I do agree that it's a personal choice, and very subject to personal interpretation. However, I do think we know enough about Rodney to know how he would react, and I thought it was completely in character. Over and over again we've seen that Rodney McKay does not handle imminent death well. At all. Yeah, he gathers himself together and does the brave thing (usually), but he's intensely unhappy about it. I think Rodney, as opposed to Ronon who wants to face death headlong, would prefer not to see it coming. And so I just can't imagine him reacting to this any other way. Of course, yes, that is colored by my own personal perspective. I don't know myself if I would turn this down if given the choice. But I don't know that I would be too happy about it being done to me. If that makes any sense.
I do wonder why the heck Ronon didn't mention the shrine sooner, so they could just ask Rodney what his wishes were while he was capable of deciding. It's to provide dramatic tension, but it doesn't make much sense. They wouldn't have had to go immediately - Rodney could have asked that they take him once he'd passed a certain point. Or else demanded that they don't take him. But Ronon doesn't bring it up until Rodney's too far gone to make a choice. Odd.
Oh absolutely. It's a storytelling problem, but if we're going to stay with an in-show perspective, just why did Ronon wait so long? It does make one wonder. And that's probably a path I shouldn't go down, because it makes me like Ronon less, so I'll stop there.
Huh - when they were arguing with Woolsey, I didn't think they were planning on taking Rodney to the shrine that very minute - I assumed they were still going to wait as long as possible.
That's a possibility I suppose, but from the way Ronon and Teyla started to charge out of Woolsey's office, I assumed they were planning to go right then. John's the one who slowed them down and reminded them that they needed to plan it out a little before charging into a Wraith stronghold, and then Keller said that they weren't going anywhere without talking to Rodney. It all seemed like an immediate thing to me. *shrugs*
I also think that Ronon & Teyla were resigned to Rodney dying - they're from Pegasus, they know Second Childhood, and a quick, dignified death is just what they want for themselves, so they were trying to honor Rodney the best they could.
Oh yes, I completely agree with that. But they were thinking about what they would want for themselves and not what Rodney would want, and John, who of all of them should have IMO been thinking about what Rodney wanted, just gets swept along with them - his objection is not "Rodney wouldn't want this" - it's "we need a plan if we're going to do this". I love John, and John and Rodney, but I have a hard time with him for not standing up to Ronon and Teyla over this. Of all of them, Rodney trusted John the most during the episode. John told Rodney he wasn't giving up on him - I don't understand why he let Ronon and Teyla sway him. :( I'm having a hard time not seeing it as a betrayal on John's part, in a way.
I don't think John ever accepted the "quick death" part. John didn't accept that Rodney was dying when he was lying on his deathbed in "Tao" - John's not good with acceptance! I am convinced that John was thinking one day with Rodney as himself was one day that Rodney could help them figure out how to save himself, and was not thinking beyond that...which is how it worked out, in the end.
See, I would love to believe that, I really would, because I loved the closeness between John and Rodney during the episode, and I don't want it to be soured by this. But John's behavior in the cave doesn't bear that out, IMO. Not until Keller figures out what's going on does John get motivated to save him. Until then, he's trying to coax Rodney into sitting down and relaxing and enjoying his last meal, not pushing him into figuring out the problem.
no subject
I do agree that it's a personal choice, and very subject to personal interpretation. However, I do think we know enough about Rodney to know how he would react, and I thought it was completely in character. Over and over again we've seen that Rodney McKay does not handle imminent death well. At all. Yeah, he gathers himself together and does the brave thing (usually), but he's intensely unhappy about it. I think Rodney, as opposed to Ronon who wants to face death headlong, would prefer not to see it coming. And so I just can't imagine him reacting to this any other way. Of course, yes, that is colored by my own personal perspective. I don't know myself if I would turn this down if given the choice. But I don't know that I would be too happy about it being done to me. If that makes any sense.
I do wonder why the heck Ronon didn't mention the shrine sooner, so they could just ask Rodney what his wishes were while he was capable of deciding. It's to provide dramatic tension, but it doesn't make much sense. They wouldn't have had to go immediately - Rodney could have asked that they take him once he'd passed a certain point. Or else demanded that they don't take him. But Ronon doesn't bring it up until Rodney's too far gone to make a choice. Odd.
Oh absolutely. It's a storytelling problem, but if we're going to stay with an in-show perspective, just why did Ronon wait so long? It does make one wonder. And that's probably a path I shouldn't go down, because it makes me like Ronon less, so I'll stop there.
Huh - when they were arguing with Woolsey, I didn't think they were planning on taking Rodney to the shrine that very minute - I assumed they were still going to wait as long as possible.
That's a possibility I suppose, but from the way Ronon and Teyla started to charge out of Woolsey's office, I assumed they were planning to go right then. John's the one who slowed them down and reminded them that they needed to plan it out a little before charging into a Wraith stronghold, and then Keller said that they weren't going anywhere without talking to Rodney. It all seemed like an immediate thing to me. *shrugs*
I also think that Ronon & Teyla were resigned to Rodney dying - they're from Pegasus, they know Second Childhood, and a quick, dignified death is just what they want for themselves, so they were trying to honor Rodney the best they could.
Oh yes, I completely agree with that. But they were thinking about what they would want for themselves and not what Rodney would want, and John, who of all of them should have IMO been thinking about what Rodney wanted, just gets swept along with them - his objection is not "Rodney wouldn't want this" - it's "we need a plan if we're going to do this". I love John, and John and Rodney, but I have a hard time with him for not standing up to Ronon and Teyla over this. Of all of them, Rodney trusted John the most during the episode. John told Rodney he wasn't giving up on him - I don't understand why he let Ronon and Teyla sway him. :( I'm having a hard time not seeing it as a betrayal on John's part, in a way.
I don't think John ever accepted the "quick death" part. John didn't accept that Rodney was dying when he was lying on his deathbed in "Tao" - John's not good with acceptance! I am convinced that John was thinking one day with Rodney as himself was one day that Rodney could help them figure out how to save himself, and was not thinking beyond that...which is how it worked out, in the end.
See, I would love to believe that, I really would, because I loved the closeness between John and Rodney during the episode, and I don't want it to be soured by this. But John's behavior in the cave doesn't bear that out, IMO. Not until Keller figures out what's going on does John get motivated to save him. Until then, he's trying to coax Rodney into sitting down and relaxing and enjoying his last meal, not pushing him into figuring out the problem.