DVD, Stargate Atlantis S3 (Tao of Rodney)
Good episodes of this series never fail to perk me up, and that's how it should be. The fact is, so few series' succeed, especially ones that I haven't seen before, but this is just one more of those episodes of this series that work. It's difficult to be wholly original, of course, so I feel sure 'SG-1' had done the same kind of story before, and I remember 'Universe' did it, too, but the episodes that most sprang to mind were from Trek: the Reg Barclay episode on 'TNG' where an advanced computer turns him into a genius was the main one ('The Nth Degree'), but there was also the 'Voyager' story 'Sacred Ground,' that seemed to have similar ideas. This episode was much more comedic and jolly than either of those, neither did it really explore the metaphysical as much as the latter, but it did show once more, if it needed to be done, that they had cultivated a true family atmosphere among the characters of 'Atlantis' that makes it so much more than average sci-fi with recycled ideas, which so many series' consist of. I always say it, and it never stops being true, but it's the characters who are most important, they're the ones you either want to spend time with or are forced to endure. The former is true of this group which has really come together this season much more than the first two, and because of that we can explore that a little in the context of whatever dramatic device is being played with each week.
This time it's one of those rooms in the vast city of the Ancients that hadn't been explored before, a ripe possibility that is always there if they need a new story. In it, McKay is zapped and becomes a super-powered version of himself, hearing conversations across the Mess Hall, performing telekinesis, rescuing Major Lorne's team from marauding aliens and then becoming super intelligent and even reading people's minds. The ethics of these various developments aren't touched upon, it's more about having some quick fun with them, and that's true to the style of the series and franchise, they tend more to fun than serious sci-fi exploration of ideas, and in that regard it is left wanting. You want to see the ramifications of these changes, but it becomes more about Rodney coming to terms with the fact that he's destined either to ascend or die, as that was what the machine was used for. I knew he wouldn't die, having seen all of 'Universe' before this, but I didn't know if he'd actually ascend, just as Daniel Jackson did way back when - in fact that's the only real big missing piece from the episode, having Daniel there to help guide him, but then I suppose the episode would be about the guest star more than it would about the series, and as much as they like bringing in cameos here and there from the parent series, they still want their own identity. Still, even a mention that Jackson ascended then came back, would have made the episode more complete.
Not to say they leave out the mythology or references to related details, Anubis getting a mention and they clearly know all about past events related to ascension. But, like the experience of going through amazing new abilities, it's not the focus of the story. What it comes down to is Rodney trying to make amends for his ofttimes condescending and arrogant attitudes, his oneupmanship with Zelenka (it's great fun hearing them compete about how bad things were in the past), and small ways in which he can make it up to them, these people, his friends. All gather round the potentially dying man's bed, it's not done with a sense of finality so you never really believe in the context of the series that McKay is really going to die, but there was something special about them all being together. And it leads to a marvellously amusing final scene in which Weir tries to counterbalance the fact she'd told him 'we love you,' when he was on his deathbed. It's really quite funny in places, and that scene was the cherry on top of the cake. When you cast a critical eye over the episode it's difficult to say what the story is about, it veers from the scientific/metaphysical sides of this mysterious ascending to another plane of existence that long ago became an accepted part of the myth, and for a time becomes a self-help session for McKay, but it never really explores the issues. Despite a lack of depth in the ideas, it's the people that it's all about and whether the story went anywhere or no, it remains a pleasing chunk of time spent with people who care about each other, and that makes it another enjoyable example.
***
Tuesday, 13 April 2021
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