to say thank you for bring me to tears at the end of the kindred PT2 ……

    wonderful ending very much looking forward to the last man 😀

  95. Oh, those DVDs in the box are a beautiful sight! You know, there’s a guy from the original movie still out there, unaccounted for since “Shades of Grey”, I think. Louis Ferreti. Are there any rumblings about bringing him back, either for SGA or the third series?

  96. Kindred II worked much better for me than I—and tissues were definitely needed! I cryed with Sunday [and everytime I watch it] and now I’ll cry everytime I watch Kindred II I’m sure. In the end, when Carson was saying “I’ll see you later”, I couldn’t help but think that Sam was experiencing when the team had to put Jack into the stasis chamber and all the flood of emotion that brought back for her. But then, she’s the only one standing there that knows they really can come back out of the chamber.
    Looking forward, some what, to The Last Man. But then the season ends and the long wait for the DVDs and Season 5 begins. It will be a long, hot summer here in OK I think…but I’ll have AOT to watch, and my DVR and Amazon Umboxed versions to rewatch. But the DVR has commercials and the AMazon’s on the computer, nothing like the DVDs and comfort on the couch!

  97. Me revoila =)…

    Waou, sa en fait beaucoup de dvd de Ark of the truth!! Snif moi je ne pense pas pouvoir m’acheter le dvd car je me suis deja acheter la saison 10 de sg1 bientot la saison 3 de sga, et ma tirlir est vide^^! Je pourrais peut être l’avoir si j’ai mon BEP* en juin =)

    BEP*: c’est un éxamin que je vais passer cette année en comptabilité =)….tient en parlant de comptabilité sa me fait pensée a l’épisode bounty! lol génial l’épisode, Vala ma fait trop rire^^!

  98. Oh, Joe you made me sad. What a emotion packed ep. Poor Rodney. He gets his friend back to only fine out he might just lose him again. Talk about emotional whump!!!!! Loved it. : )

    I just finished watching it and am still trying to process it all. So excuse the ramblings. When it was revealed he was a clone, I had to pause the show for a moment. That news was a lot to take in. This is one scenario that I never imagined.

    The line about “A DOG’S BREAKFAST” just killed me. Paul was so amazing in this ep. I am glad he will be back next season.

    I was on the edge of seat over Teyla’s fate. I suppose we will have to wait until S5 to know about that?

    Great stuff. I’ll stop now.

  99. I loved Kindred II. It was gloriously heartbreaking from beginning to end. All of the scenes between Carson and Rodney were beautifully scripted, acted and emoted. And then, that last scene with Carson saying his goodbyes to the team? That almost made me cry.

    Tears in my eyes, Joe!

    A brilliant episode all around. I think that this episode finally brings some closure to Carson’s death (even if he is still going to be a in a few more episodes). Thank you for that.

    (Also? That picture you posted of David Hewlett is lovely.)

    Joe, Joe, Joe! Only one more new episode for months! How will I survive it?

  100. Dear Joe,

    Personally, I enjoyed watching Kindred Pt. 2 more than Pt. 1. And I loved that you brought Carson back. Interesting how he’s a clone! But that’s ok with me. I really didn’t think of that at all. (which was probably the point) Thank you for a fantastic episode. I loved moments between Carson and everyone else. Very touching. And when Teyla broke through to Kanaan. I loved that too. Please don’t say that’s the end of him.

    When I saw Carter watching Carson go into the stasis pod, I couldn’t help imagining that she was thinking of when Jack went in the stasis pod in Antarctica. Maybe that’s just me. The ending was amazing.

    But now I’m depressed (kind of) because there’s only one more episode left!!! I can’t believe it. Every season goes too fast. Still, I am completely looking forward to next Friday’s episode. It looks really really good.

    I’m sort of thinking out loud right now, but I have a question. Why did Carson call Carter “Samantha” at the end of the episode? I mean, yeah, it’s a tender moment and all, but I didn’t think they knew each other that well. I thought maybe he would’ve called her “Colonel”, but “Samantha” was very poignant anyway. And it took Teyla the span of a season to call her “Sam” (kindred pt. 1)

    Great episode! Thank you so much.

  101. Quick thoughts as I’ve got to go out soon, may put more detailed input in the next few days on Kindred II, but for now:

    Overall, a good episode. Not a FANTASTIC episode or anything as realistically….nothing happened. Michael still has Teyla, Michael still has hybrids. Becketts back to not being there (for now). What did happen? Not much. It wasn’t a bad episode, but thinking that 40 minutes occured and only one or two real details were changed was a bit weird. I was suprised Teyla was whisked away with Michael at the end though, I thought she would be recovered. But I’m glad she wasn’t, opens up new story possibilities for either next episode or season 5 (I don’t know if this is carried on next ep, and don’t want to know) and hopefully it means we will see more Michael soon, he is a really good character and has proved it further here.

    Becketts end though, given that next seaon he’ll only be in 5 episodes, I’m hoping you don’t just put him back in stasis at the end of each story ready to bring out next time and use him like a yo yo. I’m Hoping he’ll be cured by the end of the next episode he’s in…

    Next season premieres title could make more sense now, ‘Search and Rescue’ I’m guessing meaning Teyla? But I’ll hold off from any real speculation until I’ve seen next weeks episode.

    I like the reference to ‘A dog’s breakfast’ in the episode as well, whos idea was that?

    But overall, quite good, 6-7/10 maybe. But not in a bad way…

  102. I am really trying to figure out why some have a problem with Keller. It seems like it is the same issue that some had with Vala…and I just don’t understand that. I think that shows need fresh injections of characters to keep the show growing. I am not sure about how this new team in S5 will play out but it only gives the show more room to push the story.
    I love Jewel and for me she has made Keller a character who is awkard, mysterious, funny, and sharp. I do hope that somehow there will be some tension between Ronan, Keller, and McKay.

  103. I watched Kindred Part II last night, and I must admit that I was very dubious at first. But it was truly wonderful, one of my favorites, and that moment at the end was beautiful. Thanks so much!

  104. Oh my gawd. I cried more for Carson in this episode than I did during Sunday! There was something infinitely more tragic about it being the second time they lose him. (Um. Kinda.)

    I also loved how “a dog’s breakfast” was worked in there. ::applauds::

    A riveting episode. How dare you limit it to a one-hour time slot! We need much, much more!!

  105. Yéé, je vient de voir “The Kindred 2” Il est super!! Je suis tellement contente de revoir Carson, il ma vraiment trop manquer!! Impatiente de voir la suite =)!

    aller gros Bisou, a demain, je vous adore♥

  106. My eleven year old wants to know if the shout out to ‘A Dog’s Breakfast’ was an accident. She won’t believe me! lol – great episode! *hugs Carson*

  107. Hey, I’ve been reading this awhile and, having seen Kindred II, wanted to say good job! That’s was a good ep. The last scene was very emotional and touching.

    I also have a question as well. In the upcoming season 5, will we be having any episode or storyline that will touch on the Alliance of Four Races that was introduced back in SG1’s Torment of Tantalus? I was just wondering because I know that you’ve made mention of a new race and enemy was going to be introduced. And you have Daniel Jackson coming back for the Mid-Season two parter and if he’s coming to Atlantis, it’s going to be big.

    Thanks!

  108. p858snake: What ever happened to Aiden Ford (Played by:Rainbow Sun Francks)?

    I think we should find and interrogate pg15’s space cows….

  109. Loved Kindred 1 and 2, but it got me thinking…Whatever happened to those “Anti-Season 4” people? Have they disbanded? Maybe they just changed their name – “Anti-Season 4 Except For Those Two Episodes At The End.”

  110. Really enjoyed Kindred pt.2 – the interaction between everyone was fantastic (although as a doctoral student in genetics I was rolling my eyes at a few things). If you ever need a science proofreader let me know – we grad students are cheap. 😉

  111. Hey Jo’ !

    I want AoT dvd !^^

    Cool photos and blade !
    Is the table comfortable for sleeping…?

  112. You wrote that the Carson we see in The Kindred was not a clone, while he is. Was it a way to preserve the mystery ?

  113. Hey I could really use that sword at the moment, It would make short work of the shitloads of humungous bamboo that is not so gradually taking over my back garden.

  114. *waves*

    You could have warned me for goodness sake! I mean it’s not like you didn’t know! Because of you, I had NO tissues whilst watching Kindred part deux,and subsequently I was forced, yes FORCED (for fear of missing out) to blow my nose and wipe my tears on my sweater, and I hope you know I hold you and the others completely accountable. I was so engrossed, I was unable to get up and get tissues, ergo the blame I feel most definately lies with you. You’ll be hearing from me about the dry cleaning bill. 😉

    However, because i’m such a nice and kind person, and you gave us lots of hugs *squeeeeeee* and that endearing and emotional last scenes between the team and Carson. *sniff* I will of course be willing to forgo sending you the dry cleaning bill on one condition! Please in future pre-warn me of occasions when I might need kleenex, and roughly how many might be required. To give you a base score, I needed 4 tissues for this eppy. 😀

    Thanking you 😀

    *hugs*

  115. Hey Joe,

    I love SGA because it does a wonderful job of spreading the love to the rest of the cast. It’s an ensemble show which I enjoy. The odd thing that always stands out to me is that is has leading a actor who never seems to get treated like one.

    Whenever I read press releases for my favorite shows upon the returning season. The producers always start off my discussing the lead actors upcoming storylines or arcs. I don’t think I’ve ever read or even seen in any of the seasons overall arcs for Sheppard or even Rodney. Why is that? Just curious.

    Also thus far for Season 5 you’ve talked about a Ronon and Carson episode and even a Keller one.

    Any news on Sheppard and Rodney?

  116. I’m Back! (if anyone actually noticed I was gone …) My surgery on the 22nd was uneventful (no blog dedication – you wound me, Mr. M! 🙁 I’m sure it set my recovery back several days, at least … ) When I could finally sit up at my computer it took days to catch up on everything (yours is a very popular blog, indeed!)

    But after carefully scrutinizing Joe’s artfully worded hidden clues, I have finally determined the fate of Anne Teldy’s character: She will be eaten by a carniverous space cow being ridden by a lisping crackhead wraith …! 😆 When I read the day’s entry of wraith casting, I very nearly fell off of the chair I was so precariously perched upon – my doctors post-op instructions should have included “no reading of Joe’s blog while under influence of heavy pain meds …”

    I really enjoyed Kindred 1 and 2; but have just a couple of questions:
    1) We know that sophisticated/advanced cloning is possible (i.e. Asgard tech)
    2) We know that memory transfer/manipulation is possible (i.e. Gould tech)

    My question is this: how the heck did Michael get his modified little hands on any of it? 😕

    I hope I can come up with some intelligent insights for the next book discussion – I read “Children of the Night” a whole month ago not knowing it would be the last book to be discussed …

  117. Enjoyed Kindred II, though disappointed that my imagined plot twist was imaginary. (Trying not to spoil here.)

    On another front, I’m appearing frequently on US TV…in the STOP LOSS ad, which has a clip from the day I was an extra.

    Gilder

  118. I’ve been lurking for a while, and finally decidedd to add my two cents to the discussion I loved Kindred Part 2 – the scenes between McKay and Beckett were touching and beautifully acted – David and Paul have great chemistry. The only thing that bothered me was that there was no goodbye between Beckett and McKay – I was a little surprised at that – but maybe knowing Rodney and his inability to deal with his emotions – it shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise.

    I can’t wait until The Last Man next week – especially seeing the McKay/Keller kiss – please, as a devoted McKay fan – give us a little romance for Rodney next season. He’s grown so much as a character, that the romantic in me would just love to see him finally have a mature relationship.

    Thank you for the great David Hewlett pic. That one might even become my next wallpaper for my laptop.

    Just a quick question – a month or so ago, you mentioned looking at drawings for a bathtub for Rodney’s quarters for the “Broken Ties” episode, and finally decided on using a Lantean one. Will there be such a scene? (and to take it even one step further, there is another question about said bathtub that is very tempting to ask, but better judgment tells me not to)!

    I’ve loved season 4 so far, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for season 5.

  119. BTW: does anyone have any idea as to why my avatar pic only shows up sometimes on my posts???
    I have checked my wordpress profile, and everything looks ok …
    Any suggestions would be welcome…

  120. On February 15, 2008 at 5:24 pm Ray Finkle Said:

    The return of Carson Beckett is going to be a clone and he will (somehow) have all the memories of Carson Beckett up until the point the original, and deceased, Carson Beckett was cloned. When this may have happened i can’t be sure. My guess would be when he was trapped alone with Michael on that planet way back at the start of season 3. We’ve seen that Michael is a bit of a creationist whizz.

    —————————————-

    Aren’t i a clever boy? 😉

    Now that a minor character like Major Lorne has a hometown is there any chance we will ever find out Carson’s, Joe?

  121. To those questioning how Michael could transfer Carson’s memories:

    Remember the memory device, the one from that not-so-much-more-advanced-than-us alien society, that Mitchell encounterd?

    Or the Ancient devices that allowed Jack to downlowed the repository if Ancient knowledge, or allowed Daniel to download Merlin’s memories?

    Or how the Go’auld ribbon device transferred thet dream from Sha’re into Daniel’s head?

    Or how Thor downloaded his consciousness into a clone of himself?

    Now, after all these groups — Ancients, Go’ould, Replicators, the Asgaard, and whatever that other human group was — all figured out how to transfer consciousnesses from body to body, why is it so hard to believe that Michael could figure out a way to do it?

    *Especially* considering how the dart beaming tech managed to put Cadman’s consciousness into Rodney’s brain? It’s just a matter of copying the “file” instead of just cut-and-pasting, like a computer file — brains are just organic-based computers!

  122. Hey Joe

    Hope you’re well. I’m halfway through Timescape, which is pretty good going for me! Hopefully I’ll have some comments for you next month.

    One quick question: Will season five of Atlantis have some kind of link-in/crossover with SG:Universe to introduce the series like we had with SG:1/Atlantis?

    Cheers

  123. Eifelheim? Is this set in the Eifel? That low mountain range area of Germany next to any town where I lived so far? Amazon.com tells something about the black forest but that is completely elsewhere (southern Germany, not in the west).

    There aren’t many SciFi novels set here – even German SciFi writer tend to place their stories in the USA or elsewhere but not here. There is one nice novel from Andreas Eschbach named “Kelwitts Stern” which is set in the Swabian Alp.

    Is this book worth reading for someone who loves reading but hasn’t got the time to read everything she’d like to?

  124. Gah… *sniff*. Yep Kindred 2 had me in tears ..(of course).

    Was wonderful to see Carson back! Thankyou.

    I would however, have loved to see a hug between Rodney and Carson. It would have been really appropriate seeing as Rodney was devastated at losing Carson and well, best friends do hug, don’t they. Can we see one when Carson is cured? I did love the moment between he and Ronan though. Chewie has a real soft side underneath that warrior skin of his!

    I just realised no Zalenka!!! Did he miss the reunion because he was on that planet again being dressed up by the kids?

  125. Hi Joe,

    Which of JF’s two sons where in The Kindred Part 2 as part of the jailed Athosians?

  126. Kindred 2 or ‘The Clone Ranger’

    A clone a bloody clone not predictable that one!!

    Then I suppose bringing a dead Carson back to life was never going to be a piece of cake.

    If Carson was cloned from a few of his cells those cells would not retain the necessary information to re animate his thoughts and memories.

    Memories can not be cloned because they are not hard wired into the brain. A typical brain houses around 100 trillion synapses each of which would have to be replicated in the exact sequence for Carson’s memories to function.

    But this is Sci-fi and anything can happen, Michael may have managed to down load Carson’s memories separately and then upload them again into the cloned body.

    If that is what happened then he has only to grow a new agnate for Carson’s memories and ‘Carson rides again’. Hey that could be the title of episode #11!

    Poor man a Scottish ice-lolly, where’s the dignity in that?

    Pauline

  127. G’day Joe
    Ark of Truth…drool…
    I have to wait for April 9, in Australia, not fair.
    Can you please dedicate the blog to my daughter who is nine on Sunday.
    My eternal gratitude
    Janet

  128. susiekew Said:

    BTW: does anyone have any idea as to why my avatar pic only shows up sometimes on my posts???

    Are you always logged in when you comment susiekew?

    Cheers, Chev

  129. Janet Said:

    G’day Joe
    Ark of Truth…drool…
    I have to wait for April 9, in Australia, not fair.
    Can you please dedicate the blog to my daughter who is nine on Sunday.
    My eternal gratitude
    Janet

    I’m with you there Janet. It totally sucks. Makes me wish I’d ordered from Amazon instead of Ezydvd.

    Cheers, Chev

  130. Hi Joe,
    Loved Kindred P2!! Loved how Rodney kept trying to protect Carson during the firefights. And the last scene when Carson was saying goodbye to everyone – such a tear jerker! Now waiting for The Last Man. Saw the trailer on MGM website and all I have to say is OMG!!! How can I fastforward the week!! I don’t know if I will be able to wait!!! *heavy sign* Hope you will give us behind the scene documentaries after the episode airs.
    Love my SGA,
    Elisa

  131. I watched last night’s episode with some trepidation.

    I do hope we’re not going to get SGA: The Quest for Teyla’s Baby. I have this terrible fear Michael will get the baby and the team will rescue Teyla right after she delivers, to avoid the messiness of Teyla having to figure out where her place on Atlantis is while she’s a new mom: should she be on a team doing off-world missions, or staying in the city? Don’t do that. Please. It might be the easy way out in terms of writing for Teyla, but it would be very unsatisfying, perhaps especially to those of us who are moms.

    Aside from worries about Teyla, and the baby, and why she is suddenly stupid enough to insist on going after Kanaan when Carson’s trying to rescue her and she should be concerned about the baby and not the already-compromised Kanaan–aside from all that, I loved “The Kindred Part 2.”

    I love most of all that Carson’s back, and, as Rodney says, he’s Carson in the ways that matter. I love that Carson wants to help badly enough to endanger himself to try to find Teyla, and he fights stasis as long as he can, I figure because he doesn’t want to wake up and find them all gone.

    I love that Rodney is so glad to have him back and so protective of him in the field and so far into denial about the possible permanence of Carson’s stay in stasis that it hurts to watch him in that final scene.

    I love that John and Ronon tried to act like it wasn’t Carson to protect themselves from hurt, but it didn’t work.

    I love that even though Sam worried that clone-Carson was a threat subject to Michael’s control, and that even though that fear turned out to be a little bit right, she couldn’t help but be won over by him in the end.

    I love that we’re promised at least five Carson episodes next season. More, please? How about eight? Eight’s a good number!

  132. Hi Joe,
    Forgot to ask, I understand the baby shown on the ultrasound is one of the actor’s baby. Who’s is it – David’s, Rachel’s, or Jason’s?
    Thanks,
    Elisa

  133. Cheeky lil Devil wrote:

    You could have warned me for goodness sake! I mean it’s not like you didn’t know! Because of you, I had NO tissues whilst watching Kindred part deux

    But Mr. M did warn us:

    Nov 9th, 2007 No doubt that Kindred II will have fans reaching for the tissue or their significant other’s sleeve while Last Man will have them jumping up, bug-eyed screaming: “HOLY F*&O$2@ S*$#!!!!!”. Heh heh. Stay tuned.

    Jan 10, 2008 The last few episodes of season four should come with a 3-hanky alert.

    You just weren’t paying attention.

    Anne Teldy (who had her tissues ready)

  134. For those upset that Carson in The Kindred was a clone and feel that it’s wrong to consider the clone as REALLY being Carson, or that it’s somehow disrespectful to the “real Carson” consider this:

    Considering who Carson was and the kind of character he was don’t you think he would want his friends to help his clone and welcome his clone as they would have him?

    Would it have made you feel better if they all had turned their backs on the clone and told him to get the hell out because he wasn’t “real”? Do you think Carson would have wanted them to do that?

    Yes it’s true that the clone is in fact a different person from Carson (because of those six months of different existences) but he still has all of Carson’s memories up until that point. They could no more turn him away than they could have Carson no matter what happened to him.

    And personally I think Rodney’s acceptance of him (and the happiness of having one of his best friends back) came out of shock more than anything. Considering everything that’s happened I can’t blame him for latching onto the one bit of GOOD news that happened to him in a long while. Plus most of his acceptance of Carson came before they knew he was a clone – and by the time they found out Rodney was to caught up in the idea of having Carson back that the implications of Carson being a clone didn’t register.

    The thing is though the whole “is the clone really Carson” argument could be fought forever with no clear answer either way. Like a lot of conflicts that come up with anything really. There really are no easy answers. Which would be why I usually like to just watch the show without thinking too much about the deeper issues involved.

  135. majorsal wrote:

    …and i loved the scene between him and sam, which was the first time they’d ever chatted together. and he called her samantha.

    brains103 wrote:

    Why did Carson call Carter “Samantha” at the end of the episode? I mean, yeah, it’s a tender moment and all, but I didn’t think they knew each other that well. I thought maybe he would’ve called her “Colonel”, but “Samantha” was very poignant anyway. And it took Teyla the span of a season to call her “Sam” (kindred pt. 1)

    During the events of the Season 3’s “The Return, Parts 1 & 2”, Beckett worked at the SGC for 2 months. He most likely met Carter then, so he has known her for a bit.

    And it did not take Teyla a season to call her “Sam”. It took a season for Carter to ask Teyla to call her “Sam”. There is a difference.

    Anne Teldy (who usually follows etiquette rules when determining first-name usage.)

  136. Amz wrote:

    In regards to “Snow, Glass, Apples” and the original darkness of fairy tales, talk about interesting timing. I just went for a job interview yesterday where knowledge of this was really helpful. If I get the job (which I hope I will), I’ll be researching and dramatuging (it’s a word now) a play which is a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood (the original, dark one). I think the discussions we’ve had here really helped me make an impression.

    Have you read Grimm’s Grimmest which “presents nineteen original, unsanitized, wholly unholy tales as they were first collected by the Brothers Grimm circa 1822”? The editor, Maria M. Tatar, wrote a book, Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales, with this B&N description: “murder, mutilation, cannibalism, infanticide, and incest: the darker side of classic fairy tales figures as the subject matter for this intriguing study of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Nursery and Household Tales“.

    Anne Teldy

  137. On March 1, 2008 at 12:53 am Rigel Said: […]With Sam there I had to think she was probably reliving the moment they had to put Jack in the status chamber.

    oh, i got that too! just look how the camera immediately went to sam, just after the procedure took place. good scene, touching on the events of the moment *and* sam’s past. 😉 *squees at shippy vibes*

    sally 😀

  138. Rodney putting himself between Carson and automatic machine gun fire was fabulous.

    When they said that Carson’s troubles were effectively due to genetic coding errors I kept waiting for someone (Carson, as previously mentioned, being a genius that facilitates his own return… or anyone else) to say “use the ascension device to repair his DNA with this baseline sample (from the original) that we still have on file, right here!”

    Oh, well. The canon answer is already in place, as you’ve already filmed his S5 return, so nothing to do but wait and see…

  139. I also loved the Dog’s Breakfast line! I was hoping all episode that Rodney would hug his friend but he didn’t! Oh well…he did say that we agreed that it wouldn’t be goodbye but see you later and Carson said,
    “We did?” because that conversation was with the spirit of Carson after he had died! So of course noone but Rodney knew what was said. We NEED to have Carson back as a regular and I think he and Keller worked very well with each other! So you see, 2 doctors on Atlantis WILL work!! After Rodney blew it with his old girlfriend, I was glad to see that he
    and Keller got together but will they now?! I hope so!
    Rodney needs someone that understands his emotional immaturity and I think that Keller does! Also get a love triangle thing going between Ronin, Rodney and Keller at least for awhile to spice things up! I am one of the few people who is looking forward to Woolsey taking command! Ha,ha! I’ll miss Sam though!
    I still miss weir! Just one complaint…how could you make Jewel a regular after just being on a few episodes this season and yet NOT make Zelenka/David
    a regular in the credits?! Radek must be swearing
    out loud in Chec somewhere!

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