SG:A 4x13 - Quarantine

[stillane]

Finally saw it. Do I even need to suggest there will be spoilers?

Did they just... No, seriously, guys, did they just do that? Like, with the John and the Rodney and the totally blatant fact that they are supposed to be with each other and no one else? Really?

Things I love:

- John adapting his golf habits to Rodney. He played the physical version with Rod, but that's not Rodney's deal, so he goes geek. Also, they continue to find new Game substitutes as excuses to be together.

- As everyone else has noticed: "Do not go to your girlfriend. Instead, stay and make me happy. Please. Pretty please?"

- Rodney being awkward and formal about his impending proposal is so terrifically Rodney.

- Anybody else think Ronon is faking those 'sparring accidents'?

- "Hungry hungry hungry" made me want to shout "Hippos!"

- Rodney utterly fails to propose, even when left with nothing else at all to do. Yeah. That right there is a huge ol' sign.

- Everyone's first act when the world goes pear shaped is to call Rodney. Hee. Yes, he is that good.

- John flicking nervous eyes at Teyla is hilarious. The fact that she is clearly thinking, "It's a baby, not a bomb, John" makes it better.

- I like John being the one to talk Teyla out of her fear. It's a nice reversal of the idea that he sees her as someone else, and puts a neat spin on everything before. Also, we all called it! Teyla's baby is their baby! Go, John!

- Keller, you've got a room full of beds, time to kill, and 6' plus of interested Satedan. Just go for it already.

- John still calls Katie by her full name. The distancing there is wonderful.

- John sees the radio and instantly worries about Rodney's mental health. Aw. The fact that Teyla knows exactly what he means is great, too. Oh, team. *squish*

- Rodney freaking out with nothing to do hurts a little bit. This is where his team would have rolled their eyes or whacked him on the back of the head or point-blank told him to get over it. This is Rodney back under the ocean, but without any outlet save for his words.

- I like that the old hats don't automatically reach for Sam as their savior. When they think of who will get them out of this, it's Rodney, followed by Radek, and then Sam. Because she's brilliant, and they know this intellectually, but they've also been here before. They know the drill. I like that there's an adjustment to who she is, and that ultimately she reverts to being herself when there aren't eyes on her.

- Password. Holy crap. Just... *flail* Boys. That might be the trifecta of awesome right there, what with John being inappropriately knowledgeable about Rodney, him being sneaky smart, and both of them being ginormous dorks. 42? Show, keep that up please.

- The awkward, stilted courtship of Sam and Radek makes me glowy. It makes her more... Sam-like. Brings out the dorky, unthinkingly competent side of her.

- Oh, Ronon. When you are vulnerable and human, you slay me rather a lot. I have no defense for the quiet sort of longing you manage sometimes.

- "Sure. Batman did it all the time." This further supports my theory that John views his entire life since coming to Atlantis in terms of comic book and movie heroes.

- Chuck! Lorne! Whee!

- Jaws. Heh. Also, "Mm. Flammable" + oxygen tank stroking = *dies laughing*

- When John laments the small amount of C-4, Lorne is very clearly thinking, "Bite me, sir. "

- I would love to know what Radek is saying while he's crawling through those vents. Ten to one there's something in there about pretty girls and learning to keep his mouth shut. *g*

- We've proven once and for all that the way to Ronon's heart is through explosives and/or shiny weapons.

- When it comes to his crush, his team reads Ronon like a book. It's adorable. And very high school.

- Oh, Rodney. You're still missing the point a bit, maybe. The idea isn't to wait until you've changed enough to be an acceptable mate; the idea is to find the person who doesn't need you to change. I'm blaming this one on Jeannie, I think.

- So that raincheck is never going to happen, right? That was fairly final.




Overall:

I love that Katie is an eternal optimist, and that everything Rodney says which sound like doom and gloom has actually happened, at one time or another. How long, exactly, has she been on Atlantis? (I do not mean that sarcastically. I honestly don't know.) She doesn't recognize the alarms, so it can't have been too long... She kind of reminds me of Jeannie, with her combination of intelligence and total lack of Pegasus-brand practicality. They both expect the world to play by the rules, to have everything be okay at the end of the day. Anywhere else, those would be admirable qualities, but here... here, they come across as hopelessly naive.

Neither of them really understand Rodney, either. It's not their fault, of course; they're missing massive amounts of data. Here's the thing: Rodney should not be with anyone, romantically or otherwise, who has not seen him in action. So much of who he is is bound up in what he does that it's pretty damn impossible to know him without that. Normal people might date, maybe catch a movie now and then, try cohabitation eventually; with Rodney, you do not pass go until something has blown up. (Incidentally, John like things that go boom. Just saying.)

Jeannie gets the shortcut courtesy of John with the video Rodney made pre-Siege. She's also seen him in crisis-mode, but she's got an additional handicap in that she's known him all her life. No one ever sees their family without tinted glasses of one form or another. I think she knows the him he used to be, and she's finding out about who he's become, but he's not static. He's growing all the time, and it'll be a while before she catches up.

Katie... she doesn't know him at all. Really at all. Which makes the fact that he's convinced himself for a while that she's his best chance for happily ever after a little heartbreaking.

Luckily, John knows him very well. Ahem.


Final thoughts:

I spent this last week quietly horrified that this ep was coming, based on spoilers, and I should have known better. *squishes her slashy, slashy show*

Also, next week looks awesome. There will be John and Rodney in peril. Alone. Together. There is a shot in the promo that looks like they lifted it from Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. I'll just be over here fidgeting in glee.

Now I can go find out what other people thought. Fandom! Whee!

Comments

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

Yes! Lovely, lovely analysis.

The idea isn't to wait until you've changed enough to be an acceptable mate; the idea is to find the person who doesn't need you to change.

Yes, that's it exactly! Rodney isn't Rodney when he's around Katie. He's not comfortable, he's not himself. He's trying too hard. And she just does not get him. She doesn't get that this is what Rodney does, this is how he approaches life and yeah, he could cut himself some slack a little more often, maybe not be so extreme in his reactions but he's never going to change his basic natural.

If John were in that room with him, he would have whapped Rodney on the back of the head, then they would have made out gotten the doors open or found a vent or blown up a wall and saved the day.

And that bit about the password will never ever stop being utterly beautiful. *g*

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Rodney isn't Rodney when he's around Katie.

Exactly! Theirs is the kind of relationship where they get married, have two kids, wind up working increasingly long hours and in ten years realize that they don't know the first thing about each other. Except they're in Pegasus, and life is always bigger than that out here. You get life-sucking space vampires in place of PTA meetings and mortgage payments.

What kills me is that in order to be the person she'd need, Rodney would have to cut out all the best parts of himself. The arrogance lets him overcome fear, the fear gives him caution, the pessimism... well, that one's just plain common sense, given their history. All the flaws are tied into what makes him extraordinary, and I don't think you can have one without the other. The fact that Katie's never seen him being extraordinary is what makes it so sad. She likes (maybe loves) a shadow.

If John were in that room with him, he would have whapped Rodney on the back of the head, then they would have made out gotten the doors open or found a vent or blown up a wall and saved the day.

Yep. And if the saving the day thing failed, they'd have wound up playing one massive game of tic tac toe, cacti for Xs and leafy greens for Os. And then probably saving the day anyway. *g*

[thegrrrl2002.livejournal.com]

they'd have wound up playing one massive game of tic tac toe, cacti for Xs and leafy greens for Os.

LOL! They so would!

[aurora]

As everyone else has noticed: "Do not go to your girlfriend. Instead, stay and make me happy. Please. Pretty please?"
OH JOHN. <333

Keller, you've got a room full of beds, time to kill, and 6' plus of interested Satedan. Just go for it already.
Oh man, really!

I would love to know what Radek is saying while he's crawling through those vents. Ten to one there's something in there about pretty girls and learning to keep his mouth shut. *g*
ask and you shall receive

- So that raincheck is never going to happen, right? That was fairly final.
They so totally broke up, imo.

How long, exactly, has she been on Atlantis? (I do not mean that sarcastically. I honestly don't know.)
She came with the Daedalus somewhere in s2, I believe.


In conclusion: 42!!!!!!!!!

[stillane.livejournal.com]

How much do I love you for knowing where to find a translation already? Also, yay for him actually kind of bitching about what I thought he was bitching about. Oh, Radek. *g*

She came with the Daedalus somewhere in s2, I believe.

Hm. That's kind of what I thought. I suppose there's a big difference in her experience and those of, say, the control room crew. Her default setting in a crisis would probably to be to sit back and wait, because honestly what else is she going to do, most of the time? It makes sense that she'd trust that everything would work out fine, because it always has before.

The problem is, one of the big reasons it's always worked out before is sitting on her lab floor. I don't think she ever really does know how central Rodney is to... well, everything. Given the way everyone else immediately goes looking for him, she's maybe the only one. That's kind of sad in and of itself.

But, in conclusion: yes! 42!!!! Mwahaha. Bless their geeky little hearts.

[bluflamingo.livejournal.com]

When John laments the small amount of C-4, Lorne is very clearly thinking, "Bite me, sir. "

It must be a supremely bizaree experience being John's XO these days. On the other hand, he just climbed up four flights on the outside of the tower, so I suppose it must be a bit disappointing to realise that the people he's found don't even have enough C4 for a good rescue plan :)

[stillane.livejournal.com]

It must be a supremely bizaree experience being John's XO these days.

You know, I've got to agree with you. I think it takes a unique sense of humor and slightly twisted outlook on life to survive that job. Normal people can't go from "my boss is apparently Spiderman" to "let's go commit property destruction" in less than 10 seconds. Lucky for us, Lorne is special. *g*

I suppose it must be a bit disappointing to realise that the people he's found don't even have enough C4 for a good rescue plan :)

So, so true. Poor John. He has to do everything himself. *snicker*

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

When John laments the small amount of C-4, Lorne is very clearly thinking, "Bite me, sir. "

I can't decide if I'm awed or appalled that Lorne carries that kind of firepower in his vest on your average Friday in Atlantis. Was he a boy scout? A boy scout with a fondness for hardcore explosives?

Sheppard needs to take lessons in appreciation from Mr Cannister Fondler.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Was he a boy scout? A boy scout with a fondness for hardcore explosives?

This possible made me swallow my tongue. Heh. So much yes.

Ah, Mr. Cannister Fondler. That boy don't need a band to dance, you know? He just makes his own (somewhat pyrotechnic) fun. And we do so love it when he does. *g*

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

Rodney freaking out with nothing to do hurts a little bit. This is where his team would have rolled their eyes or whacked him on the back of the head or point-blank told him to get over it.

Oh completely! i thought that was the best point made about that whole relationship, that when he really *needs* to be slapped upside the head, Katie's quiet optimism isn't gonna cut it. (Can you even *imagine* John letting him get away with that doom and gloom, yo?)

Awewome show!

I still feel kind of like an imposter for getting on board so late, but whatevs. it's fun. Oh! If I bring your movies in on Monday, will you be around?

[stillane.livejournal.com]

(Can you even *imagine* John letting him get away with that doom and gloom, yo?)

Nope. And it would be a two second thing, too. No long, drawn-out stressing, just John's uh-uh and then they'd move on. John's a master of winding him up and turning him loose. *g*

I still feel kind of like an imposter for getting on board so late, but whatevs.

Ssh! Just learn the secret handshake and you'll be fine. They stopped checking IDs at the door a while ago. *g*

I ought to be about on Monday. I've got class from 8-12, but other than that I should be free. Just let me know where to be and when.

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

hmm... I don't have anything until three tomorrow (Sounds awesome, but I pay for that the rest of the week *g*) I don't want to leave it in your box overnight or anything... I start at like 8am on tuesday, doesn't equine begin at 8 or 9? That might be a better time.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Yep. I think we're in at 8 on Tuesday, although don't ask me where we're having class. (The site's behaving badly tonight.) I live pretty much next door, though; dropping back in on Monday isn't a problem, either. I am remarkably flexible on this one.

[aesc.livejournal.com]

Oh God, yes yes yes to all of it! I've seen pretty much the same things said, re: Rodney and Katie and Rodney and John, and really, it's so true.

When it comes to Rodney, Katie is hopelessly disadvantaged by being a normal human being, and Rodney really has no idea what to do with that sort of person. I think it's admirable he's trying to fix his personality... shortcomings... but as you say, the totality of his dysfunction--his arrogance and deficient social skills--make him Rodney, and the thing is? People like him like that. His team loves him and would die for him, and if you can find people who will do that for you? You've probably done okay.

Also, John would never want to marry Rodney. He'd be happy living in sin, playing video games.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

When it comes to Rodney, Katie is hopelessly disadvantaged by being a normal human being

Yes! That's it precisely! It doesn't come up often because, let's face it, Atlantis is full of weirdos. As pointed out by others above, even the well adjusted ones are the sort to randomly wander around with C-4 in their pockets. A genuinely nice, normal person doesn't stand a chance of understanding them.

Also, John would never want to marry Rodney. He'd be happy living in sin, playing video games.

So beautifully true. I'm pretty sure John Sheppard was a man made to live in sin. *g*

[aesc.livejournal.com]

because, let's face it, Atlantis is full of weirdos.

Heh heh. My gmail apparently picked up on the undertones in this conversation, because the ads along the sidebar were all for how to deal with your Aspergers/Indigo/socially challenged kid.

A genuinely nice, normal person doesn't stand a chance of understanding them.

Which made pretty much all of "Quarantine" so profoundly frustrating (in a good way). Katie is optimistic to the bitter end, and optimistic that she can bring Rodney around, when--as you say--1.) she seems not to get that Rodney is the go-to person for city emergencies (she doesn't go with him off-world, and during the gigantic emergencies when the staff is evacuated, she's probably at the alpha site), and 2.) what counteracts Rodney's relentless pessimism is a.) John goading him into saving the day, and b.) Rodney being able to say "it can't be done," then focusing and taking that as a challenge to prove it can be (usually aided by point a.)). Her tune doesn't change as things go from bad to worse; when she shows a bit of irritation, it seems to be with Rodney's catastrophism, not his inability to get his act together and get things done. That Rodney doesn't understand optimism, either, only makes things worse.

Oh, Rodney, you are a dissertation.

I'm pretty sure John Sheppard was a man made to live in sin.

Hey, failed marriage! :D

[mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this review! I still haven't watched the episode -- out of fear -- but I think I can now. Whew.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Hee. You're welcome. I cheated by skimming my flist's mood icons before watching. I figured happiness and delight couldn't follow anything too damaging. *g*

[aesc.livejournal.com]

*is desperately, desperately avoiding work*

As a person who has to wait to download, I can say I made good and sure that the episode wouldn't repay using 350MBs of memory by traumatizing me and thus making me put something through my computer screen :D And I watched it, and the computer screen is unharmed!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with everything here, and just have to say:

John adapting his golf habits to Rodney. He played the physical version with Rod, but that's not Rodney's deal, so he goes geek. Also, they continue to find new Game substitutes as excuses to be together.

yes yes yes! This is exactly what I was thinking. John goes out of his way to spend time with Rodney - awwwws~!!

Rodney freaking out with nothing to do hurts a little bit. This is where his team would have rolled their eyes or whacked him on the back of the head or point-blank told him to get over it. This is Rodney back under the ocean, but without any outlet save for his words.

And yes x 1000, because I love that Rodney can always save the day, but he needs his team there to make him do it (I am convinced if any of them were with him, they would've teased/goaded/flattered him into getting out of there and doing something! Who cares if it was impossible, Team Shep eats the impossible for breakfast - but they need to be together for maximum effectiveness.)

[stillane.livejournal.com]

How did I forget to come back and say hi for a week? *headdesk* In any case, hi!

John goes out of his way to spend time with Rodney - awwwws~!!

He does. It's adorable, the way they slot into each other's schedules. I love that we have a canon that shows our potentially very different boys seeking out common ground. The fact that it's always incredibly geeky ground is just a bonus. *g*

Who cares if it was impossible, Team Shep eats the impossible for breakfast - but they need to be together for maximum effectiveness.

Exactly! It's kind of fascinating that, while they're all individually truly awesomely talented, they tend to be so very handicapped without one another. It doesn't matter which one of them it is, they always shine brightest when they've got at least one of the others with them. *squishes our team*