SGA 4x13: Quarantine

[JME2]

Didn't see a talkback thread for last night's episode of SGA, so here we go.

My thoughts: A few decent character actions and developments, but an essentially bland bottle show. I did find it amusing that Sheppard showed Ronon Jaws in addition to Zelenka's pigeons and his cursing in Czech in the ventilation.

2.5/5

[1138]

I thought it was kind of strange that ionospheric activity - which had no effect on Earth computers - affected the Ancient computers so badly.

[PREDATOR490]

Thought it was really bland myself with almost nothing worth intrest. I'm somewhat cynical of the lack of suits they have on call. The last time they were able to walk freely those hazard suits during a lockdown and it seems a bit sensible for them to have some in accessible locations.
At the very least one would expect them nearby the control room so they use them to move through the city without having to blast everything.

At best this episode struck me as being a small rapid character development filler. I got the impression the Rodney Romance plot just brought to an end with this episode. I'm also getting the impression that Teyla's child isnt going to be 'normal'. Apparantly it got connected to a Wraith Queen so I would suspect a high probability of us getting some sort of 'evil' / kid focussed arc coming.

[Meest]

Didn't like the character development at all, some of the pairings were really forced and ackward. Ronon's actor passed Telya's in bad acting this time around. He was talking about his deceased wife and smiling the whole time. Carter finally being competent again and her pairing with Zelenka was more believable than the doc and Ronon. Rodney's chemistry with his love interest was horrid, they didn't even look like they have even kissed before.

If the relationship stuff wasn't bad enough the vent of convenience and the stunt glass on a spacefaring command tower was forehead smacking for me. Only good part for me was Sheppard and Carter being decent command figures while still being personable with their team members. The ending was a "that's it?" moment for me, didn't think Rodney's relationship meant so much, they are giving it more time than Carter/O'Neill or at least priority to it.

[Darksider]

Character development is always nice, but this episode just felt like filler. Still, on the whole Ronon/Keller, thing, at least they're doing something with ronon besides having him kill things.

The aformentioned weak-ass windows on atlantis were annoying, and the doors seem way too easy to blow up, but at least Zelenka finally got to save the day instead of playing second fiddle to Rodney.

As for rodney's relationship, my reaction is pretty much...... meh, who cares. The most amusing thing about the breakup is watching rabid shippers on gateworld go apeshit because the ep's either destroyed their pet ship, or re-opened the door for it. I can't help but wonder what kind of results one would get if one stuck all those people in a sealed room as an experiment.

[Chris OFarrell]

Unless I'm mistaken didn't a good chunk of the command towers glass get blown right out of its windows when the Asurans orbital gate weapon caught Atlantis with its shields down while taking off?

The Earth damage control teams repaired it, fair enough, but probably WITH local Earth equivalents, I doubt they would bother with the starship grade stuff used on the Daedalus class ships. After all, Atlantis needs its shield to go into space and wasting that valuable material on a couple of windows is just pointless.

[NecronLord]

I thought it was kind of strange that ionospheric activity - which had no effect on Earth computers - affected the Ancient computers so badly.

Perhaps it was ionising radiation that caused genetic damage in someone or something, sufficient to set off the alarms, which Rodney had over-sensitised, so that the city went into lockdown even though there was no contagious threat.

The aformentioned weak-ass windows on atlantis were annoying, and the doors seem way too easy to blow up,

Why? The city's not designed to take this stuff without its shields. The Ancients could make floor plating that levitates people around so they never have to do something so uncouth as walking, but even they obviously don't see the need to use something too over the top like that.

[Themightytom]

I thought the episode was forced and predictable, and a less interesting sequel to the episode they kept referring to where they had a real contagion.
*For some reason, major lorne never gets ANYTHING accomplished, he's always the backup commander standing around relieved when the A-list shows up.
*Was Radick getting the hots for Carter, that was a pretty awkward scene. Funny how the SG-1 alumni has the tablet set up and is ready to end the episode early, but the Atlantis putz has to sabotage her to keep the premise alive.
*When did Ronan become sensitive????
*Rodney's hypochondria is starting to remind me of Monk, he's gonna start doing that thing with his hands when he tries to fix things.
*A few more episodes like this and that lockdown feature is going to be as dangerous as the holodeck on the enterprise
*What the hell was Tey'la thinking of doing there, was she pondering whether or not to climb the tower when pregnant?
*Seriously lorne? you still have C-4 in your pocket? You jsut carry it around after missions?
*Shephard is a closet math genius, it keeps coming up.

[NecronLord]

*When did Ronan become sensitive????

Why shouldn't he be? Though he seems to be a cookie 'D&D barbarian' character, it's quite logical for him to be exceedingly uptight and violence-obsessed, given his traumatic background. When he's not able to work towards his goal of 'kill every Wraith' then it is also not at all unlikely that we'd see other aspects of his personality which aren't usually shown. Especially as the show's about his adventures, not his downtime.

*A few more episodes like this and that lockdown feature is going to be as dangerous as the holodeck on the enterprise

Last time, the big alarm and such helped save the lives of everyone from a nigh-perfectly lethal pseudo-virus...

*What the hell was Tey'la thinking of doing there, was she pondering whether or not to climb the tower when pregnant?

Looking to see where John was, I think. Though even then, climbing the tower while pregnant, is preferable to sitting around and waiting the the self destruct to immolate you.

*Seriously lorne? you still have C-4 in your pocket? You jsut carry it around after missions?

Presumably they ran out of space in the gear-up room round the corner from the gate, and put some stuff in the hall, which wasn't sealed off.

*Shephard is a closet math genius, it keeps coming up.

Yes. He's very intelligent, but not amazingly well educated (compared to McKay, Carter, or the various other doctors)

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I actually liked this episode, at least more than a lot of the recent ones this season. It felt like someone finally had the good sense to kick the writers in the head a few times until they started writing Carter properly, though Zelenka's bumbling in the elevator felt rather rather contrived.

As for it being "filler", I don't particularly mind. For one, I find this meandering plot with the Wraith and to a lesser extent the Asurans to be rather dull. And secondly, Stargate has always been very "filler"-oriented -- if you'll recall, the first two seasons of SG-1 had all of six or seven "plot" episodes. Stargate isn't Galactica.

[Meest]

I actually liked this episode, at least more than a lot of the recent ones this season. It felt like someone finally had the good sense to kick the writers in the head a few times until they started writing Carter properly, though Zelenka's bumbling in the elevator felt rather rather contrived.

As for it being "filler", I don't particularly mind. For one, I find this meandering plot with the Wraith and to a lesser extent the Asurans to be rather dull. And secondly, Stargate has always been very "filler"-oriented -- if you'll recall, the first two seasons of SG-1 had all of six or seven "plot" episodes. Stargate isn't Galactica.

True, but usually they try to inject some arc forwarding info or plot even if minor in filler episodes, that's what makes a good filler episode. B and C plots get resolved while characters get development. Ronon being overly creepy and Rodney acting like he's in an arranged marriage doesn't strike me as good use of episode time or B and C plot worthy.

Probably being overly critical because I remember all the little minor annoyances over the positive points. This episode just stayed tipped on the annoying side. I still think little efforts like making the glass spiderweb then get kicked out of it's frame show some thought. It's like how some people are military/gun buffs and notice details on guns not being correct, I guess I see things that skirt on the edge of quality writing.

[1138]

Perhaps it was ionising radiation that caused genetic damage in someone or something, sufficient to set off the alarms, which Rodney had over-sensitised, so that the city went into lockdown even though there was no contagious threat.

That's possible. At the end Mckay said he recalibrated the system to take into account future activity, not that the computers were specifically screwed up, which supports something like what you're suggesting.