No Arrests Were Made
Sep. 18th, 2006 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
itsallovernowSo, I've so far avoided doing time in either Mexican jails or Turkish prisons. Whoo Hoo. Actually, since I my mind-altering substances that you can't buy at Rite-Aid days are behind me, the odds were low. But one can never be too careful.
Cabo San Lucas was beautiful, and just a little too "Spring Break for Grownups old enough to know better" for me. I came home with a new orange bikini, a wicked sunburn, two pieces of sunflower pottery, a shell necklace, and a serious need to detox.
The water was beautiful, and I could convince myself for 10 minute stretches at a time that no sharks were going to come eat me in the Sea of Cortez. Tequila, Dos Equis, and gin and tonic are all incredibly helpful in keep the shark fear at bay. Not so good on the potential drowning front, but you know, it's all about balance.
The vendors - time shares, junk, jewelry, pot, bodyguards, pottery, cocaine, tours - were annoying as all get out. My Spanish (my non-existant Spanish) sounded incredibly confident considering I don't actually speak Spanish and just defaulted to Italian 75% of the time. It didn't seem to bother anyone.
We went horseback riding along the beach at sunset. This alone was worth the trip. I did not exactly come home refreshed - I in fact came home more panicked about money and work and life than when I left - but I did come home having known that I gave my all to the vacation. That I ended it with an Ayeurvedic massage and a lovely lunch on the beach.
Fall is my reassess time, and I'm all in reasses mode (when the monster panic of debt recedes enough for me to breathe). If I go home, this should be the year to do it. Agewise, careerwise, all of that tells me that if I'm going to pack up and leave, and leave behind my dreams for this city (which is far more fanciful in text than in reality. My dreams for LA involve a tiny house in a decent neighborhood, and unless I meet a sugardaddy or sell something worth more than I am, that won't ever happen). But if I do this thing, if I go home and deal with my dad's reality, and the things that being closer to my family could offer, I should do it soon.
I, in some ways, know what this might mean. In other ways, I don't know how to envision it. The life I've lead as an adult, as someone not a student, has all been here. I think I only know how to be an adult in Los Angeles. I don't quite know how to change that.
When I came home, there was also new SG-1 to watch.
Okay, the pacing was a little wonky on this one, but as usual, in it for the pretty (although it kind of makes me wish I'd paid more attention to the eps this one was referencing, because I'm not real sure how the Lucian Alliance finds it's ass with both hands).
Still, clever bad guys, if, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cofax7 says, totally pulling their schtick out of the "Evil Alien Overlord Handbook."
So, things I liked:
Vala. This has become a given. But I particularly liked that they let her show her skills, the one's unique to her, the one's that demonstrate how she's survived, and that no one totally thought it was a good idea, but they let her go ship hunting anyway. That she came back with a beater ship made it even better. I yelled at the screen - "Dudes, you're driving the plasticghetto car of space ships." I bet that ship's also got a missing left turn signal and no front license plate. I also loved how blase she was about kicking as a legitimate repair method (and that it cycled back, at the end, her technical skills. That she does know what she's doing, even if - like Cam - she's making a hell of a lot of it up as she goes).
Mostly I love her interacting with anyone:) Her conversation with Mitchell about going to meet her contact, the warm little jibe at Daniel (who is terrible!! Terrible! at undercover. He's even worse than Mitchell who's no great shakes either). I liked her interaction with her source, and knew they were going to get betrayed, but I also liked that they all thought it could be a trap regardless.
(And here, I must break quickly and ask how it is exactly that they are stealing my own somewhat random hairstyles for Vala's hair:) They are quite adorable on her, far more adorable on her than on me, but it still makes me giggle:) This is truthfully only applicable to anyone who's actually met me and seen what Kath calls the Bjork goes to LA hair.)
Sam. Alright. I like Sam. I think she's smart, competent, confident, skilled and a totally crappy leader. I don't have a problem with this. She's a good soldier, but that doesn't make her a good leader. (On a meta level, yes, I wish she were better at it, at not giving in. And part of it is sloppy writing. They don't have to keep putting her in that position, but if they put her in a do it or die position and she's killed, that's a hole they can't dig themselves out of). But she's smart, and she gets them out of ths situation and gah, I felt so bad for her, and for Emerson, because that was brutal.
Cam infiltrating the Alliance. Blah, blah, blah. Dorky outfit. Not a terrible idea, but they did nothing interesting with it. Although it got Cam/Teal'c bonding, and Teal'c beating the shit out of his torturer and them being smart at the end, so I have no real issues.
This is a show where, now that I've decided to invest in it, I don't exactly want them to take the innovative road. Only because I doubt they can do it well. I'm mildly happy with the path of least resistance.
I loved Daniel and Vala and the beaming stuff. Because she really is that clever, and she really is that capable of talking herself into something she can't quite pull off. And they were adorable, and Daniel is a terrible captain. Even as just someone sitting in the chair.
And gah, so, so loved Mitchell at the end all excited to tell Vala how clever(snort) he'd been, because she really is the only one who'd be proud and excited about him expanding his horizons:)
So, sort of a meh episode with a lot of potential, but one I enjoyed none the less. Because space plether. Really. I am that easy.
Cabo San Lucas was beautiful, and just a little too "Spring Break for Grownups old enough to know better" for me. I came home with a new orange bikini, a wicked sunburn, two pieces of sunflower pottery, a shell necklace, and a serious need to detox.
The water was beautiful, and I could convince myself for 10 minute stretches at a time that no sharks were going to come eat me in the Sea of Cortez. Tequila, Dos Equis, and gin and tonic are all incredibly helpful in keep the shark fear at bay. Not so good on the potential drowning front, but you know, it's all about balance.
The vendors - time shares, junk, jewelry, pot, bodyguards, pottery, cocaine, tours - were annoying as all get out. My Spanish (my non-existant Spanish) sounded incredibly confident considering I don't actually speak Spanish and just defaulted to Italian 75% of the time. It didn't seem to bother anyone.
We went horseback riding along the beach at sunset. This alone was worth the trip. I did not exactly come home refreshed - I in fact came home more panicked about money and work and life than when I left - but I did come home having known that I gave my all to the vacation. That I ended it with an Ayeurvedic massage and a lovely lunch on the beach.
Fall is my reassess time, and I'm all in reasses mode (when the monster panic of debt recedes enough for me to breathe). If I go home, this should be the year to do it. Agewise, careerwise, all of that tells me that if I'm going to pack up and leave, and leave behind my dreams for this city (which is far more fanciful in text than in reality. My dreams for LA involve a tiny house in a decent neighborhood, and unless I meet a sugardaddy or sell something worth more than I am, that won't ever happen). But if I do this thing, if I go home and deal with my dad's reality, and the things that being closer to my family could offer, I should do it soon.
I, in some ways, know what this might mean. In other ways, I don't know how to envision it. The life I've lead as an adult, as someone not a student, has all been here. I think I only know how to be an adult in Los Angeles. I don't quite know how to change that.
When I came home, there was also new SG-1 to watch.
Okay, the pacing was a little wonky on this one, but as usual, in it for the pretty (although it kind of makes me wish I'd paid more attention to the eps this one was referencing, because I'm not real sure how the Lucian Alliance finds it's ass with both hands).
Still, clever bad guys, if, as
cofax7 says, totally pulling their schtick out of the "Evil Alien Overlord Handbook."So, things I liked:
Vala. This has become a given. But I particularly liked that they let her show her skills, the one's unique to her, the one's that demonstrate how she's survived, and that no one totally thought it was a good idea, but they let her go ship hunting anyway. That she came back with a beater ship made it even better. I yelled at the screen - "Dudes, you're driving the plasticghetto car of space ships." I bet that ship's also got a missing left turn signal and no front license plate. I also loved how blase she was about kicking as a legitimate repair method (and that it cycled back, at the end, her technical skills. That she does know what she's doing, even if - like Cam - she's making a hell of a lot of it up as she goes).
Mostly I love her interacting with anyone:) Her conversation with Mitchell about going to meet her contact, the warm little jibe at Daniel (who is terrible!! Terrible! at undercover. He's even worse than Mitchell who's no great shakes either). I liked her interaction with her source, and knew they were going to get betrayed, but I also liked that they all thought it could be a trap regardless.
(And here, I must break quickly and ask how it is exactly that they are stealing my own somewhat random hairstyles for Vala's hair:) They are quite adorable on her, far more adorable on her than on me, but it still makes me giggle:) This is truthfully only applicable to anyone who's actually met me and seen what Kath calls the Bjork goes to LA hair.)
Sam. Alright. I like Sam. I think she's smart, competent, confident, skilled and a totally crappy leader. I don't have a problem with this. She's a good soldier, but that doesn't make her a good leader. (On a meta level, yes, I wish she were better at it, at not giving in. And part of it is sloppy writing. They don't have to keep putting her in that position, but if they put her in a do it or die position and she's killed, that's a hole they can't dig themselves out of). But she's smart, and she gets them out of ths situation and gah, I felt so bad for her, and for Emerson, because that was brutal.
Cam infiltrating the Alliance. Blah, blah, blah. Dorky outfit. Not a terrible idea, but they did nothing interesting with it. Although it got Cam/Teal'c bonding, and Teal'c beating the shit out of his torturer and them being smart at the end, so I have no real issues.
This is a show where, now that I've decided to invest in it, I don't exactly want them to take the innovative road. Only because I doubt they can do it well. I'm mildly happy with the path of least resistance.
I loved Daniel and Vala and the beaming stuff. Because she really is that clever, and she really is that capable of talking herself into something she can't quite pull off. And they were adorable, and Daniel is a terrible captain. Even as just someone sitting in the chair.
And gah, so, so loved Mitchell at the end all excited to tell Vala how clever(snort) he'd been, because she really is the only one who'd be proud and excited about him expanding his horizons:)
So, sort of a meh episode with a lot of potential, but one I enjoyed none the less. Because space plether. Really. I am that easy.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
On place and being an adult
Date: 2006-09-18 09:02 pm (UTC)This is something I wonder at often, myself. If we can be "grownups" (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean) in particular places. being in this town, in this place, has always been an issue for me. It has strongly atavistic tendency. Because my parents are here, because the town is one that has always done wierd things to me socially. Just because.
And you know what? It's been a REAL struggle, but I think I am getting there, in many ways. Some days I wonder if I can really BE the grownup I think I am, living where I am, but you know what? Screw it. I'm happy. It's not always easy, but for me, it is worth it.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 09:13 pm (UTC)My favourite part of the episode really. *pats him*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 09:46 pm (UTC)as for sg1, vala really was fine. and funny with daniel....it made sense to me that she'd beam that guy out, and that they'd have no qualms about it. fits with layers of their charcters from the get-go. also....not-captain daniel...heh, funny and cameron's response to finding him in the chair was perfect. yup, not a captain. and then there was the leather. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 10:00 pm (UTC)This has become a given. But I particularly liked that they let her show her skills, the one's unique to her, the one's that demonstrate how she's survived, and that no one totally thought it was a good idea, but they let her go ship hunting anyway. That she came back with a beater ship made it even better.
That part was great, because they do actually trust her to come through for them, but she does it in her own way, and more than a little chaos is involved. Sam has a deeply technical approach to solving problems; Vala is capable but operates on a much more instinctual level. I loved seeing them work together.
I think you're right to cheer for the more interesting paths not taken with the show; it's actually pretty good at doing what it does, which is telling a straightforward story based on familiar narrative themes. I'm not at all confident of the writers' ability to take risks successfully.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-18 10:38 pm (UTC)And yeah, I'd rather kind of enjoy the end of the run of this show and not worry that the writer's are going to try something they're not quite capable of. They only seem confident in taking certain kind of risks - and mostly that seems to work out do to the audience's general good will and the comraderie of the actors.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 01:00 am (UTC)And I'm totally with you on the fantasticness of Vala, and the adorableness of Vala and Daniel together, and how wonderful that bit was with Mitchell wanting to tell Vala about his awesome plan. (I loved her Bjork goes to LA hairstyle. Whee!)