Better even than October Road? ... Yeah, I think so.
There are so very many things the show does right, it's hard to name them all. But let me try for a while here. I intend for this to be an absolute doozy of a read, so hang in there!
A quick note, since starting this blog post, I have also watched the now-newest episode called "Life" in which Ming Na (who plays Camille Ray), Brian J Smith, and Justin Louis all turn in some completely ridiculous performances. If this was a movie, they'd all win awards for this episode. This show is amazing, and it's amazing because the actors are freaking ridiculously good.
Anyway, the absolute best thing about the show, as I've said before, is the characters, so let's start there.
Lieutenant Matthew Scott, as played by Brian J. Smith, is my absolute favorite character on the show, as I've said many times before here on this blog. I've talked about how much depth his character has and all the potential he's got for growth. But there are certain other pieces to that. First, he plays the a character that is quite the opposite of the boring and rather cliched soldiers that I am used to seeing in movies or shows. Most of the time, I see the type of soldier who either barely has emotions or is completely unemotional. Those characters are boring and stale.
Brian J. Smith gets to play a character who is truly deeper than that. I watched an interview with him earlier today, and in the interview, he answers the question "what do you think are your character's best and worst traits?" His answer boiled down to emotions, for both parts of the question With this I must agree, for it is the most important aspect of his character, in my eyes. Scott is not only an emotional guy, he's empathetic, which are two things I picked up on and could immediately relate too, because I am much the same way myself. I think, going forward into the show (for hopefully a very long time), that the fact that he is emotional will be the defining aspect of his character.
What adds to my absolute fascination with the character is Lt. Scott's place on the ship. He's part of the military, he's essentially second in command, so he's often forced to shove down those emotions, to play soldier, play leader. This was never more evident than in this most recent episode when Rush informs the team that Chloe has died. I could see the emotion, the anguish wash across Scott's face, but there is Colonel Young, bringing Scott back to the world, and I could see him struggle to control those emotions. He is on a mission, he can't let his emotions get the best of him. That's some complicated stuff, and it also speaks to Brian J. Smith's acting talent. I'm serious when I said that I watched the emotion watch over his face. I mean it when I said I could see him fighting to control it. One of my definitions of a good actor is somebody who can convey emotion without speaking. Smith's got that down pat.
I read an article which was talking about Scott's defining moment as a character. In that article, the author said that one of the defining moments came in "Air, Part 3," where Rush was refusing to go on. In this moment, Rush is psycho-analyzing Scott, really tearing him a new one. Scott talks about how they have to go on, and then takes two steps towards Rush. In those two steps, the confidence, the pride, literally fall away from Scott's face and he utters one word, "Please." In this moment, we see not only amazing acting talent, but we see that Scott is truly willing to sacrifice of himself for others. In this case, his pride took a blow so that he could work to save the people aboard Destiny. Yet I don't think that's necessarily where his character is defined. That willingness to sacrifice comes from Scott's empathy, his emotional foundation. And we start to see that in "Air, Part 2" where Chloe's father sacrifices himself to save the rest of the people on board the ship, and her world falls apart. Scott is the one who is right there to comfort her, to support her through her anguish. This, for me, is the defining moment for Scott's character. It lays the groundwork for almost everything his character has done up to this point, it shows how he is going to be there to support the others on the Destiny. In part 3, we saw just how far he was willing to go for that cause.
Scott is, essentially, what we'd all like to be in that kind of situation, I think. He's certainly how I pictured myself when I was starting to watch SG-1 and would occasionally be swept up in the thought of "what if". He's high enough up in the ranks to have authority (power, if you will), yet he's not high enough where his decisions are influenced by the politicking of others. I think this is very important in terms of his character, as it lets us judge him on his own decisions, on what he does with his power rather than those of others. As Lincoln said "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
So far, he seems to be passing.
When you boil it down, though, the biggest reason I like Scott the best is because, in all honesty, he is the one most like me - I can relate to him on many different levels. I don't really think I'm quite that brave, I don't think I'd ever cut it in the military. But I am a rather emotional guy, and I'm empathetic as hell, both of which make it really easy to relate to the character to also has the same traits. That may be an interesting topic for another blog...
On an aside, I would like to talk about Smith's acting one more time before I move on. At the end of "Time" we are confronted with Scott looking into a Kino, attempting to give his team a way to survive in the past. We are looking at a man who has lost the person he cares most about on the ship, and just watched his team die all around him. We are looking at his face through the dirtied lens of this camera, and the distress, the emotional chaos is written plainly across it. It's obvious that he is struggling to control the emotions, but they're still there. Horror, despair... but also hope. Hope of the "If this works" kind. Like I mentioned earlier, the ability to convey feelings and thoughts without actually saying them aloud is the hallmark of a great actor. Case in point, right here.
Additionally, there's a couple of scenes in Life that are just mind-bogglingly good. In this episode, Scott learns that his old girlfriend had his son, who she named Matthew (awwwwwww). On his trip back to earth, he meets his son and learns that his old girlfriend is a dancer and hid the existence of his child from him. Once back aboard the ship he tells all of this to Chloe, who promptly babbles it all to Eli. Eli finds Scott hiding out in the shuttle, and proceeds to make some really crude remarks (we'll chalk that up to Eli's general naivete), and Scott turns to look at Eli, and I think that was probably the best moment of the entire show. I reeled back from that look, so full of pain and sadness. throughout the episode, we saw Scott struggling to keep those emotions in check, but at the very end, we finally see him give in, and the moment is heartbreaking.
I realized something in that moment, something that has been kind of creeping up on me for a while now.I realized that, without a doubt, this is the best show on TV right now. Better than Supernatural, House, Lie to Me, Heroes, Cougar Town... better than all of them rolled together in fact. It is that good.
Moving on...
David Blue plays the character Eli Wallace. Eli is one of those super-geeks who plays MMOs every day (kind of like me, blogging is my MMO... LOL) and generally doesn't have the ambition to do much of anything else. He is, of course, a genius of high calibur. I don't think on an IQ level he's quite the genius Dr. Rush is, but he brings a sort of "think outside the box" mentality and a never ending curiosity to the table that Rush is sorely lacking. He's got a child-like innocence and a certain naivete that is sort of endearing but also frustrating in parts. He has no military experience, and he tends to pull away when confronted with some of the realities of their situation aboard the Destiny.
David Blue has the (in my opinion) unenviable task of playing a character who is both lovable and thoroughly infuriating. He succeeds, I think, in spades. Eli is usually the first to want to back out of any risky situation, but when he applies himself, the results are awesome. For example, he was the one who discovered the Kinos (more on those in a bit), as well as devised the hovering platform Young and Scott used to get ice aboard the ship to replenish the water supplies.
Eli also falls in an interesting place as far as his character goes. He's caught in the middle of the ongoing feud between the military and Dr. Rush. On one hand, it's obvious that there's a lot of respect for what Rush has accomplished and what he knows, what he can teach Eli. Yet there's also the distrust, the suspicions that Rush's motives are not entirely pure. On the other hand, it's equally clear that he looks up in a large way to Scott. Like I said earlier, I think Scott is a character many of us would like to be, and I don't think Eli is an exception. Scott is brave, handsome, and he's got the girl. And sure, there's some jealousy there, particularly where Chloe is concerned, but there is a great deal of respect as well.
Eli's defining moment, I think, comes during "Time." In that episode, the crew has learned that they have all been infected with a microorganism that they cannot get rid of. The scene has Eli sitting next to Chloe's bed, holding her hand, and he gives a truly moving speech about his feelings for her. And then she dies. It was tragic in the truest sense of the word. Here we see Eli truly growing as a character, finding the will to express his true feelings, though he is well aware that she has feelings for Scott.
Colonel Everett Young is played by Justin Louis. He is the soft-spoken commanding officer on board the Destiny and he's utterly fantastic. Louis plays the Colonel in a manner that defines the old "quiet but demands respect" type of character. In ordinary circumstances, I don't think I'd like his character, for much the same reasons that I wouldn't have liked Scott in any other show. Yet, like Scott, there is a true depth to his character that lurks under the surface. Unlike Scott, he is almost always in control of his emotions. As I've said before, he brings a certain gravity to all scenes, a certain demand for respect, and an air of authority.
Unlike most characters, I think he truly understands what is possible aboard the ship as far as what the civilians are likely to do if they become panicked. He works at all times to maintain a balance between what needs to be done and what will keep people hoping. Yet he also understands that it is his mission to make sure all aboard the Destiny make it home safely. He is a calm, well thought-out person who tries to have as much information as possible before making any decisions.
One of the more interesting aspects of his character involve the communications stones. They allow a person's consciousness to inhabit another body light years away. These are huge in Young's story as they allow him to visit earth. He swaps consciousnesses with one Colonel David Telford (read more in a bit about him). This allows Young, in Telford's body, to go visit his wife and attempt to repair their sputtering marriage. It is in these scenes where the layers of the military discipline fall away and we are able to see the real person within Young.
As far as defining moments go, Young's comes in "Water." In this episode, he and Scott are charged with heading out to an icy planet to gather water to replenish their dwindling reserves. During this process, a tremor opens a chasm beneath Scott's feet, sending him falling. Scott doesn't fall far, as he's wedged between the walls of the chasm. Throughout the episode, despite the urgings of Dr Rush and Scott, Young refuses to leave Scott behind. This speaks to a depth of loyalty that is uncommon to find in real life, and refreshing to find on TV where most dramas revolve around one backstabbing after another. Both Rush and Scott told him that it was better to lose one life than to put those on the ship in jeopardy, yet he remained. It's certainly possible to look down on this action from a "greater good" perspective, but I believe if that was me in the same situation, I also would have stuck around.
In "Life," we see a very aggressive side of Young, as he has perhaps the worst day out of the whole group. While Scott was back on earth, he was inhabiting the body of Colonel Telford, who happens to be creating a "friendship" with Young's wife. We are not meant to think that they are romantically involved, but we do find out that Telford is telling Young's wife that Young is sleeping with TJ. It's been made apparent throughout the show that Young at one time did have an affair with TJ, but his wife found out (or he confessed) and they are now working on putting the marriage back together. Along comes Telford to tell her that Young's still sleeping with TJ (which doesn't seem to be the case), and my opinion of Telford really can't get much lower. Anyway, because he was using Telford's body, Scott ends up realizing that Telford was seeing Young's wife on the side, and reports that to Young. Young goes back to earth and beats the hell out of Telford, which was an amazing moment for me. I was cheering him on all the way. Kick his ass, Young!
Colonel David Telford, played by Lou Diamond Phillips is one of the most frustrating characters in the entire history of Stargate. He's brash, unthoughtful, and has little in the way of sight beyond his own self interest. He is the quintessential opposite of Young, which is why I felt compelled to list him here even though he is not a main character (yet, anyway). There's really not a whole lot to say about him, as we know very little. I can tell you that he is dedicated to his job, taking multiple shifts at a time by the communications stones, waiting to swap consciousnesses with somebody. He also seems to want to fast track his career, even if it comes at the expense of others, and he seems to be completely lacking the ability to step back and question the situation and give it any level of analytical thought.
Take, for example, his role in "Earth," during which he and two scientists swap bodies with Eli, Chloe, and Young. Upon arriving on the Destiny, he cordons off the communications stones to prevent Young and company to return to the vessel. Thus, he starts enacting a plan that might be able to return the ship home to earth. Problem is, the plan is untested, unverified, and risked the lives of all on board. He didn't care to listen to any arguments against the plan, the evidence against it, he was hard set on putting it into motion. All this came about because Young had asked for time to review the plan with those on board the ship and decide upon an action plan. Note the difference here: Young wants to make sure all on board the ship are kept in the loop and that their voices are heard while Telford couldn't give a rip less.
Telford's defining moment comes during "Air, part 2" when he comes aboard the ship for the first time. Colonel Young is injured, but Telford drives his body, risking further injury, in an effort to get what he needs out of it. This selfishness drives his characters actions, his disregard for others defines what he does and why.
In "Life" (explained above) we start to see some really childish petulance out of him. Here he is going and making "friends" with Young's wife and spreading rumors about him. I mean, how much more immature do you get?? And what is this for? Presumably, this is Telford lashing out because Young won't back his plan to get the ship home. Immature. Petulant. Kick him.
Speaking of that plan, in "Life" we also learn that said plan never would have worked and would have left everybody dead. Go, Telford, go!
Also, I should say, kudos to LDP for his awesome portrayal of such an infuriating character. It takes a bit of doing to get me to hate a character (for reasons other than awful acting - Gretchen from Heroes, I'm looking at you), but he succeeds admirably in being a complete ass hat.That doesn't really sound like a compliment, but it is!! :-)
Dr. Nicholas Rush, as played by Robert Carlyle, is the other reason I watch this show (besides Scott and the word "Stargate"). He's hard to get a bead on, and I love that about him. His motives, as I've mentioned before, seem to be conflicting. At some times he seems to be working for the good of all, and at other times, he seems to be out only for himself.
On one hand you really want to pity this character. He has sacrificed a lot for his career, for his genius, and he is painfully aware of those sacrifices. "Air" showed us that he was once married, a marriage that likely dissolved under the weight of his drive for results and his fanatical work ethic. Yet, for all the pseudo humanizing things about his character, he's got a million flaws. He's a cantankerous bastard, ruthless in his attacks on the people aboard the ship. Think of him as a less friendly House. He detests Scott and Greer and only has a marginal respect for Young. He tolerates Eli, though at times I lean towards thinking it goes beyond mere tolerance. At the same time though, he's been known to comfort those who are distressed, and he eases up when he realizes he's hit a sensitive spot.
Example time. Earlier, I talked about Scott begging Rush to carry on with their mission in "Air, Part 3." Rush spends a good chunk of the time on that desert planet talking about how much he doesn't like Scott and Greer, and he spends most of that particular scene digging away at Scott through a rather brutal psychoanalysis. Rather painfully to, I might add. In response to Scott's "please" Rush says with a wry, satisfied smirk on his face, "What makes you think I won't try." The comment was at once Rush giving in to Scott's request but also slightly mocking. "I can break you," the smirk said.
The real problem when it comes to Rush are his motives, as they are quite literally shrouded in mystery. He doesn't divulge them, but many of them seem to be entirely self-serving. He obviously doesn't want to go back to earth (he's got the opportunity of a lifetime, the culmination of his life's work), and he won't hesitate to tell everybody how impossible such a feat is. I think the truest examples of Rush's self-serving nature comes during "Light." Aside from being a heart-wrenching and absolutely amazing episode, it revealed the dark side of Dr. Rush.
In this episode, the ship runs out of power. Destiny drops out of FTL in a solar system with a sun, but its course is taking it straight into the sun. Rush runs some calculations to see if it is possible to avoid going through the sun, and if the shields could survive such an event. The answer on both counts was no. The good news is that Destiny has found 3 planets in the system that might be inhabitable. The only problem with that is they only have one shuttle, which can't hold everybody on board the ship plus supplies. Young decides to hold a draft. He would choose 2 people to go on the ship, then randomly draw 15 names. Everybody else would remain. Both he and Rush remove their names from the lottery. Near the time of the lottery, Rush asks Young who he chose as the two people that would be guaranteed a spot on the ship. Young had chosen Scott and TJ (the medic). Rush asks "Not Greer?" and the Colonel responds that he hopes Greer gets drawn in the lottery. At this point, Rush suggests rigging the lottery to get the most valuable (read: military) people to the planet. Young, of course, refuses to do this.
Anyway, names are drawn, the shuttle is packed and departs, and those remaining await their fate. Yet, the ship enters the sun, and they do not die. Rush comes to the realization that Destiny must just be using the sun to recharge their power cores. They reestablish contact with the shuttle and plan to rendezvous to get everybody back on board. There's a problem in that Destiny is traveling too fast for the shuttle to catch up. Rush and Eli end up creating the navigation plan that eventually allows the shuttle to dock successfully with the Destiny.
All is well and good, right? Rush saved the other members of the crew on board the shuttle, the ship has power, the people are happy for a change. then Young goes to congratulate Rush for his fine work. Rush turns down the compliment, saying he didn't deserve it. After a moment, Young comes to the following conclusion:
Rush knew the ship would survive its voyage through the sun, yet he let Young send the people, including Scott and TJ, away on the shuttle. It all comes crashing down that that moment, as I realized that he was trying (likely, it was never confirmed - Rush walks away instead of providing Young with an answer) to get rid of the military presence on the ship. Without them, he would have authority over everything on the ship...
And then I hated Rush again.
This is the roller coaster ride we get from Rush. His character is complicated and deep, filled with mystery. I can't wait to see where he ends up.
Finally, I'd like to touch on Camille Ray, as played by Ming Na. Up until "Life," she was not really a major character in the show. She's the HR person on the ship, and she holds the personnel files of everybody on board. We've only seen her a couple of times in any significant fashion, but she's made an impression on me both times.
The first time came as a Kino appearance. They've made use of the Kinos as a way to connect with the characters a little bit more. Eli came up with the idea that people should give testimonials to the camera (Cloverfield style!) and they ran with that idea for a couple of episodes. In one of these episodes, I forget which one, Camille is speaking to the Kino. She says "Tell Sharon that my last thoughts were for her." That line was delivered in such a way that it has really stuck with me.
In this episode, we learn that Sharon is her partner, and this is who Camille visits during her time on earth. They don't get to share a ton of onscreen time together, but what they do share is memorable. There is a certain warmth there. I get the feeling that there's a real connection between Camille and Sharon. Once again, I am left saying how the acting in this show is top notch. Very rarely do you get scenes so powerful in television outside this show. I am also left hoping that Ming Na gets a more significant role in the show.
That covers most of the characters. I'm going to go ahead and publish this novel-length post now, lest it get too much longer. Next up, I'm going to talk about what exactly it is about the show besides the characters that I like so damned much.
Stay tuned for more SGU goodness!
One other note, SGU isn't on this week, but it is on next week. That will be the mid season finale, and I'm not entirely sure, but it looks like the show's going to be off air for about 10 weeks. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself without SGU for 10 whole weeks. I sense withdrawal symptoms coming on....
So, I follow most of the cast for this show on Twitter, so I'm going to post this blog up there in the pseudo-vain hope that they actually read it. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, it is rather important to me that they know how awesome I think this show is. Especially after reading some of the things that people say about the show online... dirty haters!
All right, for reals this time, I'm wrapping it up. I shall now resume my Thanksgiving day TV-athon.
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!
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