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

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.