SGA 507: Whispers

[bluflamingo]

1. Vega :( I liked her in Search and Rescue, I was totally plotting to slash her with Keller and now... well, now she's dead, so there goes that.

2. All-female team was very cool. I love Major Teldy's comment about being asked to pick the best and the brightest... it just sounds exactly right for some reason. Also, that they're so very much not like John's team, who more or less go along with his plans. I loved them sitting around saying yes, but... It's the whole marine v air force thing I was going on about in Never As Bad As Anticipated, that they want a back-up plan, not blind hope.

3. Caron - seriously, you were dead, you left, please, GO AWAY. Also, I'm not sure if I've forgotten how creepy I found him (I've never liked Carson) or that he's more so now but - seriously, so creepy. He's the kind of guy I wouldn't want to be left alone with, with the whole 'you're just a youngster, flirt flirt' thing. Just, no. And, what was wp with saying he couldn't let Mehra go alone - United States armed marine, doctor who falls apart when he leaves the city. I'd bet on her, any day. Ugh, someone tell me we're done with Carson, please.

4. Monsters - so damn creepy. With the eyes and the creeping, and... yeah. I closed my eyes for them.

5. Interesting bit of trivia - Christina Cox, who played Major Teldy, co-starred in Better Than Chocolate, the first lesbian film I ever saw. She also, accoridng to imdb, was in a couple of episodes of SG1, where she was Lt Kershaw. Married and promoted in the intervening period?





I can't remember how I got clicked on to this - someone on my flist was talking about it, I think; it's a seven part mini series about a group of marines in the first days of the invasion of Iraq, and I've just got to the end of it. It took me about three episodes to get all the characters straight - in uniform and with helmets, they all look pretty similar, and it doesn't help that they get called by a mix of first-name, nickname, last name, rank and position, or that I don't actually understand the structure of the US Marines well enough to always know who they're referring to when they say platoon commander, for example. That said, it was totally worth it, for two reasons:

1. I love programmes about soldiers on the ground, and watching them go from being all jazzed about getting to go to war, to being sad and guilty and in a moral quandry about what they did, and Gen Kill shows this really, really well. And they all have different things that they crack over, and different ways of dealing with it; and when it happens, everyone else rallies round in a very male, marine way, but a very obviously supportive, sympathetic way.

2. Seriously, the sergeant is more slashable than John Sheppard, which is not a phrase I ever thought I'd say. There's him and a lieutenant, and they look at each other and nod, and it's an entire conversation. And they say things like 'I'm glad you're my team leader' and 'I trust your judgement' while, I swear, looking deeply into each others' eyes and... yeah. Plus, he has a best friend/driver/radio guy, who I am absolutly convinced he must have slept with at some point.

Comments

[slybrarian.livejournal.com]

God, yes, Carson was so damned stupid in this episode. I don't think he was ever quite so creepy before, but he's definitely done the sanctimonious "I know better than you" thing before. I can't even begin to think what the hell he was thinking with telling Mehra he couldn't let her go - especially since it would have meant leaving Porter alone, which is exactly what he did later. Great going there, Dr. Beckett. I don't think any of the other characters would have tried that crap, not even Keller. Rodney might point out that she'd be leaving the civilians by themselves, but not because he was afraid the poor little girl would get hurt. Even if he did want to go with her, he'd actually be able to do more than run away and flail like Carson did, as he's learned that shooting the scary monsters usually makes them fall down and stop trying to eat him.

John, on the other hand, rocked. Sure, there was that weird little moment at the start, but he didn't treat the soldiers the least bit different because they were women. I could see him not remembering the team was all-female because he noticed and then forgot it as unimportant. Maybe with another character his "you guys hang back while I save the day" plan would have seemed sexist, but with John it was just business as usual.

Meanwhile, I am so writing Teldy, Mehra, and Porter into fics in the future. Teldy and Lorne can share exasperated looks when John does something stupid.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Rodney might point out that she'd be leaving the civilians by themselves, but not because he was afraid the poor little girl would get hurt.

Yeah, or because he was offended that Mehra didn't think he could help - not because she needs it, but because, does she know how many hours he's wasted on training to fire a gun and chase down monsters and hello, there's no telling when you might need a scientist for this kind of thing. While simultaneously expecting that she'd protect him if any protecting was needed.

John, on the other hand, rocked. Sure, there was that weird little moment at the start, but he didn't treat the soldiers the least bit different because they were women.

I think he was surprised to find it was an all-woman team because he'd seen the names on some list somewhere and not put two and two together and, well, it's a little unusual, but, you know, whatever.

[slybrarian.livejournal.com]

I think he was surprised to find it was an all-woman team because he'd seen the names on some list somewhere and not put two and two together and, well, it's a little unusual, but, you know, whatever.

Exactly. I'm not a fan of the "John Sheppard never does his administrative work" trope, but this is exactly the sort of detail I could imagine him coming across, going "huh", and then forgetting because it doesn't matter. The only people who might care would be paper-pushers back on Earth, where there's still (technically) the rules about not putting women on the front line, and maybe the inhabitants of Chauvinist Prick Planet, neither of whom John cares about.

[havocthecat]

Lieutenant Kershaw actually died, sorry. :( I love Christina Cox (have you ever seen her in Blood Ties?), but she's a recycled Stargate actor in this case.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Lieutenant Kershaw actually died, sorry. :(

Ah well, maybe not then :) I've only seen the last couple of seasons of SG1.

[domtheknight.livejournal.com]

Dude, you can totally write kind of angsty slash about Vega and Keller (or whoever else)! I support that. I'm glad they gave us female characters because there are so many more options for things now.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Dude, you can totally write kind of angsty slash about Vega and Keller (or whoever else)! I support that.

This is very true :-)

[camshaft22.livejournal.com]

I love Porter. We need more Dusty/Alison slash.

Anywho... It was a good episode, Carson was stupid as a freaking rock and God. They didn't even explain why she left. There were moments of 'hey, why did they/why didn't they' as usual, but overall, the ep was pretty good. Very cool horror film feel.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Carson was stupid as a freaking rock and God. They didn't even explain why she left.

I know. I mean, I'm glad they brought Carson back instead of making Keller out to be a helpless female, but I'd rather have had her being mildly creeped but tough (like shooting what's-his-name who arranged for the Athosians to be kidnapped) than Carson making me want to slap him! Maybe thats the last of him...

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Sorry for barging in :)

Me and my friends, we decided on the reason why Sheppard was so surprised to see an all girls team - Lorne is doing all the paperwork after all, the poor guy XD Probably even forging John's signature from time to time when his boss is off playing 8)

And I have to agree with another poster here, Blood Ties is awesome and Christina Cox is in it together with Dylan Neal who played Sheppard's brother XD

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

Feel free to barge in :)

Me and my friends, we decided on the reason why Sheppard was so surprised to see an all girls team - Lorne is doing all the paperwork after all, the poor guy

It makes the most sense, but I really hate the John never does his paperwork thing. I mean, he's been in the military for years, you know? I think maybe Lorne signed off on this one cos it happened after John had been stabbed by a tentacle monster, or while Rodney was dying the other week, so John never quite got around to checking the details like he normally would :)