...

[from_the_corner]

I've watched "Trinity", with Martin Wood and Damian Kindler commentary, for the first time. And I kinda have problem with what they (well, mostly Damian) said.

Because, basically, for them this episode was about  taking McKay down a peg. Deliberately.  To show that he makes mistakes not  because he's human, but because of his ego.
I'm not even  gonna go in the direction "you made him like this".  No.
I'm just trying to understand, why.
I used to think, that whatever glimpses of Rodney we had in SG-1, those weren't good for a reason. He wasn't suppose to be a recurring character, not to mention a main one. But TPTB made him big, and supposedly "polished" him a bit. Be it because "48 hours" Rodney would be unbearable or they just wanted to show that circumstances can change a person drastically. The latter - that's how I saw it.  Apparently I was wrong. Apparently McKay is (or was at the time of "Trinity"), still the same little man, seeking just his personal triumphs, and all else be damned.
And this whole "trust" issue, and Rodney actually using John to get to Elizabeth...  ( yeah, apparently he did use John...), proving that he would say/do anything to get what he wanted? And again all else be damned?  WTF?

(On the side  note of "trust" - nothing tells me that they (Elizabeth in particular) trusted Rodney, even before "Trinity". It's especially clear whenever Radek is involved in the scene. Every time Rodney presents a plan, every god damned time, she turns to Zelenka, looking for confirmation. Like Rodney is just a spokesperson, and she has to check if he said, what he was supposed to say.
I'm sorry, but this is not the way one treat their CSO.)

I just can't understand, why one day they can make Rodney all heroic and self-sacrificing (and it doesn't matter if it's reluctant or with whining) and the next claiming he's still the biggest egomaniac in two galaxies, deserving to be punished for his behavior.

I'm a Rodney fan. He's my  absolute favorite and this probably clouds my judgment a lot.
So, I need someone to say,  that I'm paranoid and reading too much between the lines. Or that I should go and exercise my English more, so I could better understand what Martin and Damian were actually saying.

Because there's no way I understood them right. They can't deliberately keeping Rodney in a state of total selfishness (so to speak), can they?
And yes, I know that it's been two years since this commentary. But this one makes me reluctant to listen to others, especially for more character oriented episodes. Because right now I have a feeling, that they are filming a show, that is totally different from what I'm watching.

Although, in all truth, I'll probably keep interpreting things my way.

Comments

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I'm a little late here, but I thought I'd stick my two cents in anyway. *g* This is from someone who watches SGA because of SG-1, so I'm not particularly fannish about it beyond occasional squee. I'm not involved in the SGA fandom, so I mostly only know what my Rodney-loving, SG-1-fan friends thought about this episode. *g*

That commentary makes no sense to me.

This is the way I saw that episode:

It's Rodney's job to see possibilities and to push for what he thinks is right, but ultimately it was Elizabeth's responsibility to make that call and she is responsible for the outcome. Militarily, Caldwell also made the call and he is just as responsible. That is the way it works in the military.

John, too, promised both Elizabeth, Caldwell, and Rodney that he would pull Rodney back from the brink if it looked like things weren't going well. John made a promise, possibly out of friendship and affection, that he could not keep, because he wasn't entirely qualified to judge the situation. That was his own responsibility, though.

I never understood why everyone blamed Rodney at the end of the episode or acted like he had to regain the trust of those around him, or why Elizbeth felt justified in screaming at him in front of the entire base. I can remember being somewhat flabbergasted by it, because Rodney was not in charge. They were. They made the decision that allowed this to happen. It really pissed me off that they were laying the blame at Rodney's feet and taking none of it for themselves. It wasn't like Rodney went rogue and did this completely on his own.

What bugs me about SGA is that they give Rodney all this character growth, and then constantly try to snatch it back and pretend he didn't have that growth.

Although, in all truth, I'll probably keep interpreting things my way.

Me too. I felt this same way about SG-1--that they were not filming or writing for the same show and characters that I knew. *g*

[from-the-corner.livejournal.com]

Word, my friend, word...

It's beyond me, why Rodney is constantly deserving "special treatment" (meaning: taking down a peg), just because he's loud and sure of himself. And why, because of this, his mistakes are supposed to be worse. Especially when in 99,99% he's right. I will never agree to this, so yeah - completely different show ;-)

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

Yeah. :-)

My perspective comes a lot from my husband whose been in the military for over 29 years now. A commanding officer would be held responsible for the decisions he or she made.

As for Rodney, he's such a woobie! *g* I like it when he's "taken down a peg" by realizing that his friends really care about him or maybe when he realizes he can't save or fix everything and everyone. It's most interesting when Rodney himself takes a step back and looks at the situation and realizes something about himself, or when he takes a step forward (like in Hide and Seek, The Eye, and The Defiant One) and realizes he *can* do things.

A better ending to this episode would have been Rodney perhaps blaming himself and feeling guilty (but not everyone else blaming him, too), and the others admitting their culpability and possibly getting into trouble for it. *g*