(no subject)

[merelyn]

I put this up at sga_noticeboard, but there were spoilery comments for "Trinity" on it, and the post got accidentally deleted instead of the comments (and actually, I don't think you're supposed to have discussions on there anyway, oops, just links). Anyway, I was asked to repost it, and decided to put it up here and link to it.

I have a random question about "Condemned":



Okay, so after I watch the episode on Friday, I was talking to my sister about it, and both of us were kind of confused as to what was going on with Rodney fixing the Puddle Jumper. I re-watched it, and I'm still confused. The different reviews I've read seem to say to different things about it as well.

Was he bluffing about not being able to fix it? If so, what for? The jumper was pretty much a sunk cost, and powering up the gate for the convicts wouldn't have been that bad; it certainly wasn't presented as such in the episode.

Did he know how to fix it but didn't realize it consciously, and somehow Eldon and John picked up on it better than Rodney himself?

Or is it a case of everyone assuming that Rodney could fix it, and him honestly not being able to (which you know, is technically true, because he *couldn't* get the thing the fly). Was Torrell's comment about Rodney waiting to fix it at the last minute in order to make himself out to be a bigger hero completely off the mark or not? (Considering that Torrell nailed him pretty well otherwise?)

What do you think?

Comments

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

His ego said it could be done and he insisted it could and then it failed big time.

I agree. Because even with the "I'm an extremely arrogant man who tends to think all his plans will work!" line from Storm/Eye (right? I think?), with most of Rodney's plans he acknowledges the odds. Like I said below in my reply to sivib's comment, there's always his pessimism there to balance out his ego. Normally he's the one going on about how screwed they are, what a long shot the crazy plan is, while everyone else assumes that he can do it and that it will work in the end. And up until now they've been right.

And yes, one thing I love is the teamwork aspect of the show. Even though it's easy to think that Rodney is always the one coming up with the ideas and fixing everything, if you think about it, that's never exactly the case. And Rodney has been generally good (as much as he can be) at playing with others up til this point.

What I can see possibly happening is him having some idea and completely ignoring everyone who says that he's wrong. And while generally Elizabeth and John and Rodney are able to get through to Rodney when he's going in the wrong direction (like "Duet", for instance), maybe this time they won't be able to, and when it all goes to hell Rodney will learn that he can't do it alone and that other people are sometimes right.

McKay has screwed up before- like in "Childhood's End" when he breaks the ZPM thing (again, crap writing more than anything probably there), and in "Brotherhood" where he's the reason why Alina takes the ZPM at the end. But maybe this time there's no last-minute Hail Mary plan to save them. Maybe Rodney's going to end up with something on par with "I woke up the Wraith" guilt complex that John's got. *huggles John*

And as for everyone turning on him, you're right, poor Rodney has been through a lot of crap and has definitely grown a lot in adversity. And while I hope the writers don't have *everyone* turn on him, there would be no better way to do bring his character down. Personally, I would actuall enjoy the angsty drama that would result from that. Very much. (Angst-whore!!!) Which is why I'm actually kinda sorta looking forward to this episode.

Again, all speculation on my part. We'll see.