Two Guys and a Gal: Stargate Atlantis’ TPTB and Keller

[wraithfodder]

After reading a few entries on Joe Mallozzi’s blog, and another, er, ‘interesting’ entry from Martin Gero, plus Gero’s interview on Gateworld, and all debacle over Dr. Jennifer Keller, I thought, I’d  vent a little in this meta. Some folks will agree, some won’t. But this isn’t a Keller bashing entry (the writers, though, well….)

First, I don’t hate Keller. There are aspects of her that I definitely dislike, which is basically the fault of the writers and the way they have her believable at one point, then you want to bang your head on the keyboard because Keller acts so dumb the next. I thought she did great in “Adrift” (well, the one in which she did the brain surgery on Elizabeth, but really, don’t they have more than one doctor on Atlantis? It would make sense to get a trauma doctor, who did time in Iraq, to serve on Atlantis). But then, in “Search & Rescue” … 1) while Lorne is in the back of the jumper with a broken leg, is she tending to him? Um, no. She’s upfront asking stupid questions of Carter, et. al. 2) she’s treating Sheppard in the Daedalus infirmary. She’s got on gloves, etc. but Sheppard is still in dirt-covered BDUs. It makes no sense (okay, maybe Flanigan doesn’t want fans capping his naked chest far and wide, but geez). Where was I? Okay, anyway, she’s telling him that he has to have surgery, no buts about it, has lost a lot of blood, yet she lets him go run off on a rescue mission. Medically, had he signed a form saying “if I drop dead, not your fault,” sure, but she doesn’t argue the point, just caves to his angst-ridden “can’t lose another team member” line. And, this boils down to writing/research, if he was that bad off, just what did she do to spiff him up so he could run off and not pass out? Then in “Brain Storm,” a guy is half flash-frozen (but not declared dead). Does she stay with this guy to monitor his status? No, she’s too busy micro-managing Rodney and the arguing scientists. I don’t care that she does that, that is, if she didn’t have a patient probably dying on the floor. Talk about a malpractice suit in the making!

 

So, the writers just don’t know squat about anything medical. It showed somewhat in SG-1 but there they had that handy sarcophagus. The lack of knowledge manifested itself much more clearly in SGA in that they don’t even bother to Google emergency medicine. Heck, no, I don’t want those great shows on Discovery about emergency medicine, but you’d think that TPTB would realize their audience ISN’T stupid. Sure, we suspend our belief to a degree because it’s science fiction, but come on, guys, it’s not like you, as TV producers, can’t call up a doctor and say “Hey, I’m writing this episode and we want to…” Most people would jump at the chance to help, for free!

 

Only other thing that really gets on my nerves at time is her whining. I think it’s the vocal pitch that is sometimes like fingernails on chalkboard. McKay’s ranting and whining doesn’t bother me at all (except for that one scene in “Runner” which was toooo much like a TV commercial for some phone company). Others may not mind it, but to me…. Gah. That pitch. That’s purely a personal thing and others may go ‘eh, what whining?’

 

Then there’s the dreaded (insert ominous JAWS theme music) …  McKeller! ;) To me, it’s not the end of the world. I didn’t mind McKay and Katie Brown as a couple but it didn’t bother me that they broke up either as he screwed up that relationship. As for Rodney and Jennifer. I don’t see the attraction, really. Don’t see the chemistry as lovers, eh, just don’t see it. However, the consequences of McKeller tick me off… which is basically bad writing because the writers are enamored with the ‘ship’ aspect of the plot. Don’t care if Rodney and Jennifer want to do the mile high club in “Brain Storm,” but for pete’s sake, she just nearly died from hypothermia (plus cardiac compressions which DO hurt, and she’s still in wet clothes? Cripes, what’s horrendous about this is that a Canadian wrote this episode and you’d think if anybody knows you get out of wet clothes to avoid hypothermia, it would be a Canadian. Well, kill that myth goodbye! ;)

 

I know some folks loved “Brain Storm,” and it did have its moments (Bill Nye was fun), but the rush to get Rodney and Keller together seemed to just make the writers forget about logic and such. Yeah, Gero says they were forced to write an environmental episode, which is a ghastly replay of many years ago when NBC forced the Sunday night lineup to all do a western theme – it tanked on seaQuest. In BS, I kept wondering why, in such a high security facility out in the middle of nowhere, they would have a wooden door?? So it’s easier to break down with an axe? That’s the only thing I can think of! 

 

Back to McKeller. Mallozzi devoted his blog entry at http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/december-8-2008-ships-and-what-ifs/ to discussing ‘what ifs’ with ship. First, although he says Sam and Jack aren’t canon, he thinks they are, but realistically, as long as the studio/franchise can milk the UST, they will, because as soon as S/J get together, the mainstream viewers will go ‘okay, what’s next?” Couples are not allowed to be happily together on TV dramas. Heck, they even killed the nice hubby on “Ghost Whisperer”!  Well, he’s dead but not dead. It’s weird.

 

First of all, the big question: Why ship anyone? Does the show necessarily have to involve any sort of relationship? My answer to that would be that while, yes, it is science fiction, the characters at the heart of these stories are real people, subject to the same hopes, disappointments, and desires as you or I.

 

But unfortunately the writers just don’t seem to know how to write romance. They should watch Big Bang Theory for how geeks court the opposite sex. Now THAT’s funny! The thing is that Stargate has always been scifi/action adventure, not Grey’s Anatomy. When the writers tread into that territory (that is, if they try to go deep), it’s like getting mired in thick mud. The thing is that writers can write about relationships – friendships, etc. – that don’t have to involve romance. Once they get into love, it tanks, because they can only go so far before risking screwing up things. If we’d had a season six, would McKeller have continued or would it have been put in the background (where, realistically, that’s where it belongs)?

 

And so, heading into the show’s fifth season, we were faced with the prospect of a love triangle, with two very different suitors vying for the gal. Further complications were suggested in the first draft of Search and Rescue with the introduction of Captain Alicia Vega who, in the episode’s final scene, essentially asks Keller out. The prospect of introducing a gay character to the Stargate universe was always an interesting possibility, but one that would require the right circumstances. In fact, for several years now, there has been one recurring character who, in my mind, is gay but there has never been an opportunity to confirm the fact. While I feared that suggesting it in a throw-away (“I’m heading back to Earth to spend time with my boyfriend. See ya!”) would seem like a truly forced WTF moment for fans, alternately, making a big deal of it felt wrong as well. So, unless the right circumstances present themselves for this character, the fans can simply go ahead assuming he is heterosexual until such a time that, in a Rowlingesque postscript, I can add: “And, oh yeah, by the way - he was gay.” The character of Alicia Vega, meanwhile, did offer an opening that an established character did not: she was new and the final scene of the season five premiere felt neither forced nor insignificant. Of course, as Paul pointed out: “Do we really want to make this love triangle a love rectangle?”. Well, again, the decision was made for us when the episode ran waaaay too long and a good portion of Vega’s scenes, including the last one, had to be cut for time.

 

Well, the whole ‘oh Vega was gay’ thing is a throwaway because, well, it’s said way after the fact, after the character is dead, said after the scene is cut (if the scene doesn’t make the final cut, it’s not considered canon. JM or any writer can say whatever they want, but if it’s not on screen, it’s not canon. That’s how it works, because lord knows writers will say something and then contradict themselves a few episodes down the road with something that does appear on screen). As for the which recurring character is gay, the folks at GW are burning up over that – many seem to want Lorne to be gay (I have no idea why, but apparnetly not oggling his commander’s (Carter’s) boobs makes him gay, instead of a respectful military officer who doesn’t want to get nailed for sexual harrassment). But since Lorne is in the US military, if he was and did come out, poof, his character is off the show as ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ applies to his branch of the service.  I think if the writers truly want to show some balls about creating a gay character, they’ve got the ‘edgier’ SGU coming up, in which they could do that…. But first they’ll have to pass it by MGM, SciFi, and all the other folks who will go “will our advertisers go for it?” That’s the crux of the matter. And oh yes, Vegas is in the military. She'd be discharged for such an admission. Guess the writers don't know the military rules?

 

And there is one other alternative, one that I’d originally envisioned exploring when I was first spinning the story that would eventually become Remnants: John’s ex-wife, Nancy. In a very early version of the story, Nancy, who we have established works for Homeworld Security, is appointed to review Woolsey’s probationary record. Finally privy to the secrets her ex-husband had to keep from her all those years, she is actually able to empathize and understand him a little better. Of course, with better understanding complications arise… No idea where it would have gone, but I imagined it playing out as part of an extended episode arc.

 

Ah, truly sucks that Sheppard didn’t get this kind of development, as five years into the show, he’s still pretty much a mystery. But that would also get in the way of Rodney having some sex (and he’s had more relationships, etc. than anyone else on the show). ;)

 

Read Gero’s Q&A over at JM’s blog at

http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/december-6-2008-writerdirectorexecutive-producer-martin-gero-brainstorms-your-questions/ and have promptly forgotten most of it due to the way he answered questions. Yeouch. He’s JM’s apprentice, that’s for sure ;)

 

But then whole McKeller thing gets addressed at an interview with Gero (http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/crossroads.shtml ) (mind you, reading the comments attached to this article is sort of amusing, and well, it does validate GW’s moniker of ‘hateworld’ which I’ve heard bandied around the web and at cons for years). Anyway… some excerpts from the very long interview:

 
I wanted to do something that potentially was Earth based, but I didn't know. I had a[n] inkling that this would be my last episode as I was thinking about it. Whether the show was going to get picked up or not, I wasn't sure whether I was going to come back. I wanted to do something in my never-ending quest to flesh out McKay's character, I wanted to see him with his friends, or old buddies.

……..Because I felt it was going to be my last episode with McKay I really wanted to give him that. To have that relationship actually happen as opposed to us skate around it with innuendo and "maybes," you know? Because I don't think Keller necessarily would do that. I think Keller is stronger than that and would not limp around for years on flirting and whispers. He needed a close before she decides, "Well, I've given him six months."
------------------------------

MG: The last shot I did, really my last professional obligation on the show, was shooting David's coverage hearing that Keller loves him. It struck me for a moment. I got very emotional. By that point everyone knew that the show was over. This was my last little bit. They had to go off and make another five shows. He kind of reacts and just doesn't know what to say and just kind of softens in a way. For me, that certainly isn't my character, but it's a character I feel has been my alter ego within the series, certainly, I think.
GW: You and Rodney have been very close.
MG: Yes, we've been very close. For me this episode brings closure to the series for that character, in a sense that that's really all he's wanted for five years. For someone to say, "I love you," and mean it. That's really all that we want. And a lot of his narcissism and arrogance and general unpleasantness has really come from the fact that he's never really, truly, been unconditionally loved in that way. I kind of had a closure moment with that character. I was like, "OK, we've left you a better character than you were when we started."

Okay, to me, this all boils down to Gero writing McKay as his alter-ego, and thus, Gero gets the girl. Because Gero didn’t think he’d be on the show if a season six came about, he wanted to close up McKay, which I guess is why the whole rushed relationship in “Brain Storm” seemed to come out of left field. While I have no problem with a writer getting into the character in order to write, I think the desire to finish what Gero felt was a personal obligation, did a disservice to the show in what I felt was a poorly written episode because plot was shoved aside for the love story.

GW: I'm going to take your guys' side for a minute here. I don't understand this open hatred of the Keller character that has come from so much of the fandom. Certainly GateWorld. I cringe when Jewel comes to our Web site. And I will openly say this -- she's not my favorite character. But I like her. I don't understand where this resentment is coming from.
MG: I do. It's pretty clear, man.
GW: You think it's Beckett?

MG: Oh yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
GW: You think that's all it?
MG: I think it's a lot it.

When I read this, I just thought, so much cluelessness, from the interviewer to Gero. Many fans state why they dislike Keller. For me, I dislike aspects of because when the character is put front and center, 9 times out of 10, there’s going to be a combo of whining/screaming with a side dish of having to be rescued. There are fans who dislike her because she took Beckett’s slot, but GW’s/Gero’s comments above show they don’t read past a few posts in a thread. Of course, the really ironic thing is that GW acknowledges how much of fandom doesn’t like Keller, for whatever reason…

MG: She is Sci fi royalty after Firefly. Me and her hanging out at Comic-Con is like hanging around with Angelina Jolie. It is nuts. She gets really angry because people keep coming up to her and being like, "I wish they'd just write you better." And she's like, "I really like Keller. Please stop saying that." You know what I mean? I don't know. Because there is that weird thing. It's not that they don't like Jewel. They just don't like the character. And I don't understand that. I think the character is really likable.

 

Usually the folks who create the character will find that character likeable, and there are plenty of fans out there who think Keller is ‘hot’, although I don’t know if they like the character or just think the actress is sexy hot. Again, Martin is very close to the character so doesn’t see the flaws that, at least to some of us, stand out like neon billboards in Vegas (and when I say flaws, it’s the writing that is the flaw).

MG: I just feel like people never gave her a fair shake. Whatever. At the end of the day it's a really difficult thing dealing with fandom to a certain extent, because it's really hard to distil. When the show first started I was on the message boards a lot. I read them a lot because I thought it would be helpful. But at at the end of the day I don't know that it is.

Listen, heaven forbid I start a fire storm here. I think they are well within their rights to say whatever they want. That's the great thing about the Internet and interacting that way. My feeling is, I'm not talking about Keller in specifics. in general the negative votes tend to be more vocal towards whatever issue it is than the positive votes. The positive votes just get tired. You get those exhausted posts where people are just like, "Stop watching the show if you hate it so much."

That's what I don't really understand. There is such vitriol and hatred on that board, and I don't get it. I don't understand why they watch every week. They're like, "Oh, they did it again!"

 

Because we like the other characters, or we like the storylines, or we like SOMETHING about it. Oh Martin, you don’t understand fandom, do you? Or even the general viewer? There have been plenty of shows over the years in which I’ve seen characters/actors I don’t like but since they’re not the lead, and not in every scene, I’ll tolerate their brief screen time to see the folks I do like. People who truly hate a show SIMPLY stop watching. The people who kevetch do it because, for the most part, they love the show enough to say “Hey, I care about you ruining it.” Good lord, I may say I hate sausage pizza, but if I pluck off the sausage, I’ll still eat the rest of the pizza. There isn’t a single TV show that I’ve seen that doesn’t have an episode that made me go “WTF?” (okay, except for the very limited run Pulaski the TV Detective) and made me wonder if the writers were snorting cocaine (and yeah, enough of them did in the 80s).

 

Anyway,it’s all sorta moot as we have three episodes left. “Identity” does look Keller-centric, and the TV commercial for it looked like fell smack into the “save me” territory with Keller again (although she’s not tied to the train tracks, it’s getting pretty close). I’m hoping McKay won’t be fawning all over in it. I just sorta cringed when I saw McKay giving Keller a backrub, on the Wraith hive ship, in “Infection,” as well, there on the job, and when you’re on the job, you don’t screw around (as in romantic stuff). Save it for when you’re off the clock. “Vegas” sounds AU, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers on that (although the photos I’ve seen of Flanigan in it look mighty fine). “Enemy at the Gate.” Know only what TV Guide dumped yesterday but it’s so vague that we don’t know what happens with the characters.

 

Oh well, that’s it. I just wanted to ramble about why Keller bothers me at times. Or well, why certain writer’s writing bothers me at times ;).

Comments

[mcsheplovers.livejournal.com]

JoeMallozzi said:And there is one other alternative, one that I’d originally envisioned exploring when I was first spinning the story that would eventually become Remnants: John’s ex-wife, Nancy. In a very early version of the story, Nancy, who we have established works for Homeworld Security, is appointed to review Woolsey’s probationary record. Finally privy to the secrets her ex-husband had to keep from her all those years, she is actually able to empathize and understand him a little better. Of course, with better understanding complications arise… No idea where it would have gone, but I imagined it playing out as part of an extended episode arc.,
Wraithfodder said:Ah, truly sucks that Sheppard didn’t get this kind of development, as five years into the show, he’s still pretty much a mystery. But that would also get in the way of Rodney having some sex (and he’s had more relationships, etc. than anyone else on the show).

I think JoeF should be thanking his lucky stars that he didn't get that kind of development. I don't want to see any of them having relationships. Sure, a mention here or there in passing that they are involved with someone, but focusing on a relationship? It spells death. Boring. If it had been Sheppard and Keller, or Beckett and Keller or Ronon and Keller, I think the outcry would've been the same....and you can tell by reading JasonM's interviews that he's happy to have dodged that bullet. Speaking only for myself, I don't want to see the focus of a major part of this show going into the love life of two of its characters. Team. Team. Team. I miss it. The lack of it caused the show to go into the gutter---in my opinion---these past couple of seasons. It's heartbreaking really.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Oh wait, wait, no, don't want a focus on relationships. Must make myself clear ;) Kiss of death, definitely, for action-adventure shows. It should be background, unless of course you want to kill off someone. I could think of some fans who could handle the above scenario far better than the actual show's writers.

What I really really want is... team episodes, like in ye olden days. So, off to find some fanfic.

[mcsheplovers.livejournal.com]

It should be background, unless of course you want to kill off someone. I could think of some fans who could handle the above scenario far better than the actual show's writers.

Definitely. Especially MartyG.....and for the record, I too, like Keller. I just don't like what they've done with her and Rodney. Once I started seeing what road was being taken with those two, it was like watching a car accident in slow motion----for me.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

regrettably, a car wreck in slow mo takes less time ;) having been in a few myself.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

On the bright side if they were going to completely screw over a character and put them through the relationship wringer at least it was a newbie and not one that I had become attached to.

If they'd done this to Teyla, Sam, or Weir I would have died a little bit inside. Thank god they were kept intact (and undeveloped) so I can still enjoy earlier seasons.

Poor Staite. May she get better roles than this one.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

The extremely weird thing is that I'll spot the SGA or SG1 actors elsewhere, and go, wow, they're great! and I wonder, just who tames 'em down on the SG shows? I mean, Corin Nemec's Jonas did squat for me on SG1, but he's great in his other stuff. And Staite - saw her recently in a movie she did - she's pretty good. Still haven't watched much of Firefly. Maybe one day.

True, at least Teyla, Sam, Weir, weren't turned into the love of the week. Guess we should count our blessings. :)

[gavet97.livejournal.com]

I think it's a shame, because I despise the character of Keller (being a doctor myself, the mistakes she makes are like nails being hammered into my eyes) but I have met Jewel and she is one of the nicest people you will ever run into at a con. Great actress. Written poorly and wasted. I love Rodney and want him to be oh-so happy. But Keller ain't it. Just my useless 2 cents.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore Firefly, it's one of my favourite shows. For me then the likeability of the actor isn't in question - loved her as Kaylee and thought she was perfect - it's the writing of this one that's the issue.

If you're going to have hissing space vampires and killer robots you have to make the core cast believable, and that's the sticking point. Some people in fandom see Keller as a person, some people see Keller as a badly written construct and so the divide sits. Some character, two different ways of engaging with it. And I've got to agree with much of how you view it. Meh.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

And I'm not even a doctor and the medical stuff makes me write long metas moaning about the lack of medical know-how on Keller's part.... ;) I am curious why folks dislike her, so thanks for chiming in :)

[nialla]

GW: You and Rodney have been very close.
MG: Yes, we've been very close. For me this episode brings closure to the series for that character, in a sense that that's really all he's wanted for five years. For someone to say, "I love you," and mean it. That's really all that we want. And a lot of his narcissism and arrogance and general unpleasantness has really come from the fact that he's never really, truly, been unconditionally loved in that way. I kind of had a closure moment with that character. I was like, "OK, we've left you a better character than you were when we started."

This statement bothers me most of all. Rodney was a better character without adding an unnecessary, last minute romance.

His team loves him. They're his family, but TPTB didn't want to outright express that, because with John and Ronon around it might be perceived as "too gay".

He's reconciled with his sister, and even when they weren't speaking to each other, there were still signs of a sibling's unconditional love.

His arrogance has always seemed to me to be less about not being loved, but more about not giving a damn if he is, because 99.9% of the time he's the smartest person in the room. Love is a nice thing, but it's not something that should be handed out blindly to someone who looks pretty but has absolutely nothing in common with you.

Rodney has no tolerance for bullshit and no problems with pointing it out if he sees or hears it. He's not a "jerk with a heart of gold once he finds the woman to fix him" cliche. He's a cliche breaker as a Rude Canadian. *g*

I think Rodney's Bullshit Detector hits an eleventy whenever one of TPTB gives an interview. Whenever they express their undying love of McKeller, smoke starts pouring out, but there's definitely no sparks.

[gatedialer.livejournal.com]

I really love Keller, in my opinion she brings a little "home" to the show and I am not sure if I can explain it the way I mean it, so I will not try. Her entrance into the show is getting the same reaction that Vala did and people need to just get over it.

As for shipping, I never understood that and frankly, do not care for shipping. Some people are just a little too obsessed with it and its kind of freaky, but if makes people happy, go for it, just leave me out of it.

With the show ending, I have found myself not caring what the writers do with the characters (regarding shipping), the writers are the geniuses behind the show and I like the episodes no matter what, so I am not bothered by it.

I just love Jewel Staite, she's a sweet woman and good actress.

[ga-unicorn.livejournal.com]

Read like you've been reading my mind. Thank you for taking the time to put it all down, just so I didn't feel compelled to do so. Gero's interview and the questions he answered on JM's blog, and then JM's follow-up proves that they definitely don't live in the same world that fans do. I think Gero sort of suspects it, because the interview and the Q&A were very defensive.

Only other thing that really gets on my nerves at time is her whining. I think it’s the vocal pitch that is sometimes like fingernails on chalkboard.

She has a real nasal quality to her voice. And it never bothered me in any thing else she's done, but it drives me crazy with the Keller character.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Ack, don't say snowballs. Winter storm coming in tomorrow! but, yes, understand your viewpoint. The trouble is that the writing is lacking logic, or sledgehammering relationships into the series. Yeah, Keller is perhaps the first weak female character.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I had to snicker at the last sentence ;)

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've seen her in other roles and her voice has never bothered me until now, and it's only in some scenes, not all, mind you.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

I actually loved Vala, but like I said, it's not Jewel, or the character of Keller per se that bothers me, it's the writing (so, no, I don't think the folks who write Stargate are genuises. Good at their jobs to a degree, but unfortunately they lose their focus at times.)

[nialla]

Her entrance into the show is getting the same reaction that Vala did and people need to just get over it.

Um. No.

I love Claudia, hated Vala. I barely finished watching to the end of the series and almost wish I hadn't because it was painful to watch the show contort itself to fit in a character that wasn't designed to fit.

So yes, many people are having the same reaction, but there's nothing to "get over" because that's their opinion.

I personally do not want ongoing onscreen ship, especially between team members. It never works. In fandom though, whatever stirs your coffee.

[nialla]

I have weapons set on pun. *g*

[reiko-afterglow.livejournal.com]

"For me this episode brings closure to the series for that character, in a sense that that's really all he's wanted for five years. For someone to say, "I love you," and mean it. That's really all that we want."

So, Mr. Gero, you're stating that when Elizabeth explicitly stated in "Tao of Rodney" that they "we all love you", that she really didn't mean it? Or what? And Rodney's surprised response "You love me!?" and John's "Yeah, in the way a friend feels about another friend", and all definately sounding like they meant it, along with Lizzie and Carson and everyone nodding and accepting and appreciating him for who he is?

Or maybe I dreamt up such a powerful, moving scene in said episode. Or in "Letters From Pegasus" when he says Atlantis is like a family to him?

[hawtboyluvin.livejournal.com]

I really liked Keller until "The Shrine" I hated the way TPTB made His TEAM out to be selfish assholes and Keller knows Rodney so well! After that my opinion of her just went down hill!

As for McIcky... Bruce Boxlietner and Melissa Gilbert have 15 years between them yet their ages don't matter, but with McKay and Keller, it really is just nasty! (irrational huh?)

[monkey-junkey.livejournal.com]

You've pretty much hit on all the major points there.

I want to like Keller. I really, really do. But the writers are making it difficult for me as they are elevating her at the expense of all the other characters (it feels like she's gotten way more screen time than Woolsey, plus Teyla and Ronon are becoming nearly nonexistent).

I don't mind the idea of McKeller, but the it's the execution that bothers me. The courtship process (if you even want to call it that) has been painfully awkward to watch. They also lack the chemistry that makes a ship work. I would prefer the show to not ship at all, but the least they could do is make it believable if they're going to dump it on us.

[lahela-sga.livejournal.com]

"yes, it is science fiction, the characters at the heart of these stories are real people, subject to the same hopes, disappointments, and desires as you or I."

My biggest complaint about this argument for shipping is that for 13+ years the Stargate franchise has got on very well thankyou very much without establishing romantic relationships between main characters. Yes, of course the characters are going to get involved, have s.e.x, suffer heartbreak etc etc etc (or at least they would if they were real people), but what I don't understand is why all of a sudden we have to watch it happen. The closest they ever came before to hooking up main characters was Sam and Jack (I don't count Daniel and Vala in the same way I don't count Rodney and Keller in The Last Man - the reset button did its job on both counts) but, obviously, military protocol meant that was never going to be consummated.

My point is that it's all very well to say these things happen in RL so why not on the show, but by showing them on the show they have turned the show into something it never, ever was before. People fart in RL too - are we going to be subjected to the after effects of a too-spicy vindaloo next?

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

I have to say that I don't like Keller either, but what's annoying is that there will be moments that I can glimpse a reason to like her, and then it's torn away. It's frustrating. I don't know, maybe it's like that girl from high school who pissed you off but then in college you became sort of friends with, but you still don't really like her.(yes taking from personal experience) With Keller I just wish she could be a character I love since we end up spending so much time with her.

Oh and the thing about people thinking Lorne could be the gay one mentioned, didn't the actor mention at a con that he thought his character was gay?

[angw.livejournal.com]

Awh crap is that what happens in ghost whisperer? We haven't had that season yet.

[tashirasbubble.livejournal.com]

I'm with you - I so wish they had explored Shep's background more and I did like Nancy - she seemed the type of person I could imagine him with and also in Outcast, there was obviously a spark still between them...

I really wish they had done that arc.