okay..

[Rik_the_Riff]

Okayyyyy, somebody was enjoying their rant IMHO

To be honest, I thought that KR's O'Neil was a plot device - he's just there to make the plot move. Apart from when he first appears, he doesn't act at all like he's bereaved (at least if he does, I didn't notice) - surely if his kid had accidentaly shot himself, he wouldn't go anywhere near a gun, let alone JOIN THE ARMY AGAIN. And (though I haven't seen the first episodes of SG1, so I don't know), I thought the treatment of Daniel in the film was terrible - why, oh why, oh why can't we have a scientist treated with some respect in a blockbuster, rather than sneezing and getting dragged around by yaks. Plus, of course, all the laughs from the film are supposed to come from the 'hilarious' culture clash which, like most culture clashes ISN'T FUNNY AT ALL, OK?

Just a thought,

Rik

 

[Anni]

With respect, you obviously have no idea how people with very bad PTSD behave. I myself suffer from post traumatic stress disorder so I have some experience. KR's Jack behaved EXACTLY as a soldier with PTSD behaves, the muted aggression, the feelings of dissociation, a reluctance to unburden oneself (because you feel that nobody could possibly understand what you are going through or how you feel, which of course, alienates your family and friends) and being 'different', the desire to end it all - all of these are part of PTSD.

Many serving soldiers having done or seen terrible things actually *choose* to stay in the military or indeed re-enlist, because to be honest, you feel so different from the normal civilian society, being in amongst other soldiers, in an environment you are intensely familiar with is infinitely preferable to being even with your family, who you have an overwhelming desire to protect - usually from yourself. The things which torture you are like a video which has no 'off' switch, they just replay and replay over and over again.

I've been there and done that. I had five years of trauma counselling to help me come to terms with PTSD, my memories and my feelings and even now I still have the nightmares and the face of the first person I deprived of live comes back to me and will continue to do so until I gasp my last breath. God only knows how I would have been had I come back to the situation where I lost one of my children. I think it would have unhinged me altogether. I do know that my PTSD drove me to seek the company of people I knew would understand - not my family or friends, but other veterans.

I don't know if this will help you understand why I said what I did about the portrayal of Jack in the movie, you may well think I'm talking through my a$$hole, but I assure you I'm not. KR's portrayal of Jack the bereaved PTSD suffering Jack very much touched a chord with me.

 

[Status]

Ok, I have to go with Rowen's first assesment. I liked them equally, the show would have been great without the film but it did set a very important background for them to follow

Sorry this isn't more origional but don't think it could have been said any better than Rowen did

 

[ReplicatorX]

I like both. At the time when I had seen the movie and only seen a couple of episodes in the middle of some season and I didn't know what was going on I would have said the movie but now that I know whats going on in the series, i'd definetly say the series but like others have said you can't really do a fair comparison between a 2hr (or so) movie and a 7 going on 8 season series.