Once upon a time, in a TV-land far, far away there lived a series that combined the best of two worlds: Modern day military practices and the fantastical search for life beyond the borders of our own universe. Two concepts that will draw me to a series faster than you can say, "Next on The WB". I am military. I love a good military conspiracy; the big, bad government against the little guy in the field just trying to save his country. I also love the moral conflicts that come with being that guy in the field having to make decisions that could end his career or cause an incident with a rival government.
Such was Stargate. What had started out as a movie that featured a suicidal Colonel Jack O'Neil trying to redeem himself and one linguist/archeologist who had lost everything to his ideals, Doctor Daniel Jackson, traipsing across the universe, turned into a series of adventures exploring the mysteries of civilization itself. The series kept the core characters, Colonel O'Neill (with two ll's) and Daniel Jackson and added two more players, Captain Samantha Carter, chopper pilot, scientist, soldier and Teal'c, a former lead soldier in the army of one of the Gods.
This was life as I knew it on the series, four people whose lives intertwined so inexplicably as to be one; the leader, the idealist, the problem solver, and the freedom fighter. You could throw the book at them and together they could overcome any obstacle; prison, hell, death itself. Then something changed at the start of season four. The characters changed. Old friendships turned into grating personality clashes for no reason. The lead male character developed a 'liking' for the lead female character (after two episodes in previous seasons that did everything to crush the possibility). The plots too closely resembled movies, some of which are old favorites. And in the background, wallpaper began to form in the shape of Teal'c.
Stargate was dying.
I packed up my toys and left. I have yet to see the end of Season four. I found other shows that held my interest, where the characters are complicated. Their relationships are complex.
Every time I turn on Witchblade, I'm a little sad. I see Daniel in Sara Pezzini, one of the reasons I like the show so much. She's lost in a familiar world, just like Daniel was in the military. And in Smallville, I see Stargate when it was first on the air, trying to work out the intricate web of past and future in the here and now. Where does the path fork between what is good, what is bad, and can anyone survive in the end?
To me, Witchblade and Smallville have a future. The intricate characterizations are being set up. Good vs. Evil, the most basic of plots upon which Stargate, Witchblade and Smallville are based, work in the Smallville & Witchblade universes whereas Stargate has decided to forgo that premise. It's no longer SciFi, it's how many people have you killed today.
Now I hear Daniel has died and I have to shed a few tears for the end of something special. The partnership between Jack and Daniel, the strange friendship that they had formed on the sandy dunes of Abydos is what brought me to the series. The strength of the team that formed around them is what kept me watching, week after week. I can't watch the Super Sam show. It does nothing for me. Nor does the romance between Sam and Jack, which is supposed to be my consolation prize since I'm not 18-34 male demographic. Sam isn't a Ms. Parker or Sara Pezzini and never could be. The characters are just too different.
When season four started, I predicted that the changes would tear the fandom apart, the series would lose ratings and that the powers that be would lose face. I'm sorry to see that everything I said came true. I wish things had been different, but it's hard to get behind a show in which you no longer believe.
I canceled my Showtime and switched to HBO. I always wanted to see the Sopranos and OZ (they're very good by the way).
This is me on Friday night turning off the TV.
Rae, Guam, US Territories.
07 Feb 2002