respoftw | The Shrine: Rewatch #4568923

I was struck by the urge to rewatch my favourite SGA episode tonight.

The Shrine is a hell of an episode. The first time I saw it, I cried and I marvelled at David Hewlett's performance. I think I must be on at least rewatch number 20 of it and I still cried but over time my marvelling has switched from David to Joe Flanigan.

Joe really just acts his fucking heart out in this episode (sorry for the potty mouth but I'm Scottish, we express emotion through swearing). I think every time I watch the episode I spot another John moment that takes my breath away. Tonight it was two moments in the cave, the first when they get there and Rodney is crying and John tries to distract him by showing him how cool the waterfall is. It's just - it's the type of thing you would distract a crying kid with and that John does it to Rodney is just - - there aren't words.

And then, later, when John is busy getting the food out while Keller tests her hypothesis by trying to take Rodney out of the caves and - - man, that first cry of pain from Rodney and John is just THERE. Like lightning.

So, yeah, you'll pry McShep out of my cold dead hands; never mind what the last thirty seconds of the episode says.

The other great thing about The Shrine is all the fics it has inspired. I was curious about how many fics I'd written around that episode and it turns out I've only written 6. It feels like a lot more.

My fics are below the cut for anyone who is interested but I'd really love to hear what everyone's favourite Shrine fic is?

broken, as you clutch the sleeve of my jacket and beg me not to leave: 1,113 words, part of my '35 Ways To Say I Love You In The Pegasus Galaxy' Series

Slip Away Across The Universe: 4,889 words, part of my 'Infinity and Beyond' Series

Lost and Losing: 729 words, written to fill the 'suicide attempt' square of my 2017