Inferno

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S2 (Inferno)

This had 'two-parter' written all over it, and I was expecting it to end on a cliffhanger with everyone trapped in different places, their fates uncertain: Teyla and Ronon with a last, small group of the Taranins, Sheppard trapped in the base, unable to get to the Orion, and McKay and Beckett stuck on that ship with engines that needed fixing! I'm glad it did conclude properly as it leaves the finale episode to deal with the one Wraith ship that's on the way, likely to check up on the truth of Atlantis' existence. But back to this episode, and a good one it was, dealing with the rising tension well, playing off the various settings and options to generate a fast, but accessible plot that once again demonstrates Rodney's genius as his fixing skills are on the level of Starfleet's finest legendary Engineers (there's even a couple of fun Trek references - McKay mentions long range scanners and Sheppard explains it's a reference to an old TV show, then preemptively tells him he can't name the ship they eventually monicker as Orion, the Enterprise!). Even better, the story is on par with some of those old Trek episodes where evacuation of an entire planet is necessary because of an extinction level event due to happen shortly.

Right from early in the episode when the team realise that the Taranins have sealed their own fate by using the shield on their Ancient facility to maximum for a year, things escalate quickly and there's a real sense of danger and panic just on the edge - the addition of Chancellor Lycus (played by a familiar face from 'SG-1' - he'd played at least a couple of other roles, I'm sure), who is suspicious of Weir's motives, adds further discord since they have to convince him that this is a genuine emergency and not an effort to take advantage of the Ancient ship they have, a sister vessel to the Aurora we saw earlier in the season. He goes along with the evacuation because it seems as if there's no other option, but for a moment it looked as if he might be a 'climate change' denier and command them to leave. That would have made for a short mission, so he does agree, only the next catastrophe is the Stargate being flooded by magma from this mega-volcano, ending the ensuing evacuation abruptly. If I was Lycus I'd be equally suspicious that suddenly not all his people are able to get to Atlantis, but as time goes on and he witnesses the efforts of Weir's people, he comes around and is no threat. I felt he should have been there for the final scene where they're standing around having a conference, as he was important to the episode.

The other guest character is a Taranin scientist called Norina whom Rodney takes a shine to (what a surprise). She actually isn't that useful and mostly stands around for decoration (they wouldn't allow it now), and I did feel she should have been allowed to be of more assistance to McKay than boosting his ego! Not that that ego needed boosting, but there's fun to be had with Sheppard knowing just how to manipulate the genius into a corner so he has to explode his brain with a daring plan to save everyone, and even he's surprised when it works! His character really does well, spewing out technobabble and worriedly realising new dimensions of terror, the weight of everyone's survival balanced on top of him, but it makes him come up with these ideas, only if he doesn't get a quieter job I don't think he's going to live into old age. The addition of Caldwell, once again coming to the rescue with his ship of safety, is also of benefit to the story - it keeps hope alive, though only a slim one as the Daedalus can't take everyone at once, so multiple, long trips are the only choice, and when things go from bad to worse later, all they can do is stand and watch. I love that we have an Asgard character on the ship, and I'm sure I've said it before, but they should have made a Daedalus spinoff series for this crew.

The solution is well thought out, a short, but massive drain on the Orion's shields when the eruption finally occurs, then a quick warp away to safety. It relied on the ship being ejected at the right attitude and not sunk, but it was a cool escape and well shown. I can't say the same for some of the other effects on the planet, which sometimes didn't look so realistic, like the 'gate dropping into the lava, but the sets and acting sell the story more than anything else. It could also be argued that it's a bit convenient the city should lay its hands on a brand new ship with which to fend of the approaching Wraith at so fortuitous a time, but this is fiction, and if truth is stranger than fiction, then maybe fiction can use that sometimes if it needs to. Otherwise it's all believable, solid and a good disaster story. Hopefully the final episode of the season can live up to the drama - as ever, the choice people make in this situation can decide whether they live or die, and the other village of people that came seeking refuge, then decided to go it alone, against advice, by running to a river, were never heard from in the episode again. I felt maybe Ronon should have stood up to the ringleader and punched him out just to silence him, as it could have saved more lives, but it's interesting to see Ronon having to be in a situation where greater strength or fighting ability is no use. Teyla and Beckett, as always, are the caring ones, and Sheppard does a good job organising his team. It'll be a shame to have to break from these characters to go back to other things, but I've enjoyed the times I've had with them this season.

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