Air: Part 3

While not moving the show forward in any real way, this episode serves to firm up the characters a bit more and give us a taste of the planet-hopping to come. The only issues with this are the lead roles are still very one-dimensional, and the planet was an empty desert and uninteresting as they come.

I'm still cautiously optimistic for this show; no, it's not the campy-adventure series that was SG1, and nor is it the deep melodrama like BSG, and as such many decry the lack of..."oomph" in this Stargate outing. But I can foresee some great things from this show (I just hope that SGU doesn't pull a Voyager and wait 4 seasons before really maturing).

On the bright side, the writer's are stealing a page from "Lost"s book and providing some flashbacks as well as a vehicle to keep the characters in touch with people back home, thereby opening doors for deeper story-arcs that transcend several galaxies (at least physically...sorta). And Ely is definitely making a good impression. I would just rather enjoy the entire ensemble than one character...again, giving it time.

Part 3 of this episode is, in my opinion, much better than the first 2 (although it's not really a third part of a story as much as its its own self-contained story with continuing long-term story arcs.) WHAT WAS GOOD - The character development was much better this episode. Although it centers on Matthew Scott, there is good character development with Chloe, Dr. Rush, and Ronald Greer. Even the main cast who are not central to this episode have subtle character development, which I liked. One of my problems with parts 1 and 2 was the lack of character development and the lack of distinct central characters, but they seem to be fixing this and I'm glad they're giving us a chance to relate to these characters before sending them off on dangerous situations.

This episode also introduces a lot of interesting Stargate concepts, which allows this series to come into its own a little more and step out of BSG's shadow. The utilization of more original tech allows me to see this as more of its own series. There is also a good sense of wonder, desperation, and adventure with some interesting abstract concepts that could become continuing stories, that again help us to separate it from BSG.

The camera work is a lot steadier, and the whole story has the same good feeling I got in the first hour of part 1, which is that it is a show utilizing elements of BSG, but not copying.

WHAT I DIDN'T CARE FOR - Eli's humor, which I found to be a strength in the first parts, seems a little forced here. I'm also not really liking Matthew Scott as a character. I'm not sure why. I think it's because I'm still seeing him as Apollo from BSG now combined with the young military hero model so often found in Stargate. It's nothing the actor is doing wrong, I just don't see him as that interesting right now.

There is a music montage I didn't really care for in the episode, and some of the drama goes on a little too long (but not to the point where its intolerable). There are also a few little things that threw me off, but nothing major I really want to go into.

Overall though, this episode is good, and I would say its worth a look. The series still has its problems, and its obviously still trying to find its footing, but as they continue to develop, I think the writers and producers will adapt according to what works and what doesn't, and create a respectable series from it. The greatest strengths right now are the characters' situation, the tech, the exploration, and the characters themselves.

AS FAR AS CONTENT IS CONCERNED - Now, I don't want to spoil anything because I'm trying to get away from spoiler reviews, but if you hate religion you will hate this episode. I felt it was used more for character development than anything else, and it really didn't come across as preachy; but again, if you hate religion, you will not be able to enjoy this episode.

7/10 - It's good if you don't mind religious content (which I don't if its done well). You can see the series starting to come into its own.

This is only the third episode so I'm still giving it a shot hoping that things will change in the coming episodes.

But as a serious SciFi buff I have a nagging feeling that the writers are trying to create a mix of Lost, old SG and some kind of drama show. The music is good but I think its over used, the acting can get a little stale and the dialogs sometimes don't make sense.

But the dark look of the show and the feeling of hopelessness is truly something new and fresh and there are a few gold nuggets in the cast. David Blue does a really good job starring his role as Eli.

But this is the third episode so all hope is not lost yet.

This early in all the characters are still discovering themselves as well as each other. I would have liked more action but this is an excellent start to the new series.

The whole tone of this series is similar to the start of Stargate Atlantis, in that first we all need to find ways to live, cool stuff comes later.

This episode left me with a much greater sense of character development and confirmed some expectations while cementing others as to what to expect from the future episodes.

The soundtrack is also very excellent, neither of the previous series have made much of their audio during the show. The rise to action, drama etc notwithstanding. The end left me wanting the next episode but without that feeling of incompleteness that the premier did.