SGA 4…whatever, LOOK IT’S ABOUT “THE SHRINE”
SPOILERS, MASSIVE SPOILERS
Just–just–was everybody else watching that, too? Oh my God. I think I had like 25 orgasms in my face watching it! You totally would have been able to tell! Because I made the standard O-face and then the O-face and then I made all of it some more while shrieking “Oh!” all high-pitched like a mating cockatoo. Because OH MY GOD, YA’LL JUST SAW THAT, RIGHT? I DIDN’T LIKE, DROWN IN MY BATHTUB TONIGHT AND THIS IS THE SHITTY DOWNMARKET VERSION OF HEAVEN, RIGHT? JESUS FUCK.
And I’m sure there will be some controversy over Rodney’s “I love you” confession to Keller in the last 30 seconds of the episode — here is what I will say to that:
Throughout the whole episode, as Rodney was losing pieces of himself, losing vast tracts of everything, after he’s lost the word “Pegasus” and struggles to form “Atlantis” and needs to be guided to walk, he never, never, never hesitates around “John.” And John isn’t a face he can’t name like the one he sees when he closes his eyes, either. John doesn’t slip into and out of his range of awareness. He doesn’t forget John when John’s not in the room. He runs to him — in a scene that had me shrieking “Are you doing this just to fuck with me?” at my television — barefoot in a panic, hyperventilating and about to cry and the only person he talks to at all, throughout this entire episode, really talks to, is John. And the line, “You’re a good friend, Arthur,” is going to be fucking enshrined not just for it’s sweetness but for the fact that I don’t think at any other time during this series you see one person make John laugh like that. Much less beautifully fucking backlit with wistful romantic music on WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE JOHN’S DEFAULT DATE SPOT, THE SOUTH PIER — OH WAIT, REMEMBER: RODNEY IS WEARING JOHN’S LEATHER JACKET THROUGHOUT THIS SCENE. IT’S LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH SPACE BRAIN PARASITES AND GAY. WELL, MORE GAY.
So my non-shrieking conclusion is this: look, yes, you can worry about the spoon-fed, enormously forced emotion there. It could even work. They tried putting that necessary chemistry there. But it’s too new, it’s too…speculative, really. Rodney flirts with Keller, who think’s he’s sweet. But when it comes to the doing — and I don’t just mean in the ass here, folks — we see who he runs to, and for the shrine, most importantly, who he remembers.
And Rodney remembers John.
If you’ll excuse me, I have to go find an open bodega and chainsmoke a pack of Marlboro Reds.
No smoking for you! How you doing honey?
They love is so fucking epic and also barefoot and snarky and hot and *flaps hands*!
HOMG!! I *KNOW*!!! And let us not forget, Rodney said that “I love you” *Whilst his brain was being mugged*!! He didn’t know what he was saying!! And he was WEARING John’s *LEATHER JACKET*!!!! In his Bare FEETSIES!!!
::hyperventilates::
Best episode *ever*, stupid last minute handwave of oh-look-still-heterosexual! aside.
Hey lady! How’re you doing?
Eek - sorry about the blank above, blame it on the squee. ::g::
>IT’S LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WITH SPACE BRAIN PARASITES AND GAY. WELL, MORE GAY.
rodney running to john in HIS JIM-JAMS IS WHAT MY WET DREAMS ARE MADE OF RIGHT? and then john is as freaked out as rodney and he just wants to put him into his bed and rock him to sleep but he doesn’t know if he’d take advantage of rodney’s condition. and then there’s the Raised Finger Of No Goodbyes, and damn if he throws this away! rodney can borrow all his clothes - with permission from now on - if he just hangs with him some more.
oh keller, you would’ve liked to keep day6!rodney but you know that the south pier isn’t big enough for the three of you. sigh. how’s ronon, by the way?
Not to mention, his thoughts aren’t exactly running in a logical fashion by day 6. He could easily have been saying “I love you” to someone other than Keller, and forgot to mention that (or forgot that he’d failed to do so).
At least, I anticipate a dozen stories along exactly those lines.
Besides, Ronon’s crush on Keller is so much more believable than Rodney’s frankly creepy (one drink and a fruit cup? TOO SOON, RODNEY) supposed declaration. And Ronon looks so adorably torn between going along with Keller because he wuvs her and trying to give Rodney a real goodbye.
I KNOW. YES. THAT!111!
I know! No wonder the fandom exploded! :)
I’ve emailed the link to “the pier scene” to one of my friends, who’s a Ronon/John shipper (I know, I know!), just to check if I wasn’t dreaming the whole thing. LOL I can’t wait to read *her* reaction to this. I mean, it’s one thing to be a shipper and see what we want to see even if we do try to be objective (I try, at least), it’s quite another to get confirmation from other non-J&R shippers.
Anyway, I’m glad you’re still updating this! *g*
I– I just watched it now! I was bawling and crying and openly gaping at the amazing, amazing gay romance on the pier. It was like someone wrote hurt-comfort for SGA and the network aired it with a little Rodney/Jennifer tag to make it look less gay. Except that failed because it was SO GAY.
Yes! What you said. As another commenter put it, the “telling” in this episode may be about Rodney/Jennifer, but the showing is all Rodney/John.
Also I hope you know I’m re-watching National Treasure 1 and 2 today (this morning? I guess it’s 2am) because of you. Okay, and also because I like smart boys in glasses and sweaters, and Riley is all of those things.