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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[gavet97.livejournal.com]

Wow, baranyandi......never heard it put in those terms before, but I really think you hit it. I LOVE Rodney, I do, but sometimes maybe it IS the Rodney McKay show (which is not a bad thing), but I think it has happened at the expense of other character development. Hello, Teyla this season? And I would have loved to see the Shep/Nancy thing explored just a tad. Not too much. We need Team, not As the Stargate Turns.

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

I like what you have to say here. I'm not a shipper and would have been perfectly content if they'd left all hints at romance off. However, I'm not opposed to seeing romance if it's kept far in the background. While I never believed Katie was a good match for Rodney, the way it has shown was nice - a mention of dinner here and there. Just enough to note that they were still seeing each other. I like the idea of Rodney and Jennifer together. I think they make a good match. But I'm sorry to say (I really am) that I don't see chemistry onscreen between the actors.

I completely agree with your assessment that the writing is to blame. I like the concept of Keller - small town girl, socially awkward (at least when she was young), trying to take the reins from a beloved doctor in the midst of a crisis. I like that she isn't brave and doesn't have all the answers, that she isn't perfect. I'm not bothered that Jewel is young. I have no idea how old Keller is supposed to be, but I have no problem believing she is several years older than Jewel actually is.

My main issue goes back to the writing. A lot of time has been spent developing McKay (who I do find fascinating) and now Keller has been added to the mix while Sheppard has had little to no development and poor Ronon and Teyla barely even show up anymore. Does that make me hate Keller? No. It makes me wish the writers had taken the time early on to decide who these people are and how they want to develop them.

As to the hideous medical aspects of the show... *sigh* That's just laziness, pure and simple. Google is your friend! And please. If you establish something as canon, like needing the ATA gene to operate an LSD, don't throw it away later without a good explanation for it.

[linzi5.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed your breakdown of Keller and McPuker... er McKeller! ;)

I actually liked Jewel as Kaylee in Firefly. I don't like Keller that much. I certainly don't hate her. I have never hated any SG character. But, I'm with you on the whiny voice! Jewel doesn't have that in real life, Kaylee didn't have it, so why the heck does Keller? It is very distracting and makes Keller sound like a whiny brat on occasion. Not a talented, dedicated young doctor.

Now, I'm not a doctor. But, I have a brother who is one and a medical student daughter. We love medicine and medical matters in my family, and yep, I do know a fair amount about a little of the subject, here and there. Basically Keller is the most dreadful doctor I've ever seen on TV! And it annoys the heck out of me to see a woman doctor both written and portrayed that way.

Now, don't throw things at me here, but I do think Jewel has to take some responsibility here. She has said in many interviews that before taking on the role she did no research, didn't shadow a doctor or talk to any medical professional on how to 'act' as a doctor. Frankly, it shows. Yes, the medical writing is rubbish. Horribly inaccurate and laughable on occasion - always has been and it's inexcusable and down to poor research and lazy arrogant writers, I think. But Paul M managed to do a pretty good job of showing roughly how a doctor behaves. He wasn't perfect, sure, but he was pretty good on the whole, I thought. I know he talked to his brother, who's a doctor and constantly asked his advice on things, and it shows, I think.

Now, that aside. I do agree Keller's writing has been all over the place. So inconsistent, changing from this episode to that episode. Sigh...

As for the romance? YIKES! It sucks! Sorry, I can't think of anything more eloquent to say. It's poorly written and Gero especially makes out like Rodney is him and that he's just having one big wet dream! It's ruined the dynamics of the show sometimes. Rodney doesn't seem to spend much time with Sheppard, who I think he has bucketloads of friendship chemistry with, or with Ronon or Teyla. I really feel Rodney and Keller have no sexual chemistry. Their kiss in BS was just soooo awkward and lacking in passion, IMO.

So, my conclusion? I wanted to like Keller. I like Jewel. I like Kaylee. Jewel's age is an issue for me. CMO in her midish 20's? Yeah right. And Jewel looks and acts young, IMO. She doesn't bring much gravitas to the role, which is wrong for CMO. She's a quirky, fun young actress and was horribly miscast as CMO. If TPTB wanted her that badly, then she should have been given a role for which she was well suited. CMO wasn't it.

Overall, a lot of fans and many critics feel Jewel was miscast and that Keller hasn't been a success. Shame JM et al haven't realised that. But, what's done is done. I hope they learn from their mistakes... but they won't, will they? LOL!

[kodiak-bear.livejournal.com]

Every time I read one of Gero's interviews I get pissed. And then I get pissed at the showrunners for basically letting a writer publish his fantasies.

The truly ironic thing is, they are completely clueless as to what they've done. I will never say that the writing on SGA has been stellar. It's always been of a lesser quality than SG-1 on average. But the thing with SGA was the fantastic chemistry between Joe and David, and in a slightly lesser degree the others, and then the rare moments when the writers got it RIGHT. Where they nailed it. Seasons 1-3 were good, season 4 had some phenominal moments but also had some truly bad moments, and then season 5 comes in and has even bigger highs and lower lows but there was a real drop in quality in season 5. I think they knew this was the final season and so it became 'what did we REALLY want to do that we haven't done' at the expense of decent, well-written scripts.

Add in the ridiculous Keller situation.

God. The thing is, I'm with you. I don't hate Keller. I don't mind writing her (well okay, I admit, right now I am struggling with some bitterness because of what has happened with Sheppard getting kicked to the side in favor of their Keller-love but I'll get over it). But they took a promising character and just destroyed it. If they asked someone 'how can we get a character to be disliked in ten easy steps' it would be EXACTLY how they've handled Keller.

She's written inconsistently. If anything, her capabilities have been shown to only degenerate as the two seasons have gone by. She was shown far more capable in Adrift than Brain Storm. I'm stunned that in Infection we got yet another repeat of self-doubt.

As a background character, she has gotten far more air time this season than the show lead. In fact, I was really happy that Joe seemed to have been actually treated as the lead in season 4 but the they regressed and in season 5 he's been treated like a background character. I don't think in any of the previous seasons, he was so totally shoved to the side. Teyla and Ronon have never gotten as much but again, in season 5, where the hell are they half the time. Infection was such a great episode because it actually had them there for a change. It's pitiful that an episode automatically gets a great review because it utilizes the characters. The McKeller bit wasn't so much that it took away from the rest -- that is the balance that needed to be in the rest of the show.

But then back to the writing. Seriously. Yes, the medical issues are there. They've been very sloppy this season. And not just with medical. There are too many episodes that are just flat out meaningless. They did nothing for the show. This show is just kind of flopping around this season and leaving you wondering 'what's the point'. There was no arc, no progression...it's just been there.

Ugh. I'm going to wind up going over the post limit. I'm just...bleh. I feel completely let down as a fan by TPTB. I realize it's 'their' show but I also feel like they allowed their love for two characters to unfairly affect the show and let the rest suffer. I feel irritated for Joe, Rachel and Jason. I don't hardly blame TH for not returning. I loved this show entirely too much but as it ends I find myself relieved and bitter. TPTB have left an impression with me as being very unprofessional and I appreciate the two writers on staff that actually seemed to give a damn, Carl Binder and Allen Mcullough.

[linzi5.livejournal.com]

I'm just going to say ITA! :)

I do find Gero's attitude disconcerting. I'm not a Beckett fan. I don't get annoyed with Keller sometimes because of him. LOL!

I am annoyed Shep has been sidelined. Season 4 was good for him, IMO. So season 5 has been a shock really. Poor Joe. He deserves so much more. Meh to TPTB. I loved Infection too. I love my team. I miss them. :(

[bramble-rose.livejournal.com]

Wow, all my problems with 5th season wrapped up with a ribbon on it!! And thank you for showing me who to blame, so I can target my frustration with tptb taking a show I loved Loved LOVED, and making me not even want to watch it any more. They had to work hard to do it, too.

[djlmarks.livejournal.com]

The so called "relationship" between McCay and Keller is not believable at all. McCay with all his neuroses should be freaking out that a hot girl likes him, but suddenly he's all cool....and studdly??? Hold on, that is a signifigant character change. And as far as Keller is concerned, she has as much warmth as one of your banana/garden slugs from Action Figure Theater, but didn't do as much sliming over McCay's face.**sigh** I digress...in Firefly, the character Kaylee suited her, she does clueless and naive well, and the heat she generated with Simon was beleivable...I hate to say this, Jewel does not do a serious, "reserved" character well.

[angw.livejournal.com]

I don't mind Keller but the focus this season has changed. And as many have said Keller has gone from a recurring character to a prominent one in the episodes with the McKeller. I miss the team episodes.

The one thing I can't understand is the nomination for a Gemini award for Missing. I didn't recall anything outstanding. The nomination seemed out of the blue to me. What about the other seasons and the other characters?

[wedjatqi.livejournal.com]

Wow, great little essay. I agree with you in many points and esp in the lack of any medical research lately (being medically trained I am used to seeing crap medical info on screen, but she does seem to be the worse doc). I'm sure SG world used to be better at researching medical stuff before?? Or is that just me?
JM's blog entry annoyed me as well, but not so much for the main things he said but his summation of the characters romantically - it was so depressing.
I remember back in the star trek days every character would have at least one romantic story per couple of seasons. Poor Ronon has had one crush, with no kiss - that's it in 5 years (other than brooding over dead girlfriend)! Please!

And on the Shep's ex-wife - I mean AS IF the IOA/government/whatever official oversight would have put Sheppard's ex-wife in a position to assess anyone in Atlantis - a serious bias that would ever happen. It irritated me that all JM could see Shep with (other than Teyla but who is now unavailable) was his ex-wife! - WHAT?! Poor shep and the serious lack of character development.

But, what made me the most angry was, yes I know its been said before but... the writing of female characters! These people have no idea how to write a female character properly, esp this season. Keller has to be rescued so many times that it really annoys me (and surely has to be part reason why so many fans (most being women I would think) do not like the Keller characte). Even Teyla has lost her kick-butt skills through this season. And JM says that Teyla had made her choice with Kanaan (a man she had a part time secret relationship with that she didn't even tell her closest friends about and then gets accidently pregnant with - good choice writers!) That annoyed me, that's the best they could come up with for what was one of the strongest female characters on tv? She gets accidently preg and now has about four lines an episode? Please.

I'm so sad that I no longer even enjoy this series when before it could do no wrong in my eyes. Now I find myself pointing out plot holes in the first 5 mins - for example Infection - in that mixed up message from Todd the word 'disease' was clearly heard before 'help us' - but no hazmat suits when they visit the ship, no medical team involved! Come on writers - use your brains! How much do they get paid to write these episodes?? Don't they have some sort of fact or logic checker?

Right, will stop ranting on your site! Thanks for the step by step insight into the current grumbling SGA world. Happy holidays :)

[jaekayelle.livejournal.com]

Yes. What you said. :) I like Jewel. I don't care much about Keller, except every now and then I almost like her and then the feeling goes away, because of something she says or does. It's disconcerting in the least. There is no real spark of anything between Jewel and David and so their characters have nothing between them. Brainstorm finished Keller for me, because she kept trying to change Rodney telling him to be humble. Why? Yeah, it would be the socially responsible thing to do but it wouldn't be Rodney. If she doesn't like him as he is, why is she with him? If I met a guy who was arrogant and blunt the way Rodney is, I wouldn't want to date him let alone tell him I love him after the first date. ???

I'm not a big fan of Carson. I liked him well enough to begin with, but the dark direction they were headed with him was getting freaky, so he's not the reason I don't like Keller. While primarily a slasher and I love McShep, I know that's a fantasy in itself on SciFi, I wouldn't mind a romance between Rodney and a woman worthy of his affections, who gets him and doesn't try to make him into something he's not. Same goes for Sheppard, as long as it's not Nancy. She's all right, an interesting character who still cares for him, but he was like a piece of lumber when she tried to hug him at the funeral. He was clearly very uncomfortable around her in their scenes together. Didn't look promising for them reconciling. *g*

I think you're right. It all comes down to the lousy writing. A bunch of 12 year old boys disguised as 40 year old men playing out their fantasies through the characters they see as avatars for themselves. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they had an inkling of how to write romance, how to set it up and bring it to fruition believably. Can't help but think if there was a woman or two on the writing staff we'd get some more palatable human moments, instead of the mess that is Season 5. So disappointing that there's no hope for another season to fix it.

I miss the good team episodes where the four of them got to play off and with each other. They had fun, they genuinely like each other and it showed. Bah humbug to our show going out (it seems) with a whimper instead of a bang.

[futbol16-4.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. 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 get that he wanted to do something with the character, and that Rodney doesn't get told "I Love You" often enough, but even the first time I read that quote I was having flashbacks to "Tao of Rodney." You could tell when Elizabeth said "We love you" the entire episode was leading up to that. It was believably backed by everyone on the episode. I just didn't see it in "Brain Storm."

I vote that the writers stick to non-romantic relationships.