Veni! Vidi! Disputavi!

Brief thoughts and reaction to the finale for Dr Who 2008

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:31:24 GMT

mcalex22 suggested that I'd been conspicuously quiet about my reaction to the finale episode of Dr Who.

Okay then, basically, there was a lot I liked, but some stuff I hated.

Martha was awesome. Once again stepping up to save the world - and she never seems to expect a fanfare or even thanks for it.

Donna was awesome. Although the way her story ended was a tragedy, it was a well told tragedy. Heartbreaking, but in a poetic way and it did dovetail nicely with a lot of the hints dropped along the way - especially, River's reaction in the Library. It's clear that the Doctor never forgot Donna and told her story to people who were important to him, like River.

Jack wasn't bad. Ditto Sarah. It was great to see Mickey and Jackie again.

Rose was an utter, UTTER disappointment. Really she couldn't have been more Mary Sue if a 13 year old fangirl had written the ep! When an extra, "more human" version of the Doctor was made, I must admit that I was already wary that something like that could happen - but what really, REALLY took the biscuit was that Rose was still selfishly wanting the Time Lord version to stay with her as her OTP. I mean, she gets a virtually tailor-made version to keep as her very own - one with one of the compatibility issues ironed out (ie. he's got a human lifespan) and yet with all the memories and personality of the original - and she's still whining like she's the victim of a tragedy. JAYZUS!!! Just when I thought she couldn't get more self-centred...

So yeah, everyone else makes sacrifices and/or mature life choices - and Rose regressed to her worst spoiled brattishness rather than growing as a person. What a crappy way to write the character out. At least, I hope to God that she's gone. Please, let the one blessing be that we don't have to see or hear about Rose again. PLEASE! Since Moffat's taking over the story-running from Russell T Davies, I do hold out some hope that we've seen the last of Rose. Moffat will hopefully have his own characters to showcase and therefore can ditch the Rose-obsessed overtones for good!

Okay...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:56:30 GMT

Don't tend to talk too much on LJ about my work, but here's a SGA moment that I really had to share.

The lab recently employed some new people. I kinda knew this and had been told the names in passing, but it didn't really click with me until I read the name that's just been put on the office next to mine.

Dr Biro.

She's a pathologist.

I'm not kidding.

And so, we approach Journey's End

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:09:51 GMT

With less than 48 hours before the Dr Who finale airs, I've a few brief words to say.

I'm not at all convinced that the regeneration is going ahead. Between Davros mentioning "altering reality", the fact that the regen started BEFORE the finale started rather being a climax during it and the fact that the BBC would have had to have managed to keep a "New Doctor" under wraps in a way that they've never managed before - well, I just don't think it's fair dinkum. I think Tennant will still be there at Journey's End.

There has been much foreshadowing that someone - specifically Donna - is going to die. I really hope that's a red herring and Rose dies instead. Partially because Donna rocks and Rose... well, doesn't. And partially because I really think that a huge self-sacrificing death scene is the only way to justify Rose as a character.

I must admit that in the Turn Left episode, Rose appeared to have developed as a character - interdimensional traveller, crossing various realities in a bid to save... well, everything. Right on, Rosie! You go, girl! And all that stuff. Rose appeared to recognise the worth of Donna and made the mission all about Donna's role (even if she seemed to treat her a bit like a sacrificial lamb at some points). But in Stolen Earth, Rose seems to have completely regressed again and while everyone else seems to be willing to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, Rose seems fixaed on reuniting herself with the Doctor - as if that's the most important thing going on at the time. Back to self-absorbed, look-at-me-and-my-OTP Rose. She should just wear one of those T-shirts that says "It's all about ME!" and be done with it.

If she dies to save everyone and everything, then all that self-centredness will be worth it. I'm all for redemption of flawed characters and if the Selfish One makes the Ultimate Sacrifice, then well and good, as far as I'm concerned.

But if Donna dies, it's a waste. Waste of a character with more potential. Waste of a dramatic twist gone begging. Waste of the opportunity of redemption for Rose too.

Let's face it, there kinda has to be a death for things to go out with a suitable bange before the big, BIG hiatus. Torchwood end with two major deaths (and ones that make me watching the 3rd series highly unlikely). Who can't be outdone by it's spin off. As I said, I don't really believe that the 10th Doctor will be one of the casualties. It might be dramatic enough, if he were. But if he's not, then the only death "big" enough would be that of "Golden Girl" Rose.

If they kill off Martha, I'll be livid! Aside from the fact that I adore Martha, killing her off when she's all independent and has her life on track is just plain wrong. Fortunately, it's rather un-PC to kill off the black chick and I suspect the show won't go there. So, *fingers crossed* Martha should survive.

They can't kill off Jack because Jack just can't die, pretty much by definition (character definition, that is). They can't kill off Sarah Jane (coz apparently they've already got series two of her spin off show in the works). And by the way, YAY for Luke and Sarah both getting in on the finale action! (I've become really very fond of all the characters from the Sarah Jane Adventures).

And, even though she died, I was so glad to see Harriet Jones back again. I always liked her and, ever since the Christmas Invasion, I wanted to see her return with moral justification for her actions then. And I got pretty much exactly that! I just really hope we get to see the Doctor's reaction to the news.

And as a complete aside, does anyone else think that there are getting to be a ridiculously number of characters with the surnames Smith (Sarah, Mickey, Luke and the Doctor's favourite alias) and Jones (Martha & family, Harriet and Ianto) amongst the franchise. I mean, I know that both are common names, but it's beginning to get a wee bit silly. Dontcha think?

Um... did I say "brief words"?

Anyway, roll on the finale!

EDIT (7/7/08): Spoilers for "Journey's End" in the comments.

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:41:11 GMT

K9 is the ruler of the world!!!ELEVENTYONE!!!!11!

All others bow down before him!!

EDIT: It's really me this time. Note to self - well, more of a reminder really - you'd think I'd learn - anyway, note to self: must not leave LJ signed in with certain "friends" around. Not even when you signed in specifically to get access to certain comms so these "friends" could watch stuff. #%^$@*!$@% ingrates!

Briefest of con reports - We came. We saw. We introduced them to the dog and the spider...

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:28:39 GMT

Along with many, many others, mcalex22, yokiem, starrylizard, rinkle, Cuddles, K9 and I went along to the SupaNova convention this weekend.

Jewel Staite met Cuddles and K9

Jared Padalecki met Cuddles and K9

A short Making of clip of when Jared Padalecki met Cuddles and K9

Might post more later, when we've recovered a bit from all the excitement. But I'm sure there are many other con reports out there. Not only great talks by Jared Padalecki and Jewel Staite, but also Nichelle Nichols from the original Star Trek (which I saw) and Kandyse McClure from the new BSG (which I didn't see).

Needless to say, we had a pretty good time.

New Frontiers in Spamming

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:47:50 GMT

A fic review notification just turned up in my email. I was somewhat surprised because it was for a fandom-specific archive that I haven't visited (let alone posted to) for quite a while.

I was even more surprised when this turned out to be what was submitted as a "review":

98765 06/09/08 - 10:23PM 1: 1/1 Anonymous
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Is this supposed to an ad for some sort of computer game? Does it even make any sort of sense to anyone?

I'm not a gamer (computer, RPG or otherwise) and it sounds to me like a whole bunch of gobbledy-gook - like someone might have stuck computer game terms into one of those random generator thingies.

Seriously weird.

And annoying.

Just when you think spam couldn't get any more annoying, they find whole new ways to chuck it at you.

*sigh*

Very briefly...

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:53:12 GMT

I FREAKIN' ADORE Steven Moffat!!!

How totally and utterly, thoroughly and truly ecstatic am I that he will be taking over the position of Head Writer for Doctor Who next season? Truly, it goes beyond my capacity for words.

Yeah, I just watched Silence in the Library. Moffat's scripts are just so bloody CLEVER. He takes every day things and makes them terrifying. He has a true appreciation for the irony, the whimsy and the poetry of time travel. And his scenarios FREAK ME OUT the way the old series used to when I was a kid in primary school!

I'm torn between wanting to savour the sheer exhilaration of what I've just seen and the craving the explanation and knowing what happens to the characters that will come in part two. Seriously, I feel like my nerve endings are ZINGING! (Yes, that's a real word, as far as I'm concerned)

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

UK Invasion 2008 - Parte the Seconde - In which the good, the bad and the inconvenient occur

Sun, 25 May 2008 16:31:00 GMT

So, the last time I updated my LJ travelogue I was in sunny York and all was very well indeed. Quite a bit has happened since then - much of it good, some of it not so good.

But this is NOT a bid for sympathy in any way. I started writing this in Heathrow airport (finished more than a week after I got back home), after having travelled to the other side of the world with my employer footing the majority of the bill. I've met up with friends from both the UK and Canada and had a wonderful time in their company as well as travelling about on my own. Definitely don’t shed any tears on my behalf, things really aren't so bad in my corner of the world!

From York, Jan and Liz (some of the mad Canadians that I’m privileged to know) and I headed up to the seaside town of Whitby where Captain James Cook was educated and where he lived for a time.

Being an Australian, this was of course of some interest to me, but I must confess that the main reason we went to Whitby was to see the Grand Turk - the tall ship built for and filmed on during the Hornblower series - which was in the harbour.

Yes, this ship was once "The Indy"

Cuddles once again managed to indulge his canon fetish

Looking over the inventory of the Indefatigable

In the rigging

On deck with Whitby Abbey in background

And, of course, Cuddles found his way to a tankard or two

What can I say? Sometimes the spider just pushes people too far...

Heading back to London we had a nasty scare when we found that the Whitby-York bus was not operating by timetable we'd been given (summer timetable hadn't started yet) and so the bus left more than an hour later and we'd miss our connection back to London. But the delays on British Rail worked in our favour for once because the train was late arriving into York and so we not only made it back to London, but they also offered to refund part of our fares because the train was so late.

Back in London, we met up with Ingrid (a friend of Liz's) and her husband and all of us went to the BBC studios to see a taping of "My Family", the sitcom starring Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker (although she wasn't there when we were - apparently her scenes will be recorded separately). Still great to watch the episode being filmed though - with all the behind scenes stuff for which you'd usually have to wait for a gag reel to be released.

Then, on the Friday, we went to the costume department of the National Theatre. Have to admit that we had a lot of fun playing dress ups like a bunch of ten year olds - Roman uniform, 17th century garb and medieval gowns (well, that was me anyway - the others tried on other stuff). And that evening we met up with pronetopanic, another Horatian friend from way back, who came down to London from Worcestershire, and we all went to see King Lear at the Globe (second time for me) with Paul Copley as Kent.

On Saturday, we added some more friends from Liverpool, hhhatholder and Michelle, to our ranks and headed off to Greenwich via Thames riverboat. We visited the Royal Observatory, the prime meridian and the naval museum and took the scenic trip back, heading down river as far as we could before turning back. Dinner at the Maple Leaf pub near Covent Garden and then another boat trip (this time by night) back to our lodgings.

A lot of talking and geeking out ensued when we got back home and this was when I found out that David Tennant will be playing Hamlet for the RSC at Stratford later this year!

pronetopanic told me that she lives less than an hour's drive from Stratford-upon-Avon and offered to put me up if I wanted to come back later in the year to see it. I can't tell you how sorely I was tempted! But I don't think that I can convince work that I need to attend yet another course in the UK this year. So, no, unfortunately not.

On Sunday, the Scousers (and that includes pronetopanic) headed home. hhhatholder and Michelle, joined Jan and Liz and I on a walking tour of the newly restored St Pancras railway station and surrounding areas, before they left. I must admit that I only went on the tour because the others wanted to go. I couldn't really see how interesting a tour around a railway station be. But I was wrong. The architecture and local history and info on new features and plans were woven together so well. It was great. I really enjoyed it.

And so... you've probably realised that I haven't posted any photos for anything since Whitby. My handbag, along with my camera, passport, credit cards, phone and even my Australian driver's licence, was stolen while we sat down to eat at St Pancras Station. I can't deny that it was quite a blow. Losing basically every form ID and money that I had while in a foreign country. Can't deny that I was rather thrown by it. Felt like a right idiot and kinda worried about what I was going to do about getting back home. But I was really lucky that I had some great friends with me. Liz and Jan propped me up, lent me money, came with me to the Australian High Commission to fix up my passport.

When we rang pronetopanic, she said "At least he didn't get Cuddles! Everything else is replaceable." It made me laugh, but she's right. I managed to get a temporary passport and credit card while I was in London - and I've got new cards, phone and driver's licence now that I'm back home in Oz. I bought a new camera and got the VAT back on it when I headed home. It was expensive and inconvenient in so many ways. And I'm sending money back to Liz and Jan to pay them pay back for the money they gave me to see me through (no way, I could put a value on the friendship and emotional support they provided). But aside from the photos on my camera, there was nothing of sentimental value, nothing irreplaceable stolen.

It was a nasty experience, but I really am okay.

But as to my last week in the UK, well, I had to attend the second conference for work (and it was a good conference too). That was disrupted by me having to go in to Australia House to fix up my passport and stuff like that, but I managed to attend enough to still get my certificate (so work will be okay with it). And on the Monday, we went to see "Never So Good", a new play about the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, at the National Theatre, starring Jeremy Irons. I didn't really know much about Harold Macmillan before I saw the play, but it was fascinating - kind of like a "behind the scenes" take on events because the play didn't really concentrate on huge events (like when he was part of Churchill's cabinet in WWII) but seemed to be more focussed on "in between" events. And on the Friday, Liz and I went of a backstage tour of the National Theatre and saw all three of the their stages, although the Lyttleton Theatre was no longer set up for "Never So Good", having been changed for the next production (a one woman show with Vanessa Redgrave). And after meeting up with Jan for lunch, I had to pack because I flew home that evening.

And home again. Flew in early Sunday morning. And since I got back, work has been completely INSANE!!!.

I suppose, having had three weeks away, I can't complain. Okay, I can. This is me complaining, really, isn't it?

Yeah. I've been totally snowed under at work this week and over the weekend, I've been totally caught up with family stuff. Brother's birthday. Nieces and nephews. Mum visiting. I've enjoyed the family stuff, but it hasn't left a lot of time for other stuff.

But I'm back - and I need to be back at work tomorrow. Another busy week (coz we're still understaffed). I'd better get to bed.

See ya round!

UK Invasion 2008 - Parte the Firste - In which Derry and Cuddles walk, drink and catch trains

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:33:00 GMT

Greetings from the UK!

Started typing this on the train to York. To recap on the trip on the trip so far...

Arrived in London just over a week ago. And since we arrived at about 6am on a sunny Saturday, Cuddles and I felt we really had to take advantage of the warm weather and get out and about, jet lag notwithstanding. ~~Got a bit lost~~ Wandered around Waterloo station and the South bank of the Thames, but then decided that aimless wandering should be the point of the day.

Eventually crossed Waterloo bridge and wandered up to Piccadilly Circus before heading back to the hotel in Hammersmith.

Then on the Sunday, the rain returned, but we still ventured out to see King Lear at the Globe. Had no real expectations. I've never really been all that fond of Lear, as a play. But it was SHAKESPEARE AT THE GLOBE! That was the entire point of going, as far as I was concerned.

Well... when I sat down to read my program, browsing through the cast list, I find Kent - Paul Copley

SQUEEEEEE!!!

This might not mean much to the non-Hornblower fans on my friendslist, but Paul Copley played the much beloved character, Matthews, in the series and also appears to be an actor who is particularly generous towards fans, having sent signed memorabilia, his actor's chair from the series and even some boxer shorts from a play he was in (I kid you not) as gift for the Horatian Gatherings. He was wonderful as Kent and the whole production was one of the best Lears that I've seen.

Then... Monday. Had to go in for the first of the conferences that my employer actually sent me to London to attend. The wet weather seemed firmly entrenched so on Thursday I went shopping on Oxford Street and bought a rather nice mac from John Lewis. Of course, the rain cleared up considerably on Thursday night and over the long weekend, it's been as warm as back home (apparently).

Jan and Liz (fellow Hornblower fans, actually) arrived on Saturday. Did a little shopping. On Sunday, we wandered along the Thames. Found a pub or two, naturally. Cuddles found a beer or two, of course.

Very pleasant evening walk back along the other side of the Thames. Did I mention that we're staying at St Katherine's Docks, a stone's throw from the Tower of London?

And so yesterday, Liz and Jan and I headed off to see the Imperial War Museum. It only seems to cover the period from WWI onwards. Lots of great stuff, of course, but I must admit that I would have liked to see some pre-20th century exhibits too. The British Empire has been engaged in various wars for centuries, after all. But still, it was 4 or 5 hours well spent. Being an Aussie and ANZAC Day being only a week or so ago, I had to check out the Gallipoli section.

I also took ridiculous number of photos of the planes. I've had a bit of a thing about Spitfires and Fokkers ever since I saw the Battle of Britain movie when I was a kid.

Well, I sorta did accidently leave Cuddles sitting on the bench back at the flat. He wasn't pleased. My argument was that if he's going to spend the previous evening upside down in beer glass, then it's his own lookout if he's too hungover to tag along. Still, we thought he deserved the Distinguished Service Cross (for notable bravery in the face of the enemy on several occassions).

And we took him along for the "Apparitions, Alleyways and Ale" London Walk in the evening. I think he only agreed to come along because of the ale part though.

The walking tour ended in Westminster, so we headed back to the Tube via the abbey and Big Ben.

And today - York! The train was delayed, but the journey itself was made in good time and we arrived around lunchtime. The hotel we're staying at is along Tadcaster Road and walking back to the city of York, we found the site of Tyburn (right outside the racecourse).

Entered the walled part of the city via Mickelgate Bar and climbed the nearby part of the walls.

Wandered through the Shambles.

And the Minster.

Cuddles had a chat with the Emperor Constantine outside the Minster.

We did The Original Ghost Tour of York. (My favourite of the stories are the ones involving Clifford's Tower).

And - surprise, surprise - ended up in a pub afterwards!

And so the plan is to get up early tomorrow to catch the bus to Whitby (on the Yorkshire coast). Signing to catch a little shut eye.

Hope the weather holds out because it's been gorgeous here in York today.

On the road again... or in the air again... or soon will be...

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:16:11 GMT

Just a quick FYI for anyone who doesn't know and might want to know (for whatever reason).

Sorry to everyone who deserves replies to post or emails or responses to feedback you've given me. Things have been a little hectic lately - but mostly for good reasons.

The latest in these good reasons for my hectic life of late is that I'm getting on a plane to London tomorrow (and yes, Cuddles is coming too). Conferences/courses for work plus a little holiday slotted in. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my work might drain a lot of my time (and energy), but the perks I get are bloody good.

And before I head off, my family want to hang out tomorrow which is neat. Especially want to see my new niece again coz she's only 2 weeks old and I'll be away for 3 weeks. She'll have changed so much by the time I get back. My youngest nephew might be walking by the time I get back too. Geez they grow so fast! Not that I'm an overly fond Auntie! No, not at all!

But anyway, after all the packing and clearing the decks at work, etc, etc - well, I'm a wee bit knackered. I'm probably gonna go quiet LJ-wise until I get to London.

See ya!

SGA Ficathon! Go! Read!

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:53:45 GMT

I'm a little late off the mark with this, but the sga_genficathon started a few days ago and some great stories are already up there. I've really got to hand it to friendshipper who has done a great job organising it.

There is the added mystery element of waiting until the end to reveal which author wrote which fic. Although anyone who read the previous post in my LJ (which I've temporarily locked up until the end of the ficathon) - well, they won't have too much trouble working out which one I wrote. If you do guess, please be mindful of the mystery element for everyone else. Just saying. Coz the ficathon really does seem to be going fantastically well at the moment

And I'm sorry, that I didn't manage to reply to everyone who contributed to that previous post in my LJ. Your suggestions were fantastic and I tried to incorporate as many as I could into the fic. And do have to say to Dish (who made an "anonymous" ie. not logged in comment) that your guess about the fic was frighteningly close. Not 100% there, but really pretty damn close.

Anyway, there's now a tonne of lovely new SGA genfic to read. I've barely skimmed the surface myself. So, go and read! Now!

banner by leesa_perrie

Help me make an ass of myself. Please.

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:22:42 GMT

This may seem like an odd request, but I was hoping that people could give me some asinine suggestions.

Seriously.

I'm writing a fic and I want to include phrases using the word "ass". As many as possible, actually.

The list I have so far is:

- asshole
- asswipe
- asshat
- kick ass
- big ass
- short ass
- smart ass
- haul ass
- move your ass
- save their ass
- bust their ass
- jerk their ass around
- put your ass on the line
- chew their ass out
- tastes like ass (recent quote from Supernatural)
- ass bandit
- take it up the ass
- cruising for some ass

Yes, I'm willing to go that low.

Don't be afraid to be crude. Please.

Suggestions so far:

- jackass
- laughing your ass off
- bad ass
- half assed
- dumb ass
- you bet your ass
- smells like ass
- pain in the ass

Believe it or not, this is for a *GEN* fic.

Honestly, it is!

EDIT: So, as people have probably realised by now, the fic has been written and posted to sga_genficathon. It's called The Law is an Ass.

Thanks again to everyone who replied to this post.

Supernatural drabble - Pod Slurping

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:45:22 GMT

In ye olde tradition of "all my friends are doing it, so why can't I?", much blame goes to starrylizard and rinkle.

Rather than going for a Word of the Day, I opted for The Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year for 2007

Title: Pod Slurping
Author: derry667
Rating: G
Genre: Humour,gen
Spoilers: None
Word count: 100
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. Nor Slurpee (TM) either, for that matter.
Summary: Just. Not. Fair.

From the Macquarie Dictionary (apparently)
pod slurping
noun the downloading of large quantities of data to an MP3 player or memory stick from a computer.

It's not the indignity of being caught out when he should've been watching for every and any possible threat.

Nor the injustice of being injured not during an active hunt, but rather on a "simple information gathering exercise - in, download, out - no problem". Yes, his own stupid idea.

It's not even the embarrassing fluorescent green of the melted Slurpee that fell from a ridiculous height, slimed through his hair, made him "scream like a girl", trip backwards and slide across the floor.

What really gets him is his brother's barely contained laughter, badly disguised as exasperation.

"Dude, seriously?"

Numb3rs fic: That Left Turn at Albuquerque

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:51:25 GMT

Title: That Left Turn at Albuquerque
Fandom: Numb3rs
Author: derry667
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own Numb3rs. No profit made.
Pairing: None
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Pilot, Vector, Protest - but the fic is set pre-series
Word Count: 1037
Notes: This fic was written for and cross-posted to the family_haven ficathon for jlm110108's prompt "The NSA wants to grant Charlie Eppes a high level security clearance. Part of the investigation involves questioning family and friends. How do Charlie's family and friends respond to the investigation? Pre-series." Although what I've actually written is mainly an NSA agent questioning Don with some references to previous questioning of other family members. The fic title was nabbed from Bugs Bunny. That wascally wabbit! I took a small liberty naming the OFC but no resemblance to any real person is intended. Thanks to rinkle and starrylizard for betaing this, but as always, the mistakes that it still contains are very much my own.

The Albuquerque offices of the FBI weren't completely unknown territory to her. She hadn't worked there, but Albuquerque was her home town and interdepartmental rivalry between the FBI and NSA hadn't stopped her dropping in to these offices for various reasons, both official and unofficial, when she came home to visit family and friends.

Not since Don Eppes had taken over running the office though. She knew him only by reputation and that reputation was not inconsequential because he was young for that level of authority. Young, competent and, for the most part, actually well-liked by his colleagues. You didn't come across that hat trick very often in the highly competitive circles of Federal Law Enforcement where the ambitious could become resentful of those seen to be promoted ahead of their time. But Don Eppes seemed to have overcome that, which implied he had either political savvy or personal charisma or both. He was certainly an attractive man. The reputation hadn't left that part out and, as he reached forward to shake her hand when she entered his office, she confirmed for herself the truth behind the rumour.

There was only a passing resemblance to his brother though. Enough that it was easy to believe the sibling connection, but not so much that you'd guess it without being told. The ease, grace and confidence with which Special Agent Don Eppes took her hand was quite a contrast to the nervous, though cheerful, way that Professor Charles Eppes had grasped it. Of course, Don Eppes wasn't greeting her as someone who had come to scrutinise and evaluate him. After he offered her a seat and the other usual pleasantries were exchanged, Agent Eppes cut right to the chase.

"So, if it's not about one of my current cases, what exactly is this 'sharing of information' that you propose, Agent Marshall?"

"When did you last speak with your brother, Agent Eppes?"

His frown was immediate, understandably protective. He was the older brother, after all. "Am I to understand that Charlie is the subject of an NSA investigation?"

"There's no suspicion of criminal activity, if that's what you're worried about. Are you going to answer my question?"

His eyes remained guarded and he spoke with carefully chosen words. "Maybe almost a month ago, I got a call from Mom and she put him on the phone." There must have been something challenging in her expression because he almost immediately went on to say, "You have to understand that we're not exactly close. I've got nothing against Charlie, but we just don't have much common ground. He talks mostly about university math stuff which is way over my head and I can't tell him too much about what I do, obviously."

That was a good opening for her. "Why? Do you think he'd be a security risk?"

"What? No! Look, I'm sure you know that the Bureau found my parents' records for protesting in the seventies when they did my background check. If you think that Charlie is some kind of radical following in their footsteps, then you're wrong. For one thing, my parents never did anything criminal. For another, Charlie isn't political. He's into his research and that's all."

"Do you trust him?"

"Of course, I do."

"Even though you're not close."

"Look, I don't have to live in his pockets to know that Charlie's a good guy. I grew up with him. His head is in the clouds, but he believes in doing the right thing. I'd trust him with my life."

She couldn't help but smile. That was more or less the same answer that Alan Eppes had given. Margaret Eppes viewed the NSA agents inquiring about her son with unrelenting suspicion and remained tight-lipped, giving only yes or no answers. And his colleagues at the university also seemed reluctant to speak, perhaps more motivated by professional jealousy, not wanting to praise a rival too highly. Except Professor Fleinhart, he unreservedly heaped praise on the young mathematician. The word "genius" was used without reservation and coming from someone of Fleinhart's qualifications, that actually meant something.

The NSA were not concerned whether he was up to the task they had in mind for him. His professional qualifications were impeccable. They just needed to know if he could handle the security issues and, in her opinion, it looked like he could.

His brother was still staring at her through narrowed eyes despite her smile - or perhaps, because of her smile. There was no need to draw this out further. As Don Eppes had alluded to, many of the security issues pertaining to Charles Eppes had already been looked into by the government when his brother joined the FBI. And since she felt that she now had all she needed from Agent Eppes in person, she rose from her seat with another polite smile.

"Thank you. I won't take up any more of your time, Agent Eppes."

She glanced at her watch, even though she knew she had more than enough time to make it to the restaurant, and looked up again to find him wearing a sardonic expression.

"Business calls, Agent Marshall?"

She couldn't help but laugh at the irony. "Actually, no. I'm meeting my brother for lunch."

His eyebrows lifted slightly at that and she wondered if she'd somehow caused offence, but he then broke out into a smile. "Yeah, I can understand that. Although, since both Mom and Dad are excellent cooks and they've become kinda competitive about it these days, we rarely get the chance to eat out when I get back home to LA."

She almost agreed on his parents' culinary skills, because the homemade cakes they'd served with coffee when they'd been interviewed at their home were some of the best she'd ever tasted, but then she realised that he was fishing to find out whether she'd indeed been invited into the Eppes family home.

Don Eppes was definitely not just a pretty face. Neither was his brother.

They were both worth watching very carefully.

But for now she settled for smiling mysteriously and knowing that his gaze remained fixed on her all the way to the elevators on the other side of the floor.

Supernatural 3x10 - Welcome to My Nightmare

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:23:18 GMT

Okay. So I just watched it. I had to work today (Saturday) which doesn't really get me in a good mood to start with. I then went to the gym to work off the "fumes" of work - which did the trick, but left me a little tired at the end of the day. So maybe I was hoping for a "pick me up" with SPN ready to watch and SGA ready to DL. SGA wasn't ready to DL (but now it is).

So maybe, I was a bit tetchy to start with, but I ended up more annoyed by this episode of Supernatural than any I've seen in a long while.

For a start, I LIKE John Winchester and I'm getting more and more fed up with the building undercurrent in the show setting up Bobby as a "better father figure" than John. I like Bobby. Lots. I DON'T want to end up resenting Bobby but if they keep going the way they did in this episode, I could.

To actually have DEAN say that Bobby was like a father to him and then later rail against his real father calling him an obsessed bastard, just really, REALLY annoyed to crap out of me!

A) I really think that Bobby's relationship with the boys is better run on a SHOW DON'T TELL basis. To actually whack me over the head with an anvil "Hey, look! Bobby is their new father figure!" Is just about the worst way to make me believe in the bond between them. I'll buy it in the context that Dean really felt that he had to say something powerful to Bobby to get him to snap out of the dream - but I know that's me fanwanking. I do. But I really do have to fanwank to get past this ep.

B) Dean's love of his father is as important to me as his love of his brother - even if that father is dead. They can have "issues". Fine. Dean has a few "issues" with Sam too. But that rant that had Dean basically seem to blame his father for EVERYTHING that had ever gone wrong in his life just SUCKED OUT LOUD! Even citing his mother's death as another way his dad "failed his family"? Jesus Christ! How I hated that crap! But I've got my fanwanking cap back on and I'll buy it as Dean TEMPORARILY flipping out because he's been obsessing (understandably) about going to Hell and being turned into a demon. He's TEMPORARILY and UNFAIRLY using his father as a focus for all his pent up rage.

Dean's right in that he doesn't deserve to go to Hell. Truer words were never spoken. But he's going there because of what he himself did and not being able to face that, he's using his dad as a source of blame instead. It's tragic. I get that. But he'd better get over it because I don't want to see another self-pitying rant like that one.

I get that Dean has self-esteem issues. I really, really do. But the idea that if someone cares more about the welfare of others than their own welfare means that there must be something "wrong" with them also annoys the crap out of me. I know that we live in the Era of Self. The idea that you should consider what you can do for others rather than what they can do for you seems to be a thing of the past. If you're not wearing the "It's all about ME" t-shirt, then you're out of touch with current fashion. But unfashionable or not, I've always seen Dean's self-sacrificing ALTRUISM as a GOOD thing and being beaten over the head with various anvils telling me that what it means is that he's "broken" doesn't make me happy. At all.

I hope that my current dissatisfaction is just temporary, that I'm just at low ebb and reacting too strongly to these things. But I'm beginning to worry because I get the feeling that Kripke and Co seem to have decided that more and more angst is better and better. If they keep racheting up the bitterness and despair, I'm gonna have to bail. That's what eventually destroyed the X-Files for me - darker and darker conspiracies destroying all sense of hope for the future in the show. I don't need that crap. And if the makers of Supernatural think that they keep having to "go one better" on the last huge deluge of angst they served up - I'm gonna get out while the going is good. Seriously.

But maybe this is just me being reactionary. Maybe it will all look better in a day or two.

On another note, I just learned that Jensen Ackles apparently arrived in Sydney earlier this week. It's not like I've got actual meteorological data to hand, but the past two weeks FEEL like the rainiest we've had in ages. Now, you know I love both cities, but the poor bloke must be wondering if he's somehow back in Vancouver. Hmmm... I wonder if he'll go down to Melbourne. Still, the sun's out now, at least. Hopefully, there'll be some nice weather for the rest of his visit - I kinda like people to have fond memories of visiting Australia. Did I mention that I get patriotic about the most ridiculous things?

And apparently I only need to wait another 30mins for the next SGA. So, this is me looking forward to that at least. ;-P

Supernatural ficlet - Dulce et Decorum Est

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 02:41:39 GMT

Title: Dulce et Decorum Est
Author: derry667
Genre: Angst, gen.
Fandom: Supernatural
Disclaimer: Not mine. Seriously. No profit made nor harm intended.
Spoilers: Mostly Malleus Maleficarum, but all episodes up to that are fair game too.
Rating: PG
Warnings: Angst, suicidal ideation, some coarse language
Words: 575-ish
Other notes: Short and probably about to be completely nullified by canon, this fic is really as much my musings as Dean's about the ramifications of a certain issue raised in Malleus Maleficarum (yes, THAT one). The title owes something to the Horace, but probably even more to Wilfred Owen. Thanks to starrylizard for casting a quick beta-eye over it, but of course all mistakes it still contains remain my own.

Just step back into the room, close the door, try not to trip over anything in the dark and hope to hell that Sam isn't still awake and wanting to talk about what happened out there tonight. There's been more than enough discussion for one night. No amount of talking is going to make anything better.

The Colt is still lying on top of Sam's open duffle and Dean remembers there was a time when it did seem like the gun might have been able to make things a little better. But not now. Not for this. Nothing can fix this.

"Stoic" Ruby said, before she tried to go for the jugular with "heartbreaking." She might have switched sides, but does she seriously expect him to break down weeping or bare his soul to some demon chick? He'll see her in Hell first.

Yeah, maybe he will.

He does believe now, that there's no escaping the Pit. And every soul sent there has their humanity burned away, becomes a demon. Every single one. There's no hope of salvation.

When he made the Deal, he accepted death. He accepted that he'd have to endure whatever Hell thought it could throw at him. Hellfire, torment, the death of hope. That all was his sacrifice to make. That was the bargain.

Not this. Not losing all that has ever made him human and becoming something that destroys everything he's ever loved.

The Colt feels heavy in his hand. He doesn't remember picking it up, but it's a good weight. It feels like Justice. It feels like Salvation.

He remembers what his father said about it and if this gun can kill demons - not just send them to Hell, but actually kill them - then surely any Hell-bound soul killed by the Colt couldn't still be demonised by the Pit. Surely, they'd just... end. Neither salvation nor damnation. Just... nothingness. Surely that's an option.

Only, it isn't. Not for him. He can't take his soul off the bargaining table, not even by his own death, because that would mean breaking the Crossroads Deal and that still means the end of Sam's life. And Sam needs to live. Now, more than ever.

Sam needs to save the world. He can and he will.

And if Dean can't be saved from the Pit, then he's just going to have to fight harder than he's ever fought before because it might take centuries, she said. Long enough for Sam to live his life. Long enough for him to fight and maybe even win this war. If it can be won.

What the hell, she thinks every soul ever sent to Hell became a demon? No way, bitch. Not every one.

Not Dad. John Winchester clawed his way out of Hell still human enough to know his kids, still Dad enough to save them. Wherever Dad is, he's not a demon nor on his way to becoming one.

Okay, maybe that's not something that Dean really knows for sure, but it's something he believes with everything he's got. He has to. And if Dad saved him, he's sure as hell going to save Sam. He's just got to keep fighting.

Personal salvation is just a fairytale that he's never really believed in anyway. Hellfire be damned. Dean Winchester might burn in the pit for all eternity, but he's not going to let those sons of bitches turn him into one of them.

No. Fucking. Way.

Supernatural 3x08 - Have Yourself a Fudgingly Good Christmas

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:38:44 GMT

And so a little late commentary about the ep. I suppose "late" is relative. While I watched the ep this time last week, it won't be shown here in Australia until some time next year. Although it shouldn't surprise me that Channel Ten are saving it for after the "non-ratings period", another (possibly louder) part of me really feels like pointing out that the main point of "Christmas episodes" is to watch them at Christmas time! Mind you that hasn't really helped me with the Doctor Who Christmas specials in previous years either.

I haven't felt the urge to say much about this ep on LJ up until now. Not that I didn't enjoy it. I really did. But I sorta got my "fix" of post-ep discussion the next day when I met up with friends, including rinkle and the chat she and I had about it seemed to get the need to talk about it out of my system. But then today, I read erinrua's wonderful missing scene for the ep and while checking out other stuff at friendshipper's LJ, I read something in her comment about the ep that ~~I took issue with~~ made me think a bit more about it.

friendshipper mused about how, since Sam got the amulet from Bobby (demon expert extraordinaire), maybe it could be a means of Dean being able to get out of his demonic contract?

Oh, dear God, NO! I really hope that it DOESN'T turn out that way because I don't want the solution to the problem of the Demon Deal to be something as simple as a magic amulet protects him. That's too "neat" and "easy". I want them to find a solution to the deal through a trial of courage or virtue or intellect or skill - or through sacrifice. I want to see Dean's salvation EARNED (by his and/or his brother's actions). I suppose I don't mind so much if the amulet just plays a very small role in the deal breaking, but if it proves to be the crux of Dean's salvation, then I, for one, will be disappointed.

And the another thing that occurred to me was that if Sam had originally intended to give the amulet to their father and at the last minute changed his mind and gave it to Dean instead (and Dean knows this fact) and then amulet saves Dean from going to Hell, then isn't Dean going to wonder if their dad would have been saved if Sam had given him the amulet as he originally intended? Dean (being Dean) would most likely think that he cheated in getting his salvation, that he, in fact stole their father's chance to live (coz I assume that not only Dean's soul, but also his life would be saved). Geez! How much would THAT eat away at the Deanster? And I suppose I wouldn't put that sort of angst past Kripke and co, but then I'd feel that they were essentially rehashing old ground. Dean being guilt ridden that his dad died in his place was his big angst issue of the first half of season 2. Re-doing it again (just with a different reason for him to think that he should have died instead) would seem repetitive to me. I could see how and why Dean would feel that way, but it just wouldn't impress me as a story arc (too much same old, same old).

But anyway, even on first viewing, I really enjoyed the episode and I like it more each time I see it. My one main quibble with it the first time round was that some of the flashback scenes had a few "clunky" moments in the dialogue - like Dean suddenly flaring up when Sam just mentioned their mother. Weird, I thought, and not at all subtle. But chatting to rinkle reminded me that those scenes were from the POV of Sam's eight year old memories and with all of Sammy's long festering resentment about the issues coming into play. So it does make some sense that he'd remember Dean as being totally unreasonable like that. Might not reflect the exact way it really went down, but a very close approximation coloured by Sam's issues. So with that perspective, I actually find that I enjoyed watching the ep more now. It doesn't "clunk" with me as much.

I expect that there's been a flare up of John hate and Bobby love in the wake of the episode. Evil Father John missed Christmas with his kids but Saintly Uncle Bobby helped them get presents for their family. Y'know much as I like Bobby (and I really, REALLY do), I'm beginning to get a little jack of the idea put forward in fan comments and fics that "Bobby is more of a father to the boys than John". The idea that Bobby has some sort of proprietary/parental rights where the Winchester brothers are concerned or that he has the right to judge the job John did raising them does rather annoy me. Yeah, Bobby is a really good uncle figure in the boys lives, but superior to their actual father in looking after them he is NOT. I'd like to point out that a) taking care of two fully grown and highly independent young men in an avuncular way is IN NO WAY COMPARABLE to raising two very small children essentially on your own and b) in the show, Bobby's brand of affection is gruff and full of chiding in ways that are not completely unlike what little we saw of John interacting with his kids. Bobby calls them idjits and morons and derides their plans or their research. He mock-threatens to shoot them. He grabbed hold of Dean and shook him, as he yelled at him about making the demon deal. In the show, Bobby is no more "hearts and flowers" or "c'mere son, let's hug" than John was. I love Bobby and his relationship with the boys. I would have loved to have seen more of his friendship with John (especially the "threatening to fill him full of buckshot" incident). But this idea that Bobby knows more about raising kids or being a father to the Winchester brothers has no real basis IMHO and just stems from some people's need to venerate Bobby and vilify John.

Furthermore (still in pro-John rant mode), yes John wasn't there THAT particular Christmas, but it was apparently the very first Christmas he wasn't with his boys. Whatever traveling he did away from them in the past, Dean claimed to be sure that his dad would be back for Christmas "just like he always is". So, until that year, he'd always been with them. And, as others have pointed out, he may have had a damn good reason for not making it back, not least of which that he could have been injured/hospitalized/unconscious at that time.

I must be a "hard bitch" because I must confess that I'm not totally scandalised that John left Dean to look after Sam for days at a time. Yes, Dean was made to "grow up too fast", but he was an incredibly strong kid, forged by adversity - in the same way that he is now a very strong adult. That's not to say that he doesn't (or as a child didn't) have fears and vulnerabilities and weaknesses, but he became the remarkable individual that he is through these experiences. And in all honesty, Sam was probably safer with and better looked after by his prematurely adult brother than he would have been with many actual adult carers. Okay, his nutrition might have been better if someone other than Dean was in charge of buying food (from what we saw in the Christmas ep), but all in all, Dean did a remarkable job.

And honestly, if someone tells me that "Dean raised himself and Sam", I might have to tell them they are a complete moron. Yes, Dean helped to raise Sam. That's obvious, but Dean raising himself? That's ludicrous. Any parenting skills Dean has, he learned from John. Dean was four years old when his mother died. Four year olds don't spontaneously just know how to care for other children in the way we've seen Dean do. Someone taught Dean to do that. Who? Uncle Bobby that they saw every once in a while? The sometimes mentioned Pastor Jim? Or could it possibly be the father that Dean hero-worships fer cryin out loud?!? John Winchester raised his son Dean (and IMHO did much of the job raising Sam even if Dean helped) and when you look at the results ie. the extremely strong, moral and altruistic person that Dean is (and Sam too), then I'd say he did a pretty good job.

And I've got to say that I think the "patched together" and "make do" Winchester Christmases that we got to see (and glimpse) in this ep were things of true beauty. Yeah, theft is wrong, not saying isn't, but that didn't detract (for me) from the "make our celebrations from what we can find" aspect of beer can wreaths and mistakenly given chick-presents. Sam's cobbled together Christmas cheer at the end of the ep (beautifully described in ErinRua's fic, by the way) was more "perfect" than any of the other Christmas decorations in the "normal homes" depicted in the episode. I loved it all - impressed by the ingenuity and touched by the efforts and sentiments, not at all upset by the cheapness or illegality. The decorations may have been cheap, but tacky is in the eye of the beholder and IMHO there was nothing in the least bit tacky about the Winchester gifts from the gas-mart down the street. I loved how the gifts they chose for each other were so totally THEM. Sam actually choosing things that reflect his brother's interests and Dean buying things that could be considered "inappropriate" but really aren't. Both sets of gifts really reflect the giver and I think that for the Winchester brothers, that counts more than anything else to the recipient.

So, yeah, I loved the episode. The right amount of Winchester sentiment. A little splash of gore. A nice shot of humour where needed. And yes, I adored the way Dean adopted "fudge" as a swear word and used it to great effect! Hee.

So a fudgingly good night to you all. And all the compliments of the season!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:49:45 GMT

No matter what your religious beliefs or attitude to the "holiday season" in general - or your preferred fandom, for that matter - you simply HAVE TO go and take a look at wraithfodder's Christmas decorations!

Seriously. Although, if you are eating or drinking, swallow your current mouthful and put the rest down before you click on the link.

Now, go here and partake of the festive cheer!

SGA 4x10 - HUH???

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:16:29 GMT

Honestly, I watched this episode yesterday and I really and truly DIDN'T KNOW what I thought of it.

Admittedly, I'd was sleep-deprived and generally overtired by the time I finally flopped down on the couch to watch it and the energy-sapping heat and humidity that was Sydney weather yesterday didn't help either, but my befuddled brain just couldn't seem to get a grip of what the POINT of what this episode - this MID SEASON FINALE (as scrolled across the screen at one point) - actually was.

And so (and I know how utterly lame this sounds) I thought I'd wander over to see what friendshipper's reaction to this episode was - reasoning that since we share a brain so often, maybe I could use hers as a spare while mine was clearly "out of order".

Now, I'm thinking maybe it was the episode and not just my brain refusing to function.

I did pick up on Pod!Lorne and Pod!Keller instantly, so I assume that I was meant to. Didn't immediately make the jump to Replicators, but was sure it was something like and hence not surprised when Replicatorization turned out to be the form of Podification used.

I did hope that it was more of a "Our Team" captured and placed in a Pod scenario rather than new replicas of them made. As I'm sure many other people have said, SG-1 did that way back in their 1st or 2nd season. I was actually mildly amused when Duplicate Teyla said that she had held on to a vague hope of that being the case until she was face to face with her other self - it was exactly my reaction - and so yeah, that was probably deliberately done that way.

And so, yeah, replicas of the team and Elizabeth made. But still, WHAT WAS THE POINT??? I was sort of just settling into an acceptance that this was just a "filler" ep when the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen reminded me that it was the MID SEASON FINALE. W. T. F.

Duplicates made and killed off (apparently - although it was open ended enough for the "twist" to be that they're not actually dead). The Originals get a device that allows them to track the Replicators Aurora class ships. Handy, I s'pose. The "cliffhanger" is that they realise that there are a helluva lot of those ships... 24 hours later I still haven't worked up enough energy to lift my nails to my teeth in an attempt to bite them. I say again - W. T. F. That's it?

I really am flabbergasted because when they made this episode they probably didn't know that they'd be renewed for a new season already. They also didn't know that a WGA strike would also possibly "handicap the competition" in some ways. But IMHO they're bloody lucky on both counts. Coz this - as Mid Season Finale is so very anti-climatic to me.

Yes, there were plenty of nice bits that I enjoyed. The Rodney and Radek interaction (both Duplicates and Originals). Some really nice Duplicate team moments. The Originals meet the Duplicates stuff didn't impress me as much as it did some others. I was mildly surprised that Rodney was so effusively enthusiastic about working with his counterpart - especially, considering his almost instant antipathy to Rod in McKay and Mrs Miller last year. But whatever.

Elizabeth? Nice to see her introduced again, but again I couldn't get a handle of what it was supposed to mean. How was it supposed to advance her story? Or was it not meant to advance her story, but to end it instead? Like with Ford after the Hive episode? If that's the case, then I'd have preferred that they didn't bother. I'd rather have the hope that Elizabeth is out there somewhere rather than the "closure" that this provided.

And so, perhaps due to my own sense of denial, I'm refusing to accept both a) that the original was killed earlier (I really don't know why Repli!Keller would lie but I'm assuming she did) and b) that the Duplicate team and Elizabeth were killed in this ep. Pointless waste and I just refuse to buy into it. *cough* And if someone would like to write some fic to that effect, that would be nice. *cough*

But the reactions of John, Rodney and Radek to the death of the original Elizabeth (and in John and Rodney's case meeting and then losing the duplicate) were gorgeous. I did appreciate that.

There were a lot of MOMENTS that I appreciated in this ep, but a collection of nice moments do NOT a Mid Season Finale make! Hmmm... and now I seem to remember having a similar reaction the Supernatural's second season finale too.

And Sam Carter did not feature at all in the episode - again. Okay, remind me exactly what her function on this show is supposed to be? Honestly, Jennifer Keller appears more frequently - and to greater effect! And since I really like Keller, I don't mind at all. She's been much more of a "regular" than Sam has this season. Promote the doc, say I! (Although that did prove dangerous last time...)

Yeah, maybe I'm just out of step with fandom. I dunno.

SGA 4x09 - The One I'd Been Waiting For All The Wrong Reasons

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:44:54 GMT

I'd seen a promo pic which had me anticipating some interaction between Sheppard and a kid (which we really haven't seen since season 1, come to think about it) and that interaction didn't really eventuate. I anticipated some McKay-Miller interaction. That did happen and it was fun, but that wasn't what blew me away about this episode.

Okay, let's cut straight to the heart of the matter.

John Sheppard killed a man using his own conscience as a weapon against him.

That's what it really boiled down to. We've seen what John is prepared to do to enemy soldiers, but Wallace was pretty much a civilian who no longer posed a threat. Yes, there was a certain element of justice to Sheppard's solution, but he did effectively "play God", circumventing protocol and deciding who should live and who should die.

It's cold and harsh and dark - and I LOVE that they didn't play that down or gloss over it or take another easier way out. Honestly, they could've made it far less murky. They could have written it so that Wallace really did come up with the idea himself. But they didn't. They made Sheppard make the hard decision. They made him manipulate Wallace into sacrificing himself, in no uncertain terms. It was Sheppard's plan and his choice. And it was completely in character for what we've seen from John Sheppard in the series so far.

He didn't make the decision lightly and, in the final conversation with Rodney, it's clear that he hasn't forgiven himself. It's going to be another choice that he's just going to have to live with.

Awesome!

What really resounded with me about this whole episode was that it really did deal with the consequences of people's actions. Wallace wasn't an unsympathetic character, but he did pursue his own agenda without caring about the people he might hurt. And then he was made to face up to it. Rodney's suspicion and unwillingness to trust Wallace wouldn't kill them even if they gave him what they wanted also "came back to bite him" when he later had to use almost the same arguments on the Wraith. Characters make pronouncements about where they stand on certain issues and then they have to deal with the fallout. Nothing was made "easy" on anyone. Well, perhaps the Miller family didn't have to deal with any murky issues themselves. I do think that Jeannie and Caleb made some emotive statements that they never had to deal with the fallout for - particularly, the fact that they both rather vocally blamed Rodney for the whole situation. But the only way they would have had to face the consequences of that would have been if Rodney really had sacrificed his life for Jeannie (and I certainly don't want that).

And yes, there was the sibling banter between Rodney and Jeannie, but for me that was overshadowed by other things.

The interactions between John and Rodney in the last part of the ep were so charged with emotion, positively electric, and yet they were both so very in character. It was so good to see the pragmatic soldier in Sheppard come to the fore, but never leaving behind the loyal friend that he is at his core. Rodney being so earnest in his desperation. His guilt is misplaced, but totally the kind of thing he'd do.

A brief, but well worthwhile, appearance by Zelenka. "I'm losing. The will. To live."

And I've always had a soft spot for Agent Barrett whom I've begun to think of as sort of SGA's equivalent of Major Davis. Was quite worried about him a few times during the episode, especially with what happened to Kate Heightmeyer. Barrett does seem the kind of character who could be killed off for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and when the commandos took Rodney, I really thought it would be Barrett's body that John and Ronon would find. I also had a brief bad moment worrying that he would be a traitor working for the bad guys on the inside, but that also didn't occur. I was very much relieved.

I couldn't help but be aware of a few of the "convenient coincidences" written in. Rodney getting John and Ronon to go back to their hotel, so later when he's kidnapped, they conveniently wouldn't be around. The fact that these new and improved nannites are suddenly immune to EMPs. That sort of thing. But overall, these didn't detract from an amazing episode that pushed our heroes to their limits and really didn't let them off lightly.

Fan-bloody-tastic!

And friendshipper's review of this episode has a brilliant, in depth analysis of Sheppard's part in this episode. It left me even more awestruck than I already was by the ep - and that's saying something.

Not on the Side of the Angels?

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:05:35 GMT

It's long been a source of amusement to me that "Being on the side of the Angels" seems to be usually quoted as being a Good versus Evil thing. Because (as far as I know) it stems from a quote by Benjamin Disraeli stating that, in the Creationism versus Evolution debate, he was actually against the theory of evolution "The question is this. Is man an ape or an angel? I am on the side of the angels!". And I really think that most people using the phrase these days don't mean it in that context.

What am I waffling on about? Well, there are so many things I should be doing with my "free time", but then when I had a free moment at work today, I again found myself net-surfing and via bardicvoice at supernatural_tv I found the following excerpt from a Q&A with Eric Kripke at TV Guide.

Question: I will blab to Gargamel the location of every Smurf I know unless you do this one thing for me: Tell me if Supernatural ever plans on exploring the good side of the supernatural world. You know, guardian angels, the spear of destiny, stuff like that.— Jeff

Ausiello: TV Guide's HR policy strictly forbids me from negotiating with terrorists, but I suppose I could make an exception just this once. Here's your answer, courtesy of Supernatural creator Eric Kripke: "We have a firm belief in the cosmology of this show that evil, in terms of demons, etc, is very tangible and real and out there. Angels and supernatural forces of good are much more elusive. But in my opinion - and the opinion of the writers - if God is out there, he isn't sending angels to fight the battles; he's working through a very human, sweaty, outgunned and overwhelmed group of hunters. For us, these are the angels. I think the point that's very important to us to make is that the forces of good work through humans who are flawed and imperfect and trying to make the right decisions. And that's the way God works. So we try to present that."

I'm not always all that impressed with some of the ideas Eric Kripke has for his show. I listened to his DVD commentary for the episode "What is and What Should Never Be" (unusual for me because I'm not much into DVD commentaries, as a rule) and was thankful that he directed it, rather than writing it because some of the ideas for the story that he touted for the story as being "cool" sounded incredibly lame, not to mention illogical, to me. Thankfully, saner heads apparently prevailed. But that's all by the by.

Because I think his (and apparently the other writers) take on whether there should be angels on Supernatural is deadset AWESOME! Yes! - to the idea that the Forces for Good should be flawed and fallible human beings. Yes! - to Evil being in a position of power with Our Human Heroes battling against incredible odds to fight the Good Fight. YES!!! - to Our Heroes being the "instruments" that any Divine Power uses to do the work of Good in the world. No "help from on high". No benevolent "deus ex machina". No easy fixes. Nothing to cheapen the battle nor the victory when it comes (and I choose to believe that's when and not if.).

To borrow another quote from Disraeli:

"Man is not the creature of circumstances, circumstances are the creatures of men. We are free agents, and man is more powerful than matter."

(Small edit - because I originally thought that quoting Disraeli again might be considered impudent, since I though I was sort of putting myself not "on the side of the angels", but in another way I am putting myself on Disraeli's side of the of the angels because, taking the Evolution vs Creation debate out of the equation entirely, I am arguing that Mankind should be considered the "angels" in the show's mythology rather than "apes" who are waiting for other more angel-like beings to do the work for them.)

Hmmm... Anyway...

God bless Kripke & Co for giving weight and credence to the free will of good men and women. Fight the Good Fight. Don't have it fought for you.

Random amusing fact

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:38:47 GMT

saritajuanita reports:

Batman just wishes he was Dean Winchester.