The Gift

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S1 (The Gift)

The gift in question is Teyla's ability to sense the approach of The Wraith. I didn't realise she had that ability, so either I'm very lax in keeping track of the details or they haven't played it up much. An episode that was a mixed bag: on the one hand there was potential in all the dreams within dreams of Teyla's night terrors, as well as the bringing in of a psychologist to help her process these fears and sleep loss. Dr. Heightmeyer (played by Claire Rankin who'd been Alice in the 'Voyager' episode of the same name), is sympathetic, but also a little superfluous as it turns out, because it's actually her connection to The Wraith that's causing her unsettled mind. The creepiness of the episode is never explored in a satisfying enough way, even when she connects to the coming Wraith, walking the corridors of Hive ships, seeing through their eyes and learning their plans, but also becoming possessed by a Wraith enough to cause some minor damage. The city is always so bright and cheerful, maybe even cheap and cheerful in some ways, that the visuals and the attempts by the actors to bring gravity and seriousness to proceedings don't work. It was nice, for example to see the Athosians camp, but all we get is a scene with old woman stereotype #1.

Instead you have to find solace in the revelations that are uncovered as the plot thickens: for one thing, The Ancients must have created The Wraith by accident, and Teyla was one of a few that were captured and experimented on by a somewhat rogue Wraith who was fiddling about with its human prey's DNA in order to make them more compatible… I think? It's a bit hokey, but it resulted in some that escaped having this ability to sense Wraith and even intercept their communications, getting in their heads. I'm surprised no one noted the liability Teyla could become by her connection, and even when they've had the unfortunate experience of dealing with her Wraith-controlled form, she thinks it can only happen when she's tried to contact them. 'She thinks.' That's not a very solid, grounded reassurance that it can't happen again if The Wraith choose to exploit her. And it's not much of an episode for her - instead of her usual calm, measured and sure persona, even amid advanced technology and boffins like McKay, Zelenka and Kavanagh (are we seeing all the recurring characters so much in recent episodes so that they have someone to kill off in the coming battle? Whom will it be: one of the docs or Sergeant Bates?), she's defensive and irritable, as you would expect from a person going without sleep for three days for the nightmares. Then she finds out she's special in a bad way. Then she finds out there's the possibility of a Wraith takeover of her mind!

The only good thing that comes out of the episode is that we learn their actual goal. Rather than steaming to Atlantis to gobble them all up, they want the greater prize of taking the Stargate so they can head to pastures new: the juicy Milky Way galaxy, full of unsuspecting planets to devour! It ups the stakes, if they needed to be upped, and might make some kind of connection with 'SG-1' possible, although saying that, I don't remember them mentioning much in Season 8 of that series, which was running parallel with this first season, so it's unlikely we'll have those guys helping out. I'm sure they want these characters to save the day for themselves anyway and show their mettle, but it's not exactly reassuring when Weir calls a meeting to basically ask for suggestions from anyone who might have one on what they're going to do! And the meeting seemed to end pretty fruitlessly. I don't think it was one of the best episodes of the season, but hopefully it's just the lull before the big two-part storm that should finish the season with a bang. I just wish the psychological stuff in this one had been played up, not to mention the horror of walking round a Hive ship, or the nightmares and realisation that Teyla isn't herself for a few moments. In that vein, I thought the shock value and the makeup of her transformation into a Wraith was good, I just don't feel they've cracked the 'Stargate' formula with this season. Either it's too action-packed with too little character, or when it does focus on a character, as this one did, it doesn't come off very impressively.

**