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SG-U - Pathogen - (2x04) - (Discuss – Grade | SPOILERS)

Grade Pathogen

  • 10 Chevrons – Out of this Universe

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 9 Chevrons – Beyond the known Galaxies

    Votes: 3 8.6%
  • 8 Chevrons – In the Milky Way Galaxy

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • 7 Chevrons – Within our Solar System

    Votes: 9 25.7%
  • 6 Chevrons – Can’t get past Earth (Average)

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • 5 Chevrons – No flying machines at all

    Votes: 5 14.3%
  • 4 Chevrons – Pre-Industrial

    Votes: 2 5.7%
  • 3 Chevrons – Dark Ages

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2 Chevrons – Throwing rocks and stones here

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • 1 Chevron – Cannot Establish Lock

    Votes: 1 2.9%

  • Total voters
    35
Knepper's character on the FOX drama Prison Break was Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell.
I think I saw a couple episodes of that show and he was the only character who really stood out. :lol:
I liked most of the characters (and I enjoyed the hell out of each season, though many people think it went down in quality in at least the last two seasons) but, oh yes, Knepper's T-Bag was easily the stand-out among the cast.
 
Wray helped ELi for a couple of reasons. The two have not really been at odds and even had a bit of a friendship. She realizes he’s young and not really mature, and his mother was his whole life since he never left her house. And because she saw that her own wife/GF seems to be becoming an alcholic and wanted to do something nice for another when she herself was in pain. Her GF was emotionally tied to her but they could break up, leaving the GF to actually have a life--but Eli can’t “break up” with his Mom.

I do think that, unless the writers/producers/whomever have a long-term idea for the civilians, they should’ve gotten them off the ship when the two ships were joined. Or most of them. Or some of them. Just so that we don’t wonder “Hey, what’s going on with everyone else on the ship?"
 
- I’ll give the writers credit for at least trying to make Chloe interesting.
- How did Alisen Down get such a cushy guest star gig after making a forgettable appearance on SG-1? I think she’s been in more episodes than most of the regular extras, like Lt “Jugs” James.
- Scott would be a great character if his balls weren’t tied to Chloe.
- Greer’s anger actually is beginning to make some sense. I’m one of the ones pulling for a Greer/T-Bag stranded on a planet episode.
- I do appreciate that they are trying to show the lesbian relationship having a problem, but it’s a slippery slope. How far can you go before people call it as unfriendly to the LGBT community?
- Eli’s story would be touching if I didn’t think he was some pampered nitwit.
- So Young goes from being completely bonkers in previous episodes to being the mild mannered Colonel again.
- I might give a damn about Wray is if she’s wasn’t a bitch the other 99% of the time.
- Rush has the master plan. I just wish they’d give us some insight into what the hell it is.
- Why does the Destiny crew walk around thumbing their nose at the Lucian Alliance people? Sure they tried to take over, but these people could still take over again easily.
- I guess if you’re married to Wray, you need bottles of wine.
- Is it sad the best scene was between Robert Knepper and Mike Dopud, neither one of which is a series regular. This is turning into Enterprise, with Jeffrey Combs being more interesting than Anthony Montgomery.
- I wonder how many mothers miss their lazy, unemployed, couch potato sons.
 
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- Why does the Destiny crew walk around thumbing their nose at the Lucian Alliance people? Sure they tried to take over, but these people could still take over again easily.
.
They dumped most of the LA on the Riley death planet. So it's an undefined, unless than a dozen of them left onboard.

This is turning into Enterprise, with Jeffrey Combs being more interesting than Anthony Montgomery.
Combs is more interesting than most anyone. ;)
 
I can't believe how bent out of shape people are about the chalk! I just assumed it was some broken up natural chalk Rush got from one of the many quarry-looking planets they've visited. Gave it about 5 seconds thought and moved on. The bulkhead sounded like metal when Chloe was writing on it.
 
- So Young goes from being completely bonkers in previous episodes to being the mild mannered Colonel again.
Just because Young is generally losing it doesn't necessarily mean he won't have some periods of rationality. Nothing in this episode really pushed him, so it was probably easier for him to maintain self-control.
 
I find it mildly amusing to read how many viewers think SGU is incredibly dull when I felt the same way about Atlantis. SGA had a handful of good moments but it was basically 5 seasons of going nowhere fast. I love SGU because it does stay mostly in one place and actually deal with the characters.
 
I find it mildly amusing to read how many viewers think SGU is incredibly dull when I felt the same way about Atlantis. SGA had a handful of good moments but it was basically 5 seasons of going nowhere fast. I love SGU because it does stay mostly in one place and actually deal with the characters.
characters that are not interesting to me, except for Eli and Greer.
 
Just got around to watching this episode on DVR.

And it is the worst episode of SGU so far, although some of the early 1st season episodes come close. The direction and lack of a pop song at the end of the episode were fine, but not enough to make up for the lack of anything like a coherent narrative focus.

Just fire the writing staff already. The writing in this episode just clinched it.

Young to Eli, "Your mom is dying without you."
Mom to Eli, "I'm dying without my Eli."
Eli to Wray, "Mom is dying without me."
Wray to girlfriend, "Eli's mom is dying without him."

The same exposition repeated four times in four different scenes. Lazy, lazy, lazy writing and time wasting filler of the worst most boring sort.

And to the chorus of people claiming the show is not about plot or action and is really just a character based show...then why the heck are we on a fricking huge spaceship, with mysteries on all sides, on the far side of the universe stuck with a load of characters who are bland, boring and useless?

People actually watch this show for the characters? I will admit that Greer, Eli and Rush sometimes (rarely) say or do something interesting. The rest? Heck no.

I started watching SG-1 back in '97 or whenever it was and followed the franchise ever since and I'll watch SGU until it ends. But it hurts to see such a fun franchise reduced to pathetically copying the worst features of BSG and Lost without a glimmer that they understand what made those two shows good.
 
Dull. Boring. Stale.

Both SG1 and Atlantis were adventure stories. Bringing peace to the galaxy. Liberating the weak from oppression. Not only is that not the theme of this show, its not even a part of it. Nor is there any adventure. It's almost entirely relationship drama, which is not scifi. And it's not Stargate.


Oh, God, it sounds like the old complaints about Deep Space Nine during its run.

"In needs to be on a ship"

"the characters are unpleasant and don't like one another"

'Where's the space adventures; where's the planet-of-the-week?"

"Its a soap opera"

"Nothing ever happens!"

"Its NOT Star Trek!"

:rolleyes:

So many Trek fans did and still do feel that way and yet I'm convinced DS9 was great in part because it went against the grain.

SGU isn't perfect. But I can appreciate how it doesn't try to be a clone of the two shows that came before it. Perhaps that will be its undoing but there's nothing wrong in trying to bring a different approach to an established franchise. And frankly I like the acrors and the look of the show. As far as I'm concerned I get more true emotion and human behavior in the episode of "Pathogen" than I got in the entire run of SGA. But if you feel scifi should only be about mindless weekly adventures with cutesy "likable" characters who always do the right thing and are thin on complexity, then SGA, Eureka and Warehouse Thirteen is definietely for you. Congrats. Your ilk seems to have more numbers. But some of us actually prefer the more "boring" exploration of the human condition.
 
I find it mildly amusing to read how many viewers think SGU is incredibly dull when I felt the same way about Atlantis. SGA had a handful of good moments but it was basically 5 seasons of going nowhere fast. I love SGU because it does stay mostly in one place and actually deal with the characters.
characters that are not interesting to me, except for Eli and Greer.


That's fine that the characters are not interesting to you. Just as the SGA characters were uninteresting comic book cardboard cutouts to me. Its called a difference of opinion.
 
I can't believe how bent out of shape people are about the chalk! I just assumed it was some broken up natural chalk Rush got from one of the many quarry-looking planets they've visited. Gave it about 5 seconds thought and moved on. .

The people who do this simply come across as having an agenda that includes bashing the show for even the little things. Go back and watch SG1 and SGA and see if those shows hold up under such scrutiny.
 
Dull. Boring. Stale.

Both SG1 and Atlantis were adventure stories. Bringing peace to the galaxy. Liberating the weak from oppression. Not only is that not the theme of this show, its not even a part of it. Nor is there any adventure. It's almost entirely relationship drama, which is not scifi. And it's not Stargate.


Oh, God, it sounds like the old complaints about Deep Space Nine during its run.

"In needs to be on a ship"

"the characters are unpleasant and don't like one another"

'Where's the space adventures; where's the planet-of-the-week?"

"Its a soap opera"

"Nothing ever happens!"

"Its NOT Star Trek!"

:rolleyes:

So many Trek fans did and still do feel that way and yet I'm convinced DS9 was great in part because it went against the grain.

SGU isn't perfect. But I can appreciate how it doesn't try to be a clone of the two shows that came before it. Perhaps that will be its undoing but there's nothing wrong in trying to bring a different approach to an established franchise. And frankly I like the acrors and the look of the show. As far as I'm concerned I get more true emotion and human behavior in the episode of "Pathogen" than I got in the entire run of SGA. But if you feel scifi should only be about mindless weekly adventures with cutesy "likable" characters who always do the right thing and are thin on complexity, then SGA, Eureka and Warehouse Thirteen is definietely for you. Congrats. Your ilk seems to have more numbers. But some of us actually prefer the more "boring" exploration of the human condition.

You're making a false dichotomy here. People don't dislike SGU because they think "different from SG-1 == bad show!" I'm glad SGU is different. It's the ways in which it is different that I take issue with.

The show has a good premise and a lot of potential. I don't mind that it's dark, either. I just ask that the characters have some dimension, the storylines go somewhere, and the show pick up the glacial pace a bit. (We can also lose the music montages, thank you.)

It's not like the show needs a drastic overhaul. They have the pieces sitting right in front of them to make a good series out of this.
 
You're making a false dichotomy here. People don't dislike SGU because they think "different from SG-1 == bad show!" I'm glad SGU is different. It's the ways in which it is different that I take issue with.
The show has a good premise and a lot of potential. I don't mind that it's dark, either. I just ask that the characters have some dimension, the storylines go somewhere, and the show pick up the glacial pace a bit. (We can also lose the music montages, thank you.)
It's not like the show needs a drastic overhaul. They have the pieces sitting right in front of them to make a good series out of this.
This was so well-stated that I genuinely feel it's worth quoting. I'm in complete agreement with Robert here. The show has the potential to be much better than it is. We see that potential squandered, and we lament the fact that the writers don't seem capable of pulling the disparate pieces together in a compelling manner. If we didn't see any potential in the show, we likely wouldn't be watching anymore (I definitely would not, but I don't want to go too far in putting words into other people's mouths, hence the "likely" qualifier).
 
5. This episode just marked time. It wasn't setting stuff up and it was actively developing things. The stuff we saw before just continued. I was not impressed with this one at all. And, argh, the stones are back. I'm not interested in those story lines. The build up some momentum in previous episodes but this one sputtered. Ho hum.

The big question, is the is the exception or will this continue next week. The preview didn't look promising.

Mr Awe
 
- Loved seeing Eli's mom visit Destiny. I knew they were going in that direction.

- Greer is always fun to watch. I liked how he handled Simian in the mess hall.

Nice to see Alison Down's character again, considering that she was a relatively minor character on SG-1.
When she first appeared on SG-1 I hoped that she would be a replacement for Janet Fraiser, but that never happened. It's nice to see that she's finally getting some screen time on SGU.

At least this one has Lt. Jugs in it.
Without the jugs unfortunately.

Both SG1 and Atlantis were adventure stories. Bringing peace to the galaxy. Liberating the weak from oppression. Not only is that not the theme of this show, its not even a part of it. Nor is there any adventure. It's almost entirely relationship drama, which is not scifi. And it's not Stargate.

Reminded me abit of 1x06 of SG-1 episode, where O'niell was dealing with death of his son.
Yeah, it's not like SG-1 never did stuff like this. Of course, SG-1 didn't put this sort of drama at the forefront the way SGU does, but it was still there.

I liked Rush's save, showing everyone his "thinking room" as if that's where he's been all those times he was unavailable.
I liked that too. :lol: Implicating Chloe was a going too far though and that's gonna bit him in the ass. Anyway, now he's going to get her involved in his little scheme, and of course, he'll come off as authoritative and convincing simply because he believes he's right.

I can't believe how bent out of shape people are about the chalk! I just assumed it was some broken up natural chalk Rush got from one of the many quarry-looking planets they've visited.
I was going to point this out before I read your post. Maybe he got some chalk-like material from a gate expedition.
 
So much for a better season so far...


I really hope that they don't wait until mid-season to really ramp this thing up.

That's what happened the first season though.... their track record isn't that good for this series so far.

nuBSG fell into this trap too. Interesting set up and it intensified near the finales. But, they didn't know how to sustain the stories through the middles. They just marked time in between. SGU is doing the same thing right now. Hopefully this is the exception but the preview for next week does not look promising.

Mr Awe
 
You're making a false dichotomy here. People don't dislike SGU because they think "different from SG-1 == bad show!" I'm glad SGU is different. It's the ways in which it is different that I take issue with.
The show has a good premise and a lot of potential. I don't mind that it's dark, either. I just ask that the characters have some dimension, the storylines go somewhere, and the show pick up the glacial pace a bit. (We can also lose the music montages, thank you.)
It's not like the show needs a drastic overhaul. They have the pieces sitting right in front of them to make a good series out of this.
This was so well-stated that I genuinely feel it's worth quoting. I'm in complete agreement with Robert here. The show has the potential to be much better than it is. We see that potential squandered, and we lament the fact that the writers don't seem capable of pulling the disparate pieces together in a compelling manner. If we didn't see any potential in the show, we likely wouldn't be watching anymore (I definitely would not, but I don't want to go too far in putting words into other people's mouths, hence the "likely" qualifier).

Thanks. :)

The way I see it, they could make a killer plot-driven epic, they could make an intensely character-driven drama, or they could strike a balance between the two. So far I get the impression they don't really know what they want to focus on.

I wouldn't watch this show if I didn't like it. Episodes like "Pathogen" are why I stick around. They had good character drama without people acting like jerks or morons (except T-Bag, but at least that's intentional.)

For me, the standout episodes of this show have been:

"Time"
"Justice"
"Lost"
"Subversion"

Those are all strong, plot-driven episodes that nevertheless tell us more about the characters and help define them. If they did more episodes like these I'd be a lot happier with SGU.
 
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