Meta on 'Michael'

[stillane]

My first round of thoughts on 2x18 (spoilers in droves):

Wow.

I have to say, that really did a number on me. This show takes some remarkably dark turns, sometimes, and this may be the full embodiment of them. We've seen questionable medical ethics before ('Poisoning the Well') and violations of Geneva conventions galore (Steve, and most recently 'Critical Mass'), but this...

This is a whole new level of damn.

The only thing I can really liken it to is a car crash. Not just watching one, but being in the vehicle with your family and having your Dad swerve into the oncoming lane. You don't know the guy in the other car - maybe he's a bastard, maybe he's a saint - but you feel bad for him anyway. People you love have changed his world.

And they are people we love. It makes it worse. These aren't the bad guys; these aren't even the Caldwells or the Kavanaghs. These aren't the people who are only on our side by default. These are our heroes, our defenders, ourselves.

We've known they were mortal from the start. Peter Grodin, among others, proved that quite effectively. They can be forgiven their fall, though. It's their failings that hurt. That isn't to say that these characters have ever been presented as infallible. Right from the start, they've been endearingly human. It follows, then, that they would be darkly so, but it still stings.

I ached for them all, even while wanting to shake them. On the whole, I'd say the episode left me feeling prickly and uncomfortable, not quite right in my own skin.

Ouch.

On some less cohesive points:

- Oh lord, Michael is a brilliant character. Beautifully conceived, and the acting behind him was superb. The introduction of a fully 'humanized' version of him first made the transition so much more painful than it would otherwise have been. I think knowing he was and would be Wraith made him far more poignant than being unspoiled.

- Elizabeth's shouldering of the blame for the whole affair was interesting. Compared to her reaction to the whole Arcturus incident, it's rather startling. Granted, Beckett and McKay are different beasts, but the contrast is... well, interesting. I need to think about this one some more.

- Teyla. Oh, Teyla. Why would you not try to establish some common ground here and mention that the Wraith had played Connect Four with your genetic structure, too? Unless it was to prevent Michael from figuring out he could mess with your head, although that wasn't so much a successful endevour.

- Ronon. Slamming the fellow who touched Teyla roughly up against a wall. Slamming the fellow who touched Teyla exactly the way Ronon himself once did up against a wall. Symbolism, anyone? And yes, I know we're supposed to believe it had more to do with Ronon being anti-Wraith in general, but still. I know it's a stock pairing, and thus frowned upon, but I like them together.

- Rodney. Being all kinds of uncomfortable, both with Michael in person and the situation in total. There are so many echoes here of his reactions in 'Critical Mass'.

- And lastly, Sheppard. I really don't know what to do with Sheppard. He just... he's almost the villain here, maybe more than any of the others save Elizabeth. Carson is a sweet fool, and someone should have stopped him, but I don't believe there's a malicious bone in his body. Elizabeth is a woman in crisis, trying desperately to save the people entrusted to her care, and playing with black magic because of it. Sheppard is and has always been the ruthless one. Whatever he needs to do he will, and if he feels remorse, we don't see it. Those that register as enemies to him - and it's pretty clear Michael stayed on that list throughout - will get no quarter. This one has claws.

Edited to add: I'm not trying to imply that Sheppard is wrong. He's almost always correct to do what he does. He is, however, definitely on the darker end of the hero spectrum. It makes him very real, as opposed to the fellow in the white hat who lives by rigid codes. I think Sheppard's codes begin and end with the survival of those he is responsible for.

So, yeah, I may be back to be more coherent, but that's the instantaneous reaction. Thoughts, anyone?

 

Comments

[clarkangel.livejournal.com]

I found Elizabeth to be very cold here. Sheppard was uncomfortable through out, but his ethics/morals haven't changed. He simplified it. They are at war with the wraith who will stop at nothing to kill them all and HE will stop at nothing to prevent that happening. He was very true to who Sheppard is.

Rodney and Ronon both wanted Michael dead. That's true to form. Ronon's reactions follow through from Instinct with Elia. I see him as actually far more ruthless than Sheppard. And I do see remorse from Shep. He does what has to be done, but he doesn't always like it. And it sticks with him. We've seen tidbits of that throughout.

Ronon would do whatever had to be done and just move on without it registering.

I don't think Carson is malicious..but his being the one to want to do this is disturbing. I also, to go back to Sheppard, I don't think he really wanted to do this. I think he's just going with the flow and since they did it, he's gonna hope it can/will work for them. He sees the bigger picture than all of them really.

Tis a very disturbing ep. Surprising that they went there with it.

What I did want to see was more interaction with Shep and Michael. Shep had been converting into the bug, I would have liked to know more of that from his POV, whereas converion was more Weir's POV of Shep changing. Too bad there hadn't been a way to have Michael and Shep compare notes. How much of the HUNGER to feed did Shep feel and have to deny. And how HUMAN and regretful of his hunger did Michael feel? He was going to feed on Teyla in the end.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Interesting. I would argue that Rodney didn't actually want Michael dead until he reverted to Wraith form and escaped. At that point he became a huge threat to them all, rather than just another medical mystery gone wrong. Until then, it seemed more like Rodney was unbalanced by the situation. It's the fear responses that push Rodney into murky territory.

I'm going to remain mostly quiet about Elizabeth, I think. I'm not always that fond of her, and thus tend to see the bad there a lot of the time. I think that's why she didn't surprise me in this episode.

Sheppard... like I said, he was the one I had the hardest time really forgiving here. Not that he's out of character; this is completely within his makeup. Between the ease with which he perpetuates the lie and his persistance in seeing Michael as consistantly sub-human, though, he doesn't really take the high road. He never sees himself as responsible for Michael. Michael always remains the threat, which is probably a hallmark of Sheppard's protective instincts. It may be tied to his own view of his transformation in Conversion, too: if he admits that Michael became human, for however brief a time, he also has to recognize that he himself became otherwise. Lots to ponder, here.

[clarkangel.livejournal.com]

I don't think Shep had to take the high road. That was for WEir and Beckett to do. Shep has had to do alot of things I think he wished he didn't. Like kill Sumner, because of the Wraith.

He's nearly been Wraith fodder time and again.

Ronon said it best. Michael might look human but he's not. That Teyla wanted to see him as human didn't change the facts.

I think for Shep, and actually it would be for me, is that being able to change Wraith into human takes away their ability to feed on humans. That's what he was going for.

I felt sorry for Michael at times, but I still side with Ronon and Shep. Mostly Ronon. Michael looked different at times, but he was still what he was. A wraith who kills humans. So even though there's a certain moral high ground, and I found Beckett and Weir OOC.

Utlimately, I found what happened acceptable.

And I saw unease in Shep. Beckett and Weir perpetuated the lie far more easily. And they also, all the more so, saw Michael as sub human.

I wish they had done more with Shep and Michael because of Shep having made his own transformation.

[bazworth.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Carson was caught up in doctor mode wanting to test his vaccine or in any way malicious. Seems like anyone involved in medicine realizes there's a price to pay for progress, sure.

But I think (loving me some Beckett) that he's desperately seeking a solution. First because he wants to help fight the enemy and he's not military and he's resistant to using his gene to activate things so he's not effective on that front. But mainly because he wants to avoid genocide. There's no way the wraith can be negotiated with as long as humans are their food. The only way to have a solution other than totally destroying all wraith is to change them.

[aurora]

'Wow' was my first reaction as well.

I haven't completely thought this through yet, but this ep was really disturbing. The scene that did it for me, was the one where Michael watches the discs of his transformation, culminating in John yelling 'Gonna need a name; how does Mike sound.' It really left an incredibly bad feeling in my gut. Really bad.
Especially followed by Michael's look of horror AND the shot of Atlantis covered in mist. That's the first time (I think) they've shown us this misty shot. Normally it's always glorious, pretty Atlantis, but this shot was haunting and dark. Don't know if it's meant to hold any significance, but it did for me.

It's fascinating how they referenced to the previous Wraith they held captive, first by John giving names, and then showing the cell and juxtaposed it with this Wraith/human.

And I think Rodney reflected my feelings pretty well. Now I'm kinda nervous for the next episodes in this arc. Wait and see.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Yep, the 'Mike' bit was very well done. I love the fact that, if we'd come at the episode from the Atlantis crews' point of view (i.e. starting with the Wraith capture), it would have been fairly easy to root for Sheppard in that scene. 'Steve' and 'Bob' are classics, after all. Seeing it through Michael's eyes made it very different.

Didn't notice the misty Atlantis shots. I'll need to go back and check that out.

Wait and see, indeed :>

[nausica2.livejournal.com]

I noticed teh mist too. It totally creeped me even more, if that's possible.

I ached for them all, even while wanting to shake them. On the whole, I'd say the episode left me feeling prickly and uncomfortable, not quite right in my own skin.

Felt like that too. They are the people we like, and we know they make mistakes, but this... this was crossing lines way too much. It's not only the consequences, what bugs me most is the idea that they felt that turning wraith human would solve the problem/help/whatever. They don't know much about them, but they do know that experimenting with genetics is dangerous and risky territory. I can see their motivations, but they should have thought better. I really like Ronon's position, because of all of them, he's the one who has had more wraith encounters.

As for Carson... I don't think he's malicious either. He's compassionate, he cares as a doctor, but in this case it looks like he sort of dissociated the lab experiments from the real thing, and when it happened, he was not ready at all. Rodney was a bit like that in Trinity, but the situation is a bit different. At least Carson knows he is responsible, he's not hiding behind Elizabeth.

I think I'm still shocked. Still, loved the episode because it's challenging. However, am not sure how they'll follow with this, because it should really affect the characters, but it's not always shown in the next episode...

[nausica2.livejournal.com]

oh, and hi, random person following link after link...

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Have no fear, everybody starts out as a random person!

I think I'm still shocked.</>

Yeah, me too. I knew it was coming, having read the spoilers, but it still threw me for a loop. There's a big difference in knowing and seeing, I suppose. I think I'm actually okay with the premise of what they tried; when you compare genetic tinkering with actual genocide -which, scary as it sounds, is really the only way to effectively stop the Wraith - the genetic mojo doesn't seem so bad. The way they handled the fallout, though, with the continual lies, I had issues with. Maybe it's very pollyanna of me, but I wished Michael could have been informed from the start, when he had amnesia. Though he may have had some of the same reactions to the process, I don't think he would have rebelled so strongly out of betrayal. Having us meet Michael the Human rather than Mike the Wraith first was a brilliant storytelling strategy.

am not sure how they'll follow with this, because it should really affect the characters, but it's not always shown in the next episode...

Only time will tell. I don't think they'll be walking away from this one, though.

[whatdanidigs.livejournal.com]

The twist in this episode completely took me by suprise. I liked it for the fact that it makes almost all of the characters more gray too me.

Teyla was far more willing to go along with all of this than I would have thought she would. I always see her as the sayer of 'this is not right' even when it could be. Here she was just kind of accepting everything, because they are evil. I like that they did that to her though because perfact characters annoy me.

It interested me that it was the scientist that were most uncomfortable with what was going on here. That must mean something....hmmm.

In summary, I can't wait to see where this goes.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

This is definitely an episode about making things shady. No one comes through this one unscathed. I'm thinking Teyla's acceptance of the whole thing is linked hugely to the way she's lived her life. I think the prospect of an end to the Wraith threat might be the one thing she won't question, ever.

As to the scientists: Hmmm, indeed. I need to think about that one.

I can't wait to see where this goes.

Me neither. Interesting times ahead for our boys, methinks.

sheppard in michael

[laceymcbain.livejournal.com]

I think Sheppard's codes begin and end with the survival of those he is responsible for.

Absolutely. I totally agree with that. He will do what he has to to protect Atlantis and the people in his care. There's no other guiding moral force for him, and because he's in charge ... well, that makes him an interesting leader from a moral standpoint. This episode was amazing.

Re: sheppard in michael

[stillane.livejournal.com]

that makes him an interesting leader from a moral standpoint

Most definitely. He's got the responsibility to set the tone for everyone under his command, after all. In many ways, the Pegasus galaxy is a whole new ballgame. With SG:1, we at least always knew what the moral laws of the universe were - basically, the cowboy code: don't shoot anyone in the back, always be the one to defend the weak, and uphold the right. If you did this, you would triumph in the end (even if they had to resurrect you a few times to manage it).

Out here, the rules are much less clear and the good guys aren't assured victory. Sheppard is just the most common showcase of this. We've seen him shoot unarmed "men" (although the Wraith hardly count), willingly abandon innocents in need ('Letters from Pegasus'), and just generally be a badass.

The thing is, he doesn't do any of it out of evil intentions. He does it all because he's a good man. Just a very human one.

I love this show.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Sheppard is and has always been the ruthless one. Whatever he needs to do he will, and if he feels remorse, we don't see it.

Yes! Thank you -- we've had little incidents in previous eps, but the same cool disregard that seemed heroic and brave in The Storm/The Eye (sixty men) appeared in a different light in Critical Mass, when he easily gave his nod to torture a man presumed guilty until proven innocent, and an similarly dark glint here in Michael. Here, we see a Sheppard who may go along with the other leaders' decisions yet doesn't yield one inch of ground.

Those that register as enemies to him - and it's pretty clear Michael stayed on that list throughout - will get no quarter. This one has claws.

Yes. Exactly.

He is, however, definitely on the darker end of the hero spectrum. It makes him very real, as opposed to the fellow in the white hat who lives by rigid codes. I think Sheppard's codes begin and end with the survival of those he is responsible for.

And as moral absolutes go, this one isn't particularly trustworthy in every case...

[stillane.livejournal.com]

I was silly and completely missed your comment, and thus shamelessly didn't feedback. My apologies.

but the same cool disregard that seemed heroic and brave in The Storm/The Eye (sixty men) appeared in a different light...here in Michael

Precisely. So many crime dramas are doing episodes these days from the killer's eyes and what have you. This was the grown up version of that, I think; not only from the traditional villian's eyes, but from his emotions. Reguardless of what are heads tell us is the logical and right stance, our visceral reaction is with Michael. I defy anyone to say this show doesn't have remarkable depth, when it so chooses.

Sheppard isn't anywhere close to all sweetness and light, although he can pretend, and it makes him fascinating. It's a little like watching for the trainwreck you know is coming, because some day he'll inevitably be wrong. It makes me wonder very much what went on to earn him the oft-lamented black marks.

[stillane.livejournal.com]

Hee. More tired than I thought, apparently. Please substitute an 'our' for that 'are'. I try to keep the pirate moments to a minimum.