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In honor of the great Frank Costanza, and to ring in the holiday season, we're celebrating Festivus here at the Squad by sharing our personal TV wish lists. This year, I'm wishing for ...
An awesome end for Dollhouse. I know its cancellation was inevitable – the series was forever tanking in the ratings, and even Joss Whedon devotees were sometimes underwhelmed by it – but I really loved the experimental nature of the show. Dollhouse was a weird, funny and sometimes very dark playground where Whedon could try out new ideas and put new spins on old ones. I'm looking forward to watching the final episodes.
More sci-fi stuff on Stargate Universe. I love the slow burn character arcs, but would it kill the writers to shake things up a bit with a little action and some fantastic science fiction-based stories?
(S01E10) "You put ordinary people under enough stress, I think you'll find they're capable of anything. – Dr. Rush
While watching this episode of Stargate Universe, I kept thinking of the "Court Martial" episode of the original Star Trek series. Captain Kirk is tried for the wrongful death of a crewmate, but Spock discovers via a 3D chess game that the computer's system has been tampered with and presents the evidence at the trial. Yes, I'm that geeky.
Ok, so that's about all these episodes have in common, and there's only so much you can do with the "trial in space" story. It boils down to the characters, and in this instance, the battle lines were drawn even further in this compelling little murder mystery.
Are you watching Stargate Universe? I know it's gotten a bad rap from some fans of the Stargate franchise, but I think it's pretty good. Then again, I haven't watched the entire franchise from the beginning, so don't have a lot of the expectations of long-time fans.
Brian J. Smith, who plays First Lt. Matthew Scott, sat down to answer fan questions. He said it's a little overwhelming joining a well-established franchise, but he tries to focus on the day to day aspects of filming. "You try not to think so much about the big picture," he said. "You try to just enjoy what you're doing as an actor each day."
He also talked about the most admirable quality of his character. "I think it's a sense of empathy," he said. "He's got a very rare quality, which is that he's able to really put himself into the shoes of other people. When he goes on missions and he's leading away teams on other planets or even on the ship itself, he takes the safety and well-being of the people he's with incredibly seriously. He's a really emotional guy, and I like that about him."
Here's the Q&A straight from our sister site, SlashControl.
To paraphrase Dexter's Trinity Killer, traditions matter because they give us a sense of history. They also teach us who we are and what's expected of us.
So in celebration of that fiendish character's warped but delightfully old-fashioned worldview, I'm happy to take part in this little Thanksgiving Day tradition we have here at TV Squad. Here are a few things I'm thankful for this TV season ...
Year four of Dexter– Well, duh ... Sure, the Batista-Laguerta relationship is a little dull, and Quinn is a poor stand-in for Dokes, but Dexter's dealings with Trinty and his Dark Passenger are fascinating to watch. John Lithgow's complex and unnerving portrayal of suburban serial killer Arthur Mitchell is sure to earn him an Emmy nod, if not the win.
Community - Here's the thing: It's just so damn funny. And it has the best and weirdest cast of characters on TV. I can't get enough of Señor Chang and Abed.
(S01E09) There was a lot going on in this episode, as the folks aboard Destiny started to adjust to their new lives away from Earth. The adjustment, of course, is easier for some than it is for others.
Chloe has made new friends like Eli and has found a partner in Scott, who comforts her and makes her feel less lonely. So she's content to pass the time doing yoga on the observation deck. People like Young, Rush and Eli are busy exploring the ship and trying to unlock its hidden wonders. That at least keeps them occupied and somewhat hopeful.
But things aren't nearly as happy-go-lucky for people like Spencer (aka "Baldy"). He's running out of his medication (my guess is that he's taking anti-psychotics, or is that too obvious?) and it seems like only a matter of time before he kills someone, or kills himself.
(S01E08) So that was bleak. But don't worry, Stargate Universe will hit the reset button next week, and everything will be peachy. Well, as peachy as things can get aboard The Destiny.
While some fans have been pushing for SGU to ditch the drama for more action and adventure (like SG-1 or Atlantis), this week's episode tried to offer a compromise: An off-world adventure that turned dark and caused a lot of drama for the characters.
The crew faced death – you know, like they do every week -- but this time they were struck by a dangerous virus and attacked by a pack of nasty fang-toothed worm things. But this episode wasn't really about combating a virus or an evil alien entity. It was about seeing how the characters would react after staring into the dark abyss of certain death.
(S01E07) With the IOA and Stargate Command planning a risky rescue mission aboard The Destiny, Eli, Chloe and Young used the communication stones to head back to Earth and... indulge in a little drinking and sex!
The crew faced death again, Col. Telford came aboard to annoy everyone again, and Rush hovered on the fringe, skulking and whining about the military's plan of action. Again.
Still, I really enjoyed how everything played out this week. Finally Eli, aka the Star Wars-referencing funny guy, was given more to do than make jokes and pine for Chloe. David Blue really sold the scenes with Eli talking to his mother. I sensed a real longing from Eli to want to take care of his mom and prove himself to her out of love and respect. It was a good idea to have him pose as a co-worker. That way, we got to see what he really thinks about himself, his mother, and his current situation.
On this week's episode of Stargate Universe, "Water," we saw a return of those swirling sands of ... something ... that appeared in the earlier episode on the desert planet. Only on the desert planet, they were helpful. This time, they were a bit more nefarious, attacking a crew member and, apparently, depleting the ship's water supply (which, quite frankly, must be ancient water; let's hope they've got some good purification systems in place).
It makes you wonder if the swirling sands are the reason that particular planet was a sandy abyss, and now that they've been stargated to a planet with lots of precipitation in the form of ice, they should be happy for a while.
So what do you think they are? Aliens, as the crew surmised? And why were they helpful on the planet, but deadly on the ship? Why didn't they attack Johansen? And if they're aliens, could they have the ability to read a person's mind and form visions based on that person's memories and thoughts?
Feel free to discuss the rest of the episode, too. Because of a power outage, I wasn't able to get a full review up in a timely fashion, so decided to focus on the most interesting part of the episode for me -- the swirling sands.
(S01E05) "Why am I watching this on TV?" – Eli Wallace
This week's episode of Stargate Universe picked up right where last week's left off, with The Destiny heading straight for a star and, presumably, oblivion. Thankfully, "Light" featured less of those tired Real World-esque confessionals from last week, but the first few acts really dragged, and it was hard to wrap my head around that out-of-nowhere love scene between Chloe and Scott (more on that in a bit).
With only 17 people able to fit aboard the shuttle, Col. Young came up with a lottery system to decide who would escape to a nearby planet and who would remain aboard the ship to burn. I was expecting a riot to explode during the lottery drawing, but Greer was able to quiet the storm with one swift blow to a Marine's face. The respectful relationship between Greer and the quiet and noble Young is a welcome addition to the series. I like how Greer has Young's back, and it seems like Young might inspire Greer to become something more than just an angry brute with a meditative side. And watching Rush do something other than stress and shout was a nice change of pace.
The writers and producers of Syfy's Stargate Universe could've played it safe and got along just fine with their latest series.
After Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin's 1994 feature film from MGM, the series' first TV adaption (SG1) arrived in 1997. When you throw in the follow-up series, Infinity and Atlantis, the Stargate franchise has run on TV in one form or another for more than 12 years.
When the time came to invent the next step in the franchise, show-runners Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper could have trotted out more of the same and done perfectly well. Instead, they upped the ante -- bringing a bigger budget and updated production techniques to Stargate Universe.
MGM and Syfy welcomed journalists to Vancouver's Bridge Studios to explore the show's starship Destiny set and discover how this series cruises beyond its successful predecessors.
Fans of actor Michael Shanks won't have to wait until the next Stargate DVD movie/telefilm to see him back on the small screen. The SG-1 alum has landed the role of Hawkman on the upcoming Justice Society episode of Smallville.
Shanks' Hawkman won't be the only classic DC Comics hero making an appearance in the episode. Dr. Fate, played by Brent Stait, and Stargirl, played by Britt Irvin, will also appear in the ep, penned by comic book writer Geoff Johns. More Justice Society characters are expected to appear.
HBO has added another cast member to its upcoming Game of Thrones pilot, based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Stargate Atlantisalum Jason Momoa has been cast as Drogo, a powerful warlord who has never been defeated in battle.
This sounds like the perfect role for the hulking 6' 4" actor, best known as SGA's resident Wraith killin' badass, Ronon Dex. Hopefully, Momoa's potential Game of Thrones schedule won't keep him from appearing in the proposed Stargate Atlantis DVD movie/telefilm.
Ok, first of all, I think I already have a bit of a girl-crush on Sgt. Vanessa James. I mean, for cripes sakes, look at her. And I love that she told the guys she could whup their ass. You do not want to cross her.
Four episodes into Stargate Universe, and I'm starting to get hooked. I like that this week's episode, "Darkness," took place mainly on the ancient ship Destiny, which looks ultra-cool flying through space. The whole thing has a Firefly feel to it.
I'm also starting to get a better feel for the storyline and characters, thanks in part to their little bio recordings engineered by Eli. Most of the crew are in their 20s or 30s, and most would rather be anywhere but there.
I appreciated them trying to figure out the ship's systems -- waste, water, showers, etc. As some of the commenters have said, that probably would have been first on the list of things to do three episodes ago, even if Dr. Rush was having some power issues of his own.
I once again checked out Stargate Universe this week. Apparently, the first two episodes hooked me enough to watch this one, even though I'm still a little in the dark on the whole portal jumping / chevron stuff.
So I'll let you veterans talk about all the inter-dimensional Stargate stuff, and will just point out a few things I liked about this episode, part three of "Air." For one thing, I'm really liking the kid, Eli Wallace. He sort of grounds the series and keeps it from being completely in a sci-fi universe where none of us could ever imagine going, because that's exactly what's happening to him.
I'll preface this by saying that while I'm familiar with the Stargate franchise and recently watched the 1994 movie starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, I've only seen an episode here and there of the various TV shows. So this is my newbie look at Stargate Universe, which premiered Friday night. (And, uh, there really isn't that much on Friday night, and it happened to be on Charter's video on demand, so I checked it out after the premiere aired.)
I'll say right off the bat that it seems a little cheesy, so I'm wondering how it compares to the previous Stargate incarnations. The characters seem a little cliche:
the blowhard politician with health problems (and his caring daughter), which resulted in the episode's most heartbreaking moment
the nerdy guy with long hair and a sad past
the nerdy kid who ends up being transported to a spaceship and helping the crew with important stuff
the tough-guy military people with guns and crew cuts
In honor of the great Frank Costanza, and to ring in the holiday season, we're celebrating Festivus here at the Squad by sharing our personal TV wish lists. This year, I'm wishing for ...
On this week's episode of 
The writers and producers of Syfy's Stargate Universe could've played it safe and got along just fine with their latest series.
Fans of actor Michael Shanks won't have to wait until the next 
HBO has added another cast member to its upcoming Game of Thrones pilot, based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire. 
Ok, first of all, I think I already have a bit of a girl-crush on Sgt. Vanessa James. I mean, for cripes sakes, look at her. And I love that she told the guys she could whup their ass. You do not want to cross her. 
I once again checked out 
I'll preface this by saying that while I'm familiar with the Stargate franchise and recently watched the 1994 movie starring Kurt Russell and James Spader, I've only seen an episode here and there of the various TV shows. So this is my newbie look at 
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