Well I said I might come up with a little something for the holidays and while this small edition of The Gatecast doesn’t include the review I had intended to do (Big Finish Audio Story) it does have the review for a Stargate SG1 novel. Sometime in 2012 I would like to do an indepth review of some of the audio books out there for the franchise assuming funds and time allow it because I think along with the novels they are all we’ll have for years to come. So we present a review of Ashley McConnell’s Stargate SG1 novelisation and the favourite episode entries to the 100th ep competition we had earlier this year.
Birthday greetings on the 22nd to Jay Brazeau who played the unforgettable Harlan in “Tinman” and “Double Jeopardy” in Stargate SG1 also the Lord Protector in the Atlantis episode “The Tower”.
At the Antarctica facility a discovery is made in the ice near the location where the gate and DHD were found. A body is revealed embedded in ice which is close to 50million years old, the surprising bit is that there are signs of life and who would has been around that long ago and surrounded by technology that is linked to the gate system?
SG1 arrive at the base after all who else but our heroes could handle a pure science mission, yeah I know it really doesn’t make sense at the point, after the woman is revived and her heritage identified then yes it makes more sense to have SG1 on hand. That said I love this style of episode even more so when it’s in an icy wasteland, The Thing and ICE (X-Files) all exploited the huge scale yet paralysing confinement at the top and bottom of the world, oh lets not forget that episode of House either:)
Are we there yet?
Things start to go wrong when SG1 and the scientists fall ill, no co-incidence I guess and as we know the Ancients had to deal with a plague on Earth and this could be it and now the clock is ticking and not everyone can be saved.
Doesn’t say a lot but speaks volumes.
Praise must be given to Ona Grauer who played Ayiana and if you watch some of the behind the scenes extras on the DVD you see how she had to put up with the body moulded plastic required to put her into the ice cube rather than a dummy. It really does pay off in the episode, no question Ayiana is real and in the ice and you do get the feeling she is helpless when lifted from the ice. Shooting on the same stage as the season 1 episode “Solitudes” extra ice-conditioning is fitted to shoot in -2 degree temperatures which allows the cast to work in warm gear and not cook, it all adds to the atmosphere of the episode.
Happy Birthday to Michael Shanks, we watched the actor and his character grow for well over a decade and branch out into other genres and productions. Guest roles on Sanctuary, Andromeda, Smallville, Burn Notice plus many a scifi/fantasy feature sealed Michaels place in our part of the world.
Daniel (of the Dan&Gina podcast) a long time listener and guest host of our show found these absolutely brilliant Stargate figures in a local junk shop. Not only was I surprised the movie actually had a toy line but good ol’ Kawalsky got himself immortalised in plastic:)
A Goauld Hatak appears in the solar system but makes no move to attack the Earth. Jacob along with SG1 and Major Davis investigate and find the ship deserted with no signs of battle damage except for one sealed doorway. Whilst exploring they come across a nasty surprise and then everything falls apart and they end up on the ocean floor slowly but surely flooding and the clock is ticking as the ship is set to self destruct. So much for Jack slapping a US flag on the hull and flying it to Area 51.
Death from above.
Descent continues a number of plot points from the season opener in terms of Anubis and Thor it also builds upon the baby steps Jonas is having to take to be accepted as part of SG1 mainly it has to be said from Jack. As we’ve seen already the production side of the show continues to set an amazing standard with some excellent CGI and real water/submersion tank work with the actors. This also adds to the feel and texture of the episode and worth every penny it cost especially when you watch some of the behind the scenes coverage of the shooting of the water scenes.
Christopher is a brilliant actor, he plays the role his chooses with such style and presence it’s hard to imagine anyone doing as good a job and lets not forget a lot of time he is under extensive prosthetics.
Anubis has made his intentions known to the SGC and they are desperately looking for options to defeat the use of his energy based wormhole weapon, meanwhile Tealc and company are engaging the enemy on his own soil not knowing if it’s already too late to save the SGC and their friends.
The conclusion to the season opener two parter is every bit as good as the first, expansive lineup of guest actors, excellent CGI and lots and lots of action. We see Teal’c, Bra’tac and young Rya’c showing us what special forces Jaffa are truly capable of which makes you wonder once again if the arrogance of the generic system lord blinds them to what a powerful and precise weapon they had. Too many times we’ve seen old style line ’em up and rush the enemy tactics employed which with throw away troops is maybe not too much of an issue but when you see these three kicking ass then run for the hills.
Yes we always need grenades.
What is also evident once again is that Anubis himself seems to set a standard for his Jackal tattooed Jaffa which is much higher than that of other System Lords, his men seem more intelligent and capable but of course for purposes of the show our heroes have to keep surviving but we can get them into some dire straits at times:)
The natives are not friendly!
Once again it was great to see the early days of the Rodney McKay we came to know and love, his interactions with authority and the few people who were his peers ( he may refuse to admit that) is always fun to watch and of course this is where Jonas finally gets his chance.
Next week we’ll be watching and discussing episode 3 of the season “Descent”.
Well I said I might come up with a little something for the holidays and while this small edition of The Gatecast doesn’t include the review I had intended to do (Big Finish Audio Story) it does have the review for a Stargate SG1 novel. Sometime in 2012 I would like to do an indepth review of some of the audio books out there for the franchise assuming funds and time allow it because I think along with the novels they are all we’ll have for years to come. So we present a review of Ashley McConnell’s Stargate SG1 novelisation and the favourite episode entries to the 100th ep competition we had earlier this year.
