On the other hand...her message to Simon? Had me rolling on the floor laughing. lol The woman didn't have the guts to tell her boyfriend face to face that she was leaving - but she somehow believes he's still waiting for her??? And he needs her message to stop waiting and to start living his own life? rofl

Maybe she needed it to say for herself and not for him. What amused me more about this message was that she couldn't tell Simon about the things that were going on in Atlantis. He already knows about Atlantis and where it is. That didn't make sense to me.

As far as clip shows go, this one was one of the better imo.

I try my best! *g*

Teyla on the other hand jeopardised the job and them by promising those people to come back to save them without talking to Sheppard first.

I really hope Shep never takes her with him again. I mean that blackmailing him into staying thing was really a sign that she's not up to any kind military duty.

What if there had been too many people for the small jumper? Who would have made the decision who has to stay back?

Yes, I was wondering about that, too.
And well, considering they all think/pretend for plot reasons that they're going to die in two weeks, because the Wraith are coming... what's the point of "saving" them anyway? *g*

As much as I would have looooved to hear/see that, but he couldn't actually say he's got the hots for his commanding military officer. *G*

LOL!

and let himself be blackmailed.

As I said: He should have just left her there.

I kept on wondering if this was Fanon turning into Canon because I don't remember Kavanaugh being that "bad" in earlier episodes, only in fan fiction.

Frankly, I didn't see him as being "bad" in this episode. If they were still in the SGC, he'd request half an hour with Jack and would present him with his concerns. Since that isn't possible, he took the only way still open to him. I found him quite brave (or stupid) since he must have known that dear Ford would soon spill the whole story to his friends and colleagues. I'd love to write a story in which Kavanaugh eats lunch in the mess hall the next day and is accosted by Bates, Ford and a bunch of other semi-intelligent thugs who want to "rough him up" for "snitching" on his betters.

What I hated was how they made fun of the Geneva Convention through Kavanaugh. Yeah, that crazy no-torture rule! ha ha!

That was too subtle for me. *g*
I just moaned again: "What is it you idiots have with the Geneva convention?! That rule only applies if both parties signed it, for God's sake!" (And the Wraith never have, of course. Which means it doesn't apply. Which means torturing Wraith is legal, if morally reprehensible. But then, after Iraq, who wonders about anything the US military does?)

>> Sheppard wouldn't recognize empathy if it came and bit him on the ass,

hm. The problem is: It's not his job to be empathetic. His job was to go and see what the Wraith are doing, then come back and give his report to save Atlantis. And as he said: "If there is time" he can try to come back and save someone. And that's what he did.

I didn't mean it in that context. I meant how could he have his head so far up his ass as to leave the Puddlejumper to take a look at that beam of light and not know that Teyla would leave immediately to try to save as many of the locals as possible? Has he no idea about his own teammates' feelings and reactions?

Plus, how could he leave the 'jumper at all, with him being the only one of the two of them to a) have the gene, and b) therefore be able to fly the 'jumper? What if he'd been killed? Then their job would have been a bust, and Atlantis would have never known about the extent of the Wraith invasion.

Sheppard is always thoughtless in the extreme. Frankly, he's unsuited for the position of military leader of the Atlantis expedition. He never bloody well thinks.

Teyla on the other hand jeopardised the job and them by promising those people to come back to save them without talking to Sheppard first.

I know. She didn't see the big picture. And Sheppard's attempts to explain it to her were not very detailed.

More than that. That friend and his family of course told other people there was someone to come to save them and in the end Sheppard and Teyla were "lucky" that so many of those people were taken by the Wraith in the last moment. What if there had been too many people for the small jumper? Who would have made the decision who has to stay back? Teyla?

That's what I kept waiting for in the end. For some kind of lottery to determine who'd have to stay back. I was surprised to see the 'jumper was still able to fly with 10-15 people on board.

Well, since she didn't have the gene, she couldn't fly the jumper into the combat zone, so I don't see it as a problem that he just left her there. Of course she could have tried saving more people and behaving stupid (and she did just that)...but honestly: It's not John's job to watch over every idiot member of his team all the time as if they are little children.
Yes, 50% of them are stupid. But sometimes he just has to do his job.

... which should (given that he's a Major) include some interpersonal skills and reading of others' motives and intentions.

I totally got why he was trying to check out the weapon: He had to know what it was so they knew what they were up
against. He did ask Teyla first if she ever saw something like that and she didn't. So his only chance to find out - and give them a chance to prepare - was to go and have a closer look. Granted, in the end he didn't seem to be able to figure out what that other weapon was, but he had to at least try.

Admittedly, finding out more about the weaon would have been important. Still, leaving Teyla behind sitting duck... but then, that's something I rather blame on the whole Atlantis crew. I think it's more than time to discover a way for
non-ATA-gene-having person to handle Ancient equipment (a job for Rodney's scientists), and for other ATA-having persons to be taught how to fly the 'Jumpers (a job for John and the other pilots).

Actually, imo he is thinking all the time, and more than anybody else...maybe except for McKay. I don't believe I have ever seen him behaving stupid or rash. He just does what he has to do. He is making decisions, even if they are hard to make. And he's doing it smart.

I guess we'll simply have to agree to disagree on that. :-)

>> And Sheppard's attempts to explain it to her were not very detailed.

But what was there to explain?
She's supposed to be the Leader of her People, so she's supposed to be smart. She knew what was going on. She knew what they were there to do. She knew there might not be enough space on the ship for everybody. I don't get what he was supposed to tell her that would have made her behave less stupid. As I said before: Now and again, Sheppard just has to do his job. He can't watch over everybody all the time.

He is - at least theoretically - her superior officer. Therefore, she's his responsibility. If she screws up, of course it's her fault. But it's also his, since he is responsible for her, and so for her actions.

And frankly, I don't see the problem. I understand that he wouldn't have wanted to remain on the planet any longer than
absolutely necessary so as to bring news to Atlantis about the Wraith fleet as soon as possible, but since he was preoccupied with something else at the moment, why shouldn't Teyla make a humanitarian call? I do blame her for not considering that the space in the 'Jumper was limited (how would everyone have reacted if they'd had to decide who to kick out into the night and among the attacking Wraith?!), but as for the rest... she did weight the pros and cons (I hope!), and saved others without unduly endangering the 'Jumper or the mission.

The whole episode again showed me why everybody sucks but Sheppard and McKay.

I didn't see it like that. Rodney's job in that episode was demoted to comic relief, and Sheppard's to "poster-boy-for-heroics-amid-tragedy". Duh.

>> Besides, why bring up his still "burning torch" for Sam Carter when he's so obiviously smitten with a not-blond?

As much as I would have looooved to hear/see that, but he couldn't actually say he's got the hots for his commanding military officer. *G*

I know. *sigh*
Still, it would have been a nice fantasy... :-)

>> On the other hand, Elizabeth and her primary concern for the surviving relatives of her people reminded me once again why I liked the character.

Actually, it was her job to do that. She could either write a letter to the families or she could do the video or maybe both. She did the video... I didn't really think it was a big deal. It was what every commanding officer is supposed to do in a situation like that.

But she never stuttered, although she can't have had any experience so far in that respect of her new job. She never said "I can't do that!" or hesitated. And I liked the words she found, and the brave face she showed, and how she tried to give details of the victims' lives in Atlantis despite the fact that the whole expedition is classified, and the dead crew members' families will never know the whole truth surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.

On the other hand...her message to Simon? Had me rolling on the floor laughing. lol The woman didn't have the guts to tell her boyfriend face to face that she was leaving - but she somehow believes he's still waiting for her??? And he needs her message to stop waiting and to start living his own life? rofl

She came across like a Janeway clone, didn't she? Poor Nareem. I hope he's married when she comes back to Earth.

Okay, once again I'm the only one fighting for a cause, but I like Weir. Not all of her actions in all episodes, but I do like the character she's supposed to be, and what she stands for.

And I liked her in "Letter from Pegsus". Hmpf.

Well, what about we both agree we want Ronan Keating... ahem, Ezri Dax..., ahem, that new character to die? Even without having seen him? SG:A so does not need another male character; there are already too many that distract us faithful accolytes from the beauty that is McKay/Sheppard.

*eg*

Kavanaugh:

I don't know... I really hope he runs amok and kills Weir ; )

I hope he saves them all in the end. And kicks Rodney's ass (intellectually-wise).

I like Rodney. But I also like underdogs, and that's what Kavanaugh is rapidly becoming, whereas Rodney's quickly rising on the "cool" ladder.

I wouldn't have want to get a message like that from somebody who has such a crazy fanatical look in her eyes. *shudder*
And how is it, you always *love* those characters I hate? *g*

I think Elizabeth was aiming for "brave", not "crazy", but who knows? *eg*

It's my controversial nature. I like standing up for lost causes. ;-)