Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

December 5, 2008: Easing Back into a Routine

·

dsc01555

dsc01570

dsc01573

dsc01575

dsc01579

In an effort to resume my routine now that I’m back on familiar ground, I elected not to falls asleep at 6:00 p.m. last night and, instead, headed over to Fuel for my first non-Tokyo dinner in weeks. Ted and co. were excellent hosts, suffering my sleep-deprived yammering while I enjoyed two of the new menu additions: a terrific duck confit and foie gras mousse terrine with shaved apples and hazelnuts served with toasted rye, and a truly marvelous Fraser Valley free run lamb shoulder served with sunchokes, green olive, and caramelized yogurt agnolotti. How truly marvelous? Well, in all honesty and given the choice, I would choose it over the Michelin 3-star Joel Robuchon lamb dish I had while in Japan.

Oh, and I just received an email from Chef Belcham informing me that their new restaurant, Campagnolo, is finally open. He wrote: “ Just a quick note to let you know that Campagnolo is now open. Hope to see you later.” I wrote back: “Yeah, later. Like in about three and a half hours.” Fondy and I were perusing the menu last night and putting together a game plan that included herb agnolotti with potato mascarpone, and sage, the salsiccia pizza with rucola, chilis, and parmigiano reggiano, and a Sloping Hills pork roast with cotechnino, cipolin, and drippings.

Well, back to work, but not back to the office. We were supposed to reconvene next week but, as expected, Brad and Robert are up to their eyeballs in scriptwriting and series prep so, instead, we’ll be flying solo, working on our own outlines and scripts. Rob showed me the stack of ship designs they were mulling over last time I was in and I suspect that he and Brad have probably narrowed their choice down by now.

So far, Martin, Carl, and Alan have put out outlines (and I’ve already provided notes on all three), and Rob and Brad have put out the first draft of the opening three-parter, Air, which puts me tied for last place with Paul (who, I’m assuming, is just about finished his pass on our outline for the SGA movie). Priority #1 now for me is hammering out an outline for the first part of the SGU mid-season two-parter. From what I understand, casting is still ongoing but I expect we’ll be hearing word on some decisions soon…soon…

I should also be resuming work on that super, secret project. I’m ten pages in and yet, even though I’m at (by my estimation) the halfway mark, I’m still agonizing over this one, rewriting, revising, and polishing ad nauseum. And yet, despite the seemingly endless editing, I have a feeling I’ll never be completely satisfied with it. My friend Kellie, a very gifted prose writer, advises me to simply forge ahead and get it all down, then worry about the revisions later but, alas, it’s just not the way I work. I need to be at least 80% happy with a scene before I can move on and tackle the next one.

Gradually easing back into my routine. I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. last night, slept until 4:15 a.m., lay awake for two hours, then nodded off and slept until 11:00 a.m.(!). Yep, approximately eleven and a half hours sleep. Right back to routine.

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

64 responses

  1. Arctic Goddess Avatar
    Arctic Goddess

    Welcome back to good old Canadian soil, Joe. Now that you are almost back to normal, I would like to ask you a couple of questions about Japan. I do love learning about other cultures. I should have been a sociologist. Unfortunately, there is no money in it. I’m discovering that, until you hit the big time, there is not a ton of money in writing either, but my current attempts are finally bearing fruit and I am actually making some money at my dream career.

    Anyway, back to the questions:

    1) Is it possible to not have to learn some Japanese to visit the country? I suppose it would mean just doing the touristy thing?

    2) You snapped a picture of a line of middle aged people. Some of them were wearing face masks. Can you explain what that was all about?

    3) Is Stargate or Atlantis seen in Japan?

    4) Have you noticed any major changes in Japan since you were last there?

    Thanks Joe. I’m looking forward to your future blogs.

    Patricia (AG)

    Reply
  2. ElisaD Avatar
    ElisaD

    Hi Joe,

    How is the script going for the SGA movie? I am becoming very worried that I have not heard anything about it for some time. At a recent convention, the actors stated that they have not been contacted. A little reassurance, please.

    Thanks,
    Elisa

    Reply
  3. Annie from Fremantle Avatar
    Annie from Fremantle

    Welcome back to your home and pugkids Joe..

    I can’t click on the pics to enlarge.. is it just me?

    Reply
  4. Special Avatar
    Special

    Any chance that some female writers or writers of color will be joining the SGU team?

    Reply
  5. susan the tartan turtle Avatar
    susan the tartan turtle

    Did you film a video of the bath and all its buttons?

    If so can we see it – there seemed to be an awful lot of buttons on the bath.

    I bet you are glad to be home – especially to be back with the pack and Fondy.

    Reply
  6. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    Yes Joe, I also have a couple questions about Tokyo – if your answering . . .

    1) In all your pictures, EVERYONE looked very slim (even the dogs). Are there any overweight people in Tokyo? What would you attribute this to: diet, exercise (lots of walking), or genetics?

    2) How did you and Fondy communicate? Phone calls, texting, or did you just say, “Honey, just read my blog”?

    3) Do the police wear guns and is there very much crime in Tokyo?

    4) What does $1.00 American dollar equal in Japanese money?

    By the way, I think Lulu and that “fawne” colored French Bulldog would have made enteresting babies. They would have been French Canadian Japanese Bulldogs. He was a good looking dog. But no dog has bigger ears than Lulu!

    Thanks for sharing your most excellent adventure. It was a must read every day. Very enjoyable and as close to Tokyo as I’ll probable ever get.

    Reply
  7. Georgia Avatar
    Georgia

    How many planets has Sheppard crashed on?

    Reply
  8. ytimynona Avatar
    ytimynona

    Hehe. Nice to hear your sleeping is getting somewhat regular again. I didn’tsleep last night… and I’ve been a zombie all day. Which sucks, because I didn’t actually accomplish much (besides staying awake all night) last night. And now I’ve got to do all that work tonight instead. Ahhh, the college life. Such fun it is.

    Have I mentioned that I’m über excited about SGU? And the fact that you’re writing the two-parter makes me that much more excited!!! Can’t wait to hear who gets cast (and such)… should be awesome!!!

    Reply
  9. gilder Avatar
    gilder

    Welcome back! Thanks for sending cold weather down to Texas! Broke out my Icelandic wool cap this AM.

    On re-viewing “Brain Storm”, thanks for showing CPR in use. Y’all have redeemed yourselves from the failing to give Hammond CPR in SG1 S8(?)

    Reply
  10. Lee Avatar
    Lee

    So “Air” is the tentative title of the pilot episode?

    Reply
  11. Montrealer Avatar
    Montrealer

    Welcome back Mr M

    My question for your Nippon gourmet excursion. Did you have any meal item that really surprise you in a good way?

    Any thoughts on the current political mess in Ottawa? I was wondering if a change in government would make it easier to produce TV shows & movies in Canada. I don’t think the PC party (nee Reform party) was helpful to the Entertainment industry in general for the last couple of years.

    Reply
  12. Deni B. Avatar
    Deni B.

    I know, the secret project is a how-to, as in eating the way you do and not gaining a ton of weight. You’ll be a bizillionaire in no time.

    “Infection” was enjoyable but I thought it was a little slow. I’m so going to miss my Rodney fix every week. As the end of the show grows closer, all I can think is that this really sucks. We’ll be left with Sanctuary (which I still don’t know if I actually like or it’s just because Amanda’s on it) and a whole slew of mindless garbage (Chase, Estate of Panic).

    Any idea when Season 5 will be available on DVD? Have a good weekend!

    Reply
  13. Jinx Avatar
    Jinx

    Always good to ease back into a routine! Nothing like a good meal & a warm bed (& 4 wet noses) to make you fit back in.

    And might I add, you eat the most interesting dishes?! That lamb looks wonderful.

    Did you ever manage the Absolut Ice Bar? Or will I just need to travel to Tokyo myself?

    🙂

    Reply
  14. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Watched Infection earlier (and Sanctuary – excellent episode – and the news…not so excellent)…just getting around to commenting.

    Spoilers…

    .

    .

    .

    If I didn’t care about the Wraith, I would say that this was about the best episode (action-wise, monkey-wrench-wise, problem solving-wise…and even a bit character-wise) of the season. However…dammit Joe – I am just so sick of the genocidal attitude of the Altantis team as a whole. Let’s kill ’em all! Woo! I hated – absolutely HATED – Sheppard up until the very end, when he did redeem himself. But for a while there, I was ready to kick him in the arse…really, REALLY hard.

    Also, when are the Lanteans going to acknowledge ALL that Todd has sacrificed? I mean, REALLY acknowledge it – not just the ‘well, he did help us out’ comments. He has sacrificed everything – his identity, his way of life, perhaps even the chance of ever being a part of Wraith society ever again…and they still shit on him (of course, they did the same with Michael…but that’s a debate for another day).

    Still…they totally disregard him as if his life holds no value at all…oh…until the very end when they needed him to save their bloody asses. *Then* he’s okay. Yeah – these episodes are doing nothing to make me like the stars of the show. Except Keller. I still like her. And Woolsey. And maybe Teyla…not sure about her, or McKay. Ronon can go rot.

    And Sheppard is a two-faced little self-serving weasel… who *just* managed to save himself in my eyes at the very end…but I’m not holding my breath that he will be as generous in the future.

    Just one other thing that kinda annoyed me about the episode was the whole ‘shoot the flesh-eating zombie Wraith’ thing – it was just a bit drawn out. Hubby groaned, and said it was like watching a video game. It would have been nice to have a little less of that, and a bit more discussion about Wraith biology or tech – for instance – IS the ship alive and sentient? This has not been answered.

    I loved the flesh-eating zombie Wraith, btw – serves the humans right for coming up with a gene therapy BEFORE opening the first Pegasus McDonalds.

    Woo! And Todd’s one hellava pilot! I kinda think that’s what gained him Sheppard’s respect…nothing else.

    The bit about hibernation…the exchange of fluids – THAT was excellent! 😀 Love the reactions there…heeheehee…

    There were some things I really liked, and the ep was very suspenseful…but the attitudes about the Wraith leave much to be desired. Even when the Wraith TRY ro change, the team just wants to kill them all. And even though Teyla suggested that all Wraith may agree to the treatment, there is still no talk about preserving a unique species, only talk about saving humans, as if humans are the only life form of value anywhere. It just makes them seem very small and narrow-minded, like 19th century big game hunters in Africa, who had the mentality that, 1. there was such an abundance of life that killing thousands of animals wouldn’t put a dent in their respective species, and 2. even if the animals were wiped out, their existence really didn’t matter anyway as long as man proved himself superior.

    Yeah. This is the attitude that is really making me dislike the team – a lot. Still – Todd was excellent in this episode – I loved seeing his more desperate, irritable side again…just love that part about him. However, I was VERY disappointed to see him lose his ability to feed through his hand. To keep that would keep him Wraith…would keep him dangerous. As I said before, I would have liked to see them resist the urge in favor of eating normal food – not lose the ability altogether – like an alcoholic resists a drink. To have the option to feed leaves things wide open, especially when it comes to alliances, and hand jokes. 😉

    So – mixed feelings. Liked the ep overall, but instead of being uplifted by it, I feel very down, just not excited about what lies ahead (I had that sort of excitement in S4, and somewhat at the beginning of S5…but this back half of the season is totally depressing me). I am trying to hold out and watch the remaining episodes…but it’s very hard…and I really have bad feelings about ‘Jumpsuit Todd’ – he just looks so neutered in those promo pics…it breaks my heart. 🙁

    das

    Reply
  15. Tim Gaffney Avatar
    Tim Gaffney

    Infection…an exciting and fast paced episode. It had something for everyone. Lots of team action, Lorne, Keller, red-shirts, creepyness, and Todd. I liked the idea of the hiveship getting “sick” as well as the Wraith. A very different plot idea. When the ship broke in two, I had a Revenge of the Sith flashback. Hope you didn’t copy it from George Lucas. I did have a couple of quibbles. How did Teyla use the life-signs detector? In The Shrine, Sheppard had to hold it for Keller since she didn’t have the gene. And when they first discovered the new wall blocking their escape, why didn’t they use C-4 to blow it open? It seems like it would be easier than taking the long road. And how was it that Todd was the only Wraith who was able to somewhat keep it together. None of the others had the mental control to avoid the canabalism? I was still thoroughly entertained for the whole hour.
    As for the ending, I can see Sheppard’s point about needing Todd’s help later, but I don’t know if I would have been able to let him leave the city after everything he has done. He is just too much of a potential threat.
    Next week…I can’t wait for Identity!!!

    Reply
  16. for the love of Beckett Avatar
    for the love of Beckett

    Oh, man!

    Another good episode behind us. I loved “Infection.” Das, you can peek between your fingers now. They saved Todd. I’m so glad. He is such a go-o-o-o-o-d villain. He even barked at Rodney and Rodney “blinked.” Terrific writing, and dialogue between Todd and Sheppard, especially when they lock eyeballs, toss threats around, and try to out-glare each other. There were several lines that cracked me up, but my favorite was when

    Todd asked, “You woke me for this?”

    What a stitch…and perfect delivery of that line. Drama, gravitas, and dead-pan humor. Man, Chris Heyerdahl is a great actor. Sat there and thought, ‘Hmm, this might be why Das adores Todd.’

    Next week, our Carson Beckett returns (very much looking forward to that!) in “Identity.” And Carl wrote it. This should be good.

    Then, “Vegas,” which sounds like a great warm-up for the finale fireworks, and then, shudder, our finale, “Enemy at the Gate.” At least Cap’ns Joe and Paul wrote it. It will be great and that will take part of the sting out of it. I wish we blog members could fit in Cap’n Joe’s livingroom, or the Studio, so we could all watch it together. I’d bring the popcorn and the Kleenex. This IS really happening, isn’t it? Sigh….

    Reply
  17. jedi43 Avatar
    jedi43

    “Georgia

    How many planets has Sheppard crashed on?”

    By my count 4: Childhoods End, Condemned, The Ark and Infection.

    Reply
  18. ytimynona Avatar
    ytimynona

    Mmmm I guess I need to review my not-so-amazing coding skills. Sorry for all the italics!!!

    So Resurrection is the repeat SG-1 on right now and I got a bit of a surprise when the credits rolled after the intro… Michael Shanks wrote it, Amanda Tapping directed it. How awesome!!! Did not know there was an episode with so much actor/actress input. But it made me happy =)

    @DeniB: I’m with you on Sanctuary… I like watching it, but I think that’s just because of the amazing actors, and not the show’s premise. But I’ve only seen four episodes so far, so maybe I jsut need to give it more of a shot…

    Reply
  19. Arctic Goddess Avatar
    Arctic Goddess

    Hi Joe:

    One more question, if it’s ok.

    Does gout run in your family? I hear that men are likely to get it if they eat too much rich food. Any thoughts?

    Patricia (AG)

    Reply
  20. Hachi Avatar
    Hachi

    Hey, I liked Infection alot!
    Great cause it had Team, McKay and Shep, Todd, Todd and Shep, Lorne, and even Teyla was in this episode!! YAY!
    (and the evil McKellerness was minimal so that it is easy to pass over upon repeat viewings).
    All in all a terrific return to the Atlantis I love.
    Congrats on another great story!
    I just hope we actually did keep our bargain with Todd and didn’t “Weir” him out into space or to some prison someplace.
    Looking forward to Vegas!

    Reply
  21. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    PS on Infection…

    .

    .

    .

    I liked the Wraith biology lesson and iratus bug info, and the ‘compassion’ scene between Keller and Todd, which really played into my change of feelings towards Sheppard at the end. I think Todd can clearly see Sheppard’s compassion here, and I hope he respects it, and doesn’t use it against him in the future.

    Yeah – I guess there is a lot more that I like about this episode than hate – just the whole attitude towards the Wraith really bugs me, especially after all these years. I appreciate Keller so much, and her comment that she had hoped the therapy would have been of benefit to ALL – including Wraith. Yeah – right now she’s about my favorite character…just wish she’d dump that Rodney fellah for Todd. 😉

    das

    Reply
  22. wolfenm Avatar
    wolfenm

    Welcome back! 🙂 Glad you had a good time — thanks for the fun pictures! 🙂 hey, did you happen to see any Grape Pocky when you were over there? I can’t find it to buy online, and I’m wondering now if they still even make it ….

    I hear you on the secret project front — I seem to spend more time polishing what I’ve done already on my novel than I do writing more chapters. I’ve gotten a second wind on it of late, though, gotten about twelve new pages of material added in the last week or so …

    Yay for Todd tonight! Had me a bit worried with Sheppard for a whle there (cause I would have figured he’s smart enough to understand that Todd only betrayed them because he thought they’d betrayed him *first*), but having him be so hostile most of the ep worked well for making the end all the more poignant, and I can appreciate that his priority is his people, not Todd’s. Nice moral/philosophical questions raised. Not a faaaave ep, but it was nicely tense & creepy, and I loved parts of it, especially the Todd bits and the last ten minutes or so in general. Some sweet little McSheppy moments, too, especially when the ship split. 🙂

    You *really* don’t want to know what I thought of “Brain Storm”, on the other hand, so I’ll spare you — won’t even link the review here when it goes live finally. XD

    Letting y’all know now, I’m having a “Goodbye to the ‘Gate” party at my chatroom on the night of the final ep (Jan 9th, I believe?), ten minutes after Sanctuary (11:10 est).

    Reply
  23. Hachi Avatar
    Hachi

    @Wolfenm
    And here I’d thought you were too distressed by Brainstorm to even write a review! (although however did you manage to sit through it enuf times to do your “blow by blow” review, I don’t quite understand – perhaps you will enlighten us in your write-up). Your recaps and comments are part of my Stargate routine, so I was missing this past weeks.
    What show are you going to review when Atlantis ends?

    Reply
  24. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Okay – the more I watch the episode, the more the thing I hate doesn’t matter so much, since there is much more to love about it.

    The more I talk about it, the more positive I feel overall. At least I don’t hate Sheppard anymore…;)

    Oh, and I liked Todd discovering a new word – ‘bug’. Hee! I guess I better stop calling him that now… 😛

    I really want flesh-eating zombie Wraith back…they were great fun!!

    @ for the love of Beckett – I decided to watch it ‘live’ – that was almost a mistake. 😛 It twisted my gut in a knot, but now that I’ve rewatched it – and digested it a bit better – I don’t feel quite as bad. I am still very worried about Todd’s future – just because I LOVE hand-feeding, cranky Todd…THAT Todd has to overcome a lot to play nice-nice with humans. The new Todd…well, he’ll just be a big green ‘human’ with no eyebrows and extra nostrils on his face. Not quite sure how that will play into the dynamics of the show – I really love the danger he presents as a life-sucking Wraith who occasionally ‘plays’ with his food. Still, if it’s the only way to keep HIM alive, I guess I have to accept it.

    But that doesn’t mean that I still don’t love the Wraith as a whole – exactly as they are. They are beautiful things, with such a unique social structure and biology that to change that just makes them something else, and I’m not quite sure what that is at the moment. Even the Lanteans aren’t quite sure whether or not to refer to them as ‘Wraith’, especially now that they can eat burgers and fries.

    So…I am mourning the potential loss of the Wraith as a species. I know it’s hard for people to understand because of the whole ‘they eat people thing’, but look – this is science fiction, and no real people are being harmed or killed in the process. So, fully exploring the potential of a fictional species, dwelling more on their right to exist instead of just trying to find ways to exterminate them, and doing so while showing that – despite the HUGE obstacle of human feeding – human and Wraith can still find ways to work together…well, that’s the sort of stuff I like, and what I loved so much about S4. I realize I’m in the minority, but it’s still hard to accept the inevitable – Wraith must change, or die. It’s just very sad to me.

    das

    Reply
  25. grapesofwraith Avatar
    grapesofwraith

    Hi Joe,
    Just by to drop a quick note, welcome back , it sounds like you had a great trip. I enjoyed reading your amazing culinary (and toiletry) experiences for the past week, and hope you go again soon!

    Reply
  26. Laura Avatar
    Laura

    Only 11.5 hours of sleep? The most I have ever done was 18 hours. Although that was after a fire caused my building to be evacuated at 4am, a chemistry final, and a Lord of the Rings marathon – all on the same day. I had about 3 hours of sleep in 3 days. I’ve never been able to repeat that feat.

    I hope you have a great holiday season. I will particularly enjoy this Christmas as I will final finish my university degree. In 12 days I will have a BSc in Environmental Science and can go save all the cute and fuzzy creatures.

    Reply
  27. Anais33 Avatar
    Anais33

    Coucou joseph!!
    Et oui deja de retour et la routine revient au galot^^!!
    Eh bien vous avez dormi comme une marmotte! Il faut car bientot le travail va repprendre!!

    Et bien moi je me consacre a fond à la convention donc je ne fait pas grande chose d’autre.

    Passez une trés bonne journée! Bisous

    Reply
  28. miho Avatar
    miho

    Excuse my English!
    I see that the horror is needed nowadays, I don’t like it, but isn’t it possible to carry it within one of our own? Frequently appearing and disappearing!
    Lots of old sets could be used, if not destroyed. Many brilliant ideas left unfinished, unexplored…

    Reply
  29. Shawna Buchanan Avatar
    Shawna Buchanan

    I can really sympathize with what das is saying. I’m not a big wraith-hugger in general or anything, but like she says, even when a wraith tries to do something to get along with the humans, the Lanteans would still kill them in a heartbeat unless they need them to save their butts. It really doesn’t make them look very heroic to me. I wasn’t disappointed that Todd lost the ability to feed… until I realized that this also means he no longer has the ability to do the re-life-ing thing that he did to Shep in Common Ground, which, as I’ve mentioned before, is something I’d really like to see explored further. I am glad he got away, though. He’s the last hope I have now that an enemy might one day become, if not a friend, then perhaps at least a lasting ally.

    Other than that, though, I thought the ep was good. Those crazy wraiths reminded me of zombies or something. They were pretty freaky. I also had to wonder if wraith ships come with fog machines standard or if the organism that is the ship is just really gassy. Also, it seemed to take way too long for the people to figure out 1) that Todd came for help because they tried the treatment and it had a nasty side effect and that’s why they were all in stasis, and 2) that the ship also had the virus. With the way the clues were laid out, I had those things figured out long before the characters did, which made them look not quite as smart as they should have. Maybe less obvious clues would have helped.

    Reply
  30. Shirt'n'Tie Avatar
    Shirt’n’Tie

    Hey there Mr M!

    Greetings from a very cold and wintry Tipperary

    I had a sneaky bet on that Fuel would be your first port of call after Tokyo trip!! (Some pints of Guinness are awaiting in my local tavern from a fellow (lurking) blogee!)

    Tell us more about Chef Belcham’s new restaurant..I assume it is in Vancouver? Same district or other side of town?

    Best to all

    S’n’T

    Reply
  31. shiningwit Avatar
    shiningwit

    “there is still no talk about preserving a unique species, only talk about saving humans, as if humans are the only life form of value anywhere.”

    I wholeheartedly agree with you there but would go one controversial step further by saying you only have to listen to American commentators, be they media/politicians/pundits to hear the phrase “American people/american lives” over and over again. I say what about the REST OF THE WORLD guys!!!!Don’t they realise that without the rest of the world there would be no America? I consider myself a citizen of Planet Earth. we’re all in the shit together so there’s no fekking point in being precious about it.

    I love America and have been fortunate to visit and I met lots of wonderful people, would love to visit again I just can’t listen to its media or politicians……come to think of it I feel that way about our politicians and media too….oh well.

    *where did THAT particular rant come from huh?*

    I’m gonna duck down low just in case someone wants to lob a grenade my way.

    cheers

    Shiningwit

    Reply
  32. shiningwit Avatar
    shiningwit

    Bollocks. I meant to be agreeing with Das in that previous comment, I kinda got carried away……ya think?

    Reply
  33. drldeboer Avatar
    drldeboer

    Rain on Saturday mornings should be banned.

    @Das thanks again. Reading this blog & the comments is one of my few bright things these days. My mom is a Dr Who fan.

    @AnneT continuing to think of you
    DD

    Reply
  34. Gen Avatar
    Gen

    HAHA…reading the blog comments this morning and suddenly I realized I was seeing little something flitting through my field of vision as I read. Aieee, what’s wrong with my eyes? I’m seeing things! This can’t be good…

    Oh. It’s SNOW. 😀

    Duh.

    Last night’s episode. The marauding Wraith warriors were so creepy, loved that. Also liked Keller pointing out that it isn’t easy to make these kind of galaxy-altering decisions, and McKay’s support of her. Good to see Todd and Sheppard confronting each other again as well — if anyone puts together a Top Twenty List of Reasons We Need More Atlantis, Todd’s gotta figure in there somewhere.

    Reply
  35. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    Welcome back,Joe!! Glad you are home safe and sound. Am I seeing things or was it snowing on your blog or does my laptop have a virus?

    Reply
  36. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    O.K. I’m done moping and feeling sorry for myself now.

    Warning: Infection spoilers.

    Ohmygod, Keller’s retrovirus gave them <b?Wr-AIDS??!!!

    I agree with das, Shawna and shiningwit. Yes, I know the Wraith are the “bad guys” but I still worry about the attitude most of those on Atlantis seem to have toward them. Todd was making a real effort to work with them on the whole retrovirus thing, but rather than acknowledge that and try to help him, their first thought is to blow the hive-ship out of the sky. Except Keller (who I liked a lot in this episode – good writing – it really gave a lot of insight into her character) and Woolsey – who was doing the right thing partly because he was under orders, but partly because he understands that Todd is an ally, even though there are many areas where they will never be able to agree completely.

    @ shiningwit: I agree. One of the things that I have found disturbing about Atlantis is their resemblance to the U.S. Heck, I’m from here and it still bugs me. The egocentric approach to the world is a serious stumbling block in all of our policies, and it bothers me to see it reflected in Atlantis. Don’t get me wrong, I like sci-fi and fantasy that bring real-world issues to their stories. But I like them better when they offer positive resolutions to them.

    @Shawna: I had the retrovirus/ship infection figured out long before the people on the show did, too. But I guess they had other things on their minds.

    Uh, Joe. It’s snowing in your blog.

    Reply
  37. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    @ shiningwit – I’m American, and I totally agree with what you are saying…sometimes I am SO ashamed of our narrow-mindedness. Sometimes I wish I had the ability to flat-out lie, because then I’d be telling everyone I’m Canadian…heh. I mean…EVERYone loves Canadians! 😀

    After having a chance to sleep on this one, I am liking it more and more. Even though I initially said it was about my favorite ep this season…well…it’s becoming even more of a favorite now.

    I really liked the dynamics between Todd and Sheppard – very well done – NOT in the beginning – but in the end. I LOVE what rsanchez said at GW: “I loved the Todd-Sheppard dynamic in this episode. It reminds me of two teenage guys who just went out with each others’ exes and are pissed at each other about it. Todd gets angry at John about the treatment, and John gets angry at Todd about the Daedalus. Then it’s the “I’ll never speak to you again!” phase of the relationship. (On second thought, it’s looking like two teenage girls who stole each others’ boyfriends…) But then Todd saves the day, Sheppard repays the favor, and Todd says what I think is the best line: “I will not forget this John Sheppard” with what looked like a smile.”

    Yeah – I really love the eventual development in their relationship in this episode – like that GW poster said, they’re like teenagers, fighting about who stole whose date. Gotta love ’em for it! 😀

    das

    Reply
  38. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Okay – is it supposed to be ‘snowing’ on this site, or did I get some kind of virus again??!

    *is worried*

    das

    Reply
  39. Sparrow_hawk Avatar
    Sparrow_hawk

    Follow-up questions for your Japan trip:

    1. How did the GPS Navigator work in Tokyo? Was it worth the time and trouble you took to download the maps?

    2. How did you find your dining companions?

    3. Did you ever get the the “Parasitological Museum”?

    I’m definitely going to make notes on the restaurants you visited for my next trip! Especially the sushi restaurant.

    Reply
  40. Thornyrose Avatar
    Thornyrose

    Mr. M. glad to see you’re adjusting to life back on our half of the globe. To Mr. McCullough, fantastic job. Had to watch the download thanks to drunks requiring my services at bad times, but it was well worth the wait. I really enjoyed Infection, and how it all p;layed out. Todd’s presense was fantastic, and I loved the interplay between him and all the characters. I especially loved the exchanges between him and Sheppard. The bargaining was well done, and I’m overjoyed at the prospect of Todd being out there in Pegasus, with or without his hand feeding abilities restored. I did think the whole “control half the ship enough to survive reentry” stretched my suspension of disbelief, but it didn’t quite snap it. I do hope that if the first Atlantis movie doesn’t have Todd as a major factor in the storyline, a second Atlantis movie will. Todd has what Michael, as well as too many other humans lack, a sense of honor. I’d love to see how that will effect his dealings with Atlantis, and Pegasus at large. Looking forward to reading more comments, both on your eating adventures and on Infection once I’ve reduced my exhaustion to simple tiredness.

    Reply
  41. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    How cool…!!!
    You have snow falling through your blog; well noticeable in the photo gallery.

    Reply
  42. fuchsia Avatar
    fuchsia

    There is snow falling on this page… do I have a virus!?

    Reply
  43. wolfenm Avatar
    wolfenm

    @Hachi ~ thank you! I’m glad you enjoy them! 🙂 Yeah, let’s just say it wasn’t easy — you saw how much I procrastinated on it. XD And I fear the end result (25 pages!! Usually I do about 16 …) might be a bit … repetitive. *cough*

    As for when after the show is over, aside from participating in roundtable discussions of Supernatural over at the other zine I write for, Sequential Tart, I think I might take a break from TV reviewing for a while to work on other projects. One of the reasons I was late with this edition of the column was because my writing muse decided she’d rather work on my novel instead, and after having had a nasty case of writer’s block with it, I wasn’t about to say “no” to her. XD

    It will be strange not having a TV column of my own, though — last year/early this year I was doing columns on Moonlight and Terminator (for Tart) besides the one on SGA, and in the past I’ve done columns on Buffy, Angel, and the short-lived Tarzan. I think I need a break from fandom, though (especially with all these shows I love being cancelled or likely to be, like SGA, Terminator, Pushing Daisies, My Own Worst Enemy …). Or at least from the critiquing side. XD I’ve got a few fanfics on the backburner that I want to get to when I’m not working on the novel, and a few paintings I’ve been wanting to do (my art muse is feeling neglected) … Oh, and I really should look for more *paid* work, right? LOL XD

    Oh cool, I just noticed the snow is back on the blog! W00t!

    @das ~ glad you were able to enjoy he ep! 🙂 I too was aggravated at Sheppard’s behavior (Ronon’s too, but I expect it from him), but am glad it worked out in the end. What’s the news you were talking about with Sanctuary? Was it cancelled or something? (I thought it had been renewed for a 13-ep season?)

    Reply
  44. Sessy Avatar
    Sessy

    It’s not compassion on Sheppard’s part, it’s honour.

    I get the kind of sense that Sheppard’s growing darker and darker every episode, as of late. While I’m fine with that, I do hope it’s not a trend that’ll continue into the movie. I kinda liked the boyish playful Sheppard. Still I suppose it’s understandable.

    Keller/Rodney… Well at last we’re seeing some relationship that looks more or less natural! First Keller appearance that didn’t make me wanna puke. Good! Keep that up the rest of the season and I might bring myself to view her as Atlantis’ doctor, not Carson.

    One nitpick in a sea of “good episode”: What’s up with the digital special effects being really bad in Brain storm and this one? Laid someone off the team? Time short? Cuz while I could imagine in Brain Storm that the guys rendering it had no experience rendering tornado’s, we’ve seen good looking ocean impacts on the series before, so where are they now?

    Reply
  45. Sessy Avatar
    Sessy

    @dasNdanger:
    if they really do start eating burgers and fries – and we’ve already seen established in the penal colony episode that they can enjoy taste – they might not fit into those tight leather/pvc suits for much longer 😉

    Reply
  46. Arctic Goddess Avatar
    Arctic Goddess

    Hey!

    Way cool!

    Your blog has dandruff!!!

    Reply
  47. Linda Gagne Avatar
    Linda Gagne

    Joseph you just got back from a whirlwind of eating and you are still planning your meals, what is up with that.

    Infection; Good episode. It did have me intense at moments. I did, however, and Das I am sure you agree, feel sheppard was cold hearted to Todd. I do feel Sheppard owed Todd something (hello, is life). I know what Todd did on the Daedalus was not right, but he felt the urgency to protect his kind.

    I am gonna miss my Sheppard fix, although, he hasn’t been as prominant as I would like to see him this season anyway.

    Yes, what about the SGA movie? the only thing left for us die hards.

    Is it just me or does this site have little white dots going down the screen (and I am not even hung over this weekend)? It is not happening on another site because I checked.

    Reply
  48. WayBeyondSoccerMom Avatar
    WayBeyondSoccerMom

    I like the snowflakes falling while reading your blog. Gave me a smile.

    Reply
  49. OHinNJ Avatar
    OHinNJ

    Welcome back, Joe!

    I watched Infection and really liked it. Nice action, great moral dilemma, and a nice little, subtle McKeller moment.

    Two things stayed with me that I want to comment on:
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    First, the team should just forget about the whole gene therapy thing because they haven’t been able to get it to work the way they wanted it to since the Hofnans came up with it. Seems to me the research should be tucked away with the McKay Bridge from the “Mrs Miller” and “Brainstorm” episodes…a great idea with inherent flaws that causes more problems than it solves.

    Secondly, I had some issues with Todd feeling he “owed” Sheppard at the end. Now, I’m not the pro-Wraith fan that dasNdanger is. But it didn’t feel right that Todd would feel overly grateful to Sheppard at the end. Sure, Sheppard let Todd go, but with the knowledge that Todd was probably going to die. And, as a result of the complication from the gene therapy, Todd had lost his ship, his crew, and probably was about to lose his life. And Sheppard had shown that he was more than willing to just let Todd die rather than help him (at first) to try the iratus bug cure. Unless Todd, in his weakened condition, had suddenly become a more tolerant, forgiving creature, I would have thought his reaction would have been more Michael-like. Because, once again, in spite of the team’s attempt to help using the gene therapy, the Wraith had ultimately paid the price.

    So, if there were a Season Six, I could foresee a plot where Todd finds his iratus bug cure, goes back to being full Wraith, and decides all of this partnering with the humans just isn’t worth the trouble.

    Okay. That’s it. All that said, it was still a well-done ep.

    Reply
  50. deeinsouthafrica Avatar
    deeinsouthafrica

    It’s snowing both here and at WordPress.com. 😯

    We could do with some snow – it’s 11.30pm and 84 degrees F here in Cape Town 🙁

    But then again.. nah.

    I still prefer a zero-snow life. It’s not the cold white stuff that gets me, its the trying to walk on frozen sidewalks.

    Oh, let me go outside and look at the stars. It’ll be cooler out there.

    Reply
  51. ytimynona Avatar
    ytimynona

    Ooops, forgot to comment on Infection!!! My mind really was elsewhere last night… I had an überly large psych paper to write 🙁
    I watched Infection twice because I missed the first 5 minutes the first time. The first time, it felt kind of off to me that Shep was all “no mercy, kill the wraith!!!” (behavior that I have grown to expect unconditionally from Ronan, but I expected more understanding from Shep, who, as Sam put it, “has a history with” Todd) but the reminder of the events on The Lost Tribe and Todd’s solution to the Attero device certainly jogged my memory and made it a little easier for me to accept the second time around. I loved the McKeller moments and I really like how Keller has come into her own opinions about the wraith. She actually believed she was helping them; she wanted to help them!!! The insight into Keller’s motives and self-doubt was awesome. And getting to see Major Lorne at work took the episode to a whole new level of awesome: Kavan is an amazing actor!

    Completely different subject: nice snow. At first, I thought I was seeing things (because I really want it to snow right now!!!) but then I realized it actually was snowing on your blog! Awesome.

    Reply
  52. Sessy Avatar
    Sessy

    There’s no snowflakes for me as a firefox user, it seems.

    Reply
  53. maria Avatar
    maria

    Hi Joe,

    This is old news but there was mention of your deleted Green Cam and Black Daniel scene from Ripple effect on the Daniel/Cam thread on GW (yep it had to happen 😛 :D) recently and it got me wondering if there might be any scenes of between Daniel and Cam of a similar notion (as in I know you didn’t necessary wright it as THAT kind of scene but the angst notion typr scene 🙂 ) in the SG1 movie?

    To early to ask? Too cheeky? 😀

    Glad to read your body clock is righting it self, I know if at the weekend I have a really really late night I suffer it the rest of the week!

    thanks! 😀

    Reply
  54. for the love of Beckett Avatar
    for the love of Beckett

    Hey, cool…snow! Thanks, Cap’n Joe.

    It snowed here last night and again this morning. Everything looks prettier. The resident snowdog was liking it, when she wasn’t cruising the kitchen, or snoozing.

    “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” 😀

    Reply
  55. Angelus Avatar
    Angelus

    Hey Joe,

    Speaking of ship designs. Will you be able to give us a little peek into the creation phase of the new show?

    I’m talking art-work, Ships designs, some really vague sneak-peeks at set building… Y’know, Nothing big.

    Maybe the ship designs that didn’t make the cut? Or set designs that would have been waaaaay to expensive?… How about the new Stargate? Any hints on that one?

    With kind regards,
    Angelus

    Reply
  56. deeinsouthafrica Avatar
    deeinsouthafrica

    Sessy, I’m using Firefox 3.0.4.

    Look at the photo of Maximus at the top. If you still can’t see snow go to the Mozilla page and download some essential plugins

    Reply
  57. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    Hey Joe,
    Welcome home!

    ****Warning Infection spoilers****

    Infection was a great jeopardy episode with a couple of things that were a bit dodgy. The plot became more interesting once the hive ship was threatened. That was fascinating. The drama as they entered the atmosphere and the showdown between Todd and Shep were intense. Those wraith warriors were super creepy…..reminded me of Whispers, especially with the mist on the ground.

    I loved some of the vis effects – the hive ship breaking apart and the cavern in the middle of the ship but didn’t like the splashdown at all.

    I loved Sheppard’s development in this episode (gotta love pissed off Shep). Joe F did an amazing job. I wondered though. I thought Shep promised to take him to the Iratus bug planet himself.

    Also I agree with others about Teyla and the LSD. I don’t think it should be a device that only needs initialising.

    I liked Keller’s role in this. At first I was surprised by the shoulder rub, thought it should have been something more subtle, but then when has McKay ever been subtle. Would have been funny if Sheppard walked in at that moment. 😀

    Cheers, Chev

    Reply
  58. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    The snowflakes are cool. I’ve seen better though.

    Cheers, Chev

    Reply
  59. chevron7 Avatar
    chevron7

    Wow that was quick, I’m never on when you’re on.

    Were the dogs all over you when you got back or did any give you the cold shoulder?

    My cat sometimes hides in her room for a while. Eventually she’ll grace me with her presence for food and to get her head scratched etc.

    Cheers, Chev

    Reply
  60. green Avatar
    green

    Oh my cheese…The snow is following me!

    Reply
  61. dasNdanger Avatar
    dasNdanger

    Glad the snow is just snow…and not a virus. I’ve been running scans all day… 🙄

    @ Sessy – I hope that – if Wraith do start eating burgers and fries – they just have a faster metabolism than me. 😛

    @ wolfenm – Yeah, it took a while, but in the end I did really enjoy the ep. I really liked it while I was watching it, but I’m just so aggravated with the team in general, I have trouble enjoying THEM. Todd…well, that was a no brainer…just loved him from start to finish. But the others – except Keller and Woolsey – I have certain issues with, as you know.

    As far as Sanctuary and the news goes, I meant the 11:00 news – ya know, with the sports and weather and murders and stuff – not news about the show. And even without Chris in it this week, the show was EXCELLENT! Sanctuary just keeps getting better and better – I hope it gets picked up for another season…I am really enjoying it, and – so far – I have absolutely no issues with anyone on the show! 😀

    das

    Reply
  62. Kellie Avatar
    Kellie

    That’s very sweet of you! I’m always happy to help. The bad news is that obsessive re-writing often leads to either understating (since the writer knows the story “too well”) or overstating (since the writer realizes they know the story “too well” and tries to compensate for possible understatement). The good news is that feedback will almost always point these areas out and they’re easy to fix. Keep at it! 😀

    Reply
  63. STU Avatar
    STU

    Hey ! 🙂 have you fired with a p90 ::?

    Reply
  64. migcla Avatar
    migcla

    I’m sad
    I liked very much SG1 and SGA and I hope that the SGU is a good program
    Oh, and my favorite characters (Carter, Jack and Daniel) They will make some appearences on SGU
    (specially carter)

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest episodes

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading