Tabula Rasa

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S4 (Tabula Rasa)

With such a high concept teaser it was likely to be difficult for the episode proper to live up to expectations, and for the most part, it didn't. But there were a few things that saved it at the end and helped it 'make the grade,' and not just sink into generic B-film sci-fi glammed up with 21st Century production values, and that is: character. Character is the glue that holds 'Stargate' together and stopped it from vanishing into the ether, superceded by the next glossy adventure series set in space, and it's what saved the day, not that plant thing Ronon had to run off and get, though even seeing the burly warrior dashing around with a couple of sacks of vegetable matter as if he'd just managed to find the last cabbages for a prize stew he had to cook, was quite a sight. For me, it was the moment when Teyla does what she does best, and encourages Rodney when he doesn't know what to do, saying exactly what he needed to hear, but also what was true: that of all the things he was likely to forget, his scientific know-how wasn't going to be the first thing to go. It reminded me why she is such a special character and a reassuringly practical, reasoning person, and also why she seems to be so criminally underused - because this is, at heart, an action-adventure series, so character work can get left in the dust sometimes.

Teyla did also have her share of the action, however, when she takes on Major Lorne and two of his men. Sure, she ultimately succumbs to their stun weapons, but she made a good fist of it, and yes, reminded us of her warrior status again, too. That she is the key to this puzzle gives the teaser a chunk of its mystery. Why did Rodney have to tie himself to a chair and record this message to himself, or scrawl writing up his arms? They do love their 'x hours earlier' title cards, and they use the device again here to flip back and forth between then, the cause, and now, the present, and hopefully, the solution. The hours tick down returning a few closer to the present with each flashback until they stop even bothering with the titles. This was where I felt the episode soften or weaken, however it should be put, because the present was fascinating, menacing and leaves you anxious to explore the city and its dark, empty corridors. But that's dissipated when we go back and it seemed like wasting time to show us how we got to that exact point of Rodney recording the message. In the hands of a superior writer it could have been a classic, uncovering clues and slowly coming to an understanding of the state of events. I appreciate the forty-two minute format works against achieving a satisfying story like that, but constraint breeds creativity. While some of what we saw was useful, in general I couldn't help feeling most of the running time dedicated to flashbacks was a trifle wasted, filling in time.

Another part of the episode which really could have been a strong linchpin on which to base a story, was showing how our main characters revert to their natural reflexes and abilities even when they don't know who they are or what those are. To a certain extent they did, Rodney continuing to be a relative tech genius, Carter showing some leadership, etc. Trouble is, it was too little to explore that idea of a person being the sum of their experiences or a reflex of their natural inclinations, so I felt they really missed mining a lot of potential. In fact, Rodney even looks a lot less accomplished by the story's need to wrap up quickly, so all he has to do is tap one key on the computer keyboard and whatever program he was working on to solve the problem was done, and that too took away from the sense of a problem being worked out. But what saved it were the moments at the end apart from that: Ronon, rather than fighting it out with Sheppard when he has a gun trained on him at the Jumper, talks him down, and does the same when they return to Atlantis to be confronted by Lorne - they had the foresight to provide readymade proof, which was a much better solution (if just as 'easy' as McKay tapping a key), because it showed ingenuity. And there's obviously the scene where Rodney stays by the bedside of his girlfriend, Katie, like a little lost dog, until she wakes up and all is well again.

I couldn't remember for sure if Katie had been in it before (maybe I've got the disease?), but I hope she was because she was likeable in a ditzy way and it's much better if they can bring back previously established people. Same with Lorne, although he was another missed trick as I thought he and his men's reliance on the stimulants was going to come more into play, perhaps making them unbalanced or showing they'd developed an addiction to the exclusion of all else. I wanted to know if he remembered anything or was just focused on the orders he'd been given, to round up everyone into the Mess Hall. He could have become a lot more sinister as this force leading the soldiers that they don't trust (it was certainly novel to escape 'custody' by creating a stampede to surprise the soldiers), he could have begun to act more oddly, or paranoid, something to give the episode a necessary bite. But because they're only using stunners there's very little danger and the impression of this virus was softened because we hardly ever saw anyone seriously affected, other than Katie's team member or the dead body Rodney finds when he first starts exploring the city. The good parts of the episode saved it and it had qualities, but was far from being full-powered, even though it did ultimately sway me to the positive this particular blank slate could have done with a little more filling in around the edges (ta-da!).

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