Stargate: Atlantis, "Trinity" (contains spoilers)

[justalurkr]

OK, I'm pretty sure something technical happened. Some guy put on a red shirt, Radek had another argument with Rodney and Elizabeth was yelling about something, but who the frickety frack cares, it was slash on a silver platter with a bud vase next to the good china!!!

"Trust me," Rodney says, and John does. Not blindly, he clearly knew there was something to worry about going on there; but just as clearly knew there was plenty of room for Rodney to have a better understanding of whatever it was. No Dumb!John here. I love that.

OK, now answer me this, kids:

Why, when she realizes she's dropped her drawers and bent over for Repli-carter, does Sammy the Wonderhorse get a wholly patronizing pat on the head when she attempts to take responsibility, while Rodney gets yelled at by a Lizharpy and a "you'll have my trust back, someday" from John after admitting fault and apologizing? As far as I know, Rodney's second stab at the weapon endangered nothing Atlantis valued and no one but himself and John.

Carter, on the other hand, pulled the plug on the only defense Earth had against the Replicators at the time, gave up whatever intelligence the alpha site database contained to the enemy AND endangered her life and those of everyone else on the alpha base. Against orders to destroy the repli-bitch, I might add. Rodney was griping and whining, but he did follow the order to abort the test when John gave it in an imperative statement (as opposed to an interrogative.)

I can't figure out which character got the least respect: Carter for being patronized, or Rodney for being made so wrong by so many, when there was a majority agreement behind his continuing the weapons test.

Maybe I'll just stick with being glad they're not succumbing to Super!Rodney two seasons faster than we got Super!Sam and that he didn't get a thorough lobotomy from the writers at Bridge when his turn came. Also, I can go back and wear out the recording on the scenes between Rodney and John. :D That's plenty to be glad about.

Oh, and Ronon Dex was a thorough-going skank in this one. I like him a whole lot better now. Teyla, too, though I'm in no hurry to see their inevitable 'ship sail into port. UST aside, I like the Aliens Allied within Atlantis vibe they're building. "We must not speak of this when we return," indeed. I hope to see a whack-stick session that goes the other way very shortly.

Comments

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Good points -- I wrote a review of "Trinity" (why am I thinking of that Matrix character snogging Rodney and Shep at the same time? anyhow...) on OS, and I'll repost it on my LJ but:

Until they give Miss National Treasure Stick Up Her Arse the same treatment they have Rodney in this episode, they won't have credibility either way.

Better yet, when Miss Stick up Her Ass DOES get to Atlantis, I'm looking forward to Weird giving her a right-reaming if Carter makes a mistake.

Re: Teyla and Ronan -- yeah, I like the dynamics they're setting up with these two. I like Teyla much more than last season, when she was a "meh" character, and too wise-and-Teal'c-like -- but I feel she has her own personality now. And it's interesting that she isn't going to tell Weird *everything* that goes on during her junkets.

And, because she's the main negotiator for her tribe, well, I think she *isn't* required to tell Weird everything that happens. She has her own viewpoints, and she seems well aware that the Tau'ri folks have a collective-stick-up their butts when it comes to how *others* approach their morals, if ykwim. Can you imagine the disapproval from Weird if she hears what Ronan did - killing someone from his planet in cold blood as judge jury and executioner? While Teyla understands that kind of betrayal, she's more flexible, and won't judge Ronan on a *moral level* - just on a personal level.

I know lots of other folks just bided their time while the Teyla/Ronan stuff was on screen, but I thought it was a pretty fascinating glimpse into how Teyla thinks. And I'm all for one of the female characters on this show to gain some moral graying.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I'm still not clear on what the guy did that was so wrong, Dex killed him on sight. May have to watch again for more than just McShep squeeing purposes.

This was the most personality I recall Teyla displaying since the B plot of "Letters from Pegasus," when she strongarmed Sheppard into waiting for the refugees. I think the character we're starting to see has always been there, she's just so understated compared to the personalities around her and so live-and-let-live as long as her people's goals aren't being interfered with, she's faded a bit into the woodwork.

While splitting up the team isn't my favorite thing for the writers to do on either show, it works better for me on Atlantis, because that team is more an alliance of convenience than, y'know, Earth's best defense. Plus, it lets other people besides John and Rodney shine. ;)

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

Actually, what I'm *afraid* of is that, by the time National Treasure makes it to Atlantis, Rodney's credibility will still be shot with Weird and Sheppard, and they'll rely on her to do the Perfect Thing, and she will, and Rodney will have Learned Carter Is Better At Everything.

I want to stick her halo where the sun apparently shines from in her body.

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

That sounds All Too Likely to be what the Boys at Bridge have in mind, unfortunately. All Carter Saves the Day, All The Time.

[bugchicklv.livejournal.com]

I wanted to cry for Rodney during that whole confrontation with John at the end. He looked so upset that John might not trust him again. NOT THAT HE HAD BEEN WRONG (although that was probably killing him), just that he might have lost the trust of his "friend". *snerk*

That ep screamed slash.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

There was slash in this episode?

(looks more closely)

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

:D It may require repeat viewings to see. Quel chore!

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they both went out on what turned into the wrong limb. Rodney is so committed to being right, though, that I'd trust him to make doubly sure in the future not to overestimate their chances in an experiment. I'll bet John will, too.

The other thing removing the rest of the group's unquestioning trust in Rodney does is open the door to more technobabble int he future. If Rodney is always right, it stops being believable that people would sit through his explanations of why.

[ducks-in-a-row.livejournal.com]

Why, when she realizes she's dropped her drawers and bent over for Repli-carter, does Sammy the Wonderhorse get a wholly patronizing pat on the head when she attempts to take responsibility, while Rodney gets yelled at by a Lizharpy and a "you'll have my trust back, someday" from John after admitting fault and apologizing?



But Spammy's a girrrrrrl (said in best whiney voice) You can't talk mean to girls 'cause they sulk and cry and everyone knows they're worthless outside the kitchen/bedroom anyway ;-P

I didn't see the whole ep so I can't speak to Rodney's guilt or innocence. I got the feeling that his arrogance had led him to promise something he couldn't deliver on. If so, a *little* humble pie won't hurt him. The screeching from Weir, however, seemed excessive.

Did see enough of the ep to say--yes, decidedly and surprisingly slashy ;-)

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

"Guilt" didn't enter into it for me quite as keenly with Rodney in "Trinity" as it did with Sam in "Gemini." Sam's been roughed up by replicators before; she knows how they work. I can't remember Rodney failing to solve a problem involving Ancient technology, unless time ran out on him. He's entitled to a littel overconfidence. Added to the angst over the red shirt, he was seriously determined to kick that weapon's ass.

OK, he's guilty of bull-headedness and did need to be reamed out about it, and was. Maybe that's the difference in they way he was treated and Sam's pat on the head: if they went after what Sam did wrong, there'd be a court martial involved for disobeying a direct order to interrogate and destroy the replicator whose first words were pretty much "I can't betray my brethren." Anything it said after that should have been suspect. Setting aside all court martialable offenses, I guess Sam really didn't do anything wrong.

[ducks-in-a-row.livejournal.com]

Therein lies the rub...

Rodney is arrogant (bless his little snarky head) and sometimes he bites off more than he can chew. That's fine--let him make mistakes, let everyone acknowledge it, learn, and move on.

This doesn't happen when Spam's arrogance causes trouble. Everyone kicks dirt over it and pretends it didn't happen. Nobody learns anything...except the enemy apparently.

I know which scenario I prefer.

[nialla]

Like Eos said, Sam's a giiiiiiirrrrrl. We can't risk making her cry. But if she did, she'd cry prettily, dammit.

Honestly, I'm starting to think a comeuppance episode for Sam would be too little to late for her now. There's just too many incidents that have pissed some fans off for one admittance of guilt/reaming by a superior officer to "fix" things.

Take for example the "tough kid" comment. AT has said in interviews that Sam took the job at Area 51 to be able to spend more time with Cassie, but I doubt we'll ever get much if any explanation about Sam's time away. Just like we've never had it stated outright where Jack went. I guess they're trying to string the shippers along or something. Even so, Sam paying attention to Cassie now, about two years after Janet's death, does exactly zilch to erase Sam saying that about Cassie while boo hooing on Jack's shoulder.

I just hope now that Jack's technically out of the picture, the writers will stop contorting themselves and the characters to make "shippy moments" just for the hell of it. I'm not getting a good feeling on that though, because it seemed like in Sam's return episode, lots of contorting was done to get her back and have Vala make a rapid exit, stage blackhole.

I don't mind Rodney being wrong. It's better than getting Super Rodney, though I think David would look simply smashing in a Superman costume. ;)

As you point out, Rodney was doing what others had decided he should do, even though he'd swayed their opinion by telling them he could do it. In Rodney's mind, he could. No question. He wanted to defeat this particular "enemy" not just because it killed someone on his watch, but also because it was challenge to him to do so. How much of an egoboo would it be to complete something the Ancients couldn't?

It backfired in a massive way, but hindsight's 20/20. There's no way Rodney or anyone else could have known how it would go. But it's a learning experience for all of them to know that Rodney's not always right.

I just dread Sammikins showing up at Atlantis though. I fear they may have decided Rodney needed this comeuppance, so when Sam shows up, the people of Atlantis will have reason to doubt him now if he and Sam disagree about something.

I need some spoilers

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

My tape cut out right after Rodney says the "I hate to think you faith in me is dimmed" line? How did Sheppard respond, and how did the episode end?

Re: I need some spoilers

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

"...or your trust, or at the very least, I hope I can earn that back.

(Sheppard looks very uncomfortable)

Shep: (softly) That may take awhile.

(Rodney looks crushed)

Shep: (smirk is sneaking out) BUT...I'm sure you can do it if you really, really try.

(He reaches behind him to hit the button on the transporter and then crosses his arms over his chest as the doors close between him and Rodney. I read his expression as a smug smirk.)

(There's a closing shot on Rodney, who sort of straightens up from the being crushed and slowly regains his own smug smirk, but actually looks rather sweet, instead. Of course, I'm an enormous McShep ho, so I could be biased about the sweet. After the half-grin, he sort of exhales in relief, then goes back to looking pretty sober. Debate is fairly hot on what he might have been thinking, but I believe that, having apologized to everyone else, he's now got to face himself about what happened. Anyway, it fades to black on that.)

Re: I need some spoilers

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was killing me that I didn't know Sheppard's closing line. And yeah, slashy, much?

Re: I need some spoilers

[justalurkr.livejournal.com]

I couldn't believe the whole episode! Teylan/Ronan for the 'shippers and John/Rodney for the slashers and even some Rodney/Radek, if that floats one's boat.

My most favorite slashy bit of all was during the montage, when John dragged something into the test area, put it down with great relief, then looked to Rodney, who said "I want that over there" and John picked it right back up and moved it. I don't think I've seen them act that married since the scene in "Before I Sleep," when they were checking out new living quarters.

Re: I need some spoilers

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, a little something for everyone in that show. Teyla being tough, Ronan being sheepish, and John and Rodnet married