A bit of analysis of the ep, a bit of meta on the show. Babbling. Tangents. Good thing I'm not getting graded on this stuff or anything.


All season the writers have been placing these bits and pieces of personal, moral, ethical conflict throughout the story to go with the physical fighting:

* Between the Earth perspective and the Pegasus perspective, whether that's Shep vs. Teyla or Atlantis vs. the Hoffan/Genii/New Brotherhood.
* Between what the Ancients "say" happened and what we're learning happened, and where we're not sure what the hell was going on but it doesn't look good.
* Between civilian and scientist and military, both within the Earth contingent and among all the cultures we've seen.

It's everywhere, and no one side is completely right or wrong. Even Kavanaugh has a bit of a point (his ego is simply larger than that point).

But all those pieces would just get frustrating except for the fact that the writers keep coming back to them and moving them forward. So many threads (sorry, but that name fits this better than the SG episode) weaving through the episodes to come to here. Taking just one:

Bates was there in Rising, captured along with Sumner and Halling and Teyla, so he's seen what the Wraith do first-hand, but he didn't make much of an impression. He really comes into focus with his concerns about the Athosians in general and Teyla in particular in Suspicion, and leaves the strong impression of a xenophobic security hardass. He helps keep track of Steve in Poisoning the Well, but the next time I truly noticed him was Hot Zone, where he gets stuck between Shep and Weir in the breaking the quarantine debate, and where suddenly I'm really feeling for him caught in that mess of a chain of command they've got going there. He gets even more layers, and the first real sympathy, in Letters From Pegasus with that message to his younger brother and his back-and-forth with Ford. And then here in this episode we finally get the full combo of him as trusted to be leader of the alpha site; the one who is immediately going to point out that Teyla's learned info from the Wraith and it's possible that went both ways (I didn't get a vibe that he thought she told them); and the one who (yes, I believe) Shep and Weir had standing by as a last resort if the Wraith took control of Teyla again, and who didn't say, "I told you so," but who was probably thinking it.

The writers had a season-long arc for Bates. Granted, we've still got two huge episodes coming, but at the beginning of the season, or even by the hiatus, I so would not have placed any money down on that one. I almost know as much about him now as I do about Ford.

Anyway, There's tons of fun in this episode, with the byplay between Shep and McKay and Ford showing how much they've gelled as friends and a team. There's also the adorableness of McKay and Zelenka that only multiplies when you add Beckett and Weir in.

But the meat of the episode is focused in Teyla and the Wraith and the Ancients. Like I told Minnow on Friday: "we got a Teyla that I really want to know and, oh wow, character growth that's critical to the overarching storyline. Glee."

Teyla's still feeling like an outsider. Understandable. No matter how much she fits into the team when it's off-world, or what personal connections she's made with Shep and...really, who else have we seen her interact with? Weir's probably next, and I wouldn't call them "friends." Anyway, there are more than a dozen different cultures represented on Atlantis, but they're all Earth cultures, and Teyla simply doesn't have event that one point of commonality that could balance out all the other differences. She's got to be feeling it particularly hard right after that conflict with Shep in the last episode.

(And yes, I do think he was off base in the beginning of this one. He should bring concerns about one of his team to the group's psychologist. No matter if they're friends, that is his job as a team leader. However, because they are friends, and Teyla isn't used to the Earth way of doing things, he should've worked a little harder/been less oblique about getting Teyla to go see her on her own, instead of having Heightmeyer be the one to approach. But then, given the denial he was getting at the sparring exercise and the very odd outburst at the meeting, I can imagine that he figured springing it on Teyla might be the only way to not get her to stonewall. Eh. It was clunky, but frankly, it was a clunky I could believe in character. I wouldn't call them close friends, either, and they are a bit pressed for time right now.)

At the same time, I'd be annoyed if the writers had her fitting in too fast. The delta in Teyla's culture change isn't as extreme as Teal'c's was, but it's not that far off. What she does, what she says, it all reflects on the entire Athosian culture, which has pretty much re-established itself off on the landmass from what we saw. And while it wasn't her fault, Bates hadn't been wrong to suspect her back at the beginning of the season; there could be other things she doesn't realize are dangers.

She doesn't fit in with the Athosians any more, either. She goes to the camp in Atlantis clothes, clearly hasn't been there in a while, passes off the "you've changed" comment with an evasion about cutting her hair...and discovers that she really does have a connection with the Wraith.

(I do wonder what that trip back to Atlantis was like. She wouldn't have said a thing to Beckett, I'm betting, or he would've been in on that "briefing" with Weir and Shep when Teyla got back. I can't help but think that must have been supremely uncomfortable for Beckett, because I don't doubt that he'd have tried to ask. Heightmeyer escaped the fate of being as obvious a Mary Sue as Kerry over on SG, but she definitely served the role in bits, like pointing out how controlled Teyla feels she always needs to be.)

She's still trying to get comfortable with that when the discovery of the Wraith lab leads to the fact that she's actually part-Wraith, and when Weir gets the idea that there's a bit collective consciousness thing going, of course Teyla's going to jump on the potential to tap in. She's a warrior, a leader, someone who knows they need whatever advantage they can get right now, but she's also looking to fit in and to prove herself. Confidence and fear are both serving as drivers the first time, and it seems they are even more the second time; she is in control, she needs to be in control. And, it turns out, she's totally not in control. I kind of expected the takeover, but yeeks. That was still creepy as hell.

On the side, there's also the discovery that the Ancients were in great part responsible for the Wraith coming into being. That information could be helpful in the upcoming seige, it could not. I'm sure it will be helpful down the line. Poor Beckett may not get much sleep, though.

(Personally, I'm still up in the air about the accident vs. negligence part. I did rewatch Rising the other day, and was struck by the Ancient hologram lady's comment that, "Then one day our people stepped foot on a dark world where a terrible enemy slept. Never before had we encountered beings with powers that rivaled our own. In our over confidence, we weren't prepared and outnumbered." Something doesn't quite fit there. But from the time they first started showing up in SG, I got a distinct sense of "we know better than you" from the Ancients, and I wouldn't put anything past them.)

The only real knowledge that Teyla gained for her efforts was that the Wraith are coming for Atlantis because they know it's the only way back to Earth, and they don't just think that would be a neato-cool idea -- eat 'til you drop, instead of getting a serving -- but they need Earth. The Pegasus population just ain't big enough yet. Again, interesting information, but here I definitely don't see how that actually helps Atlantis in this fight that's about to happen. They were going to defend the city and the gate, anyway. This is...extra reason to fight? I dunno.

But at any rate, Glee! Growth for a character, growth in our understanding of that character, and growth in our understanding of the show's universe and the show's plotline. Ooooh! We got the same three-for-one with Weir's episode, and I don't know if the writers can keep this up in coming seasons, but wow I hope so. Because damn this is fun.


Also, posted a little something over at sga_flashfic. Gen. A post-ep for 38 Minutes: Damages.