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dragojustineThere is so much love over at the Valentine's Day Game. You should all go look!
I was rewatching Lost City and I think I've finally put my finger on some of what bothers me so badly about the introduction of Cam.
You see, I still haven't watched the majority of seasons 9 and 10, partly because I strongly suspect they go downhill fast, but partly because Cam just bothers me. Part of that bothering is what I called the "shiny-newness" here. All his gee-whiz wonder and enthusiasm, which was so endearing and wonderful from Daniel in those first few seasons, just seems horribly cringe-inducing in some ways now. He confronts Daniel and asks him to stay, with this total credulousness and hero-worship and non-comprehension, just as Daniel has been through so much and is so checked out, so done, so desperately needing to be done with everything he's gone through. Despite the medical backstory, Cam just seems so happy and undamaged and shiny, in a way that just doesn't let him fit with the rest of the team, and that contrast makes me cringe.
But that bothersome aspect is, I think, actually good characterization. I mean, I can totally believe it and feel like it's fair storytelling and a new dynamic that might be fruitful.
But something else bothered me, and I finally figured out what it was:
The last stand during Last City was Hammond's, dammit.
Hammond standing between SG1 and Anubis, Hammond setting course to crash into Anubis' ship and bring them both down together- I watched Last City and it was so totally Hammond's crowning moment of awesome, and such an utterly worthy send-off for him, and, frankly, while Lost City is obviously incredibly pivotal for Jack and incredibly interesting for Jack/Daniel, I always thought Hammond was the real hero of it.
And Cam shows up and the show re-writes the Lost City last stand, in retrospect, as Cam's heroism. And that bothers me, because obviously the X-302 fighters were hugely important, and obviously they were led by somebody who deserves accolades, but I saw that battle. I saw that battle, and it was Hammond. Purely an emotional objection.
So it's a triple-threat: Cam replaces Daniel as the idealistic, enthusiastic one in the dynamic, and he replaces O'Neill as commander… and he replaces (cheapens, overwrites, makes us forget about) Hammond as the hero of the battle over Antarctica.
Now that I get it out in the open, interestingly, it bothers me a lot less. I do wish we'd at least seem Cam during Lost City-- that would have made it hugely easier for me, I think-- but fleshing out a minor character and letting us see pivotal events from their point of view? I like when stories do that! Hell, one of the things I love most is when texts acknowledge that minor characters are the heroes of their own stories (Hello, Deathly Hallows), which is at least some part of what's so awesome about fanfic. Obviously, the Antarctic battle looked completely different for a 302 pilot who had never met SG1 and didn't know what was going on behind the scenes. And obviously it's a story worth telling. And obviously that doesn't actually diminish what we already saw Hammond do.
Amazing how spelling these things out logically helps. Still miss Hammond, though.
I was rewatching Lost City and I think I've finally put my finger on some of what bothers me so badly about the introduction of Cam.
You see, I still haven't watched the majority of seasons 9 and 10, partly because I strongly suspect they go downhill fast, but partly because Cam just bothers me. Part of that bothering is what I called the "shiny-newness" here. All his gee-whiz wonder and enthusiasm, which was so endearing and wonderful from Daniel in those first few seasons, just seems horribly cringe-inducing in some ways now. He confronts Daniel and asks him to stay, with this total credulousness and hero-worship and non-comprehension, just as Daniel has been through so much and is so checked out, so done, so desperately needing to be done with everything he's gone through. Despite the medical backstory, Cam just seems so happy and undamaged and shiny, in a way that just doesn't let him fit with the rest of the team, and that contrast makes me cringe.
But that bothersome aspect is, I think, actually good characterization. I mean, I can totally believe it and feel like it's fair storytelling and a new dynamic that might be fruitful.
But something else bothered me, and I finally figured out what it was:
The last stand during Last City was Hammond's, dammit.
Hammond standing between SG1 and Anubis, Hammond setting course to crash into Anubis' ship and bring them both down together- I watched Last City and it was so totally Hammond's crowning moment of awesome, and such an utterly worthy send-off for him, and, frankly, while Lost City is obviously incredibly pivotal for Jack and incredibly interesting for Jack/Daniel, I always thought Hammond was the real hero of it.
And Cam shows up and the show re-writes the Lost City last stand, in retrospect, as Cam's heroism. And that bothers me, because obviously the X-302 fighters were hugely important, and obviously they were led by somebody who deserves accolades, but I saw that battle. I saw that battle, and it was Hammond. Purely an emotional objection.
So it's a triple-threat: Cam replaces Daniel as the idealistic, enthusiastic one in the dynamic, and he replaces O'Neill as commander… and he replaces (cheapens, overwrites, makes us forget about) Hammond as the hero of the battle over Antarctica.
Now that I get it out in the open, interestingly, it bothers me a lot less. I do wish we'd at least seem Cam during Lost City-- that would have made it hugely easier for me, I think-- but fleshing out a minor character and letting us see pivotal events from their point of view? I like when stories do that! Hell, one of the things I love most is when texts acknowledge that minor characters are the heroes of their own stories (Hello, Deathly Hallows), which is at least some part of what's so awesome about fanfic. Obviously, the Antarctic battle looked completely different for a 302 pilot who had never met SG1 and didn't know what was going on behind the scenes. And obviously it's a story worth telling. And obviously that doesn't actually diminish what we already saw Hammond do.
Amazing how spelling these things out logically helps. Still miss Hammond, though.
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-15 04:24 am (UTC)it's fascinating to see your take on Lost City and the S9 retcon.... I never felt that the way they told the story from Cam's POV impinged on Hammond's actions -- there was certainly plenty of heroism to go around, IMHO. But thanks for that.
I'm not a Cam fangirl like half the people in SG-1, but I do like him very much. So I see your reluctance. But there is much to love about S 9 and 10, truly. Although my favorite seasons are early seasons, I confess.
sg1 4 evah.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-15 04:31 am (UTC)Which is why I'm glad I put my finger on it. Because that's totally true- it doesn't diminish Hammond at all. I see that now.
(as for seasons 9 and 10, I'll get there eventually!)
Chocolate is totally a food group
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:27 am (UTC)And that stinks on ice, you should pardon the expression.
First of all, my justification. It is Walter Harriman who identifies Cam in those first scenes, and indicates to us-the-viewer, by his behavior and speech, that Cam is admirable and more than admirable, as he speaks of him in hushed, reverent tones:
INT—SGC GATE ROOM [Mitchell, in full dress uniform, is walking up the ramp to the inactive Stargate.] TECHNICIAN Who's that? HARRIMAN Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell. INT—SGC CONTROL ROOM [Harriman and another technician are standing and watching Mitchell through the control room window.] HARRIMAN Two years ago. Dog fight over Antarctica. SG-1 found the Ancient Outpost. Took out Anubis's fleet. TECHNICIAN (awed tone) That's him? HARRIMAN That's him.Second, in so doing, it implies that it was only Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell who saved the day. Yet he was only one 302 pilot out of many (nor are we shown that his actions were decisive in destroying much of anything), and General Hammond aboard Prometheus played a far larger part -- as did SG-1 -- in sending Anubis's fleet packing.
I've always been as annoyed as fuck with the way they chose to introduce Cam. I stick my fingers in my ears and hum. A lot. And I don't think there's enough tequila IN THE WORLD to make me actually WATCH S9/10 again...
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Date: 2009-02-17 02:32 am (UTC)I'm so glad it's not just me. Dammit, replace Jack if you must, show, but don't try to re-write Hammond into insignificance like that. Don't you dare.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 03:02 am (UTC)I mean, I learned to love Cam (by ignoring all the on-screen canon) but the whole thing is, TPTB seemed to think the only way they could make him awesome was by stealing someone else's thunder. And, just, no. This is not how it works. What that does is make Cam seem too weak to earn awesomeness through his own actions. (Oh, not that TPTB know anything about characterization....)
So yeah no. Not just you. I've really had to analyze everywhere TPTB did it rong in order to undo it in my head and in my fic, basically. But they really did screw the pooch....
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Date: 2009-02-17 02:34 am (UTC)of course you're right.
but somehow even the PTB's, what -- heavy handedness with their own creations? Doesn't interfere much with the way I've got it all arranged in my head. I guess I can take the facts as they present them, but repaint or reconfigure the emphasis, the POV, the spin. You know?
We really are all watching slightly different shows, aren't we?
I'm just so glad you've found a way to love Cam, as I know you do, despite all this. *cheers*
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:37 am (UTC)You know, that's a valuable survival trait.
(I just rewatched Threads. The one with Jack and Kerry. Yeah, okay, I had utterly blocked that out... and I think by tomorrow I will have forgotten about it again!)
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Date: 2009-02-17 02:43 am (UTC)i have several fanfic stashed away that deal with All That to my satisfaction, chief among them "Voices Carry"!
I am so relentlessly "glass half full" about my canons. Every now and then I run across scenes that I just have to turn away from -- most of "Family Ties" regarding Vala's Dad struck me that way. I just X it out.
I know we all have our moments like that.
I'd love to know what you and ivory think are the definitive episodes, the ones that really nail the characters for you.....
Torment of Tantalus. Evolution. Abyss. Need. The Fifth Man. The Fifth Race. Memento Mori. Those are some for me...
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Date: 2009-02-17 02:59 am (UTC)I don't remember "Memento Mori" - was that after S8?
All those others you mention: yeah. And:
"Shades of Grey" "Solitudes" "Tin Man" "A Hundred Days" "Thor's Hammer" "Fire And Water" "Message In A Bottle" "Legacy" "Forever In A Day" "Maternal Instinct" "Crystal Skull" "Tangent" "Absolute Power" "The Light" "Red Sky" "Beast of Burden" "Proving Ground" "48 Hours" "Menace" "Meridian" "The Changeling" "Full Circle" "Grace" "Chimera" "Resurrection" "Avatar" "Full Alert" "Reckoning..."
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Date: 2009-02-17 11:59 am (UTC)your list is very close to my list of favorites...i love all the unas episodes. beast of burden is so good for the jack/daniel teamwork!
I can watch Proving Ground but it trips my embarrassed-for-them trigger pretty hard.
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Date: 2009-02-18 02:19 am (UTC)otoh, i love proving ground for its whole 'behind the scenes' vibe (and also getting to watch daniel playing a goa'uld). horses for courses.
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Date: 2009-02-18 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 02:35 am (UTC)And you'll probably loved The Shroud; lol.....lots of untapped angst there, too.... *ponders* In fact, you can skip ahead to that one!
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Date: 2009-02-18 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 02:32 am (UTC)fascinating that you hated memento mori -- it's so interesting to see where the canons we have in our heads diverge so much that the eps we prefer do, too, because so often your ideas about this fandom are just a bullseye for mine.
as always: Fascinating. *cheers*
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Date: 2009-02-18 04:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:43 am (UTC)So we all fix it in various ways (duck please, I'm throwing out more aired canon...)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 02:47 am (UTC)So I'm always shaping canon to suit myself.
I'm sure it was partly canon and partly my own "Kissing My Brother" reaction that kept me from warming to Cameron, but I do really like him. But what did some fangirls dub him? Cambo? I had a hard time with that. As I'm sure did we all.
Browder did an awesome job of making him real, tho. Big bonus points to him.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-17 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-15 12:48 pm (UTC)Hey, guess what? I didn't.
And in between season 6 and the introduction of Cam, they learned nothing.
I actually grew to like Cam a lot. I don't fangirl him as I do Daniel because Daniel owns my heart for all sorts of reasons, and I don't have issues about him replacing Jack (he'd checked out in any real sense for me seasons ago).
Cam doesn't impinge on Hammond's actions and achievements for me, either, but I see where you're coming from. Interesting stuff to ponder, thanks. :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-16 02:42 am (UTC)Swapping out Daniel for Jonas and then calling attention to the replacements hunkiness strikes me as really pretty hilarious. I mean, no disrespect to Corin Nemec and his fine physique, but. Heh.
(And I know what you mean about Jack having checked out well before Cam showed up- though I prefer to read it as "RDA checked out and we have to do the work for the character over on the fannish side of the equation" - but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE it!)