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selenakFirstly, upon my return I found - thank you, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kskitten! - the latest Alias episode in my mailbox. Which provided much delicious SpyAngst.
Just when I was ready to grumble about Jack, even sick, being far too open and trusting with Doctor Lidell... the show brilliantly explained it. Should have known by the bright lightning in Lidell's office that we were in memory/hallicunation territory from the start. Anyway, the parent is sick/miracle cure plot is tried and true soap opera, but if executed well, which is was, I don't mind a bit. As it offered plenty of good character moments. Sydney not having visited her father's apartment: made me realize that yes, in four years of the show, we hadn't seen it. The cat food, indicating Jack feeds a stray cat, was an incredibly cute touch (now I'm seeing Jack/Max Eilerson parallels!) , as was his having the ugliest photo ever of little Sydney (parents are like that). And once Sydney found out the truth, she made me happy by going to Sloane for help straight away. No dithering and/or telling others first. Smart girl.
(You may not be able to trust Sloane with anyone else's life or safety, but if either Agent Bristow is in danger, Uncle Arvin is your man. His concern for Jack was palpable.)
Should have known that Freudian scenario of Sydney playing her mother was going to be Sloane's idea, too. Naturally, the entire sequence - the preparation and the execution - was the highlight of the show. From such little gems as Sloane remembering where everything was in the Bristow household and what Irina used to call Jack to the Reagan assassination mention on the fake tv broadcast to Jack telling "Laura" he knows she only puts up with Arvin for his sake (and Syd's little smirk in her "darling, he's your best friend and I'm your wife, it's no burden" reply) to the big delivery of the set-up, Jack's incredible openness and devotion to "Laura", telling her everything (ouch, ouch, ouch if you think about the consequences) and planning to leave the CIA for Sydney's and her sake. Was that Jack rewriting the past or did it happen? I hear there was a cut aftermath to the scene in which Sloane mentioned that Irina faked Laura's death two weeks later, which would confirm that Jack genuinenly wanted to do this (which rendered him useless to the KGB, of course). But only on screen is canon. Of course, the entire sequence repeats in miniature form what happened in reality - Jack loved Laura, Laura wasn't really Laura but someone else, "Laura" plays Jack, Jack ends realizing this.
The title of the episode is wonderfully fitting. Neither Laura was ever more than a mirage. And yet Irina did develop feelings for Jack, and Sydney only plays the role to save her father's life. But then, a mirage in a desert shows something that isn't completely unreal, either - just far, far away, not where you think it is.
On to the more extensive FedCon report, part one. . I'm living in Munich, which is many hours by train away from Bonn, where the convention was. On the bright side of things, part of the route is right along the Rhine in one of the prettiest scenery we have in Germany. Castles, cliffs, wine, you get the picture. I never get tired of watching this when I come that way.
Arriving at my hotel shortly after three, I unpacked and made it to the Maritim, which is where the convention was, by subway as quickly as possible. Where I picked up my weekend ticket and hooked up withbimo and cavendish. The later was only known to me in a virtual manner, and it was a delight to see him in person. bimo, as mentioned in my quick report, was dressed up as a Psi Cop in black leather, gloves and badge. It looked good on her, and I was cursing myself for not having brought my badge along (why yes, I have one), since I did have the leather jacket at least. Being utterly disinterested in Corin Nemec, we next joined forces with muffinmonster and friends, all dressed as members of the Grey Council, and camped out on the hotel floor (all chairs and sofas were occupied). Strolling through the merchandise areas was (expensive) fun. The only thing more expensive than the ST DVD sets were the Farscape ones - just as a point of comparison, one season of any ST series cost 99.,- €, one set of a Farscape season 144., - €, but one set of a Babylon 5 season only 29,- €. And I happen to know from my DS9 sets that there aren't any more extras on the Trek sets than there are on the B5 sets. Paramount is definitely owned by Ferengi, and it's why I only bought the DS9 ones. I'm not going to buy the TNG ones before they don't get a reasonable price. Photo-wise, I'm happy to report that the crew of the new Battlestar Galactica has joined the ranks of people whose depictions can be found at conventions. With signatures, no less. Book-wise, it was the usual thing, though I had the chance to buy altariel1's slightly misnamed "Worlds of the Federation: Cardassia" (Cardassia isn't a world of the Federation) and kradicals equally oddly named: "World's of the Federation: Ferenginar". Never mind about the titles, though, I read them on the way back to Munich, and they're both lovely published fanfic. Una does her usual excellent Garak, and a good O'Brien and Keiko to boot, and Keith deCandido is terrific with all three main Ferengi. Since good Quark fanfic is rare and few, I was especially delighted to find my favourite Ferengi depicted so well-rounded, weaknesses and strengths alike.
It was finally time for the big openening ceremony, showing some vids and all the guest stars. My favourite vid by far was the Ring Con 2005 advertisment, which was simply hilarious. I do hope they put it online, though non-German speakers won't why it's so funny, not understanding the lyrics used.
The first panel was Jolene Blalocks afterwards was Jolene Blalocks. It was only her third convention, and she was sitting in front of 3000 people. Her shyness and nervousness were palpable, and (to me) very endearing. Now I have only seen about four episodes of Enterprise, where she plays T'Pol, but I don't think I'd have recognized her at first glance if I had seen the lot, either; as herself, she has very bright and very long red hair (think first season Willow for the length, not the colour) and a redhead's pale complexion. She was very frank in her answers, from the small things - as when one fan challenged by what she had said about being unused to the flashlights by pointing out she used to be a model, to which she said that yes, but back then she had always known where the - one - flashlight came from, whereas now there were multiple flashlights from all directions (and having stood on a stage myself at some point in the past I can tell you it really is blinding) - to the big questions about the show, saying that the fourth season, specifically episodes like "In a Mirror Darkly" was where the show should have started, that the Xindi didn't really work for her (whereas the Andorians were her favourites and did), and that she disagreed with several things about the way her character had been written. The relationship with Trip, which she called an indecisive mess (and she thought that T'Pol, since she was supposed to be a strong woman, should have been able to make her mind one way or the other), and the losing her job and needing an entire season to get it back. Her motivation for staying with the Enterprise crew. Etc.
What made this different from, say, Robert Beltran dissing Voyager in every interview he gave (and gives, as far as I know) was that you could tell this wasn't about getting more lines on her part, and that she cared about the entire show. Manny Coto (who joined the writing staff in season 3 and became producer in season 4) got much praise from her, as did her collegues; she said "Scott is able to be far more gracious about all this" - the earlier seasons writing, and the lack of investment in the Paramount offices to save the show - "than I can be - maybe I'll manage some day, but not now". She didn't care for the series finale itself, written by Berman & Braga, it seems, but loved the episode leading up to it (written by Coto & Co.). There wasn't a real wrap party once the show was done, only months later as a publicity event. She did describe her last shot with Scott Blakula and then started to cry. Suddenly I felt incredibly old and like hugging this young woman on the stage.
The other panel of the evening was Brent Spiner, which was a big contrast. Now I had seen him twice before, once in London at the big convention after the end of TNG, and once in Munich some years later. What had remained consistent but had gotten more pronounced with the years was that as his memories of the show were quickly fading (and even in London he had said he never watched the episodes themselves), he tended to deflect questions by a series of gags. Some of which were funny, all of which were very ego-driven. Which is okay for a comedian, but he also did it when a child asked him something, and one should be able to switch then. About the frankest thing he said was when asked about his guest starring on Enterprise, whether he and the crew had discussed the DNA research related subject of the episode as it was very interesting, "no" and that he didn't care about such stuff, he just showed up for work and that was that.
After the non-answering of questions and series of gags had gone on for a good while, someone asked the "Are you by any chance related to Gilderoy Lockhart, because you two have a lot in common" question, which, due to lack of HP knowledge, he didn't understand. A later questioner explained it, and then he said "Yes, it only took years of therapy, but I'm feeling really good about myself now".
He did a great Patrick Stewart impersonation at one point - actually, so did Robert O'Reilly a day later, and so had Jonathan Frakes done at the last ST con I attended, many years ago, so I figure Patrick Stewart impersonations are the ST actors' favourite thing *g* - and mentioned the last time he had seen everyone from the gang, which was all fairly recent, saying they kept being friends and in contact. This I actually believe, because it fits with what everyone else has always said about the TNG cast - out of all the Star Trek ensembles, this was the only one which really weren't just working collegues but friends. (More on that point when I get to Robert O'Reilly.) Not very suprisingly, when asked about future plans he opted for sitcoms as his favourite genre.
After the panel was over, I met up withbimo and cavendish again, who were somewhat dissappointed by Spiner but had liked Jolene Blalock a lot. Originally, we had planned to go to muffinmonster's room party, but the long day caught up with me, and I opted out. After all, it was going to be a long Saturday...
kskitten! - the latest Alias episode in my mailbox. Which provided much delicious SpyAngst.Just when I was ready to grumble about Jack, even sick, being far too open and trusting with Doctor Lidell... the show brilliantly explained it. Should have known by the bright lightning in Lidell's office that we were in memory/hallicunation territory from the start. Anyway, the parent is sick/miracle cure plot is tried and true soap opera, but if executed well, which is was, I don't mind a bit. As it offered plenty of good character moments. Sydney not having visited her father's apartment: made me realize that yes, in four years of the show, we hadn't seen it. The cat food, indicating Jack feeds a stray cat, was an incredibly cute touch (now I'm seeing Jack/Max Eilerson parallels!) , as was his having the ugliest photo ever of little Sydney (parents are like that). And once Sydney found out the truth, she made me happy by going to Sloane for help straight away. No dithering and/or telling others first. Smart girl.
(You may not be able to trust Sloane with anyone else's life or safety, but if either Agent Bristow is in danger, Uncle Arvin is your man. His concern for Jack was palpable.)
Should have known that Freudian scenario of Sydney playing her mother was going to be Sloane's idea, too. Naturally, the entire sequence - the preparation and the execution - was the highlight of the show. From such little gems as Sloane remembering where everything was in the Bristow household and what Irina used to call Jack to the Reagan assassination mention on the fake tv broadcast to Jack telling "Laura" he knows she only puts up with Arvin for his sake (and Syd's little smirk in her "darling, he's your best friend and I'm your wife, it's no burden" reply) to the big delivery of the set-up, Jack's incredible openness and devotion to "Laura", telling her everything (ouch, ouch, ouch if you think about the consequences) and planning to leave the CIA for Sydney's and her sake. Was that Jack rewriting the past or did it happen? I hear there was a cut aftermath to the scene in which Sloane mentioned that Irina faked Laura's death two weeks later, which would confirm that Jack genuinenly wanted to do this (which rendered him useless to the KGB, of course). But only on screen is canon. Of course, the entire sequence repeats in miniature form what happened in reality - Jack loved Laura, Laura wasn't really Laura but someone else, "Laura" plays Jack, Jack ends realizing this.
The title of the episode is wonderfully fitting. Neither Laura was ever more than a mirage. And yet Irina did develop feelings for Jack, and Sydney only plays the role to save her father's life. But then, a mirage in a desert shows something that isn't completely unreal, either - just far, far away, not where you think it is.
On to the more extensive FedCon report, part one. . I'm living in Munich, which is many hours by train away from Bonn, where the convention was. On the bright side of things, part of the route is right along the Rhine in one of the prettiest scenery we have in Germany. Castles, cliffs, wine, you get the picture. I never get tired of watching this when I come that way.
Arriving at my hotel shortly after three, I unpacked and made it to the Maritim, which is where the convention was, by subway as quickly as possible. Where I picked up my weekend ticket and hooked up with
bimo and cavendish. The later was only known to me in a virtual manner, and it was a delight to see him in person. bimo, as mentioned in my quick report, was dressed up as a Psi Cop in black leather, gloves and badge. It looked good on her, and I was cursing myself for not having brought my badge along (why yes, I have one), since I did have the leather jacket at least. Being utterly disinterested in Corin Nemec, we next joined forces with muffinmonster and friends, all dressed as members of the Grey Council, and camped out on the hotel floor (all chairs and sofas were occupied). Strolling through the merchandise areas was (expensive) fun. The only thing more expensive than the ST DVD sets were the Farscape ones - just as a point of comparison, one season of any ST series cost 99.,- €, one set of a Farscape season 144., - €, but one set of a Babylon 5 season only 29,- €. And I happen to know from my DS9 sets that there aren't any more extras on the Trek sets than there are on the B5 sets. Paramount is definitely owned by Ferengi, and it's why I only bought the DS9 ones. I'm not going to buy the TNG ones before they don't get a reasonable price. Photo-wise, I'm happy to report that the crew of the new Battlestar Galactica has joined the ranks of people whose depictions can be found at conventions. With signatures, no less. Book-wise, it was the usual thing, though I had the chance to buy altariel1's slightly misnamed "Worlds of the Federation: Cardassia" (Cardassia isn't a world of the Federation) and kradicals equally oddly named: "World's of the Federation: Ferenginar". Never mind about the titles, though, I read them on the way back to Munich, and they're both lovely published fanfic. Una does her usual excellent Garak, and a good O'Brien and Keiko to boot, and Keith deCandido is terrific with all three main Ferengi. Since good Quark fanfic is rare and few, I was especially delighted to find my favourite Ferengi depicted so well-rounded, weaknesses and strengths alike. It was finally time for the big openening ceremony, showing some vids and all the guest stars. My favourite vid by far was the Ring Con 2005 advertisment, which was simply hilarious. I do hope they put it online, though non-German speakers won't why it's so funny, not understanding the lyrics used.
The first panel was Jolene Blalocks afterwards was Jolene Blalocks. It was only her third convention, and she was sitting in front of 3000 people. Her shyness and nervousness were palpable, and (to me) very endearing. Now I have only seen about four episodes of Enterprise, where she plays T'Pol, but I don't think I'd have recognized her at first glance if I had seen the lot, either; as herself, she has very bright and very long red hair (think first season Willow for the length, not the colour) and a redhead's pale complexion. She was very frank in her answers, from the small things - as when one fan challenged by what she had said about being unused to the flashlights by pointing out she used to be a model, to which she said that yes, but back then she had always known where the - one - flashlight came from, whereas now there were multiple flashlights from all directions (and having stood on a stage myself at some point in the past I can tell you it really is blinding) - to the big questions about the show, saying that the fourth season, specifically episodes like "In a Mirror Darkly" was where the show should have started, that the Xindi didn't really work for her (whereas the Andorians were her favourites and did), and that she disagreed with several things about the way her character had been written. The relationship with Trip, which she called an indecisive mess (and she thought that T'Pol, since she was supposed to be a strong woman, should have been able to make her mind one way or the other), and the losing her job and needing an entire season to get it back. Her motivation for staying with the Enterprise crew. Etc.
What made this different from, say, Robert Beltran dissing Voyager in every interview he gave (and gives, as far as I know) was that you could tell this wasn't about getting more lines on her part, and that she cared about the entire show. Manny Coto (who joined the writing staff in season 3 and became producer in season 4) got much praise from her, as did her collegues; she said "Scott is able to be far more gracious about all this" - the earlier seasons writing, and the lack of investment in the Paramount offices to save the show - "than I can be - maybe I'll manage some day, but not now". She didn't care for the series finale itself, written by Berman & Braga, it seems, but loved the episode leading up to it (written by Coto & Co.). There wasn't a real wrap party once the show was done, only months later as a publicity event. She did describe her last shot with Scott Blakula and then started to cry. Suddenly I felt incredibly old and like hugging this young woman on the stage.
The other panel of the evening was Brent Spiner, which was a big contrast. Now I had seen him twice before, once in London at the big convention after the end of TNG, and once in Munich some years later. What had remained consistent but had gotten more pronounced with the years was that as his memories of the show were quickly fading (and even in London he had said he never watched the episodes themselves), he tended to deflect questions by a series of gags. Some of which were funny, all of which were very ego-driven. Which is okay for a comedian, but he also did it when a child asked him something, and one should be able to switch then. About the frankest thing he said was when asked about his guest starring on Enterprise, whether he and the crew had discussed the DNA research related subject of the episode as it was very interesting, "no" and that he didn't care about such stuff, he just showed up for work and that was that.
After the non-answering of questions and series of gags had gone on for a good while, someone asked the "Are you by any chance related to Gilderoy Lockhart, because you two have a lot in common" question, which, due to lack of HP knowledge, he didn't understand. A later questioner explained it, and then he said "Yes, it only took years of therapy, but I'm feeling really good about myself now".
He did a great Patrick Stewart impersonation at one point - actually, so did Robert O'Reilly a day later, and so had Jonathan Frakes done at the last ST con I attended, many years ago, so I figure Patrick Stewart impersonations are the ST actors' favourite thing *g* - and mentioned the last time he had seen everyone from the gang, which was all fairly recent, saying they kept being friends and in contact. This I actually believe, because it fits with what everyone else has always said about the TNG cast - out of all the Star Trek ensembles, this was the only one which really weren't just working collegues but friends. (More on that point when I get to Robert O'Reilly.) Not very suprisingly, when asked about future plans he opted for sitcoms as his favourite genre.
After the panel was over, I met up with
bimo and cavendish again, who were somewhat dissappointed by Spiner but had liked Jolene Blalock a lot. Originally, we had planned to go to muffinmonster's room party, but the long day caught up with me, and I opted out. After all, it was going to be a long Saturday...
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 10:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 11:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 10:59 am (UTC)*goes to virtual con*
no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 05:01 pm (UTC)Yes. Season 4 of Ent is much better - this really is where they should have begun. I recommend it whole-heartedly. The *finale*, however... B&B have gone on and on about it being their "Valentine" to the show. Most of the fans, however, are horrified (as are, clearly, the cast). I was persuaded to take a look at the spoilers, and I was just... gobsmacked. I can't believe that they actually think it's a good way to end the show.
Most of the fans I know aren't intending to watch the finale. Everything up until then, yes; "These Are The Voyages", no.
Brent Spiner was *brilliant* on Enterprise :) I never liked Data, but Soong was just great.
Sounds like fun, anyway! Maybe some day I'll make it to Fedcon - I've wanted to go the last two years, but it's just not happening.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-10 08:03 pm (UTC)Hm, that bad? Are they killing everyone off, or what? You know, that has a great tradition...
no subject
Date: 2005-05-10 08:10 pm (UTC)All I'm saying is, some finales are lovesongs to the show and the fans, and some are obscene hand-gestures. :S
no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-09 09:24 pm (UTC)I'm not going to buy the TNG ones before they don't get a reasonable price.
We haven't bought *any* of the ST DVDs yet as they're too expensive. We managed to collect the entire set of Farscape for half-price, which pleased us!
it fits with what everyone else has always said about the TNG cast - out of all the Star Trek ensembles, this was the only one which really weren't just working collegues but friends.
Patrick Stewart was on the radio here the other day and spoke of his time on TNG very warmly. He was choosing records to take to a desert island and one of his choices was one of the TNG cast singing. He did sound as if he remembered them all fondly.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.