Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 487

September 22, 2012: Heart of Duckness

Courtesy http://www.flickr.com/photos/sifu_renka/

I’m sure it’s happened to you before.  You’re sitting back, watching a show on Food Network or the Travel Channel, when a dish catches your eye.  You track down the recipe, study it, then jot down the ingredients, determined to recreate it at home.  The next day, you go to the grocery store and pick up the garlic, butter, pepper, sea salt, and thyme, and then swing by your local butcher only to be told they don’t have any fresh duck hearts.  But maybe you might be interested in some frozen chicken hearts instead?

Seriously?  The recipe is duck hearts on toast, not thawed chicken hearts on toast.  You return home to swallow your bitter disappointment, along with an alternate dinner of pork belly, fried peppers, and radish and tomato salad.

Okay, granted, there may not be that much consumer demand for duck hearts, but I see duck breasts and legs on display so I have to wonder what they do with the hearts.  And the rest of the innards (aka offal pronounced, appropriately enough to some, “awful”) for that matter.

There was a time when the consumption of animal organs was confined to those who simply couldn’t afford the finer cuts.  But things have changed.  In fact, you could say they’ve been completely upended. Nowadays, thanks to advancements made by the modern meat industry, most anyone can enjoy the choice cuts – or a reasonable facsimile thereof pressed into burger form, frozen, then flash fried for your convenience.  Meanwhile, top chefs around the globe have discovered the versatility of such once-dodgy menu items as sweetbreads, lamb heart, pork cheek, and calf brain.  Granted, these dishes aren’t for everyone but you might be surprised at the rising popularity of the likes of grilled beef tongue with mustard sauce or a fine cognac-laced rabbit liver pate.  Last night, I was watching celebrity gourmand and world traveler Anthony Bourdain rave about one of the courses he’d been served at St. John Bread and Wine in London and I found myself thinking: “Yeah, that blood cake and fried egg DOES look delicious!  The lucky bastard.”.

Courtesy http://www.curious-eater.com/

You know, it wasn’t long ago that I preferred my meat well done, my seafood cooked, and my squid in the mezzanine tank of my local aquarium.  But times have changed and so have I.  In some respects. And while you’ll never catch me bungee jumping or cave diving or dating a reality show contestant, there’s a chance you may come across me sitting down to some fugu shirako tempura, a plate of roasted bone marrow with parsley salad, or some crispy pig ear with salsa verde.

Just, apparently, not butter-fried duck hearts with thyme and garlic. Not anytime soon anyway.

Crispy pig brain served with parsley root and Dungeness Crab mayonnaise compliments of Chef Rob Belcham and the gang at Fuel/Refuel/Campagnolo/Camapgnolo Roma/Fat Dragon. Mmmmmmmm.

Tagged: adventurous eating, bizarre food, blood cake, duck hearts, duck hearts on toast, food, offal

September 21, 2012: In memory of Kelly

I awoke this morning and logged onto to this blog to find the following message awaiting moderation:

“Anne Teldy’s lil sisAnne and I wrote this two weeks ago. All typos or mispellings are mine. I had hoped not to have to post this for some time, but sadly…

Kelly Hurt, known on the Internet as Anne Teldy, passed away Thursday, September 20, 2012. She belonged to several discussion groups ranging in subject matter from books to size acceptance to her beloved Stargate Atlantis and made good friends through them.

Those online friends rallied around Kelly when she announced on her TV.com blog her hospitalization and subsequent move to a nursing home. They sent a flood of cards and gifts, cheering her greatly during her worst times.

Kelly’s favorite online activity was participating in the discussion at the blog of Stargate Atlantis writer/executive producer Joseph Mallozzi. Winning his “One Millionth Blog Visit” contest was the highlight of her life, she said, and she was nearly overwhelmed by the prizes: a Stargate SG-1 10th Anniversary watch and a character named after her on Stargate Atlantis. (Major Anne Teldy made her debut in the Fifth Season episode “Whispers”.)

Kelly was preceded in death by her father Roy. Hurt. She is survived by her mother, Marlett Hurt of Newburgh; a brother Richard Hurt of Evansville; sisters Kathleen Blizzard and Kerry Siniard both of Chandler as well as nieces and nephew Heather Schoch, Tony Hurt and Leah Hurt (U.B.) of Tennesse; nieces Amy Blizzard, Kristina Orange, and Katlynn Orange all of Chandler.

Funeral arrangements are pending at Alexander Funeral Home in Newburgh IN. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to the “Save Stargate Atlantis” Fund or the American Diabetes Association.

Kelly wished to express her especial gratitude to Sparkle and Puppet of Madison WI as well as to Joseph Mallozzi and his blog regulars (for the love of Beckett, skgraff, das, paloosa, sulien, maggiemayday, sheryl, and everyone) for all their friendship and support during her illness.”

As many of you know, Kelly was a longtime reader of this blog and a passionate Stargate fan.  She’d been battling health issues for a while and it was only last week that we learned her condition had taken a turn for the worse.  The news prompted me to write an entry in which I offered an overview of Kelly’s interactions with our little online community – her posts, her milestone achievement of being the 1 000 000th visitor here (which won her a Stargate SG-1 10th anniversary watch), the fact that she had a character named after her internet pseudonym, Anne Teldy (September 15, 2012: Our Major Teldy! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Be All My Sins Remember’d!).  Although she was unwell, her comments were always positive and spirited.  Some of my favorites included:

“Am I the only person who, on first seeing deeinsouthafrica’s little avatar/icon/picture thingy thought it was some strange internal organ?”






 

“Your blog never fails to make me laugh and, considering my health problems, etc., that means more to me than I can say. And, since content of posts has nothing to do with winning, you may rest assured I am sincere. Thanks.”

 






“I’ve gotten my 22 year-old-niece hooked on Stargate Atlantis by letting her borrow my DVDs. She hadn’t finished Season 3 when this season started but had by the time SciFi Channel ran the all-day Atlantis marathon. We watched it together over the phone with her calling me every commercial break. (I had to change batteries in my cordless.  ) We watched tonight’s episode together, too.”






 

“As to the first 3 pictures: I’m sorry, but that looks like an Asgard sex doll which makes Mr. Gero’s expression rather… uhm… creepy.” (January 15, 2008)






 

“Dear Cookie Monster,

Thank you so much for your email. Please let me know when the watch will be arriving so that I can rent a forklift.”






 

“I honestly can’t believe this. Thanks, Mr. M.! (The cash is on its way. Tens and twenties like we agreed.)

All kidding aside, this means more than I can possible convey in words. As I posted in one of my gabillion comments, I’m housebound and don’t have much to get excited about. Stargate Atlantis is the first thing in a long while that has “got my juices flowing” as my grandmother used to say.

It also got me wanting to interact with others. The regular commenters here, as well as yourself, Mr. M., have such great senses of humor that I get a laugh every time I come to the blog. It made me want to be a part of it, something that’s been quite alien to me lately.

Thank you again, Mr. M. Whether she’s eaten by space cows, killed by Sheppard in his stick-fighting episode, or dies of poor hygiene due to the lack of bathing facilities in Atlantis, I’m sure you’ll write a memorable death scene for my namesake.

Anne Teldy

PS: Please hold off shipping the watch until I get the floor reinforced.”






 

“I really wish I hadn’t looked up ‘Melena’. It was a beautiful name.”






 

“jan wrote:

If there was a fast food fly-in at Pegasus galaxy, would they serve special dishes for Wraith like a ‘Crispy Colonel’ or a ‘McKay’?

I’m thinking ‘Sheppard’s Pie’. “






 

“At last a bright spot in my imprisonment! A recently-hired nurse, John, is an SF fan! When he brings my 4 p.m. medicines (he uses a wheelbarrow  )Stargate Atlantis is on SciFi and he usually stays and chats a while. He’s excited about knowing the real Anne Teldy.”

 

“I have to agree with your stance. I have never considered fruit “dessert”. However, the staff here does. It seems to have to do with something called ‘nutrition’. The concept of ‘nutrition’ is apparently defined as “when food is good for you but does not taste good”. They cooks here excel at nutrition.”






 

“Thanks again to all the regulars sending cards and letters. It really brightens my day when the staffer brings those little reminders that somebody out there likes me.”






 

“I was moping around in emotional misery this morning when the staffer came in with the mail. “You have a box!” she said in that annoyingly chipper voice of hers. After she left, I opened it to reveal manna direct from Heaven (or, in this case, Amazon.com) in the form of books — The Android’s Dreamand The Blade Itself — sent by Sylvia (skgraff) with the beginning discussion dates for each noted.”






 

“Mr. M, I again must ask for a blog dedication to honor one of your generous readers. Today, out of the blue, I received a box filled with CDs and a CD-player (batteries included!) from Paloosa.

Thank you, Paloosa! I can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to me. Some of the CDs are definite keepers and I look forward to exploring the music on the others.

And thank you to all who keep sending the spirit-lifting cards and letters. I’ve filled one bulletin board with them and am starting a second. They’re the first thing I see when I wake in the morning and they always make me smile.”

 






“The staffer woke me up this afternoon when she delivered a box with an air hole in it. It was from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and contained my new teddy bear. She wears a white t-shirt with “Marines” in red on the front and “Major Anne Teldy” in black on the back. I sat rocking her and cried like a baby. (Of course, I cry like a baby quite often these days.) I can’t thank you enough for the gift.”






 

“A Personal Milestone: No Reply Needed; Skip if You Like

Since I’ve always been an avid reader, people often ask me to recommend good books to them. In June of 1994, as an aide to memory, I began to write down every book I read. Once I finish it, I record the title and author along with notations as to who among my reading acquaintances might best enjoy it.

I’m pleased to announce to all my friends that, after sixteen years, I have reached a personal milestone: as of this evening, Monday, the 5th of July, 2010, I have read 3,000 books! (This includes fiction and nonfiction, audiobooks and traditional, as well as rereads of favorite titles.) This works out to an average of 15.5 books per month. I’ve had three months in which I read 47 books, my personal best. Also, due to my poor health, I’ve had nine months in which I didn’t read a single book.

I can’t actually choose a favorite, but my most reread books are Jane Austen’s six, J K Rowling’s seven, and Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road. As for worst, I once read an SF novel, Vurt, for which I noted “recommend to worst enemies only”. Of course, I could have been having a bad day. “

Although I only knew her through the comments she posted to this blog, those posts, I thought, offered great insight into Kelly as a person, showing her to be warm, funny, an avid reader, and greatly appreciative of Stargate and her fellow fans.

She will be missed.

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Kelly-Hurt&lc=2685&pid=160014922&mid=5246891&locale=en-US

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/courierpress/obituary.aspx?n=Kelly-Hurt&pid=160016291#fbLoggedOut

Tagged: Stargate, Stargate fandom

September 20, 2012: A chance encounter! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Harmony!

Well, look who it is.  Yes, it’s my former Stargate arch-nemesis Ashleigh (not to be confused with my former Transporter arch-nemesis Tara) and her adorable pug, L’Eau.  I happened to be in Gastown, enjoying an afternoon stroll with my frenchie, Lulu, when I happened to spot our former Exec. Producers’ Assistant across the street.  The last time I’d spoken to her was – well, we actually exchanged texts a couple of weeks ago.  I invited her to lunch.  She said she couldn’t make it but suggested an alternate date.  I said great and waited for her follow-up text.  Which never came.  Clearly, she’s been VERY busy. What doing?  Well, so far as I could discern, not all that much – certainly nothing that would trump having lunch with yours truly.

Anyway, we did some catching up.  I suggested we get together for lunch next Friday.  She informed me that Friday was no good for her but suggested an alternate date.  She’ll get back to me.

Continuing our stroll down SGA memory lane…

HARMONY  (414)

I loved this episode for many, many reasons.  Carl Binder, Martin Gero, and I broke the story over the course of a fun-filled afternoon.  We cast the wonderful Jodelle Ferland as Harmony and she was not only perfect for the role, but perfectly prepared.  She not only knew all of her dialogue, but knew everyone else’s dialogue as well, occasionally prompting David and Joe whenever they forgot their lines.  Much of the episode was shot at Widgeon Park – a lot of early mornings and late nights – with one of my favorite directors, the amazing Will Waring, calling the shots.  It was the same location where the crew reported spotting a bear while shooting an episode of SG-1.  Apparently, when Chris Judge got word of the sighting, he refused to come out of trailer. Guess you don’t see very many bears back on Chu’lak.

Thanks to the well-wishes on the wasp sting (and Akemi’s wisdom tooth extraction).  I’m almost fully recovered (Akemi too).  And thanks for the horrific dental surgery stories (Did I mention how much that wasp sting hurt?  A lot!).

Today’s entry is dedicated to Janet’s daughter, Vicky.  Get well soon!  Today’s entry is also dedicated to the latest addition to Deni’s brood, Cody.  Also, a dedication goes out to Hero Pig.

Tagged: Atlantis, Days of Stargate Atlantis Past, Harmony, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis

September 19, 2012: The Curious Case of the Vindictive Vespula Germanica: A Joseph Mallozzi Mystery! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Quarantine!

It was a fiery pain, sharp and sudden, as if I’d brushed up against a white hot stove element.  I dropped my bag of dog treats and immediately checked the source of the intense burning, discovered the detached wasp’s stinger embedded on the inside base of my right ring finger.  It instantly brought to mind a video I once saw, an extreme close up of an abandoned stinger, one end trailing its former owner’s innards, the other still pumping liquid poison into its unfortunate victim.  I acted quickly, pulled it out, then attempted to suck the toxin out of the tiny wound – with negligible results.  In retrospect, I think that only works for snake bites.

WTF?  I’ve always laughed at the women in my life – my sister, my ex, Akemi – whenever they’ve reacted with hysterics, shrieking and bolting, at the mere sight of a wasp, ever-confident in my assumption (evidently an erroneous one) that the damn things only sting when provoked.  Also, from what I’d been told, unlike bees that can sting with gay abandon and not suffer any consequences, wasps die after they sting someone.  As it turns out, wrong again as its reversed: bees die because of their hooked stingers while wasps are unaffected due to fact that  their stingers are straight.  So, my assailant wasn’t suicidal, but she (I’ve since learned that only females possess stingers) was certainly crazed.  How else to explain that completely unjustified attack?  I was just standing there, minding my own business. My own business!

And, yes, I’m sure it was a wasp and not a bee.  It didn’t look like this:

It looked like this:

All demented and angry and shit.

I had to cut the walk short, much to Jelly’s disappointment, and returned home to run the affected area under cold water, douse it with oregano oil and rubbing alcohol, and then downed a couple of advils and a benadryl.  Nevertheless, my finger swelled up, turned a bright pink, and was extremely sensitive to touch.  On the bright side, I did not experience dizziness, shortness of breath and/or death.

Ironically, I wasn’t the one scheduled to endure any sort of pain today. That was Akemi who had a wisdom tooth removed this afternoon.

She was in and out of the dentist’s office in less than fifteen minutes and, I’m pleased to report, is on the mend.  According to the dental assistant, when she gets hungry, she should eat something soft and preferably not hot.  So, ice cream dinner it is!

Continuing our trip down Atlantis memory lane:

QUARANTINE  (413)

A “bottle episode” is a cost-saving episode that limits its scope to our established characters and sets while also making equally limited use of visual effects.   After Be All My Sins Remember’d, we really needed one of these to get us back on track budget-wise.  More often than not, the action in a bottle episode centers on our heroes, trapped and isolated, attempting to reverse the conditions that landed them in their difficult circumstances.  When done well, bottle episodes can be engaging and entertaining, shedding light on our characters as they open up to one another in closed confine conversations.  When done poorly – well, there’s not need to discuss that since Quarantine did it well, throwing together some unlikely pairings (Ronon and Keller, Carter and Zelenka) and delivering an episode that, while inexpensive to produce, offered humor, suspense, and insight into our characters.  It also granted an opportunity to a most unlikely hero, Radek Zelenka, who ends up saving the day – following a terrific tumble out a vent.

Ah, how things may have gone had the circumstances been different. At the beginning of the season, Martin Gero pitched the idea of McKay becoming a dad.  I liked the notion of Rodney having to balance fatherhood with his ongoing commitment to safeguarding the galaxy and we were giving some serious consideration to having him settle down with Katie Brown…  But when Rachel informed us that she was pregnant, we elected to write her pregnancy into the show instead. There could only be room for one parent in season 4.

This creative shift also, curiously, had an effect on another storyline we’d been considering, a romantic arc that would have seen Ronon and Keller get together.  In the end, it became a love triangle and, instead of Kellnon (or is it Roller?) we wound up with McKeller (or is it KellKay?).

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Did you prefer one pairing over another?  Or would you have preferred no pairing at all?

Tagged: Atlantis, Quarantine, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, wasp sting, wasps

September 18, 2012: Recommend me a great mystery read! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Spoils of War!

Not a fine mystery read or a good mystery read.  I’d like you to recommend me a great one.  A couple of guidelines:

1. As much as I respect the classics, I’d prefer to read something set in our contemporary world.  Well, contemporary-ish.  I’ll pass on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe but welcome anything in the Patricia Highsmith vein.

2. Nothing too noirish.  Dashiell Hammet, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane – all terrific writers, but not my cup of tea.

3. No espionage (John le Carre), police procedurals (Ed McBain), cozies (Agatha Christie), legal/medicals, romantic suspense (Mary Higgins Clark), or anything that is part of an ongoing series involving a recurring investigator.  I’m on the fence re: mixed genres.  Yes to a whodunit set on an isolated space station but no to mysteries in which our inquiring protagonist is a vacationing housewife, precocious kid, or a surprisingly wry barnyard animal.

4. Something well-plotted yet pleasantly unpredictable with no annoying contrivances or conveniences (Hey, it turns out Sheila’s great-aunt’s long lost child is really Maureen who just happened to have been working at the estate as a fountain cleaner when Lord Waddlington was murdered!).

5. Something that starts off strong, engages the reader throughout, and pays off with a satisfying conclusion.  I’ve read quite a few novels that manage two out of three, starting strong and engaging the reader throughout, only to deliver a letdown of an ending (ie. In one case, the reason the mystery was so baffling was because the actual murderer wasn’t introduced until the last thirty pages and, oh yeah, two killers acted independently but just so happened to murder people in the same house on the same night).

6. Something with interesting and believable characters.  I don’t care what the protagonist’s schtick is.  If he’s not interesting, I lose interest and stop reading.

According to the Mystery Writers of America, these are the Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time.  Agree?  Disagree?  Let’s hear from you. Especially if you’d like to recommend something on this list that meets the aforementioned guidelines:

1. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle (Included in this are The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Study in Scarlet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Sign of Four, each of which garned a lot of votes on its own.)

2. The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett

3. Tales of Mystery and Imagination, by Edgar Allen Poe (Includes “The Gold Bug” and “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” which also received a lot of individual votes.)

4. The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey

5. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow

6. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John le Carré

7. The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins

8. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler

9. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier

10. And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians or Ten Little Niggers), by Agatha Christie

11. Anatomy of a Murder, by Robert Traver

12. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

13. The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler

14. The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M Cain

15. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo

16. The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris

17. A Coffin for Dimitrios, by Eric Ambler

18. Gaudy Night, by Dorothy L Sayers

19. Witness for the Prosecution, by Agatha Christie

20. The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth

21. Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler

22. The Thirty-Nine Steps, by John Buchan

23. 
24. Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

25. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett

26. Rumpole of the Bailey, by John Mortimer

27. Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris

28. The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L Sayers

29. Fletch, by Gregory Mcdonald

30. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John le Carré

31. The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett

32. The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins

33. Trent’s Last Case, by E C Bentley

34. Double Indemnity, by James M Cain

35. Gorky Park, by Martin Cruz Smith

36. Strong Poison, by Dorothy L Sayers

37. Dance Hall of the Dead, by Tony Hillerman

38. The Hot Rock, by Donald E Westlake

39. Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett

40. The Circular Staircase, by Mary Roberts Rinehart

41. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

42. The Firm, by John Grisham

43. The Ipcress File, by Len Deighton

44. Laura, by Vera Caspary

45. I, the Jury, by Mickey Spillane

46. The Laughing Policeman, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

47. Bank Shot, by Donald E Westlake

48. The Third Man, by Graham Greene

49. The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson

50. Where Are the Children?, by Mary Higgins Clark

51. “A” Is for Alibi, by Sue Grafton

52. The First Deadly Sin, by Lawrence Sanders

53. A Thief of Time, by Tony Hillerman

54. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

55. Rogue Male, by Geoffrey Household

56. Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy L Sayers

57. The Innocence of Father Brown, by G K Chesterton

58. Smiley’s People, by John le Carré

59. The Lady in the Lake, by Raymond Chandler

60. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

61. Our Man in Havana, by Graham Greene

62. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, by Charles Dickens

63. Wobble to Death, by Peter Lovesey

64. Ashenden, by W Somerset Maugham

65. The Seven Per-Cent Solution, by Nicholas Meyer

66. The Doorbell Rang, by Rex Stout

67. Stick, by Elmore Leonard

68. The Little Drummer Girl, by John le Carré

69. Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene

70. Dracula, by Bram Stoker

71. The Talented Mr Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith

72. The Moving Toyshop, by Edmund Crispin

73. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham

74. Last Seen Wearing, by Hillary Waugh

75. Little Caesar, by W R Burnett

76. The Friends of Eddie Coyle, by John V Higgins

77. Clouds of Witness, by Dorothy L Sayers

78. From Russia, with Love, by Ian Fleming

79. Beast in View, by Margaret Millar

80. Smallbone Deceased, by Michael Gilbert

81. The Franchise Affair, by Josephine Tey

82. Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters

83. Shroud for a Nightingale, by P D James

84. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy

85. Chinaman’s Chance, by Ross Thomas

86. The Secret Agent, by Joseph Conrad

87. The Dreadful Lemon Sky, by John D MacDonald

88. The Glass Key, by Dashiell Hammett

89. Judgment in Stone, by Ruth Rendell

90. Brat Farrar, by Josephine Tey

91. The Chill, by Ross Macdonald

92. Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley

93. The Choirboys, by Joseph Wambaugh

94. God Save the Mark, by Donald E Westlake

95. Home Sweet Homicide, by Craig Rice

96. The Three Coffins (aka The Hollow Man), by John Dickson Carr

97. Prizzi’s Honor, by Richard Condon

98. The Steam Pig, by James McClure

99. Time and Again, by Jack Finney

100. A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters, tied with Rosemary’s Baby, by Ira Levin

Our trip down Atlantis memory lane continues with -

SPOILS OF WAR (412)

Well, this one was a first – an episode that picks up NOT when we last left off but BEFORE we last left off, introducing a scene involving the wraith that we didn’t see during the attack on the Asuran home world.  It was not only unique in our playing with the narrative timeline, but also an uncharacteristic “cutting to the bad guys”, something we generally avoided on the show.  This scene was also notable for providing one of the highlights for that season’s blooper year when one of the wraith trips and almost falls flat on his face as he brings in the ZPM’s.

This episode was written and produced by Stargate veteran Alan McCullough who, after Stargate: Atlantis wrapped production, moved on to Sanctuary and Lost Girl.  When the time came, I was very sorry to see him (and Martin Gero) go.

Writer/Co-Executive Producer Alan McCullough

One of the standout moments in this episode was the destruction of the wraith cloning facility.  Our VFX department excelled at wholesale destruction:.

Art Department concept drawing of the wraith facility.

And the onscreen version compliments of our VFX department.

On the other hand, kudos to our Special Effects and Make up departments on the grotesque wraith drone birthing scene.  Yech.  It’s no wonder they all wear those masks.

Teyla’s pregnancy becomes an issue for Sheppard – and I believe rightly so.  Still, his decision to allow her to come along on the mission pays off when she ends up assuming control of the wraith queen to win their freedom.  Sure, it’s easy to say it was the right choice in retrospect but if you were leading the team, would you have allowed Teyla to tag along?

Tagged: Atlantis, mystery, mystery novels, SGA, Spoils of War, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis

September 17, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Spiderman 2!

Spiderman 2 be most disappointing sekwel since Grover’s little brother, Mervin, born. Unlike first solid outing, dis foray into web-slinging adventure be peppered wit WTF (What de Fudgee-o) moments and cheesy dialogue.  First movie skirted line between serious and fun, but dis movie veer into stupid-silly territory, at times reminding monster of Richard Lester Superman.  Anyone who say Spiderman 2 is better movie dan original Spiderman need to have deir head examined (becuz monster will headbutt him/her first opportunity me get).

Movie open wit fun sekwence of Spiderman swinging across city to deliver pizzas – but capped off wit painfully extended sekwence of Peter trying to push falling brooms back into a closet.  Dis sadly foreshadow more nyuk-nyuks to come.

Peter late for delivery, get fired, and go back home where – Aunt May, MJ, and Harry surprise him.   It be his birthday.  But he forget.  Seriously.  Who forget deir own birthday?  Sadness continue for Peter when he go back to his apartment and he haranged by landlord for rent – while landlord’s daughter makes googly eyes at him wit her googly eyes.  Peter try to make it to MJ’s play but he too late after foiling robbery and misses show.

Dr. Octoplotz – Why his spine not snap under weight of his mechanical arms?

Meanwhile, scientist experimenting wit cold fuzion and mechanical arms have experiment go awry.  Everyting made of metal (except his mechanical arms and his wife’s earrings) sucked into magnetized field.  Wife killed and he injured.  Mechanical arms fused to his spine and, in great horrific operating scene, he kill surgeons trying to remove dem and go on rampage.

Spiderman try to stop him and Aunt May get caught in de middle, giving rise to another silly sekwence where Dr. Octoplotz use her as hostage and she respond by hitting him wit her umbrella.  Spiderman manage to save her even tho he mysteriously run out of web fluid.  What up wit dat?

MJ. Stand for Mean Jezebel.

Meanwhile, MJ admit she love Peter.  And she prove how much she love him by deciding to marry J. Jonah Jameson son (?).

But MJ least of Peter’s problems.  He also notice he having trouble wit his wall crawling ability.  He go see doctor who tell him it be mental, dat he have “a choice”. So much for subtle psychological portrait of our hero’s dilemma.  And, just in case, it not obvious enuf, we cut to heavenly conversation where Uncle Ben tell him dat IT BE MENTAL, DAT HE HAVE A CHOICE!

Peter decide he not want to be Spiderman anymore and trow his costume away in de trash.  Costume found by guy who, for some reazon, believe it belong to de real Spiderman who must have quit his job (last night, monster find six rolls of gauze, loose sparkles and bag of chicken feathers in dumpster so automatically assumed Lady Gaga retired).  Dis become headline news!  Spiderman Quit!

While all dis going on, Peter’s best friend Harry wanting revenge on Spiderman for killing his dad, Norman (Green Goblin).  He tell crazy Dr. Octopolotz dat his buddy Peter may know where Spiderman be.  As Dr. Octoplotz head off to track him down, Harry call out: “Don’t hurt Peter!”.  Nononono.  Of course not.  Why you tink dis crazed homocidal lunatik will hurt Peter just becuz you tell him he be key to finding Spiderman?

Back at Peter’s apartment, we treated to completely useless scene where landlord’s daughter treat him to milk and chocolate cake.  Seriously.  What dis have to do wit anyting?  Why landlord’s daughter even in dis movie?

Aunt May. A little light in de neurons.

Dis followed up by so-weird-it-almost-feel-like-a-dream-sekwence speech by Aunt May in which she go on and on and on (and on) about de importance of being a hero.  Why she telling Peter dis?  Well, only one of two possible reazons: a) She know he really Spiderman b) She going senile.

Later, Peter decide to check if his webshooting abilities back.  How he do dis?  By trying to spin a web?  No, of course not.  By trowing himself off de top of a building. Unfortunately for him, webshooters still not working and he almost killed in fall.  On one hand, he look like a complete idiot and almost die.  On de other hand, scene is good for a few nyuk-nyuks.

Peter steal back his costume and, again as Spiderman, cross paths with Dr. Octoplotz.  Spidey save runaway train before it can ride off trail track dat mysteriously end in insane drop over city (dis gag was funnier in Blues Brothers, mainly becuz dat movie WAS a comedy).  He collapse but, in super cheeserific maudlin scene, he borne aloft by passengers who stand up for him when Dr. Octoplotz come back.

Hold still. Dis may sting. Me hope.

He deliver Spiderman to Harry who unmask to reveal: his BFF Peter!  Peter convince Harry to tell him where Dr. Octoplotz hiding.

Doc kidnap MJ and bring her back to his waterfront lab.  Spiderman show up as Octoplotz create new experimental reactor.  Dey fight!  For reazons known only to film’s writer, Spiderman reveal his true identity to lunatik supervillain and ask him nicely for help.  Dat seem to work and Dr. Octoplotz save New York by dumping reactor in east river.  Easy as dat.

Peter reveal his sekret identity to MJ and tell her dat he love her but dey can never be together.  MJ wait until her wedding day before abandoning her husband-to-be at de altar and running away, smiling, in her wedding dress.  What a bitch.

Harry, meanwhile, diskover his dad’s sekret lab – and identity!  Dis skillfully set up Spiderman 3.

Or maybe not.

Verdikt: CG shots of Spiderman swinging thru city be almost Hulk level quality but other sekwences pretty good.  Villain, Dr. Octoplotz, be more visually spectakular, but he a far less interesting charakter dan Norman Osborne/Green Goblin.  Why he do what he do?  Just becuz he crazy?  What de point of landlord’s daughter charakter?  De chocolate cake scene?  Still, some great action sewkwences and J. Jonah Jameson be terrific in all his scenes.

Rating: 6 out of 10 chocolate chippee cookies.

Today’s blog entry be dedikated to birthday boy, gforce.

September 16, 2012: Seattle Road Trip!

Hey, remember that movie Road Trip where a group of friends hop in a car and drive cross country?  Well, today, I experienced my own abbreviated version – minus the scene in which someone gets served a piece of french toast that took a ride down the back of somebody’s pants (although, to be fair, I can’t vouch for that stadium pulled pork sandwich).

This morning, Ivon, Lawren, Rob and I hit the road at 8:00 a.m. sharp and made the drive to Seattle in a little under two and a half hours.

We arrive in Seattle

We were there, of course, to take in the big game pitting the hometown Seahawks against Rob’s perennially underachieving Dallas Cowboys.  But Rob had high hopes for his Cowboys coming off their upset week one win over the Superbowl champion New York Giants. Maybe, just maybe, this is the season they’ll show some consistency and live up to their potential (spoiler alert: no, it isn’t).

Outside the stadium, craziness and carnitas abound!

We parked and walked over to the stadium where we checked out the various food stalls.  Our first stop:

Lawren presents: Taco Time!

The tacos were quite good.  Even though there was a line-up, it moved quickly.  And there was this guy to keep us entertained while we waited:

Then, we headed inside to check out the concession stands inside the stadium.  I have to say, I was very disappointed.  I was expecting a little more variety.  And, quite frankly,  a lot more tastiness.  The pulled pork sandwich was dry and the sausage sampler was only one third successful.  The cheese nachos suffered from a woefully uneven cheese to nacho ratio:

The area occupied by the nachos is where the cheese should be while the area occupied by the cheese is where the nachos should be. THAT would be perfect.

And, for dessert, I had one of those average chocolate-covered ice-creams on a stick.  I regret not having waited in line for the donuts.

Our seats were in the 300 section so named because it is located approximately 300 feet below the mesosphere.   Perhaps more alarming than the thinning air was how incredibly steep the seating.  I imagine many a drunken fan has taken a loooong ride down those steps.

Still, we had a pretty good view of the field.

We were in the standing-room-only section.  By that, I mean that even though we had seats, everyone in our section elected to stand for most of the game, forcing us to stand in order to see what was going on.

Boy, Seattle fans are dedicated.  And LOUD!!!!

Fortunately, they only screamed like this whenever Dallas had the ball. Or whenever the Seahawks did something good.  Which was most of the time.

As for the game itself – well, it wasn’t much of a game.  The Cowboys fumbled the opening kick-off – and it was downhill from there.

The game and the food may have been disappointing, but the high point was easily the cheerleaders who we got to see a lot of on the big screen – jumping and dancing and smiling.  I’m not sure, but I think I spotted CNN’s Nancy Grace among the boisterous pompom wielders.  I said to Ivon that dating a cheerleader must be great because they all seem so happy all the time.

We headed out as the clock was ticking down on the Cowboys’ 27-7 defeat, then stopped off for another round of tacos before piling back into the car and driving back to Vancouver.

In the end, great fun was had by all.  With the exception of the Cowboys.

And my Snow Monkeys who lost this weekend and now wallow in the misery of a 0-2 record heading into next weekend’s match-up against the equally winless Running Dead managed by Ivon Bartok.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo

Tagged: Dallas Cowboys, Seattle, Seattle Seahawks, sports, travel

September 15, 2012: Our Major Teldy! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Be All My Sins Remember’d!

One of the nice things about this blog is the sense of community that has developed over the past 5+ years I’ve been updating it.  Readers have come and gone but many have stuck it out and become regulars, distinguishing themselves through insightful posts, amusing anecdotes, or their single-minded devotion to the wraith. One such regular is Kelly Hurt who has been following yours truly since 2007.  Although the name may not ring a bell, her pseudonym probably does: Anne Teldy. Back in January of 2008, I held a contest to celebrate the 1 000 000th visit to this blog.  In my January 19th entry, I allowed our buddy Cookie Monster to announce the winner: 

“COOKIE MONSTER: Congradulation to Anne Teldy who post at 10:03 a.m. and be first comment after one millionith visit! Enjoy watch for tell time and hit people with! Also enjoy possible red shirt charakter Anne before she be eated by carnivorus space cow!”

Yes, that’s right.  Anne not only won a Stargate 10th Anniversary watch (not suitable for children under 12 since the damn thing was so heavy it would no doubt dislocate their fragile little shoulders):

A 10th Anniversary Stargate watch!

And a closer look. You have to open the iris to check the time.

- she also won a part on Stargate: Atlantis!  Sort of.  I ended up naming a character after her in an upcoming episode.  

And she was, naturally, pleased to hear it, leaving the following message in the comment section in which she thanked me – and then offered some constructive criticism for my upcoming script:

“Mr. M,

I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night! I have a gabillion ideas for the character which I know wasn’t part of the contest and you couldn’t use even if I sent them to you. So I thought I’d ask for three small things which aren’t really ideas and which you are completely free to ignore.

1. If at all possible, please don’t make my namesake a ‘space bimbo’. I wouldn’t mind if she were pretty, but please not a slutty airhead. That could get a wee bit embarrassing if people thought the character was based on your actual impressions of me and was not just a random character you gave my name. That said, if needs must, go for it. Better a bimbo than nothing.:-D

2. If at all possible, please have Sheppard growl/shout “Anne!” the way he does “Rodney!” when he’s exasperated or frustrated with McKay. (Sheppard saying my whole name would be nice, too.)

3. If at all possible, have Rodney include “Anne Teldy” in one of his speed-speeches or rants.

That’s my top three requests for my namesake character. I will not say or ask anything further about my crazy ideas for her and you can just ignore them if you want. I trust you.

Thanks again for the marvelous prize!

Anne Teldy”

In the end, Sheppard didn’t yell her name and Rodney didn’t rant about her, but Major Anne Teldy was no airhead bimbo.  She was a pretty kick-ass character; the leader of an all-female team Sheppard teams up with in season 5′s Whispers.  

Major Anne Teldy

The plan was to eventually bring Major Teldy and a couple of her teammates back in a future episode but, unfortunately, time ran out on the series before we got a chance to see her again (frankly, before we got a chance to do a lot of things).  Nevertheless, I like to think that Major Teldy is out there somewhere, leading leading Porter and Dusty through the gate on all sorts of amazing adventures (Come on, people. Where’s the fan fic?).  

As it turned out, Anne Teldy was just a pseudonym, an online handle like the one Baron Destructo uses (Vince Ramone) to leave anonymous critiques on the Downtown Abbey fan forums.  Anne Teldy was, in reality, Kelly Hurt – as she revealed to us:

“By the way, “Anne Teldy” is just a nom de Internet I adopted years ago when I first came online. [It was the way my then not-yet-two-years-old niece said "Aunt Kelly".] My actual name is Kelly Hurt. I asked Mr. M. to use “Anne Teldy” for my character instead as I prefer it and, in a way, it honors my niece as well.”

It was a nice thing to do for her niece.  And, upon further reflection, made things easier for me since Major Hurt would have opened the character up to all sorts of ribbing.

In time, we got to know a little more about Kelly.  That she was unwell. That she was occasionally bed-ridden.  And that she was an avid reader.  This led a number of her fellow blog readers to send her well-wishes in the form of postcards and letters and, in a couple of instances, books!  

Over the past couple of years, Kelly has continued to visit this blog, but these visits have become somewhat infrequent owing to a recent downturn in her health.  Then, earlier this week, we received the following message:

“Hello All

This is Anne Teldy’s little sister. We received test results on Anne today. The news was not good. Her care will now be overseen by Hospice. Our information is sketchy at this point. We will know more tomorrow. What we were told today was at best we will have a couple of more months with Anne. A test will be done tomorrow morning that will let us know if we will be lucky enough to have that much more time with her. If Anne is up to it, she will pop in herself to visit. If she can’t, I will be her eyes for her and share the latest news from this blog with her. Anne is experiencing difficulty with spasms in her muscles making it hard for her to type. I will be happy to provide updates as time permits for those that are interested.

This blog has always meant a lot to Anne, and I will be sure she is able to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Anne Teldy’s Little Sister”

So, Kelly, please know (and I’m sure I speak for all of us here on the blog when I say) we are wishing our Major Teldy all the best and sending positive energy her way.

This entry is dedicated to all of the members of this extended blog family but especially to Kelly in this most difficult time.

And I’d like to cap off today’s entry by continuing our look back on one of Kelly’s favorite shows, Stargate Atlantis – and an episode that turned out to be a fan favorite:

BE ALL MY SINS REMEMBER’D (411)

Actress Michelle Morgan was originally cast as Linara, Davos’s grand-daughter in The Seer, but scheduling conflicts required us to recast the role.  Two episodes later, when we were looking for a Fran, we immediately thought of Michelle.  And her resemblance to actress Torri Higginson clinched the deal.  Michelle was great in her original audition and simply terrific as the friendly but doomed replicator.  Fran’s altruistic eagerness and ultimate sacrifice at episode’s end is truly heartbreaking.   

Another scheduling conflict through a wrench in the production when Chris Heyerdahl, who had previously played the part of the captive wraith, Todd, was unable to reprise the role.  As a result, actor Brendan Penny stepped in for this episode.  Chris later looped Todd’s dialogue during post-production.  Hats off to our amazing hair and make-up department.

The VFX budget for this episode surpassed those of any other episode of the series.  And, in my opinion, it was money well spent:

And another hats off to VFX Supervisor Mark Savela and the rest of the VFX crew.

Not surprisingly, Be All My Sins rates as one of the most popular episodes in Stargate fandom.

Tagged: Atlantis, Be All My Sins Remember'd, Days of Stargate Atlantis Past, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis

September 14, 2012: Feasting at Campagnola! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! This Mortal Coil!

The other day, I received an email from my buddy, Rob, informing me that this was Passion for Pork Week in Vancouver.  What, exactly, that meant I had no idea, but I knew that if pork was the central theme, then the gang at Campagnolo Restaurant were the people to see.  I texted owner, Tom Doughty, to let him know we were coming.  He gave Chef Ted Anderson the heads up and – well, we ended up sitting down a spectacular meal.  Actually, I hesitate to call it a meal since “feast” would have been much more appropriate.  Rob and his wife, Hillary, ended up bringing home leftovers equal to the amount of food the four of us ate for dinner…

Chef Ted – the master of ceremonies.

To be honest, I didn’t think we’d ordered THAT much, but there were certain items we just had to have.  Add in a few specials, a couple of surprises from the kitchen and…

The homemade mortadella (one of the special’s that night).  My mother’s favorite cold cut.  This version contains pistachios for a nice textural contrast.  Mom would’ve loved it. 

Grilled beef tongue with watercress, warba potatoes, and pine nuts.  If you can get past the fact that you’re eating tongue, this is one of the most delicious of meats.  Back in University, I had a friend who worked as a waiter at a Jewish restaurant.  Once, when a customer ordered the tongue, my buddy quipped: “Would you like extra saliva with that?”.  That was his last night on the job.

The arancini (another special).  Not surprisingly, Akemi’s favorite: crispy rice balls, stuffed and breaded.

In addition, we had some marinated olives, a Stoney Paradise tomato salad (so sweet, they almost taste like candy), and a little something from the kitchen: some wonderful Buffalo Mozzarella.

Next up, the salumi platter.  We decided to go large so that we could try a wider variety of cured meats…

Alas memory fails me on the details of the various offerings but, suffice it to say, it was one of the high points of the night.  Next time, I could just come back and eat that.

From there, we moved on to pizzas: a simple but excellent Margherita, and -

Cipolle – walla walla onions, taleggio cheese, crushed potatoes and olives.  I’ve always been a huge fan of white pizza and this one did not disappoint.

We then moved on to an enormous portion of the tasty house lasagna which was followed by our main:

A pork trio on a bed of sweet corn polenta.  Not pictured: the pork belly tucked underneath.  Akemi was full and decided to pass on hers, took a bite and ended up finishing the whole thing.

Yes, we were stuffed.  But when have you known me to miss dessert? Keeping with the running theme, we ordered all three dessert selections:

Dark chocolate mousse topped with local strawberries.

Trifle alla Campagnolo – cornmeal cake, preserved fruit, and butterscotch.

Mascarpone cheesecake with lapin cherries and pistachio.

Wow.  What a feast.  Camp never disappoints.

If you’re in Vancouver, check them out:

Campagnolo Restaurant

1020 Main Street  Vancouver, BC V6A 2W1 2W1

(604) 484-6018

A big thank you to Tom Doughty, Chef Ted Anderson, Chef Rob Belcham, and the rest of the gang at Campagnolo/Campagnolo Roma/Fat Dragon.

Our trip down Stargate Atlantis memory lane continues with…

THIS MORTAL COIL (410)

I can’t recall a time I was more frustrating writing (and rewriting and re-rewriting) a script than this one.  On the surface, it seems like a straightforward enough story: our characters get into trouble but it turns out they’re not our characters, however they enlist the help of our characters who end up getting killed at episode’s end.  Except, it turns out, they’re not our characters.  It was one of those episodes that required a lot of explaining – which is something I’m averse to doing because I feel it slows things down.  I prefer to assume the audience is smart enough to piece it together.  According to Paul, however, I tend to assume way too much and, as a result, I kept receiving notes to “explain this” and “clarify that”.  The challenge, of course, was not in explaining and clarifying but in doing so in a way that was concise and entertaining.  How successful I was in the end is questionable since I tend to be my own worst critic and the frustration I experienced working on this script lingers.  Still, the episode has its highlights, among them some very nice character moments.

It was great having Torri return as Weir(ish) – although this, sadly, would mark her final appearance on the show.  Even though the assumption is that Elizabeth was killed by Oberoth (this was done to extinguish any hope for a successful rescue op since it would have been something that would have weighed on Sheppard moving forward), I never imagined she was actually dead.  In my mind, Oberoth respected Elizabeth too much – and found her far too useful – to simply kill her. The plan was to have the team uncover the real Elizabeth, in stasis somewhere, in a future episode – something we never got the chance to do.

One of my favorite moments comes at the end of the episode – or, more accurately, after the episode has ended.  McKay finally succeeds in tracking every Aurora class replicator vessel in the galaxy.  As he and Sheppard look on, we see the ships flash up on the star map.  BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.  Six in all.  ”That’s not so bad,”says McKay.  ”I guess the wraith have really taken a toll.”  Suddenly, another eight BEEPS and the corresponding ships appear onscreen. Then, another fifteen leaves McKay and Sheppard staring, aghast.  I was very specific that I wanted to fade out on an ominous sting, wait a beat, and then hear another eleven BEEPS punctuated by Rodney’s “Oh, crap.”

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While Teal’c ending up at a reading of the Vagina Monologues was my favorite SG-1 ending, this was my favorite Atlantis ending.

Tagged: Campagnolo, Campagnolo Restaurant

September 13, 2012: My brush with the law! Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Millers Crossing!

Technically, I was not operating a cell phone while driving.  I was checking a football score while stopped at a red light.  Still, there was no point in arguing with a motorcycle cop who, I suspect, was simply angry that I hadn’t allowed him to pass me on the right.  Boy, it’s been a while.  The last time I received a ticket was some five years ago when I was speeding down Granville Street in an attempt to get home in time to watch the season premiere of South Park (See?  It IS a bad influence!).  I’m not sure if this is the case elsewhere but here in Vancouver, police officers tend to step out onto traffic, stand directly in front of the offending vehicle, and point resolutely from the car to the curb.  That’ll certainly get someone to slow down but, at the time it happened to me, I had to wonder how many cops were hit by drivers whose reflexes were not as cat-quick as my own.  Judging from the handful of articles I’ve read since that day, I’d say at least three.

So when was the last time you received a ticket and what was the charge?  I’m going to guess lewd and lascivious behavior.  Am I close?

Anyway, we were driving home from dinner at Campagnolo where Akemi joined Rob and his wife, Hillary, for a feast.  No, really.  A FEAST: seven different types of cured meats, two pizzas, a pork trio, beef tongue, lasagna, arancini, cured olives, and a tomato salad (just for show).  And, of course, three desserts.  I had planned to upload the photos and descriptions of our meal but, frankly, am so thoroughly exhausted by the experience that I’ll have to save it for tomorrow’s blog entry.

Our look back on Atlantis’s fourth season continues with the controversial…

MILLER’S CROSSING (309)

Back when Martin came up with the idea for the episode that first introduced Rodney’s sister, he was spinning ideas for a title when he came up with McKay and Mrs. Miller – a tip of the hat to the movie McCabe and Mrs. Miller.  All he had to do was change Jeannie’s married name to Miller and, voila, the title worked perfectly.  When it came time to doing a sequel (of sorts) to the episode, Martin again wracked his brain to come up with an appropriate title and finally settled on Miller’s Crossing – a tip of the hat to the Cohen Brothers movie of the same name.  Granted, it’s a bit of a stretch but the siblings do end up crossing paths.  Right?

Some controversy surrounding Sheppard’s actions at episode’s end – specifically, his manipulation of Wallace that sees the desperate father sacrifice himself to save his daughter and Jeannie (and, indirectly, Rodney who was about to offer himself up to the wraith).  Dark?  Yes. Morally and ethically suspect?  Admittedly.  Defensible?  I would say, yes, absolutely.  We went back and forth in the room on this one and ultimately decided that, while a tough choice, it’s one that John would make if it meant saving innocent lives.  Still, the decision greatly troubles Rodney and, given John’s final scene, it’s evident that it doesn’t sit all that well with him either.  From a creative standpoint, I loved the dilemma and the moral murkiness of Sheppard’s call as I felt it added a darker dimension to his at times enigmatic character.

The director’s cut ran long so a couple of scenes were cut for time.  One involved Sheppard coming in on Ronon, sitting in their motel room, watching Battlestar Galactica.  Ronon’s reaction to the show: “We’ve got to help those people!”.  Sheppard explains it’s a t.v. show – but does concede that the lives of the Galactic crew do look a lot more exciting than theirs.

Tagged: Atlantis, Missing, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis