Grade SGA 5x07 - Whispers

[Jax]

(I should of said hyped up off screen) Before the season began the writers had talked about two characters having a role throughout the season (Vega & Porter) and would talk about them now and again in there blogs or interviews before the 5th season began.

We saw Vega in the opening episode and the way she brought the dart down seemed to hint she was a very capable SG member but the way she was killed was a little weak, lowering her guard to argue.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Self-destruct. I fell asleep.

VERY standard haunted house antics.

Didn't like the all female team who had little respect the Shepherd which seemed to me because he was a man.

Maybe they read the file on him and realized that he has a track record of terrible decision-making?

The all-female team was weird because, well, they all look like actresses. A real all-female military team would not look like that. This would have been less obvious if Shep hadn't had an oh-my-god reaction which I read as "oh-my-god, it's Charlies' Angels."

 

[Barbados Slim]

The all-female team was weird because, well, they all look like actresses. A real all-female military team would not look like that. This would have been less obvious if Shep hadn't had an oh-my-god reaction which I read as "oh-my-god, it's Charlies' Angels."

While Christina Cox can pull off military I can agree with that. I felt that Janina Ganvakar had the swagger of a sargeant and Leela Savesta is another pretty girl who lacks any dynamics in her line readings and facial expressions. And she can't hold a P-90.

But the biggest problem was with the makeup department, who made them look too glamourous to be on an off-world mission.

 

[firehawk12]

Fairly standard Stargate fare. I'm pretty sure they've done the same episode with Replicators.

I don't get the point of the new team though, but I suppose it's different than hearing McKay whine, Ronon growl and Teyla being pensive.

And, maybe I just have some misconceptions about gender, but the Sergeant's lines felt like they were written for a generic male soldier but just transplanted to a female character.

 

[JiNX-01]

Fairly standard Stargate fare. I'm pretty sure they've done the same episode with Replicators.

It was done in Vengeance. A "Michael" episode that actually included Michael.

 

[broberfett]

Self-destruct. I fell asleep.

VERY standard haunted house antics.

Didn't like the all female team who had little respect the Shepherd which seemed to me because he was a man.

Maybe they read the file on him and realized that he has a track record of terrible decision-making?

The all-female team was weird because, well, they all look like actresses. A real all-female military team would not look like that. This would have been less obvious if Shep hadn't had an oh-my-god reaction which I read as "oh-my-god, it's Charlies' Angels."

Yeah, if it was realistic then the chick soldiers would have looked like the woman from the meat packing plant in Boondock Saints.

P.S. I liked the all chick team being hot, except they should have all taken their shirts off.

 

[broberfett]

This episode so needed RONAN with all the action

So what was the point of Captain Alicia Vega hype being a recurring character throughout the season. Pointless death, pointless hype...did she want to leave or something after not enjoying her 1st episode or something

WTF.

Overall (Above Average) good atmosphere and being a fan of horror, I loved the entire theme of the episode. I liked De Boer's character though they was no real need for the little crush between her n Carson, it just got a little uncomfortable at times. However like most horror it does suffer from human stupidity...

1. Why did Sheppard, the Major & Vega choose to travel at night

2. Vega loswering her guard that lead to her demise was a little dumb

3. Why do people wander off so much in horror stories

However despite that and the stupid idea to kill Vega off instead of the annoying Sgt lass, it was a good episode.

#1- The US military claims to own the night. So they have a massive advantage in night vision and thermal optics which the Atlantis team, strangely, has none of at all. So they are using the required rule that scary movie people must be stupid. Maybe they should have given some sort of increasing time danger like the critical reactor in Aliens.

#3- The characters must be isolated in a horror flick, either physically or emotionally. So they must be on an isolated space ship, Antarctic base, space station, underwater station, etc. Alternatively they can be surrounded by people, but not be able to trust anyone such as someone suddenly becoming a zombie or an alien monster. So the characters wander off to increase their isolation and vulnerability. It is stupid, but it is one of the rules.

 

[Lindley]

Stargate needs to learn how to do something other than a creature shoot-em-up again. Sometimes I think they've forgotten.

 

[Hermiod]

And the whole 'fist' thing between between Shep and Beckett after they meet Team SG-Babes was ab-libbed by the two actors.

We have editors for that kind of thing. In fact, most of that scene would have gone if I was in the editing room. I would have replaced it with some dialogue explaining why they didn't just go back to the Stargate.

 

[DWF]

Stargate needs to learn how to do something other than a creature shoot-em-up again. Sometimes I think they've forgotten.

Huh?

Doppelganger
Trio
Tabula Rasa
Quarantine
and even The Last Man kind of spring to mind and that's only from last season.

 

[Fencer]

I don't get the point of the new team though, but I suppose it's different than hearing McKay whine, Ronon growl and Teyla being pensive.

The intention was to set up a bunch of recurring characters for later episodes in the fifth season or if they got a sixth. Supposedly Tedly's team might make an appearance in the movie.

 

[Jono]

And the whole 'fist' thing between between Shep and Beckett after they meet Team SG-Babes was ab-libbed by the two actors.

We have editors for that kind of thing. In fact, most of that scene would have gone if I was in the editing room. I would have replaced it with some dialogue explaining why they didn't just go back to the Stargate.

Beckett whines about the long hike at the beginning and that they abseil down a mountain, so there is the distance and difficulty of getting back to the gate. Plus there was not a problem until night time when the stupid local let out the beasties. While the abandoned town is freaky they would have a good idea that it would be tied to Michael's activities at the lab.

The really stupid thing was to leave the lab. I don't see why they didn't camp at the lab. It's abandoned and if they want to learn about the lab and what went on you can do it right there. It would have at least allowed them to do a proper search, which the first team didn't seem to bother doing. Missing a second room with more stasis pods is really quite poor work.

 

[TerriO]

This was what "Vengeance" really wanted to be, IMO. A nicely creepy little piece. Advanced the Michael storyline without having to worry about explaining whether or not he's still alive (and therefore, no worries about actor availability), dealing with the remainder of his experiments out in Pegasus.

Yeah, it was all of the horror movie cliches rolled into one, and Sheppard even commented on that before suggesting they all split up. (And I really wish he'd have commented on how much of a cliche that was, too, but you can't have everything.)

Teldy rocks, and we really need to see the Sarge again. Porter? I've got a feeling we'll see her again at some point.

 

[Hermiod]

Beckett whines about the long hike at the beginning and that they abseil down a mountain, so there is the distance and difficulty of getting back to the gate. Plus there was not a problem until night time when the stupid local let out the beasties. While the abandoned town is freaky they would have a good idea that it would be tied to Michael's activities at the lab.

They've got to do that monsters or no monsters.

Teldy rocks, and we really need to see the Sarge again. Porter? I've got a feeling we'll see her again at some point.

I don't imagine you cast Star Trek actors in roles if you don't think there's a chance that you're going to use them again.

 

[TerriO]

Teldy rocks, and we really need to see the Sarge again. Porter? I've got a feeling we'll see her again at some point.

I don't imagine you cast Star Trek actors in roles if you don't think there's a chance that you're going to use them again.

Marina Sirtis, Rene Auberjonois? Hell, Auberjonois' character was killed off, so they obviously only planned to use him once. Sirtis' character could still return, but that would be such an outside shot budget-wise right now it would surprise me.

Armin Shimmerman only appeared once, but that could have been due to already doing two series at the time as much as anything else.

 

[Hermiod]

^Picardo, Trinneer, Blalock ?

 

[TerriO]

I'm willing to wager at the time they were in Stargate, Sirtis, Auberjonois and Shimmerman were a bit more high profile.

Picardo's about the only one on your list who I'd agree compares. Trinneer and Blalock just weren't that well known before Enterprise. And they were on a series that was on a declining course from the beginning. Of course, Sirtis wasn't too well known before TNG, either. But that was TNG, which is an entity unto itself.

And Blalock's character only appeared in 2 episodes, so that's not really that much of a parry, there, Hermiod.

 

[Hermiod]

^I did say a "chance". You've got to admit, Stargate does like to raid other Sci-Fi shows for actors.

 

[Gibraltar]

How on Earth-or NuLantea, could Sheppard not know who the women were or that there was an all female team? He seemed stupidly shocked, in a bad 1960s kind of way... He's the head of the base's military...he should know who his people are. No need for the dated lame oooh, lookie, Amazons! vibe from him or the show. And why was there so much build up over Vega pre season, when they knew she'd be offed in her second appearance?
Christina Cox is always a welcome sight, and her team warrants an 'A', but sadly, they were stuck in a story that didn't do them justice. Yet another critter wave shoot'em up, recycling the 1st Micheal's hybrids story from season 3.
Meh. Not the worst episode ever, but nothing all that enthralling either.

Yeah, I thought it was an effective story, and certainly punched up the creepiness factor. However, I too was put off by Sheppard's reaction to an all-female gate team. Really? Nobody ever mentioned the fact that 98.9% of all the original SGC teams were all male, should this make any difference? He's practically ogling them with a Homer Simpson, 'Hot Female Soldiers... gaaaaaaaahhhhhh.' drool moment.

I think it would have been far more realistic and classier if Sheppard hadn't batted an eyelash at an all-female team.

And as has been mentioned previously, he's the senior military officer in the expedition now that Carter's been recalled. He would know the composition of every off-world team in his command.

 

[Gibraltar]

(I should of said hyped up off screen) Before the season began the writers had talked about two characters having a role throughout the season (Vega & Porter) and would talk about them now and again in there blogs or interviews before the 5th season began.

We saw Vega in the opening episode and the way she brought the dart down seemed to hint she was a very capable SG member but the way she was killed was a little weak, lowering her guard to argue.

Heh, that bugged me, too. The time that military discipline is the most important is exactly when the shit is hitting the fan. The fact that she was wanting to argue right then and there didn't sit well with me.

Plus, I can't understand why they weren't all back-to back, each covering 1/3 of their exposed front? Standing there turning circles and constantly breaking up your sight-alignment just makes you vulnerable to attack, as was proved by Vega getting sucked into the mist.