Matt Roush article from TV Guide.com
Aug. 22nd, 2006 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eregyrnhttp://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000048
This is a sympathetic but level-headed pondering of SG-1's cancellation. Roush likes SG-1 well enough (he appeared on the "Inside" special to say nice things about it), but folks may remember him as a passionate "Farscape" fan. So he's got that perspective on this.
The thing is, I agree with him, in a lot of ways. As I remarked yesterday, the *timing* of this announcement is what really stunned me; not the substance of it. I was already thinking that if SG-1 got an 11th season, it would be very lucky. I was indeed half-expecting to hear that it was being cancelled. For me, it was impossible to watch the build-up of signals that SciFi was sending with their various shenanigans, and not get that feeling.
And I have often had the thoughts that Roush airs. 10 years is nothing to sneeze at. I would rather a show go out at some kind of high point than linger on until it hits a really embarassing place. (The discussion/debate over whether SG-1 had reached that, or had not reached it yet, is a separate issue, I think. Feel what you will about the last two seasons or the last four seasons, or whatever. I personally wasn't loving the show as much in S9/S10 as previously, but I have my own personal barometer for these things -- called "Buffy" season 6/7 -- and from my viewpoint, at least, SG-1 was diminished but not at the "take it behind the barn and shoot it" stage yet.)
So I'm in two minds about all of the "save the show" sentiment floating around, and at the rumored efforts being made by Bridge and MGM.
Because the thing is -- in some ways, this is the 10th season of a show that I don't want to see become a shambling zombie. In other ways, it has to be acknowledged that it is the 2nd season of what the people *making* the show always sort of intended to be a sequel show anyway -- "Stargate Command", which is what they would have called it if the SciFi Channel hadn't vetoed the idea. And I feel badly for the folks who have honestly been trying to *make* that sequel show work. I also feel badly for the folks who have been loving watching it as much as ever, or more so. While I think that SG-1 maybe has reached the end of its natural lifespan... I feel that the whole concept of "SGC" as a show maybe hasn't.
So I'm not quite sure what I'm hoping will happen to "SGC", as such. (I am sure of this: the more I think of it, the more I think migrating some of the characters over to SGA is a poor idea... for SGA itself.) For "SG-1", there's a few things I'd like to see happen.
As Roush says: the end of S10 treated with dignity. (But hey, it's the SciFi Channel, so good luck!) As I was remarking yesterday -- as shitty as the timing of this announcement is, there may be a bright side to it. And that bright side is that eps 19 and 20 weren't written yet. Bridge has lots of warning now to figure out how to end the series. We will not be trapped by their having made a HUGE CLIFFHANGER because they were, for once, banking on the idea of S11.
I do not think there is any way they can wrap up the Orii plotline in that time. But the thing is, we've been dealing with this since S6 -- at which point we all knew the show might end with the long-running Goa'uld plotline unresolved. *shrug* We knew then they were hoping to make a movie to give the show's overall storyline closure. (They wanted it to be a feature film, like "Serenity"; I myself was always placing money on tv-movie or mini-series, even then.) So I don't see how the situation right now is *that* different from what it was. The same options appear to be on the table.
I personally lean towards the tv-movie/mini-series option. I think reaching towards a feature film is a bad idea (for a franchise that is so heavily dependent on its backstory). I think that a tv-movie or series of movies, or a mini or two, could probably be enough to give closure, and/or to tell some nice one-shot stories, and it's a way of concentrating effort and budget to produce something good. And it would keep canon open, to an extent, or at least make that a possibility -- without necessarily confronting us with the agonizing over the show's inevitable cancellation *again*. (Because even if it gets picked up for a S11... then you continue to have the anxiety over its ratings performance, and how much longer it can go on, etc.)
But that's just my personal preference, and I respect the folks who honestly feel there is a case to be made for giving what is essentially the 2-year-old "Stargate Command" some more time. Even if I'm not as hopeful that it'll actually happen.
However, I see nothing wrong with the idea of asking for a *lot* (S11) and settling for a bit less (movies, etc.). It may be a good negotiating tactic.
I will say this, though -- I think a good bit of my very emotional reaction yesterday was all tied up in how this affects the community/fandom, and the way that is important to me *apart from* the way my enjoyment of the show is important to me. And the outpourings of fannish reaction around LJ, that I have seen at least, have soothed some of my distress over that.
This is a sympathetic but level-headed pondering of SG-1's cancellation. Roush likes SG-1 well enough (he appeared on the "Inside" special to say nice things about it), but folks may remember him as a passionate "Farscape" fan. So he's got that perspective on this.
The thing is, I agree with him, in a lot of ways. As I remarked yesterday, the *timing* of this announcement is what really stunned me; not the substance of it. I was already thinking that if SG-1 got an 11th season, it would be very lucky. I was indeed half-expecting to hear that it was being cancelled. For me, it was impossible to watch the build-up of signals that SciFi was sending with their various shenanigans, and not get that feeling.
And I have often had the thoughts that Roush airs. 10 years is nothing to sneeze at. I would rather a show go out at some kind of high point than linger on until it hits a really embarassing place. (The discussion/debate over whether SG-1 had reached that, or had not reached it yet, is a separate issue, I think. Feel what you will about the last two seasons or the last four seasons, or whatever. I personally wasn't loving the show as much in S9/S10 as previously, but I have my own personal barometer for these things -- called "Buffy" season 6/7 -- and from my viewpoint, at least, SG-1 was diminished but not at the "take it behind the barn and shoot it" stage yet.)
So I'm in two minds about all of the "save the show" sentiment floating around, and at the rumored efforts being made by Bridge and MGM.
Because the thing is -- in some ways, this is the 10th season of a show that I don't want to see become a shambling zombie. In other ways, it has to be acknowledged that it is the 2nd season of what the people *making* the show always sort of intended to be a sequel show anyway -- "Stargate Command", which is what they would have called it if the SciFi Channel hadn't vetoed the idea. And I feel badly for the folks who have honestly been trying to *make* that sequel show work. I also feel badly for the folks who have been loving watching it as much as ever, or more so. While I think that SG-1 maybe has reached the end of its natural lifespan... I feel that the whole concept of "SGC" as a show maybe hasn't.
So I'm not quite sure what I'm hoping will happen to "SGC", as such. (I am sure of this: the more I think of it, the more I think migrating some of the characters over to SGA is a poor idea... for SGA itself.) For "SG-1", there's a few things I'd like to see happen.
As Roush says: the end of S10 treated with dignity. (But hey, it's the SciFi Channel, so good luck!) As I was remarking yesterday -- as shitty as the timing of this announcement is, there may be a bright side to it. And that bright side is that eps 19 and 20 weren't written yet. Bridge has lots of warning now to figure out how to end the series. We will not be trapped by their having made a HUGE CLIFFHANGER because they were, for once, banking on the idea of S11.
I do not think there is any way they can wrap up the Orii plotline in that time. But the thing is, we've been dealing with this since S6 -- at which point we all knew the show might end with the long-running Goa'uld plotline unresolved. *shrug* We knew then they were hoping to make a movie to give the show's overall storyline closure. (They wanted it to be a feature film, like "Serenity"; I myself was always placing money on tv-movie or mini-series, even then.) So I don't see how the situation right now is *that* different from what it was. The same options appear to be on the table.
I personally lean towards the tv-movie/mini-series option. I think reaching towards a feature film is a bad idea (for a franchise that is so heavily dependent on its backstory). I think that a tv-movie or series of movies, or a mini or two, could probably be enough to give closure, and/or to tell some nice one-shot stories, and it's a way of concentrating effort and budget to produce something good. And it would keep canon open, to an extent, or at least make that a possibility -- without necessarily confronting us with the agonizing over the show's inevitable cancellation *again*. (Because even if it gets picked up for a S11... then you continue to have the anxiety over its ratings performance, and how much longer it can go on, etc.)
But that's just my personal preference, and I respect the folks who honestly feel there is a case to be made for giving what is essentially the 2-year-old "Stargate Command" some more time. Even if I'm not as hopeful that it'll actually happen.
However, I see nothing wrong with the idea of asking for a *lot* (S11) and settling for a bit less (movies, etc.). It may be a good negotiating tactic.
I will say this, though -- I think a good bit of my very emotional reaction yesterday was all tied up in how this affects the community/fandom, and the way that is important to me *apart from* the way my enjoyment of the show is important to me. And the outpourings of fannish reaction around LJ, that I have seen at least, have soothed some of my distress over that.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-22 09:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-22 09:24 pm (UTC)Dear God, yes. I couldn't bear going out with a sour taste in my mouth.
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Date: 2006-08-23 04:23 pm (UTC)For me, "Moebius" was an okay ending, I guess. I felt that it could have been a lot worse. I mean, I wasn't entirely happy with the implications of all the time-jaunting shenanigans, but I could shove that aside, and The Team together at Jack's cabin, fish-status notwithstanding, felt good to me, it felt right.
I'm thinking in terms of a movie or mini, simply because I think that even if they don't end S10 on a cliffhanger, as such, I don't think they can reasonably wrap the Orii storyline in a way that leaves it in a comfortable place. This is something I am pondering and may create a separate post about... to what extent is it possible to tie up *everything*? Given that that's probably *not* possible, how much can you leave unsettled, and still have your viewers be comfortable? Hmm. I think it's a balancing act. Have to think more about it.
In a strange way... right at this moment, I feel less anxious about what they are likely to foist on us in a series finale than I have been at times in the past. I'm not sure that I can put my finger on why. Maybe it was the tightrope that they did indeed walk in "Moebius", which perhaps provides a glimpse of what they are likely to do when they are in a situation to create such an "ending". Maybe it's comments from here and there. I don't know.
But yes. Now I have *three* wishes. :)
1. Aw, c'mon! Release those Jack/Daniel takes of the wedding scene somewhere we can see them? Please?
2. For Jack's second SG-1 ep in S10, "all" I want is the mirror-image equivalent of "Abyss", in terms of meatiness and emotional resonance. That's "all". What? No, I don't think that's unreasonable. ;-)
and now,
3. Don't fuck up the series finale, guys. If that's what it turns out to be, then please, please, give it more thought than you have ever given anything else, and do something worthy of the bowing-out of this *entire show*. (And, I want RDA and DSD back for it, at minimum. And with this warning, I don't see why that shouldn't be a given.)
I'll tell you one thing. It sure does sound like they're going to have to decide to jump one way or the other, pretty soon. No matter what "options" Bridge and MGM are pursuing, I just can't see them getting a firm committment on a S11 *before* the drop-dead date when they have to commit and write 19 and 20.
Hmm. Then again? If they know for sure that SciFi (the rat-bastards) are sticking to their plan to wait until March 2007 to broadcast the second half of the season... well, I wonder if that will make them feel that they don't have to rush to wrap up the writing/filming in the way they normally do. Since that would put 19/20 airing in late May, rather than in March. Gives 'em an extra couple of months to dither, I suppose. *sigh*