SG-1: Dominion and Unending

[moonshayde]

Only some thoughts on these two episodes as I'm grumpy (not show related) and not too thinky...


Dominion

I watched this last week and never commented on it. Sadly, with the week I've had I can't really remember it. I know that Adria finally seemed to get interesting and the overall plot was good. It was slow in a few places and some scenes made me shrug, but overall it was a good episode that wrapped up some loose ends. But the Ascension thing? Way overdone by now.


Unending

I don't know how I feel about this episode yet. If I detach myself, I can honestly say it was a well written episode, well acted episode, and a moving episode. I got a bit teary eyed, but that might be because I'm sort of an emotional mess right now. A couple of things didn't ring true for me: Daniel's rant on Vala and Cam going crazy. I didn't feel they were out of character -- I can see Daniel with those issues and Cam going stir crazy. I just thought it was a little over the top. Does that make sense? Maybe only to me. I think if those parts had been toned down a bit, I could buy them more.

And I still have issues with Daniel/Vala. You would think I wouldn't because of the huge RESET button. I don't know if it's because it wasn't done well or because of my own personal biases against that pairing. I'm trying to be objective though and treat it like 2010 or Moebius or any episode where they had a "future" SG-1 that got reset in the end. Because really, that is what happened. It's really no different than all those fics out there that have SG-1 stranded and then hook up.

To be fair, the romance angle wasn't in our present or our timeline (as that future will not happen). And it didn't take over the entire episode. And they still showed them within the team. It was how to do a relationship right. So, I'm thinking it's my biases coming through and maybe I'll relax and soften in time. Given the reset and all. (What *is* my problem?)

Ending scene sold it. I've been waiting a character to have a permanent change for a while and they did it to Teal'c *loves* And the end with Cameron pointing out the Stargate is better than fugly ship travel was beautiful. And it was open ended with the team going through the Gate. Awesomeness.

I just have to get out of my RL funk and relax a bit.

Comments

[cyren-2132.livejournal.com]

I thought of you almost immediately when Cam said the Gate was the only way to travel across the galaxy.

[mysticalweather.livejournal.com]

About Daniel's rant and Daniel/Vala...

Normally a rant like that would seem very out of character for Daniel, but I'm going to chalk it up to his situation. I mean, Vala has been toying with him and trying to seduce him pretty much since Prometheus Unbound...that's what? over 2 years now... Sure Daniel's pretty patient, but with him thinking she was just playing around, not really serious about him? That would *definitely* wear his nerves thin. Plus, being stranded on the ship with her and her antics for *sooooo* long. Being stir-crazy...and no end in sight. So yeah, he opens up to her, wishing things were different, mourning the loss of the Asgard, only to find she tries to seduce him *again*...and he kinda flips out on her. Possibly thinking that's the only way to get through to her that he wasn't interested in casual sex. On the bright side...at least he's grown out of jumping around in circles when he throws a tantrum. ;)

Daniel/Vala

I'm still not a fan of this ship...for pretty much all the reasons Daniel stated in his rant. I see Daniel as needing someone who is stable, someone who can ground him, someone like Sha're (or Janet)...but not Vala. And I don't even mean that as a D/J shipper. Sure, D/J is my OTP and always will be, but that aside, I have no problems with Daniel "moving on". But as far a D/V goes, I'm pretty sure what bugs me the most about that pairing is that those two are so cosmically *wrong* for one another that I don't see how it could possibly work...yet no one seems to mind.

One thought on Dominion: Barrett!!!!!!!!!

:D

~Misty

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I have mixed feelings about the episode, especially Daniel's rant. It was just... ow. Almost physically hurtful to watch, because while I could totally see him having those issues, I can't see him unleashing so hurtfully towards anyone.

I *loved* that they ended going through the gate. *sigh* That's my SG-1, right there.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Cam's my man! ;)

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I think maybe it's the timing? I've been tryin to figure out why it annoyed me so much...

I think Daniel was a little too harsh, but I thought this his intensity or his rant was out of character. it just needed to be toned down a notch. But I think where this episode failed was bringing the rant on so soon. Maybe if they had showed Vala getting on his nerves more, the explosion would have been easier. I seriously think that would have been all I needed. And you know I'm not Daniel/Vala at all, but if that had been handled more smoothly, I think I could have at least bought it for his branch of unrealized future.

Want-to-preserve-Asgardhistory Daniel was awesome, though :) And Teal'c rocked.

And yay for Dominion Barrett! I got the vibe he was still healing from the Ba'al incident.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Daniel totally has those issues. And normally, he'd be able to repress them and move on. He'd think them, but never vocalize them. But with Vala, it's canon that she irritates him so much and he sort of loses control. So I don't take issue with his rant in theory. It seemed misplaced and too early in their situation, By then, I had no idea that Daniel was being worn down by confinement. So it seemed to strange and abrupt. And while Daniel is an intense person, I still think it was a little too much.

But I loved the end and I thought the episode was very well written.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree it was too early. I just can't remember Daniel losing so much control (in a hurtful way), so it needed a bigger catalyst for it to be convincing.

That last walk through the gate... *happy sigh*

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

Just got to watch Unending, and I gotta agree with you, Daniel's rant, while harsh, I could totally see him letting loose like that. Vala pushes all his buttons, but he's shown time and again that he cares for her too. I leave the interpretation of that caring as ship or friendship up to the individual viewer. But what was missing was a few more scenes of Vala annoying the stuffing out of him. The party at the beginning and one shot with fuzzy dice would not be enough to explain that huge a reaction.

Though I can also see that from Vala's point of view, Daniel coming to her and unloading about the Asgard and leaving it with "life's too short" could seem like a "so I'm not gonna fight the attraction I have for you". She just didn't interpret his message properly.