Five days. Five stories. Ish. After breaking the first four episodes of season one Monday through Thursday, we spent a far more leisurely Friday discussing the general premise for the fifth, a.k.a.’s Brad’s episode. Unlike everyone else in the room, Brad prefers a less structured, more free-flowing approach to scriptwriting so, in his case, no breaking required, just a gentle couple of hours in the spin cycle. Still, I’d call that five for five.
A relaxed week and a half while we go our separate ways to put the finishing touches on our Tokyo trip and hash out our beat sheets after which we’ll reconvene back in the office to provide notes, offer inspired ideas, and let one another know where our respective outlines went horribly, horribly wrong. There’s even talk of coming back to the office for a week in December to break – dare we hope? – another five stories. Wishful thinking perhaps but it doesn’t hurt to try. Unless, of course, you’re terribly jet-lagged from a two week Tokyo jaunt. Then, maybe, it might hurt a tad.
This afternoon, we watched Brad’s producer’s cut of Incursion I. Plenty of suspense, lots of action, and some outstanding performances make it a a terrific precursor to the season finale. Wow.
Hey, I received an email from David Anthony Durham, author of Acacia a former Book of the Month Club pick, who informs me that The Other Lands, his folow-up to Acacia, is out. I loved the first book and I’ll definitely be picking this one up. If you’re thinking of doing the same, check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Other-Lands-Acacia-Book/dp/0385523327/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257560756&sr=8-1
This weekend, I get new laptop. Promise!
And fear not! I’ll be easing back into the mailbag starting tomorrow…
If Telford is doing what I think he’s doing in the last scene of “Earth” – please tell me Young get’s the chance to knock Telford’s lights out.
This morning my cat and beloved companion of fifteen years died. Tonight’s episode has been the only thing that offered me a moment of comfort and I have to say that it was very nice to see the characters have real issues. I loved all of Chloe’s stuff this week. Nicely done.
omg…really really well written and executed episode…
the multiple “twists” with the stones were both funny and dark…makes for good TV
itwas certainly nothing like we saw in SG1 or SGA..but man..it was certainly captivating
I really hate the personal use of the stones and this episode took it too far.
Anne Teldy
Hey Joe, already picked out your new laptop? I recommend a Mac!
Earth was nice. David Blue and Elyse Levesque really brought their A-game!
Hey Joe,
I love the scifi references the Eli makes, the Phillip Fry one really had me laughing tonight. Can we expect to see more of these throughout the rest of the season?
A REALLY REALLY GOOD episode.
A REALLY interesting episode.
A REALLY FUN episode.
A Richard Dean Anderson episode…REALLY?!?
BRAVO to the writers and to the actors!!
(..and also to everyone else who helps
to make it all happen in the SGU world.)
The episode didn’t go where I thought
that it might all be headed…and that’s
not such a bad thing.
I have to wonder if any of the ideas that
I was thinking about where ever bounced
around the writers room…because it seemed
as if quite a number of the characters
were being set up for the same type of
“happening”. All of the right people
were being put into the correct
positions for a “shift” in the show/storyline.
The preview for the next episode looked
really good too!
I’ve been reading online about the rest of
the episodes left in the first half of season
one…and also about all of the episodes lined
up for the second half of season one.
…and it all looks good to go…I am really
looking forward to the episodes that are
coming up leading up into season two.
It looks like some smooth sailing ahead for
the viewers all the way to the end of season
one….even if that means some not so
smooth sailing for the Destiny and her
“crew(s)”.
Hi Joe,
I loved Earth, this one was my favorite of the season so far. Nice scenes between Eli and his mom, and I loved the Futurama reference.
Awkward situation for Telford to show up at the ‘wrong’ time, and totally creepy that he showed up at her house at the end (trying to be vague for spoilers here).
Rush is a lot of fun, I love how we have no idea what he’s really up to, and I hope you can keep that up for a while.
I have a question though. Why is Jack wearing the Icarus base uniform? Is that the new standard uniform for SG personnel? I think he looks better and more authoritative in his more formal uniform.
@ Sparrowhawk – Get well soon! And STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!
Geez…I’m really getting paranoid about this bug. Mom wanted me to get the seasonal flu vaccine today, but I decided against it (never had a flu shot). Now I’m wondering if I should have gotten it – ’cause what happens if I get the seasonal flu, AND the pig flu? God I hate germs!
I think I’m staying in the house for the rest of my life. 😛
Three quick comments, since we’ve had a late night.
Firstly, we had a WONDERFUL dinner out tonight at our favorite haunt: http://www.washingtoninn.com/
Everything was delish, but my favorite was the walnut crusted goat cheese app, served on a walnut raisin crouton with strawberry-balsamic compote. There was a fig in there somewhere, too. The fig totally made it. 😀 The owner sent out an appetizer – a lentil salad with goat cheese, and I had another app – pea and pancetta risotto. Main course was chicken saltimbocca, and then pumpkin poundcake with walnuts and a caramel sauce for dessert. We went with an early bird (just because we’ve never tried their early bird specials – something they run off-season). Usually I go for a filet, or their lamb – but decided to try this instead (mostly because I wanted that risotto!), and wasn’t disappointed.
Secondly, Sanctuary totally ROCKED! Well…maybe it would be better to say it scared the snot out of me. 😛 Pretty intense – makes me wonder why they didn’t air this one on Halloween week. No Chris in it at all – it was only Amanda…and that guy (Will, I don’t know the actor’s name). Had me on the edge of my seat, through the entire thing – just really good stuff! Best ep so far this season.
Thirdly, mixed feelings about Universe. Yeah…really getting tired of the sex and relationship stuff. HATE. THE. STONES. Hate Telford more. Still love Eli, Rush, and Greer, but the love triangles and the use of other people’s bodies for sex has me close to walking away right now. I want more of the Rush fake out at the end, and less of ‘oops, I jumped back into my body while you were humping this really hot chick…who I might just have to go screw again, my own wife be damned!’ stuff. And Chloe’s upset over her boyfriend finding someone else when she was whooping it up with Scott? Gimme a freakin’ break! See…THIS is exactly what I hate about ‘that’ type of tv – whether it be soaps, or nighttime dramas, or whatever. I really do not have time for these types of people. They annoy me with their ‘issues’ and it totally takes away from the story I want to see.
But on a brighter note – my husband loved it. So…looks like we might be watching separate shows on Friday nights again. 🙁 No matter how good the story is…no matter that I really like a couple of the characters…all this Peyton Place stuff is really starting to ruin it for me. I want adventure – I want suspense – I want intrigue – I want tension, but I really do not wanna hear people whining about their f’ed up love lives! And the sex scenes continue to make me feel uncomfortable for the actors. I don’t think I could ever look any of them in the eye if I ever met them in person! 😳 “Oh, yeah…I remember you…you make that funny scrunchy face just before you climax!” 😀
😛
Joe…I’m sorry. I really wanted this to work for me. I will probably give it until the season break, but if the relationships continue to take center stage (as they did in this ep), I’m not sticking around. Like I said before, Peyton Place in Space just isn’t my thing.
But, hey! I’ll stick around here for the food and dogs and comics and stuff! Does that help??
Yeah, I feel like shit over this. 🙁
das
I have a theory about Telford and Young, and have had for a while. Time will tell, but so far, I seem to be on the right track. Kudos to LDP for making that reaction work in so many ways!
Just saw Water and everytime Rush made a snide remark to Eli about Eli being a child or the ‘adults’ doing something I kept wanting to Eli to point out that he was recruited through a video game & Rush was probably lucky that he wasn’t a 16yr old instead 🙂
Any chance the stories you are spinning for season 2 involve finding the main engineering room or the bridge???
Love how the use of the Ancient stone’s is turning out. Well done episode. RDA+Young, nice performances. Absolutely, loved what Rush had done at the end.
Is Brody now on Rush’s side after the events of Earth?
As usual, Rush and Greer never fail. (Yeah, even though Greer only had a small part in this one.)
Enjoyed the ep, but,
s
p
o
i
l
e
r
You used what I think of as the ultimate “Quantum Leap” plot device. Not sure how I feel about this, certainly another of the SGU surprises.
BTW, will we see a male/female swap at some point?
I need to watch again. Husband was bustling in and out, and, I admit, I was also working in some mail.
@Joe, half-facietiously: Want a 17-inch Windows laptop? I’ll gladly sell it to you; it’s bigger than I really wanted, but I can’t justify buying a 15-inch. I’ve barely used this one since buying it last spring.
One last thought for the night. For place-holder names, why not use fan screen names?
Maybe I should keep a list of comments and make them all at once instead of these drabbles…oh well. I was just thinking about your statements about flawed characters. I’m seeing that more and more, and I like it. While I wouldn’t say Jack or John had no flaws, there were certain lines you knew they wouldn’t cross, and that was great. Loved it. I would have been happy to watch several more years of that. But even so, I’m really liking this version of reality. You can never quite buttonhole Rush, and as much as I have a crush on Young, he’s got some tarnish. Telford is an ass. And I love it!
Joe, I realise you might have made up your mind which laptop to get but please consider this one…Hands-free, user-supported portable computer
Imagine sitting in a spin session with the head-mounted display & CPU in a handbag. I’m sure Carl & Paul would be green with jealousy.
Anyhoo…have fun shopping. Don’t let them screw you.
Cheers, Chev
hey Joe,
tonights episode was great, many interesting ideas. I loved the interruptions in the stones, especially between telford and young involving young’s wife. And what is telford up to at the end? This was also an interesting episode for rush, after he shuts down the gate and explains what is going on my girlfriend exclaimed that she loved him. Especially after the crap telford was up to I must say that I agree.
on another note, has anyone noticed all the stargate stuff (props, sounds, etc…) that are being used in sanctuary.
-ZPB
Mr. Mallozzi
Good episode tonight. I enjoyed the club scenes, the fact that you had a performer on stage, everything looked put together well.
Elyse Levesque did a great job playing drunk.
Some awkward scenes with the stones being interrupted.
As far as O’Neill goes, it just doesn’t seem right without him being… Well O’Neill. I always expected him to he on whatever side the audience is on.
Also, Lou plays a good, for a lack of a better word… Skunk. Telford is quickly becoming the character you love to hate.
So. Wow. Earth knocked my socks off. I can only imagine the amount of haters that will flock here but I LOVED it.
The ending (and many scenes before that) had me yelling “OH. MY.GOD.” at the screen.
I haven’t had a favorite episode before now but Earth takes the crown. You say they just get better but at the moment, I don’t see how that’s possible.
Ack. My backlog of books keeps growing and now there’s another one to add to it. Ah well.
Missed the first quarter hour of tonight’s episode, so I’ll hold comments till I can watch on itunes. Though I second Arlan’s sentiments about the final scene. Looking forward to the mailbag.
I Just wanna say what a great episode earth was. i hope you guys come back for season 2. my question is this “what is your favorite episode from SGU so far?”
Whoa. Have the internet boards exploded yet? I expect they will. I can see the complications to everyone’s lives especially Young and Telford coming from the actions of Telford and Chloe, but I’m also a little squicked too. It is at best a violation of trust…. mind you I’m not angry or anything. I am hoping that future episodes will explore the consequences of this…. and given the last scene, I expect we will see fallout from this.
Hayloh – condolences for your loss. I know from personal expierence It’s so hard to lose your furry friend. My own kitties are 15 and 13, and I dread that day.
A couple of questions: Can Destiny land on a planet? And how long is Destiny end to end?
What did the Ancients call the Pegasus Galaxy? That’s still pretty relevant considering we will still see adventures in the Pegasus Galaxy in the future likely.
Marty Gero knocked “Earth” into orbit! Earth is an AWESOME episode with lots of twists and turns. LOVED IT! THANKS
@Arlan – I echo your post! Now I understand why Greer punched Telford’s light out… he’s a real stinker…. LDP’s play’s him so wonderfully! Love the acting… Love to hate the character! Winner episode! Thanks
Oh, that Telford and his Telfordian ways!
A little randomness: I’ve been watching some SG1 tonight, and currently watching The Fifth Man. Still a good one.
Great episode, well done with the use of the stones to show how hard it really is for those on Destiny.
The previews for next week “Time” get the brain going on the possible twists and turns coming. You all do so great with the show, I want to thank you all for your hard work.
Keep the info coming Joe, it is greatly appreciated.
Great episode had me interested the whole way.
Spoilers…
I love how it shows people’s home lives. I was laughing at the Phillip Fry bit. Once again Chloe just seems to be on the receiving end of some bad luck. I hope that at some point she can make a home of Destiny so that she can feel useful and have a purpose to her life again. And I’m still unsure of Camille’s role in everything, but I like how she was kind of coached to be more of a leader on the ship. If I was a civilian staff member there I’d want some representation when it comes to decisions on that ship.
BIGGER SPOILER…
What was really great was how even though Rush wasn’t a focus in this story he made a major impact, almost out of nowhere and showed how unpredictable he is.
-Cody
I really enjoyed “Earth” and I am very interested to see how Chloe develops over the course of the season.
Finished watching Earth…nice to know that my thoughts about how they would power the gate came to pass. Now if only I could predict some winning lotto numbers.
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
This was the first episode of the season I was disappointed in. All the stuff on the Destiny was great. First rate. Everything on Earth was horrible. I hate to bring this up again because of the comments that came from similar stuff, but the communication stones should only be used to report their status to the SGC and to receive updates from Earth. It should not be used for conjugal visits. Or to go party in a bar. That is not why I watch sci-fi. I could care less about Young and his wife. I want to see the action on the Destiny and how they go about trying to survive there. I couldn’t even watch Eli and his mother. This is the stuff you need to stay away from. Stick with what you are good at: Science Fiction. Leave the soap operas to network TV.
On the good side: I did predict that if Destiny didn’t have the power to dial Earth, they may be able to try it while in the Sun. I did amend that it would be the end of the show, because then they would be home. Now we have to find out if it simply wasn’t possible or if Rush did something because he doesn’t want to leave. I liked how Scott was trying to find a way to justify defying Telford, but that he respected the chain of command too much to do so without an order from Young.
Very interesting interactions between Telford and Greer. Interesting that the first thing Telford does is to lock him up, and the last thing is to run like a coward. It does look like he is going to get his revenge on Young, if that last scene goes like I think it would.
I hope they don’t kill Riley, he is one of the more well-rounded secondary characters.
As for Rush, he is really the best character you have developed on the show, so many different facets. I just hope you can keep it up with him over the course of several seasons.
Next week looks very interesting.
Coucou =)
ça va ? Yahh vous avez déja réfléchi à l’épisode 5, vous devez bien être inspirez^^! éhéhé les vacances à Tokyo approche=)
Vous allez changez de portable mais ça fait déja pas longtemp que vous aviez votre Black.B ? Quel marque de portable allez vous acheter?
Bonne journée!
Bisou!
i just finished watching earth and you so went there and then some! wow, seriously great twist at the end. ive been hearing so much guff about people disliking the communication stones, but you took something that coulda been an easy writers cop-out and turned them into something full of interesting possibilities and huge issues. i seriously hope this train is on track to a huge explosive resolution when everyone finds out what just happened in earth with their bodies. and i gotta say you guys have been killing me with the little hints and the dropping in of potentially huge plotlines and then just teasing them out ep by ep, such as the thing with telford at the end of earth.
so question time- the first scene in earth with young- dream, memory, fantasy, or some mix of all? and we will get the full lowdown on that arc right? and the last scene with telford- existing relationship or is he really gonna stick it to young like that, so to speak?
keep up the excellent work! i freakin love this show!
@Hayloh: So sorry to hear about your cat, it is so hard to lose a pet you have had for a long time. My sympathies.
I really liked tonight’s episode, thought it was both funny and sad. Are we ever going to find out what Greer did to Telford, or is that going to be like a running joke?
Off tomorrow to NC to visit my mother, we’re taking her a laptop and teaching her how to use it. I hope it’s not going to be like Joe’s mom and the new TV, but I think it is.
Sigh.
Lisa
Elven foot… is that an anagram???
Hey Joe,
Spin Week! Just fun hearing about it. Loved the picture. Who’s job was it to write on the board? Yours? hehehe
Tonight’s episode was so great. Loved every minute of it. Thanks to Syfy and my handy little VHS tape I will be seeing it a few more times this week.
Japan is so close. I have a follower on twitter from Japan. I love seeing their writing %$#@…of course my laptop doesn’t speak Japanese any more than I do. But his does and it is beautiful to see.
Hmmmm, best to you Joe
Cheryl :o)
Hey just wanted to say “Earth” was a good episode.
Nice to see that Jack didn’t like doing what he did but had to. The IOA guys are still slime.
Its clear Telford is very upset he is not on Destiny. He seems a very smug man and now we know he has it in for two people on Destiny with Rush and Greer.
But I wonder if Telford is kind of a glory hound. Yes the SGC and other things are not in the history books yet. But people like Jack, Sam, Tealc, Jackson, Hammond, Wier, Shepperd are going to be big names down the line when the full program is revealed.
Telford was kind of looking forward to having his name on something, like finding out where the last chevron went. He could have been like the first moon astronauts, but Young got their first.
Now it seems Telford is hell bent on getting Young and the “wrong” people off the ship and his hand picked team on it and erasing the facts that anyone else found the ship other then his “Proper team”
Elven Foot? I wonder…. hehe nope. Got nothin!
Light “Earth” Spoiler:
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The scene with Eli and Chloe in the car almost made me cry. Poooor Eli. So now Eli feels even closer to Chloe, he has her alone in the car, and then she says the “f” word! Ach there’s nothing worse!
@Hayloh: So sorry for your loss, hugs to you.
@Hayloh: I am so sorry for your loss of your cat. The people here on Joe’s Blog are very kind and supportive. I’m sure they will all give you the virtual hug they gave me when my cat passed away. Keep the good memories in your heart, and know that your friend had a better life because of you.
Patricia
“If Telford is doing what I think he’s doing in the last scene of “Earth” – please tell me Young get’s the chance to knock Telford’s lights out.”
What about what Young and his wife did to Telford? They used his body for sex without his consent. Putting their intense emotions aside, is what they did objectively much (or any) different from a doctor or dentist screwing their patient while said patient is under anesthesia? Maybe Telford thinks turnabout is fair play.
What did Joe say? “They make mistakes, sometimes big ones, and they suffer the ugly consequences.” Maybe Telford pretending to be Young so he can bed Young’s wife (which I think is what we both think he was doing) is one of those ugly consequences.
Joe, Mr. Gero certainly delivered a “shocker” of an episode. I really liked it. Telford, not so much. All of the characters are coming into their own as they become more human.
Hayloh, I really sorry for your loss. Through the years, my pets have been a constant source of love and acceptance. Keep all the good memories close to your heart to comfort you in the years ahead.
universe is build on sex 🙁 going to watch sg1 once again
Hi Joe,
On the book ‘With Great Power’, can you the ask the publisher to please offer it in Kindle edition?
Thanks,
Elisa
mylifeincleveland: Ditto on the Phillip Fry thing. Love Eli’s geekiness! Almost makes me wish I was a guy, so I could go “I am Math boy”. Except I’d say Maths, because I’m British.
Awesome episode, but when do we see more of Camille? Also, was only just starting to like Riley, he’s probably going to die :p
What, only six comments up?
I know, probably too early, they’re still in queue. But I’m really interested in reading reactions to “Earth.” Last night we got to see the ancient stones in use again, leading to a definite !!!! moment. I was curious what viewers are thinking about it, especially in light of some discussions here at the blog a while back about what was rumored to be happening in the upcoming ep “Life”. (Is it “Life”, the one where Camille visits Sharon?)
Is the Laptop going to be an Apple????
@ Hayloh Sincere condolences on the passing of your dear feline companion. I can relate and understand your pain. Kitty is at peace now.
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SPOILERS
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@ ArlanYeah, I’m with you. Looks like Telford liked that brief blink-in with ex-Mrs. Young and went back for more. Disgusting. And we can assume it was for revenge after Young told him off in front of brass, he “cut and run”. Telford’s facial expression could have killed. Good one LDP.
@Anne TeldyTonight’s episode was a bit confusing for me due to too much stone snapping going on. I still don’t know how Rush knew Telford was (2nd time) in Young’s body since Telford had not spoken, just stood there. I have to view the epp again, just to better understand it.
I did enjoy Rush sticking it to Telford & scientists, making them run away from Destiny. Good one Rob Carlyle.
Best of luck with your new laptop Joe, do tell which you decided on. I’m also in the market for a replacement.
2cats
Ok enough of Jack O’Neill, his time is done, this is not his show, this is what ruined Atlantis for me, no more crossovers, It gains nothing.
@ Hayloh – so sorry for your loss, my sympathies.
Ok,ok, I can’t say I’m hooked… but I can say SGU has me, now I’m intrigued. Friday’s episode answered my questions about the stones. I was ROFL!!!!!!! **** Caution- this may be a spoiler, I’ll be vague.***
The Telford/Young and Young’s wife ( can’t remember her name) that sealed it. OMG so I guess it can happen anytime anywhere, doing whatever. I guess great minds do think alike. I remember posting a while back re: Woolsey and how a dog would make him more humanistic and a few episodes later he has a photo of his yorkie, hmmm. ( I know the episode had been written already). But that changed my view of Woosley.
BUT…. are the stones gender specific???? Now that would be interesting. It happened to Sam Beckett all the time.
Sheryl is having an amazing time in LA – I am so jealous. (in a good way) I can’t wait to see the pics and hear more of her adventure. I gave her money to but some goodies for me and she was kind enough to take the time out of her busy schedule to pick up a few things for me. THANKS SHERYL! I still don’t think she has slept yet. Today, Sat is her biggest busiest day. Can’t wait to hear!
Oh and Barnes and Noble actually had Jan’s BOTMC book, so I snagged it and I have two months to read it. I’m gonna do it. Then it’s back to the school books in Jan. After our unemployment phase over the summer – I had to take the summer an fall off, but we since my husband is employed again, I guess I should take another class and get this A.A. over with.
Well I knew that sticking with SGU because of the talent behind it was a good choice. Yes it is very different and different doesn’t mean bad, it’s just different and I’m still getting used to it. OH!!! I stayed awake thru the whole thing because I fast forwarded thru the commercials. You do what what you have to do, right?
Having sex while using someone else’s body is wrong. What about STD’s? What about pregnancy? Ugh, that just made me ill. Really tired of whiny Chloe too. Why did she get to visit her mom, AGAIN when others haven’t at all?
I would love for an update ASAP on S2 renewal news. As much as I love this show, it’s getting tiring defending this show on forums against the naysayers and it would be gold to wave that news around. If not, can we get an idea of how the ratings/demographics are going?
Keep up the awesome work.
Let me just clarify about the Telford/Young scene – since it is a sensitive subject. I wasn’t laughing at the scene itself, it was more of the fact there were others thinking the same thing I was about the stones or I was thinking the same thing someone else was… Who wrote that by the way?
Hi Joe – I’m one of the friendly neighborhood lurkers who reads your blog everyday but doesn’t comment. I just wanted to let you know that I really have enjoyed SGU. I thought last nights episode was very well written and acted When I was watching I couldn’t help but think that there would be lots of talk about this episode, especially the Telford/Young/and Youngs wife scene(I can’t remember her name). The last scene was very intriguing – does Telford actually know her??? Very interesting.
I’m not sure if was on your blog or another one that I read, but I have to agree with what someone said about how some people have such a prudish mentality about sex. They do not seem to mind violence but mix a little sex into the picture and yikes. I mean in SG1 how many Jaffa did the team kill, how many times were they tortured and Vala was burned alive. In SGA of course there were those nice life sucking Wraiths. So it amazes me when I read one persons comment that they could watch SG1 and SGA with the kids but not SGU because of the sex. Yep violence OK – sex bad.
Well enough of my little rant. I just wanted to say again that I really like SGU and find the approach you are taking with the show very refreshing and new. I mean I liked the other two shows, but life would become very boring if all shows were just a carbon copy of each other.
Keep up the good work, have fun in Japan (I am not very brave when it comes to trying different types of food so I admire that about you) and I hope the series gets picked up for Season Two
“My name is Philip Fry”. WIN.
Who wrote that line?
@Hayloh. thinking of you.
Hayloh, many condolences on the loss of your furry family member.
I enjoyed the episode a great deal, and Philip Fry …. heheheheheee! And Rush … most excellent.
I LOVE THE YOUNG-EVERETTE STORY LINE! Good stuff!!
1) How long before we get the full backstory on TJ/Young?
2) Will Rush ever have to put his complete faith and trust into another member of the crew?
I find it interesting that the internet isn’t ablaze with indignation and fury over Young using Telford’s body. I have to wonder why seeing this episode hasn’t caused the same reaction as hearing about it in a future episode did. Is it because we actually saw the scene as it was intended and are able to experience it the way the writers wanted us to instead of reading a few lines and forming an opinion without all the facts? Or is it that Telford is a man and therefore its not as morally questionable to the same folks that are up in arms about Wray? Just makes me go hmmmm.
The scenes where the stones were interrupted. Amazing. I really can imagine the shock of that situation when he came back in “that” situation.
Louis Ferrera really was right when he said you will really go far with this. Bar Eli & Chloe’s club scenes, this was a great episode and it gives me hope that the “stargatey-ness” is coming back piece by piece.
On a side note do you know where my comment (which followed your ‘rant’) went? Did you not approve it or did it just get lost?
You already know I’m clawing my eyes out of my skull. I’m going to assume Telford and Young had an understanding or the show falls apart for me. Young’s supposed to be a hero and a hero being a rapist doesn’t work.
I’m interpreting Young’s questioning whether the use of the stones was still okay as an acknowledgment that that’s the only power the IOA committee still has over the people on the Destiny, not begging because rules were broken.
The rest … awesomeness! The above is awesomeness if my benefit of the doubt interpretation is correct.
David Blue’s reaction to seeing his mom don the apron … awesomeness. There’s something so European Indy flick about watching a mom make cookies, but kudos to Gero for putting a new spin on it, meaning it wasn’t a cheapo “this is what our protagonist was like as a child” mood-setter.
David Blue’s reaction to Chloe’s subject change … awesomeness.
Riley surviving messed with my head. I interpreted that little birthday comment in “Light” as a bacon-esque* moment so I was expecting him to die. Now that he survived, I’m wondering if his almost-sacrifice was an even bigger bacon-esque moment. I refuse to look at casting lists for episodes to see who is in later episodes. I like this stuff messing with my head and I wouldn’t change a thing. Plus, more Riley, double bonus.
I’m totally wondering what Telford is doing at Young’s wife’s house at the end.
I love the consistency in the “what is Rush really up to?” theme and the new spins ya’ll keep putting on it.
In one shot, the back of Scott’s head blocked what would have been a reaction shot from Volker. I’m sorry, but my attention span only zooms in for a fraction of a second at a time and filling the whole fraction of a second with the back of someone’s head instead of space battle explosions or monster trucks … Most importantly, I just know Patrick Gilmore was A-gaming the reaction shot on the other side of that head and that moment is lost to posterity.
*Bacon-esque is my personal term for when an endearing moment is put into a story for the sole purpose of upping the significance of a character death.
I think using the stones to satisfy carnal urges and social dysfunction issues is just this side of neauseating, particularly since the urges and issues they’re satisfying are the result of using other people’s bodies to do so. What’s to prevent these characters from using the bodies to commit other antisocial and illegal acts? Where’s the limit? It’s a particular problem also because the series, thus far, has been very slow to develop, which means that if there are ramifications for these unethical acts, the audience my not stick around long enough to find out. I hope we don’t have to look forward to this as a regular feature. If so, I fear this may come back to bite the producers in the butt (so to speak).
It’s really hard to read this blog with my eyes clawed out…you should have just called it SGPF instead of SGU.
Speaking of relationships, I understand that the likelyhood of this is low, but if Teyla and John ever are together, then it couldn’t happen instantly. There is so much in the way of their union considering where they both are now (or where Enemy At The Gate left off) that it couldn’t happen over the course of one movie realistically. And, we still don’t know if or when the one movie so many of us are hoping for is going to be made.
I still have my fingers crossed. And, another big thanks to Tammy for hoping with me.
@Hayloh – My condolences.
Peace & Love,
j
Okay – I meant “likelihood”
Thanks
Well…Earth is uh…only my favorite episode so far. Poor Eli in the car scene with Chloe. Oh yeah, I had this funny dream where Martin Gero was a former pastry chef at Fuel…weird huh?
Joe – I just want to clarify something. In this case it’s not that I found the sex scene shocking, or anything like that. It’s that the Peyton Place factor is starting to overwhelm the story. The coolest thing about this ep was Rush’s deception, but that was SO overpowered by the relationship issues, it hardly seemed relevant.
Eli loves Chloe, Chloe is mad at her girlfriend for shagging her ex-boyfriend, Chloe has conveniently forgotten her recent sexual liason with Scott, Chloe passionately kisses Eli, then tells the poor sap he’s just a friend, Young has a thing for TJ, Young apologizes to his significant other over his thing for and with TJ, Young has sex with his significant other, at which time he turns back into Telford, who is now, in effect, committing adultery (assuming Telford is married), leaving us at the end suspecting that Telford (the bastard that he is) has come back for seconds.
Andohyeah, the sci fi-ish thingy we were trying to do to save everyone? It didn’t work. The end.
I am really upset by this – NOT what happened in the episode, but realizing that this show is not going the direction I was hoping it would go. I guess I’m going to crawl back to the Wraith Defenders, and hope they will have me again. I just don’t want to become emotionally invested in the characters any more than I have, not when the overall tone of the show is becoming too much like those soap operas I despise so much. I really thought, and hoped, that it would be different.
Just so sorry. 🙁
This is worse than getting a divorce. 😛
das
@Hayloh…. very very sorry about your cat. It’s such a hard thing to lose a pet we love. And sometimes we feel almost “ashamed” to grieve because people say STUPID things like “It was just a cat” or “It was just a dog”. Those people, excuse me while I indulge in some name calling here, ARE idiots. There is NO SUCH THING as “just a cat” or “just a dog”. They are family and children and beloved. You hang in there hon… know that my sympathies (and I’m pretty sure of many many others on this blog) are with you.
As far as Earth…. I had to skim the comments, couldn’t really read ’em ’cause it’s DVR’d, I was not well last night and went to bed early so haven’t watched it yet. What unavoidably caught my eye made it sound good, am now looking forward to watching it!
With the regular use of the communication stones for the Destiny crew to contact Earth, have the pentagon/IOA set a list of any do’s or doubt’s, when using another persons body? Take the events in “Earth” for example, you have Chloe being drunk in the body of the female scientist, and Young using Telford body for sex with his wife. In the second example, you could draw a really world comparison to drug-facilitated date rape e.g by Rohypnol which can result in excessive sedation. In both cases, the individual i.e. in this case Telford has not given any consent. If there are a set of guidlines, for the use of the stones, you’d think that high on that list would be, “Do not use the other person’s body for sex” or “Do intend to cause harm, via controlled or illegal substance”. If this is the case, will these situations have consequences?
I’m going to reserve judgment for a bit on how the stones have been used thus far. What I really like about them as a plot device are the many questions you can raise with them.
On “our” Earth, we’ve seen many examples of how the development of technology far outpaces our ability to deal with its implications. In the Stargate world the whole process is accelerated: the technology is just there, waiting to be found.
So now what I’m wondering is…since the Stargate program has had these stones for a while, are there official rules in place for their use? Has anyone with Stargate given this thought? Or is it only now that the stones are getting frequent/extended use, so no one thought rules were needed?
Travel news: Have sent my deposit for Ronny Cox’s* Ireland tour next June. If you’re interested, info at http://www.ronnycox.com.
*played Sen. Kinsey on SG1, is a talented singer/songwriter in real life.
Thank God … Chloe is still not out of lipgloss! *g*
3.5/10
Chloey has picked a really bad time to explore her blooming sexuality. Ship like that, this is gonna be trouble. Tell me she’s not gonna be working Rush next? That would creep me out.
Also, what’s up with all the old looking dudes getting really hot young chicks? I mean check out the senator, check out his wife (oh hello there, AI from Stargate season 5); check out the nurse/medic chick and the commanding officer; check out same commanding officer and his wife… Are botox and facelifts part of the family-health-care package the stargate programme offers to its employees, or are you writers mary sueing on us? Let’s see a younger dude getting it on with an older woman! You *never* see that in movies unless it’s a plot device (think CSI, desperate housewives) or the subject of an artsy movie. Meanwhile, it DOES happen in real life you know. I’ve dated a younger dude myself, and isn’t Jason Momoa from Stargate Atlantis married to a woman much older than him?
@Hayloh: I’m very sorry for the loss of your kitty. It seems that it’s been a bad couple of months for the furry friends of the bloggers here.
Mild spoilers for SGU
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Yeah, I know a lot of people don’t think the space is necessary, but I’ll continue to do it ’cause I’ve found it really helps me when I’m trying to avoid spoilers which is pretty much all of the time.
Anyway, I’ve got to say that tonight’s episode was not one of my favorites – I guess I’m just not a bit fan of the back home relationship aspects of the show. It was too much like watching “DeGrassi” (I don’t watch it but my kids do). I’m looking forward to learning more about the ship and those who created it in upcoming episodes. At least, I’m hoping we’ll eventually learn more. For me, Eli and Rush continue to be the highlights. The Philip Fry reference was cute even though it went right past me until someone pointed it out. Rush’s gambit was a joy to behold.
Just my viewpoint.
First, if they agreed to use the stones they agreed to let the other person USE their body. These people are stranded far from home, you have to expect some SEX may be involved. It is very telling the people wigging out about Young having sex with his wife in Telford’s body had nothing to say about Chloe getting fall down drunk… far more abusive to her “host”.
I want Telford locked in a brig til the new millennium, then sweep out the dust left behind. I am SOOOOOOOOO creeped out by him. I expect he is there to “confess” he was aware a few moments as a way to get back at Young for exposing him to be the gutless creep he is. Pond scum gutless poc.
Btw, I seem to be alone. I really like Rush. I never go for the bad guys (well, I like Sons of Anarchy but I wouldn’t fantasize about dating one of them)… but Rush is appealing to me. Yeah he lies, he’ll do whatever to do what he wants. But I got to say, I like him.
Great episode. I am so hooked. Leora just got home and wants to watch it now. She is going to be soooo wigged out over that last minute. Good job 🙂
I’d like to rebuttal the common argument that people who don’t complain about on-screen violence as much as on-screen sex are hypocrites.
On-screen violence is usually advancing the story. When more is shown than is needed to know who hurt who and how and to what extent, that’s called gore. Usually, the on-screen violence is not shown to involve the viewer in the feeling of hurting someone and, when it is, people complain if that’s not what they tuned in to feel.
On-screen sex advances the story as well, but we all know what two characters kissing and falling out of frame means. When more is shown than is needed to know that the sex happens and maybe enough to keep the shots from seeming redundant, it is shown to titillate the viewer.
What was so especially offensive about the sex scene in Air is that it was hot and potentially titillated viewers whether they were expecting it or not. You won’t see as many complaints about the explicitness of the sex in Earth because showing it was relevant to advancing the story. The complaints will center around the focus on sex in SGU stories in general and the circumstances involved in Earth specifically, which is a different argument from the explicitness (and it was equivalently explicit to the scene in Air).
In summary,
A = Enough on-screen violence to advance the story
B = Enough on-screen sex to advance the story
C = More on-screen violence than is needed to advance the story so that the viewer can be involved in the feeling of committing violence
D = More on-screen sex than is needed to advance the story so that the viewer can be titillated
A ≠ D
I’m not saying I’m going to throw out shows that have these things, I’m just saying the argument that people are hypocrites if they don’t complain about things equally when they are not equivalent is flawed.
When you factor in what the show intends for the viewer to feel during an on-screen act, does complaining about whether children can be present make more sense?
Joe – I loved the “Earth” episode. Well, actually, I have loved every episode so far. In terms of unanticipated plot twists, this episode is by far the most interesting.
*SPOILERS*
Things I enjoyed were:
1. Chloe’s (lack of) character development. If ever there was a shred of a doubt that Chloe is utterly confused, this episode erased it. She gets physical with her best friend over her ex-boyfriend, jerks Eli’s chain and “friends” him simultaneously (an impressive feat only executed by seriously attractive women), and then is back to holding hands with Captain Marvel. She’s very dysfunctional when it come to men, and I love it! It all comes back to Daddy.
2. David Blue’s ad lib comments. He’s so witty. I love it when Eli takes center stage.
3. The Young/Telford fiasco. My mind went bonkers when I realized that Young wasn’t present when his wife… You guys went there. If it was ever tense between Young and Telford, this just ratchets it up several degrees. Can they even look each other in the eye? I predict that these guys are going to have a physical altercation soon, with Telford on the losing end as Greer steps in with an assist.
4. Captain Marvel was sidelined this episode, and I didn’t mind it one bit. I love Lt. Scott, but I would prefer that each episode doesn’t revolve around him.
5. Young’s dream/daydream at the beginning. Now we know why he makes Lt. Johansen third in command. He trusts her implicitly b/c she’s in love with him. Will that backfire? Hell hath no fury…
6. Wray’s double-dealing. She’s obviously the most Machiavellian character aboard the Destiny.
I could say much more, but you get the point. SGU is blowing my mind just like The Sarah Connor Chronicles. That’s the ultimate compliment from me.
Wow…lots of twists and turns and mystery. Many sensitive moments like with Eli and his mother. Great episode, can’t wait for next one.
Spoiler
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While still not fond of lots of intimacy scenes, I guess there are times when the music changes, the scenery changes, etc., just does not convey what needs conveyance.
Did appreciate what may have been Eli’s first kiss…that was nice.
Have to wonder why Telford showed up at the end. Given other scenes, it now seems that perhaps Young and TJ may have had a prior twist – BUT – also Telford and Emily.
Regard potential statements of rape – yes, we know Emily knows the inner man is her husband, while the exterior is Telford. It would seem that had she NOT been willing for whatever reason, they could have had a nice long chat to resolve their differences because that is all Young asked for – to let him explain, etc. Anyway, the my mind went further to where perhaps Emily and Telford may have had a prior twist. Because, when the stones shifted – Telford’s reaction did not seem to be one of “gee, this is embarassing” but of shock that Emily may have taken advantage of the combination Telford body and Young mind. When Telford showed up at the end it did not appear to be to apologize for the “use” of his body.
LOL…and that is only one of the twists and turns of this magical mystery tour.
Was sad when Eli focused the Kino on Chloe holding hands with Scott.
Can’t wait to discover the Rush motivation – what makes him tick. Loved his “take care of business” to rumble the situation. And, seeing Telford and the other two immediately turn and run from danger.
Nuff rambling…need to view again for the other many nuances I missed.
Not sure if many people here would agree but to me Telford is a better leader than Young.
Although he isn’t much of a people person and doesn’t have as much respect from the crew as Young does it seems clear he cares.
For one he goes into a situation with a realistic point of view, he isnt clouded by the what ifs and the whole let’s be friends together because we’re going to be in this situation for a long time mindset.
It seemed clear to me in Earth he only left because the mission was a failure. It didn’t seem like it to me that he left because he was a coward or anything remotely like that, it’s obvious he cares about the well being of the Destiny crew.
His reasoning is pretty sound. He wants everyone home and to bring people onto the Destiny that can handle the situation/repair the ship and possibly get it back to Earth in one piece.
I’m not saying this because I think Lou Diamond Phillips is a better actor. I’m just mentioning because he is a better leader :3
1) I still didn’t understand why neither Carter nor Mckay have been brought on yet to deal with the situation.
2) What is the status of the Trust? Last we saw, they were being led by a Goauld, still on Earth. What are they up to now,and will we see them again in the future?
3) will we see the IOA mroe in the future?
Wow! Best episode yet! Lots of twists. Poor Eli, felt bad for him. Hope we get to learn more about this Young/TJ thing. Interesting. May just be me, but I’m getting a vibe that Young’s wife/Telford may be in a relationship; pay back if you will, for Young cheating/revenge on Telford’s part. Speaking of Telford, I’d love to hate him as he seems like a total d-bag. I love you LDP! All in all excellent episode. Everyone knocked it out of the park. I loved everything about it and there’s definitely going to be repercussions for their actions, and it will be glorious. Can’t wait for the rest!
Wasn’t really fond of ‘Water’. It wasn’t bad, but not great either… It just didn’t grab my interest.
‘Earth’ was a pretty good episode, probably the best so far, imo. I especially liked how there were several stories being told and it was about all of the characters, and the episode didn’t bore me one minute.
Couple of questions:
– Are there going to be any more Earth-focused episodes? Was enjoying the usage of the stones and the new look the characters had on their ‘old’ lifes on Earth. Also opens up a whole lot of interesting Earth-related stories while at the same time keeping the characters on the ship. Not to mention Earth-based enemies, leading to my next question:
– Where did the Trust go? They’ve Goa’ulded high government officials, wealthy businessmen and rogue NID agents… Surely they’ll also have interest and knowledge of the Icarus project. Although it seems a bit early to reintroduce them now, they could be an interesting force later on. Cmon, a character like Goa’uld!Kinsey would be an awesome addition 😛
– What happened to Riley? Is he dead? Mixed feelings if he did die… On one hand, he’s a really nice character and will be missed, but on the other hand, it shows that noone is safe, even likeable supporting characters which have been slowly developed and have their own personality.
– Read a while ago there would be a suicide early in the season, in which episode does this take place?
Crap. Forgot to add that I loved the scene with Eli and his mom. I like how everyone now has a foundation with regards to their character development. I also hope you don’t kill of Riley, he’s my favourite secondary character and brings the sarcasm.
Spoilers!
I liked Earth.
Even though I can understand the moral etc. complaints I didn’t mind those issues when watching the show – but I don’t want to belittle anyone who got put off by certain scenes as I can very well see their reasons.
To say the truth, I don’t even know why Young having sex in Telford’s body did *not* bother me. But it didn’t ~.~
Chloe’s and Eli’s scenes get an okay (I still don’t have any real interest in Chloe) but what I really liked where:
– Rush! (no surprise, I guess 😉 ) But in case you’ve forgotten: I LOVE HIM! xD His little Destiny’s-going-to-explode-show was absolute win. And nice to know he prefers Young to Telford, even though Young seems to be far more paranoid about him than Telford… Young’s paranoia got me thinking again – if Rush is able to fool those super-scientists he must have figured out quite a lot about Destiny – and likely not told anyone the extent of his knowledge… but if he had found a way how people could return to earth I still believe he would have said so – even if he might prefer for himself to stay
– Telford at the end standing in front of a certain someone’s door (there is the possibility that he had an affair with Young’s wife and he’s not just standing in front of a stranger’s door because he liked the glimpses he got but I doubt it, firstly Telford having an affair with her would really get soapy – too soapy for my taste, and secondly, I loved the “wtf!”-moment when I saw him standing there – what a way for payback!) that scene is questionable as well, but it also foreshadows upcoming conflicts and makes Telford a person I really love to hate (as someone mentioned before)
Apart from that, now I can at least say that part of my TJ- theory was true, *waiting-for-confirmation-of-the-other-part-in-upcoming-episodes*
But Young confuses me – he dreams of TJ and then runs to his wife saying it’s over? (okay, it seems to be over but judging from his dream he might *not* be over it)
I’m not sure he’s made a definite decision yet…
I’ll definitely keep watching ^^
Me revoila, je voulais vous dire que j’ai bien aimer le dernier épisode de sgu!!! Beaucoup d’humour et j’aime ça^^! Sa ma fait plaisir de revoir Jack! Je sens que l’épisode 8 va bien me plaire aussi, car on voit qu”ils sont sur une autre planéte …habité?…peut être^^!
aller kiss, a demain!
I thought this was a science fiction show about a group of people who get stranded on an advanced space ship in a distant galaxy who are trying to get home.
My mistake.
@Joe – Uh … I actually agree with the point I believe that das made. At least, I think so. This goes back to what moe and I were talking about if you remember it from the 31st blog entry. Drama is like spice. And, let’s just say for a moment that Drama = salt. A little can go a long way. It can give wonderful flavor to an otherwise bland bowl of soup. In television, especially with SGA, I think that the dramatic scenes (when done well) helped me to connect with the characters. It made them whole to me; it made them seem like real people.
But, I always think of soap operas as tacky because it’s just too much drama. It’s the equivalent of dumping a tablespoon of salt into that bowl of soup in lieu of a dash. With that, the dish simply becomes inedible to me. I’m not saying that it’s not good for some people, as all of our tastes differ. I am just speaking for myself here. There are people that really like very salty things (tons of sex and/or drama), and there are some that don’t .
I think it goes back to what you said about things not being better or worse, just different. And that’s okay.
Peace & Love,
j
Wow. What a creative solution to the sex hat depositing Telford/Young’s Wife 🙂
I’m trying really hard to ignore the moral implications and risks of having sex while you’re inhabiting someone else’s body. I don’t think I’m a fan. But Telford’s “holy hell!” expression was to die for, and I’m interested in just how skeevy he gets with Young’s Wife (I wish I could remember her name…).
Drunk!Chloe is fun! To watch, anyway. Probably pretty irritating to actually deal with. And I really hope we can resolve Eli’s unrequited feelings quickly. And give Chloe something important to do. Those are the top two things on my SGU wishlist.
Next week’s episode looks good a creepy.
Do we see Young Confront Telford About the Sex With His Wife? How creepy was it for Telford to go back for More.
@Jeff
“Any chance the stories you are spinning for season 2 involve finding the main engineering room or the bridge???”
No, but they are finding the toilet paper store – it’s very exciting! *g*
@Wahlyn
“The ending (and many scenes before that) had me yelling “OH. MY.GOD.” at the screen. ”
Oh, me too.
@aboleyn24
“I find it interesting that the internet isn’t ablaze with indignation…”
I’m sure some crackpots will eventually freak out over nothing (like they did about Sabotage), just hang in there!
Big spoiler for Earth
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After reading everyone’s comments about Eli and Chloe’s “kiss”: did I miss something? I thought that the kiss was something that Eli imagined (hoped would happen) but what *really* happened was that Chloe gave him the “you’re such a good friend” line and burst his bubble again.
Could you clarify Joe?
Hey Joe,
Get a Mac for your new laptop! It will be much more reliable then any PC. I wouldn’t want you to not be able to put all your creativity down in words which could happen if you purchase a PC.
Cheer!
I loved SG-1 and Atlantis but Yah!!! Stargate grew up and we’ve got Universe! I’m loving every minute of it -character based, dark and with flawed human beings-superb. Just one thing can we have more Riley I really love him and I hope you’re not going to kill him off as I’ve just seen “Earth”. Keep up the great work!
Thinking (Elven Foot) Is that like a Rabbits foot?lol and I’m making a pnt not to get involved with the Sex Scene issues people are having bcause it seems like a bad loop of audio that keeps playing over and over from both sides. I still have no Problem with it though(the scenes)
Rush is still alot of work! Lol Eli wanted to tell his Mom all about it, you can see the torment of lying to her was tearing him up inside. And Chloe saying he’s a good friend, the plight of being a Nerd. I so feel his pain. He did almost get a girl at the club even though it wasn’t his body, we nerds take what we can get.
Haven’t read all the comments but I saw one or two people complaining about Chloe getting to see her mom twice while others haven’t seen their families at all.
And you know this how? In Water(?) when Young is walking away from the three people trying to all talk to him about something, one of the men says that he was scheduled to use the stones that day. So, obviously, other people have been using the stones to see heir family. Just because you don’t see it in the episode doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
This just happened to be Eli’s first time back in Earth. Just sayin’.
I really enjoyed Earth last night. So THAT’s what’s was going on between T.J. and Young. I figured it was something like that. Rush was awesome at episode’s end! I like how we don’t know if he’s good or bad. Eli and Chloe were cute! Elyse plays a cute drunk. I’ve never audibly gasped in shock while watching any Stargate. That Telford showing up at the end at Emily’s door…
Great episode!
I think Telford was there at the end because it wasn’t the first time he’d been there, and he wanted to know why Young was there. But does Young know? Hmmm. One way or another, I don’t see the relationship between Telford and Young improving anytime soon!
Telford’s terse “What the hell just happened?” had us laughing so hard we had to pause the show!
Someone mentioned “carnal urges” in a comment, and I don’t that’s the issue. There’s a lot of emotional stuff going on in Young’s relationship, and I think the people “in” the bodies sort of forget to some degree, because they don’t see themselves from the outside. That makes all the issues of ethical behavior and responsibility more complicated, although still important. Chloe getting drunk, even Eli driving–was that a good idea?
Loved this–so many questions!
Hey Joe,
As with the previous comments, I hope Riley survives. He’s really the first character in danger of death to have built an emotionally attached audience. Curtis and Groman were red-shirts, Palmer wasn’t developed and Armstrong, while heroic, died fairly early. When Riley got hit, it was the first time I spoke aloud to the show. I believe my words were: “Shit. No.”
On the other hand, if he does die it’ll really set the tone and heighten the sense of danger aboard Destiny. I’m conflicted. I like the guy, but it would be more interesting, emotionally, if he died. Reminds me of Peter Grodin.
Cheers,
-J
niceee…… what a brilliant episode. Loved it, even had thoses moments when you hold your hand over your mouth in shock, but with brilliant humour, well i found it fun anyway. Look forward to seeing this Tj, Young, Telford and Mrs Young play out, also i end up ordering a box of those snakes sweets from your halloween leftovers… i though they were just gonna be gummi sweets, but no… hard candy… its the new love of my life im afraid
Are we gonna see RDA again, maybe towards the end of season one??
How long dose it take you to have a season in the bag, from your sit downs stories have been thought out. Will you be waiting untill the show is offically picked up for a second season (cause we know its happening)
Also, do you know where i might be able to get me a signed copy of the SGU pilot, ?? any sites, or could i coherse mgm to start selling them???
Have a good time in Tokyo,
Paddy
@ltcolshepjumper
1) I still didn’t understand why neither Carter nor Mckay have been brought on yet to deal with the situation.
Maybe they are just afraid to get involved because they’ll be forced to use the “stones” and have to have sex with Young or Telford….. or Young’s wife, or Telford’s wife or Telford’s cousin or Young’s second cousin…. I’m just sayin……..
Hayloh: So sorry about your cat. It’s always hard to lose a friend. I’ve been there many times.
Mr. M, Not a big fan of the stones because I could see where you might be going (the whole body switching sex angle). Can’t believe that you actually went there, ewww. I thought I was a sicko for thinking of that. So thanks for making me look more normal, I think.
It is hard for me to believe any “government” would let the stones be used for personal use (or misuse). You stated before it’s because the crew is facing death and the stones are being used for compassionate reasons; So the crew could say goodbye to their loved ones and such. When has any government been known for its “compassion”? The IOA has always valued military gain above the lives of any SG team member. Or so I remember. Seems like they would use the stones for experts to help Rush. Seems like this whole personal use stuff would be a waste of time for the IOA. What do they get out of it? It’s not like the SGU crew can quit or something. The IOA’s main concern would be gaining the technology of the ship, right?
I’ll give SGU a go for a while longer but I’m hoping as the story builds the sci-fi begins to come out. More aliens less soap opera! I’m with Das on that stuff.
I hope the laptop search goes well for ya.
T
@ Debra
You’re not alone. The fact that the actor is over halfway between the age of one of my parents and two of my grandparents creeps me out too much to enjoy him on a level much further south than my mind, but at least as far as my mind goes Rush is my favourite character by far… And I also think the Destiny is in very loving hands with him, at any rate.
Oh actually, after googling again, I stand corrected, he’s not over half inbetween. But he is older than both my parents.
TBA – I think the senator was the suicide.
@DP
“I’m totally wondering what Telford is doing at Young’s wife’s house at the end.”
Its Halloween, he’s pretending to be a plumber, coming to fix the leaky thing.
@JES
“What’s to prevent these characters from using the bodies to commit other antisocial and illegal acts? Where’s the limit?”
Before the season is over you’ll hear someone say accusatorily:
”Hey, I didn’t have an STD before you borrowed my body!” (or not *g*)
“I hope we don’t have to look forward to this as a regular feature. ”
Ah, but think of the possibilities! They are reverse engineering the tech, later
they’ll learn how to RECORD the personalities as they pass through, then they can exchange personalities with the Dollhouse, erm, i mean Stargate Command – so its Telford on the ship, Telford with Youngs wife, and Young backed up on the Seagate in the corner.
@Das
Later it will be explained that in this universe, “O’Neil” is in fact spelled with one L. 🙂
Severus –
Wasn’t the TJ/Young thing clear from like the pilot, or ep2 at most? Kudos to the actors, cuz it was to me.
If boredom saw this latest episode “Earth” it would kill itself of boredom. This episode absolutely sucked, SGU is having a horrible beginning, what a train wreck.
I am in utter shock, what are you trying to do? Kill off SGU? Nightclubs, sex scenes, affairs, this is NOT Stargate. This is NOT Sci-Fi. This show belongs on Fox.
Continuation of soap opera by slapping an SGU/Sci-Fi sticker on it are we?
Mr. Mallozzi, seriously? I feel sorry for all the loyal SG and Sci-Fi fans, mot sure what your target audience is, I doubt it could ever be folks who actually enjoyed SG-1 & SGA or true Sci-FI viewers.
Minor point of clarification: Chloe did not kiss Eli. That was his 3-second fantasy. Rewatch the scene and notice the way it was edited.
hi, joe,
the writers are more open now to showing couples being, you know, couples, so… can that, will that translate to sam/jack in the 3rd movie?
say yes.
Well, you managed to crash gateworld – That’s some kind of success *g*
OK, pretty darn good epi, I am still watching! Good work. Will hate to see the season end, the wait will be excruciating til season 2 begins (*hint*) (positive thoughts!!) Much more character development, way to go! Funny and scary, some uh-oh moments there, cool! Nice save Rush!
I did enjoy the heck out of Sanctuary also,Will really got into that character,amazing. And Amanda was awesome as usual.
speaking of your toyko trip; my brother has asked me to remind you to find cucumber pepsi & green tea coke for the weird food purchase. unless you don’t drink soft drinks, then maybe you can ship back some & have someone in the office try them when you get home.
Just wanted to clarify my post of yesterday. What squicks me about this is not the portrayal of human relations on a television show, but rather the ethics of using another person’s body, even with their permission, to engage in behavior that could have consequences for that person. For example, Chloe got hammered – which means the poor woman whose body she was using is probaby going to have one heck of a hangover without at least having the fun of earning said hangover. Similarily, the dual possibilities of both pregnancy and stds for Emiliy… not to mention that Telford could try to take advantage of this, or tell Emily that he was ‘there’ for part of it, which would probably leave her feeling humiliated. And given the ambiguous last scene, of Telford showing up on Emily’s doorstep, I think and hope that this will be explored.
I would like to point something out to those who keep refering to Chloe kissing Eli:
IT WAS IN HIS HEAD
Sorry for “yelling” there, but I wanted to make sure it was clear.
Was Carlo Rota’s character’s name Carl Strom or Dale Strom? I’ve seen it both ways and just wanted to be sure to get it right for the wiki. 🙂
Thanks,
Debi
I have to say that “Earth” was my least favorite episode so far. I think the Stones are bringing too much soap opera into the show. I understand that SGU is different & I love everything that happens on the ship. Yes, even the relationship stuff on the ship is good. Everything. Because everything on the ship is, ironicly, more realistic than the Earth stuff. The earth stuff seems like a totally different show. Feels like I’m suddenly watching a soap opera. I really hope that the stones get broken in the season finale (or sooner). lol.
Oh and two things about the Earth stuff:
-the Eli/Chloe kiss. I think that was just in Eli’s head. I’m pretty sure he didn’t kiss her. There was a camera jerk & Chloe’s “What?” that indicated that the kiss was all in Eli’s head. I’m right, right Joe? lol.
-I like Lou Diamond on Numbers, but I can’t stand his character on SGU. Even so, what Young did to him was just wrong. We know that they did not have an agreement. His character showing up at the end…hmmm…more soap elements to come eh?
So, ya, that was my least favorite episode.
Although: gotta say, Rush’s moment in the episode was GREAT. That was the best moment of the episode. That character is just getting more & more interesting. I think he’s going to be one of my favorite characters. Eli & Rush are the most real, interesting characters at the moment. I started out liking Chloe, but now, well, I’m not sure.
Anyway, looking forward to Time. The preview looked very intersting (love time episodes) and it sounds great too. 🙂
DF2506
Het Joe! What do you know!!
Long time lurker first time poster.
Love the Show Love the Site!
Love Universe!
I get a lot of flack from my “to cool for School” nephews about my addiction to stargate but even they have fallen for Universe. Now im asked to sky plus the epsoides!
But one question has come up…….Have you( or the other writers) ever seen the brittish show Red Dwarf?
Spoilers below for “Earth”
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1. If the Destiny is in FTL, why is the same amount of time passing on Earth? My very, very, very limited understanding of Relativity says that more time should be passing on Earth.
2. Convenient, wasn’t it, that multiple people put their stones on the device at the same time and they all ended up in the bodies they were meant to have. Young should have gone first and told the Earthsiders who was coming next.
3. I don’t believe for one moment that stone users would be allowed to visit their families, etc. But given that they are, I find it hard to believe strict guidelines weren’t in place about acceptable behavior. Getting drunk and having sex would definitely be prohibited.
4. Emily and Young raped Telford.
5. I find it hard to believe that Emily went from not sure she believed it was Young-in-Telford to having sex with him awfully fast.
6. I find it even harder to believe that anyone would sleep with a spouse-in-a-stranger. Just the pregnancy possibility alone would, I believe, stop most women.
7. I certainly wouldn’t want my husband getting it on with me-in-a-stranger because I would always wonder if he was making love to me or just enjoying the new body I was in.
8. I hate, hate, hate Telford.
9. I love Rush.
Anne Teldy
Joey, I know veggies all by their lonesome aren’t your thing, but ya gotta admit, this is one purty salad:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/salad3.jpg
Yeah, yeah, yeah…one of these days I’ll invest in a camera that doesn’t take blurry pictures, but I think you get the idea. It’s just broccoli, white, orange and purple cauliflower (all gently softened in boiled water for about 15 minutes), red bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes (the recipe also calls for black olives, which I left out because Mr. Das doesn’t like olives). The dressing is Good Seasons Italian (the mix-it-yourself stuff), and of course, the recipe can be tweaked to one’s personal taste.
I’ll just add the olives to my own – the recipe calls for just the plain black canned olives, but I prefer calamata, so will use them instead.
Anyway…thought I’d share before I gobbled it all down! 😀
das
Telford LOL What a dog! Good man, what a great way to get back at Young. Great season so far and really looking forward to watching whats in store for the ‘crew’ of the Destiny. Can’t believe people hate the use, or over-use as they like to imply, of the communication stones! Give these people a break? They’re stuck on the other side of the Universe for a start and I’m not convinced that watching these people twiddle their thumbs and wander around the same area of the spaceship for weeks would make for very entertaining watching. At this rate this show has many seasons for appreciative fans to look forward to, congrats!
@anneteldy
“1. If the Destiny is in FTL, why is the same amount of time passing on Earth? My very, very, very limited understanding of Relativity says that more time should be passing on Earth.”
Well the simple answer to this is that the ship is not actualy moving faster than light, technicaly the universe is passing the Destiny at faster than light speeds.
There are actualy 4 ways to move a ship at FTL: Warp, Hyper-Space, Jump, and Wormhole Drive.
1. Warp = This is what is used in Star Trek, the space in front of the Enterprise is contracted while the space behind it is expanded. This has the effect of pushing the ship through the universe.
2. Hyper-Space = Star Wars and Bayblon 5 used this. Basicaly hyper space is a diminsion where everything is highly charged, and as a result things move much faster there.
3. Jump = Battlestar Galactica used this, the ship is insitantaniously jumped from one location to another. I have no idea how this is done.
4. Wormhole Drive = This is what I think the Destiny uses, at the end of STA Atlantis used this to get from the edge of the galaxy to Earth in moments. Now we know that a wormhole is created between two Stargates which allow a person to travel across the galaxy(s) is moments.
I think that the Destiny is traveling through a wormhole that it projects infront of its self.
One thing that is common in all of the ways of traveling at FTL is that they don’t break the rules of Relativity they just bend them.
Hope that helps.
Joe,
Guess my screensaver password.
Hint: I thought it would be a quick password to enter after assuming another poster on Gateworld chose her username because the letters were so close to the enter key.
Hi Joe, ugh, I’ve got to agree with Das and Ron on this now. In my opinion, last night’s episode was not Stargate in any way, shape or form, at least to me. I really tried to like the show, but it’s just not working for me. I miss everything about the last two incarnations of Stargate, cheesy and “bubbly gummy” as they may have been to some. I miss the heroes, the bad guys, the humour and shit blowing up. Who is this O’Neill and what have you done with the other one? I understand what you’ve said about this being a different genre, but this is too far removed for me.
Joe,
Is Telford’s first name James (holds the heel or he supplanted) or a cognate thereof?
Jim
just wondering, do watch Doctor Who? do you know they’re going to air 2nd special, Waters of Mars somewhere this week or next week?
@majorsal – I know, it would be nice to see a little bit of this is in SG-1 and SGA right? Not a lot, just enough.
I’ve been hoping for John and Teyla for a while now…
The way that Daniel and Vala were paired up in the Unending episode was really tastefully done. So, this give me hope.
(*fingers still crossed*)
Peace & Love,
j
@ Deni – Ya know, my problem with this isn’t that it’s not Stargate – I didn’t expect it to be – but that it’s closer to Peyton Place in Space.
Oh, wait…no one will probably get that reference. How about…Melrose Place in Space? General Stargate? All My Destinies? The Young and The Gateless?
And I must admit, there is a certain ‘cheese’ element to most sci fi that I really like, and find missing in this show. HOWEVER, I would be fine with that if relationship stuff wasn’t playing so prominent in characters’ lives. I love Eli, but I’m not sure how much I can take of him mooning over Chloe. (Thanks, everyone, for the clarification – I didn’t realize it was his imagination dreaming up the kiss – but it still doesn’t change the fact that it’s part of what is keeping from loving this show.)
Anyway, I’m gonna stop talking about it now – and just try to re-focus on other things.
das
Okay – Writing while distracted – meant to say “this gives me hope” and to omit the “is” in the first line.
Thanks
I LOVED “Earth”…. my favorite one so far this season… Let wanted to let you know!!! GREAT JOB TO EVERYONE!!!
Really liked Earth. Definite improvement over the very ‘blah’ tensionless filler ep from last week.
Liked the twists and turns, you nearly killed Riley (!), and the ambiguous ending is just creepy.
Oh, one other thing Joe – is there going to be a 2-6 month break between Ep 10 and Ep 11, or is the channel that is afraid of vowels (SyFy) going to play it right through to the end?
@Liz
“…creeps me out…”
How superficial of you.
@Debra
“…had nothing to say about Chloe getting fall down drunk…”
The Council has already pronounced on which appellation fits Chloe 😉
“Btw, I seem to be alone. I really like Rush.”
No no, I do to. Its a pity he has to be surrounded by so many normal people (ie fools).
@ltcolshepjumper
“I still didn’t understand why neither Carter nor Mckay have been brought on yet to deal with the situation.”
McKay is afraid of sex and Carter is Bethesda, so neither would fit on the Destiny 😉
@das – Just read your post. Too bad you really don’t like ” … the plain black canned olives…”
I absolutely LOVE ’em. Great picture though. Looks like you had a nice salad.
Peace & Love,
j
@ J – I was just off to bed…but I cannot resist talking about olives!
I don’t mind canned black olives in/on certain things (nachos, for instance), but out of all the olives in all the world, they are my least favorite. I am a huge fan of calamata olives and similar varieties, and – of course – I love those green suckers with the red pimento centers. They go into my tuna salad, on any sandwich that has turkey or chicken, sliced hard boiled eggs (though I prefer sweet or dill relish in egg salad), and especially liverwurst! Bestest sammich ever is liverwurst, with light mayo, green olives, onions and green bell pepper – Green Devil Sandwich, as my mom calls it. She used to order it as a kid at the Woolsworth lunch bar – they were always amazed that a little kid liked such a strongly flavored sandwich.
Also love green olives stuffed with garlic and jalapeno (together or separate), and anything else, save anchovies and mushrooms.
And now…I am hungry. 😛
das
Has Joe fainted under the weight of the mailbag? Or just out having fun without us?
**poke**
Cheers, Chev
Earth was awesome. A great episode. I loved how the Ancient Communication Stones weren’t perfect and glitched every time the Destiny entered/exited FTL. The situations when they glitched (I’m sure everyone’s going to be talking about the glitches with Young and Telford) were a little awkward, and you guys do make us stick around for the next episode by dropping the scene with Telford knocking on Emily’s door right at the end. Rush in this episode was surprisingly likeable when his machinations were turned to getting Young back, although I’m not sure if he only screwed with the test like that to get a military commander back that he felt he could manipulate. Eli calling himself Phillip Fry was hilarious but the scene with his mom was very sad. He was probably right that she wouldn’t really get the fact that it was her son in the body of a stranger. I probably wouldn’t react well. Chloe at the party was perfect. Her reactions to her best friend were great.
I do have a question this week. Have you ever seen an episode of a TV show where the episode’s title ruined the plot for you? It just recently happened to me, on Friday’s Sanctuary episode and I wondered if anyone else had one of those happen…
Thank you for doing this blog and taking the time to answer all our questions. I can’t imagine how much work it is on top of your other duties.
is it just me or did quite a few people not realize that when cloe kissed eli it was eli’s dream/fantasy
I like the SGU O’Neill, what little we get to see him. He’s matured and has a tad more (forgive the Latin) -gravitas- or seriousness.
Definition, gravitas, Merriam-Webster (iPhone version):
http://i.word.com/idictionary/gravitas
What was that about Carter being Bethesda??? *scratches head*
@ZeroPointBatteries
It’s not just you, I have pointed that out on the SGU IMDB board, SGU TV.com board, and even GateWorld’s board.
Loving SGU so far, Joe. And I don’t comment on here often, but I gotta ask.
The pic on Jack’s desk. Was that what I think it was?
@das – didn’t read your post ’til today. Sounds yummy. I like the green olives with pimento too.
Peace & Love,
j