Stargate Atlantis: "Brain Storm" spoiler ridden, complaint-ridden review

[wraithfodder]

Gah! Here are my comments on "Brain Storm," one of the last Stargate Atlantis episodes to air, and damn, what a waste of an hour...

Where do I begin?

Okay, at the beginning. The Shep and Ronon going off camping/surfing - why could we have NOT seen that plot instead? Anyway, once they're out of frame, it goes downhill.

First, I don't mind McKeller - if it's done well, but this episode looked like it was written by someone in high school, and that is to say, ti's Marty Sue fanfic. I can only envision that Gero lives vicariously through McKay to get the girl.

The medicine, or lack thereof, in this episode sucked. First a guy is half flash-frozen. Oh, he's in bad shape, declares Keller, who promptly spends the rest of the episode not doing a damned thing for the guy, who, at best, has severe frostbite. Revoke her license (no, revoke the writer's license!, no, his paycheck!). Secondly, Keller is hypothermic, then Rodney finds her in frigid water, ohmygod, not breathing, no pulse, let's do chest compressions, which in the time-honored tradition of bad TV writing, snaps her out of it immediately and despite the fact she's hypothermic, she's not shivering, she seems fine, and in fact, is so fine she smiles and kisses McKay.

Why could the security guards not rescue Keller? Why did McKay have to? (Wait, Marty Sue to the rescue!)

Why were McKay and Keller flown back in private jet in wet clothes? Did Tunny not have any spare clothing anywhere? That, I can't believe since if you'r ein such an isolated facility, you keep spare stuff around. And after hypothermia, chest compressions, Jennifer's frisky enough to suggest sex???

Rodney signs a 200 page document without reading it, even skimming it? To another scientist whom he doesn't like? Puh-lease. Rodney, you've signed away your first born, a kidney, the rights to your life in a movie and all future patents. Tsk ;)

I like Stargate Atlantis because it is in outer space. WHen they go back to Earth, it loses something, and in this case, it fell into a sinkhole.

I sooooooooo hope there will be some fanfic of Shep and Ronon out camping (not slash, but gen, preferably whump) to make up for this episode.


Wraithfodder

Comments

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thrilled to see Lorne on Sanctuary too! Too brief an appearance, darn. Anyway, I don't hate Keller, but wish they'd learn HOW to write her. Bill Nye - hadn't seen in years, er, decades, but he had his momoents. Which is why I rated the show a D+ over on SciFi. Wasn't totally awful, had a few spots of 'oh, that's funny', but the lack of logic in regards to Keller was awful.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

A hallucination from eating too much halloween candy all at once??

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

heh, found cat hair on toothbrush today. i'm doomed to just ingest it no matter what! ;) So, Gero's on SGU??? oy....

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Bizarrely enough, there were so many things obviously wrong with the episode that I managed just to ignore them. It was almost all bloophole. I had fun anyway.

But yes, please revoke Martin Gero's writer's license before he commits another. I like Jennifer, but she was not well written here.

I liked seeing Bill Nye and Neil de Grasse Tyson (who disappeared early in the episode, as if he had somewhere more important to be...).

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Hmm, sounds like Canadian relationship from "Crash" (the James Spader flick). Of course, if it's all S&M, it might work *cough*.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I suppose the good thing about no more SGA show is that we won't see a repeat of this, unless the writers decide they need to infuse McKeller luv/lust into the movie (oh please, no no no, cuz these guys CANNOT write romance).

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the idea of McKeller; it's just the execution of it that is now painful to watch.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

If YPF is anything like this episode, it's off my list, not that it was ever on my list of films to watch anyway...

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

The episode would have been far more enjoyable (at least to me) had they had Keller tending to flash-frozen guy, not nagging at Rodney (she's not going to be one of those women who HAS to change her man? doesn't work!), etc.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Yes! I was also bothered how flash-frozen man was completely forgotten. And the CPR was laughable (but then, it usually is on this show).

I hope Jennifer knows better than to try to change Rodney! I thought she was more trying to get him to behave for limited periods of time, which has a better chance of success. I really could have done without the nagging, though: especially the bit where she yells at all the scientists--and inspires them to do better. Ick. I liked her much better in other scenes. (Shoot, I've liked her much better in other episodes.)

[gelbes-gilatier.livejournal.com]

You're spot-on with your review. I really hated to see Jennifer do all the nagging. And actually... I have to admit I like Rodney a lot better in the team episodes. I really had to force myself to keep on watching, because I found BOTH Rodney and Jennifer pretty annoying. To be honest... I so hoped the Tunnery-guy would be the one coming up with a resolution :S

And that scene in the jet at the end? That was... so weird and ew and... I just have no words. They are in love, alone, just went through something that usually helps bonding people together very tightly, are probably still a little bit hyped on adrenalin... and she has to ASK him to have sex with her? NO way. That's just... I know some fanfiction writers who'd have done a much better job on that, honestly.

[nakedwesley.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. It really makes me wonder how they've all managed to find wives/girl friends.

And how many times does McKay have to play the Big Hero who saves Keller? Been there done that three times now. Yawn. Do they think that's the only way Keller will be attracted to him? (That and when he's brain damaged, which is just...?)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Makes you wonder...

[nialla]

They don't really care. The current audience is too old and too female.

They don't want us now, much less for the new show, and fully expect to gain a whole new audience in addition to the diehards who'll watch anything with "Stargate" in the title.

"Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[nialla]

Thought you might be interested in the review at CliqueClack, which has the subject line I used here and begins with this sentence:

"Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our Stargate."

I take a bit of glee in this being written by a guy, saying exactly what TPTB think only the fangirls protecting their OTP would say. TPTB might want to rethink their approach to As the Ship Turns Universe if even their coveted male demographic are getting fed up with shippy crap.

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Bwahaah! Read the review and made a comment there.

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[nialla]

I knew you'd like that review. It was amazingly dead on to what many of the "fangirls" are saying, yet he's not a girl, so that might give TPTB pause.

Oh, wait, I'm talking about The Boyz @ Bridge. Nevermind.

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorta like talking to a brick wall. Lord knows what SGU will end up like if they're planning on 'character development' (well, if certain writers pen those episodes...)

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[nialla]

I think a brick wall might actually listen.

When they keep talking about stuff like character development, more adult storylines and serialized storytelling, I feel like the mom on South Park that says "What? What? What?" a lot. ;)

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

"more adult storylines". Translation: Sex. ;)

Re: "Rodney and Jennifer sittin’ in a tree… (rolls eyes)"

[nialla]

Further translation: Really badly written sex. ;)

[n7cdrsheppard.livejournal.com]

Oh, those pesky details! But yeah...my thoughts exactly...did that guy die or what? Keller is a MD? funny...Does not seem so...As we know by now...the ideas are promising but the writing sucks...If only sga could be revived with better writing...maybe those guys who work on 'the big bang theory'...anything, please. Rodney deserves better...and we deserve to see John go surfing :)
Yeah, baby!

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

guess they just stuck him in the freezer for later revival *cough* ;)

[hawtboyluvin.livejournal.com]

Makes me glad I skipped the crapfest!

[clight000.livejournal.com]

Oh there are just too many comments to this post that I agree with that I can't even comment on all of them. Personally, I don't enjoy McKeller, but I can live with it if they do it well and keep it in the background.

The episodes gets plus points for Bill Nye the Science guy and the scene with Ronon and John at the beginning (seriously, WHY OH WHY couldn't this episode have been about them finding an abandoned beach and then getting into trouble with some strange alien jellyfish or something?).