Irresistible - Review
23/10/2008 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachel500Irresistible is the 3rd episode in Season Three of Stargate Atlantis.
Review
Irresistible is feels like an attempt to emulate the stand-alone funny stories typical of SG1’s early seasons but it is unoriginal with no surprises serving only to embarrass most of the main characters and leaving only the hero of the story, Sheppard, to emerge with any dignity. Further, the direction never seems truly settled on whether to interpret the script as a comedy or a serious story, and ends up missing on both accounts.
The premise of Irresistible is not particularly original; it sounds a lot like SG1’s Hathor (stranger seduces team before defeat by those unaffected). However, clichés and recycling stories doesn’t have to be a bad thing if they are retold in an original way. Unfortunately, there is very little originality and the plot provides no surprises for the audience. From Sheppard’s cold to Beckett actually being cured allowing a rescue plan to be implemented; all fail as any kind of unexpected twist or plot complication to a reasonably intelligent audience. The plot is child-like in its simplicity.
Allowing a character who doesn’t routinely save the day to be the hero might have made this more interesting but unoriginally, Sheppard is chosen. It’s unlikely that Sheppard won’t get another opportunity to be a hero at some point in the season and this story could have been a perfect vehicle for another character to shine. Unfortunately, all the other characters fall under Lucius’s spell and all lose their dignity as they fawn over Lucius or act out-of-character. Only Beckett, the fall guy, gets any redemption by curing everyone and only Sheppard emerges with his dignity completely intact.
It is good to see Sheppard acting as a mature military leader who makes informed decisions, refuses to risk his team on a suicide mission, and generally maintains his composure and ability to think when outnumbered and under pressure. It’s a great outing for Sheppard. Unfortunately the other characters don’t fare as well although to be fair, the story requires the characters to make poor judgements and act out-of-character for a reason.
Unfortunately, there does seem some confusion over whether the drug seems to invoke such a deep sense of love for Lucius that it impairs their judgement in regards to doing something he wants them to do or whether it causes them to actually become lovesick teenagers who treat everything except for Lucius’s well-being and happiness lightly. If the former than the characters should never have acted ‘out’; their judgement calls would be impaired but they would simply act like themselves otherwise. They might have been in love with Lucius but they would have portrayed this within character. For example, Teyla and Ronan would have seriously acknowledged the danger they faced on the Wraith planet even as they assured Lucius they got his wanted herb; they certainly wouldn’t have been giddy with laughter.
This might have been the kinder route to go with the affected characters and certainly there are times that seems to be the direction given (Beckett and Rodney in particular seem to comply with this interpretation) but as some do fall out-of-character, the latter one is also confusingly used and certainly these segments seem to challenge the actors as they do seem stiff and awkward in these scenes. Some do manage subtle reactions that shine; Weir’s ecstatically lovesick expression when Lucius mentions marriage, and Beckett’s withdrawal in the jumper with Sheppard are both very nicely acted.
Outside of the main plot, the characters are all nicely in-character, and the opening teaser actually provides the team with the best scene of the episode. It’s light; it’s funny (with Rodney’s revelation that the ‘clever idea’ for a Stargate bridge between Atlantis and Earth is actually Samantha Carter’s definitely worth a chuckle); it’s heart-warming. It’s a shame the rest of the episode doesn’t match up and one of the reasons for this is because the story never seems to truly settle on whether to be a comedy or not.
It seems to have the ingredients for a funny episode; great comedic guest actor, the regulars acting like lovesick fools around a grotesque figure, Sheppard having to be the hero despite his cold. Various parts of the direction seem to support the idea they were going for a comedy: the OTT laughing in the face of danger, the pathetic snivelling in withdrawal; Weir’s adoration. The ending which treats Lucius very lightly despite his actions suggests the situation is meant to be taken by the audience the same way.
Unfortunately, this is where it comes unstuck as a comedy as the underlying situation is not funny, not remotely. Effectively, the audience is being invited to laugh at the idea of an obnoxious man drugging everybody around him to get anything he wants including sex. Given that this is effectively drug rape, why would anyone think this is funny? It kind of begs the question why the producers even considered this a good story concept.
The story itself seems to beg to be taken seriously with the direction at times also highlighting this more grim undertone especially in Sheppard’s confrontation with the team after they return from the Wraith planet where the atmosphere turns truly menacing and equally, in Lucius’s conversation with a captured Sheppard, where Lucius definitely comes across as vile and amoral showing no remorse.
It’s a pity that the story was not allowed to embrace its darker side because here is the originality it so desperately needed. Showing a well-known lovable comedic actor as a truly grotesque villain; allowing the characters to actually be affected by their loss of judgement and hurt in some way; truly making them victims which would have evoked sympathy rather than just cringing embarrassment for them; all of this might have made Irresistible live up to its name in a way the actual final product does not.
The premise of Irresistible is not particularly original; it sounds a lot like SG1’s Hathor (stranger seduces team before defeat by those unaffected). However, clichés and recycling stories doesn’t have to be a bad thing if they are retold in an original way. Unfortunately, there is very little originality and the plot provides no surprises for the audience. From Sheppard’s cold to Beckett actually being cured allowing a rescue plan to be implemented; all fail as any kind of unexpected twist or plot complication to a reasonably intelligent audience. The plot is child-like in its simplicity.
Allowing a character who doesn’t routinely save the day to be the hero might have made this more interesting but unoriginally, Sheppard is chosen. It’s unlikely that Sheppard won’t get another opportunity to be a hero at some point in the season and this story could have been a perfect vehicle for another character to shine. Unfortunately, all the other characters fall under Lucius’s spell and all lose their dignity as they fawn over Lucius or act out-of-character. Only Beckett, the fall guy, gets any redemption by curing everyone and only Sheppard emerges with his dignity completely intact.
It is good to see Sheppard acting as a mature military leader who makes informed decisions, refuses to risk his team on a suicide mission, and generally maintains his composure and ability to think when outnumbered and under pressure. It’s a great outing for Sheppard. Unfortunately the other characters don’t fare as well although to be fair, the story requires the characters to make poor judgements and act out-of-character for a reason.
Unfortunately, there does seem some confusion over whether the drug seems to invoke such a deep sense of love for Lucius that it impairs their judgement in regards to doing something he wants them to do or whether it causes them to actually become lovesick teenagers who treat everything except for Lucius’s well-being and happiness lightly. If the former than the characters should never have acted ‘out’; their judgement calls would be impaired but they would simply act like themselves otherwise. They might have been in love with Lucius but they would have portrayed this within character. For example, Teyla and Ronan would have seriously acknowledged the danger they faced on the Wraith planet even as they assured Lucius they got his wanted herb; they certainly wouldn’t have been giddy with laughter.
This might have been the kinder route to go with the affected characters and certainly there are times that seems to be the direction given (Beckett and Rodney in particular seem to comply with this interpretation) but as some do fall out-of-character, the latter one is also confusingly used and certainly these segments seem to challenge the actors as they do seem stiff and awkward in these scenes. Some do manage subtle reactions that shine; Weir’s ecstatically lovesick expression when Lucius mentions marriage, and Beckett’s withdrawal in the jumper with Sheppard are both very nicely acted.
Outside of the main plot, the characters are all nicely in-character, and the opening teaser actually provides the team with the best scene of the episode. It’s light; it’s funny (with Rodney’s revelation that the ‘clever idea’ for a Stargate bridge between Atlantis and Earth is actually Samantha Carter’s definitely worth a chuckle); it’s heart-warming. It’s a shame the rest of the episode doesn’t match up and one of the reasons for this is because the story never seems to truly settle on whether to be a comedy or not.
It seems to have the ingredients for a funny episode; great comedic guest actor, the regulars acting like lovesick fools around a grotesque figure, Sheppard having to be the hero despite his cold. Various parts of the direction seem to support the idea they were going for a comedy: the OTT laughing in the face of danger, the pathetic snivelling in withdrawal; Weir’s adoration. The ending which treats Lucius very lightly despite his actions suggests the situation is meant to be taken by the audience the same way.
Unfortunately, this is where it comes unstuck as a comedy as the underlying situation is not funny, not remotely. Effectively, the audience is being invited to laugh at the idea of an obnoxious man drugging everybody around him to get anything he wants including sex. Given that this is effectively drug rape, why would anyone think this is funny? It kind of begs the question why the producers even considered this a good story concept.
The story itself seems to beg to be taken seriously with the direction at times also highlighting this more grim undertone especially in Sheppard’s confrontation with the team after they return from the Wraith planet where the atmosphere turns truly menacing and equally, in Lucius’s conversation with a captured Sheppard, where Lucius definitely comes across as vile and amoral showing no remorse.
It’s a pity that the story was not allowed to embrace its darker side because here is the originality it so desperately needed. Showing a well-known lovable comedic actor as a truly grotesque villain; allowing the characters to actually be affected by their loss of judgement and hurt in some way; truly making them victims which would have evoked sympathy rather than just cringing embarrassment for them; all of this might have made Irresistible live up to its name in a way the actual final product does not.
