Re-Watch: Season 10: One More Jaunt Through the Old Orifice

[DittyDotDot]

OMG, you guys, they totally got me at the beginning of the 200th episode. I was uttering, "When the hell did they meet the Furlings..." and then the gag was over. This is totally an episode I've never seen before. That was a very fun hour of TV--the puppets alone!! "I feel so stupid!" ;)

Anyhow, the episode totally came along and surprised me...I do love a good surprise. 

[ParadoxLost]

I think Stargate SG-1 was very formative to me in the types of shows I like to watch.  Along with Buffy and X Files, it really played on the idea of hey lets just take a break from the usual and just have fun with this episode.  Frankly, it probably did it more often than any series of its time.  I'm not sure if there were shows that did that in quite the same way before. 

And I think SG-1 was really the first show to engage with fandom in the infancy of social media and bring their quirks to the screen. Shipping of Daniel/Jack and Sam/Jack.  The fan reaction to Daniel's return (Citizen Joe).  Finally revealing the Furlings, as koala bears.  The birth of the meta.

I don't think SG-1 gets enough credit for shows that came later and employed the same kind of structure like Supernatural, Eureka, and Community.

Now onto the irksome part. Most people's hate hate relationship with SyFy started with Farscape.  For me, it started with SG-1.  It annoys me that they announced the show was cancelled when the filming for 200 was wrapped (I heard it was at the party) and to the public a couple days after 200 aired.

[DittyDotDot]

21 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

Now onto the irksome part. Most people's hate hate relationship with SyFy started with Farscape.  For me, it started with SG-1.  It annoys me that they announced the show was cancelled when the filming for 200 was wrapped (I heard it was at the party) and to the public a couple days after 200 aired.

Wow. I did not know that. So, let's have a party to celebrate our longevity and turn it into a funeral, why don't we? Seriously, that's crappy. I've heard there was a lot of shenanigans when Atlantis got cancelled too. 

24 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

I don't think SG-1 gets enough credit for shows that came later and employed the same kind of structure like Supernatural, Eureka, and Community.

I usually credit Supernatural's success with the X-files--they did some meta episodes and played with the fans too--but, you're right that SG-1 should get credit too. It's shows like these, who didn't take themselves too seriously, that paved the way for some more out-of-the-box structure in current TV. 

[ParadoxLost]

11 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Wow. I did not know that. So, let's have a party to celebrate our longevity and turn it into a funeral, why don't we? Seriously, that's crappy. I've heard there was a lot of shenanigans when Atlantis got cancelled too. 

SyFy has a history of cancelling their series in the most disrespectful manner possible.  Eureka got a two season renewal and then got cancellation a week before they were supposed to start on the finale of the first of those seasons.   They had to scramble to put together a series finale when they previously were "guaranteed" another season.

[blueray]

They did something similar with SGU. I believe the actors found out it was cancelled the same time as the fans by social media. This was also after they ended the season on a cliffhanger. They couldn't at least let them wrap it up.

[ottoDbusdriver]

55 minutes ago, blueray said:

They did something similar with SGU. I believe the actors found out it was cancelled the same time as the fans by social media. This was also after they ended the season on a cliffhanger. They couldn't at least let them wrap it up.

Thankfully SG-1 got 2 movies plus appearances/references on SGA/SGU in order to wrap up all the SG-1 loose ends, particularly with the whole Ori plot.

[kassygreene]

The opposite being Atlantis getting a chance to wrap up the series because SyFy offered the show runners SGA Season 6 + SGU Season 1 OR SGU for two seasons and no SGA Season 6.  SGU being theirs and theirs alone, they went with that.

As I belong to the school of thought that SGU was certain production peoples' attempt to do their version of BSG, I am still bitter.  That final shot of the view of the Golden Gate from Atlantis just begged for more stories.  

[BkWurm1]

8 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

SyFy has a history of cancelling their series in the most disrespectful manner possible.  Eureka got a two season renewal and then got cancellation a week before they were supposed to start on the finale of the first of those seasons.   They had to scramble to put together a series finale when they previously were "guaranteed" another season.

I liked Eureka but I'm extra bitter because one of the big reasons why Stargate SG-1 got canceled was the network doubling down on the even more quirky Eureka.  The meta even makes it into the episode "Family Ties" where Sam is explaining that they just don't get the kind of support or resources like they used to and and Jaycek asks why only for I think it was Bill to shout "Eureka!" in the background.  

So I feel like I lost out on two shows to SyFy's disrespect.  

3 hours ago, kassygreene said:

The opposite being Atlantis getting a chance to wrap up the series because SyFy offered the show runners SGA Season 6 + SGU Season 1 OR SGU for two seasons and no SGA Season 6.  SGU being theirs and theirs alone, they went with that.

As I belong to the school of thought that SGU was certain production peoples' attempt to do their version of BSG, I am still bitter.  That final shot of the view of the Golden Gate from Atlantis just begged for more stories.  

I completely agree.  BSG got soo much critical acclaim that SG-1 was never going to get, and instead of accepting the differences in the shows, they tried to become what they were not.  And then they didn't do it well. 

I think they stopped really caring about Atlantis when they got rid of Dr. Weir but it was really cruel to drop the city in the Bay and then do nothing. 

I'm forever grateful that SG-1 got in those two movies before the studio DVD market imploded.  

Edited February 27, 2017 by BkWurm1

[DittyDotDot]

Welp, I finally sat down and watched the last episode. I'd been putting it off as I just wasn't ready for this little journey to be over. As much as I enjoyed Unending as a stand alone episode, it really wasn't a good ending. Guess I'm just going to have go find those movies now? ;)

This last season was overall underwhelming, but it did have a couple gems. As mentioned before, I adored 200--might even need to go watch that one again just for fun--absolutely loved Bad Guys and really enjoyed Momento Mori. And, while I found the who Ori plot meandering I did enjoy The Shroud and not knowing exactly what Daniel was up to. 

I did get a kick out of seeing the Ori soldiers marching to and fro on their ships just like the Jaffa used to do on the Goa'uld ships. ;)

[BkWurm1]

Quote

Guess I'm just going to have go find those movies now? ;)

I've found the Ark of Truth to be a much better movie if you fast forward through most of the Replicator fight on the ship.  It really doesn't add anything to the story on repeated viewings.  

 

9 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

As much as I enjoyed Unending as a stand alone episode, it really wasn't a good ending

No, it's not a great ending, but I loved it for all the time spent with the characters and since we knew the movie was coming, I was happy with the very end with the team just continuing on in their mission.  

[DittyDotDot]

6 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

I've found the Ark of Truth to be a much better movie if you fast forward through most of the Replicator fight on the ship.  It really doesn't add anything to the story on repeated viewings.  

I've seen both of the movies before, but it's been a while. I really only remember the Ark of Truth, so Continuum should be and interesting refresher.

6 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

No, it's not a great ending, but I loved it for all the time spent with the characters and since we knew the movie was coming, I was happy with the very end with the team just continuing on in their mission.  

Like I said, I enjoyed the episode a lot, it's just when it was over I realized that was it and I didn't want it be it. They did well, considering, I just wasn't ready for it to be over.

[BkWurm1]

10 hours ago, blueray said:

I never hated Vala, but she was annoying. I feel like the show didn't really know what to do with her besides the one off in season 8. They could have made an interesting character since she was once taken over by a Go-ald. I guess it would have been there take on Seven-of-Nine as she would have insights to them that they didn't have and could have impersonated one (of course they were mostly defeated at this point in the show). But instead we get an annoying character who doesn't really serve any purpose besides being a mate for Daniel.

I get why on the immediate face of her character she could be seen as annoying; she wasn't like other characters on the show.  She was not automatically noble or good or even overtly intelligent (though that IMO was part of her scam).  On the surface she was selfish and a liar and a thief and had her own agenda, but I never thought that was all she was and the truth mixed in with the lies as well as the child mixed with the adult is part of why I adored her character.  She was exactly who she seemed and at the same time so much more.  In a lot of ways, she reminded me of Jack and IMO revitalized the whole show and all the characters, bringing heart to the base and between the characters in a way that I hadn't realized how much I needed until I got it.  

The team on SG-1 was always supposed to be seen as kind of a family but they'd become a distant family, too respectful of each other's boundaries and sensitive spots in a way that made them seem stiff and distant with each other.  They no longer challenged each other. Vala came to the base and challenged not just authority but every individual on a personal level. 

She pushed but she also pulled and wore her heart on her sleeve in a way that the other characters then reciprocated.  I quickly grew to love Landry in a way I'd never loved Hammond because I felt we got to see him first as a person before being a general.  That was in part because of the relationship they wrote for him with Dr. Lamb, but also in the avuncular manner he would adopt with Vala.  And I saw the same thing with Teal'c and Samantha. 

Vala openly showed her affection in a way that no one on the show really ever had and it brought out something reciprocal in the characters and the actors.  I adored the friendship we watched develop between Samantha and Vala.  I loved seeing them play and work together and absurd as it was that Vala insisted everyone take turns talking to what turned out to be an empty room when Sam had vanished, the heart behind the choice is incredibly moving and that's just not something we got on the show before Vala.  Sam was allowed to be softer and explore some of her girly side after Vala was added.  Doing so no longer was a threat to taking her character seriously, something that should not have still been a concern but it took Vala before it became normalized.  The show ended far too soon because I know those relaxing of the unwritten rules on the characters would have only grown and gotten stronger as time went on.  In good ways.  It's what IMO the characters needed after all this time.  

With Teal'c, they gave him someone that didn't treat him as an alien but accepted him as normal.  He didn't have to be a Jaffa first, he got to play a little because she would assume he would play or at least not immediately assume he wouldn't.  And Mitchell got really the only person that he had the least bit of authority over.  She ignored him half the time but he got to try with her, lol at least.  She was also a way that he had a bit of control over Daniel since Vala was as much Daniel's weakness as he was hers. 

And of course there is how Vala affected Daniel.  Daniel has always been my favorite character on the show, the main reason I watched even the original movie.  I love how he'd changed over the course of the show but he'd gotten to a place emotionally that I felt he needed a character like Vala to wake him up.  To push him out the comfort zone he'd built around him.  Vala did all that.  Not just professionally but personally and forced him to feel the anger and passion in his own life that he'd only allowed to come out for injustices on a societal scale. 

Vala's introduction to the show allowed characters to grow and change after being kind of stagnant.  I feel like they'd just gotten started on all the new possibilities when the show ended.  I'm grateful we had the movies to finish off the storyline with the Ori and I enjoyed the second one for further exploring the characters but I regret not getting more of that deeper dive in the characters between the characters in each episode. 

Vala was there to help push the characters even as her character evolved.  I do feel though that a lot of viewers weren't ready for changes or at least didn't realize that she was only a minor symptom of how the show had changed in the ninth season.  I keep coming back to wishing they'd been allowed to change the show's name in the ninth and tenth season so people would have been more open to what was different, like the focus on Daniel and the integration of more characters on base.  I was frustrated with most of the episodes in the eighth season and while normally I'm not a fan of change in a long running show, I think everything they did was needed and was really working well by at least the time the 200th episode rolled around.  Sadly, by that point, the show had already been canceled.     

[festivus]

I've been watching this show on Comet but I only started when they were already into season nine. I only watched occasionally back in the day, and I admit that I fall asleep sometimes now (the last ep of the night airs way after my bedtime!). I fell asleep a little bit last night, so I'm not sure if I watched the series finale or not. They were on a ship and the time was wonky or something and they all lived there for like 50 years. I woke up when Daniel was yelling at Vala about how no way never were they ever getting together. I was like dammit I've been waiting for something to happen with them and then it was all forgotten. I actually own the two movies, I bought them at a yard sale. I've always been planning to watch this whole show but I know it was on for 10 years. I'll have to check and see if Netflix or Amazon has it streaming, because I don't know if Comet will be starting back at the beginning. 

Edited October 6, 2017 by festivus

[DittyDotDot]

22 minutes ago, festivus said:

I've been watching this show on Comet but I only started when they were already into season nine. I only watched occasionally back in the day, and I admit that I fall asleep sometimes now (the last ep of the night airs way after my bedtime!). I fell asleep a little bit last night, so I'm not sure if I watched the series finale or not. They were on a ship and the time was wonky or something and they all lived there for like 50 years. I woke up when Daniel was yelling at Vala about how no way never were they ever getting together. I was like dammit I've been waiting for something to happen with them and then it was all forgotten. I actually own the two movies, I bought them at a yard sale. I've always been planning to watch this whole show but I know it was on for 10 years. I'll have to check and see if Netflix or Amazon has it streaming, because I don't know if Comet will be starting back at the beginning. 

First, yes, that was the series finale you watched--maybe they'll start over from the beginning now so you can catch up, though? Second, the show is currently streaming on Hulu, but I don't believe it is streaming on Netflix right now. I don't have Amazon Prime, so I'm not sure if it's available there as well. 

[festivus]

Oh man, I just got rid of Hulu. I'll have to check Amazon, I know they had SG: Atlantis for a while because I was watching it. 

[marina to]

I've never finished this season because I was sick of the Vala show and even sicker when it became apparent that they were going to make her and Daniel a couple. I adored Daniel and away from her orbit he was still the character I loved. Around her he became someone I didn't recognize. Honestly, I saw Michael Shanks in those scenes, not Daniel.

And there was not one scene in the first 16 when Daniel and Teal'c had a scene alone together. Not one. This relationship (one of my favourites) which had required Daniel to go through so much growth, and one in which they both got to share their spiritual sides to each other, just disappeared to appease the Vala show. And I will never, ever understand why Daniel wasn't talking to Sam in the final scene of the Pegasus Project. After all the years of searching for Atlantis together, Daniel's time being ascended, all the years of fighting bad guys together, Sam was the person to be sharing his thoughts and feelings with. But no, Vala had to be shoehorned in to this moment that was the culmination of so many years of Stargate history.

It turned me off the show, to be honest. The relationships that I had loved and watched grow were back-burnered for the Vala shinny new toy. And when I saw the last few shows were all about Vala, I just couldn't do it.

[BkWurm1]

4 hours ago, marina to said:

And I will never, ever understand why Daniel wasn't talking to Sam in the final scene of the Pegasus Project. After all the years of searching for Atlantis together, Daniel's time being ascended, all the years of fighting bad guys together, Sam was the person to be sharing his thoughts and feelings with. But no, Vala had to be shoehorned in to this moment that was the culmination of so many years of Stargate history.

See, this is why I liked Vala, because by this point in the show, it was natural that everyone let Daniel wander off alone to brood even though they had all this history with him.  Actually, all their history is why they let him wander off alone.  Only Jack still occasionally would go after him.  Vala pushed Daniel and chased after him when the rest of his team were just too considerate and felt they knew what he really wanted, which was time alone.  And it was what he wanted, but not what he needed.  Which is why it made sense to me that Vala was the one he talked to, because left to his own devices, he wasn't going to open up to anyone and no one else was going to try and make him.  

I do think that the show had a weird habit of isolating certain characters with other certain characters.  They really liked putting Sam and Cam together.  And as much as I like Vala and Daniel, I craved more with just Vala and Sam or even Vala and Teal'c.  And yeah, more Sam and Daniel and Daniel and Teal'c would have been great but with MS's reduced filming schedule, it probably did make that more complicated.  

[RoseofSharon]

Quote

I do think that the show had a weird habit of isolating certain characters with other certain characters.

I did like the later seasons, really all of the seasons, but this stood out.  It started to get better as ten went on and I hate that it got cancelled before we got more of it.  I'm super thankful for the movies but they kept up mostly certain characters paired with the same characters or like in Continuum, focusing one them independently.

[Joe]

So I was listening to an Aliens podcast and was struck by a thought. Burke wanted to smuggle an alien home in the body of Ripley or Newt, right? That's how the Ori got one of their own past the Ancients. Impregnating Vala with Adria. Have the producers ever said anything about that?

[supposebly]

It's an old trope.

Supposedly, 2000 years ago, God smuggled his son to earth that way to become human. ;-)