As requested, I sent off the package containing further documentary evidence of my relationship with Akemi. This package, even bigger than the first one sent, included: three letters from friends, a slew of photos, Christmas cards and mail addressed to us, and several Akemi-centric blog entries including the recent one which offers an overview of our relationship AND 78 supportive comments from you, dear readers. So, thanks again. Hopefully, we’ll hear positive word back soon. I’m a little concerned because, according to Akemi’s research, the process may take a couple of more months and the final step will require Akemi sending her passport to Asia – which may well put a wrench in our planned annual Tokyo trip in early November. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to cancel the flights and hotel so either we get this sorted out in time, I eat the cost of the trip, OR I’ll be traveling with Jelly instead.
Akemi is feeling positive and directed said positive energy into some cute culinary creations…
We hit a couple of the few trucks for lunch the other day. All good but my favorite is still, surprisingly (or maybe not), Pig on the Street that offers “bacon inspired treats and other rustic chow” like –
And, it was while we were checking out the food trucks, that we ran into another friend of ours, Chef Simon –
I’m off to try a recipe for Malaysian Black Pepper Clams. Wish me luck! In the meantime…
Continuing our trip down Stargate: Atlantis memory lane with the second episode the show’s third season…
MISBEGOTTEN (302)
Do you know what I hate almost as much as driving around looking for parking? Yes, that’s right – coming up with episode titles. More of than not, we spend an entire afternoon throwing around ideas before finally settling on some inane placeholder title we can use until somebody can come up with a suitable one. These situations have given rise to inspired, strangely suitable, wholly unacceptable temporary titles like: Fool’s Goa’uld, The Red Shirt Diaries, Atlantis vs. the Space Dolphins, and Teal’c Interrupted. In the case of this episode, Paul, who took the lead on the script, went with The Grapes of Wraith until he finally came up with a title he was happy with: Begotten. And subsequently changed his mind and went with Misbegotten.
Love the premise, how the episode plays out, and the fact that it’s one of those rare occasions where Beckett is front and center in the action. But those wigs! I had a very hard time taking the dailies seriously whenever those flaxen-haired fellas strolled through the scenes. Granted, some were better than others but more than a few were unintentionally hilarious.
Another production bump I recalled concerned that “steep incline” which the wraith was purported to have taken a tumble down, presumably breaking his neck. The problem was the location had not steep angled drops and the only incline they had was maybe 45 degrees at best. In the end, we used a little camera trickery to sell it – but it still wasn’t wholly convincing.
Great moral dilemma at episode’s end when Sheppard and Beckett briefly debate the best course of action as the sensors detect the approach of the hive ship. As much as it may have seemed morally suspect, I think that Sheppard made the right call. I’m sure there’ll be those who disagree.
Richard Woolsey visits Atlantis, holding Weir’s fate as Commander of the Atlantis expedition in the balance – and comes through for her, further cementing his redemption in the eyes of longtime viewers.
Finally, actor Chris Heyerdahl changes sides, from the role of the Athosian Halling to that of a wraith – and, eventually, THE wraith we’ll come to know and love as Todd.
Thoughts?
The only thought I’m having is that Das is going to be on here a looooong time tonight with The Wraith. 🙂
Correct me if I’m wrong but if you’re applying to be a citizen of anywhere really, once accepted and when you’re a permanent resident, don’t you get a Canadian passport anyway?
That said, haven’t a clue about how dual citizenship works. If you go along that route.
You probably right Joe, entirely likely your Japan trip will be delayed.
This might be entirely nutty – but is it possible for her to get a duplicate passport? I googled it and it seems that there are some US people that find ways to have legit duplicate passports – don’t know about Akemi, since, you know, different country and all that, but it might be something worth looking into. Of course, with it being all the way on the other side of the ocean… (but then, maybe an embassy?).
Just brainstorming. ^^
I liked Misbegotten too! Hey Mullie, how about calling it The Quandary. You’ve probably already used that somewhere along the line. I think the moral of the story was, don’t let the prisoners give themselves the shot. After all, nobody likes getting a shot… Woolsey was great. He had the best line while talking to Weir:
Woolsey: I’ll be going back to Atlantis with you.
Weir: Have you ever been off-world before Mr. Woolsey?
Woolsey: Sure! Once.
Weir: And how did that go for you?
Woolsey: I was nearly killed.
Aaahhhh, but he is so sweet! Lying for Weir in the end.
Great looking desserts! But I am not a coffee person. Love the smell but it taste like dirt. Don’t flavor anything with coffee. Especially my chocolate.
Doggy pictures. How cute! And wishing you all the best on getting Akemi’s situation settled as soon as possible.
Have a great night!!!
Ensconced at the con hotel, and managed to cadge a decent room all three nights. Hope the govmit comes through in time for your trip. As for misbegotten, had mixed feelings on it. Our heroes repeat on a larger scale what failed miserably the first time. aND they acted dishonorably towards Michael. They could have played square with him and potentially gained a valuable ally. Instead, they assure he will remain an enemy. About the only right decision was the nuking, and they waited too long even for that. Still, good episode.
Off to bed soi can sneak in a workout before the fun begins. Thanks as always. For the updates and pics.
Todd was a great character for this series. One of my favorite characters at the end of the series. Always wanted to know what happened to him. I like to think he actually earned some sort of privileges/freedoms.
@Joe:
I sure hope your Tokyo trip works out (and Akemi get her citizenship); where else would I read about Horse Meat Sushi?
That was a really really good wrap! I read your entry before I went shopping (big mistake). I ended up buying some bacon steaks (the closest thing I could get to fat back). And now I’m planning to try to recreate that wrap this weekend at home and since my smoker is broken at the moment 🙁 , I’ll need to use a combination of the oven and the grill to do it. Hopefully it will come out as intended…we’ll see.
On Misbegotten and the wraith wigs; it kind of reminded me of the bad wigs in Star Trek’s A Private Little War:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/A_Private_Little_War_(episode)
Joel Goldsmith’s music pulled it off though; adding just the right amount of fore-boding.
1. I’m crazy busy, to the point of losing my marbles…the few I have left, that is.
2. Stop braggin’ about yer big package. 😉
3. Akemi’s creations are adorable! 🙂
4. You’re an odd bird, Joe. You love all this weirdo crap like cod sperm and frizzled pig brains, but don’t care for normal stuff like mint, coffee, wine, corn, and lime. I want to say it’s because you have a sensitive palate that can’t handle more intense flavors, but your chocolate obsession throws a monkey wrench into that theory. I realize that everyone has different tastes, but as a foodie I just expected you to be a bit more flexible. Of course, you probably think I’m insane for hating the taste and texture of all seafood, save for mild fish. One of the worst things I’ve ever done during a fine dining experience is to taste someone’s clam chowder or she crab soup because ‘it doesn’t taste like seafood at all!’, only to have this horrid, lingering ‘fishy low tide’ taste stick in my mouth throughout the rest of the meal. I’ve lived by the sea all my life, and I just do NOT get the appeal of eating the creatures that crawl in and out of it.
5. Joe, if Akemi can’t go to Tokyo, I’m pretty sure JeffW will gladly ride shotgun with you. 😉
6. I soooo want that bacon wrap! Does it have any sort of dressing on it? Like Jeff, I think I want to try to recreate it, but I won’t get as crazy with the bacon. (Besides, I prefer my bacon super crispy, and not chewy, so right there I’ve probably ‘ruined’ the wrap in your foodie brain, eh? 😉 ) Maybe I’ll just skip the bacon and go with prosciutto (a.k.a. bru-SHOOT!), since I have some on hand. And maybe I’ll just change the whole thing and add peaches to it, too! Arugula, peaches, brushoot, and bleu cheese…hmmm. I have to think about that. Pears might work better with the bleu. Any thoughts?
7. I would like to humor both you and Deni, but I think I’ve made all the humanitarian arguments regarding the Wraith over the years that I can handle. Just thinking about some episodes depresses the hell out of me, and this is one of them. Of course, Chris in Wraithy make-up totally floats my boat, but that’s a gush for another day. 😉
8. Speaking of which…wasn’t Chris first introduced in Wraithy green in No Man’s Land? I can’t remember (shame on me!), but I have this screen cap, and I thought it was from that episode:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/dasNdanger/nml0408.jpg
Just gorgeous! We named him Edgar, after Edgar Winter, of course. 😀
9. I didn’t buy the ‘steep incline’, either. 😉
10. Wraith and/or de-Wraithed humans do not look quite as sexy hawt in poofy granny wigs. 😛
das
Okay, I can’t hold my tongue. 😛
Yeah, the decision to blow up the camp angered me to no end. This is the sort of thing that caused me to have a love/hate relationship with the show. The ‘just kill it’ solution for the Wraith was painful on two levels – emotionally and creatively. I always preferred the episodes where the writing took the story to a more creative end, the highlight of which, of course, is Common Ground. I understand that it was necessary to kill some Wraith, but after a while the viewer already knew the ending of an episode before it began. “Oh, yeah…this is the one where Wraith die.” Sure, one can agrue that Wraith kill humans, but that was for a dietary need and though not necessarily selective about it, they never had a ‘destroy all humans’ mentality, unlike the humans who went around stamping out Wraith as if they were mindless cockroaches. And then I could go on about how Shep & Co. still just saw the humanized Wraith as experiments that went wrong, which raises all sorts of ethical questions in my brain.
I do have one question, however. And though it may sound silly, it is a very serious one. In portraying these expendable ‘humanized’ Wraith as albinistic, did anyone in the writer’s room take into consideration that they could be reinforcing the ‘evil albino’ stereotype so often found in fictional works?
This stereotype has had a negative impact on people with albinism, and I sometimes think that ‘normally’ pigmented folks forget that there are real people with this condition, some of whom struggle daily with the complications (such as poor eyesight and increased risk of skin cancer) and the misconceptions – even prejudices – that come along with it. I know that sometimes I seem to make light of ‘albinos’ when I go on about how beautiful they are, but I mean no disrespect at all. I know that they are individuals first, and that their condition does not define who they are. And yet I can’t deny that I find the appearance of someone with albinism to be very agreeable to my eye, and I envy their paleness (as old as I am, I can’t even manage to grow gray hair! Argh!). However, I also have a real interest in the condition, and especially in the plight of those with albinism in parts of Africa (Tanzania, for instance) where they are being butchered alive for their body parts. Just horrible, and heartbreaking. And something to think about – albinism is a real condition that affects real people, and sometimes I think that the creative world forgets this as it all too often portrays the condition and the people who have it in a very negative light. It would be nice to see that change a little (I’m sure there are many fine pale folks in Manga/Anime, but I am not familiar enough with the genre to know whether it favors the villain or the hero – feel free to enlighten me).
das
I was eating a late supper of sauteed chicken, onions and bamboo shoots when I scrolled down to the photo of your bacon wrap. Now I really want to try cooking the same dish and adding minced bacon. The idea of the taste of bamboo shoots with a touch of bacon appeals to me. — Just thought I’d let you know how your blog can be oddly inspiring.
I love pretentious episode titles. Babylon 5 and Deep Space 9 did that a lot.
Your two-parter episodes in season 4 with titles lifted from Shakespeare is great. Can’t wait to hear why you settled on that.
I’ve heard about getting Visa’s in the U.S.. Sounds like a nightmare. I hope the bad parts are over soon. I bet either dog would be more than happy to pack of bag of toys, bedding and treats. 😉
Has anyone heard about TV stations running shows over so the DVR cuts the recording off? http://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/dvr-cutoff/
It’s been happening more frequently to me lately. Very frustrating.
Those desserts look yummy!
Das: Thank you for the laughs this morning. Always a pleasure.
Shirtn’Tie: Your comments about Maeve Binchy were very touching.
I really like Simon’s Vulcan greeting. I have a hard time getting my fingers correct too.
I’m ADD at the moment (migraine), gonna read the rest of your blog later. Heading to the pool to work out this headache. Wish me luck!
Have a good day everyone!
Ah, yes, translator nanites tell me jelly is jello. Can’t get coffee jello in the US, we’re such barbarians. I only eat green jello now, a la Animal House.
@ brent – In my world Todd is fat and happy, spending his days feeding on child molestors, mass gunmen, thugs who kill innocent people in their crossfire, animal abusers, corrupt politicians, scammers, terrorists, tech support, telemarketers, and mothers who stick their kids in beauty contests.
Also, he likes to knit. 🙂
das
….”78 supportive comments from you, dear readers. So, thanks again.”
Awwwww…that’s awesome! I’m quite honored that you included us! 🙂 I sure hope our comments are good enough. 😉 My thoughts and prayers go out for the both of you and Akemi. Good luck Akemi! 🙂
Misbegotten…was a good episode! 🙂 I always like Beckett centered episodes. They always seem to be so epic. Plus…I like Carson. 😉
Awwww….love seeing Jelly and Lulu! 🙂 Cute babies!
I always liked Woolsey!
Das: My hubby would like “Tech Support” removed from Todd’s menu. Thanks!
Keep thinking positive! We’re pulling for you, Akemi. 🙂
Such cute desserts! Akemi, you and Joe definitely have a restaurant in your future. Everything you make is delightful in one way or another.
I actually love writing titles. It’s like solving a puzzle. They have to be 2 or 3 words. Accurately describe the movie premise. AND be clever, powerful, or have multiple meanings. When film makers use generic titles it drives me nuts. It doesn’t tell me what the movie’s about. And good movies sometimes miss their audience because bland titles don’t capture the imagination, or enough of the market.
Example: Inception did make good money, based on its stars & content. But really, “Inception” could mean anything. In naming the music for the trailer soundtrack, composer Zack Hemsey actually came up with the perfect movie title: Mind Heist. It tells you exactly what the movie is about without revealing too much. (Was disappointed not to hear that piece of music while watching the movie itself.)
Misbegotten — Beckett-sodes make my day. So do pictures. 😀
Loved the exchange with Dr. Beckett in the drone-control chair:
Weir: Carson?
Beckett: Elizabeth…
Weir: How are you doing?
Beckett: Oh, just peachy, thanks. You?
Weir: I’m sorry to put you in this position, but you’re the only person besides Colonel Sheppard and General O’Neil who’ve actually fired a drone from that chair.
Beckett: Ironically, they’re the two people I nearly killed when I did that.
I also love one of Woolsey’s lines when meeting with Weir on Earth. Delievered in his typical dead-pan style…
Weir: It was thier objection to putting Atlantis under military control that put me in this position in the first place.
Woolsey: Nothing renews your appreciation for the military like like the threat of invasion from life-sucking aliens. 😀
Arrgh. Sorry for typos…
Looking at the pictures I think you might have sent your packet a bit too soon. These are almost show stoppers. I would have liked to have offered my two cents, but I think you are doing just fine. Two thumbs up in hoping positive outcomes. If you had to go with a partner I was thinking I would go with LuLu. To me she reminds me of the terrifying creature Stitch as in the movie. Because of that character reference,s I think she would be most welcomed in Japan.
@ Tam Dixon – How’s about we limit it to tech support overseas? I hear Todd really enjoys a good spicy Indian take-away at the end of a hectic day. 😉
das
TODD!!!!!!!!!!!
🙂