#ep. childhood's end

[dr-futbol-blog]

Poisoning the Well

Poisoning the Well (S01E07) is a Beckett-centric episode so we get less interaction between Sheppard and McKay.

It is noticeable at the very outset, though, that they are getting to know each other pretty well. Sheppard is able to communicate a complex idea (this culture is clearly more primitive than ours but they are so proud of their accomplishments and we are trying to make friends so you need to curb your need to be right and just go with it) to McKay just by saying his name using a certain voice. Sheppard has his back turned so his tone of voice is actually the only cue McKay gets. This suggests familiarity.

However, it's actually more striking that McKay actually seems to understand John's meaning. Just in the previous episode, Childhood's End (S01E06) McKay seemed unable to understand that when someone asks whether he has chocolate on him, they actually want to have some. That is, he has trouble understanding social cues and interprets things very literally which is on par with fictive representations of geniuses.

This tells us two things: 1) Sheppard has observed McKay enough to be able to anticipate what he's going to do (cf. previous episode for Sheppard keeping a keen eye on everything Rodney does) and 2) McKay must be trying really hard to understand Sheppard, which is something he would not normally bother doing.

Further, Sheppard keeps exhibiting signs of attraction. He seems to sense McKay's movement behind him (physical awareness), his eyes automatically go to him, he aborts the movement once he catches himself but then looks anyway because it would be silly to keep himself from looking at his entirely platonic team member.

Also, McKay places himself close enough to touch and not only does John pull away, he pushes back into him (accidentally-on-purpose-touches).

He glances at McKay when he thinks that he's not looking:

In the episode, we are once more reminded of the importance of looks and subtextual information carried therein with this exchange:

Weir: Major, have you made any progress with your prisoner? Sheppard: Well, not yet, but he just blinked. McKay: He blinked? What does that mean? Sheppard: It means he's still holding on but he's indicated to me that he may break soon. McKay: And he indicated this to you by ... blinking? Sheppard: Yes.

The episode also marks the start of Sheppard antagonizing the wraith by giving them human names. He later names Todd after a pale guy a knew in college which makes one wonder if all the names he comes up with are from people of his past. One would venture that he would give the wraith names of people he didn't particularly like but then, there is this strange erotic undertone to his taunting of the wraith. Could the sources of the names be exes or former crushes?

Further, when they're walking side by side, Sheppard actually turns his entire body toward McKay:

Also, while the licking-his-lip thing seems to be a nervous tick, something that Sheppard does when he's not sure what to say or to deal with some emotion (here, McKay reminds him that he's the one responsible for waking the wraith), he does it twice here in very short order. One of them was wraith-related, the other was purely McKay-related.

Also notable: John clearly blames himself for waking the wraith, and he could easily have interpreted the look McKay throws at him when the topic comes up as blaming him. But once alone, McKay actually tries to alleviate Sheppard's obvious guilt with "You haven't told them that we practically woke the Wraith from hibernation, have you?"

For a socially inept dude he certainly is able to pass as a human being for this man and this man only.

Also, this exchange:

McKay: Reminds you of Area 51, doesn't it? Sheppard: Circa 1918. Ford: I don't think Area 51 was around in 1918, sir. Sheppard: Well, the area was.

Commenting on a topic that you hope will interest your crush. Teasing reply. Someone else jives in, you do a complete 180 to defend the comment of your would-be boo. This is textbook stuff.

There's innuendo in Sheppard's "Weapons come in all shapes and sizes, lieutenant," especially as it is paired with a shot of a phallic vial being handed to him with a suggestive look from the chancellor with a drawled "Major Sheppard, I think you'll find this intriguing."

Through Sheppard and McKay's discussion with Beckett on the planet, we establish that when someone is not a part of the military, Sheppard can't give them commands. For some reason we, as the audience, really needed to be reminded of that during this time.

This episode also marks the start of several references to Star Trek. It's actually Sheppard that brings it up with "He's worse than McCoy!" completely unprompted, albeit Rodney seems to catch the reference right away. Over the seasons we see further examples of Sheppard revealing what a complete and utter geek he is where McKay just keeps not noticing this fact in spite of their frequent geeky conversations. Also, since Beckett is Bones, and McKay thinks that Sheppard is Kirk, although it is never mentioned, that probably would make McKay Spock. Kirk and Spock being the OG sci-fi television relationship with homoerotic undertones, which were also more or less confirmed by the creators.

According to creator Gene Rodenberry, "I definitely designed it as a love relationship. And I hope that for men… who have been afraid of such relationships… that they [Spock and Kirk] would encourage them to be able to feel love and affection, true affection… love, friendship and deep respect. That was the relationship I tried to draw. I think I also tried to draw a feeling of belief that very few of us are complete unto ourselves. It’s quite a lovely thing… where two halves make a whole."

The introduction of Perna is interesting. When she arrives, Sheppard's gaze first completely slides over her, finding the back of Beckett's head to be more interesting. But a polite fellow, he introduces himself in response to her introduction with a polite smile, then turning to introduce his team and when he's about the introduce McKay, Beckett chimes in, obviously captivated by her.

He's looking at her intensely, starts macking right away. And it's only then that Rodney jumps in with what can only be described as a need to compete with Beckett for the attention of the lady. And John seems pleased as a peach when the Hoffan scientist only seems to have eyes for Beckett.

They are in contrast. Sheppard is uninterested. Beckett is immediately and completely taken. McKay's interest is perfunctory. The pretty lady is the trophy of a competition that he just lost.

Perna and Beckett get real close, real fast working side by side together. While this is obvious to the audience, since it is taking place between a man and a woman, the romantic nature of their relationship isn't actually explicitly stated. It is played out through gazes, positioning, intimacy of their rapport. We naturally read this as romance. Everything that takes place between them also takes places between Sheppard and McKay, only spread over several episodes. It's funny how that is.

[cryptcatz]

this Chris Kratt moment has been living in my head rent free

[lyxurious]

men will be the reason you find yourself trapped in a cave, at night, in the middle of nowhere, during a blizzard, with enemies looking to off you and a pack of wild feline beasts looking to eat you and STILL blame you for staying

[bigkickguy]

wip - trying to doodle my rarepair on the beach and i can't stop trying to make emo ideas happen so im spitting out here to get it out of my head eustace and isaac could be cute !! just let them have their peace and quiet!! I'm starting to rotating them in my mind !!

[matchandelure]

binge read all of kaiju no 8 a couple days ago :::) and im all caught up w the anime now too i am hooked holy

[tench]

I suddenly want to reread Childhood's end by Arthur C Clarke. And then watch that miniseries which is going to be Not Good. But I still think it'd be a fun experience all together

[yujeong]

VegasPete and Childhood's End: a deranged attempt at connecting two completely unrelated things

Hello there, fellow VP enthusiasts. This post here is my remaining 2 braincells trying to come up with ways the silly, little book known as Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke and the silly, little couple known as VegasPete are connected, and how the show chose this book for Vegas to be reading in episode 11 for reasons beyond its title. I swear it's true, I asked Pond, he told me about it, trust me. I said in the tags of this post that I have started reading the book because I have a fic idea I wanted to write (which will happen next year now, after I finish the book), and after I shared my observations on the kindergarten mafia server, I thought to myself why not make a Tumblr post too? So, here I am. I would like to clarify that I will be spoiling major parts of the book, obviously, so anyone who doesn't want to get spoiled, don't read this post and the ones after it. Also, this is the version of the book I bought like 5 days ago from a well-known bookshop at the center of Athens, which sells English books too, bless them. Just so you know what my source is. (Unfortunately, getting the version Vegas was reading might be difficult - if not impossible - in Greece to find, because I believe it's one of the first editions? I'm not sure. Nevertheless, I have the book in my hands, which is what counts.) If I make any mistakes in regards to the information I'll provide about the book, the story and the characters, I apologize in advance. It'll probably be me not being careful enough while reading it and missing sth. So, without any further delay, here we go:

The basic premise of the book is a concept that's become cliche in the recent years: aliens called the Overlords have taken over the Earth, bringing prosperity to it but leaving humans with having no actual freedom in their choices. So, reading up to page 34, we learn that there's a specific Overlord called Karellen who's responsible for ruling the Earth, and we also get introduced to Stormgren who's the intermediary between Karellen and the human race, with the title of "Secretary". At first, I had made the connection of Vegas being Stormgren and Karellen (or the Overlords in general) being Gun, because Stormgren trusts Karellen with ruling the human race, just as Vegas idolizes his father who can totally bring prosperity to the family and make it better by force (an important element since the Overlords just came and declared themselves the rulers of the planet and took over). Also, there's an element of secrecy with Karellen, because it's been 5 years since he arrived on Earth but no one, not even Stormgren, knows what he looks like. This causes Stormgren to be a bit suspicious of Karellen, which he rarely shows and tries to push the feeling down when it resurfaces. In the same way, I thought this could connect to Gun who's hiding stuff from Vegas - Porsche anyone? - which Vegas will start having thoughts about post ep 11. All of that is fine and good, BUT I wouldn't be a Pete girlie if I didn't try to include my boy in this. I think all of the above I mentioned is more about Pete than Vegas. And, judging by how obsessed Vegas became with Pete post ep 10 - after their masks fell off and he saw who Pete truly was - I am confident in my belief that Vegas reading Childhood's End would think of Pete, not himself (sth he already does at this point but you get what I'm saying). SO, Stormgren is actually Pete, who follows Karellen's words almost blindly, and almost is an important word here because in the book, he does argue back about things and is vocal about his opinions, even if Karellen smartly turns them down. Karellen is generally very softly spoken, polite and very human like in the way he talks, so in my opinion he resembles Korn way more than Gun. There's also a character who calls Stormgren out on his blind faith in Karellen, and if this isn't Vegas telling Pete that "there's no such thing as honesty", I don't know what it is. Now, for the fun part: Stormgren gets kidnapped by a group of humans who want the Overlords to leave and not only is the dude semi-casual about it on the surface while keeping his panic under wraps, in the end his captors, after explaining how they got him and what their plan is, throw a pack of cards at him and ask him to play poker with him, which causes Stormgren to laugh like he hasn't laughed in years. I'm just imagining Vegas reading this and shaking his head, putting on his clown shoes, thinking: these guys are so stupid, encouraging their captive be this nonchalant around them, I would never.

[hellolulu]

Mob Psycho 100 having "even though I don't want to hurt others, existing as a human being means I can't avoid it, so I'll make sure to be responsible for any pain I cause" as a theme is very rad, I think.

[nerdlytreasure]

From the preview for next week it looks like they’re going to meet Stoat Brutus

[storge]

We're both 17 years old. Turning 18 soon. We're not yet adults, nor are we kids anymore. Makes you wanna firmly keep it that way. Also makes you wanna break it all up.

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai (2022) 1.01

[uglygirlstatus]

I WANT to watch hate crimes md so bad but hospital dramas make my medical anxiety go so extra crazy

[dr-futbol-blog]

Childhood's End

There sure are a lot of strapping young lads in this episode.

In Childhood's End (S01E06), we start sowing the seeds of jealousy that we find upon multiple instances both Sheppard and McKay express when it comes to the other's interest in a woman or a woman's interest in them (possibly this already started at the end of the previous episode with the handsy nurse; there Rodney was miffed, here Sheppard is miffed). Jealousy due to romantic rivalry between two men would make sense in a heteronormative context (women are paying more attention to my friend when they should be paying attention to me) but, uh. That is not and never will be the case with these two.

McKay mentions Samantha Carter at the outset and while he doesn't see the faces Sheppard pulls, we sure do. The thing is, McKay doesn't even say anything particularly incriminating. It's the mere tone of his voice when he mentions her name that Sheppard seems to pick up on.

Devil's advocate: Sheppard finds it distasteful that a fellow officer is being objectified. He finds 'locker room talk' crass, even though there's barely a hint of it here. Okay. But then he does this:

This lip thing is something that we see Sheppard do when ever he does not know how to deal with difficult emotions (a notable example is following the hug Elizabeth gives him after he survives a suicide mission in The Siege, Pt III). This is self-soothing behaviour.

The episode also starts with an example of something that I really don't like but which clearly stems from McKay's insecurity: indicating that he is of a superior intellect and that Sheppard is dumb ("I'm sorry: Yes, energy field good"). Yes, he also did that to Sam in the very beginning ("I have a weakness for dumb blondes"; let's preemptively insult the attractive person to take the sting off the inevitable rejection). He did actually already start this with Sheppard at the outset ("I knew that, of course. I'm just surprised that you did").

This is also one of the reasons I think 38 Minutes (S01E04) would have worked much better later on in the season: in it, we have another instance of McKay asserting his intellectual superiority over the others ("I apologise for being the only person who truly comprehends how screwed we are!") because he "reacts to certain doom a certain way" and Sheppard, being in the bind that he is, cuts him short real quick: "You've got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain!"

This is something that we return to time and again. McKay panics and starts going off on everyone around him focusing on all the wrong things, and Sheppard cuts through the fog to get his attention back to solving the problem.

In-universe, McKay is one of the smartest people alive. Some have argued even the smartest. According to Daniel Jackson, he could have won the Nobel Prize several times over. Yes. We later learn that Sheppard is of above-average intellect but obviously he is no match for Marty-Stu McKay because no one is.

Only, when it comes to strategy and strategic thinking, Sheppard is light years ahead of McKay.

This is a very good example of that: Sheppard is teaching McKay how to communicate on a mission. Be succinct, to the point, give only the information that is relevant. Clear communication and simplification of data is vital operation protocol, especially in scenarios of certain doom. Everyone knows that you're smarter than them my guy, he's just trying to keep you and everyone else unharmed.

This episode also marks the hilarious beginning of Sheppard's poor sense of direction. In fact, neither of them can keep a straight line with regards to orientation.

Sheppard can orient himself in the sky but not on land. McKay, as we later learn, cannot keep to a straight line on the ground or in the air.

In the episode, Keras and Sheppard bond real quick. The young village elder seems smitten. Good god, he looks Sheppard intensely in the eyes and says: "I’ll be honest with you, Sheppard. There’s nothing I’d like more than to spend more time talking with you… But it’s not possible." You know, like straight dudes do.

Sheppard also seems to like the boy just fine, although how much of his behaviour is designed simply to stop Keras from doing something he thinks is morally bankrupt is up in the air. They are sitting together, walking together, exchanging personal information.

There's also this:

Keras: Would you stand witness? Sheppard: Me? Well, what do I have to do? Keras: Just be there, as I prepare. We gather the strength from those close to us for the Sacrifice to come.

In the few brief moments they have spent together, they've apparently become close enough for him to ask Sheppard to witness his suicide ceremony. He even takes an arrow to the chest for this man he has just met.

What's real interesting, though, and which I'll return to in connection with Teyla's baby later is when Keras asks Sheppard whether he has any children. He responds: "Me? No. Not yet, anyway." Not yet. Not yet but he might want some one day.

The thing is, McKay's entire arc in this episode deals with him and how he is with children. He starts by being extremely annoyed by them like he's a big child himself. Ford tells the kids: "He's just upset because you're smarter than him." But by the end of the episode he has come to care for these children. He keeps them safe and protected, and makes sure that they haven't been hurt or traumatized by the ordeal. The persistence of these children changed him, and now he seems like he might make a great parent some day. And while they are antagonized by him, the kids also seem to really like him.

Now, what possible, possible reason could you have to bring up one character's desire for children in the future and showing what an excellent parent another character would make in the same episode? Hmm?

[kinnspocketporsche]

Metaphor Done Right: Childhood's End in KinnPorsche

Full transparency: I have not read this book. But I did major in literature which means I am highly proficient in Making Books Make Sense without reading them. Having said that, if anyone who has read this book calls bullshit on me - that's valid. If you read the book and think this post makes no sense, you're probably right. All I'm saying is I think I could pull off a decent grade in a KinnPorsche Lit Analysis course XD

Like any good metaphor, this one has multiple meanings: a tangible, in-universe meaning, and a broader, meta-meaning - so bear with me; as per usual, I have a lot to say.

The Title

I don't think the title is the only reason this book was chosen, but before we get to that - even if it was the only reason this book was chosen, it has more depth to it than the message it intends to send to the viewers.

Who is reading this book, in-universe? Who chose to read this book in-universe? Vegas.

Right, obviously I didn't need to tell you that, but y'all - we do choose books by their covers, I don't care what anyone says, and we choose them by their titles. I had multiple lectures on cover design and analysis during uni because of this and it was actually fascinating.

I also want to consider what Vegas is trying to get from reading. We might read for pleasure, to learn a new skill, or to learn something about ourselves and the world we live in. I look at Vegas's face here and I think about him asking his abusive father "What am I supposed to do?" and I think he's looking for answers.

The title of the book might be meaningful for us, the viewers, but it had meaning for Vegas and that's a lot more important. Do y'all think Vegas, who has grown up alongside death and amidst abuse his whole life, is morning the loss of his childhood now, in, what, his 20s? I don't. Do y'all think Vegas, who's tortured and killed repeatedly, is a child? Yeah, me neither.

So why this book? Daddy issues again, yep! Gun treats Vegas like a child! He even groups him in with Macau, who is very clearly more childlike in age and demeanor. And here's Vegas thinking he's getting this treatment because he's a failure, looking across the bridge at Kinn who's in the process of taking over for his father. Vegas does one thing of his own volition and his dad says he's ruined everything. He can't come close to being himself. It's insulting and painful for him. We might see the title Childhood's End and think "loss of innocence" but Vegas sees it and probably thinks "freedom." Most 20-something-year-olds with an overbearing parent would, and especially one with and overbearing and abusive parent. I don't think it will give him the answers he was expecting, but I think the book's answer does further the one that Pete ultimately provides.

The Book as a Book

Just real quick - the fact that of all KP characters, we're seeing Vegas read and be associated with books has meaning on its own. This goes back to him needing to look for answers beyond the ones he's been handed by the people in his life - but books can indicate intellect, knowledge, learning. Also, very relevantly, words and their meanings. Vegas reading a book, Vegas reading into Pete's words... They're connected. I also find it interesting that this would indicate, that, even though Vegas doesn't believe in honesty, words are important to him. I mean, if Pete used those double meanings with Porsche - even Kinn, probably - it'd be a lost cause, I think.

The Plot

My quick summary of the book, based off of its Wikipedia page: Aliens decide that humans need supervision. At first they're unobtrusive and seem to be a positive force, leading to great creative feats within the human race. Unsurprisingly, things go sideways and children start losing their identity and merge into a group consciousness - one which is powerful, and dangerous. They're isolated, physically, from everyone else. They eventually lead to the end of the Earth and the end of humanity.

My gut instinct was that Vegas would feel like an alien in the context of a sci-fi book. A victim of child abuse and he's also gay? I mean...

But nope, it's worse than that :) The aliens in this book end up on top, anyway. Vegas feels like a broken human. He's nearing his shattering point, the point of no return, the point of - like the children in the book - losing his whole identity to the demands of his father. Let's break down that summary line by line.

Aliens decide that humans need supervision. Just like Gun constantly supervising his adult son. Ah, Gun, the unnecessary supervision in Vegas's life. The sneaky little bastard that convinced Vegas that Gun was a positive force in his life, and that Vegas was the one fucking things up. Which leads us to the next bit:

At first they're unobtrusive and seem to be a positive force, leading to great creative feats within the human race. At first, it didn't seem so bad - it seemed like Gun was trusting Vegas with things, and Vegas felt pretty powerful kidnapping Porsche and having (seemingly) free rein to play his mind games.

Unsurprisingly, things go sideways and children start losing their identity and merge into a group consciousness - one which is powerful, and dangerous. There's a lot here, but Vegas is losing his identity here. He willingly sacrificed his humanity at (probably) a pretty young age, what with all the death and torture, but he'd come to embrace it. But when things go wrong, it's Vegas who's bad, it's his identity that's flawed. The little things that he chose to do of his own volition - even within the rules provided by his father - are to blame for any failures ("Why didn’t you do what I told you? Why did you defy me?").

They're isolated, physically, from everyone else. This one is obvious, right? Isolated from the rest of society, isolated from the main family, isolated from his own family (Macau) at the safe house. Isolated by the experience of growing up in an abusive household (What did he say to Pete? "You've never gone through what I have?" Huh.). Vegas is very much alone.

They eventually lead to the end of the Earth and the end of humanity. This is the direction Vegas is currently headed. Absolute destruction.

And the children in this book end up kind of in-between human and alien. Pretty nicely aligns with Vegas's monstrous human attributes, the way he's scary even within the mafia world, to everyone except his father. I think that's the abuse coming in to play, mentally he's in a very different place than Kinn and his brothers, even though they all grew up in the mafia. It makes Pete, who's had the same parental experience as Vegas and wasn't from the mafia world originally, especially interesting because he blends in so seamlessly.

It's also interesting that the book's plot twists the meaning of the title on its head. "Childhood's End" has multiple meanings: the children are warped to be these alien-humans, so the literal end of the human children and also the end of humanity's supposed utopia. Maybe utopia under alien supervision looks good, and maybe to Vegas (to any kid), having a father to guide him looks good, but both are leading to a stripping of identity that will end very badly.

Thematic Metaphors

Drive to Conquer

The "peaceful alien invasion" very much parallels colonialism and assimilation. I don't know how to read that summary and not get that vibe. Gun isn't trying to take over a country or a culture, but I think there's something there. The drive to conquer is a huge part of their family. In the book, the alien-human children ultimately consume the Earth, and I wonder if they inherited that from the aliens. I don't know if that's a real thing or just something that I'm incorrectly assuming/hoping for. There's something satisfying about that parallel with Gun and Vegas regardless, but if it's an inherited thing in the book it would really be a perfect fit.

Deception

Sparknotes actually gave me this one. You can probably see it already - the aliens deceived the humans into believing they were helping humanity grow; Gun deceived Vegas into believing he was a dad helping his son grow. Deception is a core part of who Vegas is. There's more of it in the book, but you get the point. Super on par with Vegas and his world. Made more interesting with Pete, who wields his honesty as power and intellect when talking to Vegas, but is also very much capable of deception, as we've seen with his duality.

Does the book give Vegas an answer?

Well... he didn't finish it, I assume, but also, I think the cover being knocked off was telling - I took it to mean that Vegas won't find his answer in books, or at least not in this one.

Also, the book ends with the destruction of humanity. He'd know this already, assuming he read the blurb on the inside cover or the back of the book.

But maybe we can say it would give Vegas a partial answer. It would tell him what not to do. The end of humanity in the book seems to be framed as an inconsequential, but net good thing... for the aliens. For Gun, that would be. For Vegas, following his father will only lead to destruction in the worst way possible - loss of identity, and then loss of, well, everything he currently cares about as an individual. Assuming his father's overwhelming power parallels that of the aliens, maybe fighting his father directly also isn't an option. So he needs to find a third option, which - as previously discussed - is provided by Pete.

——————————————————————

Okay that's all I've got for this post. Anyone who made it to the end here gets a little head pat and a big thank you from me <3 If I'm wrong, do please come shout at me about it (gently). My inbox and DMs are as always very much open for more discussion! :)

Related Posts

VegasPete Communication + Double Meanings Post

Follow-up VP Communication Post

Pete's Escape as a Final Test

[nyxi-pixie]

nvm am saved from netflix murdering merlin by getting iplayer🙏🙏🙏

rewatching the ep where morgana kidnaps gwen for some evil scheme only to be really gay for her the entire ep🤩

[sammygender]

also. not getting into this rn i have a longer post drafted on it. but i cannot fucking believe we got ANOTHER scene where it’s heavily implied via dialogue & narrative paralleling that john was physically abusive. this time to sam as well. i keep having to adjust my view of him because it just gets worse w every season i watch. and my view of him was awful from the beginning. and there are fans out there who argue he wasn’t… its canon. didn’t the show try to REDEEM this man

[orpheusofthestars]

this last week or two has reminded me that fandom stuff is fun, actually, and i like watching shows, and i should watch more shows,