Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 493

July 6, 2012: The Comic Con Approacheth! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! The Long Goodbye!

It’s official.  I WILL be doing  a signing in support of my comic book series, Dark Matter, at the upcoming San Diego Comic Con.  NOT in the parking lot or out of my hotel room but INSIDE the actual convention center!

WHEN?  Saturday, July 14th.  4:00 p.m.

WHERE?  Dark Horse Comics  booth number #2615.

WHY SHOULD YOU COME BY?  Because I’ll be signing copies of Dark Matter #1 AND giving away some Stargate-related goodies as well.  Also, Akemi will be on hand to answer any Tokyo or Osaka-related questions and rough up anyone who gets out of line.

Don’t mess with Akemi. She will decapitate you like a profiterole.

Let’s talk Stargate – specifically, Stargate: Atlantis’s second season episode…

THE LONG GOODBYE (216)

While the premise was great, this episode suffered from a very tight turnaround on the script.  It was only days from outline approval to first draft followed by a rewrite under similar time constraints.  The result = an episode that, while engaging, does give rise to a number of questions.  Questions like…Wh

Why does everyone automatically believe that it is Weir they are speaking to and not the alien entity that has entered her body?

Why does Sheppard, the city’s highest ranking military officer, recklessly allow himself to be possessed by an alien entity?

In retrospect, I think these issues could have been addressed by having both Weir and Sheppard struck at the same time while both pods are being studied.  Both go down and are transported to the infirmary but it is Weir who comes to first.  By the time she, Phebus/Weir, realizes the situation she’s in, Thalen/Sheppard is awake and on the run.

If Phebus is so eager to “win the war” by killing her old rival, why doesn’t she do it while he’s still in the pod and vulnerable?  It can’t be because of any consequences she may face at the hands of the Atlantis crew because she knows she has only a few hours to live, readily admitting as much earlier.  It can be “the thrill of the hunt” because, at episode’s end, she orders Teyla to drag her bound enemy into camera range so she (Phebus) can watch Teyla kill him.

This too could have been addressed by rolling with the aforementioned scenario.  If she never has the opportunity to kill him off the top, this isn’t an issue.

Why the hell is McKay unloading a weapon in John’s direction?  He’s smart enough to realize that he could kill Sheppard.

This one’s simple.  DON’T have McKay fire on Sheppard.

Phebus threatens to turn on (what is a deadly version of) the Halon fire suppression system and kill everyone on Atlantis.  Why would the city be outfitted with a highly toxic fire suppression system?  Are they cheaper than sprinklers?

Rather than go with Halon, which suggests they were an “after-market addition” on the part of the Atlantis crew, why not have the city’s last ditch fail safe protocol be an immediate lockdown and sealing of the affected areas followed by either a venting of oxygen or piping in of CO2?  Both would do the trick.

There is one interesting suggestion late in the episode when Teyla has Thalen/Sheppard lined up for the kill shot.  As Thalen faces certain death, he informs her: ” If you kill me, you’re killing him. He cares for you more than you know.” Thalen, of course, has access to Sheppard’s memories and thoughts, so the question here is “Is Thalen saying this because John believes Teyla loves him?  Or is he saying this because John loves Teyla?”.  Intriguing.

The best part of this episode was getting to see Weir/Torri kick ass.

Thoughts?

Tagged: Atlantis, Comic Books, Comic Con, Comics, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Matter, San Diego Comic Con, science fiction, science fiction comic books, Science Fiction Television, SF comic books, SF television, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, The Long Goodbye

July 5, 2012: Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! The Tower! And Dogs Eating Ice Cream!

THE TOWER (215)

In first season or so on the Stargate franchise, my writing partner and I co-wrote scripts in the truest sense of the term.  We actually sat (or paced) in an office, bouncing ideas and dialogue off each other, hammering out every scene and every line in the script.  Eventually, we found it easier (and faster) to simply pitch the script back and forth between us.  I’d write a scene, send it his way, then he would rewrite the scene, write the next one, and send it my way.  I would re-rewrite his rewrite of the first scene, rewrite the second scene, and move on to the third.  And so on.  As the demands of production increased, it simply became easier to write our own first drafts and then have our partner do a pass on that.  By the time Atlantis was in its second season, we were at this third stage of our writing partnership.  I came up with the initial kernel of an idea involving a sister Atlantis, but it was the writing department that developed the story while Paul did the lion’s share (aka = all) of the work on this one.  And what the hell was I doing?  Well, given the timing, I believe I was either rewriting Ripple Effect, writing The Scourge, or locked in my office making plans for my next trip to Tokyo.

Lots of humorous moments in this one and great visual cues, one of my favorite being the segue that juxtaposes the polite table manners of the downtrodden villagers to the boorish behavior of the so-called nobles.  Also, as far as great exchanges go, this is one of my favorites:

OTHO: This is terrible. I knew Tavius was cruel and vindictive, but to want to murder his own father?

SHEPPARD: Raising children can be very dangerous.

And later, after he ends up getting tossed in a cell with Sheppard, Beckett’s lament: “I really need to stop making house calls.”

Actor Jay Brazeau (Harlan from SG-1′s Tin Man and Double Jeopardy) returns to the franchise, this time playing the ailing Lord Protector who places his trust in the wrong person.  Peter Woodward is delightfully devilish as the scheming Otho.  Brendan Beiser (who used to play basketball with former Stargate script coordinator Alex Levine) was an unbelievably pleasant surprise as the scene-stealing Tavius.  And, of course, those of you watching Martin Gero’s new show, The L.A. Complex, will recognize Chelan Simmons who plays the role of Mara here (Alicia Lowe there).

The episode’s colorful characters were matched by some equally colorful costumes, rentals actually because the wardrobe department was swamped by the demands of two productions.

Finally, loved the fact that Atlantis gets to supplement its supply of puddle jumpers and drones – but this is one of those stories that simply begged for a follow-up episode.

Summer has finally arrived.  And you know what that means!  Yes.  It’s time for…

DOGS EATING ICE CREAM…

Tagged: Atlantis, dogs eating ice cream, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF television, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, The Tower

July 4, 2012: News of Note! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! Grace Under Pressure!

News of note:

Save Lennox: Time Runs Out For ‘Death Row’ Dog In Belfast (PICTURES, VIDEO).  From heartless to heartless AND spiteful.  Belfast Council has even ignored offers to “ to pay the expenses to relocate Lennox from Northern Ireland and bring him to the US to a sanctuary and freedom”.  Shame on Belfast City Council.  And there’s a handy “complaints” option on their website here: http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/index.asp

Scientists believe they’ve found ‘God Particle’ .  I didn’t even know they’d misplaced it.  (And, just in case: ‘God particle’ for dummies or this: If you were thinking, “What’s the deal with this Higgs Boson? And can somebody explain it to me in cartoon form?” well… you’re welcome [PSA]).

OMG!  Chocolate?!  8 commodities you didn’t know were scarce – Yahoo! Finance Canada

This pretty much confirms everything I feel about this industry: 6 Terrible Decisions That Gave Us Great Movie Moments

10 of the Weirdest Futurist Scenarios for the Evolution of Humanity.  #7′s for Das.

And because they’re cool: Top 10 Fascinating Samurai

Resuming our merry jaunt down Stargate: Atlantis memory lane…

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE (214)

Back in SG-1′s seventh season, we did an episode in which Carter is stranded aboard the Earth ship Prometheus.  Injured and alone, she begins to hallucinate as she struggles to figure a way out of a seemingly impossible situation.  Her visions culminate in a visit by an imagined O’Neill – and a hot and heavy make-out session.  The episode was called Grace.  In Atlantis’s second season, we did an episode in which McKay is stranded inside a submerged/sinking jumper.  Injured and alone, he begins to hallucinate as he struggles to figure a way out of a seemingly impossible situation.  His vision takes the form of an imagined Carter – and culminates in a hot and heavy make-out session.  We decided to call this episode Grace Under Pressure.  The title works on so many levels.

When we were in production, we would look for ways to maximize the money we had to make the best and most spectacular-looking show possible.  One of the ways we did this was by redressing certain sets (The village set, for instance, was shot countless different ways, its cost amortized over the course of many seasons).  Another way we did this was by, every so often, shooting episodes simultaneously.  This provided us with a huge saving that could, in turn, be put toward bigger episodes later in the season (or pay for those big episodes we’d already shot).  Of course, pulling something like this off required heavy preparation, intricate schedule juggling, and a cast and crew who knew exactly what they were doing (ie. which stage they should be showing up at on the day).  Most importantly, an actor couldn’t be at two places at once so we had to ensure both scripts could be shot simultaneously by minimizing certain characters in one episode while maximizing them in others.  Oh, and it also helped to work with a brilliant, well-prepared actor.  Like David Hewlett.

And then, of course, there are the great performances by Amanda Tapping as the illusory Sam and David Nykl as the anxious Radek Zelenka who steps up and figures out a way to save the day – and his irritating rival.  There were other very good performances in this episode, but I thought that these three really stood out because they were not only engaging but memorable in offering insight into their respective characters (Yes, even though Sam was a figment of McKay’s imagination!).

Grace Under Pressure was “All McKay Almost All the Time!” and it worked beautifully.  Martin Gero delivered one of his strongest scripts of the season, a script that is not only wildly entertaining for one-man show, but clearly demonstrates a love and respect for the Rodney McKay character.  For his part, the ever-watchable David Hewlett is at his best, reminding us what we, as viewers, love and respect about Rodney McKay.  As if we could forget.

Favorite line: “

By the time Zelenka comes up with a plan, I’ll have died of old age!”

Tagged: Atlantis, David Hewlett, Grace Under Pressure, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis

July 3, 2012: My Canada Day Weekend (or lack thereof)! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! Critical Mass!

I celebrated Canada Day in typical fashion: rewriting a script and then taking a break to attend some food-related event. We received the last batch of notes on our script for the miniseries early Saturday morning and, since my writing partner, Paul, was (conveniently) out of town and without computer access, it fell on me to start on the blue draft.  I worked through all of Saturday and most of Sunday, but did manage to get down to Steveston Village for the Canada Day Parade Canada Day festivities fish and chips.  Lulu tagged along and had a fantastic time being the center of attention, but I’m sure she’d tell you that it would have gone a whole lot better had the day the been comprised of more chips and less avoiding being stepped on by the crowd.

We parked a good ten minute walk from the village.  I had the foresight to take down the address of the house I parked in front of. And good thing I did too because I ended up having to use the MAP function of my iPhone to find my way back.  Without it, I’m sure we’d still be there today, wandering the neighborhood in search of my Q7.

While everyone else was taking in the parade, we made our way quickly dockside so that we could grab a table and early lunch before the hungry hordes descended.   Along the way, I snapped a few pics:

It’s all fun and games until someone gets pillaged.

This would’ve been sooo much easier with wheels.

Several brightly attired cultural representatives on display.  Please identify.

And here.

Here.  Indonesian, I believe.

And here.  Still Indonesian.

We met up with some of Akemi’s friends and enjoyed a rainy day lunc.

Popcorn shrimp.  And not the dry little nuggets you get at most chain restaurants.

Garlic prawn.  Akemi’s fave.

The best Manhattan clam chowder I’ve ever tasted.

Cute couple, no?

Lulu makes a new friend – another french bulldog named Tonka.

For dessert: a red velvet cupcake.  Maximum icing!

A shot of the elusive White Spot Chicken captured out of its natural habitat.

After lunch, I headed down to the docks and picked up some sea urchin.

Akemi’s uni soufflan.

So I’ve noticed that, over on Gateworld, they’re doing a Stargate Atlantis Season Two Rewatch which is (sort of) coinciding with my trip down SGA memory lane: Stargate Rewatch: Atlantis Season Two Join us throughout July for this month’s leg of the Stargate Rewatch! #SGRewatch   Rather than bull ahead at this 2-episodes-an-entry pace, I thought I’d slow it down a bit so that we could join in on the fun.  I’ll give each episode a more thorough treatment starting today and, in the meantime, you can head on over to Gateworld (http://www.gateworld.net/index.shtml) and start submitting nominations in the following categories:

Best Episode (Season Two)
Best Sheppard Moment
Best McKay Moment
Best Teyla Moment
Best Ronon Moment
Best Weir Moment
Best Beckett Moment
Best Team Moment
Best Alien Race
Best Individual Villain
Coolest Ancient Technology
Coolest Alien Technology
Best Guest Star (based on one specific Season Two episode)

So, picking up where we left off on Saturday, we continue our SGA reminiscing by looking back on…

CRITICAL MASS (213)

One of the great things about having a franchise run as long as Stargate did was the opportunity we had to create and develop a very rich backstory.  There were seemingly innumerable elements we could draw from in crafting new stories.  While this was hugely satisfying for us as writers and equally rewarding for longtime fans, there was always the risk of confusing or alienating casual viewers.  We tried to keep the two worlds of Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis as separate and distinct as possible but, occasionally, there were instances where crossover did occur.  Like in this episode.  I, for one, loved the idea of crossover when it came to characters, didn’t mind it when it came to shared mythology like the Ancients, but wasn’t exactly enamored of it when it came to unique aspects like, say, the goa’uld and the Trust.  I thought it was unnecessarily complex, potentially confusing, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, “wasn’t clean”.  And so, for these reasons, I objected to this story at the pitch stage.  But, as so often happen over the franchise’s 17 season run, I was overruled and they went ahead and produced a pretty damn good episode.

It should be noted that I wasn’t the only one who had issues with this episode in its early stages.  Some of the cast members objected to the introduction of SG-1 elements for completely different reasons: they felt Atlantis had to stand on its own and any crossover somehow minimized it as a unique series.  While I sympathized, I nevertheless felt that crossover was a good thing, strengthening both shows and the franchise as a whole.  Others found the story muddled (as result, the episode was renamed Critical Mess by some).  But, in the end, while the presence of a go’auld on Atlantis still feels strange to me, the story is dynamic and suspenseful, building to a terrific surprise reveal and nail-biter of a conclusion

Rachel Luttrell makes her television singing debut in this episode with a song (“Beyond the Night”) composed by the late Joel Goldsmith and his sister Ellen, with lyrics by Stargate’s own Paul Simon = Carl Binder.

Some of my favorite parts of this episode have nothing to do with the main storyline.  They all involve Zelenka who gets sent off-world by Rodney to help out those lovable scamps from the Childhood’s End planet.  Zelenka’s angry mutterings “My sister has a child.  He breaks things.  He throws things.  He smears things onto furniture.” fairly encapsulates my feelings toward kids as well.  And the poor guy ends up getting stranded on the planet while Atlantis dealt with more pressing issues.  Come on, fan fic writers!  Where are the Zelenka/Lord of the Flies stories?

Interesting guest stars abound in this episode.  There’s Mitch Pileggi reprising his role as Colonel Caldwell, Ben Cotton returning as the ever-annoying, Kavanaugh, SG-1′s Gary Jones as Harriman, and the great Beau Bridges as General Landry.  I say “great” because, not only is Beau a great actor, but he was truly great to work with.  And then there’s Hermiod, the cranky Asgard, who takes part in one of my favorites exchanges:

Hermiod: Dr Kavanagh?.

Kavanagh: Yes?

Hermiod: Stop talking, please. (Silence) Thank you.

It’s also great to see Bill Down, a.k.a. Dr. Lee, make a return appearance.  He presides over another great moment when Lee is trying to explain the relay plan to a roomful of scientists.  His first example, “the twilight bark” from 101 Dalmations, receives nothing but blank stares.  But his second example of Gondor’s fire signals from Lord of the Rings has everyone nodding appreciably.  NEEERDS!

In defending Cadman, Sheppard dismisses her as a suspect because she’s trustworthy while Weir initially casts suspicion on Kavanaugh because he’s not.  Given the fact that everyone knows the goa’uld are behind the threat, doesn’t it seem odd that no one ever floats the possibility that someone may have been implanted with a symbiote?

Weir crosses the line, something that makes her uncomfortable and that she readily admits to at episode’s end.  By giving Ronon the go-ahead to torture Kavanaugh, she makes a most uncharacteristic decision under extreme circumstances.  Personally, I don’t blame her. I would have made the same call.  Still, she’s a better person than I am so I hold her to a higher standard.  Thoughts?  Was it the right call?

Tagged: Atlantis, Critical Mass, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis

July 2, 2012: The Supermovie of the Week Club Reconvenes! Cookie Monster reviews Batman and Robin!

Batmand and Robin be de filmic equivalent of explosive garden vegetable diarrhea. Exciting, sometime pretty to look at, but it still crap.  Dis movie be Joel Schumacher’s master piece (of shit).  Terruble on almost every level.

Movie begin wit Schumacher’s patented codpiece and rubber ass shots. It den seque into one of de worst aktion sekwences in Batman franchize history wit Batman and Robin skating around wit a bad guy hockey team, stick handling a diamond like a puck. And it downhill from dere.

Arnold Schwarzenneger play role of brilliant Mr. Freeze wit all de depth and nuance of, well, Arnold Schwarzenegger desperately trying to akt. He spend de entire movie trowing out lame quippy lines like: “You’re not taking me to de cooler” and “Stay cool”.

Mr. Freeze One-Liner.

Meanwhile, in a sekwence dat look like a kid’s funhouse come to life, some crazy scientist inject a weakling wit a serum dat transform him into a Mexican pro-wrestler = Bane.  He become muscle (and occasional chauffeur) to mousey scientist assistant who mutated by lab chemikals into..de sexy (???) Poison Ivy!

Oooh, sexy.  Check out de hair horns.

Hulk Bane smash!!!

Back at Wayne manor, all sorts of not interesting tings happening. Alfred supposedly dying of (coinsidentally!) de same disease dat Mrs. Freeze suffer from.  Alfred’s niece, Barbara arrive from London (where she apparently forget her English accent) and move in.  Robin, meanwhile, spend de entire movie whining about how he second fiddle to Batman but, meanwhile, have no problem living at his place rent free, eating his food and riding his motorcycle.  Batman/Bruce Wayne, on de other hand, a big dud in dis movie.  Again.  George Clooney play de role like he got someting else he’d rather be doing.

Anyhoo, Bruce Wayne hold another charity event.  And, of course, dat mean some villain HAS to crash it.  In dis case, it Poison Ivy and Bane who infiltrate de party dressed as apes.  No.  Really.  Den, Mr. Freeze crash de party as well and, after extended toy commercial chase sekwence, he captured.

Your paint-by-numbers villais-crash-de-charity-event sekwence.

But wait!  Dere’s more!  Unfortunately.  Poison Ivy spring Mr. Freeze from Arkham Asylum.  Dey team up to freeze Gotham city wit giant teleskope.  Meanwhile, dying Alfred demonstrate best sound judgement since his decision to show Vicky Vale de Batcave by giving Barbara a Batgirl outfit he made.  For her?  Maybe.  But monster suspect he aktually made for himself and just gave to her as an afterthought.  ”Oh, uh, de rubber girly suit?  Dat’s for…dat’s for…dat’s for you!”

Dey team up and go after Freeze/Ivy.

Blah blah blah puns.  Blah blah blah explosions.  Blah blah blah Bat trio save de day.  Blah blah blah Alfred doesn’t die.  Blah blah blah.

Blah blah and blah.

Bleh.

Verdikt: De movie dat temporarily killed de Bat franchise – or, as Mr. Freeze would say: “Poot eet on ice.”

Rating: 1 chocolate chippee cookie.  But be careful.  One chip really a mouse turd.

Tagged: Batman, Batman and Robin, Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster film reviews, Cookie Monster movie reviews, Cookie Monster reviews Batman and Robin, superhero movie reviews, superhero movies, SuperMovie of the Week Club

July 1, 2012: Post-massage dog-wrangling! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! The Hive! Epiphany!

I’ve been feeling stressed-out of late and so, at Akemi’s behest, I booked us an hour-long couple massage at the local Absolute Spa.  We left the house well in advance of our 1:00 p.m. appointment yesterday, figuring we could relax in the sauna for half an hour beforehand.  We were only a couple of blocks from home when I happened to notice a dog wandering up the sidewalk, no collar or owner in sight.

I slowed down, expecting the owner to turn the corner and put my mind at ease, allowing me to be on my way.  No such luck.  The dog scampered one way, then the opposite direction, then stopped to sniff the bushes. I pulled over and looked on as the dog wandered about, ambled onto someone’s lawn and promptly relieved himself.  I watched and considered.  It clearly wasn’t a stray and had probably wandered off from someone’s back yard.  I could just leave him be and assume the owner would soon notice him missing and take up the search – or rely on some benevolent neighbor who wasn’t going to be late for their massage to take him in.  But I knew that even if a happy outcome was probable, I would regret not knowing for sure.   And so, dismissing any hope of that pre-massage sauna session, I made a u-turn, parked across the street, and got out of my car.

The dog, who looked like a cross between a pug and a beagle, eyed me suspiciously as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.  ”Hey, boy,”I called, waving him over.  ”C’mere.”  C’mere?  And then what?  Bundle him up in my arms and deposit him in my car?  Drop him off at my place and then decide what to do with him when I got back from my massage? Well, yes.  I figured I would put him in the kitchen where he could do the least damage and move my dogs to the living room.  And then I suppose I could call the City of Vancouver.  The local SPCA was also a possibility but I didn’t know if the shelter had a no-kill policy.  By giving him up to their care, would I possibly be complicit in his death? I didn’t like that prospect and decided right then and there that I would leave my name and number and, if he didn’t find a good home, that I would adopt him.

But I had to get him in the car first.  I opened the back door wide and called him over, motioning him inside.  Hey, check it out.  Free ride!

The dog wasn’t having any of it.  He reared up, barked, and paced around nervously.  ”I have some treats!”offered Akemi who had followed me out of the car.  She pulled out her treats, little bacon-flavored ginger-bread-man-shaped cookies she keeps in an Altoids tin, and tossed one over.  He cautiously approached and snapped it up. She tossed over another.  He wasted no time snapping up that one as well.

I took a handful of treats and began to lay a path, from Akemi to inside my car.  The dog sniffed the first treat and downed it.  Then another. We were on our way!  Everything was going according to plan when some guy came barreling around the corner and startled the dog.

By calling its name, Rufus, and then stopping to throw me a “What the hell?” look.  There I stood, in my leather trench coat, treats in hand, alongside a winding trail of tiny bacon-flavored cookie men leading straight into my getaway car, the very image of a heartless dog-napper.

“Oh,”said the guy.

“Oh,”I said back.

An awkward silence during which dog Rufus finished off the trail of treats and parked himself at my feet, casting a longing gaze from the bacon-scented back seat of my car and back to me.  The look on his face seemed to say: “Well?  Are we doing this?”

“I thought he was lost,”I explained, “and when I didn’t see anyone around – “

“Right,”said the owner, nodding to curtail further discussion.  ”Well – “

“So – “

“Thanks for taking care of my dog.”

“Sure,”I said.  ”No problem.”

I considered informing him that ole Rufus had taken a huge dump on his neighbor’s yard that he might want to consider cleaning up, but he and Rufus were already on their way and, besides, I had a massage to get to.

Anyway, things ended happily enough.  Rufus returned home safe and sound and, more importantly, I was able to enjoy a guilt-free massage.

Oh, and the spa ended up letting us use the sauna after our session.

To be honest, I don’t even like saunas.

Continuing our trip down Atlantis memory lane…

THE HIVE (210)

A powerful pay-off to the intriguing Lost Boys, The Hive is Atlantis at its best – with plenty of twists and turns, great character moments, and spectacular visual effects.  And, as an added bonus, we develop another aspect of wraith mythology with the wraith worshipers, humans who serve and revere the life-sucking aliens.  More is made of the divisions inherent within the enemy, something Sheppard exploits at episode’s end to save a human civilization from a mass culling.

David Hewlett, as always, is firing on all cylinders, this time delivering a performance that shows a side of Rodney we’ve never seen before – intense, overwhelmed, physically and mentally tortured.  As for Ford, he goes out in a blaze of glory, redeeming himself by distracting the enemy so that his friends can make good their escape.  Or does he? Sheppard thinks it very likely that their resilient comrade found a way off the hive ship before it was destroyed.  I’d like to think so too, that Ford is still out there, harvesting wraith and fighting the good fight. But the fact that we don’t see the character again after this episode would suggest otherwise.  Still, as we always say whenever someone gets killed off: “This is science fiction.  Anything is possible!”.

EPIPHANY (212)

Oof.  This episode was the equivalent to season one’s Sanctuary – slowly, somewhat silly, and, occasionally, downright painful to sit through.  A great door in (the time distortion portal) is undone by a story involving a community of space-hippies who are being stalked by an invisible bogeyman (the stand-in for the creature during production was a guy in a pink monster suit that would have us in stitches whenever he appeared on dailies).  Sheppard joins the commune and he is revealed as…The One who will lead them.  As prophecized, of course.  It turns out the monster is actually a manifestation of their own fear and, to defeat it, they must come together as one – just like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers did in in the movie in order to revive their boss, the giant head.  The power of love inner strength vanquishes the monster and the episode ends with a good ole fashioned mass ascension.

Oh, yeah.  Like I started to say in last night’s entry.  The results are in on Gateworld’s Atlantis Season One Awards!  The fan awards covered categories in best individual character moments, best team moment, best alien race, best individual villain, coolest ancient technology, coolest alien technology, best guest star, and best episode.  Found it odd that Rising I and II weren’t in the best episode category (which, I believe, they would have won handily).  Anyway, you can check out all the results here: Atlantis Season One Awards: Results!

Tagged: Atlantis, Epiphany, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, The Hive

June 30, 2012: NOT so fast! A return visit to the Night Market! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! Aurora! The Lost Boys!

I woke up this morning to a new set of notes.  Wait!  Notes on what?  I have even started a new writing job yet.  Oh, wait.  These are notes for the LAST writing job.  The miniseries I assumed we’d completed work on a week and a half ago.  Paul and I handed in the second draft, hadn’t heard back and assumed that, with the start of production only weeks away, we were done.

NOT SO FAST!

The notes are – particular.  Which is fine.  I prefer clear, detailed notes that leave no room for misinterpretation .  Unfortunately, this being a long weekend, my writing partner is away (and computer-less) until Tuesday, meaning I’m on my own until then.

So much for that barbecue.

Speaking of barbecue, last night Akemi and I paid a return visit to the Richmond Night Market with our friends Errol and Janice.  Feast your eyes on this feast for your eyes:

Errol does his best Fred Flintstone imitation.

Janice paces herself with lemonade.

Akemi gives the barbecued corn a tough/chewy go.

Barbecue pork skewer!

Barbecued baby octopi and grilled quail eggs.

Something called a Xian Burger. The secret ingredient is spicy pork.

Errol partakes in some offal stew.

The Hurricane Potato is the perfect cure for what ails you.  Provided that what ails you isn’t an upset stomach.

The deep-fried Mars Bar. How could I not?

The deep-fried cheesecake.

Akemi feeling rock ‘n rollish (or borderline Gaga).

We followed up dinner with a walk through the flea market stall section where Errol bought a couple of Angry Bird pens for his kids, one of which promptly broke only seconds after the purchase was made.  Errol returned to the stall and asked if he could exchange the obviously faulty product.  The owner claimed that the pen was intact when he bought it so, as far as he was concerned, the fault lay with him.  A little back and forth at which point Errol fired the “What’ll I say when my kid cries himself to sleep tonight?” volley which was effortlessly deflected with a shrug and casual: “I don’t care.”  But Errol was not done yet. After retelling the story – and working himself up – he returned to the stall, snapped a picture with his cell phone, and informed him that was an editor for the local paper.  At which point the owner finally came around  - and asked him whether he wanted his two dollars back.  Errol flatly refused and left, two dollars poorer but satisfied.

Continuing our trip down Atlantis memory lane.  We’re almost at the halfway mark of season 2…

AURORA (109)

I love a good scifi story and this episode was brimming with cool, SF concepts: time distortion, virtual reality, time travel (of sorts) – and a new (technically Ancient) space ship.  A great premise and an equally great ending (for those of us who, as I’ve already said, prefer our endings like we prefer our chocolate: bittersweet).  The Aurora set was a redress of the weapons platform from Trinity.  We did A LOT of redressing on both shows as a way to keep costs down.  Boy, did we get good mileage out of that village.

My fondest memory of this episode had nothing do with the actual episode per se but a behind-the-scenes problem wardrobe came up against.  Turned out the helmet on those environmental suits were too small for a dreadlocked Ronon.  After some consideration, the obvious solution presented itself: Have Jason’s double take his place in the suit.  Anyone notice?

And, finally, the question that everybody asks after the conclusion of this episode: What WAS that crucial piece of data pertaining to a weakness in the wraith that apparently went down with the ship?  The answer: You’ll have to ask the writer, Carl Binder.

THE LOST BOYS (110)

Lieutenant Ford makes his triumphant return.  And he’s brought along some friends (one of whom, Kanayo, is played by Martin Gero’s friend, and occasional writing-producing partner, Aaron Abrams)!  Atlantis goes Independence Day as our heroes hatch a plan to pilot a dart into a hive ship and, once there, plant explosives that will take out the ship – once they’re long gone of course.  Naturally, this being Stargate (and a two-parter no less!) things don’t go exactly as planned.  It’s interesting seeing the increasingly unbalanced Ford manipulate his former teammates, equally interesting to see McKay, Teyla, and Ronon (in an appetizer for Broken Ties) react to the drug coursing through their respective systems.

As was the case with all of our mid-season two-parters, although they may have aired months apart, they were shot back to back.  In this case, directors Brad Turner and Martin Wood did the honors – Brad on The Lost boys and Martin on The Hive although, for efficiency’s sake, all of the hive ship sequences were directed by Martin while Brad directed all of the scenes on Ford’s planet.

Tagged: Atlantis, Aurora, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF, SF television, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, The Lost Boys

June 29, 2012: Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! Instinct! Conversion!

Well, well, well.  Look who it is.  Yes, it’s our former assistant, Trevor Finn, who has made the leap from script-collator/lunch-getter/baboon-anal-gland-drainer to Story Editor on XIII: The Series. Congratulations are in order and, as is customary whenever someone you once hired takes a step up in the industry, I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of my “Thanks for hiring me that one time because it was a crucial step in the process that led to my inevitable succes” gift.

Impressive, no?  Our boy has come a long way from the days we used to make him eat balsa wood and old gum wrappers for lunch and laughs he would coordinate our scripts.  Of course, I’m not surprised. My fellow producers, Alex and Paul, now THEY are surprised (“Are you sure we’re talking about the same Trevor?  Trevor Finn?”), but I’m not because I know Trevor is a terrific writer.  How do I know?  Why, I’ve read his stuff.  Not lately mind you even though I told him I would get around to reading that revised script only to keep getting waylaid by miniseries work, horror script rewrites, new series idea spinning, and meetings.  BUT I HAVE read his stuff and it’s good.  How good?  So good that I’m going to read that revised script of his tonight for fear that he may someday be running his own show and fail to give me a job on the grounds that he never got around to reading MY script.

Continuing our trip down Stargate memory lane, let’s reflect back on a couple of episodes of Atlantis’s second season.  Namely…

INSTINCT (107)

Hey!  It’s a pre-Jennifer Keller Jewel Staite.  Well, you could be forgiven for failing to recognize her under that make-up.  Yes, before she was Atlantis’ Chief Medical Officer, Jewel played the role of the tragic young wraith, Ellia.  She was great – and that says a lot about how incredibly talented she is because she was required to convey a wide range of emotions through those prosthetics.  The fact that she was an utter professional and sweetheart certainly impressed as well. So, when an opportunity to cast a new recurring character presented itself, Jewel seemed like the obvious fit.  And it certainly helped that she’d been unrecognizable under the wraith mask.

Ellia is by no means evil and yet she must kill in order to survive. Having her drink the retrovirus and transform into a crazed mutant version of her hybrid self allows our team off the hook.  By episode’s end, they have to kill her.  But, what if she hadn’t mutated?  What if she had remained the original, divided Ellia?  What would the team have done then?  I would have loved to see that difficult dilemma play out.

This episode opened up a host of possibilities that we never really got around to pursuing – namely, the notion of wraith children.  In fact, I ended up pitching out a story involving Sheppard and co. teaming with the Genii to destroy a high value target that – surprise! – turns out to be a wraith nursery.  Talk about difficult dilemmas.  Anyway, I outlined the original story (along with three other Atlantis stories I missed out on) here: January 11, 2009: The 4 Best Stargate: Atlantis Episodes I Never Got to Write

CONVERSION (108)

The events of the last episode pay off in this one.  Carry-over!  I love it!  As the retrovirus Ellia transferred to Sheppard courses through his system, John becomes a superman – of sorts.  He’s fast, agile, strong – and suddenly possessed of a positively savage attitude.  One of the episode’s most interesting moments sees Sheppard sparring with Teyla.  Things get a little out of hand and, the next thing you know, he’s kissing her.  She lets him down – painfully.  Now, the question arises: Did the retrovirus make him act instinctually and wholly out of character or did it strip him of his inhibitions and lead him to act on some deep-seeded yearning?  In other words: Sheyla or not?

Personally, I always thought there was great potential there and even the suggestion of romantic feelings.  Although never pursued, it was always a possibility – until the Rachel Luttrell, the actress who played Teyla, became pregnant.  At that point, we were faced with several creative avenues, one of which involved making John the father.  And, while it certainly would have made for some fine drama, the prospect of a secret affair would, it was argued, undermine both characters.  But more on that topic when we hit season 4.

Anyway, the John/Teyla kiss was actually Rachel’s first onscreen kiss. And it just happened to come on a day when her parents were visiting the set.  Talk about pressure!

Love the egg hunt in the cave scenes but these type of sequences always bring to mind the gain/loss calculator.  The first team to visit the cave risks their lives to save Sheppard.  Two marines die in the process.  At episode’s end, we all breathe a sigh of relief and things are back to normal.  Except for our two marines.  Granted, we never really knew them but, presumably, other people did.  Say, their loved ones?

Sure, members of the expedition died all the time over the course of the series run, but there’s a difference between dying in the heat of battle and dying in an attempt to save someone else – in this case, a single individual.  I’m not arguing against the decision to risk their lives for Sheppard (We don’t leave our people behind, after all), only pointing out the apparent egocentricity of our top tier team members. To be fair, A LOT of shows (and movies) are guilty of this.  Thoughts?

Tagged: Conversion, Instinct, science fiction, scifi television, SF, SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, Trevor Finn

June 28, 2012: Stress-busters! Days of Stargate: Atlantis Past! Condemned!

Lately, I’ve been so stressed out that I spend most of my days in a lightheaded haze.  It’s a feeling akin to the extended buzz of three Jagermeister shots.  Not wholly unpleasant but certainly very weird.  I haven’t been this wound up since that time I worked at the circus. Well, it wasn’t literally a circus but there WERE a bunch of clowns, a couple of pinheads, and a whole lot of shit that constantly needed shoveling.  In this case, it isn’t work-related.  I kind of wish it were because then, at least, I’d have a writing partner to shoulder some of the burden.  Or, at the very least, listen to my complaints.

Whenever I’m like this, the slightest thing can set me off so, really, it’s best for all involved if I just hibernate for the next little while. Shopping is always a bad idea because i have no patience for people. Especially people who work customer service.  Hey, it’s not as if I don’t have reason to gripe.  Just a word of advice: If I’m standing in front of you ready to make a purchase, don’t serve the woman who just strolled over and inquired about the zucchini – and then don’t follow up by serving the guy that came AFTER her.  Don’t look so offended when I put down your tomatoes, walk away, and don’t bother acknowledging your calls to come back.  My threshold for bullshit is at an all time low.

On the bright side, this sort of mood is conducive to writing – particularly horror.  The rewrite on the feature script is al-most done. I’d just like to come up with one more creepy chase sequence  and then send it on its way.  And, once it’s in my agents’ hands, it’ll be smooooooooooooooooth sailing.

I need to relax.  Some things that help:

My dogs.

My girlfriend.

Comedy

A good read.

A massage.

Dessert.

Dessert.

Dessert.

A late friend of mine used to have a saying…that I, unfortunately, can’t repeat without getting myself into all sorts of trouble.  But, boy, do those words sing to me now.

Okay.  Forget I mentioned it.

Oh, yeah.  Another things that helps relieve the stress is doing this blog.

Now, in our last Memory Lane installment, we touched on two of season 2′s best (Runner and Duet).  Today, we touch on what I felt were a couple of middle-of-the-pack entries:

CONDEMNED (205)

The original pitch for this episode saw the team encountering a civilization that used clones to keep the wraith fed and at bay. Eventually, the story evolved.  The clones were out and prisoners were in.  All in all, an interesting premise and, while the episode did have its moments, it never quite reaches the heights of the two that preceded it.

One pet peeve: The character of Eldon, the “brilliant one”, comes off as oddly goofy, borderline simple.

But, I did say the episode had its moments.  Namely: that dinner conversation between the Magistrate and the wraith and, later, Weir playing the role of diplomat AND hard-ass Commander when push comes to shove.  It’s nice to see both sides of her.

TRINITY (106)

What can I say?  I can never ever remember the name of this episode. Not even after having just watched it.  Or even after searching it out online for a photo to accompany this write-up.  The second I close the window it’s gone.  Trinity.  Trinity!  Right.  Maybe the problem is the title is only connected to the episode in the most esoteric of ways.  See, Trinity is a reference to the code name of the first nuclear test and, in this episode, McKay is working on something of a parallel nature as he attempts to harness an incredible power source.  Clever?  Cryptic? Both?

At the heart of this episode is the relationship between Sheppard and McKay, a friendship tested by the Rodney’s single-minded determination to succeed where the Ancients failed.  In theory, a great idea but, for me, the clash between them never attains the emotional punch one would expect.  Rodney’s a jerk, there’s some sniping and, by episode’s end, it’s all settled easily enough.  Sure, there’s the suggestion that McKay has crossed the line, that there may be repercussions for his actions, but they never materialize and on we go.

Most memorable moment for all the wrong reasons: At the end of the episode, Weir dresses down McKay for destroying 3/4 of a solar system. He responds: “Well, 5/6th.  It’s not an exact science.”  What, exactly, is his point here?  It would seem that, in typical Rodney fashion, he’s trying to downplay the damage.  Except that 5/6 is actually bigger than 3/4.  Is he simply not a math guy?

The B story involving Ronon’s revenge on his former Satedan taskmaster, is totally disconnected from the A story and feels too quick and neat.  Ronon discovers an old comrade, finds out there were survivors of the attack on his home planet, kills a traitor – and we’re done.

One thing I remember from this episode is the tavern scene in which a soused Ronon and Solen get caught up.  The Solen character is drunk. Ridiculously so.  Apparently, Marty G. was on set when they were shooting the scene and, after the first take, suggested they tone down the over-the-top drunken revelry.  It was a little (A LOT) big.  All were in agreement and, as they prepared to go again, Martin headed back up to the office.  As the door shut behind him, he heard director Martin Wood: “Here we go again!  Remember.  REALLLY DRUNK!  And – ACTION!”

Tagged: Atlantis, Condemned, Science Fiction Television, SF, SF t.v., SGA, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, stress, Trinity

June 27, 2012: Days of Stargate Atlantis Past! Runner! Duet!

Meetings, meetings, meetings.  My head is spinning.  It’s a wonder I was able to get any work done today – but I did, completing a couple of new scenes for the horror script.  One more and I’m more or less done.

Up on tap tomorrow: yet another meeting, some document reviews, completing that last scene for the horror script, and coming up with some episode springboards for the new series I’m developing with the usual suspects.

RUNNER  (103)

Exit Lieutenant Ford.  Enter Ronon Dex.  Although that wasn’t exactly the plan, that’s the way it turned out.  Yes, Ronon was intended to assume the newly vacated position on the away team, but the intention was to make Dark Ford a recurring character along the lines of a Todd or a Michael.  For various reasons, it didn’t work out.  However, what did work out was Jason Momoa as Ronon!  And as much as I can’t imagine anyone else in the role, the casting process was a hell of a challenge.  As I said in a previous entry, the more people involved, the more choices, the slower the process.  And, whenever casting is up for discussion, EVERYONE has an opinion.

From the get-go, Robert Cooper envisioned Ronon as a rough-and-tumble outdoorsman/warrior.  His template was the affable mountain man, Rupert, who’d enjoyed, if not success, then certainly popularity as a contestant on two seasons of Survivor.  Ronon had to be brash, colorful, and larger than life. Unfortunately, some of the contenders put forth by…err…other parties…were all wrong.  I’m talking skinny, soft-spoken soap opera actor wrong.  And then, one day, we got Jason Momoa’s casting tape.  Rob took one look at him and declared we had found our Ronon.  Then, it was simply a matter of convincing everyone else of the fact.

Anyway, loved the introduction of the character in this episode, and also loved his interactions with Dark Ford.

If there is one question that almost always comes up after this episode airs, it’s “Why did the wraith stop feeding on Ronon?”.  In the flashback, we see the wraith place its feeding hand on a defiant Ronon, then suddenly pause and draw back.  It LOOKS like something has prevented it from feeding.  In fact, it is merely pausing, amazed by Ronon’s defiance in the face of certain death.  Its internal monologue isn’t “Why the hell can’t I feed on this guy?” but rather “This guy’s got balls.  He’d make a simply splendid runner!”.

DUET (104)

This episode is one of my top ten Atlantis favorites, a wonderful McKay episode with echoes of All of Me compliments of the hilarious Martin Gero who is firing on all cylinders here.  We get jellied mice, Dr. Fumbles McStupid and, i I’m not mistaken, the first guy on guy kiss in science fiction history.  We’re also introduced to a couple of new characters (Laura Cadman, played by Jamie Ray Newman who would go on to headline ABC’s Eastwick, and Katie Brown, played by Brenda James, who would develop into a surprising love-interest for our awkward Rodney), and treated to some glimpses of a fish-out-of-water Ronon adjusting to life on Atlantis.  It’s a lot of fun and was, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable episodes to shoot.

I thought the aforementioned episodes were a couple of season 2′s best.  Agree?  Disagree?  Present your case.

Tagged: Atlantis, Duet, Runner, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi t.v., SF television, SGA, Stargate: Atlantis