Threadific rant and Jack's intelligence

[holdouttrout]

So...if you have two versions of an episode (one slightly longer than the other), which do you put on the DVD? Come on, people; this is an easy question. Or maybe this is the question: does the extended version of Threads actually exist? Or is it fannish glee made up by gateworld.net? This is actually a rant that I've been saving up since I saw the rest of season 8, although now that it's here it doesn't sound particularly ranty. Any comments/insight/get-a-life comments accepted here.

Also, and this is totally obvious, I know, and I really knew it before this, I swear, I just hadn't put it into words: Jack pretends to be dumb, but is quite smart. (That's not the observation, hang on, we're getting there.) He works with three very intelligent people--you can tell because Daniel talks a lot about what he knows, Carter can figure anything out and will tell you about it if you don't save her from herself, and Teal'c rarely says anything, proving he's actually the most intelligent of all three. (Still moving toward the observation, I promise.) But none of them laugh at his jokes. Sure, they might make faces (Daniel), roll their eyes and/or half-smile (Carter), or raise an eyebrow (Teal'c), but nobody laughs, thus proving that they're all in on the joke and are deliberately acting as straight man. 

Of course, this is completely obvious on the level that we, as the audience, watch the show. We know that Jack is funny, and we laugh appropriately at him. What is amazing is that real people laugh all the time at funny things--the characters on the show ought to, too. (And yes, I know that no one on dramas ever laughs at jokes--does anyone know why? In fanfic, characters are allowed to laugh...) Anyway, I was struck by the idea that perhaps these characters deliberately play along with Jack--after all, the only time you don't laugh at a funny joke? When you're playing to another audience. Which of course makes my whole argument a moote point, but I'm going to stop here and think of the mounds of fanfic that could result from Hammond realizing that this whole time, SG-1 has just been trying to get him to let loose and laugh. Or maybe Kinsey, because God knows that man could use a little humor in his life.)

Oh, and just as an aside: how can you tell Jack is smart? Because the smart people he works with defer to him as their leader. Most of the time, and with great reluctance half of the time, but they follow his lead nevertheless.

The end.

Comments

[nandamai]

Yes, the extended version exists, and it's about 62 minutes long if I recall correctly. After the initial release of the S8 box set there was a lot of outcry from fans, and MGM eventually let us send in the Proof of Purchase from S8 Disc 5 and exchange it for a new copy with the extended version of Threads. It still has no commentary, which was a sore point with me, but I'm over it.

What you get now if you buy or rent the box set, I have no idea.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Huh. That is...very interesting.

[begin whining]But why? why? why? wouldn't they just release the long version???[/whining]

[nandamai]

I vaguely recall that the Region 2 DVDs had the long version from the beginning, and it was only the Region 1 DVDs that had the short. And now that I think about it more ... I think the longer version was shown first, in the UK (as the second half of S10 is now) and of course downloaded by many fans, but then Sci-Fi only showed the short version when it aired in the US so as not to mess up their schedule or something. I think. In any case, blame Sci-Fi. That always works.

It was ... well, it's hard to explain now how worked-up SG1 fandom was long before the episode aired, just from the spoilers -- mostly-dead Daniel + Sam/Pete + Jack/other + a rumored S/J ending -- and Sci-Fi and MGM, being stupid, completely fed into it, even months after the fact.

[nandamai]

mostly-dead Daniel + Sam/Pete + Jack/other + a rumored S/J ending

And Jacob! How could I forget Jacob? I was like the only person left on the planet who wasn't spoiled for that, I think.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Oh man. It sounds like...about as much fun as a root canal, because sometimes shippers are...not so lovely. I don't quite understand why people get so worked up about pairings--I have mine, but I let other people have theirs, and occasionally read their fanfic, too. Partly because of you, actually, because you first opened my eyes to the realistic possibility of fanon pairings as opposed to canon. Or rather, fanon threesomes and robot!porn. :-)

I once made a comment about loving coming to fandoms late, partly because there's just so MUCH to entertain, and partly because you get to take the bad with the good--that is, know the bad is coming and not get worked up over it.

Which leads me to this question: do I still like BSG? (random, I know, but I'm still not entirely sure).

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

SG-1 as a comedy double-act, only with four... hee-hee. You're right, they do play to the 'audience' - I often laugh more at, say, Daniel's expression when Jack makes a joke, rather than the joke itself.

But if you want to think of it not as a show - I mean, as if the characters weren't acting as if they were in a show - you could say they're trying to make each other crack up first. Ever seen Peter Cook and Dudley Moore doing 'Pete & Dud'? It's a fairly normal double-act thing, on the whole... but Peter Cook seemed to spend a lot of time paying no attention to the audience, and just concentrating on trying to crack Dudley up. And it's gleeful to watch - the evil glint in Peter's eye, when Dudley's trying to keep a straight face and failing dismally... love it.

I suspect RDA is a bit like that, and certainly plays Jack like that: good at keeping a straight face, and making others crack up first. And, in character, Daniel is fairly competitive - refusing to show a reaction to Jack's stupid jokes. Teal'c, of course, can out-do anyone when it comes to poker faces. Sam's the worst at resisting the humour - hence why Jack often looks to her, when he's been funny: he knows she can't help reacting.

Okay, shutting up now.

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

Yes! Yes, exactly; and there's also this thing to Teal'c poker face--he's caught on to the game (Sam knows she's terrible and just doesn't try, she's got her own technobabble game) and is learning how to play, so that eventually he'll be able to send snarky looks at Sam (a la season 10) and watch her crack.

And maybe Vala's caught on, too, and has, of course, set her sights on making Daniel crack. Because after 8 years of Jack, he's really quite good at keeping a straight face, and Vala can't resist a challenge.

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Daniel's verrrrrry good at keeping a straight face - he just gives his 'I'll pretend I haven't heard that' look, and changes the subject. Vala's got a tough job ahead of her. Although I suspect, rather than making Daniel laugh, it would entertain Vala more if she could get him to jump up and down in sheer anger, a la One False Step.

Because that was funneeee. :D

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

I think you might be right. The barely concealed not-irritation is one thing, but all out Daniel-anger? Priceless. There's also an argument for intense sexual frustration...but on the show I prefer my banter mostly untainted by actual sexual tension. Except Sam/Jack, but we're not going there. ;-)