posted
I've been at a conference this past week and so am behind on the various Gate reviews. However, I just wanted to start the "Sunday" thread as it deals with the fate of a lead character...
...Namely the untimely, unexpected, and dare I say "Yar-esque" death of Doctor Carson Beckett. We may never know the real reason the chracter was killed in this episode: some say that actor Paul McGillion wanted off to do other things; some say the producers wanted to replace him with someone female and cuter (which they're doing); some say that it's a big conspiracy to let the actor do the comedy series David Hewlitt is writing for Sci-Fi. Whatever the reason, the show has killed off one of its more popular and interesting characters, and a LOT of fans are angry.
Still, the way they decided to kill Carson had a lot of poetry in it, and was exceptionally well-written. On first viewing, it's easy to think that his death came out of nowhere and that it had no meaning. However, looking a lottle deeper into it finds that the episode is actually ALL about him, just not in the straight plot sense - though his desire to get SOMEONE to go fishing with him ran through all the other stories. He was in every segment and interacted with every character. In a sense, he got to say goodbye to everyone, which is more than you can say for some other characters on this show.
And he did die after all being a doctor. He didn't save the world, he didn't even save a major character - it was a hapless one-shot who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not as glamorous a death as we were hoping for, but a fitting one for the kind of guy Carson was.
And the final scene with Carson's "ghost" and Rodney? Could go in many ways. It's most likely McKay's imagination again, but he's never been prone to talking with dead people like this. Could Carson have ascended or BEEN ascended? Possible, though unlikely in the grand scheme o things. He also left a body behind. OTOH, McKay, ever the rational thinker, may have been joking about maybe seeing Carson again in the really big universe.
And the mysterious part is that the actor's been maintaining that the writers "listen to the fans" with respect to his character. What does this mean? The fandom has been overwhelmingly against his demise. Why not simply reassign the character or give him a story-based excuse fr him not to be around? Is there a plan to ultimately return Doctor Beckett to the show? Will Jewel Staite's appointment as the new medical officer for the Expedition be part of a bigger arc?
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It was defiantly a better "killing off" episode than most sci-fi characters get. Some of the recent deaths on Galactica leaps to mind, as does a few of the Star Trek kill-offs.
Having said that of course, Stargate has a better track record than most. It is a little ironic the other two main character deaths that had meaning were also Doctors - Janet Fraiser and of course Daniel, though I think his has been negated by the fact he's still alive.
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Daniel is presumed dead more often than the other team members. So much so, that they didn't once even mention he was missing in "Line in the Sand" last week - but that's another thread.
quote:Originally posted by Mark Nguyen: So much so, that they didn't once even mention he was missing in "Line in the Sand" last week - but that's another thread.
Yes they did! Mitchell said to Carter something along the lines of "we've already lost Jackson, I'm not loosing you too" when she tried to convince him to get out of there.
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
I stand corrected. Still, I was hoping for a little more aftermath than opening the episode with everyone all smiles and happiness from testing out the spiffy new anti-spyware thing.
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Wait, did I miss something? I didn't know Stargate resumed the season.
-------------------- I'm slightly annoyed at Hobbes' rather rude decision to be much more attractive than me though. That's just rude. - PsyLiam, Oct 27, 2005.
Registered: May 1999
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quote:And when Beckett vanished, he wasn't even MENTIONED the next week
To be fair, SGA had been skipping around several weeks even within episodes- the following ep may have been a month later...or it could be that Carson's death is still a raw subject for them.
Bringing in Kaylee to replace Carson is kinda crappy IMHO- I'd much rather see that hot blonde doctor (the one with the migrane from this episode) take up the position (or at least see her decline it) instead of them saying that Kaylee had been there prior to Carson's death and felt she could not fill his shoes- it's like she's supposed to be that other character.
I dont think Carson is ascended or any of that tripe- I just think Rodney was hurting and had that conversation as a means to cope- he probably went waaaay out to that pier edge to weep in private.
Yeah, I'm pulling an Andrew and ressurecting this old thread since I've finally seen the episode on DVD- souix me, baby!
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
Member # 1689
posted
lol I was confused when I saw this bump up...
Registered: Jul 2005
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![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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