Apologies to those who were waiting for me to wade in with my thoughts on November’s Book of the Month Club pick: Bloodsucking Fiends – A Love Story, by Christopher Moore. For some reason, I thought discussion on the novel wasn’t scheduled to begin until the week of the 15th. Fortunately, while I didn’t get around to reading the right sidebar of this blog which would have reminded me of the correct date, I DID read Bloodsucking Fiends.
And loved it. But I suppose it should come as no surprise. I picked up Moore’s Fool on a lark last month and was utterly delighted by the ribald and riotous retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear told from point of view of the king’s scurrilous but big-hearted fool. While reading the book on set, I had several crew members walk up and offer me some reading suggestions: “You should check out A Dirty Job” or “You’ve got to read The Gospel According to Biff” or “Once you’re done with that, you really need to pick up The Stupidest Angel“. Yes, yes, and yes. Soon after, I returned to my local bookstore and picked up the aforementioned titles – and more, including Bloodsucking Fiends. Since so many of you commented on Moore’s work, I thought I’d drop the author a quick email and ask him if he’d be interested in coming by for a short (and relatively painless) visit in support of his book. Chistopher Moore was kind enough to oblige and, well, here we are.
Did I mention I loved it? Which, now that I think of it, is a little surprising given the fact that between True Blood, Twilight, and the the myriad of variations thereof, I’m pretty damn vampired out. Lucky for me Bloodsucking Fiends, published back in 1995, offers a refreshingly different take on the subject. For starters, our main players are C. Thomas Flood, a hapless wanna-be writer struggling to adjust to his new life in the big city, and Jody, a neophyte vampire struggling to adjust to her new life as an undead being. The book upends the standard male vampire/lovesick female victim conceit with brilliant results. Jody is the strong heroine who must not only adjust to the challenges of vampirehood, but seek out answers to her supernatural state AND fight to safeguard the life of the mere mortal she loves. Flood is the weak and somewhat overwhelmed love interest, trying to make sense of the bizarre situation AND hold down a job at the local Safeway. It makes for a terrific dynamic, partly because it’s an inspired tack on a weathered chestnut, but mostly because the characters are so damn endearing.
Creating believable characters is tough; creating believable characters in a work of humor – particularly one as broad as this – is even tougher, yet Moore does a fine job here, not only with our protagonists but with the supporting players as well. The detectives, the gang at the Safeway, and the Emperor of San Francisco are all imbued with enough quirks and color to make them distinct and memorable, each and every one. And once you’re invested in the characters, you’re automatically invested in their individual stories. Here, again, Moore works his magic, crafting some spirited, poignant, and altogether satisfying journeys for all. Jody and Tommy assert their independence yet learn they needn’t be alone. The Safeway boys graduate from turkey bowling to vampire hunting. The Emperor of San Francisco affirms his magnificence – in the eyes of the reader at least.
Bloodsucking Fiends contains plenty of fun little twists, revelations and surprises including the means by which the threat of the “bad” vampire is dealt with at novel’s end. Even though it was set up, I didn’t see it coming. And yet even though the story draws to a close, it’s clearly not the end for our protagonists, Jody and Tommy, the unlikeliest of couples, who doubtless face one hell of an interesting future together. As the first installment in what I understand is a trilogy, Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story manages to provide a comforting conclusion while simultaneously offering the suggestion of wonderful and wonderfully hilarious things to come.
Well, those are my initial thoughts on the book. What did everyone else think? Post away your comments and questions for author Christopher Moore. I’ll be gathering them up and sending them his way this weekend.
Oh, and what did you think of Stargate: Universe’s The Greater Good? It aired tonight on SyFy, y’know.
Of course you do.
I just got done watching the latest episode of SGU, and might I say again it was the best one so far. I think that she show has finally found its legs and started moving forward. I won’t spoil anything here, but I am glad to see that we have at least some glimpse into the story arcs to come. Keep up the good work.
Bloodsucking Fiends (and the sequels You Suck and Bite Me) is an excellent read.
Question for Mr. Moore: did he have a trilogy planned out from the beginning or was Bloodsucking Fiends originally intended to be his only vampire novel?
DAMMIT!!!
That was one hell of an ending. Of course…the teaser for next week basically tells us what happens. So much for a cliffhanger. 😛
das
Hey, Joe!
Tonight’s ep was great! It really packed the metaphorical punch by bringing a lot of the season’s storylines together! Great acting by Bobby Carlisle! Carl did an outstanding job… tonight’s story was a far cry from his Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman days! A lot of questions explained tonight, a lot still to figure out, and next week’s episode looks very Atlantis like due to Mr. Knepper’s actions. Can’t wait!
Okay, Joe, here’s a personal question:
Which Stargate scientist do you think is smarter? Carter, McKay, or Rush?
Carter has saved the world (and other worlds) many times over, McKay single handedly figured out issues w/ plagued the Ancients (ways to defeat the Wraith, finding a way to control the Replicators, etc.), but on the other hand Rush has never blown up a galaxy like the Carter & McKay have (at least that we know of). Personally, I’d have to say the smartest would be Dr. Jay Felger (Patrick McKenna’s character on SG-1’s “The Other Guys” & “Avenger 2.0”).. he was quite possibly Stargate Command’s greatest untapped resource! The things he could do w/ duct tape was astounding!
that was pretty exceptional story telling… excellent ep. tonight.
That was a hell of an episode. I expected that the mission was something big and strange, but this was just amazing, totally not expected anything like this.
And the ending – great cliffhanger, already can’t wait for the next episode!
@ das
(in regards to the Wolverine/Todd comic)
I can just see the scene where Sheppard is giving Wolverine the 10 cent Atlantis tour and is trying to convince him to take Todd off his hands and Wolvy’s response would be “What’s in it for me, bub?” So Sheppard tries to explain to him your girl theory, to which Todd cuts in w/ his gravely voice “You want me to do what??” So Sheppard tries to explain the benefits to Todd, but Wolverine interrupts, “Life-sucking what…??” Eventually Sheppard gets all flustered and calls Woolsey in to negotiate the finer points amongst the 2. Wolverine on one side, Todd standing on the other, with Woolsey in the middle sweating profusely, wringing his hands, and his voice keeps reaching higher pitches as his head turns back and forth between the 2 trying to convince them of Sheppard’s plan.
Damn good episode tonight. I’m starting to feel like the show has finally found its legs. This is coming from someone who felt the overall quality of the show wasn’t very good, but loved singular episodes like Time and Human.
Spoiler Warning (just in case)
Loved all of the developments of the episode but the ending, I saw Ginn dying the moment she was introduced and I knew I would grow to like her character. Also I like Amanda Perry too. This show is starting to run low on characters that I like. Rush and Eli are my favorite, strangely.
Fly by post…
Bloodsucking Fiends was like Scrubs in a book for me. Which means I liked it. A lot. So I ask Mr Moore, what brand of comedy did you grow up with? Was it TV or written humour that’s been your biggest influence?
I laughed for a while at, and I’m not quoting here because Harry my Reader isn’t nearby (he’s called Harry now after losing it while reading a Harry Dresden and calling out “Harry! Where are you?!” and figure there’s been a lot of Harry protagonists in the books I’ve read on the Reader over the years, even though I don’t usually name inanimate objects – and now you’re wondering if I’ve lost my marbles right?), “Now I’ll be 5lbs too heavy for eternity!”.
Almost finished You Suck and have pre-loaded Bite Me.
Take care everyone!
WARNING: Spoilers!!!
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I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO KILL GIN OFF! I loved her character!!! :'( And I was so happy for Eli! I can’t believe this. I was actually crushed when I heard the next week thing where it said “He killed gin” This was the first character.. Okay second that I really wanted to see more of.. The first would have to be “Little Miss brilliant” 😀
Anyway on a happier note, I think this episode was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! I loved Time, but I think this episode was so good, I think it beats time. Best episode ever. I was so in to this episode.. Like at the end my heart was beating so fast.. I was sooo in to it. I haven’t really got that much from SGU. I can’t even tell you how much I loved this episode. They found out about the master code thing and now have control of the ship, Rush got his ass kicked for it :D, we saw little miss brilliant, and finally had a lot of action. Loved ever second of it. If the show gets canceled now someone is going to pay >.>
Anyway on another note, I didn’t understand what the mission thing was all about.. Anyone else feel the same?? I think I’ll go back and watch it again.. It was a lot of complicated stuff. Idk. I was like O.o I really thought it was going to be something that would seem really cool or something, not just a bunch of Science mumbo jumbo.
Anyway an amazing episode and I’m already stocked for next episode. Amazing job. Keep up the good work. 😀
When Rush and Young went to the other ship, was Young’s bump into the doorway scripted?
@ Lewis – 😆 THANKS!! BEST laugh I’ve had all day!! That’s PERFECT! Wolverine and Todd do have similar dispositions…I can just see those two now…
Wolverine: Okay, who is this guy? Zombie Edgar Winter?
Woolsey: He’s a Wraith, and alien from a…
Wolverine: Yeah, yeah…from a galaxy far, far away…I get the idea. Never been particularly fond’a aliens, ‘specially the green ones…
Todd: We prefer to think of ourselves as asparagus-complected…
Wolverine: Freak.
Todd: Ewok.
Sheppard: Ixnay on the wok-e-ay…
Todd: But I thought you said he was an…
Sheppard: Ixnay, IXNAY!
Woolsey: Gentlemen!
Todd: Technically, I’m not a ‘man’, I’m Wra…
Woolsey: I know! I know! Look, if we could just…
Wolverine: Still looks like a Zombie Edgar Winter. Hey, bub, can you play a keytar?
Todd: Actually, I feel more comfortable with…what do you call it? An ‘axe’? I have found that there is nothing quite like wrapping my fingers around the neck of a classic Gibson Les Paul…
Sheppard: Told ya so, Ace.
Woolsey: Oh, for crying out loud. Can we please get back on topic? Now, about this arrangement.
Wolverine: Yeah, I’m supposed to be gettin’ something out of this deal, right?
Todd: Ah, yes…but what are you going to do with them?
Wolverine: With what?
Todd: The giiiiirls. Are you going to eat them?
Wolverine: … … … Is that a freakin’ trick question?
😉
Yeah, I’ll stop there. 😛
Sorry about that. Really.
das
The Greater Good…one of the best episodes of the series. Amazing work by R. Carlyle, L. Ferreira, and guest star Kathleen Munroe. I loved this episode, and yet based on the previews for next week I now extremely dislike whoever wrote it. Can’t say anymore without:
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Powerful scenes between Rush and Young, not just physically but philosophically as well. It is a lot like Locke and Jack on Lost…one is the man of faith and one is the skeptic. Rush is absolutely convinced of the Destiny’s mission, and that they are “Destined” to follow the mission. Young would probably dismiss all of it out of hand, if he were the man he was before the season. Now, with all he has lost and as deep as he has fallen, this may give him something to belive in and be able to follow. Great move by Rush to bring in the one person he trusts, Perry, to go to the Bridge and get him home. The moment Eli, Volker, and Brody enter the Bridge was one of the greatest of the series. Their amazement at the scale and science was only slightly behind their anger and amazement that Rush would hide this from them. The funniest moment was when everyone was commenting on Perry’s flying. I kept expecting her to say “stop sideseat driving!” She is obviously brilliant, perhaps just as much as Rush, which is what probably connects them together so well. Loved Young’s beatdown of Rush. All the anger and guilt of the last few weeks/months were directed at Rush, it is amazing that he didn’t accidently kill him. Loved how Scott and Wray came on the Bridge and barely even noticed it, all they could think about was “is she flying the ship?” Sweet moment between Eli and Chloe as well. About as perfect an episode as you can get.
Now to next week. I know you want to show what a bad @ss Simeon is. But I can’t belive you not only killed off Ginn, but Perry as well. They are two of the best guest stars you have had, and now they are gone for good. We are just getting to know Ginn, and the effect Perry has on Rush is so interesting to see. The potential for these characters was great, and now you have snuffed it out just so Rush and go all commando and try to kill Simeon. While I’m sure the action next week will be tremendous, the loss of two great characters will make it so much less so. I would like to know from whoever the writer of this upcoming episode was the thinking involved with this move. I still can’t wait until next week, but I almost don’t want to bring on Malice.
Wow!!! Amamda and Gin… I agree w/ Das. The trailer gives a lot away. Can’t wait to see what happens. Great job!!!
Best Wishes,
Bryan
That might have been the best episode in the series so far, atleast my favorite.
@ das
Just imagine the possiblilites of combining Stargate w/ comic book superheroes:
-Ronan & the Hulk (in the middle of fighting Ronan would comment that the Hulk talks too much)
-Batman & Jack O’Neill (as Batman deducts a reason to explain the mess they’re in, Jack replies, “Re-ally?? That’s the best you can come up with?”)
-Peter Parker & Eli (mathboy squared)
-Thor & Thor (upon seeing the Asgard Loki the comic book Thor exclaims, “By the gods! Brother what hast happen to thou?”)
-Daniel & McKay stumble upon a Green Lantern ring in Janus’ lab and argue while trying to figure out how to make it work and what to use it for
-Prof. X at Stargate Command (every time he & Vala accidentally cross paths in the corridors it makes for an “awkward” moment since he is able to read her thoughts)
-Dr. Amanda Perry & Batgirl (they create the largest galactic crime-fighting command center ever!)
-Cam Mitchell & Gambit (trade Southern recipes and go on to find commercial success w/ cookbook)
-the Joker & Anubis (during the down time from their team-up of terror, the Joker waits for Anubis to fall asleep so he can “take a look under the hood”)
-Aquaman & Namor the Sub-Mariner visit Atlantis (Maj. Lorne holds tryouts to see which would be better at doing repairs under the city)
-Rush & Lex Luthor (their conversation would consist of trying to convince the other one that they really have good intentions)
-the Fantastic Four become SG-4 (the Thing tries to copy Jack’s look w/ the ball cap and big sunglasses while Reed Richards has a little too much fun trying to stretch the distance of the wormhole by always going through the puddle face first)
-Iron-Man at Stargate Command (unfortunately just after watching Star Wars for the 27th time T’ealc confuses Iron-Man w/ Bobba Fett)
-McKay & Galacticus (try to one up each other by bragging about who has destroyed more planets, stars, solar systems, etc.)
-Silver Surfer comes to Atlantis (upon seeing him, Sheppard quickly grabs his skateboard and Ronan looks for his Baywatch Hawaii trunks)
-Todd the Wraith & the Creature from the Black Lagoon (upon seeing him Todd says, “You always were the black sheep of the family”)
Dear Joe,
I love your show and I´m big impressed that you take your time to answer questions from the fans.
Now I have a question of big importance to me, and would ask if you could be so kind to answer it.
Is there anything you can tell us about a comment which made Brad Wright, regarding Julie McNiven, especially how she recurs:
“They have recurring arcs — Mike all through the season and Julie too, surprisingly. I say surprisingly because there are events that will make it seem unlikely, but she recurs (laughs).”
Source: http://tvdeathray.com/2010/09/27/interview-stargate-universe-co-creator-brad-wright-previews-season-2/
Please, please can you tell me something regarding her story arc, because I love Julies charakter Ginn and it´s just heartbreaking what happened to her. Julie McNiven is just an amazing actress and her character was simply great.
Will we see her again as Brad Wright told them an how/when?
Please tell us.
By the way I wanted to add something. I noticed there was no guard with.. I can’t remember what his name is. The guy (Lucian Alliance) who goes in to Gin’s room at the very end. Well I noticed there was no guard with him. I found that very strange. No way in hell Young would let anyone (especially him) of the Lucian Alliance wander around the ship at will. And besides Young said they posted guards with them and we even saw that one follow him when he bumped in to Perry for the first time. Idk, I just found it really fake. Idk how he could manage to get away from his guard. Those guards should’ve been completely focused. Any thoughts as to why there was no guard with him???
I think you need to read A Dirty Job – if only because I’m curious to see if you also think the main character would be a great role for David Hewlett.
Loved tonight’s episode, but I’m hoping the teaser was a misdirect and you’re not just going to fridge Ginn. Needless violence against a woman character who is only significant as an object of a male character’s desire? I know you guys can do better than that.
Now that was a great episode. I really hope that we get to see the mission though.
Also, I choose to believe that the promo for next week’s episode is misleading. Like saying someone gets killed off, but really doesn’t. I can choose to believe that, and then be really disappointed, possibly. After all they wouldn’t do that to Eli… would they?
Cody
Questions for the mailbag: So Rush talks about some message thing inside some radiation and then Young asks “sent by” and Rush goes on to talk about how that is the mission. Well if that’s true (you never know with Rush) and someone or something did send some message, how did the Ancients know which way to send their ships? I mean they have to have some destination right? Will these questions be answered this season? Can you give us any hints until then?
I don’t usually comment on the episodes, but this one was just so damn good. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m going to have to go back and watch it several more times.
Back in the beginning of the first season, I was struggling to sit through the episodes even just once; it’s amazing to me how much this series seems to have matured in only a season. I’ve gone from giving it a chance in the hopes that it improves, to anticipating it every week and then watching it multiple times. Thanks to all you guys for making it more than worth my while to have given it a chance.
@ Lewis – I literally lol’d at “McKay & Galacticus”… 😆
Great job!
das
Forgot to say, thanks for this selection Joe. It was a nice brain break.
Joe we need to talk. This has been bugging me for way to long here. And since this story is over i really hope you can just give me an answer even if you have to make one up.
Here it goes: On the home planet of the Alterans we had one race of people. The Ori and our Ancients.
Question is where did the Ori religion come from?
Did all the Alterans see the structure buried deep within the background radiation and realized something made them and a group of Alterans twisted it into the ORI religion?
Felt the only way to better understanding this structure was to find a way to Ascension? And that means of getting to Ascension caused the split between the Ori and Ancients?
If im correct then what was the purpose of the Ark of Truth?
Please please please answer that for me. I so need to know. I do anything for this answer. Its been killing me for so darn long and i dont know why.
Or did some of the Alterans Ascend earlier and realize the power they could get from those left behind if they would worship them. And our Ancients knew the Ori was lieing and wouldnt ascend anyone. So they broke off to learn to Asecend for themselves.
Please Joe i really need this to fit all together.
Or where the Ori a race of ascended aliens that became aware of the Alterans and realized the power they would get if they could make them all believe in them. The Ancients were a few smart people that didnt fall for it and realized that them they selves could one day Ascend and these aliens were liars? Dont think it was ever said that the Ascended ORI were ever Atlerans?
So please Joe, im down on my luck here and this shows means alot to me. So just give me a good story to make it all make sense for me.
Loved SGU tonight! After this im writing to Syfy and giving my support for the show. Would it help to do that? I want to see SGU get 5 seasons or more.
Thank you Joe and God bless!
Haven’t had the chance to watch the latest ep yet so I’ll stick to the book discussion for now.
Bloodsucking Fiends had me at the first sentence: “Sundown painted purple across the great Pyramid while the Emperor enjoyed a steaming whiz against a dumpster in the alley below.” Ha! The first few words were too flowery and I started to worry, then all my fears were allayed and I was hooked.
I never read vampire stuff, and only the promise of humor made me start this book. So glad I did! It was hilarious and cleverly entertaining from start to finish. From the Animals and their antics to Tom using Lestat books to see how Jody worked, it was all great fun.
I especially enjoyed the story being set in San Francisco, since I live just down the peninsula. I’ve been in the Marina Safeway, though sadly I didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone throwing turkeys.
I think the Emperor was my favorite character. He’s a pure soul, and I love that the locals accept and respect him. Also love his “men” of course. Tom is great but such a goofball in the way he mis-used Jody while she was helpless, then apologized so profusely.
My only quibble was I felt the ending was a bit abrupt. I mean, I know what’s going to happen next, but there seem to be threads hanging, like the scientist and the poor Emperor, what will happen to Ben Sapir and whether Tom will be happy with his “new life”.
This isn’t a quibble, but I had such a hard time imagining Jody with red hair. I kept picturing black hair and had to reset my mind’s eye often. I guess that shows how deep the stereotypes have penetrated my brain.
A couple of questions for Christopher Moore:
Why did Ben Sapir choose to turn Jody and then immediately act as an adversary to her? Why didn’t he take her under his wing, so to speak?
What did it mean that nearly all of his fledglings didn’t last long? Did he kill them for violating some vampire code of honor?
When he said he wanted to end his loneliness, did he mean by Jody becoming his mate, or Jody somehow finally killing him? He seemed sort of suicidal.
Who does the Emperor represent to you?
I will definitely check out more of Mr. Moore’s books, so thanks for the heads up, Joe!
How are you at interpreting doggie talk… or, can you understand your pooch?
Check out: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/meaning-dog-barks.html
please I pray to you find a way to bring back
Julie McNiven/Ginn back to the show. I browse several Stargate websites and message boards and she has quickly become one of he most famous and liked characters in this show. And she was JUST starting to develop and grow. I know there is some kind of a loophole there to exploit with the communication stone /universe ship that could be used to bing her back to the show.
i just saw a clip of next week’s ep. no!!!! in response to the content
Congratulation for the episode “The Greater Good”
Very very good !
Thanks you and the SGU staff.
Lloyd67
Joe, give Carl a big pat on the back for me. Dude deserves it after the awesomeness that was The Greater Good. Some brilliant Rush/Young stuff, and although I’m iffy on the term, “Game-changer” is about right. Love the ending, though it’ll suck to lose either or both Perry and Ginn.
Looking forward to Malice.
hello to you! I just wanted to say i’m sorry i have to watch your show illegally. I live in France and i just could not wait for it to start on our local channels. I did buy the dvd of the pilot (the only episode out here) at the dvd store! And i promise to buy the seasons if they come out. Good luck with your show! (also thank you for not deleting the episodes that are on youtube, it’s very nice for international fans like me 🙂 )
I really enjoyed this last episode of SGU, it introduced a bunch of things that will definitely keep me interested in the show. I like that the plot for the series now feels like it has a grand direction, whereas before it had some vague goals but was more or less wandering aimlessly and sleeping in until 2pm very much like my recently graduated and unemployed self.
Solid stuff Joe.
PS: I enjoyed seeing the incorporation of the Clova theatre into “Cloverdale”. I remember attending a high school grad movie night there many years ago and I’m glad you guys kept the name there.
-Cam
Don’t those doors have locks? Should someone have to knock or buzz or something? First Eli walks in on Rush and Perry and then Simeon?
Great episode. I have to rewatch at some point as I was correcting papers in the beginning and may have missed a few things.
Very, very, very cool!!! Nice job on the ep!!!
Tonights episode was great, and Im saying this as one of the skeptics on this show. I felt that it has really advanced unlike the first season where I got the feeling that nothing much was happening, that the show had no endgame, nothing it was striving for. I hope this will help the ratings, before its too late. This revelation about destiny should have been part of season 1, at least in my opinion that would have kept me far more attached to the show.
Hope that from now forward each episode will have as much content as this one.
@das: Thanks! I needed that.
Mr. Mallozzi,
Please have a word with whomever produces the little 10-second next-episode teasers that run at the end of each Tuesday’s broadcast during the closing credits. Last night’s teaser completely ruined the suspense of the final shot of Simeon walking unescorted into Ginn’s/Perry’s quarters. This is not the first time the teaser has done something like this. I know it’s the journey and not the destination that really matters, but for a viewer like me who eagerly tunes in every week, seeing a development like this spoiled is disgraceful on the part of the person in charge of the teaser production.
Great episode, by the way. I don’t know about “best” because nothing this season has yet hit the thought-provoking science fiction high of Time, the deep humanity (as exemplified by Young’s decisions) of Faith, or the drama of Divided. But in a series where even atmosphere-setting and character “filler” episodes such as Pain and Cloverdale are still better than every other one-hour drama on TV, The Greater Good was a fine product of this series.
Looking at things from the perspective of Young’s and Wray’s superiors on Earth, after the events of The Greater Good I think that it has become painfully obvious that Rush needs to be replaced as head of the science team. The most brilliant, accomplished, smart, and knowledgeable scientist is not always (in my experience, not often) a good choice to lead a group of people: To not only manage them, to help them grow professionally, and to accomplish tasks efficiently; but to inspire and support them. Everyone already knows Rush is a very bad manager, but this is the third time he has withheld vital and time-sensitive information or directly violated the chain of command (which I mean organizationally, not the stricter military meaning).
It’s time to replace him as head of the science team, perhaps with Volker. That doesn’t mean he stops doing what he’s doing. But he should work under supervision so that his opportunities to work at crosspurposes with his colleagues and his freedom to disrupt their work and their confidence is minimized.
I understand that the entire second season is shot already, but as you prepare for the third, perhaps you might consider moving Rush to a role which does not involve leadership. This would not diminish his screen time or presence, and in fact his reaction to such a demotion would certainly be interesting to watch unfold over the course of a season. Would it embitter and isolate him even further, or would he eventually come to see it as a lesson in personal growth?
I have very much enjoyed Wray’s arc of development. When Rivers’s body was tossed at her feet, not to mention her other experiences during the Lucian Alliance incursion, she seemed to finally realize that a human resources professional was – while not necessarily out of her depth, far outside her area of expertise when attempting to negotiate with armed hostiles or decision-making for a group of military personnel and military contractors. Wray has finally settled into a role on the Icarus team, and it’s been great to see her effective and successful, and seemingly satisfied with herself.
Thanks for SGU. I eagerly look forward to every new episode.
JOE!
HOLY SH*T! What an incredible episode! My favorite episode of the series so far! And that’s saying something!
CANNOT wait for these stories to further develop!
*glomps Narelle!*
Heya, stranger! Good to see ya! Now, if we could only flush that pg15 fella out, all would be well with the world!
das
In my opinion that was Binders best episode in the history of the show. A lot of people including myself share the opinion that his Earth based storys are rather weak, however in my opinion no idea about anyone else. His Space/Alien/Offworld stories are incredible.
I would love to see CB focus on more Space/Alien/Offworld stories as he does those best and they’re really fun to watch. That’s if the show gets the much deserved third season.
Three things I liked in this episode, and I’ll be unique in naming.
1. Backseat drivers. When Rush’s girl Amanda Mandy Perry lol was trying to steer Destiny, Eli and co were barking orders and her reaction to shut up was funny.
2. Rush saving Youngs life, he had no reason to save Youngs life, he could of easily ran a little slowly and said sorry guys I was too late, he made the effort to dash there as quickly as possible.
3. Matts reaction to the bridge. Made me LOL(In a good way)
I’ld rate this Episode 9 out of 10, purely because it’s a fun episode, although kinda dark, had a good premise.
And this episode has one of the most dark/creepy endings in the entire series. You know Simeon going to Amandas room and closing the door behind him. Seems rather cowardly though as she can’t defend herself.
Joe, can you thank Carl for a wonderfully well-written episode? That bad boy rocked so much I watched it twice last night! I am so looking forward to next week’s episode!
Thanks to all!!
Yes Christopher Moore’s stuff is definitely worth reading.
Like I said, SGU has improved a lot in s2. Not cool with the compiling of next week’s preview, SyFy.
Hiring Rob Knepper was a great move.
DD
Joe, I really liked this episode, well done!! The CGI was awesome, and so was Amanda Perry’s dynamic with Rush.
However, I find it kind of weird to see the idea of intelligent design in the Stargate universe when for the past 10 years it’s been all about defeating false ‘gods’ (Gouald, the Ori). Maybe it’s because I think religion and sci fi shouldn’t mix, but that’s just my opinion.
But other than that, I really liked that Destiny was to find the ”meaning of life” stuff.
Here’s hoping to another great installment of SGU!!
Joe…excellent, I repeat excellent episode from start to finish. Where are my thoughts on the episode!
S
P
O
I
L
E
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S (potentially)
1.) Eli – way to take charge!
2.) The mission – not what I expected but completely brilliant, whoever the creative genius is behind it should get a raise…or at least a pat on the back followed by a well done!
3.) Rush and Young – That could become very interesting…from the look they gave each other when they got back on destiny, I would say they came to an agreement.
4.) Ginn – NO, NO, NO…if it really happens, well disappointing to say the least…I really liked her character…she help Eli man-up.
5.) Simeon – why is he still on the ship anyway?
6.) Young blaming Rush for Riley, but didn’t mention Telford? will they go back to get him now?
Questions for the mailbag.
1.) Concerning the mission, since the Ancients have ascended, is it safe to assume they already know what the structure or message is?
2.) The mission sounds like proofing of god or the creation of the universe being done by some form of life, how far off am I?
3.) In a blog you posted awhile back you referred to having the ending of the show planned out…assuming the plan is to finish the Destiny’s mission…isn’t that a little to convenient, considering the Destiny has been going for millions of years then all of a sudden a group of humans show up and with in a few years Destiny completes its mission?
Anyway, loved the episode and the pace of the show is really picking up. The start of this season and the first season remind me alot of SG-1 in the fact that SG-1 started out slow the first couple of season before finding the groove, I think SGU just found its groove!
Well, I guess we find out next week for sure if both people that body swapped die. Now the show’s major arc is that the Ancients launched the mission to find God? That’s kind of an undertaking don’t ya think? Why did the Ancients do everything big?
I hope next week, out of everyone that has a reason to kill Simeon, that you surprise us and it’s Greer that gets him. Greer shooting up the bad guy and being all business about it would be awesome.
Didn’t see the episode yet, due to conflicting obligations – SGU airs during my belly dancing class and I didn’t get a chance to watch after I got home.
I loved Bloodsucking Fiends. From the cover and the first few pages, I thought I was in for a bit of fluff – just a quick read to fill the time, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. The characters were wonderful, even the minor ones were great characters. I think my favorites were the Emperor and his men. And I loved the “bad” vampire. Just when I had written him off as a one-dimensional villain/plot device, Michael Moore embues him with a personality and motives and makes him a character I can sympathize with – but I’m a sucker for the baddies ;).
Jody and Tommy were delightful, quirky protagonists; it was kind of refreshing to have a strong, resourceful heroine playing off of a slightly flaky, but sweet guy.
And like you, Joe, I only saw the set-up for the ending in retrospect. It was clever, surprising and downright satisfying. But I feel bad for poor Elijah. I hope Jody relents and helps him out. And, honestly, if I read any of the subsequent books, it will be to find out what happens to Elijah.
Even though the book is the first in a series, it comes to enough of a conclusion to work as a stand-alone. I would definitely recommend it.
Questions for the author:
I realize that you wrote the book 15 years ago and I really appreciate your willingness to stop by and discuss it with us.
1. What was your inspiration for the story?
2. I loved Tommy’s references to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (a favorite novel of mine) and The Vampire Lestat . Were those your major sources for vampire lore or did you do other research?
3. I loved Elijah Ben Sapir and the way he tested Jody after turning her and that you made him an “angel of death” choosing victims that were terminally ill and would die soon anyway. Can you comment a little on his character?
*lurking…liked the ep…”game-changer” is right)
Just watch the greater good. It’s certainly better than any episodes of SGU but there’s one thing bothering me. After seeing Simeon walk freely, act, and after seeing the next episode sneak peak, I just have to ask. How in the hell Simeon is not kick out of the destiny? What kind of justification are the HomeWorld security have to keep that lunatic onboard?
I have Elyse Levesque suspended over a pit of acid. Her life depends on you giving me an honest answer to the following question:
How long has Joss Whedon been writing for Stargate Universe?
I’ve been thinking about the ship’s mission since last night. That is a really interesting idea. It opens the door for the Stargate franchise to discuss faith in an entirely new way. I’ll admit, there were times (especially in SG-1’s last two seasons) when I felt the franchise really frowned upon faith. The characters would just walk onto a planet proclaiming that these aliens were false gods, never taking into account that the many of the natives truly believed. While of course in the show the “gods” were actually evil aliens, I felt like the show never discussed faith from a different perspective. Maybe I’m forgetting something. Anyway, I’m excited for what this new aspect of the show is going to bring. I hope we see different characters take it in different ways. Some characters perhaps seeing it as proof of God’s existence with others remaining skeptical. This type of philosophical debate is what scifi has always been about. But whatever happens, please do not show exactly what it is they find at the end. Leave it up to the viewer and characters to decide what it truly is that Destiny finds.
Just learned of this. Have not watched the vid yet, but the concept tickles my chubby funny bone.
See previous.
http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/11/10/uwe-boll-directs-first-fat-superhero-movie-blubberella-trailer/
BTW, Syfy executives Craig Engler and Mark Stern can be chided about the spoilerly preview on Twitter. Their usernames are @SyFy and @Stern3000, respectively.
I guess we can’t have a stable relationship on the show, unless it is Scott/Chloe. Killing Ginn might have gained some shock value, but it kind of came off as lazy. As in you guys didn’t want to have to delve into another relationship on the show (even though numerous pairings off would have been seen by now in real life). Was a certain actress jealous of maybe not being part of the main “power couple” anymore? You do understand that in most of the rants/message boards/blogs/etc. that the fans don’t seem to like Chloe/Scott. The only thing that would be worse would be Eli/Chloe. Elyse sounds like a wonderful person, and there is no attack on the actress. It is the character of Chloe people just do not like. I understand that this move will impact both Eli and Rush and you can delve into their emotional states and sense of loss. You are driving the “delving into the characters emotions” toward cancelation of the series. A sci fi show needs drama, but it also needs some action and resolvement of issues. This past episode hit the mark. Great Job. I am just worried that the next few are going to go back to the mopey character interactions. Remember. characters have the same impact (or should) as real life people. Do YOU want to be around someone who is whiney, mopey sad, or over emotional all the time? WE don’t either. You guys did a great job with SG1 and SGA (a little campy for me sometimes). Your writing was quick witted and fun. You were the masters of your craft. However, the writers here on SGU are not cut out for this type of writing. That is not an insult, everyone should play to their strengths. Deep character dramas are not the ball park you should be playing in. These characters are dark and gritty, but they are shallow and leave a sense of “who cares” about them. Again I know some of this comes off as an insult and it is not meant to. Good Luck with your show and any other endeavors you are pursuing. And of course I will keep watching SGU just to see if it turns around. I did like the Eli/Ginn stroryline (oh wait, thats over now).
Look at me Joe.
Do you see it?
Do you see the new lines in my face etched into it by my 60-minute-permanent grin upon watching The Greater Good?
You do see it, don’t you? Yes, of course you do.
I LOVE THIS SHOW SO FUCKING MUCH
Ok, I’ll get to all the other stuff later – but I just want to say this now: you’ve made a physics student very, very, very very very happy.
The Cosmic Microwave Background, one of the most important scientific discoveries of our time, turned into a storytelling device in the revelation of a mission so epic God himself could not comprehend it? YES THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I mean, this is what Science Fiction is all about! It’s so close to reality too – goodness knows we haven’t gotten to maximum sensitivity to all the density fluctuations in the CMB, so this could definitely actually happen! Well…based on my limited knowledge anyway, I’m not a cosmologist. But anyway, WOOOOOO that is so cool!! I was just working with someone who was researching the CMB. In fact, he was one of the researchers on WMAP, the space probe that mapped the CMB in detail after that first one, COBE. The picture with all the tiny green, blue, and red blobs? That’s WMAP’s work!
The implications of this mission is astounding, it really is. The density distribution of the CMB led to the matter distribution of our Universe – denser bits in the primordial cosmos led to galaxies and galaxy clusters of the present, while less dense regions became voids. If there is structure behind these distributions, then whatever intelligence was behind it literally shaped tthe Universe. That is crazy pants! CRAZY PANTS!!
And you know what’s even cooler? The Greater Good aired on Carl Sagan’s birthday. THE Carl Sagan, the one who gave us Cosmos and Contact, and the one that said “We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself” – HELL YEAH WE ARE!! In SGU the humans on Destiny will come to know the code of the Cosmos! I mean, this could not have worked out better.
And, of course, honorable mention for the classical physics involved in the space jump! Math Boy to the rescue! Seeing Destiny from the alien ship as it tumbled was surreal – it was just so goddamn realistic! The CGI and the physics! And then the jump itself – Mark Savela and his team should win several truckloads of Emmys for this.
All that aside, it was just such a great pay off after the last 5 episodes. I was getting a strange tense feeling in my stomach as the show approached the point when Rush’s secret was about to be revealed; I was really on edge. Then, when it happened – my God, the catharsis of it all; seeing Rush getting pummelled, Young’s rage, and the overall direction of the scene – slow, inevitable, brutal, and tragic – made for such a powerful scene. The music helped too; it was slow and had a, like I said, “inevitability” to it, like this is how it should be. All that buildup released at once – incredible.
Oh, and how cool is it to see the crew on the Bridge at the end there? It felt so right. And Eli in the Captain’s chair! I fully expect Star Trek references to explode in quantity from this moment onwards.
Finally, two scattered thoughts: 1). Robert Knepper is deliciously evil; his talk with Ginn about getting attached to Eli – the way he moved, especially his head – was so creepy. 2). I loved Brody’s line when he said that Park seemed optimistic about getting the thrusters working. Such subtle character callback. LOL.
So, a bunch of us did a massive tweet-off in the hours before and after the show – I actually went through 4 twitter accounts because I tweeted/retweeted so much that I got put in twitter jail 3 times – and it seems that it may have had some effect; the show managed to trend in Vancouver – that’s something! LOL. Traffic on Syfy.com was also much bigger than normal, so that’s cool. Whatever the case, it was fun and I will be doing it again next week. Y’all welcome to join me! Just tweet about SGU with the tags #SGU and #giveSGUseason3 between 5 and 8pm EST.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!
Oh yeah, one more thing.
It goes without saying that this is the best SGU episode IMHO…well, at least so far!
To paraphrase what I said on twitter: Carl Binder et al. You are the Greater Good.
Oh, And Another Thing… /Hitchhiker’s Guide reference
I just love the fact that the mission is one of understanding and learning; of gathering knowledge about the Universe and growing, and not about conflict with bad guys or race against time to stop a disaster or stuff like that. This way, it’s much more meaningful and, dare I say it, optimistic.
It’s not a mission to do harm, or to take revenge, or even for survival – it’s just…learning about the Universe – a very noble (or nobel, if you will) mission indeed.
LOVE IT.
PG15 – I take it you liked “The Greater Good”. 😉
And in case Mr. Mallozzi feels like doing mailbag in the next entry…
How did you come up with the idea of Destiny’s mission? You as in the writers.
Are the TJ flashbacks gone for good from “The Hunt”?
Thank you. And loved “The Greater Good”, it was a mixture of… everything! Everything that makes Stargate awesome. 🙂 🙂
I enjoyed “Blood Sucking Fiends”. It was a good fun read.
My Question for Mr. Moore is: Do you have first hand experience in what goes on in an all night market? (shudder)
Narelle: Say hi to all the boys (including Harry) for me.
Enjoyed the show last night!
The Destiny mission revelation has be worried. I hope this doesn’t descend into a BSG-style monotheistic ‘God dunnit’ farce :S
Why do you feel the need to kill off all likable characters?
It doesn’t make the show “edgy” or “dark”, just less interesting.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the episode was awesome, easily one of the best SGU had so far and the “mission” of Destiny is awesome too.
But still, stop killing likable characters.
Hey Joe, got a question.
The Ori created Origin for the dual purpose of subjugating their human servants and sapping their energies through worship. We also know that when the Ori were still flesh-and-blood humans, they were intensely religious.
What then were the religious beliefs of the Ori? When the eventually ascended, and learned their viewpoint was incorrect, not one of them went “Oh, I’m wrong, I’m going to join the Alterans?” Every last one of them turned to evil even though they learned their religious views were incorrect?
I like the Ori as villains, I guess I just want to make sure I understand their motivations pre-Ascension versus post-Ascension.
I loved the show. The ability of the bridge to raise and lower is a great idea. I wonder however, when the bridge is up, doesnt that make inaccessible to the rest of the ship. I noticed when Eli and the gang came in the door it was in the same place. How is that possible?
The Carnival cruise ship passengers are eating spam. Eww. Give them fishing poles. They can use the spam for bait. Get it? SpamBait.
Wow. I don’t think I can add any more kudos, compliments or huzzah’s to what has already been posted for “The Greater Good.”
Thank you Carl Binder, for a wonderful, exciting and well-told story. Loved it!
I will miss Ginn however. Lovely girl and Eli needed someone to cuddle.
To TPTB:
Stargate Universe is damn good story telling, undeniably the best science fiction now on TV. Stop relying on outdated ratings systems (Nielsens) and listen to the fans and the audiences. If you want to cut back, pick on the idiotic Sharktopuses and Ice Spiders crap.
If you want quality, sterling sci-fi then, THAT IS SGU
‘Nough said.
g’night,
2cats
(who is typing w/one kitty draped across my arm & keyboard – quite a trick, eh?)
Amazing episode! I’m so impressed with the improvements that SGU has shown so far this season. It is almost a completely different show, especially from the first half of last year. I’m really glad SGU is starting to meet its potential.
Mailbag question about the episode: At the end, Rush says the Kino’s damaged. I’m guessing they were going to use it to ride back to Destiny. After all, in space they’re weightless so a kino would generate enough force to move them.
So if that’s the case, why didn’t they just send another kino from Destiny to the ship? It’s not like you’re going to run out. The only reason I can think of is there wasn’t enough time to do so, but you never showed the countdown clock so that can’t be confirmed.
SPOILER
For the people who are complaining about the writers *possibly* killing off Ginn (I don’t buy it because I can’t imagine the clipmakers are that stupid, but you never know), the writers created her in the first place so they have the right to do what they think is best for the story. I don’t think the writers get enough credit for the things they do right, and too much criticism for doing things that are “wrong” because the fans disagree with them.
That said, if they do die it has to be true to the show’s internal logic. For instance I suspect Simeon killed his escort before going to look for Ginn, because that’s the only rationale for him being alone. If not, or if there’s no explanation, then I call shenanigans.
Hello, joe.
a question about universe.
What is the BigBang’s structure where the Destiny went, could be built by the same aliens who created the Obelisk planet system on season 1?
Because, this could explain the reason why the Destiny stopped on a supposed Vacuum area.
The ship has detected an energy signature similar to that emitted by the BigBang artificial structure.
OMG!!! The last episode of universe was amazing… please tell me that Kathleen Munroe’s character (Amanda Perry) doesn’t die. I love her character and if she does die please lie to me so I don’t have to torture myself until next Tuesday.
I have an autographed copy of Christopher Moore’s Lamb. Aren’t you jealous? He spoke at one of my conferences.
Did you know he writes all his manuscripts by hand….literally pen and paper? At least he did as of a few years ago. Ye gads.
this week episode was made of pure awesome and win
just feel like letting you know
das **Big squishes** How you going chicky? I see PG made it on (although I couldn’t read any of what was said as I’ve yet to see any of Season 3) 🙂
Tammy – **waves back** Ahoooooy!!!
Awesome episode, looking forward to the next one! I’m kinda sad that the number of characters that I liked will be cut in half with the deaths of Perry and Ginn, but I guess what’s done is done… I have just one wish: the only thing worse than them dieing would be a cheesy resurrection a few episodes later! 🙂
I am glad you had a nice party and that SGU is going well for all of you.