Stargate SG-1

So, just recently I've been watching Stargate SG-1.

I actually started...earlier in the year, I think, or it might have been some time last year? I dunno, I've got a brain like Swiss Cheese. (Thinking about it, yes, it was some time last year.) First of all, I watched the original 1994 movie, which Sarah had on DVD. Then kharma2815 lent me series 1 on DVD, and I made a tentative start, getting as far as episode 7 (Cold Lazarus). Then I took a bit of downtime, for no particular reason other than having a shedload of stuff to watch (I still do. If I ever catch up with the various programmes I'm following, it'll be a miracle). But when I got made redundant, I treated myself to the full 10-season boxed set (also includes Continuum and Ark of Truth), and a week or two back I decided to get back into the swing of things SG-1, picking up with episode 10, Thor's Hammer (which means I've inadvertently missed out episodes 8 and 9, The Nox and Brief Candle, which I really ought to go back to). Earlier today, I got to the end of season 1, with the episode Within the Serpent's Grasp, and...

...okay, I'll be honest - the series took a while to properly kick in for me. And I groan inwardly every time they step through the Stargate and find themselves on a world populated by Hollywood primitives - the type of people who do speak English, but it's the horribly stilted type, where they don't understand terms like "day," or "spaceship," or "kissing" (as in, "show me some of this Earth thing called...") and live in a cod medieval village (at least Stargate also has cod ancient Egyptian villages as an alternative, but it's not much of an alternative...).

But gradually - about half way through the season - it seems to have started to pick up the pace, getting into some really gripping and exciting plots. Personal favourites for me have been The Torment of Tantalus, Fire and Water, Hathor (kind of surprised to discover that's not a particularly well regarded one...), Singularity, Enigma, Solitudes, Tin Man (brilliant stuff, that one), There but for the grace of God, and Within the serpent's grasp. Politics was a bit naff, IMO - it's hard to get desperately excited about a clip show, particularly when the framing story ("will the government let Stargate continue?") is one I already know the answer to ("yes, the series continues for another nine seasons...").

And the eye candy. Michael Shanks and Amanda Tapping. Often on the same screen together. (I think one of the reasons I like Tin Man is so much is that there's at least one shot of two Amanda Tappings together. swoon.)

So yeah, enjoying this. Will definitely stick with it, particularly as it seems to be moving in large strides away from cod medieval fantasy with stilted accents into action-packed science fiction.