The Eye

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S1 (The Eye)

As I suspected, Robert Davi was employed to take over from Colm Meaney, whose leader, Cowen, is only mentioned and doesn't even make one scene, sadly. Davi carried it off, whether threatening Weir and McKay's lives, putting up with relentless wind and rain effects (and very effective effects they were too), or commanding his unfortunate troops, and even having to put up with sudden insubordination when Sora's personal vendetta against Teyla stops her from following his order to withdraw. I suspect he's dead, after Sheppard's point perfect shooting that knocked him back through the Stargate at the end. But Sora… She never rang quite true for me, and I don't know whether it was the actress' ability I question or the way the character was written, but she never seemed to have the real fire in her eyes that you'd expect from someone driven by burning vengeance. Even her motivation wasn't that well effected, Father Tyrus dying in a bit of a needless way by the hand of a Wraith guard, rather than by Teyla's hand as Cowen had decreed. As a result it wasn't entirely satisfactory when she relents on her violent confrontation, and I didn't really buy that she'd fling down her gun to engage in a knife fight with her sworn enemy. There was no chance she was going to win in such an arena, and she must have realised that, so you'd think she'd simply gun down her foe mercilessly.

She did seem to have qualms about killing, though, so maybe it was true to the characterisation that we'd been presented with over these three episodes featuring the Genii. I was expecting some kind of change of heart that would bring her over to the Atlantis crew's side, with Weir getting through, or something happening, but it never did, except Teyla chose not to kill her. Was she grateful, or was she shamed into then helping her hated opponent carry Dr. Beckett back to the control centre? She was an uneven person, one minute following orders, albeit reluctantly, constantly standing up against unnecessary killing, but then wanting to have the visceral pleasure of killing Teyla slowly at close range! I would suspect an unstable personality… She's not the only one to attempt killings, with Major Sheppard proving his warrior soldier's cred as much as Teyla did in the blade contest (even if it was annoyingly shot in the half-dark, making it harder to appreciate the moves, it was still good to see Teyla finally get to do some fighting as I always suspected she would in the Teal'c role). He pulls no punches, or bullets to be precise, going round killing the enemy soldiers without compunction. In a way it's slightly unsettling, because usually it's just aliens and monsters, not humans like us. I noticed they didn't actually show the shooting of the three he cunningly hangs above - it seems they weren't going to show too much gun damage, whereas they were fine with the Ancient weapon that merely stuns.

I didn't understand why they wouldn't be stunning everyone, but I suppose the military mindset is that deadly force must be used to quell invasion. If Sheppard was aping John McLane last time, this week it's John Rambo (the music even becomes a little 'First Blood'), using guerilla warfare tactics to deal with the incursion. He shows no mercy, taking out the bad guys who will show no mercy to him, and when Ford arrives with a stun weapon he tells him to leave it behind. It's not pretty, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. The most shocking moment is when he gets the Stargate shield raised as Genii reinforcements come through, and it's quite sickening to think that every blat we hear is a Genii being squished like a bug on a windscreen. But he had to be uncompromising to deal with the likes of Kolya, who first lies that Weir is dead, before threatening to kill her again. I never thought she was going to be shot, at least not fatally, but it was a heroic moment, and an uncharacteristically unselfish move from McKay to stand in front of her - she was impressed he stood in front of a gun for her, and although it was ultimately self-serving (he wasn't lying when he vehemently exhorted Kolya as to the vital importance of both himself and Weir if they wanted to raise the shield), it was still brave - you just know there's a spark of decency in there waiting to flicker into flame when the chips are down!

Beckett, Teyla and Ford's side of the story, stuck in a Jumper until they can make it back, then arriving to give some support, was pretty much by the numbers, and none of them made a great deal of difference. It's sad, but Ford once again doesn't come across as much of a soldier, getting annoyed with Beckett, and they all wander down the corridors like a disorderly rabble, even once Sheppard's met up with them. I was just waiting for an opportunistic Genii to gun them all down, as they really weren't operating well in a military style. Similarly, the effects of the ultimate wave engulfing Atlantis as the shield protects it, wasn't quite what it should have been. I have to remind myself that these are effects on a TV budget so I shouldn't expect 'Interstellar' levels of realism, and for the most part the CG worked well. Particular praise must go to the production and behind the scenes staff that constructed a waterproof set and were able to blast fake rain at the actors (I bet that was their favourite day!), in a believable simulation of storm conditions that did make it feel like a feature film. The actors, too, should be complimented for bravely taking many scenes of drenching and shouting - it really added to the experience.

I'm glad this last part was more impressive than the buildup, I just would have liked Meaney to have been a part of it, but perhaps this isn't the last we'll see of the Genii. Unless they get wiped by The Wraith, in which case we won't. But Sora is held prisoner, and they don't have a good track record of keeping prisoners (or anyone), for long, so the groundwork has been laid for further animosity. I felt after three serialised episodes we could have had a more in-depth final scene, perhaps with the whole team sitting down to a meal or some sort of celebration for successfully surviving the storm and defeating the intruders, and as much as I liked Sheppard's joke about the next storm being in twenty years so how far in advance can they book leave, it deserved more for the characters' sake. They still haven't quite got a good handle on the ensemble, they do them fine in groups, but maybe that's because they're used to the four or five (with a couple of recurring characters), main cast interacting and aren't so capable with a larger group? A good episode for all that, Sheppard a proper tactician and Weir and McKay performing admirably together.

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