Hey, you know what they apparently don’t have in Japan? Long hot peppers! How do I know? Well, the other night we were at Fondy’s house and Akemi volunteered to clean the hot green peppers we had set aside for dinner. Unbeknownst to either Fondy or I, rather than use gloves or simply use a knife for the task, Akemi stripped the seeds out with her fingers. It wasn’t until we got home that she began to feel the searing effects. The poor gal was up all night, in tears, enduring the pain of her flaming fingers. We applied every home remedy that google came up with. She rinsed her hands with almost the entire contents of our fridge and cupboards – olive oil, vegetable oil, milk, white wine, V8 juice, hand cream, shaving gel, even mayonnaise! – before finally solving the problem by popping a couple of tylenols. It was 4:00 a.m. by the time she got to sleep. Needless to say, it’ll be a while before she samples another pepper, much less clean one.
Well, my Toronto woes continue. Last night, Akemi, Rob, Alexander, and I went to Barberian Steakhouse for dinner. I should have followed Fondy’s advice and gone to Jacob & Co. Steakhouse for the kobe beef. My rib steak was fine and I liked the rice (too often, the rice at these places is an afterthought) but Akemi found her steamed lobster too chewy (“My jaw hurts!”she complained after we’d left). Since they were out of ice cream, we decided to try out an ice cream shop Rob recommended (for their coconut and marshmallow flavors). After being frustrated by Toronto’s torturously long and inconvenient street parking machines, I had given up and joined Rob in parking across the street in a parking lot accessible through a narrow, gated alleyway. Driving my SUV in was a bit of a challenge. I had maybe six inches of clearance on either side! On the way out, Rob suggested I go first and, as I tried to exit, I ended up taking the corner too tight and scraping the side of my Q7:
As I told Rob – In retrospect, it would have been cheaper to just park on the street.
And the Toronto hits just keep on coming.
Oh, almost forgot. My VISA was apparently compromised (unauthorized purchases at a Sears in Chicago raised the red flags). This from Fondy when I informed her they had cancelld my car and would be sending me a replacement in 4-6 days: “Yeah, this city is apparently the fraud capital of Canada.” Then, sunnily: “Welcome to Toronto!”
Hey, check out PopCulture Zoo’s preview of the third to last episode of Stargate: Universe, Carl’s Binder’s best script yet – the poignant, fascinating, enormously satisfying Epilogue: http://popculturezoo.com/2011/04/with-the-end-looming-stargate-universe-delivers-an-epilogue/
In yesterday’s blog entry, I got as far as the mid-season point of SG-1’s fourth season. Holy crap! While admittedly a lot fun, I had no idea this trip down memory lane would be so long and winding.
Anyway, the passage of time has mellowed me somewhat, allowing me to view long past events with a more impartial eye. I refer, of course, to my first experience with the capricious nature of internet fandom: the grand shipper vs. anti-shipper debate of season 4. In short, while many fans cheered the onscreen romantic developments between Jack and Sam (Jack and Sam shippers), others were quick to decry and criticize them (anti-shippers). While I still hold these developments were a natural progression of the relationship already established over the course of the show’s first three seasons (and certainly disagree with some of the more pointed criticism that came up at the time) I can see how the storyline could have given certain fans pause. A few of the arguments made:
1. Having Jack and Sam pursue a relationship would be against military regs and do a disservice to both characters: Fair enough, although I still hold – as I did back then – that it does happen and sometimes you can’t help who you fall in love with. Still, despite the mutual attraction, we were well aware of this criticism, especially considering our working relationship with the Air Force, and so were very careful about making sure this wouldn’t be an issue. In WoW, O’Neill resigns before dipping Carter and planting a kiss on her. Still, a further argument could be made that, given the situation (their romantic feelings for one another), one or both should have requested a transfer. Possibly, especially if either felt their feelings for one another could compromise their performance as members of the same SG team. Did it reflect poorly on them that neither pursued this course of action? In my opinion, no, but my opinion is one of many. Ultimately, it never did influence their performance in a negative way. Which brings us to critique #2…
2. Having Jack and Sam pursue a relationship would be a disservice to the characters, especially Sam who, up to that point, had been portrayed as a strong and fiercely independent woman. To this, I would say that even strong and fiercely independent women fall in love and sometimes enter into questionable relationships. How questionable would a relationship with Jack be? That’s open to debate but there’s no denying the fact that the circumstances of their working relationship could complicate things significantly. Also, by suddenly shifting Carter’s storyline to her love life, wouldn’t we be robbing ourselves of the opportunity to explore other facets of her personal life? Again, perhaps, but the fact is we rarely delved into the personal lives of our characters and, on the rare occasions we did (ie. The Curse, Crossroads) they were always part of a bigger story.
3. Having Jack and Sam pursue a relationship would upset the team dynamics, placing emphasis on Sam and Jack at the cost of other equally important pairings, Jack and Daniel first and foremost. Looking back at episodes like The Other Side and Scorched Earth, I think we did a good job of exploring the latter dynamic, depicting the great divide between the military (Jack) and civilian (Daniel) mindset, a seeming chasm that, as demonstrated, could be bridged by friendship.
These were the three major criticisms (although I’m sure there are more) and, as I said, even though I still disagree with some of the conclusions, I can sympathize with many of the concerns, especially considering Amanda herself had some reservations about the arc. In the end, the Jack/Sam ship was touched upon but not actively pursued in a way that would prove detrimental to the characters (again, I’m sure there are those who feel this point is debatable), seemingly reaching critical mass in season 8’s Threads. Whether the conclusion to this ship or, frankly, lack thereof was a satisfactory one – well, that’s another debatable point. I would say that, all things considered, it left both sides unsatisfied.
The great shipper vs. anti-shipper debate sparked some eleven years ago and spanned several seasons. Many of its participants have moved on since. Others still remain publicly critical of the creative decisions made. Still others have mellowed with time to the point where I now exchange friendly emails with several members on both sides of the issue. I think that, after many years, we’re all aware of where we stand on the issue and can firmly and politely agree to disagree .
Anyway, back to my memories of the individual episodes that made up SG-1’s fourth season….
POINT OF NO RETURN (411)
This episode was borne out of Paul’s perusal of several online conspiracy sites that maintained the Stargate program did, in fact, exist and that the t.v. show was part of a plausible deniability campaign (something we would use in later episodes). Lots of great memories from this episode: Teal’c on the motel bed, the great onscreen chemistry between Rick and Willie Garson (who got along famously off-camera), and some bizarre notes we received at the script stage. In one scene at the military camp, we hear a helicopter fly away. We received the note: “Can we see the helicopter?”. Brad responded: “No, we can’t see the helicopter because it doesn’t exist. All we have is the sound of the helicopter.”. Another note was a request to convey the sense of some alien quality in Marty at episode’s end, something to let us know how out of this world he truly was. There was a suggestion that, in the final shot of the episode, Marty could wiggle his ears in a other-worldly manner. Suffice it to say, it didn’t fly.
TANGENT (412)
Michael Cassutt was the perfect guy to write this episode. With his heavy science fiction background (having written many short stories and novels in the genre as well as countless non-fiction articles) and hard SF experience, he delivered a first draft that any one of us would have been hard-pressed to match for its authenticity in circumstances and terminology. For months after “No joy on the burn!” became my go-to phrase whenever I was disappointed with something, be it a scripted scene, a production issue, or my lunch order.
THE CURSE (413)
I was damn proud of this episode for a number of reasons, the chiefest being its ability to mine an aspect of Daniel Jackson’s past that had yet to be fully explored. My inner comic book geek is in full display here as Green Lantern references abound: Professor Jordan Sarah Gardner, The Stewart Expedition, Steven Raynor – all GL’s past and present. Anna-Louise Plowman’s terrific performance ensured she’d be coming back for a return visit, while Ben Bass’s performance as Steven Raynor should have done the same except that the follow-up story I had planned for his character never got past the room. The basic premise of the story involved SG-1 heading off-world and discovering they’d been beaten to an incredible archaeological find by another team headed by Steven Raynor and bankrolled by a wealthy industrialist who had swung a deal to make use of the Russian gate. This episode also marked my first experience with the networks’ dreaded give-everything-away promos. In this case, the promo included a shot of Osiris blasting our heroes, thus ruining the fourth act reveal of exactly who Osiris was. It was a surprise-ruiner of such epic proportions that it remained unrivaled for years – until their “You won’t believe the last five minutes!” promo for Kindred 1 that revealed Carson Beckett. What’s not believe? You just showed them!! (P.S. Special mention to the German broadcasters that renamed Forever in a Day “Sha’re ist Tod” (Sha’re Is Dead).
SERPENT’S VENOM (414)
To be honest, I don’t remember much about this episode outside of the Mallozian mines (named after yours truly), the “intercepting the transmission” beat, and the uber-cool pain stick used to torture Teal’c that now resides in my garage.
CHAIN REACTION (415)
The fact that the late Don Davis considered this episode one of his personal favorites makes me exceedingly proud. It was one of those rare episodes that explored Hammond and offered us a peek of the man behind the uniform. Don was his usual brilliant self and the palpable love and respect SG-1 held for their commander reflected the similar love and respect Don commanded, not only from his fellow cast members, but the entire crew as well. Although I got along well with the entire cast, Don was the one I would occasionally go out to dinner with, sharing a love of food with the fine, Southern gent.
2010 (416)
Anytime we can kill off all main characters is an opportunity not to be missed. And they go out in blazing style in the closing moments of this episode, my favorite Brad Wright script of the show’s fourth season. This was the first part of what could have been an Aschen trilogy, bookended by 2001, but that third episode – like many intriguing notions – just never came to fruition.
Joe,
I just wanted to say that I’m really enjoying your insight into the episodes of season 4. Thanks for sharing. And, tell Akemi that I’m sorry to hear about her fingers 🙁
what would of happened in part 3 of the aschen trilogy if it had ever been made?
Poor Akemi. I hope she feels better. Sounds like a similar situation to how I found out I was allergic to menthol. After a car accident, Jeff rubbed Icy Hot onto my back and I started screaming as if I was on fire, and well, my back appeared to be. I remember crying, “Get it off, get it off, and standing in a cold shower for a very long time.”
The thing about your car sucks. Oh Joe (heavy sigh), we need to send some positive vibes your way.
I’ve had my credit card number used for purchases. We never lost our card. The police said they did what is called a magnetic swipe. They swipe the card on a specially made device and totally make up a new one. It was around Thanksgiving and someone charged about $3000 of electronics on my card, hitting 4 different Best Buys. I jumped in because the police was less than enthusiastic, one saying that I needed to file a report with my local police, the local police telling me I needed to file a report with the Houston police because that is where the crime occurred. I talked with the Best Buy managers and got the times of the transactions and wanted to get their surveillance video to match up the faces in all 4 stores, but they wouldn’t let me see it, only the police, but they had to act fast because they didn’t keep the tapes for very long. This is very low on the totem pole. I was LIVID that these people got an HD TV, a Playstation 3, a game, and a few other things I now cannot remember. I felt violated. We had a feeling it might have happened at this one restaurant where Jeff complained because he was served dirty water. It happened a day or two after that. Fortunately that is where it ended (no other things showed up and they didn’t appear to steal my total identity). You just feel violated (and well I wanted justice, too).
My favorites out of this group were Point of No Return and 2010.
Is it just me, or are there more typos in this post than any other JM post ever?
Sorry to hear about Akemi. Hope she’s feeling better. My favorites out of this group were: Tangent, Chain Reaction, and 2010. And I completely agree about Don Davis being a gentleman. Hubby and I met him at a convention in 2005, and he was a class act. He was familiar with the town where my father-in-law was born and raised in Missouri and spent a few minutes telling us about some experiences he had had there which we enjoyed getting to hear.
Have a good evening!!
I work with red savina habanero for my hot sauces all the time and the stuff even soaks through gloves. The trick to getting it out of the cuticles and such is to treat it initially like a burn. Hold it under cold water for 10-15 minutes and then two bowls of milk and soak ’em for a good half hour occasionally working the milk into the areas that were burning. Tylenol helps, for sure. But it needs to still be neutralized because the tylenol may dull the pain, fingers get forgotten and an itchy eye is much more sensitive than even Tylenol can help. So soon, you have burning eyes. Not fun.
Funny thing just happened. We’ve had our Stargate SG-1 Season 4 DVDs on Amazon Marketplace for probably 1-2 months now and they were not selling. We bought the big boxed set with all 10 seasons so didn’t need all the individual ones any longer. Hmmm.. I wonder if all this talk of season 4 connected us with one of your blog regulars/lurker. Thanks for the sale, Joe!
And BTW, the people from school only watched Patrick for 15 minutes and seemed very impressed by his progress (holding in all snides comments). The director of Patrick’s present facility told me she felt it had gone well. I’ll find out soon. They have until June 3 to hold a meeting about it.
Poor Akemi, but hey, at least she didn’t rub her eyes! Of the episodes you mentioned today, I loved Tangent, 2010 and Chain Reaction. I miss all of it and wish we had another 10 years! 🙂
I’ll be curious to find out tonight on Epilogue who Eli winds up with. It’s either Camile Wray or Vanessa James. We know Wray has descendants so that makes for a very interesting twist to her sexuality. And with the friendship that was developing between Wray and Eli, it is not outside of the realm of possibilities. But to end up with James is funny because of the kino spying on her taking a shower.
Thanks a bunch for these posts, Joe. I’m really enjoying these looks back at seasons past. One nitpick, though; is SciFi really to blame for the spoilerfilled promo for The Curse? Considering SG-1 was still on Showtime at the time of season 4? 🙂
Poor Akemi. I can’t even imagine how painful that was. And your poor SUV.
I’d have to say that 2010 is one of my favorites of SG-1. Silly shippers versus anti-shippers. Luckily it’s died down a lot. I remember when the episode for SGA came out, I think it was Trio (the one where McKay, Sam and Keller went down to the surface of some planet and were trapped). I am also bad with episode names unless I’ve seen it ten times. Sam sort of reveals her relationship status. That kind of fanned the flames just a little.
I think you did a good job on this, Joe. You made your case for Jack and Sam and that they could be together.
Wow, I am in awe….
These “Ultimate Behind the Scenes” entries are wonderful! This is the BEST gift you could possibly give to dedicated SG Fans and I cannot thank you enough. (Well, short of an invite to Jack and Sam’s wedding, of course.)
I can imagine that these are some pretty time consuming entries and it is absolutely a gift for all of us who supported all the years of Stargate.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hmm. Now that I think of it, I’m not sure if it was a Showtime promo or a promo after the move to SciFi. Will change the reference just to be fair.
@My VISA was apparently compromised (unauthorized purchases at a Sears in Chicago raised the red flags).
Wow that’s horrible Joe, there’s a lot of scum out there that do that to people. Infact it happened to me before too, someone tried speanding what would of worked out as thosands of dollars with my Visa card details too, which they somehow obtained.
Luckily my bank rang me and asked *Are you at *Insert shop name here* speanding *insert amount here* as a security check, I’m like nope *Insert surprised response from me here* *Insert response from bank saying they’l send me a new card*
Some advice that people give
1. Always stay with your card, never give your card to someone to take away(like at restuarants etc)
2. Only buy from reputable websites.
3. Keep your PC secure safe with *Insert programs here*
But I do all 3 above and it still happened to me =/
Everyone: Check out this interview with Jason Momoa about Game of Thrones: http://blastr.com/2011/04/jason-momoa-those-game-of.php
@ Sparrowhawk – PSSST!!! Ixnay on the editcray ardcay, okay? 😉
@ Joey – A little story. My dad loves hot peppers. One sunny summer day we gathered around the picnic table for lunch with all the workers. It was like one big happy family, with everyone wanting to impress the boss. Dad insisted that everyone try these extremely hot peppers he had sliced for the sandwiches, and certainly no one wanted to turn him down. One by one, the workers gingerly plucked a hot pepper – or two – from the bowl. One fella really liked the hot peppers, so he plucked out a few more. Then he went to the toilet…and didn’t think to wash his hands before handling the hardware. 😮 We all had quite a laugh over it once the screaming subsided, and the poor fella never quite lived down what became known as The Hot Pecker Incident. 😉
das
Thanks so much for doing these posts reflecting on SG-1! I’m enjoying them and remembering how many great episodes there were in season 4 alone, not to mention the following seasons. It’s interesting to hear your perspective on the Jack and Sam shipper/anti-shipper debate too.
Because I watched seasons 1-8 on DVD (catching up because I didn’t discover the series soon enough to watch them live), I luckily didn’t get spoiled by the promo for The Curse. But it is disappointing when a promo gives away could be an amazing reveal during the show itself.
And your mention of 2010 reminds me that in January last year, I had a watch party with a few friends and we watched both 2010 and 2001 (because you can’t break up the set). It seemed like a fitting thing to do, and it was really fun.
Ah, yes. Spoilers in promos. Man, they drive me nuts. And I like spoilers! A network that does (pretty) well? The CW, surprisingly. (Sometimes, under the direction of the actors though, like Mark Sheppard who insisted his name be taken out of the credits to keep the surprise for fans…he knows us too well.) The most recent Syfy-like promo flub, though, came from an unexpected source: CBS’ The Mentalist. Seriously, I thought for sure the promo was a fake out. But nooope. They indeed revealed the villain of the past 2/3 of the season with a “you won’t believe!” disclaimer. Oy.
You know, I’m usually on the shipper side and so I can say I was somewhat unsatisfied by the fact that Sam/Jack was never completely text (the way Mulder/Scully eventually was made), but I think you all handled it well, giving plenty of indications.
Ah, yes. 2010. When written (watched, in my case), it seemed so far away. And yet, looking back, even though the Stargate ‘verse has inherent advantages (i.e. alien technology, travel amongst planets), it’s depressing to think that really, there wasn’t much difference between 2010 and 2000 beyond some fashion changes and a few more wars. Not unlike the way I laugh at the idea that we could develop warp drive by 2063. Those Star Trek folk sure were optimistic!
I’m sorry to hear about the constant bombardments upon your money and things! Toronto is a rougher town than I’d imagine. Hope Akemi feels better soon, too.
@das: But I really needed that new refrigerator and they had such a nice Kenmore Elite at Sears…
uh….. oh……
I guess I’ll have to return it.
Drat.
Great behind the scenes stories, Joe. Now I need to go back and watch season 4 of SG1 again!
And those must have been some deadly peppers!
@Akemi: I’m so sorry for your trouble! I hope your fingers are better.
Hi Joe, have you ever eaten a Stargate cake http://noms.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/04/23/funny-food-photos-stargate-cake/ ?
Just finished watching Epilogue and I am in tears. That is now my favorite episode of SGU and I’m even more upset now that it is ending. No spoilers.
Ahem! Mr M. April 24th was yesterday.
OMG!!! Tonight’s SG:U episode was excellent. This is my favorite one.
Season 4 was definitely among my top three favorites. It’s amazing how big a part of my life Stargate SG1 was and how poignant it is to read your musings on it.
Of those episodes you listed Joe, I think 2010 was my fav. Mostly because it was a good alternate future that shows the audience what *might* happen if Earth forms an alliance with the Aschen.
Loved the fact that regardless of what happens, Carter is loyal to her friends first and foremost, she is SG1 through and through.
Not sure how you feel about Episode 18 – “The Light” Joe, but personally I thought it kinda sucked, absolutely the weakest episode in Season 4.
I’ll tell you what Joe, your make-up department is probably THE BEST when it comes to making people age. No one looks like a “cake face”. The elder Wray in particular, looks totally natural and totally believeable. Excellent job to whoever does that. You should of had them do you before you left and taken a picture. It would have been kinda like the reversal of The Picture of Dorian Gray. You could watch over the next 50 years to see if you turned into that picture.
Some of those promo ruiners that SyFy did were shocking alright! I could not believe they would give it away like that. I remember when the promo was designed to make you say, “Darn! I have to wait a week to see what happens!”.
I just loved Don Davis! Class act.
Hope Akemi’s fingers have recovered…poor girl!
You need to get some good luck. You need to get a horseshoe and stick it up…on your front door. (were did you think I was going to tell you to stick it?)
WOW -WOW -WOW, OMG – Wow.
Just viewed Epilogue tonight from Mr. Carl Binder. You said Joe,
“Carl’s Binder’s best script yet – the poignant, fascinating, enormously satisfying Epilogue”…
Agreed. N’uff said.
I won’t spoil for those here who have yet to enjoy.
Amazing, really.
2cats
Absolutely EXCELLENT episode of SGU tonight! My wife, while she has watched Stargate with me over the years could take it or leave it. But tonight she was frustrated and said “Why are they cancelling the show?!?!”.
My fingers are okay now. 🙂
It was very painful. I hate peppers. 🙁
Thank you for your kind comments. :9
crayonbaby said: I think you did a good job on this, Joe. You made your case for Jack and Sam and that they could be together.
yes he did! 😀
but they ‘could’ isn’t as satisfying and delicious as yes they ‘ARE’. :p
Just catching up on the blog, as I’ve been away for a few days. Thanks for the wonderful reminiscences of SG1, particularly season 4, my favourite season. I’ve enjoyed reading all of your insights into select episodes, particularly Window of Opportunity, my favourite episode. I also like hearing about your wonderful memories of RDA, and what a great guy he is in real life. Also, thanks for killing off Martouf (was that your decision?) in Divide and Conquer — he was getting in the way of Sam and Jack 😉
Speaking of which, thanks so much for providing your thoughts on the great Sam/Jack shipper debate, and being a supporter of the ship yourself. I am one of those shippers who was really longing for the Big Confirmation of their relationship in the 3rd movie, but alas, it was not meant to be. I recall you saying in an earlier post that they are together now (I’m pretty sure you said that, right?), even though nothing was overtly said post-Threads, so I guess I’ll have to hang onto that thought if there will no longer be any Stargate at all.
Can you please, though, consider asking Brad or Carl to do a guest spot on your blog to reveal the contents of the script of the 3rd SG1 movie, and in particular, let us know about the Sam/Jack romantic scene? I would be forever grateful!
BTW, I hope Akemi is fully recovered… that sounded so painful.
IggyMing said: Speaking of which, thanks so much for providing your thoughts on the great Sam/Jack shipper debate, and being a supporter of the ship yourself. I am one of those shippers who was really longing for the Big Confirmation of their relationship in the 3rd movie, but alas, it was not meant to be. I recall you saying in an earlier post that they are together now (I’m pretty sure you said that, right?), even though nothing was overtly said post-Threads, so I guess I’ll have to hang onto that thought if there will no longer be any Stargate at all.
Can you please, though, consider asking Brad or Carl to do a guest spot on your blog to reveal the contents of the script of the 3rd SG1 movie, and in particular, let us know about the Sam/Jack romantic scene? I would be forever grateful!
desperate and frazzled s/j fan/ME is saying: put the s/j confirmation in SGU’s last ep! :p
someone wants to talk to general o’neill, the other person says he’s unavailable, because he’s on his honeymoon with colonel carter. 😀
btw, i’ll stop nagging :p… when i’ve run out chances for the confirmation on sgu 🙁
Hi Joe,
A long time lurker and not much of a poster here…
Loving the trip down Stargate memory lane. The little insights are fun to read!
I also wanted to say how much I enjoyed tonight’s SGU episode. It was, to me, the finest episode of the series to date and quite possibly the best Stargate episode I’ve seen. Its rare that I get emotional watching tv and the only other Stargate episode that has moved me so much was SG-1’s “Threads.”. The scene with Young and the empty chair was very powerful. The whole montage, really. There were no words, but the actors did an amazing job of conveying the scene with their own emotions. Truly amazing people who are on this show.
I truly wish SGU had been given a chance to finish out its story. Here’s hoping one day we can have some form of closure to Destiny’s story. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Stargate and the snippets of behind the scenes action you share on this blog. I’ll be tuning into your new series as well. Good luck with it!
Akemi feel better.
Here is my hot pepper story from years ago…
In 1985, I had a friend that had a restaurant called Serrano . When it first opened the Serrano pepper was in many of the items on the menu. (For those who don’t know, the Serrano pepper is notably hotter than Jalapeños.) After the restaurant would close we would hang out with the owner and have a drink (or ten) while the staff cleaned up and prepped for the next day. They had a new guy doing prep, one of his jobs was to clean the peppers. As we were sitting there, the new guy passes us while headed to the bathroom. The owner stopped him and told him to wash his hands before and after using the bathroom. Off he goes to the bathroom. A few minutes later he is headed back to work. A few minutes after that he is running as fast as he can back to the bathroom. We hear swearing and water splashing everywhere. The owner turned to us and says, “I guess he didn’t wash his hands before…”
Slam
Hi Joe,
Carl had me in tears tonight. What an amazing script. It had all the CB hallmarks in it, but to the tenth power. And it only makes me that much more frustrated and saddened that there will be no more SGU.
I hope hope hope that somewhere, somehow we get to read/hear/see what was planned for the rest of the storyline. It’s entirely too good to leave untold.
I’m enjoying the S4 recap…and also not. It’s a bittersweet walk down memory lane, knowing that there will never be another chance to see these amazing characters again.
Still, I wouldn’t miss a single word.
Thanks, Joe.
SBS
Shipper wars, what is wrong with people. Don’t you have eyes? Are you watching the same show as me? Clearly Jack and Thor were together. JACK/THOR 4ever!!! It was right there in the subtext, just read between the lines, the lingering touches, the eye contact that goes on forever. Thor was away right there to save his man. Jack/Sam, Jack/Daniel, Jack/Teal’c, Thor would have never stood for that. He would beam anyone into deep space for touching his man.
*sarcasm*
Slam
Epilogue…a great conclusion to last week’s episode. Great work by all, but especially A. Huffman. She was absolutely amazing in this episode. If SGU was on a regular network, she would definitely get serious consideration for an Emmy for her work in all of Season 2.
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
What can you say about T.J.? She had so much in this episode, both good and bad. She got the family that she wanted, got her man, and suffered the effects of a horrible, crippling disease. And now she knows that, unless they can find a cure in Destiny’s database, she will die in around 7 years. Throw that in with her obvious dilema regarding Young & Varro, and you have to wonder what her emotional state would have been in Season 3. The question is, would the writers have given her the cure, or had her live out the remaining seasons under a death watch. The emotional range that Alaina can deliver is truly incredible. I hope that she gets the lead in some upcoming pilot. She deserves a show that she can shine in again.
The funniest moment was the montage of Chloe, T.J. Park, and James all getting ready to give birth. A whole lot of agony going on there. What gave you the idea to put Varro and James together. I guess as people started to pair up, the choises became more limited, as Eli found out with Cprl. Barnes. That was an uncomfortabe conversation with him and Chloe.
I really liked how we saw the events that followed the survivors of Destiny and their lives in their new home, much more than I thought I would. Doing it with Kino footage, instead of straight flashbacks was a real creative and different way of showing this. And having Brody as a Mr. Wilson grouch was priceless. Part of this episode reminded me of the Voyager episode Basics where the crew was marooned on a primitive planet after the ship was stolen. They had to try to survive without technology or tools until help arrived. Unfortunately for Destiny’s crew, there was no help forthcoming. No miracle rescue, no Rush, no Destiny. Just our faithful heroes trying to create some sort of live on their new planet.
A couple more questions. Since we know that T.J. will get sick in this timeline as well, does that mean that Volker will as well? Or was his condition exasperated by something on the planet? And, are they dropping off their descendants on a planet where the people who fled the earthquakes are going to be in a few hundred years or where some of them are now? I got a bit confused on that part.
As others have stated, it is a crime that the best show on televison today is going to be cancelled when it just keeps getting better week after week. This franchise deserves to survive. And those that killed it should be cursed to watch realilty tv over and over until the world ends.
Only two more episodes left…bring on Blockade!!!
Joe,
I am at a loss of words as I sit here after watching one of the final episodes of SGU. The story that you have developed up to this point is incredible! It is going to be really hard to see this show end in what will probably be a spectacular season ending cliff hanger except this time we will all be left hanging. I really hope that after the last episode airs someone makes the scripts or rough drafts of anything that was supposed to follow the end of this season. Please dont leave us hanging on pins and needles in three weeks.
I also noticed that SyFy has moved Sanctuary to Monday night. So it is safe to assume that Sanctuary will also meet its demise. Getting moved to Monday or Tuesday on the SyFy channel is like being stuck in a guillotine and waiting for the executioner to pull the lever to end your life. Guess they need to free up more money for another cooking show.
I just saw “Epilogue” and had to post about it. Though things didn’t work out as planned with SGU, everyone involved has a great deal to be proud of about the series. It was a truly moving episode and now one of my favorite of the franchise. Very well done.
Sorry about this, but I need to vent about Syfy.
Syfy is sabotaging one of its best written, acted show ever done. How can a channel have the intelligence to pull together such a smart and great show(franchise even!) and just discard it like that? What a bunch of stupid idiots.
Yeah tonight’s episode was certainly one of the most human and moving one. ALS disease is a sad way to go. I would have liked to see how TJ does in the future and what happens to her. Seeing Varro drop in the darkness was a nightmare. I think I screamed and held my head in my hands.
The idea of “What IF” is interesting, but don’t forget than only the present matters.This is what you have in your pockets today that matters. Tomorrow is tomorrow. Earthquake, disease, ALS, Tsunami… you can’t know what tomorrow is made of, so live fully the present.
Buy that new car, go out with that girl, go to a restaurant… put your money in the economy! Live now.
Well, I falled asleep after dinner like a baby. 😛 Woke up, and caught up with two Sanctuary eps and tonight’s Universe. Last Friday’s Sanctuary was a hoot (I don’t like the move to Mondays – ugh – I guess SyFy is hellbent on killing this show, too), and Universe was quite touching, although a little too sappy for my tastes (I do prefer the action-packed monster-battling eps). Still, it was good to see a nice life for Greer, and the bit with Eli finding out who he hooked up with was hilarious! Good stuff, even if it wasn’t totally my cup of tea.
das
how about when Scifi showed the Asgard in the Atlantis promo? that was brutal. I don’t have much of that problem since SPACE does a great job with the promos, and since SG-1/Atlantis/BSG I only watch the channel now for SGU.
You didn’t take Ivon with you to Toronto did you? You should have put some dragon’s blood on Akemi’s hands, fight fire with fire!
Last night’s SGU episode was awesome… once again. I can’t believe so few people are watching this show. It is just great and it is so sad to see it go. The episode might have made a good finale as it provides some sort of closure with the alternate versions of Destiny’s crew at least…
Maybe we should try to get a law made that commands studios / stations to order finale episodes or provide advance warning to a show’s producers so they can wrap up shows.
It’s sad enough when the plug gets pulled on a good show. It’s much worst when a show ends on a cliffhanger. And it’s just horrible when a succesfull franchise ends like this…
Sadly, nothing will get rid of the burn once it gets into your skin. I found out the hard way the very first time I made habanero sauce…without gloves. My fingers burned for 4 days, and skin actually turned red. Good times. Good times!
Loving the trip down memory lane, Joe. It brings back good memories.
Coucou!!
ça va ?! Aïe =S j’ai mal pour elle, ça doit être très douloureux, l’essentiel c’est qu’elle aille mieux!
….Mince pour votre voiture, vous avez du être vraiment en colère ..surtout que c’est de votre faute =S!
Alalalala que de bons souvenirs ces épisodes ♥
Gros bisous!
Anais
Glad you’re feeling better, Akemi!
Amen, Joe.
I have to echo the others and say, “Absolutely, wow!!! about last night’s ep. You are right. It is Carl’s finest script.
I must say that dredging up the entire shipper debacle again makes me feel actually at peace with the idea that there won’t a third SG1 movie after all. The canon is closed and let it stay that way. The shippers will believe what ever romantic fantasy that they concoct for themselves and the rest of us can live happily with the knowledge that O’Neill and Carter’s integrity as USAF officers is finally left intact. A good result for all, I believe. Even RDA I suspect, as he expressed similar sentiments when I saw him speaking in Sydney last year. His respect for the USAF and gratitude for all that it had done for the Stargate franchise was certainly appreciated by this Air Force brat.
Sad as I am that we won’t see our beloved SG1 again, I can live with the belief that Jack is looking out for the planet at Homeworld Security, Carter is is one of his loyal starship commanders and Daniel, Cam, Teal’c and Vala are out there somewhere still adventuring beyond the ‘gate. After 10 seasons and two movies, what more could any grateful fan want, really?
@iom666
But it’s not just Syfy, MGM too, and the show not being popular amongst Nielson viewers, having a dozen extra Nielson viewers regardless of how many people are ACTUALLY watching would of gave the show a Season 3. America has a system where a bunch of Nielson viewers can save or cancel a show.
I have to wonder what’s going through the minds of MGM execs who think it’s somehow a brilliant idea to let Stargate end this way with a *Can’t be helped if Syfy don’t want the show* mindset.
It seems like any kind of identity fraud is the consumer’s problem. I’ve read about cases that went on for years and finally ended when the “victim” tracked down the thief. It seems the credit card industry is not very worried about it. Most stores here ask for ID. I would ask the stores where the fraudulent charges occurred why they didn’t ask for ID?
Not only is there ID thief but in the US, we have Medical Care ID thief. http://insurancefraud.org/medical_id_theft.htm That would be a nightmare! We bought Life lock but fraud protection should be something done free by credit card companies. Plus, Life Lock is not infallible.
Great show last night! I’ve read books about civilizations starting over. They have always touched on the gene pool and the requirement that everyone able, should procreate. I was waiting to see if Camille would “volunteer” but was surprised that she was allowed “not” to contribute. It was very civilized that she was not forced to procreate but I thought, certainly, she would volunteer for the greater good of their society. You can tell it was a great show when several are discussing plot strategies! 😀 Kudos to Mr. Binder!!!
I hope Akemi feels better today! I’ve never worked with hot peppers before, so Akemi may have saved me/several from the same fate. Please give her our thanks! 😉
@ Slam, roflmao
@ Akemi Sorry about your hands. My daughter cut up jalapenos and I simply didn’t think to tell her to wear gloves, assumed she knew. She was about 16, in agony. I found this site which even in her pain she was laughing over
http://www.tipking.co.uk/tip/7275.html
It truly is hysterical. Finally, after drugs, she got sleepy. Around 2 am she said “They still hurt. I’d try peeing on them if I could get up and if I didn’t know you would tell the world.” And then, thankfully fell asleep.
Episode.. pisses me off. They get better and better and going to be done. Sigh. Very moving nice “other path” story. Well done. Almost provides some closure.
Hope Akemi gets better soon.
I’m really enjoying your season 4 memories – such a shame about the trailer for “The Curse” though.
On another note, I really enjoyed last night’s episode of SGU – especially that ending. If SGU had followed the alternate timeline, instead of the “prime” timeline, I daresay that ending could have made one heck of a series finale!
And, I forgot to mention, the music in this episode was just amazing! My compliments to Joel Goldsmith for his composing!
I read information about end of stargate universe. Do you think you could write a book with the end of the story? As i remeber in one of your interviews you said that you had a story for five season. So it is possibilty that we will get a stargate book?
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
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“Epilogue” was really wonderful — I was crying like a baby at several points, and laughing out loud at Brody devolving into that “Mister, can we have our ball back?” curmudgeon. And I actually came up out of my seat when Varro fell off the ladder! It is going to be very hard to say goodbye to SGU..
I just wanted to note how epic 2010 was as an episode. Not only did you kill all your main characters, but you also showed how “sideways” the “obvious” relationships could turn out, if something happened, that for some reason seemed to be suspicious for the rather realistic Jack O’Neill and in this case the wishful thinking of Sam Carter.
Also bringing a rather steady guy into play for an relationship with Carter did bring up this little twist that I thought, really helped the story’s depth.
Because, really, super awesome heroes saving the day is so boring and old fashioned.
This character development between the lines in the background of a cool scifi story, really made this episode plain awesome!
=D
Teal’c to Daniel: “We have caught nothing. We are fishing” 😀 One of my favorite lines.
I thought the way you all handled the “ship” ongoing arc was perfect. I think that if the joining of Sam and Jack had been revealed prior to “Unending” that it would have killed the show. I feel some mysteries or speculations that don’t conclude add to the overall success of a story as a whole. If or when that story ever does get told in one finale movie or special, then yes, it would be nice to see. In the mean time we have only our individual imaginations to satisfy our own conclusion.
Loved last nights show, I won’t complain about the suits canceling the best Stargate series, but have you thought of writing SGU novels???????
@jimbo. that cake was an obvious labor of love. And it looked very very tasty.
Enjoying every word about your look down memory lane. Too busy right now to sit down and do a marathon of SG-1 dvds, but I’ll try to make some time soon. As far as the shipping, I see the relationship is there, and I’ve always been satisfied with how the characters have managed to suppress desire for duty and integrity.
Epilogue floored me. Despite distractions at work, the episode grabbed me emotionally. At the very end a coworker actually asked if I were all right. I had been fighting back tears(never show weakness to male coworkers and all that). This episode epitomizes the best of Stargate. From the most personal moments, like the birth of the children and TJ’s deterioration, to the epic(the planet tearing apart, the revelation as to the fate of the planet’s inhabitants), the show was a standout episode. And all of the actors stepped up for some of their best performances of the series. It was also a relief that the writers chose to give an uplifting twist to the division that had occurred among the Novus colonists, as they united to face the common threat rather than remaining divided and enbittered by their philosophical difference. Oh, and Volker’s comments to Rush, and his expression…did I already say the actors absolutely blew away the bar, rather than simply raising it? Kudos to all.
Looking forward to further entries, on things Stargate, transporter, Toronto, food, Akemi, doggies, and anything else you elect to share with us.
Funny thing about peppers … capsaicin, the spicy chemical, lowers pain tolerance. Nature has a wicked sense of humor.
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One can be extreme in the intensity of the advocacy of the subtle ship, too, it just doesn’t show well when one is in agreement with how it was handled. Now, if it had played out more or less blatantly, oh, I’d be making some noise, just as I rant about Torchwood’s missed potential.
I designed a whole universe with the potential to create barriers to relationships being on my short list of Critical to Quality factors (CTQs) and I learned that was important by watching Sam and Jack and confirmed it was important by looking at the history of other universes. (Yes, I used Design for Six Sigma concepts for story creation. Someone has to be the biggest nerd.) Now, THAT’S being extreme for the subtle ship.
Novus would be a good planet to base a new Stargate series on in all honesty. Think of all you could do with a planet of humans where the Stargate is pretty much common knowledge.
Just came across THIS – have You seen it before?
GATE-CAKE
http://noms.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/04/23/funny-food-photos-stargate-cake/
Bill Jaeger wrote, “… but have you thought of writing SGU novels???????”
Joe, WHAT A CONCEPT!! That’s a wonderful idea… If the series of books about a ship adventuring in outer space catch on, someone is bound to make a movie out of them – or even a television series. I seriously second Bill Jaeger’s question.
You’re a writer – you could start the novels where the SGU TV series leaves off… I hope that any previous contract with MGM would not hinder that from happening.
Thanks to all of you for the kind words re: Epilogue. You really made my day!
the curse was a good episode, so was chain reaction.
the notes that the studio/network people give must drive you up the wall sometimes.
sympathy to akemi.
missed a great deal of the ship vs. anti-ship wars as i wasn’t on-line until about 2004, but there are still echoes of that around. while i lean towards a jack/sam ship, i can see why some were/are against it. (then there are the noromo, no romance, people who don’t want any ships)
I’m always pro ‘ship, since it reflects life and makes the characters richer. I’m rewatching Alias and it’s interesting to see how the characters emotional state is reflected in their spy missions; there is always a personal stake when they do battle.
Seriously, Phantom Menace is chock full of virile men (Liam Neeson, Sam Jackson and Ewan McGregor and yet they were as sexless as Shakers.
In Moon Sam Rockwell is alone on a space station but he’s lovelorn and lonely, much more human than Lucas’ sexless jedis.
Thanks for your in-depth analysis of what you called the shipper-anti-shipper debate. I guess the first inkling of this relationship starts back in “Solitudes” then they were close to despair and shared bodily warmth, but in a semi-conscious state Jack whispers his former wife’s (Sara) name. That moment would have put cold water on most any budding relationship. However, in “There But for the Grace of God”when Daniel describes his journey to the alternate reality, O’Neill makes a defense of “Me think thou doesth protest too much” in stating it would be against regulations. Yet,in the alternate reality it was quite legal. In channeling a StarTrek episode I would like to state “Forum, Forum, Forum. What is Forum?” I never knew of there existence nor how to get involved with them. I never new the depth of this controversy until I listened to the DVD commentaries, in particular “Up Grades.” I was never much to such subplots as I felt such a relationship would be destructive to the group’s synergy as you stated in point 3. But I was disappointed that the series down played the Col.’s intelligence. In the pilot we are introduced to O’neill looking through a telescope. Later episode talking about astrological phenomena are shown to be beyond his interest and knowledge. That would be as uncharacteristic of a full colonel I would think. Hence the continued conflict in an interpersonal relationship and what would bring them together except the proximity of work? Granted O’Neill was the aloof yet supportive male figure in ways Carter’s father was not. Carter was willing to seek relationships outside the SGC to include some that were hum-worthy but O’neill, except do to circumstances, did not from what I recall. I guess the producers decided to suddenly give the nod to the “shippers.” But who did not put there life on hold to watch the wedding of the century. In SGU I see the growth of relationships and the changes in loyalty, focus and goals of the members which intensified the conflicts of the group as a whole, but I have yet to see the second season.
Forever grateful with the development of Sam/Jack’s relationship into this seasons-long yearning for both them and the fans. I wouldn’t have minded a solid confirmation as well, but I am quite happy with the fishing and to know you stand with us on the positive viewpoint of what they grew to be. Thank you!
Osiris is so stunningly beautiful in that gorgeous
with ensemble I could easily wear it all day long .
FRANKIE HOLTZMANN SMALES.
ALIENBUGSTOMPERFAN