Stargate Universe ”Cloverdale”Detailed Analysis & Review

Today's episode of Stargate Universe is a little different. We have two parallel stories. One, in our usual setting, where Scott has been exposed to a dangerous alien infection, and another, where our characters are oddly living normal lives on Earth. This episode gave the actors a chance to do something very different to their normal roles. It also allows us to really dig deep into Scott's mind, and learn what he's really thinking and feeling about things.

Having looked deeper into it, I find it's cleverly written. Join me as we see what Cloverdale has to offer us.

Transcript

Welcome to Nerd Heaven.

I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars.

And I am a nerd.

 

This is episode 76 of the podcast.

Today, we’re talking about the Stargate Universe episode “Cloverdale.”

 

The description on Gatworld reads

Lieutenant Scott is infected by a plant-like organism while surveying a planet, and suffers severe hallucinations of another life back home on Earth.

 

This episode was written by Brad Wright

It was directed by Alex Chapple

And it first aired on the 26th of October 2010.

 

Science fiction offers its writers some interesting creative freedoms that simply don’t exist in other genres. One of those freedoms is the ability to do an episode like this one. The opportunity to shake things up and offer a completely different setting. Allow the actors to play different kinds of characters than normal. To really explore a ‘what if’ idea without completely destroying the story’s world.

 

We open on a very strange shot. It’s a close-up of Scott’s eye. Various colours, out of focus, swirl around him. The eye blinks, as if he is waking up. It’s very disorienting, and deliberately so.This is one advantage film and TV has over books. They can pull out a lot of these interesting visual tricks. It goes a little way to making up for the things that books can do which film can’t.

 

After a few seconds, we cut to a normal shot. Scott is sitting in a car. The colours that were swirling around him was actually the view of the passing world outside the car window.

 

He’s being driven somewhere by greer. They’re both in uniform. It’s immediately obvious that this is Earth. 

 

This is the moment I realise they’re not in a car, and Greer is not driving. They’re actually in a bus, and this is their stop. A place called Cloverdale.

 

At this point we’re wondering what’s going on. Is this a flashback? A dream? A parallel universe? A flash forward to a time when the crew have returned home? The possibilities are endless.

 

Scott and Greer seem to be returning home from a deployment, given the very military-looking luggage they’re carrying.

 

Scott sees Eli and Young on the other side of the road. He’s excited to meet up with them. As he crosses the road, he is hit by an unseen car.

At that same moment, he collapses on the jungle floor of an unknown planet, surrounded by SG crewmembers from Destiny, clutching at his arm which is covered in some blue glowing thing, and screaming in pain.

 

Okay, so that’s interesting. We’ve got two parallel stories going on here. One is a normal SGU episode, with our characters exploring a planet, and another is playing out on earth, with the same characters, but they are somehow linked.

 

Whatever the blue thing is, it’s causing him a lot of pain, and TJ doesn’t know how to get it off him.

 

They’re trying to get Scott back to Destiny. Rush runs on ahead to the stargate, to bring medical supplies back.

 

Back on Earth, Young is standing over Scott, who seems remarkably uninjured given he was just knocked over by a car. The driver of that car turns out to be Brody.

Things are not quite right in this early scenario. Young is Scott’s father. Young and Greer have never met, Chloe is Scott’s high-school sweetheart, and Eli is Chloe’s brother. So these are not our normal characters. We’re using the familiar actors to play new roles with new relationships, and yet, there are similarities. Their names are all the same. Their personalities are very similar.

 

Scott is here to marry Chloe.

Eli is producing the wedding video, and treating it like a documentary. I swear that Eli and I are long-lost brothers. But then, I’m not as smart as he is.

 

Scott is hoping for a bachelor party, which Greer apparently hasn’t organised. This is a twist on a common trope, where the groom doesn’t want a party, but the best man incists.

You know, it’s funny, but I immediately buy the Scott / Chloe relationship in this false reality more than I ever have in the real world.

 

Chloe notices a big red welt on Scott’s arm, right where the blue alien thing is in the real world. He dismisses it as a minor injury from getting hit by the car. But then he collapses.

 

Rush is asking for various medical supplies. Prominent among them is the alien venom, which has sometimes proven useful. But the whole moment is sobred when Rush asks for whatever is appropriate for cutting through bone. If they can’t get rid of this alien contagion, TJ may have to amputate. On the jungle floor. And presumably without any anaesthetic. It’s too horrible to contemplate.

But, there are times in real life when it’s had to happen.

Personally, I think I’d almost rather die. You’d probably pass out quickly from the pain, but the time leading up to that would be unimaginable hell.

 

So back on Earth, Scott and Chloe are going to see a movie together. I had a good laugh when they walked into the cinema as the MGM logo played on the big screen. Amusing, of course, because Stargate is an MGM production.

 

The couple kiss, remembering the first time they came to this cinema, but on the screen, something familiar to Scott is playing out in the movie. A young man and young woman, who look somewhat similar to Schott and Chloe are on an alien planet, looking at a field of flowers that change colour when touched. It’s a nice little sci-fi worldbuilding thing like the singing plants on Talos IV in the original Star Trek Pilot, The Cage. As the characters touch the flowers, a wave of colour sweeps through the field.

 

It’s a very romantic looking setting.

Scott warns the characters to get out of there, as the woman suggests walking through the flowers barefoot.

 

Giant plant-based tentacle things emerge from the ground and attack the man. He cuts it with a knife, but a little bit of blue acid drips from the creature onto his arm, burning it, and becoming the contagion we saw on Scott’s arm in the real world.

 

So this, apparently, is a representation of how it first happened.

Scott is freaked out by all of this. It seems familiar to him.

He soon realises, talking to Chloe, that all of that couldn’t have really happened. After all, alien plants are not real, right?

 

Isn’t it interesting that the grounded, more realistic earth world in this story is very clearly the fantasy, and the science fiction world of aliens and spaceships is the obvious reality.

Now, of course, we know from the history of the show that this is the case, but somebody watching this episode for the first time, with no prior knowledge of Stargate, would easily come to the same conclusion.

Because the rules of reality just don’t work right in the Earth scenario. Things happen that shouldn’t. The characters are seeing and experiencing things they couldn’t if it were real.Of course, it’s also obvious that Scott is going to have a hard time convincing those around him that their normal world is false, but the one filled with aliens is real.

I find this stuff fascinating.

 

Anyway, Chloe is trying to keep Scott busy to help the preparations for some kind of surprise bachelor party.

And it seems Volker is in on it.

But they manage to pull the party together early, given Scott didn’t want to stay and watch the movie.

 

In the real world, we learn that the alien venom has had no effect, which sucks.

The contagion won’t react to anything.

Rush argues the only thing left to do is amputate. TJ says Scott wouldn’t want that, but Rush points out any rational person would give up a limb to save their life.

 

At the party, we see Lieutenant James playing the role of bartender and Scott’s ex, just like in the real world, but Scott is getting pretty inappropriately physical with her. Not just flirting but actually trying to lift up her shirt. 

And despite his questionable past when it comes to women, this is not Scott’s style. Not the real Scott.

James calls his bluff by offering to drive off and go all the way together. 

That snaps Scott out of it, but we see that this James is really not over him. I think the real James is. I’m sure she’s still got some hurt deep down about the way he treated her in the pilot, but she’s not holding out for anything from him.

 

Telford is the local cop, making sure these drunk party-goers don’t drive in their condition.

Scott is grappling with what is real, and what is not, feeling like he’s actually meant to be someone else.

The others just dismiss this as the alcohol, but Telford gets all weird about things. It’s like he knows the truth.

 

Mercifully, the real Scott is already unconscious, which is good considering TJ is about to cut his arm off.

 

The make-up effect of the contagion on his arm is pretty good.

But when TJ cuts in with a scalpel, his blood comes out bright blue. The contagion is in his bloodstream, which means amputation is pointless. It won’t solve anything.

Okay, so he’s not gonna lose his arm, but how are they going to save his life?

This was kind of their last shot

 

They have 3 hours before Destiny jumps to FTL. But Rush has already given up.

In reality, they have less than 3 hours because they’ll be overrun by the alien tentacle things in about 1 hour.

 

One thing they all agree on is that they can’t risk taking Scott back to destiny. He might infect everyone else.

 

Doctor Park points out there’s a good chance this infection is how the alien organism reproduces. They don’t know all the details of how it works, but as she says “We have to assume that the reason this thing infects people is so it can spread.”

And that makes perfect sense.

 

Greer is building a barricade. Anything outside that is the kill zone. We have to hold the gate for three hours. He is determined to give the scientists their 3 hours to find a solution to this.

 

In the real world, Chloe is concerned that Scott is only marrying her because that’s the expected thing to do. He dismisses that idea. He’s off to see the justice of the peace, to make sure he can perform the ceremony. That justice of the peace turns out to be Rush.

Rush also asks Scott if he’s having second thoughts. Which is interesting.

And we learn there is some tension between Rush and Young in this world as well.

 

The alien creature is pretty cool. What we see above ground is only a small part of what it is. It exists underground as a huge root system spreading out over the planet. It waits for its prey to get close and then strikes.

You have to wonder what it usually attacks. Humans are on this planet for the first time. There must be some native animal life on this planet.

 

Young wonders if it’s a plant or an animal. Park suggests it may share aspects of both.

Young orders all non-combatants back to Destiny, including TJ.

Which is weird.

So….he’s abandoning all hope of saving Scott? 

In which case, why the need for combatants. Might as well get everyone except Scott back on the ship.

It’s pretty weird.

They find a droplet of blue on Chloe's shirt. They cut it off. It seems not to have touched her skin. Greer tries to burn it, but it doesn’t burn easily.

 

Now it’s Eli’s turn to question whether Scott is truly committed to this marriage.

Unlike with the others, it feels like Eli has some grounds for concern. Scott has lost all his enthusiasm. He’s acting out of character.

Now, I’ve never had a hangover, so I don’t really know what it’s like, and how long it lasts, but this seems like more than just a guy with a headache. He comes across as someone whose heart is no longer in it.

Now, we know that Scott is questioning reality, so most of what he’s going through stems from that, rather than last night’s alcohol.

Eli says that nobody thinks of Scott as a one-woman guy. So apparently in this world, he also has a reputation as a bit of a womaniser. But he insists he wants to marry Chloe and raise a family with her. Eli doesn’t believe him, and doesn’t think Scott believes it either.

And then Scott collapses again.

 

Eli has a little moment with Scott in the real world. “Nobody is giving up on you,” he says. Chloe is right about Eli. he is the ultimate true friend.

 

Chloe does something rash and foolish. She infects herself with the alien contagion. They weren’t going to let her stay with Scott. Now they have no choice.

It may seem romantic, but it was a stupid thing to do. 

This is the last thing Scott would want.

It hurts him, and it hurts her friends.

Frankly, I think it’s a little out of character for her. Chloe isn’t this stupid or selfish.

I’m not saying she’s a saint, but I think she’s better than this.

 

On earth, TJ is a paramedic. Scott is still dismissing his fainting spells. I still can’t believe how lightly they’re all taking his getting hit by a car. That’s a serious thing. He really should have been checked out properly after it happened.

 

There is a lot of pain, resignation, and a little judgement, in Eli’s voice as he says “Bye” to Chloe.

 

But it turns out, there may have been a little method to Chloe’s madness.

The earlier injection on her clothes should have touched her skin. It should have infected her. And it didn’t.

So she’s decided to test it.

Maybe she’s immune.

And if that’s the case, maybe they can use that, somehow, to help Scott.

Of course, these kinds of medical investigations tend to take a long time. It’s not something that can happen in 3 hours.

 

Chloe’s hand doesn’t hurt. Matt was in agony.

 

Now earth-Scott is having doubts for real. Wondering if it’s right for him to marry Chloe. What if he hurts her.

He asks his father, Young, for advice. Young says “Wake up.”

Now THAT’s interesting.

 

Chloe’s blood is still red, and the contagion on her hand is already healing. The theory is that whatever the aliens did to her has given her immunity.

Her blood might save Scott, but it might also pass on to him, whatever the aliens did to Chloe.

 

TJ has no other options. She sets up a transfusion.

 

Eli is walking Chloe up the aisle, suggesting that in this world, as in the real one, that Chloe’s father is dead.

The scene plays out as Rush performs the wedding ceremony while Greer and his team fight off the alien plants with flamethrowers. It’s all good, but there’s not a lot for me to say about it.

 

There IS a cool moment when a tentacle nearly gets Chloe and Scott, but the kawoosh of the event horizon disintegrates it as the gate dials. It’s pretty cool.

 

As Scott is about to make his vow, he notices Chloe's face is all blue.

That’s when Scott wakes up. All the blue stuff cracks off his arm. They all escape through the stargate just in time before Destiny jumps.

 

Young is really not happy with Chloe.

They’ll both be put into deep quarantine indefinitely.

But maybe this is not because of the contagion on the planet they’ve just escaped. Maybe it’s because Chloe has now revealed that whatever the aliens did to her was not undone by the chair. And now Scott has been exposed to it as well.

How will Scott react to that one?

 

In the end, I’m left asking one important question.

What was the point of all the stuff on Earth?

 

Oh, it was fun to see the characters in a new light, and I’m sure the actors had a blast. But what does it actually add to the story?

My assumption is that all of that was Scott’s hallucination while he was under.

So I guess it can give us some hints as to what his subconscious is thinking about.

 

His relationship with Chloe is central to it all. It’s obviously of vital importance to him.

He sees Eli like a brother figure, well brother-in-law, which is kind of nice. He sees Young as a father figure. No surprise there.

 

So perhaps what we’re meant to take from all this is that Scott is thinking about his future with Chloe. Will they commit to remain together forever? We know he’s been asking these questions lately. Just last episode he vocalised some of it to Chloe.

 

But it appears he is also having some doubts. He’s worried that he’s not good for her.

He’s worried that his previous womanising ways might return and cause problems between them.

But in a way that feels like a cop-out.

We don’t use our past mistakes as an excuse for not making a change in our life and being better now and into the future.

 

I don’t remember them especially following up on these ideas through the rest of season 2, but you can bet I’ll be keeping a keen eye open to see any hints that they continue to address these thoughts.

 

The last thing we can glean from the dream is that Scott is concerned about the genetic modifications the aliens made to her. What does that mean? How human is she still? I think this is at the root of his relationship doubts. It’s all very interesting. 

And this is made ever more interesting now because he’s about to find out that he’s potentially been exposed to whatever is alien about her. Now he’ll start dreaming about himself as an alien. Scary stuff.

 

I wouldn’t have picked up on any of this if I hadn’t been looking for it. That’s an advantage of podcasting a show. It tends to make you look deeper into it.

 

So that was Cloverdale.

I liked it. The sci-fi stuff on the planet was cool. A good solid sci-fi story. And the character stuff in Scott’s imagination was interesting, and a little bit fun.

 

Next time, we’ll be talking about the episode “Trial and Error” and it’ll be Young’s turn to question whether he’s losing his mind.

 

I’ll catch you then.

 

In the meantime, have a great two weeks. 

Live long and prosper.

Make it so.