Friday Follies

The seminar today was better than I expected. After a dull first 40 minutes or so of mostly lecture, we got into the heart of things with group participation and exercises and things picked up considerably. We were broken into our committees, so we got to work together and establish our group dynamic, which in my group worked out well. Basically, we didn't learn how to be on committees, as I'd feared, but how to evaluate our existing policies, what to look for, the steps we need to follow re: prioritizing and so on, and then the criteria for writing clear and useful policies, regulations, and procedures (and to recognize the differences between all three of those things). It was actually fun.

SF Friday is back in business. YES! Stargate SG-1 got off to a strong start, giving the new cast members a chance to shine while also giving the returning cast members a chance to do some fun stuff. Ben Browder's Cameron Mitchell (That name is a tough one for me; I keep thinking of the old character actor on TV westerns like High Chaparrel.) is a neat character who sometimes sounds just like John Crichton of Farscape, though without the lingo and cultural references. He's also a bit more awestruck than Crichton, or at least as we last saw Crichton.

Claudia Black, guest starring for the first few episodes, fares a bit better than Browder, given how different her character Vala is from Aeron Sun. She has some wonderful moments teasing both Daniel and Cameron. Great fun.

And I am so loving Beau Bridges, a longtime favorite actor of mine, as the new head of Stargate Command. I think Stargate is in excellent hands.

Stargate: Atlantis seemed to struggle a bit for a consistent tone, but everyone was wonderfully in character. It didn't achieve the tension of Battlestar Galatica and given the dire straits of the characters in the battle with the Wraith, couldn't provide the chuckles of SG-1. Still, some nice things were set up, mainly Ford's transformation due to his close encounter with a Wraith. And Mitch Pileggi is a wonderful addition.

Battlestar Galactica picked up where it left off, in the thick of things. Lots of tension, lots of questions, lots of raw emotion. These characters feel more real than real, and the whole Cylon plot gets more intriguing.

I can't wait for next Friday.