Two days to my Tokyo departure and I already have the nagging notion I’ve forgotten something. I’m sure I’ll realize what it is once I get to Japan.
Hey, thanks for the input on Resurgence, the first part of the big mid-season two-parter. I had a somewhat easier time writing this one than Awakening (#214). Anyway, some random thoughts on the episode –
I particularly enjoyed this one because it allowed for opportunities for humor. When Volker says “Are you kidding? That’s exactly how you judge a neighborhood.”, he’s actually channeling yours truly. I’m really enjoying writing for some of the supporting players (specifically, the geek squad of Brody, Park, and Volker) and they really shined in this episode. More terrific little moments for them to come in the back half (see #216, The Hunt).
Paul complained it was too subtle, but did anyone else catch the the 2001 reference in Eli’s “big black monolith orbiting a planet” line?
We’ve established a burgeoning friendship between Wray and Eli (Faith, Pathogen), so I figured Wray would be the best person to approach Eli about his recent loss. It was an issue that needed to be addressed, one that would, no doubt, deeply affect someone like Eli. I thought it was particularly interesting to imagine the scenario he refers to, his whole world being distilled down to less than a hundred people in a confined space, and how any change in said scenario would be greatly magnified. In retrospect, even though he avoids talking about his true feelings, Eli demonstrates incredible emotional strength in the face of tragedy.
Scott is his own worst enemy, something we came to learn in Cloverdale, and as much as he may want to do the right thing, his own subconscious may betray him – as is this case here where he outwardly insists he’ll support Chloe only to have her point out that he’s already started pulling away from her. When the time comes to make the hard decision, will he be able to step up and be honest with both her and himself?
Loved exploiting the interplay between these two very different characters, the uptight Brody and the calm and collected Greer. Love the look on Brody’s face when Greer throws him the ominous “Too quiet” line.
Also, love the obvious chemistry between Varro and T.J. As much as I love Young as a character, I think he’s bad for her. But, of course, Everett disagrees – which will make for some interesting dramatic developments later this season.
“Either that or pie’s done. Nope. Simulation.” Seriously, love the plethora of dings, bleeps, beeps, and whistles that pepper SF shows.
This onscreen battle sequence was incredibly tricky to pull off, but the boys in playback did an amazing job creating a simulation that helped tell the story. Some (aka my writing partner Paul) didn’t think it could be done!
Awesome space battle courtesy Mark Savela and his uber-talented VFX team.
I was toying with various ultimately unsatisfactory scenarios for how Destiny manages to shake the drones, but it was only after exchanging emails with our Creative Consultant, John Scalzi, that the solution presented itself. I wrote John: “I was sitting at my desk agonizing over my latest Stargate outline when it suddenly hit me. Hey, why don’t I share the love and have John agonize over it as well. [I explain the premise]. Thoughts? And, no we can’t have space dolphins magically appear and surround Destiny. I already pitched that out and, for some reason, Brad wasn’t enthused. I think maybe Battlestar already did it.” To which John replied: “First, this show’s bias against space dolphins SICKENS me and always has. […] But I did think of something along that might work for your purposes; Destiny, as you know, has the singular ability to dive into a star. Why not have it attacked and then take refuge inside the local star?” I imagined the cool visual of those pursuing drones flaming out and was immediately sold.
Rush’s Darth Vader speech to Eli. Things come to a bit of an emotional head for Eli here and he receives a boost from, of all people, Rush. What’s Rush’s game? Clearly, he needs Eli to be on his game and he sees a lot of exploitable potential in the boy – yet the advice he offers Eli is as much an insight into his character as Eli’s. When he says “I’m sure you were so blinded by rage you imagined getting revenge on the man who killed her, besting the bully on his terms. But even if you had, it wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. You’d wake up every morning and she’d still be dead.”, he’s not only dousing Eli with cold reality, but offering a glimpse into his own vulnerabilities. It wouldn’t have changed a damn thing and he should know because he did best the bully and it didn’t change a damn thing. I love writing Rush when he’s indirect, unfathomable in his motivations. Is he motivated by empathy here or is his motivation self-serving? Check out a parallel bridge scene in episode #214, The Hunt, and get back to me.
Chloe’s lightning quick and painful looking take-down of the Corporal Baras courtesy of James “Bam Bam” Bamford.
Today’s blog entry is dedicated to PBMom’s Patrick!
Mailbag:
Deni writes: “Please, please, please let us know as soon as you can when she’s out of surgery.”
Answer: She goes in at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning which will around 1:00 a.m. in Tokyo. It’ll be a sleepless night and I’m sure I’ll be awake bright and early for the update. As soon as I hear, I’ll definitely post the mini update.
Sparrow_hawk writes: “Hey! Reading Maus at a time like this? What are you thinking?! Find yourself some lighter reading!”
Answer: Finished up last night and am switching gears to lighter zombie fare: the latest volume of The Walking Dead.
Chy Clayton writes: “Instead I would like to thank you for electronically visiting my house every day and sharing a bit of yourself.”
Answer: My pleasure. For my future visits, you might want to consider leaving out some milk and cookies. Oh, and keeping that back door unlocked.
Lewis writes: “1) Have you heard through the grapevine if a Season 2.0 dvd is going to be released like 1.0 was released during last year’s mid season hiatus?”
Answer: Hey, Lewis. Sorry, I haven’t heard anything about the timing of the season 2.0 release.
“2) The other night I was eating chili and came across a Tostitos Scoops chip that was a spot on replica of the Destiny. Unfortunately I was hungry, so after taking a moment to marvel at the likeness I ended up eating the chip. My question is, if I ever come across another Destiny-like chip should I…”
Answer: Create a shrine and charge fans 50 cents a head to visit.
EllieV writes: “Have you not considered delaying your trip to take care of Jelly?”
Answer: Yes, I considered it, but my flight and hotel are non-refundable. Still, if I was traveling alone I’d be more likely to consider it, but I’ll be going with Ivon who would be flying solo if I bailed. In the end, the fact that my dog-sitter Christine will be taking care of her made the decision somewhat easier. It’s unlikely I would have gone ahead with the early surgery if I would have had to board Jelly at the vet clinic for two weeks.
Zac writes: “Is destiny capable of entering the atmosphere of life supporting planets and landing?”
Answer: Probably – although we’ve yet to see it do so.
Sean D. writes: “What’s the most number of pages that you’ve ever written?”
Answer: One of several 120 page feature scripts.
Shawna writes: “I notice from your ‘currently reading’ list that you seem to read a lot of stand-alone novels. How much do you read books that are part of a series of some kind?”
Answer: I try to mix things up. I have read several excellent series (Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy, David Anthony Durham’s Acacia trilogy, George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series) but do tend to prefer my stand-alones.
Chev writes: “Who is looking after the dogs while you’re away or are they going to a kennel?”
Answer: My regular dog-sitter, Christine, will be staying at the house with the dogs. Akemi, who will be in Vancouver while I’m in Tokyo, will only be a short bus ride away.
maggiemayday writes: “How did your kitchen chairs lose their backs? You’re not a lean-backer are you?”
Answer: Apparently so.
Roger Hagensen writes: “Besides, three vets suggested surgery right?, and one even suggested it ASAP.”
Answer: Actually, two suggested surgery ASAP.
“If you are still in doubt, what would you have written for a similar scenario on the Destiny?”
Answer: Well, from a dramatic standpoint, I’d have had the character opt for surgery. Funny you should mention this because Carl was faced with a similar creative decision in Hope, episode #214.
DP writes: “Anyone else got a vanilla ice cream recipe for Joe?”
Answer: Yeah, I got one.
KEK writes: “The 2.0 in-house trailer was brilliant. Should we expect one for 2.5?”
Anwer: Probably not. Sorry.
Etagrats writes: “It’s seems that destiny had originally 3 Shuttles based on the picture bellow! Although the crew only found two of them, So will we ever know what happen to the missing one if no, have you some theory about that ?”
Answer: My guess is it was probably damaged, disabled, and lost during an attack.
Mercy writes: “Are we ever going to meet aliens that are actually human or decendants of humans from Earth?”
Answer: Oooh, there would have to be a damn good reason for why we’d encounter humans this far out. Yep. A damn good SF reason…
Brian M. White writes: “How’s Jelly today?”
Answer: The same. She’s in obvious pain, having trouble getting around, but is extremely happy to a) eat and b) sit on my lap and snooze away. Thanks for asking.
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