Blogger Kelly Harker gives her verdict of the SGU season one finale. (WARNING: Contains big spoilers!)
1.20 "Incursion: Part 2"
Written by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie
Directed by Andy Mikita
Blogger rating:
THE ONE WHERE There are casualties on both sides as the Lucian Alliance continues their attempt to seize control of Destiny. Meanwhile, deadly bursts of radiation from a binary pulsar will probably just kill everybody on the ship, anyway.
VERDICT The first season of SGU is over, and it ends on a cliffhanger with nothing at all being resolved. Whereas my husband (who proclaims that he's a bigger fan of the franchise than I am because he liked the finale more than I did) was left feeling satisfied, I found this episode underwhelming. And whether you agree with my opinion of this episode or not, I enjoy the debate. And this first season of Stargate Universe has certainly sparked a lot of heated conversation on the fan forums (and in my case, in the household).
I found this episode to be way too slow paced for a finale… up until the last few moments with the gun shoot-outs and all of the running around, but even then most of that was in slow motion. With the major portion of the episode devoted to the back-and-forth negotiations between the increasingly boring Camile Wray and tough-cookie Lucian Alliance leader Commander Kiva, half way through the episode I was starting to feel desperate for action.
The bursts of radiation from a binary pulsar may have added to the tension of the episode, but knowing that there is a second season of SGU and that everyone on board will most likely be saved by the genius of either Rush or Eli, the binary pulsar didn't really seem like that much of a huge threat.
For me it was the side story of Eli and Chloe being lost in the unexplored area of the ship that was the most interesting to watch, even though I was hoping they would show more of this part of the ship other than just its walls. Okay, yes… the décor was pretty. Unfortunately there was no major discovery expect for Eli finding a console to call for help on. But I did appreciate the interaction between Eli and Chloe – their emotional scenes were believable. At first I was slightly annoyed by Eli's constant and forced sci-fi referencing, but he's evolved throughout the season to be one of the more interesting characters and actually quite the hero. There's something noble about him being hopelessly in love with Chloe that makes him so endearing to watch.
The one good thing, the one big surprise was the morbidity of the ending. The scene with Commander Kiva and Telford shooting each other was unexpected, but the accidental massacre of both sides in the medical bay was the most shocking with even the very pregnant Lt. Johansen being even gunned down. Could it be too dark for a Stargate show? I'll leave that one up for open debate. But I did give it an extra half-star rating because of all the blood in the episode.
So we're left with a lot of unanswered questions: Will Chloe live? Will Lt. Johansen lose the baby? Will Telford die? Will Col. Young regain control of the ship from the Lucian Alliance? Will Scott and Greer make it back safely inside the ship? Will they all escape being incinerated by the radiation bursts from the binary pulsar, or will some unlucky crew die? Will Chloe ever fall in love with Eli? Will we finally know Rush's real agenda for wanting to be on Destiny? Will the civilians eventually take over the ship from the military? Will they have to co-exist on Destiny with the Lucian Alliance? Will they encounter the alien threat again? Will they ever return to Earth?
There are just too many questions left hanging for me to not want to tune in next season. And although the finale wasn't the best of the episodes from the season, it hasn't deterred me from really liking the series. It's an intelligent, imaginative show and I'm not going to miss out on the experience.
CREW MOURNS WHAT'S HIS NAME Rivers is the soldier who is executed by Commander Kiva as punishment for Col. Young's attempt to kill her during the medical supply exchange. Rush breaths a sigh of relief that it wasn't someone more important like Eli, Chloe, or Lt. Johansen. I'll do it, too - *Phew!*
LOVE UNREQUITED Yep, it sure does suck when the person you're madly in love with doesn't reciprocate your feelings. David Blue (Eli) does a brilliant job at portraying the longing his character feels for Chloe, and the rejection he knows he'll always receive from her. For the most part their tender scenes together were more interesting than what was happening in the rest of the ship.
PRO-NOUN-CI-ATE! "Whatever happens, you knowuve, right?" Can someone please tell me what the heck Eli is supposed to being saying to Chloe, here? Unfortunately this is just one of many mumbled lines of dialogue throughout the episode.
GUEST STAR You might remember the stunning Rhona Mitra (Commander Kiva) for her role as Sonja in Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans . ( Also from 1999's Beowulf , Hollow Man and Doomsday and as the live action model for Lara " Tomb Raider " Croft - SFX )
BEST LINES Greer: "Are you sure about this, sir?"
Young: "No."
Greer: "Good enough for me."
This is a personal review from blogger Kell Harker. Did you watch the finale last week? Do you agree with our blogger's verdict of the episode? Tell us your thoughts about it in the comments section below.
