This is where I feel the show, the writing of the show, the writing of "The Shrine", undercuts Keller's abilities as a doctor in favor of putting her in a pairing. I agree they needed time to establish the relationship if they were going to include it at all; I just keep thinking that if Keller had been Carson, the ep would have focused more on what Carson actually was doing to try to save Rodney. ... This is where I get all weird and obsessive, because I have a gut feeling that Keller has gotten less medical technobabble than Carson has.
See -- this is a criticism I can get behind, because I think you're probably right -- that the show is not really fair to Keller in that area, and that we see more of her personal scenes with the other characters than scenes of her doing her medical/technical thing. And there, I *am* inclined to blame the writers for not fairly treating the male and female scientists. I just don't really see it as evidence that Keller *doesn't* do those things off-camera -- any more than I'm inclined to see the omissions and failings in Carson's scenes as signs of genuine incompetence or lack of medical skill on his part. (Though, as noted in some of my other comments, I do think Carson's best areas were his research skills, not his clinical-medical skills. He wasn't a bad or uncaring doctor; I just don't get the idea that surgery was something he specialized in, and I sometimes felt -- though maybe this is more personal fanon than canon -- that he'd preferred to be a microscope rather than treating patients.)
(Or maybe it would've had more Zelenka or something, considering we see Carson doing bloody all nothing to save Rodney in "Tao," save what Rodney asks for help with. Carson, you ass. Umm, where was I?)
*snicker* And, see, one of the reasons why I'm not quite on board with a lot of the criticism of Keller is because a lot of those criticisms could be just as easily leveled at Carson (e.g., this) but no one seems to be doing that -- or at least, no one is equating Keller's behavior with Carson's when they criticize her. The Carson in Tao thing, I think, is a really good example of that (which I hadn't thought of) because you don't even see Carson acting WORRIED until the final scene when Rodney's dying, and you certainly don't see him doing anything to help. But I don't take that to mean that he's larking around and doesn't care about Rodney. Presumably, he was going through the same process as the other characters (getting worried, trying to see what he can do to help); the show just didn't have time to show us while fitting everything else in.
no subject
See -- this is a criticism I can get behind, because I think you're probably right -- that the show is not really fair to Keller in that area, and that we see more of her personal scenes with the other characters than scenes of her doing her medical/technical thing. And there, I *am* inclined to blame the writers for not fairly treating the male and female scientists. I just don't really see it as evidence that Keller *doesn't* do those things off-camera -- any more than I'm inclined to see the omissions and failings in Carson's scenes as signs of genuine incompetence or lack of medical skill on his part. (Though, as noted in some of my other comments, I do think Carson's best areas were his research skills, not his clinical-medical skills. He wasn't a bad or uncaring doctor; I just don't get the idea that surgery was something he specialized in, and I sometimes felt -- though maybe this is more personal fanon than canon -- that he'd preferred to be a microscope rather than treating patients.)
(Or maybe it would've had more Zelenka or something, considering we see Carson doing bloody all nothing to save Rodney in "Tao," save what Rodney asks for help with. Carson, you ass. Umm, where was I?)
*snicker* And, see, one of the reasons why I'm not quite on board with a lot of the criticism of Keller is because a lot of those criticisms could be just as easily leveled at Carson (e.g., this) but no one seems to be doing that -- or at least, no one is equating Keller's behavior with Carson's when they criticize her. The Carson in Tao thing, I think, is a really good example of that (which I hadn't thought of) because you don't even see Carson acting WORRIED until the final scene when Rodney's dying, and you certainly don't see him doing anything to help. But I don't take that to mean that he's larking around and doesn't care about Rodney. Presumably, he was going through the same process as the other characters (getting worried, trying to see what he can do to help); the show just didn't have time to show us while fitting everything else in.