There may be a tiny handful among you who have noted the batterings in my spirit these past couple years, and considered the possibility that i was willfully flirting with a clinical depression that once realized might be hard or impossible to control or escape.
To that i say...thanks for noticing.
A confluence of factors plunged me in this direction. I wished to experience my emotional response to this dysfunctional world without so many of the psychological walls of rationalization and denial we all build. As a result, i became increasingly unable to disconnect from all the physical and emotional isolation i've accumulated in this lifetime. I also desired to understand firsthand (in the hopes that such knowledge might make me a better writer, and person) those epidemic miseries (depression, suicide, violence, anti-sociality, stress-induced sickness, self-destructiveness, drug abuse) that my personality and life circumstances had heretofore allowed me to avoid.
In other words...good times.
That was irony.
It's occurred to me that this spirit quest might be, in some part small or large, just the playing out of an enormous conceit, and that my own pains are laughably incomparable to the hardcore real thing. I can only have faith in my motives, invite you to walk through wrob's depression, and judge for yourself.
Hm, if i ever discover a canyon, and am naming its trails and nooks, "wrob's depression" might make it onto the map.
The most stark, compelling symptom i can offer is the feeling of inertia. An inability to do things that are right there to be done. It becomes so easy to look up and realize weeks or months have gone by, with no forward movement. But as with other complex people, it's not so simple. That inertia gets jumbled up with an intentional philosophy, the refusal to run around on anybody's gerbil wheel. The avoidance of wasted time, even for a good cause. A refusal to measure my worth by values i perceive as shallow or contrary to human nature. It becomes so easy to let a day wile away with an hour or four of writing, an hour or two of music and reading, an hour of physical exertion, and two hours of relaxed meals accompanied by three hours of movies or sci fi. Are there more hours in a day? They drift away in the river of etcetera. If i could find a way to add an hour or two of fucking, i might come as close to grace as possible in a world that has none. I reject the notion that i should aspire to "more", particularly if my writing is of value to other humans (i believe helping others should be a part of everyone's day). But that all said...there are two projects i've been intending to get to for months, if not years: starting some form of public readings of my work, and producing one of my plays. In the case of the latter, i've finally had the financial wherewithal to do so for the better part of a year. In both cases, all i've been able to manage is a couple half-hearted half-efforts. I want to do both these things. Nor is it a matter of not knowing how, as i've done them (or things very much like them) in the past. It's just too easy to not do them. I think this sense of inertia particularly attaches to anything that's at all complicated or stressful. There are occasions when it begins to affect my writing, even. Mostly it doesn't, because my writing has become so essential to my identity that, if a string of unproductive days goes by, it begins to feel like i don't exist. Yet i don't think there's any aspect of my life that isn't touched by this inertia, at least in some small way.
Which is not to say that depression is joyless. There are moments (not nearly enough) when i experience the fullness of laughter (not, i hope, the manic kind).
Are there thoughts of suicide in Wrob's Depression? Yes. From time to time, i wrap my mind around initiating the release of death. It seems, frankly, a sane reaction to this world we've created. Although these thoughts are idle, their existence is significant, as ANY thought resembling suicide was utterly alien to me before the past couple years.
Violence? Even in the midst of all this gnawing emptiness, i can honestly say i've had no hurtful thoughts toward any other living creature. I'm probably just not getting out enough.
Joking aside, perhaps i'm NOT getting out so much, because i've also been living some very distinct anti-social feelings. A part of me cringes when the phone rings. "Friendly" voices are as unwelcome as any other. I feel an aversion to Facebook, and rush to get off it "ASAP LOL" when some alert calls me there, because that instant message window is open, and ANYONE could start a chat with me. Go away, go away, would you all just GO AWAY?!?!
Stress/openness-induced sickness? Check. Earlier this year, i began to feel sick in my stomach while reading a book about infant genital mutilation. I had to stop, and it took weeks before that sickened feeling (the precursor of ulcers) went away. It was months before i could pick up the book again. My emotions are so close to the surface, that being near two people who raise their voices to each other can make me feel sick. I avoid contentiousness (the only exception being this site, where there are occasional reports of inflammatory prose).
As for self-destructiveness, that particular treat hasn't found me...so i got that goin' for me.
This society is going to have to embrace a broader definition of "drug abuse". Science is discovering that there are many activities which stimulate the production of chemicals in the brain (endorphins, foremost) that induce euphoria, relieve pain, and provide a host of other effects that we associate with recreational drugs. Among these activities are music, exercise, religion, movies/shows/books, humor, and of course sex (or a good hug). We all use these things to escape. Take a look at that list of my daily activities, to spot which "drugs" i've been using hardest. I even experimented with spectator sports, following a basketball team through this recent season and playoffs, feeling the reactions inside me as i "identified" with the highs and lows on the court. My most intense drug experience resulted from my investigative series on prostitution. The daily anticipation of intimacies with the enormous variety of prostitutes i profiled was in many ways as real to me as the actual thing (on a chemical level, brains don't know the difference between fantasy and reality). Once it became reality, the nuru massage i received exploded my brain with bliss that lasted for days. It took an effort of will to not act recklessly to get those feelings again - when the series of articles was over, i invented reasons to write further articles, even if only to experience the "search" once again. I feel horrible sympathy for addicts who get hooked on something more powerful than fantasy or touch. Resisting physical intimacy on demand was so demanding, i understood how virtually impossible it would be to walk away from the more intense experiences addicts fall prey to. And i felt a twinge of that which all addicts eventually feel, the realization that taking more and more makes you feel less and less. Alcoholics reach a point when they can't get drunk when they're drinking, and can't get sober when they're not. I experienced a taste of that when the ecstatic anticipation of human touch was suddenly poisoned by the thought of the emotional emptiness of loveless loving.
Okay, pull yourself out of Wrob's Depression now. Dust yourself off.
Pretty fucking miserable, huh?
And guess what?
I'm still better off than any number of people you'll meet tomorrow. Maybe you'll see it when you look in their eyes.
Maybe they'll see it when they look in yours.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
"Space: Above and Beyond"
1995-1996
This show, which has been likened to STARSHIP TROOPERS (the Heinlein novel, not the movie) survived only one season on FOX. I was able to survive four episodes before its lack of intelligence beat me down. But it's not awful, and may have improved a bit by the end. The pilot is kinda fun, featuring guest star R. Lee Ermey as...c'mon guess...you'll never get it...a massage therapist!! Just kidding, he's a drill sergeant. And the episode "R&R" is fun, mostly because of guest stars Coolio and an uncredited David Duchovny as a smooth-talking android pool shark.
This show, which has been likened to STARSHIP TROOPERS (the Heinlein novel, not the movie) survived only one season on FOX. I was able to survive four episodes before its lack of intelligence beat me down. But it's not awful, and may have improved a bit by the end. The pilot is kinda fun, featuring guest star R. Lee Ermey as...c'mon guess...you'll never get it...a massage therapist!! Just kidding, he's a drill sergeant. And the episode "R&R" is fun, mostly because of guest stars Coolio and an uncredited David Duchovny as a smooth-talking android pool shark.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
"The Longest Trek"
The Longest Trek (My Tour of the Galaxy)
-by grace lee whitney
1998
Seen through her own eyes, grace's life is thought-provoking and often horrifying. A stage/screen actress/singer most famous for playing yeoman janice rand on season 1 of STAR TREK, most serious fans know that her life spiraled into drug/sex addiction after she left the show. The book is partly a tale of redemption, as she finally got clean and appeared in several TREK movies, plus one memorable episode of VOYAGER. The book ranges much further than her career, as she shares how her adoption paved the way for the decades she would spend trying to fill the holes inside her, and how her religious upbringing poisoned her sexuality. She reminisces about performing with billie holiday, phil silvers, and marilyn monroe.
The most disturbing part centers on how she left the show. She tells of being raped by one of the show's executives, then a week later finding out she'd been written off. Though she goes into great detail, she refuses to name the assailant. Tellingly, she refers to him as "The Executive". Her conspicuous, continuous use of improper capitalization speaks volumes. Her inference is unmistakable. In addition, she spends an entire chapter refuting gene roddenberry's secular humanist philosophies (though that could just be the result of a fundamentalist's uncomfortable association with a show that takes religion out of humanity's future).
The book is a hopeful testament from a human who has confronted the very worst parts of her dysfunctional past, and dedicated herself to honesty and making amends. So it feels a bit heavy-handed to be critical. But for all the strides she's made in self-awareness, it feels like she still has a long way to go. There are moments when you might find yourself thinking, "grace...are you LISTENING to what you just said?" The great gift of this book is that i feel i understand alcoholics and addicts better than ever. There is a tendency to mystify addiction, to give its victims a certain kind of "free pass", as the physiological/genetic component lends itself to the notion that these people aren't responsible for their behavior. On a certain level, that's probably true...just perhaps not in the way most of us think. We ALL have those holes in our spirits that addicts spend a lifetime trying vainly to fill...indeed, i think ultimately the line between "addict" and non-addict is pretty blurry, if not non-existent altogether. Grace herself is wise enough to point out that the more rabid TREK fans use the show as a lush uses a bottle...the only difference being that STAR TREK doesn't lead to vehicular manslaughter. The blind spot in her awareness is the understanding that her new "clean" life, with her devotion to god and Alcoholics Anonymous, is just another stage of ongoing addiction. God and AA haven't solved her addictions, they've simply replaced them, providing a new escape and a new set of coping mechanisms.
It's fascinating to think of how TREK might have developed had rand never left. Most people aren't aware of how central she was to the original vision. In gene's words, she was the "miss kitty" to shatner's marshal dillon. The book's cover is an early publicity photo featuring just her, bill, and leonard. Although a part of me can't help thinking that it was right to cut janice, as kirk's celebrated (and enjoyable) libido might have been stunted with the presence of an ongoing shipboard romance...yet too, rand was great when she was given the chance, and perhaps a more rand-y TREK would have been less feministly-regressive.
I heartily recommend this book for trekkers and non-trekkers alike. It's a fascinating look into how horrifically broken we all are...yet so unwilling to let our hopes, and our humanity, die.
-by grace lee whitney
1998
Seen through her own eyes, grace's life is thought-provoking and often horrifying. A stage/screen actress/singer most famous for playing yeoman janice rand on season 1 of STAR TREK, most serious fans know that her life spiraled into drug/sex addiction after she left the show. The book is partly a tale of redemption, as she finally got clean and appeared in several TREK movies, plus one memorable episode of VOYAGER. The book ranges much further than her career, as she shares how her adoption paved the way for the decades she would spend trying to fill the holes inside her, and how her religious upbringing poisoned her sexuality. She reminisces about performing with billie holiday, phil silvers, and marilyn monroe.
The most disturbing part centers on how she left the show. She tells of being raped by one of the show's executives, then a week later finding out she'd been written off. Though she goes into great detail, she refuses to name the assailant. Tellingly, she refers to him as "The Executive". Her conspicuous, continuous use of improper capitalization speaks volumes. Her inference is unmistakable. In addition, she spends an entire chapter refuting gene roddenberry's secular humanist philosophies (though that could just be the result of a fundamentalist's uncomfortable association with a show that takes religion out of humanity's future).
The book is a hopeful testament from a human who has confronted the very worst parts of her dysfunctional past, and dedicated herself to honesty and making amends. So it feels a bit heavy-handed to be critical. But for all the strides she's made in self-awareness, it feels like she still has a long way to go. There are moments when you might find yourself thinking, "grace...are you LISTENING to what you just said?" The great gift of this book is that i feel i understand alcoholics and addicts better than ever. There is a tendency to mystify addiction, to give its victims a certain kind of "free pass", as the physiological/genetic component lends itself to the notion that these people aren't responsible for their behavior. On a certain level, that's probably true...just perhaps not in the way most of us think. We ALL have those holes in our spirits that addicts spend a lifetime trying vainly to fill...indeed, i think ultimately the line between "addict" and non-addict is pretty blurry, if not non-existent altogether. Grace herself is wise enough to point out that the more rabid TREK fans use the show as a lush uses a bottle...the only difference being that STAR TREK doesn't lead to vehicular manslaughter. The blind spot in her awareness is the understanding that her new "clean" life, with her devotion to god and Alcoholics Anonymous, is just another stage of ongoing addiction. God and AA haven't solved her addictions, they've simply replaced them, providing a new escape and a new set of coping mechanisms.
It's fascinating to think of how TREK might have developed had rand never left. Most people aren't aware of how central she was to the original vision. In gene's words, she was the "miss kitty" to shatner's marshal dillon. The book's cover is an early publicity photo featuring just her, bill, and leonard. Although a part of me can't help thinking that it was right to cut janice, as kirk's celebrated (and enjoyable) libido might have been stunted with the presence of an ongoing shipboard romance...yet too, rand was great when she was given the chance, and perhaps a more rand-y TREK would have been less feministly-regressive.
I heartily recommend this book for trekkers and non-trekkers alike. It's a fascinating look into how horrifically broken we all are...yet so unwilling to let our hopes, and our humanity, die.
"Crusade"
-created by j. michael straczynski
1999
Brief exposure to this short-lived spinoff (or its parent show BABYLON 5), will leave you feeling violated by mediocrity, with only one question...how can the talent gap between these writers/directors/actors and those who made it into the STAR TREK universe, be this chasmic? Are there really so few capable of producing TREK-level work, that the runners-up wouldn't be out of place in a high school drama department? One senses that it's not the actors' fault...gary cole especially deserved so much better.
Brief exposure to this short-lived spinoff (or its parent show BABYLON 5), will leave you feeling violated by mediocrity, with only one question...how can the talent gap between these writers/directors/actors and those who made it into the STAR TREK universe, be this chasmic? Are there really so few capable of producing TREK-level work, that the runners-up wouldn't be out of place in a high school drama department? One senses that it's not the actors' fault...gary cole especially deserved so much better.
Monday, June 25, 2012
snow white
Weeks, months, years
Trusting, lusting
Learning, laughing
Helping, holding
Giving, forgiving
But Snow White never looks in her own mirror
Surely our love grew greater
than the hormones that fired us
Must our love grow smaller
than the hormones that tired us?
In a friendless world
How can such be wasted?
If this friendship must die
is nothing then sacred?
Trusting, lusting
Learning, laughing
Helping, holding
Giving, forgiving
But Snow White never looks in her own mirror
Surely our love grew greater
than the hormones that fired us
Must our love grow smaller
than the hormones that tired us?
In a friendless world
How can such be wasted?
If this friendship must die
is nothing then sacred?
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Stargate SG1, season 10
FOUR STAR
-200
A 200th episode that is both tribute and spoof...a self-spoof and spoof of the entire sci fi genre. And it works. Great googily, it works. An unabashed fan of SG1 might need tissues (for laughter's tears or ejaculate, could go either way). The Hollywood producer (Willie Garson, SEX AND THE CITY) of "Wormhole X-Treme", an action TV series designed to get the public used to the idea of a stargate's existence, is turning the show into a movie. He is allowed to interview the members of SG1 for creative input. Their input is mostly awful or egotistic, but pretty hysterical (particularly the segments based on STAR TREK and TEAM AMERICA). For one moment in time, SG1 goes where no other sci fi had (or could) go. If that's not enough, how about some Richard Dean Anderson! He always tended toward humor, so he fits right in. Don Davis lends his voice to a puppet, and Isaac Hayes voices the puppet Teal'c. Veteran sci fi director/producer/actor/writer Peter Deluise does a fantastically filthy turn in front of the camera. Then, after virtually everyone gathers to go through the gate, the episode ends perfectly, as one of the spoof supporting actors rattles off some words which seem pompous at first, but are a quote from Isaac Asimov. After all the laughs, you might get a little lump in your throat. Brilliant.
NOTEWORTHY
-The Pegasus Project ***
SG1 travels to the Pegasus galaxy, for a combined op with Atlantis personnel. A packed, tightly-written script, plus the coattail effect of the superior chemistry of SGA, make for a dandy little ride. The entire Atlantis cast is present, as Rodney goes with SG1 on the Odyssey to sabotage the ori supergate back in the Milky Way (don't even try to make sense of the logistics). Daniel stays on Atlantis, to track down Merlin's anti-ori weapon.
-Uninvited ***
Extra-dimensional worms unintentionally freed by use of personal alien cloaking devices cause mammals to mutate into into super-predatory beasts (it's getting harder and harder to tell SG1 from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", i know). This one's just fun, mostly because it takes Beau Bridges out of SGC and into a cabin in the woods, with antsy subordinates. Beau is a fantastically gifted actor, but anyone gets boring playing the same note over and over. Never mind the plot holes, and just enjoy.
-Counterstrike ***
A huge shot of juice arrives, courtesy of Vala's grown daughter Adria, a genetically-engineered recipient of ori knowledge and power, played by Morena Baccarin (FIREFLY, V). These costumers know their bidness.
-The Quest **
We're left to wonder whether this could have been four stars under the right hands. A breezily likeable adventure, as the team (with Rod Loomis of BEASTMASTER and BILL AND TED, plus Ba'al and Adria, in uneasy alliances) must pass a series of tests to survive an ancient maze. The visuals and sense of fun are almost palpable...but there's just a bit too much loosey gooseyness, and it teeters on the edge of the unforgivable sin of "showing their underwear", dropping us out of the illusion they're creating and making us remember that this is just a group of actors playing. Plus, they had gold in Adria as the final season villain, but they're pissing it away...in large part because they've taken out the contact lenses that made her so spooky. I have no doubt this came as a direct request from Morena...and i have sympathy, i'm sure those things must be staggeringly uncomfortable. But she's suddenly no longer fire and ice. Great to look at, fine acting, but...lukewarm water.
-The Shroud ***
Daniel, having been turned into a prior by Adria, is captured by SG1. He claims to have resisted her brainwashing, because Merlin's spirit cohabits in him. He has a plan to destroy the ori, but it will involve huge risk. Do they trust him? Richard Dean Anderson guests, and the chemistry is very nice. The writers have some sharp moments.
-Family Ties **
Comedic force of nature Fred Willard (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, D.C. FOLLIES) comes thisssss close to brilliance, but the writing can't quite rise to his level.
-Dominion ***
Even without the spooky eyes, Morena bares impressive teeth. The smooth Cliff Simon gives us Ba'al's only ominous moment of the season. This tale of possession and dueling kidnappery is a beaut.
-Unending ***
The series finale to the longest-running american sci fi show ever. Is that SG1's only claim to fame? Perhaps....but this swan song simmers. Many diehard fans were disappointed, but being largely free of expectation allows me to see the good qualities more clearly. The dying asgard leave all their technology to humanity, but it comes with a price - automatic trackability. Onboard the Odyssey, hunted relentlessly by ori ships, only slipping into a time dilation (a bubble wherein everything moves exponentially slower) saves them. Sam needs time to come up with an escape...and instead of the usual "voila!" typical of second-rate (and occasionally first-rate) sci fi, months, years, then decades of failure go by. As a result, we're given what SG1 almost always lacked: in-depth character study. They all react to the frustration and isolation in believable ways. Landry dies of old age. Daniel delivers a searing rebuke to a romantic overture by Vala, a stunning performance that NO ONE in their right mind would have thought Shanks capable of when the series began. The producers also popped for a CCR song, and it fits in righteously.
POST-SERIES CABLE FILMS
-The Ark of Truth ***
Epic series finale delivered. It's a firecracker (though it teeters on the edge of testosterone-overdose). SG1 searches for an ancient device that will enable humans to see the lies of the ori. They are captured by Tomin, who switches sides when they demonstrate that the priors are fallible (ending a charming character arc by Tim Guinee). They're all off to the ori galaxy on the Odyssey. Julian Sands (A ROOM WITH A VIEW, BOXING HELENA) returns as the demonic high prior. Adria has ascended and taken all the ori power. A misguided bureaucrat unleashes the replicators. Hell breaks loose, with cookies at the end. Happy now, fans?
-Continuum ****
The second cable movie, and final installment of the saga. You'll scratch your head, imagining it to have better writers and a more expansive budget than "Ark of Truth" (you'll be wrong on both accounts). Ark feels like episodic TV, but Continuum feels like a silver screen gem. Ba'al, facing execution, executes a plan that sends him back to 1939. Jackson, Carter, and Mitchell end up in a current timeline where the Stargate program never existed. They try in vain to convince Earth that a goa'uld invasion is coming. The Antarctica cinematography is awesome. Alternate timeline Teal'c and Vala are given juicy realities. Beau Bridges is brilliant. William Devane and Don Davis reprise their series roles. The redoubtable Richard Dean Anderson is back, in both timelines. Stunningly good.
-200
A 200th episode that is both tribute and spoof...a self-spoof and spoof of the entire sci fi genre. And it works. Great googily, it works. An unabashed fan of SG1 might need tissues (for laughter's tears or ejaculate, could go either way). The Hollywood producer (Willie Garson, SEX AND THE CITY) of "Wormhole X-Treme", an action TV series designed to get the public used to the idea of a stargate's existence, is turning the show into a movie. He is allowed to interview the members of SG1 for creative input. Their input is mostly awful or egotistic, but pretty hysterical (particularly the segments based on STAR TREK and TEAM AMERICA). For one moment in time, SG1 goes where no other sci fi had (or could) go. If that's not enough, how about some Richard Dean Anderson! He always tended toward humor, so he fits right in. Don Davis lends his voice to a puppet, and Isaac Hayes voices the puppet Teal'c. Veteran sci fi director/producer/actor/writer Peter Deluise does a fantastically filthy turn in front of the camera. Then, after virtually everyone gathers to go through the gate, the episode ends perfectly, as one of the spoof supporting actors rattles off some words which seem pompous at first, but are a quote from Isaac Asimov. After all the laughs, you might get a little lump in your throat. Brilliant.
NOTEWORTHY
-The Pegasus Project ***
SG1 travels to the Pegasus galaxy, for a combined op with Atlantis personnel. A packed, tightly-written script, plus the coattail effect of the superior chemistry of SGA, make for a dandy little ride. The entire Atlantis cast is present, as Rodney goes with SG1 on the Odyssey to sabotage the ori supergate back in the Milky Way (don't even try to make sense of the logistics). Daniel stays on Atlantis, to track down Merlin's anti-ori weapon.
-Uninvited ***
Extra-dimensional worms unintentionally freed by use of personal alien cloaking devices cause mammals to mutate into into super-predatory beasts (it's getting harder and harder to tell SG1 from "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", i know). This one's just fun, mostly because it takes Beau Bridges out of SGC and into a cabin in the woods, with antsy subordinates. Beau is a fantastically gifted actor, but anyone gets boring playing the same note over and over. Never mind the plot holes, and just enjoy.
-Counterstrike ***
A huge shot of juice arrives, courtesy of Vala's grown daughter Adria, a genetically-engineered recipient of ori knowledge and power, played by Morena Baccarin (FIREFLY, V). These costumers know their bidness.
-The Quest **
We're left to wonder whether this could have been four stars under the right hands. A breezily likeable adventure, as the team (with Rod Loomis of BEASTMASTER and BILL AND TED, plus Ba'al and Adria, in uneasy alliances) must pass a series of tests to survive an ancient maze. The visuals and sense of fun are almost palpable...but there's just a bit too much loosey gooseyness, and it teeters on the edge of the unforgivable sin of "showing their underwear", dropping us out of the illusion they're creating and making us remember that this is just a group of actors playing. Plus, they had gold in Adria as the final season villain, but they're pissing it away...in large part because they've taken out the contact lenses that made her so spooky. I have no doubt this came as a direct request from Morena...and i have sympathy, i'm sure those things must be staggeringly uncomfortable. But she's suddenly no longer fire and ice. Great to look at, fine acting, but...lukewarm water.
-The Shroud ***
Daniel, having been turned into a prior by Adria, is captured by SG1. He claims to have resisted her brainwashing, because Merlin's spirit cohabits in him. He has a plan to destroy the ori, but it will involve huge risk. Do they trust him? Richard Dean Anderson guests, and the chemistry is very nice. The writers have some sharp moments.
-Family Ties **
Comedic force of nature Fred Willard (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, D.C. FOLLIES) comes thisssss close to brilliance, but the writing can't quite rise to his level.
-Dominion ***
Even without the spooky eyes, Morena bares impressive teeth. The smooth Cliff Simon gives us Ba'al's only ominous moment of the season. This tale of possession and dueling kidnappery is a beaut.
-Unending ***
The series finale to the longest-running american sci fi show ever. Is that SG1's only claim to fame? Perhaps....but this swan song simmers. Many diehard fans were disappointed, but being largely free of expectation allows me to see the good qualities more clearly. The dying asgard leave all their technology to humanity, but it comes with a price - automatic trackability. Onboard the Odyssey, hunted relentlessly by ori ships, only slipping into a time dilation (a bubble wherein everything moves exponentially slower) saves them. Sam needs time to come up with an escape...and instead of the usual "voila!" typical of second-rate (and occasionally first-rate) sci fi, months, years, then decades of failure go by. As a result, we're given what SG1 almost always lacked: in-depth character study. They all react to the frustration and isolation in believable ways. Landry dies of old age. Daniel delivers a searing rebuke to a romantic overture by Vala, a stunning performance that NO ONE in their right mind would have thought Shanks capable of when the series began. The producers also popped for a CCR song, and it fits in righteously.
POST-SERIES CABLE FILMS
-The Ark of Truth ***
Epic series finale delivered. It's a firecracker (though it teeters on the edge of testosterone-overdose). SG1 searches for an ancient device that will enable humans to see the lies of the ori. They are captured by Tomin, who switches sides when they demonstrate that the priors are fallible (ending a charming character arc by Tim Guinee). They're all off to the ori galaxy on the Odyssey. Julian Sands (A ROOM WITH A VIEW, BOXING HELENA) returns as the demonic high prior. Adria has ascended and taken all the ori power. A misguided bureaucrat unleashes the replicators. Hell breaks loose, with cookies at the end. Happy now, fans?
-Continuum ****
The second cable movie, and final installment of the saga. You'll scratch your head, imagining it to have better writers and a more expansive budget than "Ark of Truth" (you'll be wrong on both accounts). Ark feels like episodic TV, but Continuum feels like a silver screen gem. Ba'al, facing execution, executes a plan that sends him back to 1939. Jackson, Carter, and Mitchell end up in a current timeline where the Stargate program never existed. They try in vain to convince Earth that a goa'uld invasion is coming. The Antarctica cinematography is awesome. Alternate timeline Teal'c and Vala are given juicy realities. Beau Bridges is brilliant. William Devane and Don Davis reprise their series roles. The redoubtable Richard Dean Anderson is back, in both timelines. Stunningly good.
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