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Tag: Remi Aubuchon

Silo Nine and Ten – An Excellent Season Two End!

Welcome back Silo Science Fiction Lovers,

Image courtesy Apple TV

Season two episodes nine “The Safeguard” and episode ten “Into The Fire” exceeded our expectations. We give the series a straight “A” for season two. The rebellion in Silo Eighteen become manifest while events in Silo Seventeen reveal important details dovetailing the season two finale setting up excitement for season three!

Showrunner and series creator Graham Yost in recent interviews shared where his superb science fiction series adaptation of the novels is going in Silo season three: “There are a lot of mysteries about Silo 17. The chief one being that all those people went outside, they had an hour to get outside. They didn’t all die in three minutes. What the fuck happened out there? That’s gonna be part of Season 3. You’ll get the answers to all of that. And then there are other things you don’t find out until Season 4”

Viewers will recall that in a July 2013 interview with SFFWorld author Hugh Howey discussed on the meaning behind the title of his first book “Wool”. Howey also shared where we might be going in season four in another interview with SFFWorld conducted in September 2013 that discusses the final book in the series “Dust”: “There are quite a few meanings behind the title of the series. There’s the old phrase ‘Pull the wool over my eyes’ which is the question raised by the (Silo) wallscreens” (screen that viewers witness in the television series on Apple TV.

Image courtesy Amazon

“What is really out there? Who is being deceived? Or are they? There’s also the allusion to sheep, those metaphorical blind followers who just do what they’re told, go where they’re told to go, never question. A third meaning has to do with humans being compared to sheep when we are taken advantage of or ‘fleeced’.”

All of these interviews have contemporary parallels. Readers with the print editions might notice a hidden clue here and there. The cover of the first “Wool” is meant to highlight the multiple meanings. “I’ve only pointed this out to a few people (I prefer to let readers discover these things on their own), but if you look at the center of the cover, the two ‘O’s look like eyes staring out at the beautiful world beyond. Is the wool pulled down over what we see? Or do we see through it? I really hope the answer to this question bounces back and forth for the reader as they progress through the story.”

In the final two episodes viewers were provided answers to many of the questions posed in the novels including what is in “The Vault” of each Silo as well as a surprise ending in the season finale.

The Safeguard:

Image courtesy Apple TV

As we proceed to analyze the final two episodes of season two, it is Important to remember that other than Miscreant Mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) The Head of IT and their shadows Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash), and Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie), people who live in their respective Silo’s have no clue regarding the other network Silo bunkers that we learn number fifty-one in total.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Each Silo resident believes that they are the last remnants of humanity protected from an external polluted environment where no human being can survive. The extra Silo is likely where whoever or whatever controls the Artificial Intelligence (AI), is a central control hub monitoring the happenings in each Silo. We learn that the AI is referred to as “The Algorithm” takes lethal precautions (The Safeguard) in the event of Silo rebellions or other emergency events. Who or what is inside the fifty-first Silo is not revealed. is it a computer controlled AI or are there other human survivors controlling everything?

Image courtesy Apple TV

Written by Jessica Blaire and directed by Amber Templemore, episode nine sets the pivot point to the season two finale as Sheriff Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche), Hank (Billy Postlethwaite), and Juliette’s (Rebecca Ferguson) father Dr. Pete Nichols (Iain Glen) begin to have serious doubts about Mayor Holland. Billings and his wife Kathleen (Caitlin Zoz) decide to join the rebellion group of Martha Walker (Harriet Walter) who is being blackmailed monitored by Holland to save her lover Carla McLain (Clare Perkins). This factor is unknown to the rest of the main rebellion members Knox (Shane McRae), and Shirley Campbell (Remmie Milner).

Image courtesy Apple TV

Meanwhile Lukas Kyle, who has broken the code of Salvador Quinn and “The Pact”, heads deep into Silo Eighteen where he learns about “The Safeguard”. As he ventures further into a tunnel, he find that it ends in a circular vault door. Unexpectedly, the AI voice demands answers from Lukas. “Lukas Kyle, why are you here?” The AI tells him that only three people have ever made it that far: Salvador Quinn (who we do not meet), Mary Meadows who was murdered by Holland, and George Wilkins (Ferdinand Kingsley) who was Juliette’s lover who was also murdered for knowing too much.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Back in Silo Seventeen, Juliette uncovers the truth about Solo’s past. Viewers learn about three characters teens that attacked Solo (Steve Zahn) and Juliette. The three are named Audrey (Georgina Sadler), Rick (Orlando Norman), and Hope (Sara Hazemi) nicknamed Eater who is treated like a slave. Each are children of the Silo Seventeen survivors of the initial rebellion who never went outside to perish as a result of “The Safeguard”. Audrey and Rick grew up in Silo Seventeen literally looking for scraps of food that keep them alive. They have two children together, one of whom is a baby. Their parents were killed by Solo which is why they seek retribution for their parents murder. In the previous episode. Audrey and Rick kidnapped Solo who is the only person who knows The Vault code where Solo has food.

Image courtesy Apple TV

A major reveal in “The Safeguard” is that Juliette learns that Solo’s father was killed when he was a teenager just like Audrey and Rick who were the only other survivors of Silo Seventeen. As such Solo was actually the victim in all the Silo Seventeen events including the fact that his father was murdered by the Silo Seventeen Sheriff forcing Solo to hide inside The Vault at a young age. We learn that Solo’s fathers real name as the head of Information Technology of Silo Seventeen, was Russell Conroy (Nick Haverson). After locking himself in the vault, Solo, on his dad’s instructions to protect his own life does so. Since he grew up in isolation, this explains Solo’s immature behavior that we have observed.

Image courtesy Apple TV

As the episode winds down we witness Lukas exploring the tunnels in Silo Eighteen just as Juliette had when she went to the bottom of Silo Seventeen. Exactly what is “The Safeguard” and what or who is the overbearing AI who enforces the rules of the Silos? Will Lukas reveal what he has learned in the season finale to Robert Sims (Common) who warned Lucas he is being used by Mayor Holland and his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley)? And will Juliette succeed to head back to Silo Eighteen before the rebellion erupts there?

Into The Fire:

Image courtesy Apple TV

Written by Aric Avelino and directed by Amber Templemore wherein viewers will learn that Juliette and Lukas discovered the same thing when the ominous AI warns it will initiate “The Safeguard” (a release of poison gas) to be activated killing everyone in a given Silo in the process. This is precisely what was perpetrated in Silo Seventeen when the rebellion erupted there. The victims didn’t die from going outside, the all perished from the poison gas!

Image courtesy Apple TV

The episode focus is on the growing rebellion in Silo Eighteen of which Miscreant Mayor Holland has become aware. This apparently includes destroying the Silo Eighteen generator system at the lowest Mechanical level. Holland overhears this because he has a camera in Martha Walker’s room to blackmail her. Mayor Holland believes the rebellion meeting completely, sending his entire force to the generator level to disarm the explosives and arrest all the perpetrators.

Image courtesy Apple TV

What Mayor Holland does not know is that Martha Walker used sign language to communicate and warn Dr. Nichols. The good doctor moves to a level above the generator and detonates a suicide vest to destroy the stair case. The result is that all of Holland’s police force are trapped in the lower levels allowing the rebellion to take place.

Next we are in a meeting between Lukas and Miscreant Mayor Holland. Although we do not hear what is being said, we assume that it about “The Safeguard”. When Holland finds out his forces are trapped, he gets his own hazmat suit to escape the Silo before he can be captured by the rebellious residents.

Image courtesy Apple TV

However, before Holland can step outside through the airlock, Juliette enters Silo Eighteen after her journey from Silo Seventeen where she saved Solo after linking up with him again, promising him that she will return to Silo Seventeen if at all possible. Juliette shares with Holland that that they can still save their underground home if they work together, telling Holland about how “The Safeguard” can be stopped without revealing the details.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Unfortunately, before Holland and Juliette can finally work it out, they find themselves trapped inside Silo Eighteen’s airlock. The airlock’s decontamination flames automatically activate as Holland screams get down!

Image courtesy Apple TV

As Bernard and Juliette drop to the floor to save themselves, the scene does not reveal their ultimate fate. Nevertheless, since Juliette is the main character of the series, she will no doubt survive in season three and beyond.

We cannot say the same for the hated Miscreant Mayor Holland. Based on the books where the Holland character is burned to death.

Image courtesy Apple TV

We will have to wait and see if season three features the Mayor Holland character or not. Why? Because in a sequence prior to this, Judge Robert Sims heads to the Silo Eighteens Vault with his wife Camille and son after Lukas tells them to do so.

To his surprise, the AI voice in the Vault orders Robert and his son to leave, informing Camille that only she may stay. This suggests that the AI has been keeping a close eye on all the events that Camille has been exercising to enhance her political power. The question for viewers to ponder once again is “The Algorithm” AI voice a person or a super intelligent computer monitoring everything from Silo fifty-one? This question is not addressed, but it becomes obvious that Camille has been selected as the new mayor of Silo Eighteen IT to replace Holland. Is this Holland’s final episode in the series? Perhaps.

Image courtesy Apple TV

As we move to conclude this superb season, viewers must recall that earlier in season two, Mayor Holland revealed the Silos were built 352 years earlier. This suggests that it has been over three centuries since the apocalyptic event forced many human survivors to find shelter in the Silo underground structures. Based on the last known rebellion approximately 140 years earlier this and that it had been over 185 years prior to that since the beginning of the Silo’s, viewers can assume the final scenes in the season happened at least three hundred fifty-two years before the “current” events.

Image courtesy Apple TV

What is revealed in the final minutes is a scene that occurs well before the Silo’s future timeline in Washington DC. We meet a journalist named Helen (Jessica Henwick), who works for The Washington Post. Helen is meeting with an unnamed Congressman from Georgia’s fifteenth Congressional district. Helen is seeking to learn more about why the United States was victim of a radiological “dirty bomb” attack by Iran.

This is evidenced by the use of radiation detectors just prior to her meeting with the Congressman. Named in the book as Congressman Donald Keene, but not revealed in the episode, the Congressman incorrectly assumes that he is on a date with Helen. However, Helen asks him about the Iran “dirty bomb” attack.

Image courtesy Apple TV

This meeting with the Congressman can only be a reference for the government plan for dealing with a world war that predates humanities seeking protection in the Silo’s.

We do not learn more at this time since the Congressman keeps quiet and leaves the restaurant. The body language of the Congressman indicates that he obviously knows something Helen does not yet know.

is it about the history of the Silo’s? Likely this is the case based on what happens next.

Image courtesy Apple TV

In a cryptic sequence, the Congressman gives Helen a Pez dispenser. Viewers must then recall that In Silo season one, George Wilkins gifted the exact Pez dispenser to Juliette with a message describing what he had found in Silo Eighteens lower level tunnels. This is the information that ultimately cost him his life and motivated Juliette to seek answers.

Does this mean that Helen was one of George Wilkins’ ancestors in Silo Eighteen? Is the Pez dispenser a symbol of rebellion against the fifty-first Silo AI also known as “The Algorithm”? Is Helen the ancestor in Silo Eighteen who began the process of inquiring about the world humans currently exist in Silo? This exciting sequence of events will have to be explored in season three and perhaps into season four. Will these details about Helen be featured as the season three opener? TeamWHR believes the answer is yes, but all must tune in to Apple TV to find out!

We look forward to Silo season three in the future and hopefully at San Diego Comic-Con in July later this year. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!

We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR

January 28, 2025
Silo Seven and Eight – Let’s Hope It’s Not Too Late!

Welcome back Silo Science Fiction Lovers,

Image courtesy Apple TV

Silo season two has brought science fiction excitement to viewers again thanks Apple TV to the talented AMC Executive Production Team of Graham Yost (series creator), Remi Aubuchon, Fred Golan, Nina Jack, Morten Tyldum, Ingrid Escajeda, Michael Dinner, Rebecca Ferguson, each have brought the work of Hugh Howey’s to life on our screens the past two seasons

Outperforming the expectations of TeamWHR, we are pleased that the series has been renewed for a third and fourth seasons to dovetail the trilogy of novels (Wool, Shift, and Dust) by Howey. What is especially nice about Apple TV has ensured that an appropriate ending is mapped out well in advance for each series. This is especially true when compared to the decades of science fiction series on United States broadcast television that sometimes treated viewers like trash, often cancelling series mid stream or without providing an ending worthy of the devotion to their viewers. While some series we covered did receive an appropriate ending seasons, far too often, superb series such as Terra Nova, Alcatraz, Primeval New World, The Event, V Series, and more, did not. Recently the same channel that broadcast Day of the Dead and The Ark left viewers hanging with no satisfactory resolution for either program. Even top rated series such as Stargate Universe and The Expanse (later picked up by Amazon MGM Studios) were cancelled without explanation. Backlash from viewers have sent a message to broadcast networks who have now followed science fiction series to streamers such as Apple TV.

Image courtesy Apple TV

In season one, the Silo creators familiarized viewers with life in a dystopian post apocalyptic world fleshing out the hierarchy where TPTB (The Powers That Be) of Information Technology (IT) live in absolute luxury at the top of the Silo Eighteen levels. Next in terms of relative power are the Judicial and Law Enforcement divisions designed to keep the worker class of Mechnical and Agriculture kept in virtual slavery. Anyone suspected of bucking the situation or arguing with TPTB is falsely promoted to become a viewing portal “Cleaner”, is sent outside in defective hazmat suit, and die.

Image courtesy Apple TV

The hero of the series, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) is driven to investigate the mysterious death of her lover. Her investigation reveals a conspiracy that ends up with her being promoted to “Sheriff” that ultimate leads to Juliette being sent outside. Juliette escapes her death when allies provide her with proper hazmat suit sealing tape that allows Juliette to find that other Silo’s exist as she explored Silo Seventeen.

Image courtesy Apple TV

As season two began after Juliette went “Outside”, we learn that the Silo Eighteen inhabitants have been lied to for decades leading to a brewing rebellion. Based on the book series, there are fifty Silo’s one for each of the United States, formed by a Unites States Government directive in 2049.

Conversely, when Juliette witnesses an expanse of Silo’s like her own and that Silo Seventeen did rebel before meeting a survivor, viewers know there is much more to learn. Escaping outside, Silo Seventeen inhabitants. all unprotected were killed by the toxic atmosphere. As they superb story proceeds, we will also learn that some residents suspect that rebellion has occurred in the past in Silo Eighteen and are about to burst upon their reality.

Solo might be hesitant to show you inside his vault, but Steve Zahn is more than happy to give you the grand tour.#Silo Season 2 — Now Streaming pic.twitter.com/lr3jKEGAgM

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) January 15, 2025

The Dive:

Image courtesy Apple TV

The seventh episode directed by Michael Dinner and written by Katherine DiSavino provides focus is on several story arc details. First, we are with Miscreant Mayor Holland (Tim Robbins) who is in a state of panic over the rising level of tension in Silo Eighteen. Having recruited Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) as his “Shadow” or protector, Lukas is sent on a mission to decipher the code left by a person known as Salvador Quinn with books stored in a secret vault known as “The Legacy”. Here Lukas finds enough clues related to a numeric code based upon page numbers to begin the decryption process which will be revealed in the next episode.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Second, Knox (Shane McRae) and Shirley Campbell (Remmie Milner) continue on their mission to turn more people against Holland after he locked up Carla McLain (Clare Perkins) unjustly.

Recently promoted to Judge, from Sheriff, Robert Sims (Common) also has growing serious doubts about the trustworthiness of Mayor Holland despite Sims many years of loyalty to Holland..

Image courtesy Apple TV

Third, Sheriff Billings (Chinaza Uche) pursues his investigation into the odd occurrences that include blocking entire sections “down below” from being able to visit the upper levels subsequent to food sent to the lower levels being poisoned. The investigation reveals that someone from the upper level of the hierarchy were directly involved.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Lastly, per the name of the episode “The Dive”, Juliette agrees to help Silo Seventeen’s enigmatic character Solo (Steve Zahn) fix a pump to drain his from flooding which threatens his life. To do so Juliette must undertake a dangerous dive to repair the malfunctioning pump.

Nearly drowning in the process, Juliette suffers further from returning to the surface too quickly. Once she recovers from “The Bends” or decompression sickness, Juliette discovers that Solo is missing with traces of blood where he was standing when she performed “The Dive” to fix the pump system.

The Book Of Quinn:

Image courtesy Apple TV

Written by Remi Aubuchon and directed by Amber Templemore, this episode reveals that Solo is not alone in Silo Seventeen and that Miscreant Mayor Holland resorts to subterfuge to turn off a mechanical pump to meet with Martha Walker (Harriet Walter). Using threats and blackmail Holland forces Walker to spy for him to put down the pending rebellion or Holland will harm her lover Carla.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Meanwhile Judge Robert Sims has learned about Mayor Holland’s secret mission concerning Salvador Quinn’s code that Lukas Kyle has figured out. Using his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley), Judge Sims convinces Rick Amundsen (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) to reveal why the Mayor is obsessed Salvador Quinn’s life Sims embarks on war with Holland attempting to lure Lukas to his side by revealing that as soon as Holland gets what he wants, Lukas will be sent back to serve out his life in hard labor within the mines of Silo Eighteen. Lukas takes the message to heart while continuing to learn the significance of Salvador Quinn’s code.

Image courtesy Apple TV

This leads Lukas to a man named Terrance Penbrook (Stuart Milligan), who remembers Quinn was a former head of IT who burned all evidence 100 years ago of rebellions that occurred 140 years ago. This factor maintained peace in Silo Eighteen until the recent uprisings.

Penbrook reluctantly reveals that a long time ago, Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) sought them out also looking for Quinn’s books. This ties to Meadows being murdered earlier in the season by Holland after she obtained Salvador Quinn’s copy of “The Pact”.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Lukas finds the book containing several underlined sections that Martha also knows about from her association with Judge Meadows. The code that has been decrypted reads, “If you’ve gotten this far, you already know the game is rigged.” The decrypted message can be seen as a warning. The “game” can refer to only the corrupt administration of the Silo Eighteen, which is rigged by the personal priorities of its rulers that include murder and drugging the population to maintain a rebellion free environment.

Image courtesy Apple TV

The episode winds down when Juliette, upon returning to the surface, learns that her Silo Seventeen friend Solo has disappeared. That is when she finds out that there are more people now inside in Silo Seventeen! She asks an individual about Solo, who tells her that Solo is dead. Juliette must find Solo since he has her hazmat suit needed to return to Silo Eighteen to save it’s 10,000 inhabitants from a useless rebellion. When pressing the mysterious person for answers, he shoots Juliette with an arrow despite defending herself. Suddenly two more people show up. Juliette surmises that they came from another Silo looking for supplies?

Image courtesy Apple TV

At this juncture, what is not revealed is the motive of these three new characters. Even if they are searching for resources, it is troubling that they are so hostile.

Juliette decides they may useful if she can convince them that she is not their enemy, only seeking to return to her own friends and family setting up the final two episodes of season two, episode none “The Safeguard” and episode ten “Into The Fire” when we will learn more about Solo and his past that created his fate!

Questions to consider:
Will Lukas join Judge Sims now that he has uncovered the truth?
Will Juliette find Solo and her hazmat suit or was he really killed?
Who are the three new characters and where did they come from?
Can the growing rebellion in Silo Eighteen be stopped or is it inevitable?

We will be back soon to complete our analysis of Silo season two in the future. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!

We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR

January 16, 2025
Silo Four, Five, Six – Who Decides The Future Fate of the Silo’s?
Hello, Silo fans!

Image courtesy Apple TV

Season two of the Apple TV series has become volatile in these last few episodes. I am happy to hear that this series has been renewed for a third and fourth season.

I am also happy Apple TV and other streaming services have taken up the torch from Netflix with a large quantity of quality television shows that give fans an intelligent choice of science fiction series as we previously reported.

Since a favorite of mine, Fringe (2008 to 2013) ended, and now that The Ark has not been renewed, science fiction shows are no longer being broadcast on network television for the time being in the United States.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed Silo as well as several streaming science fiction series that I have covered for TeamWHR. I have enjoyed watching these three episodes of Silo and was able to follow the story arc along nicely thanks to the awesome AMC Executive Production Team of Graham Yost (series creator), Remi Aubuchon, Fred Golan, Nina Jack, Morten Tyldum, Ingrid Escajeda, Michael Dinner, Rebecca Ferguson, and of course, Hugh Howey, the author of the fantastic book series.

Image courtesy Apple TV

The cast itself is terrific, led by Rebecca Ferguson, who I have been a fan of for a while and who can hold her own against heavy hitters, as demonstrated in the current Mission: Impossible franchise.

Tim Robbins, Common, Steve Zahn, and Harriet Walter round out the other actors in the series. Seeing an Academy Award winning actor like Tim Robbins venture into science fiction television is nice, especially considering that he is primarily a movie actor.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Silo features an excellent supporting cast including Shane McRae as Knox, David Oyelowo as Sheriff Holsten, Billy Postlethwaite as Hank, Iain Glen as Dr. Pete Nichols, Chinaza Uche as Paul Billings, Avi Nash as Lucas Kyle, Remmie Milner as Shirley Campbell, Christian Ochoa Lavernia as Amundsen, Olatunji Ayofe as Teddy, Caitlin Zoz as Kathleen Billings, Tanya Moodie as Judge Mary Meadows, Chipo Chung as Sandy, Angela Yeoh as Deputy Molly Karins, Matt Gomez Hidaka as Cooper, Will Patton as Deputy Marnes, Akie Kotabe as Diego, a return of Amelie Child Villiers as young Juliette, and a superb supporting cast and crews.

Image courtesy Apple TV

This analysis will be a bit different from my normal routine television reviews. I will review the fourth, fifth, and sixth Silo episodes with a short synopsis of the top aspects of the story arc in each episode.

It will not be an in-depth scene by scene analysis as I usually do, but I will share with you my opinions and observations for the exciting episodes four, five, and six that follows our analysis of season two episodes one, two and three and hope you enjoy my Silo series analysis as much as I do writing it!
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The Harmonium:

I,mage courtesy Apple TV

While Juliette (Ferguson) is trying to figure out how to fix her hazmat suit, Solo (Zahn) is tagging along in a way and trying to distract her from her task at hand.

I find Zahn’s character on the spectrum, giving her random facts about elephants and talking about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. I am not sure if all of that is his intention because he is the only one in that silo or if what he is doing is intentional.

Image courtesy Apple TV

With the episode directed by Aric Avelino and written for the screen by Sal Calleros, both move the story forward to inform the next episodes.

With Holland (Robbins) and Sims (Common) discussing their plan to impeach Judge Meadows (Tanya Moodie) with the hopes of bringing the Silo to a united front, there may be the opposite effect, and chaos may happen.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Miscreant Mayor Holland has a plan of his own and has a corrupt plan to take even more control over the citizens of the Silo who are on the verge of rebellion. I had read that the character of Holland in the books is the opposite of the actor portraying him. Tim Robbins is a great actor, but another actor closer to Holland’s characteristics should have been cast. Considering his insecurity in life, it would make more sense to me and make what Holland is doing much more sinister.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Holland’s intentions toward Judge Meadows are nefarious as he “invites” her to his place to try on her new suit. His intentions are not what they seem. Unfortunately, Meadows finds out the hard way that Holland tricks her, and the dinner she ate, which he provided, had poisonous mushrooms. As she lay dying, he tells her that her death will unite the Silo.

Juliette tells Solo about the outside and how she is scared and lonely. No doubt Solo feels he has been alone for some time and can relate. Solo reminds me of a person who wants some company, and when he finds that company, he takes it upon himself to talk and talk about random things that do not make sense.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Knox (Shane McRae), Shirley (Remmie Milner), and Walker (Walter) go to see Judge Meadows, but only Knox and Shirley enter the room and find Sims there. Once they discover the judge is dead, a knife sticks out of her chest, “The people of the Silo have to take care of themselves,” Holland says to them in the room. Knox and Shirley exit calmly and tell the others to do the same, not to arouse suspicion that something is wrong. Sims lies to the crowd gathered outside Judicial and tells them that Mechanical killed Meadows, hoping to cause a rebellion uprising or riot—justice for his benefit.

Image courtesy Apple TV

The visuals of the Silo in general are wonderfully done. In specific, the spiral staircase that depicts various levels from down below to “up top” where the ruling IT group with the evil Miscreant Mayor Holland and his cronies work and live are very well done.

However, much of the series is very darkly lit. I assume that is intentional to show the bleak nature of the situation in the Silo, but it can be a bit difficult, in fact rather harsh at times. This often makes it hard to see what is happening in some of the scenes.

Descent:

Image courtesy Apple TV

With the mob incited in the previous episode by Sims, the mob is looking for Mechanical. Holland goes to visit Sims at his family home. He tells him that he will no longer be his shadow and that because he forced Holland’s hand, which led to the judge’s demise, Sims will now oversee the Judicial and become the new judge. There is a bounty for Knox and Shirley, one thousand credits each. That is enough incentive for the people of the silo to act. With Sims now judge, his priorities shift, although he has no idea that his wife Camille (Alexandria Riley) has a hand in helping Knox and Shirley hide. It is unclear if Camille would turn Knox and Shirley over or if she had other ulterior motives in mind. The director, Amber Templemore, and writer, Jenny DeArmitt, help move the story further into the chaos we see in the rest of the episode.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Holland is unhappy when hearing that Camille was spotted with the fugitives, but he has other plans. He recruits Lukas Kyle (Avi Nash) to help decipher the hard drive Juliette and Lukas had worked on together. Although Juliette never revealed to Lukas what she saw on the hard drive, Lukas is tasked with trying to piece together what was left of it. Lukas helping Holland is the catalyst for Kyle getting some time from his sentence in the mine. What Kyle discovers is love letters from Salvador Quinn to his wife. Holland’s reaction to hearing that made me wonder if he knew who Quinn was. It was also discovered that there are tunnels in their silo, but do not know where they lead. Holland keeps Lukas on to help figure out what those tunnels are for and where they might lead.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Sheriff Billings (Chinaza Uche) is suspicious of all the chaos and the sudden change in Sim’s role.

With Hank (Billy Postlethwaite), Billings discovers that Kennedy (Rick Gomez) is still alive and hiding in Mechanical. Kennedy convinces Billings that he knows all the “dirty secrets” of the silo and more and will tell him everything if he can get him some help for the bullet lodged in his shoulder.

Image courtesy Apple TV

While searching through the remains of an old silo to repair her hazmat suit, Juliette comes across some evidence that Solo may not be who he says he is. She finds a picture of Solo and Tiny, but the picture looks nothing like who she thinks Solo is.

When Juliette confronts Solo about what she sees, he berserk and tells her he is the IT shadow. With Solo leaving Juliette alone, she continues to find a helmet to help fix her suit. She eventually finds one, but with her injured arm now in a full-blown infection, she collapses.
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Barricades:

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This is the shortest of the three episodes I reviewed, just forty-five minutes. Holland knows more about what is happening than he lets on. Everything is “going as planned,” from the contaminated food to the barricade’s chaos. He wants Kyle to determine what that cryptic message is on Juliette’s hard drive. What does the code mean? And what does that mean for the Silo?

Image courtesy Apple TV

With Amundsen (Christian Ochoa Lavernia) not doing his job correctly, the barricade gets pushed to 120, allowing Mechanical to get the needed food. This may pose a problem for Holland, but it is only temporary. Diego (Akie Kotabe) meets with Sims and tells him that Mechanical has a saw that can cut through concrete. I assume that this fact is or will be significant in the upcoming episodes. Undoubtedly, that info will throw the proverbial monkey wrench in Holland’s plans. The director Michael Dinner and writer Jeffery Wang, worked together to keep the tension taut in this episode.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Sims is out of the loop and shares his concern with his wife Camille. They decide to cooperate, at least for the time being. Judge Sims then goes to warn Holland about what Mechanical is planning on doing.

Next, when Judge Sims sees Lukas Kyle in Holland’s office, he knows something is wrong because Lukas Kyle was sentenced to harsh punishment. Lukas should be in the mines serving his sentence, not helping Miscreant Mayor Holland.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Instead Lukas therefore continues to decipher the code embedded in the hard drive but cannot quite get all of it and needs more information.

Upon hearing this, Mayor Holland immediately makes Lukas Kyle his shadow with privileges including access to “The Vault”. I am sure that since Solo was in “The Vault” in his own Silo that more of this will be explained in later episodes.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Patrick Kennedy explained to Billings that when Juliette Nichols was on the run, the computer went down, and it was not a system reboot like he thought it was, but something else he could not explain.

Again, I assume this will come into play in later episodes. With that information, Billings finds Martha, Knox and Shirley and asks them what happened to Meadows. Upon learning the truth, he attempts to confront Holland about what he discovered, but Holland cuts off all communications. He tells Hank, “I do not stand with Judge, the mayor, or you. I stand with the law.”

Image courtesy Apple TV

In the final minutes of this episode, we finally see Juliette as she wakes up in bed. With Solo’s help, as he tends to her wound, she does not waste any time and wants to return with the helmet she found to repair her suit. However, Solo has other plans in mind. Juliette knows that she must help Solo stop the water from rising or it will eventually kill him. We will have to wait and see exactly what Juliette decides to do in the next episode titled “The Dive”.

Image courtesy Apple TV

Will Juliette help Solo in exchange for getting an undamaged hazmat suit, or will something else happen? I hope that what happens in the next few episodes helps fans piece together what the powers that be have in store for the Silo and what Juliette’s fate will be. I am sure those who read the books know where the series is going, but the writers may take a few liberties and change a bit of the story. I guess we will have to wait and see as we look forward to seeing the creators and cast at San Diego Comic-Con in 2025.

Thanks to Kenn for video and image embedding for my feature article and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Kenn will be back in the near future for Team WHR with more on Silo analysis. Join us as we prepare for the excitement in the new year when I visit the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival 2025 in April and in July when Kenn and I visit San Diego Comic-Con 2025!

Please feel free to leave a comment here or If you prefer, you may also click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit me on Twitter by clicking the links or images avatars in this news story.

See You on The Other Side!

Until next time,

Regards,

Lori
December 30, 2024
Falling Skies: San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Cast Interviews Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Colin Cunningham, Connor Jessup and Jessy Schram!
Hi there Falling Skies fans!

On Friday July 23, 2012, during the festivities at Comic-Con San Diego, and with courtesy of Turner Network Television and Dreamworks Studios, we had the privilege of attending the Falling Skies Press Room where the excitement was beyond a fever pitch since the announcement of a third season renewal a few days earlier!

Based upon world-wide distribution, Falling Skies is without a doubt the world’s number one science fiction series since production began two years ago, and it glowed during the Falling Skies Press Room!

Excitement, in fact outright glee flowed freely among both the cast, the creators and the media. All were quite pleasantly edified by the huge media draw versus Comic-Con 2011 before the series had swept across the world to widespread fan acceptance.

The “buzz” in the press room was palpable. While waiting for the special guests to arrive, the conversation among press contemporaries was lively as we too celebrated a science fiction series, once doubted by some of the critics, that had deservedly “made it”, a success in the highly competitive television programming industry!

When the cast members arrived, there was an audible cheer that erupted across the room as they lined up for a group cast photo opportunities!

In fact, this press observer and everyone in attendance were delighted with Falling Skies accomplishment of maintaining high ratings, not an easy task in today’s entertainment market for a full fledged alien invasion, science fiction television series.

All of these factors and more made this media event a highly sought after press room opportunity in 2012 as you can observe below in our exclusive video.
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Conservative estimates placed the media presence at three to four times larger in terms of people in the room. With many extra video camera crew’s, each packing high definition equipment, and more photographers packed into the press room than 2011, everyone was all “a Twitter” (literally) at the conclave.

The mood was festive with the presence of many fan favorites from the series including Noah Wyle (Tom Mason), Moon Bloodgood (Dr. Anne Glass), Will Patton (Captain Dan Weaver), Drew Roy (Hal Mason), Sarah Sanguine Carter (Maggie), Colin Cunningham (John Pope) as well as “Skitterized”Connor Jessup who portrays Ben Mason, and Jessy Schram as Karen!

The excitement at this years Falling Skies Press Room event was further amplified by the fact that more than twice as many media outlets from around the world were all ready and waiting eagerly for interviews with the cast members, each of whom were in extremely jovial spirits themselves having heard of the wonderful third season renewal news only recently.

The cast members talked about celebrating after their panel and how happy they were over the renewal. It was a pleasure to see their pride of ownership over a successful and well received science fiction entertainment product.

Now that tens of millions world wide have become Falling Skies believers, the creators were prescient in thinking ahead by increasing the number of celebrities in attendance at this years Comic-Con geek convention in San Diego.

Turner Network Executive Michael Knight beamed at the press reception as were series Executive Producers Justin Falvey of Dreamworks, and Remi Aubuchon of Falling Skies!

Also in attendance, coming in after the press room session ended, was science fiction legend and superstar in his own right, the one and only Wil Wheaton!

Falling Skies 2012 panel moderator at Comic-Con, Wil is well known as host of 2nd Watch, the runaway hit web “after show” that airs each week live on the Internet! Wil mentioned that he loves doing 2nd Watch and is a big fan of the series himself! It was nice to chat with Mr. Wheaton and to see him in person once again.

As I left the Falling Skies Press Room event with happy thoughts, I did something many journalists and celebrities alike seek when attending San Diego Comic-Con;

A quiet place to be away from the throng of humanity for a few minutes before the next assignment, panel or event squarely presented itself.

I sought out a little known area of the hotel with a view of San Diego Bay. As I turned the corner, there was Noah Wyle and Will Patton with their female companions seeking the same thing; 15 minutes of relaxation before the long walk to the next event.

Not wanting to intrude, I asked if it was okay to join them. Truth be told, I asked them how in the devil had they found my secret spot!? (Just kidding).

Noah motioned in a friendly fashion to join them, stating he “remembered meeting me last year”. Will Patton also looked up with a recognizing nod and smile. This was to be one of the special moments at a convention when the pressure of the event was off and we could chat freely.

I remembered them fondly from our interviews with Will and Noah last year during Comic-Con 2011 San Diego. This year however, with the success that brings more media attention, time had run out before interviewing them in the 2012 Falling Skies Press Room.

Keeping the cameras off out of reverence for the chance encounter, I enjoyed about 12 minutes of private time (compared to the gleeful bustle of the press room) chatting with Noah Wyle. I asked how he felt about his accomplishment as a producer of Falling Skies. From a business perspective he related that he was proud of what had been accomplished.

We also discussed the change in production locations to Vancouver British Columbia. Noah said he “was happy with everything that the move went very well in Vancouver, and was looking forward to shooting season three there”.

As we parted company, Will Patton remembered that I had asked him if he would be marrying Hal and Maggie in the future. He briefly went into character indicating he was going to “keep an eye on Maggie and Hal pending further developments”. As I wished them well, and thanked them for their time, Noah Wyle was gracious enough to do a spur of the moment photo opportunity, which I will think of fondly for a long time.

Thanks Noah!

Thank you for reading, watching and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.

Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. TeamWHR and I look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Kenn of #TeamWHR
July 24, 2012
Falling Skies: Why Is It So Popular As the Wormhole Turns?

Hey Falling Skies fans!

Falling Skies, an apocalyptic science fiction drama from Dreamworks Studios, is entering its second season on TNT. It stars Noah Wyle as a father of three sons doing his best to keep them alive and fighting back against an alien invasion force.

As a teacher of American History, Tom Mason (Wyle’s character) knows all about resistance against a superior enemy invasion force. He uses examples from the American Revolutionary War to teach the others that as long as they keep fighting, there is hope.

The history teacher in Tom Mason might not be able to explain it, but Falling Skies has become a very popular show. This series is one of survival in the face of an overwhelming enemy.

According to TNT, “Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. At the center of the series is Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), a Boston history professor whose family was torn apart.

Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) is a pediatrician who becomes the primary medic of the 2nd Mass. Capt. Weaver (Will Patton) plays a fierce leader of the resistance.

The series also stars Drew Roy (Secretariat) as Hal, Tom’s oldest son and a growing fighter in the resistance movement; Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters) as Matt, Tom’s youngest son; Connor Jessup (The Saddle Club) as Ben, Tom’s recently rescued son; and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) as Lourdes, a former med student and Dr. Glass’ only support for medical emergencies. Colin Cunningham (Living in Your Car) is John Pope, a rebel who will stop at nothing to kill the aliens.”

One must ask, what is it about Falling Skies that is attracting so much attention?

Despite premiering on Father’s Day in North America, Falling Skies turned in a winning performance Sunday June 17 with a “Prime Time” victory of 4.5 million live viewers (US only).

Falling Skies scored well for a holiday evening with solid ratings of 1.5 in the critical with adults between 18 to 49 years of age and nearly reaching 2.2 million live adult viewers in the 25 to 54 age group. Not since Stargate SG-1 has a science fiction program attracted so many adult viewers.

Seemingly down 25% from the 2.0 rating earned during the 2011 series launch, overall viewership is expected match the 2011 numbers, increasing to approximately 6 million when “Plus 7” DVR and on-line numbers are factored in.

This from a public who often time shifts their entertainment viewing to on-line network sources, mobile devices and or recorded sources (DVR) now widely available in many homes. Perhaps even more telling is the huge crowd that joined the Falling Skies cast at the dedicated Falling Skies TNT web site to participate in “2nd Watch”.

2nd Watch is an on-line program web cast that is conducted after the broadcast at the TNT Network web site. 2nd Watch, hosted by Wil Wheaton, set the Twitter and Facebook world on fire Sunday evening as eager fans set off to invade the TNT web site where they can chat and send text messages to the host and guests!

In this weeks episode of 2nd Watch, Mpho Koaho (Anthony) and Colin Cunningham (John Pope) will be awesome! Speaking of Pope, this week TNT also launched “Pope’s Blog” featuring insight into the enigmatic “bad boy” portrayed “in character” by Cunningham!

Here is the answer: Stories like the ones told by the TNT writers of Falling Skies attract us because they reflect humanity’s greatest strength, the power of adaptation. As a social animal, people are very curious about how others overcome challenges that might terrify us. We are fascinated by the thought that a person’s attitude can make a difference between life and death.

But it is more than that. Falling Skies has come along just as problems in the United States and around the world seem to be spinning out of control. The heroes in this show are doing more than just surviving.

They are people who are able to stay calm and reasonable in the face of fear; people who have retained their optimism and determination in spite of great odds. They are survivors focussed on others rather than themselves, either thinking about their families or their fellow survivors.

And that, I believe is what makes the show important at this particular time in America. Many Americans are facing challenges known only to their grandparents from the Great Depression often referred to as “the dirty thirties”.

Many today have lost their homes or have gone bankrupt. Many others cannot find jobs. The United States government is basically bankrupt. Horror stories from other countries abound. The world seems to be going crazy.

So, Americans and others around the word watch television as a means of escape. Comedy helps them feel better for a half hour at a time. Crime dramas produce a feeling that justice can occur and the good guys will win in the end.

Falling Skies has chosen to use a period in American history to support the characters belief that they will prevail over an enemy with better technology and greater numbers. Americans need that. It provides a sense of hope and empathy. “If Tom Mason and his group can survive all these bad things happening to them, maybe we can too”.

By watching how others cope with a traumatic event, even if it is fictional, we learn to cope with challenges in our everyday lives. “The biggest difference between our cool-headed heroes and the rest of us is not that those people are somehow fearless; it’s that they relate to their fears in a much more harmonious way than others do. In other words, these poised people have learned to work with their fears rather than against them — they don’t get preoccupied with their nerves or struggle to eradicate their anxiety — and this important shift frees them to focus on the moment and perform their best”, says Taylor Clark, author of the book, Nerve, a book about dealing with fear and stress.

During periods of upheaval, we look more to entertainment to help us feel better about ourselves. For example, during the depression in the 1930’s, popular films at the time were Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz and Frankenstein.

These are all films where a few heroes were forced to overcome what seemed like insurmountable odds in order to survive. I believe that our entertainment often reflects the difficulties that we face as a culture. When the economy is booming, our entertainment is far different from what we watch when things seem to be falling apart.

As the creators of Falling Skies state, the show, “focuses on the resilience of the survivors and their determination to maintain their humanity when all else has been destroyed. It is a tale of endurance, commitment and courage in which everyday people are called upon to become heroes. They may be outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned, but nothing can beat the human spirit. Most of all, the series is about the ties that bind people together in the most difficult of circumstances”.

“Tom, I’m old and I can’t remember stuff from one day to the next, but who is that new guy at the back?”

Despite our circumstances, we as a civilization will adapt and change. It is who we are as a people. Falling Skies shows us the best and worst of us in compelling ways. It helps us to learn more about who we are. And it shows us what we are capable of.

Thanks to Kenn for assisting with the audio video embeds for my Falling Skies review and analysis. And thanks to you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency!

Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this interview or you can visit and follow me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Regards.

ArcticGoddess1 (Patricia)

June 20, 2012
Stargate Universe: “Blockade” with Special “Gauntlet” Sneak Peek

Greetings Sci Fi Fans!

It is hard to believe that the last new episode of any Stargate flavor will air so soon, at least for the foreseeable future, and I am personally very nervous about how Stargate Universe will end. Our beloved SG-1 and SGA each had the luxury of a years-long run that allowed characters and story lines to fully develop in a way that they could be brought to some kind of reasonable (if reluctant) close.

Sadly, Stargate Universe was not afforded the same opportunity and I am afraid it may be difficult to bring the series to a conclusion that will not leave us tangled in a bunch of hanging threads. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that the writers will be able to give us some kind of closure, preferably through a door that might, some day, be opened again.

This latest episode, “Blockade,” continues to expand on two themes: the descendants of the crew’s other selves, and the Drone ships programmed to destroy any technology other than their own. What might happen if two thousand years of human evolution came up against such a mindless, destructive force?

The advent of the aggressive Drone ships is strikingly reminiscent of the Replicators, nemesis of both SG-1 and Atlantis. Like the Replicators, the Drones are a machine intelligence, mindlessly fulfilling its prime directive and destroying all technology and technology-capable beings in its path. In “Blockade” we begin to see that there may be lot more Drones out there than we might have originally thought. This may be one story element that cannot be concluded with only one more episode to go. Maybe if all the brilliant scientific minds from all three series get together in one last big effort they could figure out a quick and miraculous solution!

“Blockade” begins with Eli Wallace (David Blue), watching the video of the dedication of the little school that was named after his other self. He has obviously watched it many times, and his face betrays both sadness and perhaps some longing as he watches. The Kino footage of the other Eli has affected him very deeply. He saw himself alone while all the other survivors slowly paired off, had children, became families. That other Eli ultimately married Corporal Barnes (Leanne Adachi), who really didn’t seem like his type. I don’t think our Eli was all that excited about the pairing either, yet another reason to feel regret for the fate of his other self. On the other hand, that Eli accomplished great things, creating the basis for an entire people’s education.

Destiny is low on fuel and drops out of FTL to fuel up at the nearest appropriate star but for some reason the ship has decided to detour around a big gas giant. This turns out to be a lucky decision because as soon as they get around the gas giant and in view of the star, they see a Drone command ship blocking the path to the star and the Drones swoop in on the attack. Time for a hasty retreat! Destiny takes a few hits before jumping back into FTL but they get away without any major damage. How did the Drones know about Destiny’s refueling methods? How did they know to position themselves on that particular side of the star? Even Destiny’s crew was surprised that the ship chose such a circuitous approach.

After getting away from the Drone ship, Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) seems strangely interested in having everyone let go of the idea that the Drones can track them or know their destination. When Eli challenges him, Rush says “call it wishful thinking, if you like.” Rush? Wishful thinking? That seems a little out of character, doesn’t it?

Rush plots a course for an appropriate red dwarf star that is not on Destiny’s normal route, in hopes of avoiding the possibility of another Drone attack. If the Drones are waiting for them at all of the eligible stars along their route, Destiny’s only hope for safely refueling—and they are almost out of gas—is to find a star that the Drones will not think to check.

On approach to the next star, Camile Wray (Ming Na) gets to sit in the captain’s chair! She is reluctant at first to take Colonel Young’s (Louis Ferreira) seat, but he says, “What am I, Captain Kirk?” Of course, Rush has to tell her not to touch anything, as if she would.

That Star Trek joke was just the first of many fun references to other sci-fi shows peppered throughout this episode.

Despite their careful planning, when they drop out of FTL they find the Drones are blocking their way to this star too. Destiny jumps back into FTL but they cannot keep this up forever. In fact, power reserves are so low that there will only be one more chance before Destiny is incapable of reaching any more fueling stops.

The Drone blockade does provide some useful information, though. Since the Drones are forming a blockade to prevent Destiny accessing any potential source of fuel, it follows that the Drones are not able to track Destiny after all.

Eli comes up with another brilliant but risky plan to get them the fuel they so desperately need. He proposes they try refueling at a star that the Drones will never suspect they would try, simply because it is incredibly dangerous. Sgt. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) gets the joke in this scene—“Don’t tell me—Death Star.” But no, Eli is proposing they pass through a blue supergiant. If you want to know more about blue supergiants, click here. (WHR’s own SciFiFanGirl616 was named for a blue supergiant. How awesome is that?)

Eli and Rush are convinced that Destiny’s shields will be able to withstand that extreme temperatures of passing through one of the hottest stars in the galaxy, but the people on board would not be able to survive. Temperatures inside the ship are expected to climb to nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone will have to be evacuated through the Stargate to whatever habitable planet is in range while Rush and Eli stay on board to pilot Destiny through the star. They can wear two of the three available suits to protect them from the extreme temperatures.

It is agreed that there is really no choice but to try Eli’s plan so everyone starts getting ready to carry it out. High on the priority list is to salvage whatever they can of the fresh food they have managed to cultivate in the hydroponics dome. Under the dome it is lush and green, plants heavy with lots tomato-looking fruits.

As the ship comes nearer and nearer to the blue supergiant, more and more systems start to shut down and Destiny starts locking down hatchways. When the first set of doors unexpectedly shut and locked I was immediately put on alert. This seemed to be an ominous development and I started to get worred.

When the time comes to evacuate, Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) has a crazy idea. She volunteers to stay behind in the one remaining suit so she can use the additional time before Destiny enters the star to salvage more of the precious plants. Again, her decision to stay behind made me nervous. Things were starting to look dicey.

Dropping out of FTL, there are no Drones in sight and there is one gate address in range. So far, so good. Eli sends the Kino through the gate, revealing what looks like a long-unused warehouse of some kind, very earth-like and cluttered with debris. Eli’s comment: “Holy crap, we’ve dialed Pittsburgh.” I am sure no offense was intended to Pittsburgh or its residents; merely a comment on how very earth-like the city appeared! Eli theorizes that this must be one of the planets that their human descendants settled but whoever once lived there, it looks abandoned now.

Once on the planet, Col. Young decides to send a few small teams out to search for useful goods like food and weapons. Sgt. Greer has already noted that their supply of ammunition is running low. Camile Wray remarks that she would kill for a new outfit. That made me laugh because the subject of outfits actually came up during Elyse Levesque’s (Chloe Armstrong) Q&A at the 2010 Stargate Convention in Los Angeles.

On the ship, Eli helps Dr. Park harvest the precious plant material until Dr. Rush calls him back to the bridge. Eli and Park have already suited up, but when Eli gets to the bridge he finds Rush is still suitless. He says there is still plenty of time before they reach the star and in the meantime they can work better without the suits. Eli: “Yeah, but now I look ridiculous.” Rush: “Yeah.” Hilarious!

Rush surprises Eli by asking which of the two of them will be piloting the ship through the star. Naturally Eli had assumed Rush would be in charge, but it is Eli’s plan and Eli’s calculations, after all. They agree that Eli should be in charge of the operation so he can enter any necessary course corrections on the fly.

An alarm sounds in the dome as Dr. Park is still pulling up plants. She grabs her bags and heads for the door, but too late—Destiny locks down the hatch and she is trapped inside. Okay, I definitely saw that coming. This is the kind of thing that can happen when a show is cancelled. Characters can be killed off because there is no tomorrow for them anyway. The end of a series can bring shocking outcomes. I knew in my heart that Park was doomed the minute she announced she would stay on board to gather plants in a space suit. Still, I clung to a tiny shred of hope and clutched the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next.

Sgt. Greer finds some canned goods with the labels faded to nothing. Handing some to Dr. Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore), Greer insists that they take the cans along. Volker: “Mmm, botulism.”

In the warehouse, one of the men, Morrison (Vincent Gale), finds a page from what looks like a newspaper, the headline reading “ATAK!” Young finds a rooftop vantage point and sees that this city was not just abandoned, it was destroyed.

The search teams are halfway across town, walking past abandoned stores with names like Kand-i-Mart and Harmuth Markit. (I wonder if Harmuth Markit is an homage to Harmut Essinger, the person responsible for much of Apple Computer’s early design strategy? I always wonder what inspires writers and set decorators to choose things like store names, don’t you?)

Meanwhile, Morrison thinks he has deciphered the newspaper article. It says the attack on the city came from space, from machines that went after the inhbabitants’ technology. Of course, we knew all along that it was going to be Drones, right? There is no evidence yet, but I know it is just a matter of time.

The salvage teams still have not found anything like a gun shop or a grocery store. Suddenly they hear something that sends them running for cover. A Drone has somehow detected them and comes down to hover over the street, just outside the teams’ positions.

Eli tries desperately to find some way to override Destiny’s systems and get Park out of the hydroponics dome, but nothing is working. Eventually, Rush brings everyone back to the very real problem: trying to help Dr. Park has taken Eli away from the bigger job in front of him, which is piloting Destiny through that star without killing them all and stranding everyone else on some unknown, abandoned planet. He tells Park to get down in the collection basin and ride it out under water. No one really thinks that will work, but they all accept the situation and Eli gets back to work. Rush assures Eli that she will be fine, but his expression seems more doubtful.

The salvage teams remain hidden in buildings on opposite sides of the street, but after a while they can hear more Drones arriving. The people near the Stargate can hear them too, and Morrison panics. He grabs the remote and dials the Gate. Lt. James (Julia Benson) knocks him out with an awesome elbow to the face and shuts down the Gate, but too late. The Gate activation has alerted the Drones. Worse, when James radios Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith) to report the situation, the ratio chatter gives away Scott’s position and the Drone fires. Greer takes that as his cue to go on the attack. He fires on the Drone to distract it from Lt. Scott and give the rest of their party a chance to escape. Greer and Scott keep firing while everyone else makes a run for it. Then Young unexpectedly shows up and between the three of them they finally shoot the Drone out of the sky. Lucky for them, the other one had taken off for the Gate location. Too bad they used up so much ammunition. That could prove to be a problem down the road.

Destiny is entering the star and Rush and Eli are fully suited, helmets and all, manning the controls. Temperatures inside have already climbed to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Eli theorizes that the ship closed off the hatchway to the dome and would not let them override because it knew the dome would never be able to survive the heat and stress of passage through this particular star.

Lt. James radios that a Drone has just appeared outside the warehouse. Scott warns her to stay off the radio but says she is counting on the Drones being drawn to the signal. Varro (Mike Dopud) comes out with a grenade launcher and blasts the Drone out of the sky.

Park is still clutching her bags of plants. It looks like the temperature in the dome is outrageously high. We can hear the fear in her breath, and we can see it in the way she moves, hesitantly, toward the edge of the collection basin. What a great performance by Jennifer Spence. With a last look around, she climbs into the pool with her sacks of greenery and grabs on.

Eli manages to make all the necessary course corrections and get them into the star long enough to charge all systems to maximum capacity. He starts moving them back out of the star but then the roof of the dome blows apart. The garden is on fire, massive flames leaping toward the sun, Park barely hanging on in the collection pool, her body being pulled toward the shattered roof. With flames all around her and the prospect of being sucked out to a burning death, she screams, but is still stubbornly hanging onto one of her bags. I am personally wondering why the bag is not burning right now.

They make it out of the star with interior temperatures all the way up to 310 degrees. As Rush prepares to start cooling the Gate room so they can bring everyone back on board, he sees on the ship indicators that they have lost the dome. Eli runs from the bridge.

Camile Wray explains to Young and the rest of the salvage team what they have learned from the newspaper article. Apparently, the plan was to move the Stargate from a place they called Terminus to an older part of the city, the building where they are now. There is no technology at that location so the inhabitants were probably trying to avoid attracting the Drones. Volunteers were driving vehicles away from the city to draw off the Drones and save as many people as they could.

There are a few little details bothering me at this point. Where are the remains of the dead? They couldn’t all have gone to dust already, not with the buildings still so intact and no vegetation taking over. And why do they have to try and decipher the newspaper article? Store names and headlines all appear to be a close relative to English. Could the rest of the article have been that much different? What about remnants of vehicles? The Drones don’t have disintegration rays; they just blast things to pieces. The streets just seem too clean. Okay, pickiness moment over!

There is still at least a half hour to go before the crew can expect to rejoin Destiny. Camile asks Young about what he brought back from his salvage run, and it’s a new outfit! Although he was not able to find anything like weapons or food, he did find a dry cleaner.

When Eli arrives at the hydroponics dome, to his immense relief Dr. Park is able to tell him that she is just on the other side of the door. Now that they are through the star, Destiny allows Rush to override the lockdown and he gets the door open. With Eli’s help, Park makes her way back inside the ship, still stubbornly clutching that bag of plants. Miraculously, she is alive and seems to be okay. But she is blind.

On the planet, the landing party does not like what they are hearing outside. Young decides it is time to dial the Gate. As everyone starts through to the ship, a Drone command ship descends low over the city.

Everyone makes it safely on board. Rush sends Lt. Johansen (Alaina Huffman) to the infirmary, reporting that Dr. Park has flash blindness, and says that hopefully it is only temporary.

Rush tells Young that Eli got them through. He said he kept checking Eli’s calculations looking for a mistake but there weren’t any. He said it was genius, and that he had never seen anything like it, but: “Please don’t tell him I told you that.”

So at the end of this episode, Destiny’s systems are fully recharged, but they will not be able to use the same trick to refuel that way again. Rush says the Drones will not fall for it again, plus that type of star is very rare. Young thinks they are right back where they started but Rush says not exactly, they have a full tank of gas. Last funny moment of the episode: Brody (Peter Kelamis) and Volker: “Yay.” Okay, not so funny in print but very funny on video.

And Destiny jumps back to FTL.

I am both anxious to see the next episode, so I can see what will happen next, but wishing it would not air just yet, so the end will never come. For now I am going to live in the present and relish the fantastic experience of getting to see these talented actors give us their all, interpreting rich storytelling from the gifted writers of the Stargate Universe series. Thank you everyone, cast and crew. We love you all!

Stargate Universe will air its concluding episode May 09, 2011 on Syfy and on the Space Channel on May 10, 2011 with “Gauntlet”. We encourage all Stargate fans to watch the episode live to prove your support of this superb MGM Studios franchise. Thank you. Here is a sneak peek at “Gauntlet:”

Until next time,

OffworldTravelr

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May 7, 2011
Stargate Universe: “Common Descent” and “Epilogue” Clearly Worthy of the Stargate Lineage!

Hello once again Stargate fans,

The latest episodes of Stargate Universe were once again a delightful experience for the supporters of the current incarnations of Stargate by a large portion of the fandom in the United States and an overwhelming majority in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe as measured by percentage of the populations in those regions.

As we have reported previously and unfortunately for Stargate fans, according to Brad Wright’s recent disclosure at the Creation Entertainment Vancouver Stargate convention, the franchise has been placed on the shelf for the time being. The good news is that Stargate may (repeat MAY) be back in the future in one form or the other.

However, it is not likely we will see Stargate in the form of the three series Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis or Stargate SG-1. Why? For that answer we suggest you stay tuned to WHR as our team will have more on that particular subject in the near future.

In the meantime, this analysis review encompasses two outstanding episodes which are intrinsically tied together at the hip; “Common Descent” and “Epilogue”. Read on to find out just how much entertainment fun is in both!

Common Descent:

With outstanding writing by creators Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, “Common Descent” was directed in typical awesome fashion by Stargate legend Peter DeLuise. Not to be missed are more superb effects under the guidance of Mark Savela witnessed in a wilderness like location where the descendants of the “other” Destiny crew was sent as a result of a solar flare Stargate time warp far into the past.

“Common Descent” featured superb acting by virtually the entire ensemble cast including the return of one of my favorite actresses, Ms. MingNa as Camile Wray. Normally confined to the environs of the Destiny itself or on visits to Earth via the Ancient Communications Stones, Wray is observed on a rare away team mission to a strange planet with even stranger inhabitants. I was very pleased to see MingNa return in “Common Descent” since she portrays the Camile Wray character so effectively.

The seventeenth episode of Stargate Universe opens with Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence) examining the air purification system which is in need on lime and other minerals to keep the air onboard the Destiny breathable. The recent encounters and battles with the heartless robotic drones have precluded the crew from locating the supplies they needed for survival. In addition to the air purification minerals, food stuffs are also in short supply.

Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) and Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) are observed sharing the concern discussing the bad air on Destiny which is causing headaches and nausea on board the ship. Both do a nice job in portraying officers able to focus on the business at hand, setting aside the fact that a relationship is developing between TJ and Varro (Mike Dopud).

Speaking of Camile Wray (MingNa) the scene then makes a segue to a fun and humorous scene with Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) and Eli Wallace (David Blue). As the ship decelerates from Faster Than Light (FTL) speed, the two ladies are also discussing the need for supplies, specifically a horrid purple fruit procured previously as Eli enters the observation deck. As with most men being oblivious to such matters, Eli cannot for the life of him figure out why Chloe and Camile want more of the nasty tasting fruit?

Well this is one gentleman who knows the answer and I got a good belly laugh in the process! The ladies on board have not been enjoying or liking the fruit for the taste, they have been using the purple fruit as lipstick for goodness sakes! I guess we better get Eli some glasses because despite the evidence looking him right in the face, he cannot figure it out saying “why am I always the last to know?” As indicated it is a very funny vignette. So I must ask; Are most men so dense?! I suggest you ask your girl friend, wife or female soul mate. They will undoubtedly let you know in two words: “You bet”! So go figure!

Finding the three of them on the observation deck, Eli’s attention on the fruit and pretty lips quickly looses focus as the subject is the return of the hostile drones which have somehow located the poor and ailing Destiny and her crew.

The suspicion is that the drone captured previously and used for study to program a defense in the earlier attack may be the culprit. The orders are given to jettison the drone and Destiny make a jump back to the temporary safety of FTL. Each time the different angles of the Destiny entering FTL are witnessed one can only praise the special effects of Mark Savela and his team including Sonia Gilmore and Andrew Karr. Even more spectacular is a new angle of Destiny entering FTL where they will visit a planet in search of the minerals and food stuffs the crew desperately needs.

We are then treated to new guest supporting actors, fresh faces to be featured in both “Common Descent” and “Epilogue”. Some of the new faces include Reilly Dolman (Supernatural) as Jason, Kate Findlay (Fringe and The Killing) as Ellie and the excellent and well known veteran movie and television character actor August Schellenberg (Eight Below, Free Willy, Free Willy 2, Free Willy 3) as the elder leader Yaozu, who is named after her father, an ancestor of Camile Wray!

As we quickly learn, all are the descendants of the “other” alternate reality Destiny crew from the episode “Twin Destinies” whom escaped destruction using the time honored Stargate solar flare time warp factor to send the “other” Destiny crew thousands of years into the past.

These people of “Common Descent” are found living on a planet they were to colonize for the “home” planet of the “Novus Civilization” where a faction called “Futura” worships many things, but others do not think very highly of Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle).

In another of several very funny sequences, Yaozu recalls the other faction “The Futurans” who think Rush is a demon or devil who steals peoples souls and send them to live an eternity in a lifeless “hell”. No doubt inspired by memories of Rush manipulating the memory core of Destiny these are most enjoyable sequences with Dr. Park and Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) sharing differing opinions about Rush. This plot twist will play a key role later in the second part of this ninety minute “movie” imparted by Kino flashbacks.

No doubt the seeds of thought about Rush are what lead to the two diverse factions that think of him as a devil or futurist. In any event the colonists were sent from Novus to this new planet through the Stargate after determining the home world was facing imminent destruction from volcanic eruption.

Also most enjoyable is a scene an older woman from the settlement who says that Sgt. Ronald Greer (Jamil Walker Smith) is more handsome in person than is his Kino footage. Like most women who enjoy Smith as Greer and the character he portrays, she appears to have a hankering for Greer! I would swear he actually blushes in the scene!

Unfortunately the colonists lost contact with Novus and apparently the ability to get back home since they cannot dial the Stargate to make a connection to the Novus gate. During the historical perspective we are delighted to observe the “other” Destiny crew in “ancient” Kino footage on a device similar to a USB hard disk drive. TJ has had a baby and is seen screaming through the process. We are happy to see birth not for the pain of childbirth, but since our TJ lost her child previously.

Colonel Young among others are observed as older people in an aged state and is sharing knowledge on their journey and salvation on the new world that will become known as Novus. Young is seen talking about the challenges that face them in generations to come.

While the crew we know from our reality are reminiscing over the Kino footage, the hated drones return attacking both the planet and Destiny destroying the Stargate ring and circuitry taking a huge chunk out of it on the planet colony. It was rather a nice scene to see a Stargate not fully destroyed. Very nice work by the field crews and VFX teams once again. The end result of this attack leaves many of our heroes stranded while they were evacuating the inhabitants of the planet to Destiny.

In the meantime Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) has ordered to Eli to try to fix the gate, an impossible task given the circumstances. Eli states that he can barely turn the power source off crystals off and on. Eli is an undisputed genius, but it takes the experience of the military officer to put two and two together to figure out to use the low power emanations as a Morse Code signaling device to signal Destiny.

A nice script writing mechanism (to say the least) to save the team left of the planet. This is not to mention the excellent overhead VFX sequence of the Destiny shuttle coming back to their rescue.

Forced to leave the area to save themselves before returning, we get another laugh at the humor as Dr. Lisa Park makes a joke about “Futura” being a “font” while Volker and Brody are observed bickering in their good nature banter we have come to enjoy from week to week!

As always the interplay between the Volker and Brody characters brings another moment of humorous distraction from the drone attacks and what is about to come next. As we have come to expect it is this great job at levity by both Patrick Gilmore and Peter Kelamis with a bit of ever present catalyst provided by Jennifer Spence!

We leave the first half of the wonderful two part adventure with the Destiny journeying to the home world of Novus. The shuttle is observed over an advanced city covered in what appears to be deep snow fall. No one is found on the planet and no electromagnetic radio emissions can be detected. What is the world has happened to all the millions of people of Novus and the civilization they have built?

Epilogue:

We begin with another very cool, in fact outstanding VFX sequence with the shuttle coming in for a landing on Novus attempting to return the settlers to their home world. A statue of Col. Young is in the foreground. The away team is comprised of Eli Wallace (David Blue), Camille Wray (MingNa). Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith), Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith), Jason and Yaozu. They quickly realize it is not snow covering the city but is instead volcanic ash. The fear on the faces of the away team are palpable.

We discover that the main weapon of Destiny will be used for another purpose. Yaozu knows where there is an underground bunker of the archives of the Teneran Archive. The Teneran’s were one of two countries created after the Rush faction setup their own society “Futura”. The archive is however protected by a very thick blast door and here is where the Destiny weapon will play a constructive role in gaining access to the archive facility where the secrets of the society are secreted.

Using a superb digital angle on the Destiny main gun, we see an energy blast leave the weapon from orbit and zoom towards the city archive bunker doors. It is another great special effect which is a pleasure to behold.

The team begins the investigation of the archives. Especially enjoyable is the elevator “Muzak” sequence. Along with all the crew, the look on Greer’s face sure to bring a grin to anyone who has been in such situations themselves.

Another scene with Greer illustrates the actor doing his characters part perfectly! Greer finds a food storage locker with beef jerky perfectly preserved after 2,000 years and immediately has a snack festival throwing a bag of the jerky at Dr. Rush! At least we know that the problems with Earth-like food will be solved for the time being!

During the initial reading of the archives, Chloe finds her own daily diary and her first entries from 200 centuries earlier. This effective use of brilliant science fiction writing technique allows us all to take a journey back in time to learn details about the alternate Destiny crew.

Each member of the crew is observed, many with tears in their eyes as they see their alter selves living life under initially primitive circumstances. In these sequences we see Varro (Mike Dopud) and TJ are not getting along while he sees Young and her kissing. A moment of sadness on is the expedition’s first loss, the death and burial of the alternate Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) character.

We also see other tender moments including Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) and Lt. Scott discussing his pending marriage to Chloe. Despite the reputation she wrong deserves as a wild woman, James wishes him well and says that she is proud and happy for both of them.

TJ and Young get together again in the alternate story arc. To enhance the romance and hence need for couples, in fact survival, of course there is the making and delivering of babies!

Fans of the TJ Varro romance could be heard groaning in pain just like TJ above as James and he are making eyes at each other! Sure enough a little baby Varro/James is the result! We see then observe the many alternative babies being born with good ole’ Lt. Scott is standing by “on duty” with scissors to cut the umbilical cords! Everyone gets in the act including the proud poppa and momma Greer!

Even Eli gets in the act himself and finally has the relationship we all wanted to see with Corporal Barnes (Leanne Adachi) after the two “bust their buns” helping support the birth process of all the other couples!

And yes you guessed it, they are next on the list for making and having babies as the Kino visage documents the screaming Cpl. Barnes in the process of bringing new life into the universe while papa Eli look on in panic!

We observe the leading ladies of the community some years later. Chloe, TJ and Camile Wray are working in the vegetable gardens. TJ’s young child is growing up and playing in the crop fields of Novus.

Chloe sees him reading his diaries and teases Eli; “Something to pursue”? Throughout “Epilogue” Eli’s Kino footage coupled with the flashbacks from the computer journals is a great way to share the story and wrap the story arc of what happened to the alternate reality versions whom went through the Destiny Stargate and actually survived.

I often found myself wishing I could spend a lifetime in the Teneran archives to learn all about the characters and their descendants of the alternative versions. So many stories left to explore, and so little time!

The lighter moments of humor in “Epilogue” more than effectively demonstrate the path of character development in Stargate Universe. This outstanding episode clearly proves that the writers had planned, all the way along, great things for fans of this series in general and all the dedicated supporters of the Stargate franchise in specific.

The light moments are offset by the urgent situation that the planet Novus is being pulled apart by a Black Hole in the vicinity. The gravitational effects have led to the cracking of the planets crust and subsequent volcanic activity that led to the evacuation of the entire planet. We also learn that the two opposing factions developed into separate countries.

The current reality versions of our characters begin transfer of the Teneran archive database. Brody works with Eli to effect the transfer of the many exabytes of research. However we all know that dire circumstances will not allow then to discover all the secrets and research. This item will become critical as we will discuss in the coming analysis.

The transfer of the archive data is where everyone can learn a valuable lesson in life. What lesson? That people with differing opinions can learn to respect each other and work as a team to obtain progress rather than slinging mud at each other. Doing so in real life is never an easy process. We all have observed this senseless mudslinging on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook as well as in the interactions of our real lives at work, in politics and even at home between family members. The fact of the matter is that people slinging mud at others is most often a cover-up by the slingers hiding their own shortcomings as they seek to blame others for their own mistakes. Such is a sad but true part of life.

As observe the alternate survivors raising their children in flashbacks, we find out that coming to the planet has consequences for TJ in both story arcs. She has contracted the un-curable disease ALS also known commonly as Lou Gerhigs Disease. The elder citizen Yauzo indicates there is a cure in the Novus database, but ther emay not be enough time to transfer all the data. “Our” Varro rushes to his love saying it does not mean she has the disease. TJ knows this is not the case and tears well up in her eyes (mine too).

We learn that she will likely die some eight year later much as the diary from the past 2,000 years ago documented. The current reality scenes between TJ and Young are accentuated by the primitive life sequences of her death some 2,000 years ago in the house as we saw Young at the table with the two children and an empty seat. I am convinced that there was not a dry eye for lovers of this series.

As the episode progresses we see the surviving alternate reality characters become grandparents. The make-up used to age the characters seen in the Kino footage is simply excellent. We see James and Varro, Scott and Chloe, Greer and Park and Camile Wray all becoming old. One of the best bits included a very grouchy and grumpy older Adam Brody!

MingNa is especially wonderful when she talks about writing the new Novus constitution and that Eli has become a teacher! I gigged when Camile said that Eli is good at it too. The look on her characters face says it all!

Back in the story arc version of “our” characters, fans of Varro (Mike Dopud) get a heart attack moment as the violent earthquakes lead to a ladder rung giving way during the escape from the archive facility while he saves TJ’s life. Varro falls to the bottom of the shaft and after observing the SGU hash tag tweets on both Monday April 25 and Tuesday, more than several hundred tweeted “Nooooooo”!

Varro is of course saved by none other than his main competition for the affections of TJ, Col. Young. Young takes critical time to rig a rescue line to haul the injured Varro to safety. A fitting bit of irony would you not say? As TJ diagnoses Varro whom has merely suffered a broken arm, we learn that the result of data transfer from the archive did not contain the cure for ALS. She knows her life is limited and will likely be cut short. At this point I wanted to pass the tissue box to TJ as her tears begin to form again.

Based on the fact that Stargate Universe is canceled, this episode could easily serve as a fine ending to the series. There were too many moments of excellence to effectively analyze in this review. However, two very poignant moments really did it all for me.

The first is the scene at alternate Col. Young’s deathbed with Chloe, Scott and his children at his side. Col. Young feels that failed in his mission to bring the crew back “home”. The telling moment is the quote from Chloe when she shares with Young that “We are home”. You see people it is fairly simple; home is where you make it under any given circumstance.

The final sequence with a very old Camile Wray portrayed by MingNa was both touching and brilliant. Kudos to the writers in this regard and to the considerable acting talent that is what MingNa herself is all about. We find ourselves at the Eli Wallace School. Camile Wray is the last living member of the expedition. Camile she delivers the heart felt lines about “Wahn Shee Rul Yee”, “May all go according to the wishes of those who hear it” and life being about “Our mission is and always will be about the journey itself”. We all take such journeys’ in our lives, but not everyone gets the message. Bravo MingNa for superb delivery in the closing sequences!

The visual effects team then takes us on a “journey” as we witness a move through Novus history to see the society evolve into a fine civilization over the two millennia to the present. The episode ends with a look at a magnificent city and the first of the giant space ships beginning their journey to life on a new planet some 200 years distant.

No matter what you think of Stargate Universe, this two part story epitomizes the greatness of the Stargate franchise. I would suggest that you go to Hulu or tune in to Comcast or other cable system to view these two episodes to witness for yourself it’s greatness. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed.

Stargate Universe begins its concluding episodes May 02, 2011 on Syfy and on the Space Channel on May 03, 2011 with “Blockade”.

If you call yourself a Stargate fan do everyone a favor and watch the episode live to prove your support of this superb MGM Studios franchise. Thank you.

As always we appreciate your visiting our news sites at WormholeRiders News Agency. Thank you.

If you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or on See You on The Other Side“! Thank you.

Best Regards,

WR_Systems (Kenn)

May 2, 2011
Stargate Universe: The Hunt Season 2 Episode 17 with Mike Dopud Interview
Heya my fellow Stargate Universe fans.

Welcome back to yet another awesome episode of this fantastic series, Stargate Universe.

Okay, when I was told that this was the best Varro (Mike Dopud) episode to date. I simply HAD to request that I write this review. Though I am not writing this review to score points (I do not feel I need to).

Now do not get me wrong, I love the entire cast of Stargate Universe, however I am a big fan of Mr. Mike Dopud! And well to be perfectly honest with Varro in leather in The Hunt– OMG!! Why on earth would I or anyone pass that up? 😛

Again, if you have not seen this episode, one question – WHY THE HELL NOT?? Or for that matter, ALL of them. But anyway. this episode focuses on a several interesting story lines. The Hunt does have focus on the Varro character and his future with the crew of the Destiny. However there is also Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) who continues in being conniving – no big surprise there. The episode includes Sgt. Ronald Greer‘s (Jamil Walker Smith) new outlook on life. Then there are new and interesting creatures to blow our minds!

And I apologize if I seem to have more Varro pictures in this report then anyone else. It just cannot be helped. After all, this is more of a Varro-centric episode. Though I will have others in here too. And I might jump around a bit, so I hope you still enjoy the read.

I must say the location where they filmed The Hunt episode is awesome. I have never had the pleasure of venturing over that far west in Canada, but when I eventually do, the locations where Stargate Universe is filmed is definitely one place I will want to go and visit.

Besides the gorgeous scenery, you cannot help but be in awe when you see the new alien animals created by Mark Savela and his visual effects team . One of which Lt. Scott (Brian J. Smith) and Sgt. Greer decided to try and hunt down to take back to the Destiny for food. Hey, nine plus months on the ship with no fresh meat? The crew certainly needed some steaks!

Of course, The Hunt does not go without dislike from Dr. Lisa Park (Jennifer Spence), she is a vegetarian. Dr. Park voiced her opinion on the matter in no uncertain terms. A good doctor, she did so not for the fact that she does not eat meat, but that they were on an alien planet and she did not know if the dear-like creature was going to be safe to eat at all.

In the end, Lisa leaves with a “not cool” and heads back to the camp they have set up.

And the fact good ole’ Dr. Rush lured Eli (David Blue) and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) to an unopened and unexplored section of the ship, Rush knew that their curiosity was going to get the best of Eli. Especially when they opened the door to a room full of stasis pods. Everyone knows that Eli wasn’t going to just open, look around and then leave. Which was what Rush told them to do.

Leaving the stasis pods reluctantly, Eli started getting fed up that Rush seems to always call the shots as to what is important to check out and what to leave. So going against Rush’s “orders”, he turned around and went back, with Brody running to catch up with him.

Of course with Rush back in the main bridge, he could see that Eli could not help but to go back to the room. I was thinking that there was no way in hell that someone was going to actually get in a pod voluntarily, so by being the sneaky little snake, Rush had Eli and Brody fall for his trap.

Then we have Varro stepping up and asking Lt. Scott to let him and his team go to the planet and help in the search. Scott I find is a character that cares for his teammates that much that he would do anything to keep them safe. Or for that matter, if he could, he would take their place.

Of course the best moment is when Varro and his team met up with Young and his and start on the tracking of where this new and dangerous creature has taken TJ and the other officer.

But what I found to be really touching was when Col. Young (Louis Ferreira) got injured and Varro went to his side and convinced him that he is a liability to the mission. Young knows that Varro will do whatever it takes to get TJ back. So stepping aside (sort to speak), Young issued Varro a gun so Young could go back to the Destiny.

Varro and Greer have their moments as well. Varro heard what happened to Greer not able to take the shot at the deer-like animal. So to Varro he needed to find a way to kick Greer in the arse and get back to his usual loving self. LOL

Of course with Greer having had a near death experience, he did not feel like his usual, shoot now – ask questions later. Instead he felt himself questioning everything he has ever done. Suddenly he was afraid, but he knew that could get him in trouble or the very least a liability to everyone on the ship.

The pivotal point to his enlightenment was when he was having a chat with Lt James (Julia Benson). She did not understand how someone like Greer could go from wanting to kill everything or anyone who got in his way, to a guy who started thinking of what his actions could cause.

I think Greer has grown a lot this past few episodes. Learning to live with a group of terrorists who wanted to take the Destiny from them is one thing, but then turning around and putting in a good word for Varro. Which leads to Varro’s freedom aboard the ship.

Although, like Varro tells TJ, he doubts very much that if he had to confront Greer about it, he would deny it. So it does show that Greer is lightening up and getting a bit more trustworthy. Least I hope so.

Then we have Tamara Johansen (Alaina Huffman) in the cave trying to calm down the young officer with her. He was freaking out that he did not want to be some creature’s dinner. She had to step up and whip him back into fact – no one gets left behind. Same sentiment as SG-1 and Atlantis. That I found was awesome to see them carry some aspects from each of the previous series, into this one. Very nice way to tie them all together.

I found this next sequence of pictures so awesome. Finally we get to see the connection that have obviously has gotten stronger between Varro and TJ. When she came to visit him in his room to inform him that he was a free man, he smiled and said “I know”.

As I watched this I said, “Well it’s about bloody time!” Then with him looking at her.

And she looking at him.

Then he walks in closer and reaching out for her to draw her near.

With their lips just about to touch, do we finally get contact?

OF COURSE NOT!!!! Young had to beep at the door and F*** it all up. I never wanted to go through the TV so badly then at that moment.

But the look on Young’s face as Varro left to join the rest of them for their version of a BBQ, he then realized what was about to happen AND what he lost.

I am sorry, but I do not feel bad for Young at all. If he had been there for TJ when she lost their baby, maybe that would have bonded them closer. But I think, as does TJ, that Varro would have been the better choice in the end anyway. And who would pass Varro up? A man in leather!! Can you say HOT!!

The best way to end this episode was to have Varro carve the meet in the end sequence. That I found was an awesome gesture to have him included into the rest of the crew.

However, what I did not know was that Varro is left on his own now. Something that Mr. Dopud had pointed out in the interview you are about to listen too at the end of this report. The rest of Varro’s Lucien Alliance members are all gone from one thing or another. But I guess we can take comfort that he’s got TJ there for company. Something in fact I believe has brought them together, they both lost loved ones. TJ her unborn baby, and Varro his wife.

Besides the fact that this episode was full of Varro — and in LEATHER!!! But it had a lot of interaction between Rush with Eli and Brody, Young and Varro, even Varro and Greer moments. And especially Varro and TJ. Whatever it is with this episode that makes you love it, it’s definitely well worth watching. This has been an awesome journey, one that I hope will come back in the future.

Until we meet again below is a treat I have for you. An interview I had with Mike Dopud the aid of WR_Systems (Kenn) from WormholeRiders with an amazing actor from SGU. I hope you all enjoy this little — well, far from little, it’s an hour long — interview. This interview gave me butterflies ten minutes before it actually happened. And with this being my first time interviewing someone, I was worried that I was going to trip over my words. But this awesome actor made it easy to relax and to get the job done.

I have been thinking up questions for this for a while, even googling him for hints or ideas as to what to ask. I must say, coming up with the questions was somewhat the easy part. But when it came time to actually ask them is when I got nervous.

We chatted about his previous role in this episode that you just finish reading about. As well as his other projects he has had the opportunity to do, one of which was Exit Strategy. Though, in saying that, I may have given away who this actor was that I had the honor of having a chat with.

However, once everything was said and done, and we had signed off, that is when I remembered one other question that I forgot to ask. I am sure that I will get to ask it on twitter.

So without further adieu, I give you, Mr. Mike Dopud.
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Thanks for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency this review of Stargate Universe and our interview with Mike Dopud.

Please feel free to leave a comment here, click an icon below to share this review and interview or you can nab me on Twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Come again.

Karen Ford XO
April 18, 2011
Stargate Universe: “Seizure” Season 2 Episode 15 Analysis with S2x16 “The Hunt” Trailer

Hello once again Stargate fans,

This has been the most anticipated episode of Stargate Universe ever since I saw the preview over a week ago. Although, I have known about this episode for some time now, I put in my request that I write on this one. As I am a fan of Stargate Universe, that still did not take away from the fact that I am still a fan of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate SG-1. To love one and not the other is ridiculous. I love each series for what they were and what they are.

That being said, let us get on with the reason for your visit today. To read my thoughts on the Stargate Universe episode Seizure.

***SPOILER ALERT*** If you have not seen this episode yet, then stop right now and wait until you do.

On the other hand, if you do not mind reading what you have to look forward to, then by all means, keep reading. I will NOT write a play-by-play of the episode, that can get boring real fast. I will NOT jump around to different places as that will only confuse the hell out of you. I WILL however write in sequence from beginning to end the parts that stood out to me the most.

First of all, let me start off by adding in this lovely picture of Washington D.C. I am not adding it in for who it represents, but more of the beautiful landscapes and surrounding areas. I only wish that someday I will get to visit.

Of course first we see our beloved Mr. Woolsey (Robert Picardo) trying to convince everyone that by using the Langeran stargate to dial the ninth chevron, they can get a good connection to get everyone aboard the Destiny home. Only problem was the leader of the Langerans (Victor Garber) wasn’t easily convinced. So seeing that Woolsey was having problems in convincing them, our other lovable guy, Col. David Telford (Lou Diamond Phillips), stepped in and said that they have someone who is qualified that this will work.

And who should we see walking in the door?

Yes, it’s our very own Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett). This was a delight to see Rodney return to Stargate. And it was very cool how they brought McKay back into the Stargate series in the way they did.

With Dr. Nicolas Rush (Robert Carlyle) and Eli Wallace (David Blue) aboard the Destiny, and Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) off doing her own thing, it only left us with McKay to solve the problem.

Now do not get me wrong, I like McKay, however I personally like John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) a bit more is all! 😛

And of course, you can not have Rodney on any planet without some sort of technical gadget with him to solve the scientific problem!

In this case Rodney had his trusty laptop with him to try and convince the Langarens that HIS idea will work. Well of course it would. He is the one and only Dr. Rodney McKay after all 😛

Even if I try to look past Rodney’s egotistical manners (wow, I typed that word correctly the first shot), he was a joy to watch. This fact made me miss Atlantis that much more. Though, the best part that I laughed my arse off was where Rodney used the communication stones and switched bodies to go on board the Destiny.

I guess when it comes to certain areas on a woman, McKay does not notice the color of the hair. Of all the years we heard him say that blond women does something to him, (his constant mention of Samamtha Carter), it is quite the flip for him to sort of hit on a brunette. LOL. The line that had me cracking up was when Lt. James was on McKay duty and noticed that he was looking at something that he should not have been. “I’m up here” to Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) as Rodney was transfixed by her feminine attributes!

I still find myself laughing when I remember the looks on both their faces. Then of course McKay tried to be somewhat polite and offered “Ladies first.” Of course that kinda backfired as James did not move, leaving McKay to walk out ahead of her with his tail between his legs! :-P.

The look on James’ face was of typical, “another boob man”. But I still could not help but giggle. I can not wait for the DVD’s, there has to be some funny behind the scenes from this episode for sure!

Of course, it does not take long to figure out why Rush would want to sit in the chair VOLUNTARILY!

Yep! Rush finally gets a bit!

Then we observe Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) informing Col. Young (Louis Ferreira) that Rush hooked himself up to the chair, but he was not fixing or alternating anything. He was in some sort of virtual dream state thingy. No, I am not that technical when it comes to wording. This is as good as it gets, and if you know me on twitter, I have my own way of describing things.

Then we have our geek-fest with Eli and Rodney.

I swear, it is a good thing that Rush is not among the rest of them cause I do not think that we could cope with three brilliant minds in the one episode.

Though, besides the fact that Rodney loved making himself seem way smarter then anyone else on any given day, he did manage to get out a compliment to Young about how smart Eli is. I found that to be a nice touch

This is a beautiful scene with TJ (Alaina Huffman) and Sgt. Greer (Jamil Walker Smith). And then we can see Dale Volker (Patrick Gilmore) in the background, feeling much better then Greer is at the moment. From the last episode, we seen Greer give up his kidney to help someone in need. Unfortunate, Greer will need extra time to be himself again.

We then observe see Eli and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis) trying to figure out what is happening to Rush. That is until Eli gets an idea and tells Brody to go back into the computer log records of what is being uploaded.

This is where I need some science geeks to tell me what is really happening. Where is my good friend Redone68?? She is way smarter when it comes to the science of things. I think she would have been a great asset to the brilliant minds on the Destiny.

This is a great picture of the old style Stargate! It was so cool seeing it in action again.

And, we can never forget the huge KAWOOSH from the event horizon.

With it ending with the lovely blue shimmer of an open wormhole. It takes me back when I saw the event horizon open for the very first time. It still puts me in awe how the special effects by Mark Savela and his crew including Sonia Gilmore are able to make it appear so real!

Another part of all this that seems to never get old, is the using of the Ancient Communication Stones. One second you have you, the next you have a totally different conscience in your head, controlling your every action. The freaky thing about it is the fact that you are oblivious to it all. Freaky, but very cool!

Yet another part that had me laughing, was when the Captain of the Langerans (Darren A. Herbert) was in the body of Lt. Matthew Scott and he looked into the mirror at his reflection. The amazing camera work to pull that off is nothing but astonishing. Plus it only goes to show how awesome these actors are when doing each episode. Mr. Brian J. Smith in his portrayal of Lt. Scott in my opinion demonstrates once again that is a very talented actor and does an amazing job.

Though, in saying that, I believe they all deserve their own recognition when it comes to trying and succeeding to make the characters in Stargate Universe believable each week including a special guest star Victor Garber as the Langaran Ambassador.

I am not sure about you, but does Telford not resemble General Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) when it comes to scientists. Especially when it comes to McKay. I guess in a way, McKay makes it very hard to like, from a working with point of view. Mr. Hewlett on the other hand, seems to have a very large following. Especially on twitter.

There was a lovely moment between Eli and Ginn (Julie McNiven) as well. This was a bittersweet one, where Ginn told Eli what Dr. Amanda Perry (Mandy – Kathleen Munroe) was doing and that Rush was in a lot of danger. Typically from actually dieing. And that he had to be the one to terminate the program for them (the girls) to be able to interact with their other half’s (the guys). This was tough for Eli.

There were also a fair amount of touching moments with Rush and Mandy. Until Mandy gave a small peck on the cheek that he felt that something was “off” a bit. Not really realizing he was still inside the ship, per say, just that something felt different.

So he thought he’s put his assumptions to the test and do a little fiddling around with the computers to see if his thoughts were right. And sure enough, when he confronted Mandy, she told him that he was going to kill everyone. He knew that was not the case, and they stood there and watched the Destiny blow up.

Unfortunately, because Ginn had warned Eli of Mandy’s plan and what she was doing. Eli had no choice to do what he done. Mandy could “feel” this and she confronted Rush about what she had tried to do.

To find a way to keep him there with her. She confessed to him that she did love him, and that that was the reason for her messing around with the program. She told him she will always love him and then she was gone. Unfortunately, we are left again to witness Rush go through another mourning. First with his wife, and then with Mandy – twice.

When Rush finally wakes up in the infirmary it has been two days that he was in a coma. Again, TJ was so sympathetic with what Rush went through, as well as Eli. After all, if you think about it, it was Eli who had to severe all ties he could possible have with Ginn, just to save Rush. Of which Eli made that quite clear when Rush asked him, “what did you do?” Eli told him as much, if he did not do what needed to be done, Rush would be dead. TJ concurred with Eli, and Greer spoke up from his bed to tell Rush to listen to the good doctor. She knows what she is talking about.

I felt so bad for Eli. He lost Ginn once, then to get her back in the last episode, only for Mandy to screw it up, he had to essentially loose her again for the second time. Maybe he can figure a way to give her access and not tell anyone. Take a page out of Rush’s book for secrecy.

I shall end my review with an amazing picture of the Destiny flying through space. On her way to her predestined destination. The talents of Mr. Mark Savela and his team can not go unnoticed. Very well done.

That concludes my review. Hope you all had a great read. Feel free to comment below, click on a button to share it, or you can catch me on twitter. Be sure to venture back next week when I will have my thoughts on the episode “The Hunt” posted for all to read. Until then we include the promotional trailer for “The Hunt” below courtesy of Syfy via Hulu.

I will end this analysis with some personal thoughts I have been wanting to say for a long time. I would have thought that the ratings would have gone up a few notches with this episode, solely because we have McKay back again. But I do not think that happened. I am surprised actually, that the fandom as a whole did not support this endeavor.

Yes, I would have loved to have had another season of Stargate Atlantis. Or the very least, the third Stargate SG-1 movie and the first Stargate Atlantis one. But because of the anger by certain factions, this is the main reason why Stargate Universe was not renewed. Ratings for any given show are what counts at the end of the day and this is also what happened to Atlantis.

The only point they are showing is how their lack of support is NOT going to get them their “promised” movies. We were never promised these movies. We were told that it was a possibility. But, here’s a question, why should we be rewarded with a movie for such behavior? It’s no different if a child is misbehaving. Do you reward that behavior with what they want? Or do you say, “until you can learn to behave yourself, you’re not getting it.”

And I know that I will probably loose a nice few followers on twitter for some reason or another. And I wouldn’t be surprised if i did. Especially from certain factions in the Stargate Atlantis fan groups. Yes, they are passionate, and I love Stargate Atlantis just as much as the next person. However, being a STARGATE FAN first and foremost, I will show my support for anything that has the name Stargate in it.

And another subject about this whole thing that has my goat is the fact that the convention organizers go out of their way to give the fans awesome conventions year after year. Yet you have some (and I repeat SOME) who will buy the gold tickets to see every guest there, and then boycott the SGU stars because they figure they will “prove a point” that way too to the creators. How sad.

But what it does is piss me off even more. I would love nothing more then to be able to afford to buy a gold ticket for a Stargate convention that Creation Entertainment presents wonderfully and see ALL the Stargate stars they have confirmed to attend. But you have these “people” that would buy a ticket, only to go and see who they want and ignore the others. That to me is a waste of money. They would take away from someone who would have loved to have seen EVERY Stargate guest going to these things.

And acting like spoiled little brats too. This is my opinion mind you. If I sound like a b***h, then so be it. I am a Stargate fan through and through and I for one enjoyed the many years and countless adventures our heroes have brought to my life these past 14 years, 17 if you count the original movie that started it all.

Like I said, these are my personal thoughts. If you don’t like it, oh well. But just to let some of you that love to cause debates and arguments in open tweets, I will NOT be apart of that. If you feel the need to send me messages to try and provoke me, just so you know, I will NOT answer to it. Not that I am a coward. It is just a fact that I will not be drawn into a pointless debate.

I think that is all I have to say. In fact, I feel I have said what I needed to say. So end of story.

Thank you for stopping by WormholeRiders News Agency and reading my thoughts.

I hope you come back again soon. You can leave a comment here or you can reach me on twitter by clicking on my avatar to the right.

Till next time. XO

Karen Ford

April 10, 2011
Stargate Universe Hope; Season Two Episode 14 Critique

Hello again Stargate Fans,

Episode 14 of season 2 of Stargate Universe, entitled Hope, aired this Monday evening March 28, 2011 on SyFy, and Tuesday night March 29, 2011 for those of us in Canada who are cursed with having to wait an extra day until we get to see it on the Space Channel. Thanks for the spoilers, Twitter. Always appreciated.

Even with the spoilers the episode remained enjoyable for me I did see from the few people who post them (that I still follow who post spoilers), when Canadians have to wait an extra day, spoiler posts are a reason that may cause me to un-follow on Twitter.

Hope was another episode which took place entirely on the Destiny. An outside connection had still not been made – at least not with Earth. With everyone taking rounds manning the stones, hoping for some sort of news to do with the impending explosion of the last episode, no one expected the consciousnesses of two prior shipmates to jump into an unsuspecting Chloe, whom had fallen asleep during her shift.

I want to start off by saying Chloe Armstrong (Elyse Levesque) must be really getting used to her body being stolen or taken over by some foreign substance. Unlike the others, who switch bodies through the stones alone, Chloe always seems to be the one who gets taken by aliens and experimented on – or whatever exactly they did to her – and now by the free-floating consciousnesses of Amanda Perry (Kathleen Munroe) and Ginn (Julie McNiven) interacting with Eli Wallace (David Blue) and Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle). I bet if she ever gets a month of just being herself in her own body, she is going to have some sort of withdrawal symptoms or something.

At the same time, I admit, it was nice to see Ginn return. Eli is always so alone. Well, maybe not physically, but I always sense a bit of loneliness from him, even when he’s cracking jokes. Maybe I’m imagining it, though. He finally found love and she was taken from him, only to return now in Chloe’s body. I felt so bad for him that it was like he finally had her back, but with the constant fear of losing her again – especially with the episodes she was having as she flashed back to being strangled.

As mentioned Amanda Perry came back too, like I said. I guess I am not a huge Rush/Perry fan or anything so I was not really excited to see her. Also, I was not really surprised when suddenly she showed up halfway through in the body of Chloe while Lt. Vanessa James (Julia Benson) looked on. It is not that I was expecting her, really, I just was not shocked either. It was more like I nodded and said, “Oh, huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” All I can really say about her and Rush, I guess, is that it is nice to finally see him be happy.

I think my problem with these two is, I really have a problem with bodynapping, or whatever you would call it. It is different from body-switching, where at least both parties are allowed to live, albeit in a strange and, I imagine, awkward existence. Bodynapping always bothers me – where more than one consciousness are fighting over the body. It reminds me too much of Stephenie Meyer’s book The Host (yes, she did write something besides the Twilight series) where alien parasites come in and take over the bodies of humans.

It is not so much a struggle as a domination. Of course, yes, the Goa’uld did this too, but I was making the comparison more that in The Host the aliens were not trying to start a war or rule the galaxy, they just wanted to live on Earth and went about it in an ethically questionable way, much as I saw with this.

I do concede (and was relieved to see) that the circumstances were different in that Amanda and Ginn neither tried nor wanted to take over Chloe’s body. Thank goodness. I spent half of Hope crossing my fingers that one was not going to get comfortable and take over. I might have lost some of my faith in the series had that happened. It’s too overdone, in my opinion, so I personally thank the Stargate Universe writers for thinking better of that!

I liked how that story concluded, temporary though the resolution may be. Again, I feared that Chloe’s consciousness would be one of the two downloaded into the ship and that Amanda or Ginn (though I was leaning toward Amanda) would end up inadvertently taking over her body. So thank you again, writers, for proving me wrong.

It was interesting how they tried to explain how this may have happened – that Amanda and Ginn came to be inside of Chloe. I find it hard to believe that she was the only one to fall asleep, but I guess they must have had relatively short shifts. Either way, Rush’s explanation that her consciousness must have relaxed just enough to let another in was cool. I like that he just knows things. Everyone else is puzzling and he jumps in going, “This is probably exactly what happened,” and everyone else goes, “Oh. Okay, then.” Well, I’m paraphrasing. I just wish I had that kind of magical power where explanations I make up actually make sense and are not just random like the kiss with Eli.

I do have to wonder, though, as they did, where exactly were Amanda and Ginn for all of this time? Obviously their souls neither died nor moved on, so they must have been somewhere. But were they in limbo somewhere – just in a vast dark space between universes or realms? Or were their souls being held somewhere within the stones themselves, almost like a container? I know they were radio signals, but that really does not explain to me where exactly they were or how they got transferred from the stones. I know they were trying to figure that out too and I’m curious to find out. I hope they do not just let that one waver and die, and that they actually pursue an answer.

I have one more question. They kept saying that they wanted to find bodies to put Amanda and Ginn into, but where exactly do they plan on coming up with these bodies? Unless they have magical special powers – or the Ancients have some powerful technology that the crew learns to use – they cannot bring a dead body back to life. The consciousness is one thing, but if the body dies, it generally cannot be brought back to life. A heart does not start beating again because a consciousness has been installed. Well, unless it is a vampire or a zombie. I know this is science fiction, but I somehow do not see Stargate going that route.

The other option, I suppose, would be for them to share a body, but haven’t we learned from this episode how badly that would turn out? Yes, the Goa’uld and the Tok’ra shared bodies – moreso in the case of the Tok’ra – but they were snakes which took over the body, not just a free-floating consciousness. Even then, good luck finding a willing host.

Plus, now Eli can be with Ginn – at least in some small way. I may have audibly squee’d with the line, “Just being here, seeing you, hearing your voice. It’s enough.” Haven’t we all felt that way about someone? Loved them so much that just knowing they’re around brings us comfort. As much as a physical presence would obviously be better in many ways, who can deny that being able to talk to and see someone who was once thought to be dead – someone who meant so much – is incomparably better? I think that simple quote brought out that emotion so well, even if it is so simple. Sometimes, something simple like that is better than a big speech, and I think that was the case in this instance. I really felt it when Eli and Ginn were together and now maybe he won’t be so alone.

Now, if only they could bring Sharon onto the ship for Camile, I’d be a very, very happy girl. (Yeah, they’re my favorite couple to ship on Universe.)

The other major story which took place in this episode was Dale Volker’s (Patrick Gilmore) need for a kidney transplant. I guess this story dealt mostly with TJ’s (Alaina Huffman) growth as a doctor and her ability to use the Ancient technology.

The episode also focused on some of the characters we don’t get to see as much, mainly Volker and Adam Brody (Peter Kelamis). Those two have a great bromance, if you ask me. I think we should definitely see more of them. I know there are a lot of friendships which have formed on Destiny, but theirs is one of the least explored and I feel it could be really interesting.

At first, I was skeptical how this would work out. So many complications with the storyline. First, there’s the part that TJ is only a medic, not a surgeon. Obviously, being the only one with real medical training, she had to get over that at some point. I am actually surprised it wasn’t sooner. But there is also the problem with the fact that they seem to not have near enough medication. Two planets they need to find: the medicine planet and the clothing planet. Seriously. They need to change. I don’t want to know how much their clothes must stink by now.

I got over that quickly, though. Mostly what bothered me is that immediately everyone on the ship was tested. Okay, that makes sense, but shouldn’t they have asked for volunteers? The surgery is shaky, at best, and for real, it’s a dangerous procedure even done in a hospital. Instead they just drafted everyone and decided one of them would give up their kidney? I mean, I felt a bit better when Greer volunteered and they were asking him if he was sure and all. At least there was that, but it really bothered me before that.

Well, Greer offered, and it’s not that I’m upset he did or that I think it was the wrong decision, but I just want to point out that considering repercussions of functioning on only one kidney, it might also not be the best decision. People who donate kidneys are not supposed to undergo any overly strenuous activities – barely exerting effort on much during the recovery, but even after, there’s a lot they are not allowed to do. Greer is one of the main offensive, one of the military guys that is constantly involved in fighting the enemy.

If cheer leading is not allowed, then how exactly is he supposed to brave strange terrains of future planets, run around and fire guns? That’s dangerous all on its own, but with one kidney?! You’re practically asking for him to die!

I know, I know, it’s a television show and they can suspend reality, so perhaps that might not be a problem. It’s just that as someone who has had family members both donate and receive kidneys, I think about these things.

Now, that said, I thought it was really sweet of him to offer and to go through with it. I think it shows a lot of Greer’s character that he would be willing to do that for someone he barely seems to know, despite their close quarters on the ship. I always thought deep down he must be a softy, even if he doesn’t show it very often. Maybe he is just trying to be noble or did it because of a sense of duty, but I think it was much more than that. He genuinely wanted to help.

While I am on that topic, how sweet was the scene in the greenhouse (or arboretum or whatever it is called)? Totally sweet, right? I’m a sucker for friendship and bonding. I loved the look on Greer’s face as he looked up at the stars. He was so content. It made me think of a child looking at him. It was nice for him to bond with Volker a bit – especially since now they’ll be bonded forever like Amanda and Rush.

Who else found it hilarious when Brody started playing music before the surgery? Not just that it was the most inappropriate song for the moment, even if it was with good intent, but also just that it was such a strange thing to do.

Like I said before, though, I love Brody and Volker’s friendship. I’m so glad he was there to support his friend through it. Those two are always together so it’s only right that he was there. In fact, I thought for a long time it would be Brody who was going to give up his kidney. I hope before the series ends, we get to see more of them.

Of course, in the end, they finally made contact with Earth to find out the bomb had been diffused. I was mostly just hoping this meant that Camile would go visit Sharon soon… I actually really like these episodes which focus on just relationships on the ship. I thought overall it was really well done. I am excited to see where this addition of Amanda and Ginn into the ship’s systems will take the Destiny crew and how it affects Eli!

I trust you have enjoyed this review of Stargate Universe. As always thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We appreciate your taking your time to visit our news sites.

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Regards,

ValaBlack (Steph)

April 4, 2011

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