Well, the episode "Valhalla" came and went -- but not unremarked, and not very well liked by at least two authors. In a rather lengthy email exchange, Deb and Grace decided why the episode Valhalla was not going to get even a nod to its existence in their fanfic. The following is a copy of those emails, to let the readers (especially those unfamiliar with early season one) know ... as well as any official folks who might drop by and be curious. While the acting, as seems to always be the case, was lovely on all sides, the writing ... Well, see below.
From Grace It's official.... Trilogy has relatives in Australia. Apparently we've up and decided to throw continuity completely out the window!?!?
a) Dar was about 19 in that flashback in "The Demon Curupira"
b) Kyra would not have been taken at that age -- or stayed innocent if she was. And for that matter, if Dar could not change things in Valhalla, then who saved Akili in the "real" past, hmmmmmm?
and
c) Dar said in "A Simple Truth" that his father helped him make the staff! NOT that Curupira put the totems there and he was about 10 (voice hadn't changed yet).
::absolutely furious growl:: Come ON, people!!!! Just THINK!! You seemed to have been doing a good job of it before now! Yes, nice moments for Daniel and Jackson -- especially the reunion with Mom and Tao's worrying, but ..... AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!
I like our stories better. ::crossing arms and looking every bit as stubborn as Dar::
From Deb (chuckling) Already made my decision, darling. My background for Dar is staying put in my stories.
And I don't buy that Curupira has no soul. If that was true, she wouldn't care about the animals, and she wouldn't have reacted to Dar telling her that she was his friend as she did.
Loved the little hug Tao gave Dar at the end, and the way he would stroke Dar's hair while taking his temperature. Sweet. I told you there would be some slash moments in this baby!
And Kyra has always been insipid, apparently . . . although in this case, I blame that more on the writing. Some nice moments, Daniel did some great work, but I'm ignoring this episode. For heaven's sake, we didn't even get the names of Dar's parents! And while I agree that Dar has been on his own for a long time, I don't see a ten year old surviving alone in the forest for that amount of time.
They also can't make up their mind how to write Curupira? Is she a teenager with a massive case of PMS, or what? I mean, come on! I know she has no use for humans, but a man's family is a man's family! Would she expect Ruh to leave his family? Think, people! You should have heard Curi yelling during the episode . . . she was not a happy chick. Especially when the child Dar was threatened.
Also liked that Dar's father realized telling Dar that there was no need for forgiveness wouldn't work. Dar truly felt like he was to blame for his mother's death, and only being told that she forgave him would ease the pain.
And I'm sorry, I do not see the boy Dar being stupid. Here's this stranger, this young man who is talking to Father's dead body, and it never occurs to child-Dar to ask him who he is?????? Hello???????????? Yes, I know the boy is in shock, and yes, I know he has lost his parents within days of each other, but personally, I thought it a little silly that the child never asked Dar who he was, or what he was doing, or why he was talking to HIS father like that.
From Grace (in response) >> And I don't buy that Curupira has no soul. If that was true, she wouldn't care about the animals, and she wouldn't have reacted to Dar telling her that she was his friend as she did. <<
Point.
>> Loved the little hug Tao gave Dar at the end, and the way he would stroke Dar's hair while taking his temperature. Sweet. I told you there would be some slash moments in this baby! <<
LOL! Very good point -- and we now know that Tao has physical strength too ... not sure about Jackson, since we couldn't actually see if that was him or not carrying Daniel. And oh my, how convenient that there's a shaman nearby. And how, pray tell, did Tao just happen to know where he was in relation to the Sula village?
<< For heaven's sake, we didn't even get the names of Dar's parents! And while I agree that Dar has been on his own for a long time, I don't see a ten year old surviving alone in the forest for that amount of time. >>
Nope. Two points to go along with that: 1) he would not have survived and lived so close to the village for 12 years or more and only had a relapse upon seeing a dead baboon. [[1a) said baboon was too stupid to live, b) what was that Terron on??? He just randomly decided to go galloping across the countryside to pass thru the ex-Sula village and knock said stupid baboon on the head for no purpose other than to kill it? What, he saw it on the Nature Channel and it pissed him off?, c) what were the writers and director on that they came up with this and let it slide??!?!, and d) {yes, there is a d} what were Daniel and Jackson and Emilie on that they let it slide?! I mean, if anyone would remember past eps, it would be the people who had to memorize lines for them!!**]]
{{** = I amended that: I have a feeling the actors were reading the script and saying to one another "Umm ... this isn't what's been established." "I know. You think if we point that out, they'll revise?" "I doubt it. We're just actors." "::sigh:: Right. Make the best of it." Which they did. My congratulations to Daniel, Jackson, and Emilie -- they were the ones who knew what should have been in the script, and they still managed to pull it off very well (purely from an acting POV, still not (and not ever) writing).}}
Okay, and my second point (2): Did we lurk in the sanctuary when I wasn't looking? Cause suddenly somebody was running around with a frickin' BUBBLE MACHINE!! And I really don't think Curupira was in a happy, shiny, bubbly phase at that time.
>> They also can't make up their mind how to write Curupira? Is she a teenager with a massive case of PMS, or what? I mean, come on! I know she has no use for humans, but a man's family is a man's family! Would she expect Ruh to leave his family? Think, people! You should have heard Curi yelling during the episode. . .she was not a happy chick. Especially when the child Dar was threatened. <<
Refer to my "happy, shiny, bubbly phase" comment above. And exsqueeze me -- "You'll find the answer in your wife's ashes"????? Is this implying she can see the future? In which case (or in any case, I can't decided which right now), did the hit-and-run Terron-on-drugs from the present also send himself to Valhalla? You could just picture this guy a league away suddenly going, "Hmmm. I'm bored. I think I'll go ride thru that village we just maraudered, randomly hit one single person and then ride off again." I mean, again, completely random. And Daddy didn't even do anything!!!
>> Also liked that Dar's father realized telling Dar that there was no need for forgiveness wouldn't work. Dar truly felt like he was to blame for his mother's death, and only being told that she forgave him would ease the pain. <<
Yes, but if Dar is reliving the past and can't change things, then how would Dad know he was in Valhalla and not know everything else?? I mean, this was kinda throwing in lucid dreaming and then forgetting about it again. And what was the deal with Akili's (also nameless) dad?!? Just ... in general. "Let's see, I'm the supposed leader of these men who are constantly springing out of nowhere and killing people, I think I'll just hang out over here with my 9 year-old son..." And let's not forget the "half-way up a hillside while said 9-yr-old son is swimming thru a river that has crocodiles" bit!!! How much more utterly random stuff can they throw in?! What, was this an April Fool's Day episode!?
>> And I'm sorry, I do not see the boy Dar being stupid. Here's this stranger, this young man who is talking to Father's dead body, and it never occurs to child-Dar to ask him who he is?????? Hello???????????? Yes, I know the boy is in shock, and yes, I know he has lost his parents within days of each other, but personally, I thought it a little silly that the child never asked Dar who he was, or what he was doing, or why he was talking to HIS father like that. <<
I know. "Gee, mysterious-half-naked-guy-whose-name-is-somehow-never-given-and-my-dad-doesn't-know- but-just-trusts-anyway, you just go right ahead and show grief over my dead father. I'll just stand back here and not even look affected in any way, shape or form, then draw a circle and step inside for no apparent purpose other than to create that neat design the shaman drew on the floor to give the audience members who don't see the complete and total ridiculousness of every other bit of this episode an impression of deep, significant symbolism to reinforce the dream-like quality of this overhead shot."
The only thing I really enjoyed was Tao's comment about Dar saving Akili in the past and the present (which again, if it's in his mind, how can it actually be the PAST and if he can't change anything, how can he save one kid and then risk getting killed?????) being kinda neat. Shaman just looks at him. I was LOL.
And what the f**k was the deal with the Shaman doing a limbo number and "being one with the bubbles"? One more random thing and implying that it wasn't just in his mind, which it was, and they were being way the f**k too metaphysical. All in all, I really think they should retitle this episode "Val-HELLO!!!!!"
Okay, rant over ...
And that was the end of that. <g>
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