Blockade

 DVD, Stargate Universe S2 (Blockade)

At least they've got a 'full tank of gas,' as Rush puts it at the end. But at what cost? I'm amazed nobody died, it was a pretty dire situation and I really thought Dr. Parke was a goner. Poor Parke, but blindness, temporary or otherwise is a small price to pay for being alive. It just goes to show you should never go back for anything in an emergency. And that fire in the hydroponics bay was devastating. Why couldn't they have each taken a plant with them to the planet, that way they'd at least have varieties of all of them to propagate from? Parke was trying to do what was right, but she should have known not to push it to the last minute, cut her losses and get out. She didn't know Destiny was going to lock down the deck, trapping her inside, but still... It was quite spectacular seeing her in this trough of water that's being boiled by the extreme heat - I would have thought that level of heat would have simply vaporised it in no time, but it was a great effect either way. The episode was full of that sense of scale and danger, getting back to showing the series at its best right before it was cut off in its prime. That's one reason I thought people, specifically Parke, might be killed off, but I'm glad they didn't do that. I'm never a fan of executing established characters to underline how dangerous a situation is, better writing is all that's needed (unless the actor's leaving or it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for great drama).

Parke's little drama in hydroponics was but one in a slate of them - Eli and Rush take Destiny through its top-up in something that's more deadly than a star because the drones have set up shop at every star they come upon and the only escape is to do something outrageous or they'll be out of power for good. I'm not sure it made all that much sense, sometimes Eli's the man to put in the calculations, sometimes Rush is, they say how difficult doing this is going to be, yet Parke can survive it in a suit, so they flip-flopped a little bit between hyperbole and tension, but otherwise I felt it was a nicely written and put together piece. On this alien world where the rest of the crew are placed for their safety (I would have thought Young would have commandeered the third suit so as to be there in case Rush made any bad decisions, since Eli isn't the one to stand up to him), and take it as an opportunity to search for supplies - it's one of many human ex-colonies they assume are out there since their descendants from that recent planet they visited had spread out over the two millennia: a good way to populate planets in future since they'd had trouble with worthwhile planet-based stories with the overriding impression there's almost nothing and no one in these galaxies they're traversing. While they could have easily come to the end of space likely to be inhabited by their descendants in time, that would at least have given them the chance to add new characters and have traditional 'Stargate' adventures on Earth-like locales such as this one, and it was a good idea.

Because it was quite disappointing they got rid of these people from the last couple of episodes. I understand why they did it, they probably didn't want to be saddled with a set of new characters as they came to the end of the season, if they had continued the series, but it would have been nice to have some of their descendants stick around. But the series seemed to like making things simpler - look at the Lucian Alliance people, they eventually got rid of them all except Varo (who apparently begins to set in motion his alternate version's life with Lieutenant James by assisting her in destroying a drone on the planet - not sure where he got the bazooka, did they find that on the planet?). Again, I can see why they'd pare the crew down so as not to have to keep track of so many people in moments like this where everyone 'gates off the ship, but I would prefer to have those threads to deal with later. It was nice to see all the people that make up Destiny, or get a sense of the whole crowd of them, with people like the guy who always panics, or non-speaking extras that we occasionally see. It's not like they never show a crowd, but for some reason it stood out to me in this one and of course provides great visual contrast to the idea that Eli, Rush and Parke are alone on this vast ship.

Scale was something very effectively portrayed, be it in Destiny, in the abandoned city which Young sees spread out from his vantage point, and in the huge mega-drone ship that swoops down on them as they evacuate the planet. The sense of a lost city, probably a lost world, too, was well conveyed, even if it was just the same street they've used before (I assume), that whole sequence was strong in tension - they can't communicate because there has to be radio silence or the patrolling drone will pick it up, but eventually it fires on Scott's position in a shop and of course Greer on the other side of the road strides out, taking that as his cue to blast it. I like that they mention their limited bullets, and that Brody can make them, as that kind of drain on their supplies is important to keep in mind. I'm not sure about Scott and Greer (and then Young also), firing at the drone, it didn't seem to be having much effect and yet the drone itself couldn't hit them for toffee, when all it needed to do was blast the whole area! But still, it was a tense moment and a victory for our heroes. Can the finale live up to such a well balanced episode? Even little scenes on the ship before all the excitement, demonstrated a great understanding of the characters and their crew dynamics now (Young, upon giving up his Captain's Chair to Camille, says he's not Captain Kirk, a nice little Trek reference!). That hasn't always been the case, but this has been a good patch of the series and one that will make its cruel decapitation even sadder... next week.

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