Things that ruined the show IMO
Rewatched SGA - while I have to say, earlier episodes were better.. I picked up on why I stopped watching it during the fourth season. I think Ronan and Keller totally killed it but there were other little things that continued frequently when they should IMO, have found a better way for the characters to interact.
- Rodney always complaining/arguing with everyone - I like him, A LOT, but they overused David Hewlett and neglected other characters.
- Teyla's pregnancy was inappropriately inserted in several episodes - I'm female and WE GET IT! SHE'S PREGNANT! Then there are the excessive touchy-feely conversations with any* other woman she next comes into contact with on Atlantis. Seriously? NO woman I know DOES this! Sure, we have ideological discussions about the what ifs and exchange medical information, but we do NOT discuss our pregnancies ALL the damn time or expect every female to get JUST as worked up about it as we do (having a child requires a load of responsibility, it's not all fun and games). I also think it's important to consider that not ALL women are the same; Teyla came across as forcibly exuberant and forcibly upset w/the notion of leave. Like men, we have this thing called, "pride" and/or varying "personalities." BTW, deliverance by Rodney? I was like, they must be high, seriously??
- Ronan is a walking stereotype. Why is everything he does accepted, somehow understood by the rest of the team as "silent tough guy" behavior? I couldn't identify it in such a way.. I thought he was sulking like a child. Actually, I felt it was pretty insulting to have both Teal'c and Ronan utter two sentences per episode. Ronan sure grunted a lot more... and inferred practically zero connectability or depth. I know his background, but even he couldn't sell it. A runner? Here's this story of a well-trained, methodical military guy, and then you give him such lame lines and provide him the story equivalent to one of a drug pusher? This fell flat, IMO. Jason's usually a confident person, I've noticed Jason saying at conventions he was confused as to why Ronan was so angry all the time. I think it's fair to say, he was just a blip on the radar anyway with nothing to contribute to any of the scenes except for the standard "let's just shoot it" line. We were left always wanting more from this character...
- Teyla was too conservative to be on this team. Something was just rather dull about her - aside from her Type A personality. The only time she initiated an opinion or contributed to the team, was with either maternal like mannerisms or took a position as "the woman" in Atlantis. Honestly, if your television show's characters are addressed as dismissively sexist, then the audience won't like hearing about it simply because you addressed it. PERHAPS they should have given her (and frankly, the women on SGU) more interesting emphasis - like in the first two episodes. Giving her a backseat was awful. Have you met the men and women in space? They MUST work well together, checking the squabbles (bordering on gender-based views) at home. They could have left a lot of the political motives out on SGU as well - Camille. *cough*
- ALL of the characters complain too much. Carson initially rubbed me the wrong way - extremely whiny. Shepherd could really take a scene nowhere fast, usually lead to arguing with Rodney - over a repetitive conflict mind you, "I can't make this thing go faster, why must I explain all this science stuff to you all!" Seriously, they should have ended up dead repeatedly! Has no one in the writing staff ever** taken/passed a science class (with an A+)?? You can NOT chat and work with PHYSICS and equations simultaneously! I don't care if you're a genius! My math and programming was better than average - but you have to IGNORE the babbling noise around you so you may concentrate - higher IQ doesn't equate - streamline calculating!!! This is a personal pet peeve of a few of my coworkers, the constant interruptions during our work from people EXPECTING us to drop what we're in the middle of to address their story of the day that they simply MUST tell us.. *jaw drop*.
- And for the love of Christ - Jewel Staite or whatever her name is - KELLER??? Just hell no - if we could combine all whining done over the course of SEVERAL seasons - it sounds like ONE simple sentence uttered from HER mouth.. I can't believe how difficult it is for me to watch her scenes?? Unbelieveable... I really don't get how they could have cast her except for some Firefly related reason - because she is SO drabby - please tell me someone didn't actually think she was *gorgeous??* You know what, let's say she's a 4, 5, or 6 even, but even with that beach-wave hair, I still found her utterly atrocious! The lack of medical skill should have been obvious - their chief medical officer JUST graduated?? You can NOT accumulate skill in ANY medical field - especially in regards to research, in such FEW years.. And wtf? She didn't even come across as an extraordinary person (it still doesn't work that way on ANY planet that I know of)?? And I'm sorry to say, but there is something specifically GRATING about her voice! Oy!
I should probably watch it with the complaining myself here yet I refuse to express myself any other way when it comes to Keller. SHE was the killer to the show for me. SHE was inserted into EVERY episode, EVERY scene, it felt like slow brain death... I couldn't believe it during rewatch, she had SUCH a power over my being able to watch a SCI-FI show and bummer... It's not that I don't possess a disposal mechanism - dispose of anything short of horrific and/or story killing arcs. It's just seriously irritating to have these sci-fi shows inserting their fantasy woman into every scene. I mean you lost this viewer and many more that season, them fantasy women won't save a show apparently, especially when they're not really that fantasy based! She came out more like whiny Mary Sue, IMO. Give me more of those Dutch's (Killjoys). If they want an esteemed woman, just give us a woman who isn't motivated by her weakness and frailties all the time - it is super condescending to us 'chicks.' Not to mention everybody's hair should be UP anyway..including Ronan's. Having your hair down like that is going to SERIOUSLY compromise your peripheral vision in combat!
- FYI, my 'women friends' don't pull that constant "focus on me, me, me" like that! It's rather insulting to your female viewing audience, no? I figure this is some sort of weird (way TMI method) writer/male response reconfiguration as "ooh, soo, you're a damsel in distress are you? Well now, maybe a guy *nuck nuck* like me, can totally RESCUE you!" In other words, there is a shortage of people who can truly understand you in your oh so precious moments (which are far more intelligent in nature so let's magnify your* hot issues, unlike the other women and their irrelevant and 'less hot' issues), let me be here to get close to you and maybe you'll find me worthy of dating!*, especially if you're gonna be all blonde like that. Woah ho ho now" *insert creepy writer smile*
Anyhow, watching 'Vegas.' Personally, I think they should have let Joe Flannigan be the "magnet." They would have been better off! He was lead, and they let him drop off the radar in terms of character arc.