Tracker

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Tracker)

The odd couple together again! I can't actually remember if Ronon and Rodney have had stories together in the past, just the two of them, but if not it's been an oversight as they've always been the mismatched characters that excel in the series. Sheppard can sometimes be a little dull in that he's a soldier and a leader, and the same can be said for Teyla, but both McKay and Ronon are unique and obviously very opposite. I can't count the number of times on the series that the big guy's had to sit or stand in the background glowering as Rodney's vast brain solves some equation, problem or time limited issue, but this time it's in his area of expertise: violence, tracking, and more violence! Indeed, he goes all Natty Bumppo and it's great to see him in his element: the forest, but not just that, tracking a quarry, someone who has kidnapped Dr. Keller. And of course McKay has to keep up since he has, as he later admits at the end of the episode, 'intentions' toward her. He doesn't admit it to her, but he does admit it to Ronon, who enjoys having a little jest at his expense, pretending he also has 'intentions,' presumably to make McKay up his game since he's not high in confidence, at least in that area of expertise.

It's less about the camaraderie or long-suffering of Ronon as he makes himself wait for McKay when he could easily have just bounded off into the bushes, as it is about the Trekky position Keller is put under: as a doctor she'll help anyone who needs it, and her kidnapper turns out to be another like Ronon, a Runner from the Wraith who pursue him endlessly thanks to the tracker embedded inside him. Girick I think was his name, and he's a rough diamond, but also a man of great honour, much like Ronon himself. And just as when Ronon and Teal'c met, when these two alphas meet they similarly have to fight, though fortunately it's short-lived as Keller intervenes to put things right and they don't have time because the Wraith are upon them. If I liked the pairing of Rodney and Ronon (and I did), and I liked the guest character of the week, I was also pleased to see Wraith that were back to their deadly killing machine best after the more cosy and lesser examples we saw in the previous episode. These are the type that charge about like predatory wolves ready to tear into their prey, dashing through the forest as if the long leather coats they wear were no impediment at all, which only makes them seem nastier and deadlier - at any moment they can come tearing out of the undergrowth, all flying white hair, teeth and claws.

It was a well directed episode, mainly taking place outside in the beautiful forest environment they film in, and there was more to it than mere action and tension, though there was a good dollop of both - the humour was nice, mainly around the ill-suited McKay to this natural environment, even to this day, with all the training he's had, the extensive experience, he'll still complain, he'll still be somewhat slow, but the difference is that now Ronon has respect for him, if that's not too strong a word! He's seen him save the day in his field so many times and so he gives him more leeway where in past years he may well have just told him to catch up and gone haring off to save Keller without him. He barely expresses annoyance at Rodney slowing him down, so it shows how much they've grown as a group of characters, and that's lovely to see. And there's tragedy as well: Mike Dopud put in a good performance as Girick, this man trying to protect the last survivor of a village culled because he stayed one night there - I thought I recognised the actor's name, and then seeing him I'm pretty sure he went on to be one of the main recurring characters in the next series, 'Universe,' one of the Lucian Alliance that caused trouble and ended up as allies in that series, though I'm pretty sure he was a different character, which is something they've done before and it's always odd to see an earlier episode when they aren't the better known character they'd go on to be. All this and the cool technology of the personal teleporter - the only downside would be that it has a big green or red light on the side, though I suppose Girick could have worn long sleeves to hide it!

It would have been even better if they could have had a subplot for Sheppard (who barely appears), Teyla (who doesn't), or Wolsey (ditto - in fact I'd forgotten he was a main character until I thought about it!), but at the same time I like that, like Trek of old, they will sometimes do episodes focused on only two or three characters rather than the whole team because it adds a different kind of jeopardy or dynamic which freshens things up. I guessed fairly early, once I saw Girick was carrying the medical bag, that his objective was for Keller to heal someone, or some of his people, but even so it played out nicely. It's fun to see Rodney's face when he keeps being bested by these hulking brutes in front of Keller, but at the same time knows he has his own unique skills they don't have. All in all I'd say it's the best episode of this season so far, not really deep or integral to any ongoing plot, just good character stuff, well choreographed action and a good look thanks to the location shooting. These are generally the best kinds of episodes because you can do anything and you're not tied to unfolding plots or anything like that: just using the characters to show them at their best under tough circumstances, which is inspiring and enjoyable!

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