would you like a little RAGE with your RAGE?

[xparrot]

So Martin Gero made some comments on the most recent episode of SGA.

"For five years, we didn’t even know it, but all [Rodney] wanted was for someone to tell him that they loved him in an unconditional way."

I want to...I want to kick Martin Gero's head in with a big spiky boot. OF LOVE.

So the love of friends and family (because doesn't Jeannie love him, too? or was she lying when she said "I love you" in "Miller's Crossing" and faking her tears in "The Shrine"?) counts for snot, because it's not romantic, sexual love.

And unconditional love is quoting a guy's own brain-damaged love confession back at him (six months later), and then offering him sex on a plane to make him shut up.

I have no boyfriend! I HAVE NO LOVE! What do I do??? My life is empty! Meaningless!

*cue total fucking mental breakdown*

Okay, now I'm going to do my best to forget this episode ever happened. There's been other eps I haven't enjoyed, but this is the first one that's seriously in danger of spoiling my fanning. It pretty much ruined Rodney's character for me even when I was ignoring the McKeller (I swear, I'd've been almost as outraged if the ep had gone the same way only with John instead of Keller, though at least then I'd have some McShep making out), and now that I am meant to think that banging Keller on the plane is the most significant and important event of Rodney's life in the past five years - yeah. Someone tell me how to hold onto my SGA love, because I don't want to lose this fandom, but the show seems pretty determined to use its dying breath to drive me away.

ETA: I gotta say, SGA these days is really making me appreciate NCIS. NCIS has one s5 ep that is explicitly the 100% opposite theme as this.

Comments

[trystings.livejournal.com]

That 'unconditional love' remark, well, *flaps hands at all the other comments*. Gero is an idiot and not even the most fervent McKeller shipper/Jennifer hugger can claim that this romance was well written. I saw more chemistry between Ronon and Keller during that almost-kiss in Quarantine, than in Trio, The Shrine and Brain Storm put together.

I have come to realize that I don't like romance on crime shows or SciFi shows period. Romance is why I liked season 4 of NCIS least. Tony's long-winded affair with Jeanne: twenty-four freakin' episodes of watching them go out for lunch, for dinner, losing earrings, finding earrings, gifting man bracelets that looked like a tracking device, PM-ing, calling to say hi, pouting when Tony had to cancel, meeting her mother. It probably didn't feel like that to you and Gnine, because you saw the season in one sitting, but when you have to wait a week to see some development and nothing happens, and the main character that you love drifts further and further from the team, it's high blood pressure inducing. On the upside though, the groundwork for their relationship was beautifully laid out, there was a point to the whole affair, and we have had a further two seasons to deal with the aftermath.

McKeller doesn't even have the saving grace of a plot. This is it! Next episode confirms their relationship, the one after that tests their relationship and then it's the finale and our love birds are off to the side in the final shot, separate from the rest, but better persons because of their Unconditional Love. (Oh and let's not forget that McKay's considering going back to the private sector when his contract is up. Gero's final parting shot.)

Why can't Gero and Mallozzi understand that this is not what the majority of the viewers want from the last season of SGA?

And now that I'm venting anyway: why did Flanigan end up with that tool of a Mallozzi for his character's development this season?! Whispers, which Flanigan phoned in, and Remnants. And Remnants was okay, but did we finally get some insight into what makes Sheppard tick, like Mallozzi promised? No, only more Sheppardfuckedupness that needs a ton of fanfic to put right.

Arghh.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I don't really like romance in my TV, period. I can be brought around to it, but it takes me a long time to accept it, and there is pretty much no show I can think of that I *wanted* romance, that I was disappointed because a pairing didn't hook up in canon (I'll get disappointed if my OTPs get broken up by alternate pairings, but that's a different story.)

NCIS is an interesting case, because yeah, I think if I'd watched s4 as it aired I'd have hated the Tony/Jeanne stuff. As it is, watching it bored me, but I knew it wasn't going to last, and in retrospect I really like what it did with Tony's character. (I also knew it was part of his undercover assignment, which on the one hand was a frustrating spoiler, I really want to know if I would've guessed it on my own - but on the other hand it meant I never saw Tony as OOC, and a lot of their conversations play really interestingly when you know that's his core motivation. The writers really knew what they were doing!) In the end it brought him even closer to the team; the moment in "Family" where he makes the choice, and chooses them - gah, words cannot express my love for that scene! So ultimately I kind of love Tony/Jeanne, because it failed.

Meanwhile I'm slowly being brought on board to Tony/Ziva - it's not that I *want* it, quite, but rather that I can see a basis for it, and it wouldn't upset me if it happened in canon. (Actually what I really see is an OT4 between all of Gibbs's "kids"...) I love them as platonic partners, and I think if they hooked up it would change relatively little about their friendship otherwise, which is how I like my pairings to go.

So, yeah, NCIS is a happy place right now, and I have a fair amount of faith that the writers will keep it that way. Getting back to SGA - I think one of the problems with s5 is the lack of character development. It's not just Sheppard - the only character development for anyone has been the Keller romance, save for a little bit with Teyla and her baby. But that was brought over from s4 - there's been no new developments with anyone, except Ronon with Keller (and as soon as Keller rejected him he stopped getting any kind of character storyline) and Rodney with Keller.

Which I suspect is one of the reasons there's been such a negative response to the McKeller. Sure, it's a badly written, clumsily done romance, but we didn't expect anything better. But we're not getting much else to distract us. For four years we watched John & Rodney's relationship develop from teammates to friends hanging out together to friends supporting one another; now John & Rodney don't have scenes together anymore, they're pretty much back to being teammates. For three years Ronon opened up, got a sense of humor, went with John back to Earth, proved himself to the IOA - now he's just there. And Keller has been in two seasons, but the only real development we've seen in her is her learning how to fight (an arc spanning only two episodes a year apart and never referenced in between) and who she's dating; she hasn't developed any friendships, or started doing new science, or gotten any happier off-world.

I don't think the writers have any idea what viewers want, considering they don't even seem to know their own characters (Gero saying Rodney just wants love like it was a huge revelation - umm, seriously? You didn't know? Because we viewers all knew that about him about five years ago! It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic...)

Oh well - four more episodes and then these characters are ours, and can't be hurt by the writers anymore!!

[eranajz.livejournal.com]

Yay! I like this comment much better than your original post. :) Not that I've ever commented on your LJ before, but, oh wells - first time for everything. And I'd seriously hate to see you give up on SGA now... not when the network has, too. Sure what the show is doing right now with Rodney sucks majorly, but, like you said, they're not going to GET another season to make it any worse. Which I was upset about before, but now? Not as much. :)

My remedy for when I feel like you were, when I'm disgusted with the Keller crap, is to put on "The Shrine" and watch the balcony scene. It does wonders for my Rodney/John love. :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, you're the third person to suggest "The Shrine" pier-scene as a cure for all that ails me in current SGA ^__^ I have to admit, as unhappy as I am with most of this season, I think that one scene alone might make it worth it!

It also helps to know that I'm not the only fan who's unhappy with how things are going - gives me confidence that when the chars are in our hands, a lot of people feel the same way about them that I do.

(and welcome to the lj, the more the merrier! XD)