Enemy At The Gate

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Enemy At The Gate)

I wanted nostalgia - I got it. I wanted an epic finale - I got it. The only thing missing (because there were very few faces not to appear!), was a feature-length running time to match the dramatic scale of the story. And a sense of closure. For this was the finale of the 'Atlantis' and somewhat of a finale for 'traditional' 'Stargate' itself since the sequel, 'Universe,' would be very different in style and tone. But it leaves the characters in a very open-ended manner - not to say it doesn't leave them in a good place, and certainly not to say any one of them could have been killed, and that they weren't I am grateful, even though I've already seen 'Universe' and know who appears and who doesn't. But there was no end to the Wraith threat as there was for the Goa'uld, no certainty about Atlantis' mission in Pegasus from this point on: will they be permitted to return? Will they have enough power to return? I wanted some of these questions, not to be resolved as such, but at least to be set in motion so that we know Rodney's working towards getting the old city back on its home patch. Of course the real question is where would they go since they ended the series on a different planet to that which they began on (and I don't mean Earth!), so they'd already shown they didn't have a set place to exist in that galaxy. There's a certain kind of sadness inherent in the idea of this permanent city that has no permanent resting place, and perhaps that contributed to a bittersweet ending, as all endings should be.

I was concerned from the direction of the season, the uneven storytelling and the limp to the end, that they'd bungle this finale, have no time for sentiment amid action, or fail to have big action due to limited budget of a series going down. It's a real shame they 'only' made it to five seasons, an achievement in itself since this was in the days of twenty-odd episode seasons (who'd have thought that time would pass?), but it could easily have continued for five more, just as its predecessor did, and I don't know what precipitated its cancellation, perhaps people were just becoming tired of its brand of sci-fi by then. They certainly chose to shake the formula up with the sequel series that came after. For me, 'Atlantis' could have been the 'DS9' to 'SG-1's position as 'TNG,' the mother show that birthed something more ambitious in scale and intent, but it didn't quite work out that way. I respect the series and think it may have had a better like-for-like quality than 'SG-1,' but in the end nothing can replace those beloved characters, though John Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Jennifer Keller and especially Rodney McKay were certainly up there and it was lovely to see some of them interact with the older characters at times. We get Amanda Tapping back once more as Samantha Carter, fitting since she played such an important role taking over last season when Weir was lost, and she spearheaded the nostalgia I was looking for: we did get the SGC (for the last time in its original guise?), we saw the old Wormhole in that same old place under the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, and mention of renaming the latest ship from Phoenix to General Hammond as he's apparently died from a heart attack - don't know if the actor had died, too, or just a way to remember the character, and although it's sad, I appreciated the reference.

There were so many cameos of characters from either 'SG-1' or this series it made a suitable memorial to the 'Stargate' franchise. Let me see, who was there? Colonel Caldwell and Marks on the Daedalus; Colonel Ellis of the Apollo; Carter, Walter and Major Davis at the SGC; Kavanagh, and obviously Zelenka and Lorne, and Dr. Beckett. And of course Christopher Heyerdahl back in the guise of semi-ally 'Todd,' a more fitting role for him than the minor part he had at the opening of the series as Halling, leader of Teyla's people, the Athosians. The only people really missing were the half-expected cameos of Elizabeth Weir somehow, and Ford, somehow (and maybe General O'Neill, who does get mentioned), but I can see why they couldn't squeeze them in as I'd thought they might: it was a bit of a rushed story with only the standard length of time and other than a brief mention of the message sent from the alternate universe of the previous episode (the less said about the better), nothing to do with that, except for the motivation to get this Super-Hive to Earth. The story can be pulled apart a little bit in terms of how this Super-Hive suddenly comes into existence out of nowhere, how Todd's people have been working on it for so long, how it can just zip to Earth in another galaxy, how Todd just happens to have a stash of ZPMs hidden away, and how Atlantis can, using these things and an idea Rodney left behind (Zelenka must be cleverer than he gets credit for!), get to Earth just in time.... But... It was all done stylishly, it slotted neatly together, and it gave me exactly what I wanted to see: one more heroic mission for our characters, doing what they do best.

The way Sheppard is so intent on committing to a suicide run as the only way to save Earth is inspirational, as is the demeanour of the others when they realise their time is up, they don't have time to escape to the 'gate before the Super-Hive must be destroyed, and although Rodney whines a bit, as is his wont, and is expected of him, it's telling that he's the one holding the switch when the time comes and however unwillingly, gives it up to Sheppard as they're all resigned to their deaths. It's a terrific moment, even Sheppard looks lost by the look in his eyes, these are relatively young people, they don't want to die, but if it's necessary they will. For Ronon, it is, he actually gets stabbed to death, a great feint by the writers as I really thought they'd killed him off - despite it being such a puny knife and an ignominious way to go out I could see Jason Momoa asking for it as a surprising to his character. You get that hit of horror and sadness as he dies protecting McKay, and the aftermath of telling Sheppard, but then the Wraith's own smug sense of the power they have over life and death, to give and take away, is used to great effect to bring Ronon back to life and it was a relief because it wouldn't have been a worthy way for him to die. I did think Sheppard was going to die when he explained his plan to blow the ship from the inside, but it just shows how much drama and stakes you can build without executing characters as TV loves to do so much nowadays.

There are some great moments as the city looms into view, protecting Earth and Wolsey does well in command of it. Maybe Keller could have been used better, but someone is always going to suffer when you have so little screen time and I can imagine there being more personal character scenes inserted if the episode had been a double as it deserved. But then again, did it deserve that? It ended, it had a definite sense of success in saving Earth and the team are all together looking out on the Golden Gate Bridge from a balcony of Atlantis, but nothing further than that in closure terms, and it did seem to be of relatively lower quality this season. At least it had that final moment, though, unlike 'Universe' which wasn't even granted an ending, leaving 'Stargate' to slip quietly away as if it had never existed, almost. Five seasons and a rip-roaring finale is good going by anyone's reckoning, and though I've been judgemental and occasionally unappreciative of its choices and simplistic stance, it has been a good, solid series that I will look forward to viewing in whole again sometime, and I can't say any fairer than that - it has put the subsequent Trek revival to shame as being closer to old Trek's quality of character and story, had semi-serialised tales, and showed that a successful sci-fi series can spin off an equally successful idea. I salute 'Atlantis' and all who sailed in her, perhaps the last truly good series of the genre.

***

Vegas

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Vegas)

Cutting loose and having fun, that seemed to be about the size of it - both written and directed by Robert C. Cooper and he appeared to throw everything into this. By that I mean every cliché and familiar trope that could be squeezed in: a dishevelled detective, heavy rock soundtrack, black vehicles, secret government organisations in secret government bases. Gamblers, gangsters, chases... I was waiting for the penny to drop, or the other shoe, whatever the expression is - first I'm thinking it's Sheppard, he's back on Earth and pretending to be a detective, but when he meets Keller doing the autopsy on the Wraith victim you quickly realise it's not that. So it's got to be some coma after an accident or an adventure happening in someone's mind, probably Sheppard's. When it comes, the answer's a rather disappointing revelation that puts the whole episode into perspective as something of a waste of time: it's a parallel universe, which means in the penultimate episode of the entire series we don't get a single appearance by any of the main characters! Instead, we see Sheppard, Keller, McKay and Wolsey, as well as Walter from 'SG-1' again, and Zelenka, but they're all alternates in their own alternate world. I wasn't fond of the over-blown, and I'm sure deliberately so, directing choices, where it's all super-stylised and out of kilter for the series. It's like watching a dull police procedural and Cooper appears to be playing out all his Vegas fantasies and revelling in the medium rather than telling a good story. It looks and feels like a film, or at least a section of a film, because you can't do a lot in forty-five minutes, and has the depth that that implies, too...

If I wasn't fond of the unappealing stylisation, which I almost took to be the guy in charge accepting the series' demise by doing whatever he felt like and only loosely connecting it to itself, then I was even less fond of the revelation that it was all, basically, using up an episode! I was expecting it to tie in somehow right at the end, and of course it did, but so much for my hopes for a great two-part finale to lead out the series to pasture. Maybe part two will justify this episode, but it could just as easily have been a teaser, explaining what happened rather than running around anarchically, filling up time. This is where, once again, I would love to know how far in advance the series' end was known, and whether the approach to this episode was to simply throw all caution to the wind and do whatever they felt like. It may well have pleased Cooper, but to me it really squandered the little time we had left to enjoy these characters, and in a season that has been rather uneven, especially towards the end. Was this a reaction to cancellation or am I reading too much into the madcap approach of doing a detective drama in a parallel universe? Waste is what I felt - I'm not even sure whether or not it was meant to be seen as one long episode like the pilot, as on the DVD it says 'Extended Episode' over each part, yet this was the usual forty-five minutes, and there was no option to watch both parts as one. I'm not saying this was the worst episode of the season, that dishonour still goes to the pointless clips episode, but it was hard not to be disappointed! It made me think of the 'Enterprise' two-parter, 'In A Mirror, Darkly' (funnily enough, the guy who played the gangster in that series' final season, Steven R. Schirripa, also had a small role in this, and it was also fun to note Composer Joel Goldsmith was part of the poker game, from the credits, now sadly long dead), which similarly used precious time to tell an alternate universe story right near the end of that series' run (and ironically was when they found out they wouldn't get a Season 5), but that was a very different situation, setting up the famous Mirror Universe and playing with nostalgia and continuity in a much more pleasing way.

Unlike this episode, which despite connecting to a parallel universe we'd seen before, didn't achieve much - if it'd been set around the halls of the SGC (instead of what looked like the base out of 'Seven Days'), they might have been able to leverage some nostalgia points at least, but the trouble was, and something the franchise as a whole had been guilty of, is that the audience are ahead of the characters - we're waiting for John to track down this serial killer and discover he's not human, or for the secrets of the galaxy to be revealed to him. But we know all that! I really wanted to see the team doing what they do: Ronon, Teyla, Keller, McKay, Sheppard on a mission. I know they want to go out with a bang, but it's always hard to care about other universes, as Wolsey said, right now he only cares about 'us.' It was too much of other influences (vampires; 'Highlander' was the thing that came to mind most, with this secret battle being fought, guys that 'die,' but then get up again, jump off a building to escape, then recover, etc), and not enough of itself. You even get the bit where science fiction's mentioned and the hero says he's not into it. One joke I did like was mention of Star Trek: The Experience and it's Robert Picardo's character (who was involved in the real thing!), who sadly says it's closed. It's like a last little dig at their Trek rivals and it seemed about right for this anarchic penultimate episode, and a franchise that has always failed to live up to Trek's highest standards (though it's much closer to Trek's past series' than the current crop, so I give them praise for that!). Can our universe be saved? Tune in next week to find out.

**

Identity

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Identity)

A happy ending, a good staple sci-fi idea, a semi-sequel to an 'SG-1' story, and lots of running around in the woods... So why is it, like the last few episodes it still feels somehow insubstantial? They chose a different way of portraying the body swap between Keller and this interstellar thief - rather than letting Jewel Staite exercise her acting muscles and play someone completely different pretending to fit in, they had the model play herself, in the same way they used to do it on 'Quantum Leap,' and now that I come to think of it, they even show her real self in reflections, as if in tribute, so that can't be a coincidence, can it? There appeared to be many more influences than the 90s time travel series. My first thought when Zelenka's compassion is met with brutal violence was a similarity to the freak-of-the-week episodes of 'Smallville' - the same domestic (-ish), setting, sudden violence from someone behaving weirdly. On the other hand, they'd already done a mysterious woman comes to Atlantis in the Wolsey episode, 'Remnants.' Then things went a bit 'Rambo' with jungle drums and chases in the forest as three different groups shoot at each other. It was a bit of a mixed episode, all told. I enjoyed the reference to King Arthur's cave from 'SG-1,' and vaguely remembered these communication stones, but only just. I'm not sure the episode knew what it was supposed to be.

For instance, what if Neva, this murderous, despicable thief, had performed a bit better instead of quickly raising suspicions? They kept it going for a while, but that could have been the whole story, notwithstanding that the franchise had done that kind of thing before, and probably on more than one occasion! I'd have liked to see Keller acting out of character, maybe they didn't have faith in the actress' ability? There is the added uncertainty of people living to the end of the series (at least the ones that don't appear in the next spinoff, 'Universe'), so I did wonder if Zelenka would survive his stabbing with what appeared to be a pair of pliers, which must have made a gaping wound. Then Keller, might she be killed off, it certainly was close? Fortunately we're not in the age of main characters being killed off for the 'fun' of it back then, so it had to mean something - talking of which, Dr. Beckett makes another visit, and this time seems just like he's a regular part of the Atlantis team now, not strange that he's coming in. That did rather undermine the dramatic death his character originally had and it is oddly bland to see him just there, even though it's not the first time. I'm still wondering if they'll bring Weir and Ford back before, or at, the end and make the group complete, but they probably didn't have the will or the budget by then.

Having someone strapped to a gurney in an observation room really reminded me of 'SG-1,' I'm sure they did that all the time. And that whole thing with the 'mystery' of who stabbed Zelenka should have been solved because you'd expect them to have CCTV in a lab if they have it in other places. Or don't they? At least they resisted the trope of 'One Day Earlier' coming up, instead the flashback turns up naturally when Neva finally tells the truth and we don't have an overly dramatic and overused opening, other than for poor Zelenka, of course! It's all fine, another episode that's entertaining, has all the cast together, looks nice and ends well. There's a hard edge to things when Sheppard presents a threatening aspect to the Magistrate of the village, and Neva gets her comeuppance from a furious former accomplice, and the moment when an axe is about to fall on Keller's neck, and surprisingly it's the criminals who save her rather than her friends who would have been too late, but: at least the happy ending.

Again, as with too many recent episodes this season, it lacks ambition and the fully exploiting of the characters, which they seemed to be doing in Seasons 3 and 4 and some of this season, a common complaint I've been making. Once again I appreciate the chance to have all the characters working together, but I do feel the series is either treading water a bit, or has reverted to its early years when they weren't quite as assured in their writing. I'd love to know at what point they knew they weren't coming back for a Season 6, because this story ends ambiguously as to the fate of Neva, and maybe she escaped, which sounds like they were leaving threads for potential future stories. There's only two episodes left now and I imagine they'll be linked. I really hope they don't squander the potential, because it's too late to say the season lives up to what went before.

**

Infection

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Infection)

First thought was it would be a haunted house episode with the team creeping around a seemingly abandoned Hive ship getting picked off by infected Wraith, pretty much a zombie film (or see 'Impulse' on 'Enterprise'). But then they left so there wasn't the tension which was there initially. And then they went back so maybe it was what I thought it was. Except it turned more into a disaster film where things just keep getting worse. Whatever theme the story took I found it to be a bit depressing: nothing goes right! They discover the gene treatment Dr. Keller developed actually ended up harming the Wraith who were put through it, Todd isn't very helpful and is probably going to die soon, and even McKay, usually so dependable in a crunch, can't seem to keep the disintegrating Hive ship together. I also felt like the characters were remarkably slow to put the facts together: there's a virus or something within these Wraith, the ship's organic... How difficult can it be to see the connection when the ship is restructuring itself on the fly? I know we have the advantage of knowing the episode title, which rather gives away the nature of the situation, but with all the experience these people have had over the last five years, well, you'd think they'd be a bit quicker on the uptake.

Add to that I've never been particularly keen on the production design of Hive ship internals, all those 'organic' parts look like a filming studio with drapes hanging around, akin to something out of the original Trek (see Balok's ship in 'The Corbomite Manoeuvre'), only with higher resolution. With modern lighting techniques and plenty of smoke it can be forgiven, it's not like it ruins episodes whenever they go there, but I'm just not keen on all that and to have a story take place almost entirely aboard such a location doesn't inspire confidence. Was it another budget-saving operation as they limped to the finish line? On the positive side it was nice to have the whole team together for once, minus Wolsey who was back on Atlantis, but is part of the episode. In a few recent episodes I've wished we had the team working together and here we do, so that's good, and even Major Lorne is there. I do wish there had been more integration of the team, as we do see snatches of moments like the soldiers running around blasting unmasked zombie Wraith grunt soldiers (which we'd never seen the faces of before, so that was new), and Rodney characteristically throws hissy fits when Sheppard wants him to fix things, then comes up with the solution, but I didn't feel that familiar, comfortable teamwork where everyone's doing what they do best. It was much more of a scramble to survive than a professional success.

I also felt there was a bit of moralising missing: I know the Wraith are the enemy, a deadly enemy, but they were lightly discussing genocide, and while they perhaps deserve it since they have no qualms about killing off, or worse, using for food, their own enemies, I feel like our heroes should be better than that, but then that's always been one of the things that differentiates 'Stargate' from 'Star Trek,' it's much more about soldiering than diplomacy or keeping to a certain code in dealing with the enemy. At least Sheppard kept his word, talking Wolsey into letting Todd go, but if he is dying anyway why wouldn't he stay there and be treated? Keller said it could take months to work out a solution from the data she'd collected and I can't see Todd wanting to hang around in custody merely to save his life. Heyerdahl certainly succeeded in injecting intensity into the role and no doubt he'll be back before the end to pay off Sheppard's giving him his freedom back. There was one scene I thought noteworthy, and that was Todd and Keller discussing the differences between them, compassion, how soldiers and doctors have different roles and methods but are both trying to save lives. It had promise and was more the kind of thinking I'd like to explore than merely running around shooting things.

That's what the series always was, at heart, just like its forbear, so it's hardly surprising, but I had felt that, with Season 3 and to some degree 4, things had developed. This could easily have been an early seasons story, it didn't really develop anything further, which is a shame and maybe a continuing sign that they knew things were going to be wrapped up and just had to get the episodes out. Not that I'm criticising or saying it was bad, only that it doesn't quite have that extra level I was almost coming to expect of the series. Although it was a standalone adventure, stuck on an alien ship and trying to escape, it also relies on the ongoing story, and so there wasn't a great deal of a sense of completion and tying things up. You can't always have that, but I want to see things close out well on the series. And maybe this was an opportunity that wasn't quite reached, for all the pleasure in having the cast together. That said, the last part where they're heading towards a crash-landing on the planet, was good, though even there we don't see the impact on the characters, just an external view, which was effective, but maybe we could have intercut with our people being thrown around as suddenly the next thing you know is Sheppard sitting comfy in Wolsey's office as if it was just another day!

**

Brain Storm

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Brain Storm)

Was it the previous episode that Keller didn't appear and Rodney barely featured? If so it would seem likely they made this episode at the same time. I don't know, but that would certainly save money I'd have thought, and the fact they didn't renew the series for a Season 6 would suggest they were cutting back on 'Stargate,' despite having another spinoff in the works. This felt like one of those science-y disaster films from the Nineties, where the hero scientist and his woman solve some catastrophe while dressed in evening wear. I'm not sure if it was genuinely a world problem as it seemed to only affect that particular secret base, but the important thing is that McKay and Keller are in trouble. None of the other cast are involved, which is a shame as we only have a handful of episodes left, and I expect at least the last couple to be about some big Wraith storyline. As much as I enjoy an episode that puts a couple of characters together and has them solving a problem, maybe this late in the final season isn't quite the place for it, but if, as I surmised, it was a budget-saving exercise, I can see why they'd do this.

I like Rodney, he's the best character, and I like Keller, too, so I don't mind them getting an episode to themselves, but I've always been less keen on the Earth-based stories than pure sci-fi, alien worlds, even Atlantis-bound episodes. It didn't really tell us anything new about the characters, other than getting the pair together properly before the end, and it was only tangentially connected to the series in the sense that the technological idea for how to solve global warming was clearly Stargate-type tech. Once they'd actually got there and things started to go wrong it did pick up and you wonder how this is going to play out, plus obviously McKay is going to have to be the star and everyone will know he's the genius he is, or at least his colleague would, and that was the important thing. And Keller gets to put her foot down and have an outsider perspective on this group of boffins. She also gets herself stuck and that sequence where we realise she's just down the corridor from where Rodney and his mate are working made things seem less impressive. Maybe it was supposed to be further away, but it didn't seem that far.

The story was a bit inevitable in terms of McKay was going to find a way round the problem, and while the external CGI effects of the extreme weather surrounding the complex were functional, they weren't the best. I thought I recognised the name Neil deGrasse Tyson, I think he must be a real scientist, so that was an interesting guest cameo there, though I was so busy trying to take in the name and recall where I knew it from that though I saw Gary Jones in the credits it seemed so natural I completely glossed over it in my mind as normal for 'Stargate,' but of course Walter is in 'SG-1' usually, not 'Atlantis,' so that very brief appearance was great fun and the more enjoyable cameo for me. Otherwise I felt it was a little too insubstantial as a story, the 'freeze lightning' being completely out of the blue and the bizarre choice of the Kramer representative not to make the call for help until it was too late and the communications were down, making the situation seem less dire than it became. It was one of those episodes where it's not bad, but neither is it all that memorable, and though I don't need every episode to be some big, meaningful adventure, I do feel they should be using the various pieces of the 'Stargate' world and our specific characters as much as possible as we come to the end. Instead there's no Teyla or Wolsey, and barely any Sheppard or Ronon.

**

Remnants

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Remnants)

Mixed feelings on this one. If McKay was being manipulated as well, why couldn't he see 'Vanessa' when both Wolsey and Sheppard could? That didn't make sense just so they could reveal with a twinkle at the end that Zelenka was the one helping him. Other than that I was mostly into it. It rests on the idea that you believe in evolution as a way for sentient life to come into existence, which I don't, so although it was a good moral issue whether to allow life to spring from the seed pod, or to harvest the data themselves at the cost of the genetic material, I wasn't very sympathetic to their idea. Then there was the unexpected addition of the Genii, and specifically Kolya... I was never fond of this race, neither did I much care for Kolya, an early attempt at giving the series a somewhat recurring villain. But in a way I felt it was justified to bring back Robert Davi since he was fairly integral to the early seasons. So... I'm not sure on that count. It wasn't until he actually chopped off Sheppard's hand that I realised this couldn't be happening. This isn't the kind of series where a main character gets seriously maimed, and while we are coming to the end of it, so all bets should be off, and there's always alien technology that can fix even hand/arm separation, there was something fishy about Kolya showing up out of the blue like this. It was also suspicious that the two scientists who were in the story to begin with suddenly had no part to play and it was entirely from Sheppard's perspective after being knocked unconscious. That always smacks of alien manipulation to me.

Obviously there's the parallel story of Wolsey simultaneously having to deal with a performance review (led by Tamlyn Tomita - that woman is in absolutely everything!), and meeting a mysterious lady who is his ideal, again out of the blue. Not that I made the connection at first, I assumed she really was what she seemed, especially as she was cunningly introduced before McKay even found the device in the ocean. So it was a cleverly designed puzzle, I'll give them that. It was fitting that Wolsey should get a story, and it was different to have three individual plots, and certainly kept the story spinning, suspicions not having time to come to rest. Until that is the hand situation occurred. They wouldn't bring back Kolya just like that, why would he be on the planet Atlantis is on, and didn't he die? Yes, he did die, as Sheppard mentions. Even Zelenka complimenting Rodney was suspicious, though I wasn't sure if we were supposed to think he was real or just that he could have been a mental manipulation, at first. And with a title like 'Remnants' it suggests it's going to be about some kind of alien group that survives somehow. You don't need to have seen as much sci-fi as I have to realise it all added up to this mysterious device that was giving off something that could affect people's minds.

You could say that ultimately it was a nuts and bolts mystery, and I did find myself missing the other characters, with Teyla, Ronon and Keller only getting minimal interaction. I always enjoy a character that only appears to one person and which no one else can see, and I welcomed seeing Wolsey in a vulnerable situation. He may have surprised his IOC paymasters back on Earth by not towing the company line, but he's surprised me in how amenable he's been. To some degree I wish we'd seen a tougher arc so that he didn't come around quite so easily and was butting heads more seriously during the season. He's had his differences, but he's never been the Wolsey of old, always ready to shut the programme down or whatever, so he has rather lost his bite, sadly. On the other side he's been a nicer character to watch, so it's a difficult line to come down on whether he was a success. It was certainly an unexpected and bold move, and I'm always for Robert Picardo being in things, it's just that I'm not sure how I'd be writing the character's performance review myself. There always has to be the moment their position is questioned, and since we're coming to the end anyway they can't exactly make much of a threat on whether a character will remain in charge or not, but they had to deal with it at some point.

I can say it's not a bad sci-fi story, and after the heavy previous episode dealing with Michael, it was an ideal change of pace. These are the kind of episodes I usually enjoy best, just messing about with the characters, playing some sci-fi trick on them to see how they react and perhaps learning something about them. But there was too much solitariness, I think, as we come to the last few episodes, and I want to see the team doing things together before it's too late. I'm not saying it was a waste of a slot, by no means, but adding up all the niggles, and the fact it didn't surprise me, despite being a poetic solution with the little flourish at the end confirming Zelenka was never there, I'd have to say it didn't quite pass its performance review, though it was ever so close. I hope they really excel with the last few stories, and it's not that I didn't like this one, just felt it didn't quite get there. Maybe I'm being too harsh and will reevaluate it when I see it again, but for now it's a 'not bad' and 'getting there' from me.

**

The Prodigal

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Prodigal)

I was thinking Ford. It was Michael. Of course it was Michael. What was surprising, given that I generally feel stories around that character were generally a bit B-film sci-fi, very much in the mould of the theatrical System Lords of 'SG-1,' was that I found this to be one of the best episodes! It starts all quite cosy, just another evening on Atlantis, Wolsey's giving Ronon a talking to for not filing mission reports, Teyla's walking her baby to get him to sleep, and Sheppard and Rodney are... playing radio controlled car racing in the halls? But this is not the time for fun as the power suddenly goes out. It was a promising setup as it's always good to have stories where they're creeping around the bowels of the city, vast and empty. It was a bit B-film, all those lines about Michael's plans for galactic domination, and as he strides onto the control centre floor, robes flowing, minions following, I couldn't help but think of the 'Voyager' parody of old 'Flash Gordon' serials in 'Bride of Chaotica!' that I watched again recently. And it is a bit silly and melodramatic, but it turned into something quite cinematic, too!

I would never have imagined they'd kill off the character before the series had ended, but it shows they really are coming to the end of the series if they're beginning to tie up loose ends. It could be that he somehow survives to come back at them one more time, it's possible, since last time they blew up his ship and he still survived, so what's a fall down a tower from the top of Atlantis? Maybe he had another ship out there ready to help him, maybe he was somehow able to fall into water, maybe... I don't know. I hope that is it for him, because as much as I love Connor Trinneer in 'Enterprise' I never felt he made a good villain. Maybe the southern American twang never sat right with his dialogue, I don't know, he did the best he could but the enemy was a simple evil character without any real sympathetic qualities, which arguably are necessary for a strong villain. He certainly went out spectacularly, chased to the top of the command tower by Sheppard (who really should have known better than to simply walk out with his gun in front - and wouldn't he also carry a handgun on him?), then fighting with him quite brutally in hand to hand combat - it was fortunate Sheppard already had some experience climbing outside the tower previously as he must have been less fazed by the wind whistling around and the extreme drop below. It fell to Teyla to land the killer blow that sent the villain to his doom. Was it right to do that, because she seemed to be carrying out the same thing he wanted for Atlantis: vengeance. And if it's alright for the good guys to do that, what exactly is it that makes them good guys?

In her defence there didn't seem to be any other way to handle him in that scenario. If she'd pulled him up he'd only have pulled her off, but I always like the heroes to show one last bit of compassion and at least try to save the enemy, even if it's only so he can be brought to justice. Still, I can't fault the production value, and it was great seeing the ins and outs of the city that we don't often get. The idea of a stun bubble, as Zelenka insists on calling it, was a good visual, as was the fighting from Ronon and the control woman, Banks. When I see martial arts combat on modern stuff I usually don't like it, perhaps because it's filmed far too quick-cut, but here I was really impressed as they got a good sense of the hits and the weight of it all, especially in the fight between Ronon and Michael. I also usually find it so cliched and boring when the villain and hero fight, but because the series is generally so grounded in its sets and characters, and for the fact it was such a big moment in the series that this nemesis was being dealt with, I really liked all of it, and everyone had plenty to do, good lines and a sense of teamwork, things coming together. The atmosphere of coming doom was amply supported by the deadly chime of the self-destruct and in all ways this seemed to be a superior production.

The only character left out of it (even Wolsey had his part to play, including falling down some stairs!), was Dr. Keller, and I don't know why they didn't give her a little scene in the medical bay at the end since they had a scene there between Ronon and Wolsey. I don't demand that every main character must appear in every episode, indeed it's more realistic to mix and match a bit, but when everyone was so evenly handled she did stand out as missing, maybe the actress was ill or working on some other project at the time, otherwise maybe she'd have had Banks' lines? The expertise of the characters, the joy of seeing them solve these problems, the heroism of risking life and limb, it was all inspiring in a Trekkian way that's rarely seen on those modern Trek series', so I feel like this was the last of that era of quality ensemble sci-fi shows - as much as I enjoyed 'Universe' it wasn't up to 'SG-1' or 'Atlantis' standards so I'm really going to miss this series when it ends in only six episodes time. Wow, I can't believe it! I suppose the big opposition is going to be the Wraith, then, as it should be, since that's how it all started, but somehow I thought they were going to combine all these plots together in one big blowout of enemy defeats and myriad plots. I can't imagine them going out as well as they did with this episode, but I hope so.

***

Inquisition

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Inquisition)

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. I thought we were past this old habit of 'Stargate': the dreaded clips show! Seeing the words 'Excerpts by...' had come to be less ominous as occasional flashbacks were not uncommon, and a full clips-based 'extravaganza' seemed to have become a thing of the past. I'd rather they simply make one less episode rather than keep slavishly to a quota and force one out that relies on showing bits of old episodes in some loose approximation of a story, but as they go, this wasn't terrible. It's not good, but when you throw in as many big effects shots as you can, and manage to give us at least a semblance of an interesting story, it's not the end of the world. And I can look on it as a bright side that it's an easy review to write because not much happened! If they had a little more ambition they could have dispensed with flashbacks entirely and simply given us a good courtroom drama, but I think either the writers aren't confident in their ability to craft stories that don't include any action, or they think the audience wouldn't be able to cope with that. Despite the fact that the series all 'Stargate' was modelled on ('TNG'), had plenty of excellent, dramatic and moving such plots, as did its spinoffs.

A courtroom drama can really get to the heart of something, and in this case there were genuine points to be explored about humans coming into the Pegasus Galaxy and just unilaterally making decisions that the relatively primitive human populations already living there just had to live with. It was a bold move by this new Coalition to kidnap the team and put them on trial, but also foolish because they'd have created another enemy at a time when, as Wolsey said, they'd need them. It could be suggested the point of this episode was to catch the audience up to speed, or remind them of the major events of the series in preparation for an all-guns-blazing showdown in this last half season. Perhaps they'll be bringing back Ford and Michael, Todd and the Genii, Replicators and Weir all in one big melting pot on one side or another. If that is the case then it served a purpose at least, other than as a money-saving exercise to keep to quota, but even so I'd have happily listened to earnest arguments and the twists and turns of court intrigue rather than resort to clips. It did at least give Wolsey a stand upon which to demonstrate his skills as a legal expert and orator in the courtroom, even if in practice it's not exactly sweeping, impressive grandiloquence or irrefutable pinpoint logic. It is still a sci-fi action adventure series and was never likely to transcend out of that, unlike Trek (which has descended into the kind of basic approach of this franchise!).

The idea of the various disparate planets and groups banding together to form a Federation, as Wolsey says (which was quite surreal - I'm sure they did that on purpose as a tribute to Picardo's Trek background, odd to think he's more likely to come back in new Trek than 'Stargate' ever getting off the ground nowadays, as back then it seemed like Trek's day was over and 'Stargate' was flying high...), was a good one. I'm not sure how believable it was that they immediately went against Atlantis, but on the other hand if the Genii were behind a bid for power then it's not that surprising, and there's been plenty of people they've encountered over the years that didn't always welcome them openly. Sheppard did his best to defend the position, but when you think about it, maybe the galaxy would have been better if they hadn't got involved, and instead of thinking that because they'd dealt with the threats to their own universe in the Goa'uld and the Replicators, they could deal with the Wraith, maybe they shouldn't have got involved. But that's not their way, and rightly or wrongly, they did get involved and did much good. There might be a genuine call for them to account for certain things, as they do tend to do what's best for them, though amidst what works for others, it's a very modern series - it's not merely altruistic, but also for their own benefit. Which makes sense, but in today's world of trying to dredge up history in order to make recompense for perceived wrongs we do seem to be moving towards a more critical opinion of those that get involved and no doubt that does colour perceptions of what Stargate Command could or should do, the same as the Trek Federation and Starfleet.

There I go off on another topic, there was more to write about after all, but that's because the episode itself is rather basic. It did start so well, too, though knowing the title before it came up I guessed something bad was going to happen to the team, so it wasn't a surprise. I'm sure the same device of accusation by another race had been used before, I feel like 'SG-1' did that at least once (though they were guilty of multiple clips episodes!), O'Neill trying to defend their position. Wolsey was in his element here, though, and it's good to see him get his dues, though again, they're shown to be just as 'crooked' as those who were trying them, by bribing and cajoling. It may have been true that these were the only ways to 'win' in this case, but it's still not that great a lesson: once you know the game you can win at any cost. Being shrewd is advisable, but it also smacked of dishonourable conduct. Still, it wasn't really about the outcome, of course they were going to succeed, it was about filling time, and in that regard it could have been better. Although it did make me want to go back and see the series from the beginning again once I'm done. But I'd have done that anyway! And I was right about Ford coming back. In a way.

**

Outsiders

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Outsiders)

A better first half than a second, mainly because it turns into action, while before that it's a difficult moral quandary for our heroes, but overall it was classic 'Stargate,' be that 'SG-1' or 'Atlantis': go to a planet, get involved with their struggle against a powerful outside force, save the people. In the old days it would have been the Goa'uld, now it's Wraith, but it amounts to the same thing, and this is what the franchise did quite nicely. We get to have Dr. Beckett (mk. II), back again, as he's right in the middle of this planet treating refugees who survived the Hoffan plague and ended up with these other people, so it was good to start right in the thick of things, no Atlantis-based preamble (though that also means we don't see Keller or Wolsey), and we're soon in trouble as Wraith show up demanding the refugees be handed over, since the plague is deadly to them and means they can't feed on human populations with impunity. Handy then that Sheppard and his team had come to visit Beckett... The ultimatum is a tough one: give them up or your village will be destroyed, while the best Sheppard can do is offer temporary sanctuary at Atlantis until they can locate a planet suitable for them to start a new life. But it's a big thing to have to give up your whole way of life and everything you've built just for the sake of some outsiders. Obviously Jervis is quite an unsympathetic character, he's the one who counsels simply giving them up without a fight, and it would have been a more complex issue if it had been Elson who wanted to do that after we'd got to know him as a kindly type.

There isn't really enough time for complexity when the series is so action-based, so it does lose something sometimes, and can't delve into an issue the way Trek used to be able to (not any more!), but still, I like seeing a tough situation and how it's dealt with, and Sheppard comes up with something. The secondary part of the story becomes McKay and Beckett kidnapped by the Wraith thanks to a cowardly member of the Bolarans (the refugees), showing that it's not even as simple as them being all honourable, but it backfires on him, just as it backfires on Jervis when he's taken in by Elson's apparent change of heart and leads the Wraith into the mines where he believes the last Bolarans are hiding, blown sky-high along with the Wraith he chose to serve. It's a harsh lesson, and I'd have liked a few words from Elson perhaps about his regret he had to lose members of the village, even if they were dishonourable, but again, no time for that. The shooty stuff is good and well choreographed as it usually is, all outdoors in lush greenery and trees, although the Beckett/McKay stuff is a little too reminiscent of McKay and Daniel Jackson in the previous episode: in both cases they're kidnapped and forced to work on some science project by the kidnappers, have to escape, etc, so as much fun as it was having Carson along, doing the same scene in consecutive episodes wasn't the best idea.

It remains reassuring that our team succeed in rescuing the villagers and the remaining Bolarans (although I don't know what happened to Novo and her group that were going to be taken aboard the Hive ship - were they rescued, too?), but it must be a terrible thing to have to leave your entire life behind, trust strangers to provide you with a new start on an alien planet, and all that that entails, something the series isn't likely to go into, which is a shame as old Elson seemed a decent sort (I saw through his ruse to get Jervis and the others into the mines right away, since Sheppard said he had a plan). It's a pretty good standalone story that reminds us of the thread about a virus being carried by certain people which it's in the Wraith's interest to wipe out, so I'm sure it'll be coming back into play in this last half of the season. In summary, a good moral dilemma supported by nuts and bolts action, and a story that takes place almost entirely away from Atlantis, which is always refreshing, plus cowardice and bravery, a decent mix.

***

The Lost Tribe

 DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Lost Tribe)

Hate to admit it, but for a brief moment I really did allow myself to wonder... could these people in the suits, I assume this lost tribe of the title... could they be... Furlings? Nah, that would be too silly, but I did wonder... Just for that brief moment before we see who's really in there. So they were Asgard, and they were ones intent on taking out the Wraith. Okay. The things I found difficult to swallow about the episode were actually the device itself which will blow up any Stargate in use in the entire Galaxy! That's going a bit too far, I could buy a Wraith ship going to warp might explode since it was in the relative vicinity of it, but no, not that - I know it's a network, but then why stop at only the Pegasus Galaxy? And then those armoured suits which so conveniently conform to whoever wears them? Leaving aside the production problem that you can see these 'empty' suits slightly swaying as Rodney and Daniel are confronting them, why would the Asgard build humanoid suits to fit anyone? Didn't make sense. And then they kill off Dr. Jackson in the silliest way possible. No, they didn't, but for a moment I entertained the possibility that this could be the last he ever played the role 'live' since I know he only comes back in 'Universe' in training videos from what I remember, and why not take out one of the founding characters of the whole franchise to make a splash in your final season? Having him back for a pretty good two-parter was a big enough splash, evidently, and the moment was a bit too light for him to really be offed, of which I'm glad since he probably is my favourite character of 'SG-1.'

The real reason for the scene where he says he doesn't think he's going to make it was for the buddy-buddy comedy of McKay about to give him a compliment which they can then joke about later and end the episode in a fun way, in contrast to the sheer volume of stuff happening. I quite enjoyed having them together, though part one was a little better. I'm not sure what really happened other than Todd's alliance with our people ending - who knows what situation he'll be in when they meet again as they're bound to do. His strategy for taking out the facility housing the device was immediately obvious to me: if Ronon's sabotaged the weapons of course he's going to ram the Daedalus into it! But I did like the solution: have Sheppard's friend's ship (Larrin of the Travellers), open a hyperspace window right in front of the plummeting vessel which takes them directly through the planet and out the other side. I could just about remember Larrin, this woman he was fond of and had met a couple of times, though I didn't recall her people being known as Travellers. Again, ever so convenient an emissary of Larrin's could show up in a ship at just the moment Atlantis needed one, but sometimes you need these plot devices - and for most of the episode I liked the escalation of events: Todd's on course for the Asgard facility, planning to destroy it, but McKay and Jackson are there. Simple, personal stakes, but good ones.

It's easy to believe in the motivations of the various factions. Okay, so it was a bit disappointing that Sheppard and Zelenka survived the main 'gate blowing merely by ducking down in another room. I mean that should really have taken the top off the tower and in the effects (which were good throughout, even if the Asgard ships were a bit ugly, and so was that hunk of junk, the fastest in its fleet, sent from Larrin, now that I come to think of it), it looked as if it had, so it does lessen the impact of the cliffhanger from part one. Not that I wanted to see either of them die, of course not, but a Stargate exploding should be a momentous event, and we hear that thousands have died from the colony Larrin's people had set up, yet two people in one tower survived - even the laptop was in one piece without as much as a crack on the screen! Maybe I'm asking too much, but a destructing 'gate should be the ultimate blast. Find another way for our characters to survive and find a new tower because it shouldn't be simple to patch it up and get back to normality. I wasn't sure if Rodney was talking about a new Stargate being installed in Atlantis or whether he was talking about somewhere else, but if things go back to normal next week it's only going to make it seem even more trivial.

These reasons and more made me like this episode less. Another thing is Ronon and Keller on their sabotage mission - again, obviously when Ronon says he's going to take out the hyperdrive he doesn't mean sitting at a keyboard overriding programs, but I suppose his blunt edge was meant to be funny, or at least Keller's reaction to it all. I do like that she's realistic about the situation - she's a caregiver, a doctor and a professional in her field, so of course she's not going to warm to being in a combat situation, love it and excel at it, but despite fears and reservations she acquits herself well. Still not sure if Ronon's motives were for himself at the end, or if he's subtly pushing Keller towards Rodney, but either is possible. Teyla is the only main character who suffers, being left behind again - I believe she is the best qualified and most trusted by John to be left in that position, especially when they're wondering if there'll be retaliation, but I feel like she should have had some kind of minor plot of her own, even if it was just the clean-up on Atlantis. And where was her baby and husband, I'd like to have seen her being concerned for them or go and see them, assuming they're still there.

Wolsey's visible and part of the story, but he still doesn't seem quite like the boss man yet, Sheppard's running the show, or Ronon in the action stakes, while Wolsey has very little of substance. It's not like they have tons of main characters to fit in, either, but we're running out of time for him to really be integrated into the series well. Zelenka's subplot of babysitting the Travellers' Chief Engineer, who's only fifteen, could also have been more than a gag. But at least it's easy to see why they brought back Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, with the bad guys turning out to be Asgard he was the closest person to work with them, having a special friendship with Thor, I think it was (it's been so long - I need to get back to 'SG-1' again!), and even voicing the character. I didn't see who did the voice for this Asgard, but I don't think it was Shanks. But facing one of those puppets again (this time with even more facial movement), must have felt like no time had passed for him at all, yet it had been around twelve years since 'SG-1' began and here he is doing the same thing again. It's quite nice (I could have done with a discussion about dying before and what he thinks will happen, since he had become ascended and then returned to ordinary life before), but at the same time maybe it was so many moving parts to keep track of that made it lose focus, and I didn't like it quite as much as the first part. I'd love it if Jackson came back again before the end (hey, have a full-blown 'SG-1' reunion, why not!), but I doubt they'll bring anyone else in since they're winding up the series and they probably want to concentrate on their own characters at this point, which is entirely understandable.

**

First Contact

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (First Contact)

I don't believe it, how can they do this to me! It did seem to be going on a bit long, but I still felt like things could be resolved, and then the tower containing the Stargate on Atlantis explodes with Sheppard and Zelenka still inside the control area and the words 'To Be Continued' come up... It almost seemed like they might be blowing their tanks too early, because this level of shock and danger could be worthy of the penultimate episode of the series: Sheppard and Zelenka potentially killed, Rodney and Daniel Jackson (hooray!), trapped on some alien base having just activated a device that will make any Wraith ship blow up when going to warp, Wolsey held captive because Todd their ally Wraith believes they destroyed his Hive ships, and the Daedalus taken over with Ronon and Keller also trapped there... And blowing up the series' main Stargate, how could things get much bigger? Just when Keller's medical mission to cure the Wraith of needing to feed on humans was going well. All this and some fascinating tech, too: the idea of a device that destroys a warp activation, these suits that can drop down and bore right through multiple floors, and the glow-sticks Todd pushes together to knock out the entire ship, all added to this sense of things going wild and out of control. It's all so much to take in.

I had no recollection of 'Janus,' this Ancient who'd come up with this warp destruction device in the first place, so I'm not sure if he'd been mentioned before or this was a 'fresh' flashback. Either way it did seem a bit much to accept there was yet another secret room somewhere in Atlantis (they really haven't done enough stories where they go down and explore deep parts of the city as that's the kind of stuff I love to see, much like the potential of the ship in 'Universe'), and Dr. Jackson just happens to have worked out where it is, and there were other things in the episode which glossed over details (like Zelenka somehow able to track the signal of where McKay and Daniel are by saying it's too complicated to explain - cop out!), but that's all fairly irrelevant - the important thing is that we have Michael Shanks back and he's working with McKay! Makes sense, we'd had each of the other three main 'SG-1' characters who'd starred in the majority of that series, so it was time they brought in Jackson. It's nice that there's history between him and McKay in the sense that Rodney guest-starred here and there as a pompous, bigheaded science boffin, even if he was generally doing things with Samantha Carter. And now he's much more like his old self around Jackson - even if he is still a pompous, bigheaded boffin he tends to fit in a bit better with the Atlantis crew since they've seen more of him. But it was one of the joys of the episode to have him work with Jackson as it could just as easily have been anyone or no one - I especially enjoyed the moment they reflected on doing what they've done (don't forget it was Daniel that got the 'gate to work originally), and how they'll never get the recognition they truly deserve. That's the kind of stuff you want to see in a long-running franchise because that would be the reality.

Something else helping to raise the episode above the usual fun but derivative sci-fi was when Todd is confronted by Keller about whether he really wants his people to lose their dependence on human meat - he muses what will become of them and what will they do, and it's a valid point since their feeding is largely what motivates them, so to remove that throws all kinds of scary possibilities out and a very uncertain future. The big questions aren't usually the kind of thing this or its sibling series' dealt with so I was glad the issue was raised. I suppose I can understand Todd's jumping to conclusions in the destruction of two of his ships, too, though it seemed obvious from the fact that Wolsey was so set on leaving Sheppard behind so he could carry out the negotiation since he felt he had less 'baggage,' that trust was going to come into play somehow. The reality is that Sheppard had been through a few things with Todd, and Teyla too, so they would have been better choices to attend to provide continuity, but although it hasn't happened anywhere near as much as might have been expected, Wolsey's adherence to protocol above all else is the cause of things going wrong: I'm sure Sheppard and Teyla would have at least given Todd pause for thought, but with their absence as well it does look more suspicious.

The strange, armoured aliens, whatever they are, who make a heist on the newly discovered Janus lab, reminded me of the aliens in an early 'DS9' episode ('Captive Pursuit'), who make short work of that station's defences and are difficult to subdue. The same happens here, except these guys get what they came for, including McKay and Daniel and our team are unable to force entry to the man down they leave behind - could it be that the suit is robotic as Sheppard suggested, or could it even be something like a remote controlled device that the real culprits are operating from afar? I didn't expect to have to wait to find out! I was enjoying the story for all the stuff they were throwing in, everyone was getting something to do (except Teyla of course, who is just there with a weapon and is ordered to evacuate to the edge of the city), and it was quite a shock when the 'gate is going to explode, a really fast-acting threat. Zelenka may be the B-team when it comes to brain power, and McKay doesn't let him forget it, but he's still an invaluable fallback if Rodney's not around and seemed to be acquitting himself well until that fateful explosion. I can't believe they'd kill off Sheppard before the series ends so there must have been some escape somehow. Surely... The important thing is I can't wait to find out!

***

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!

***

The Queen

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Queen)

In the positive category, Teyla gets to be front and centre, integral in a plot to get the Wraith who are in ally Todd's alliance to submit to a procedure that will remove their need to feed on humans. But in the negative, it remains unresolved by the end, almost to the point of the episode itself seeming redundant. I suppose it's more in line with the serialised nature of modern TV shows, but that may also be why it feels less substantial and fulfilling on its own. It's also missing Robert Picardo as you'd think such an important mission would have to be run by him and discussed, and I don't remember any reference to him in the episode. At first it looks like being an excursion type of story with the five main characters, other than Picardo, off on a Jumper and meeting with Todd the 'friendly' Wraith (always good to have Christopher Heyerdahl back), and most of the episode does take place on Hive ships, but they also do go back to Atlantis in order to turn Teyla into an approximation of a Queen, where she'll be able to fool The Primary, the leading Queen of the alliance's Queens, thanks to her Wraith DNA. I wasn't clear if the procedure to make her into a Wraith was supposed to be merely cosmetic or if they were actually playing with her genetics to emphasise the already existing DNA, but it does seem like a big job and it takes her some time to recover, which leads me to wonder if it wouldn't be enough to merely look and sound like a Queen?

There's also the little matter of her being little. That is compared to all the Queens we've ever seen before, they're tall and imposing creatures, but Teyla is a bit on the diminutive side. And they also run into the Trek 'problem' (if it can be called that), of the need to reduce the threatening nature of an adversary in order to achieve some level of rapport with them - much like the Borg in 'Voyager' or the Jem'Hadar in 'DS9,' we have to meet less monstrous, more human-like versions, for want of a better word. Thus the Primary's subordinate, even with his unique look of shaven head and tiny plaited beard, came across as quite weak and wimpy compared to the vast majority of his kind we'd seen, and even 'Kenny,' Todd's subordinate on his Hive ship, and other Wraith with speaking parts, appear too submissive or lacking in the power and venom we expect - even the idea of ending their dependence on culling was straight out of the need to remove the Jem'Hadar's forced addiction to a drug. Except that it may not have been about that at all, and much like a certain other 'DS9' character (Garak, when he accomplishes Sisko's goal, but only by murder, not through the agreed plan), Todd may have been using them in political machinations to get himself to the head of the alliance, interesting in itself, but slightly disappointing when the story was progressing in a certain direction.

What does work about the episode is the tightrope all the characters are walking: Teyla and Todd aboard the other Hive ship are in danger of being discovered, she has to come across as ruthless without being foolhardy, while even the alliance between the pair is shaky as Todd thinks she's deliberately sacrificing Wraith in battle. And earlier in the episode it's the others who don't trust him and when the other ship shoots off they're left in the dark. I liked that they sort of have this Hive ship at their disposal, Kenny keeping them informed and dropping them off at a Stargate so they can zip to the other ship's location quickly, which proves vital in a battle with yet another Hive ship, though a non-alliance intruder. The uncertainty over whether they should let the Wraith play things out or get involved and retrieve Teyla is a difficult one because they don't know if she's in danger or is achieving their goal. So I felt the tension worked well, only it was a little bit let down by plaited-beard-Wraith (why do none of them have names, or at least some kind of designation between each other!), found her out simply by eavesdropping on her chat with the prisoners when Sheppard and the others do eventually come to save her. I also felt this should have been a moment for Teyla to demonstrate her warrior ability in a fight with him, especially as he seemed somehow 'softer' than the average example of his species, but instead of managing to prove her prowess it's down to Todd to come in at the last moment and prevent her throat being cut.

Right from the start when they propose this de-culling route for the Wraith, with the caveat it may make their special abilities of long life, self-healing, and strength be diminished you have to wonder why they would even go for it, because while they would free themselves from one source of food, meaning they'd have an advantage, they'd also be, as Todd mentioned, pariahs with the human-feeders of his kind. I did like the premise, the tension was reasonably well accomplished, but in the end it is let down by not fully exploring the idea of Teyla as a Queen - what if she started to exhibit Wraith tendencies, a need to feed, or the power goes to her head? What if they had to save her from herself? Admittedly it would be unlikely, but there was something missing that needed to take the story to the next level and it's disappointing we aren't seeing the recurring characters so much this season, ignoring Todd of course. I don't feel this final year is shaping up to be as consistent as the last couple, though of course I'm glad they got a fifth season. And even this episode's title didn't come across as very inspired.

**

Whispers

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Whispers)

Shameless in its attempt to recreate a horror film, or perhaps relishing in its chosen genre, bloodless, but with lots of shocks, this isn't one of the most 'Stargate' feeling of episodes. For one thing where's all the cast?! We have Sheppard starring, McKay shows up for bookend scenes, and other than that, that's it. We do get Dr. Beckett, on Atlantis for some reason before he goes back to the home galaxy again, so he's a semi-main cast member, but where were Teyla, Ronon, Keller, Wolsey? I don't know why they chose to stick Sheppard and Beckett with a guest cast team of feminist soldier-gals rather than the usual gang. Okay, it wasn't really feminist, other than the team leader (Major something? It's telling none of the soldiers' names stuck in my mind, unlike Alison, who was at least some way towards being a character), saying she was allowed to choose the best and that's how she ended up with her team. Except they weren't really the best since one of them got killed! I'm guessing the reason for the unknowns was to put us in a more unsettled state, just as the episode begins with unknown villagers coming across something one dark night in the woods, since we don't know if any of them will survive, as is the case in most horror, people slowly being picked off one by one. Actually I felt the same uncertainty for Beckett since he is a clone - I could imagine them discovering yet another clone of Carson who they'd then take back with them... again!

If we had had people like Ronon then the threat wouldn't have seemed quite so worrying since we know the warriors on the team will always pull through. Putting Carson, who's always been a bit of a worry-wort, with a girl gang of blasé, overconfident soldier types, only emphasised the situation. Of course if McKay had been along such an attitude would have gone even more extreme, perhaps too much into the comedic vein when they were aiming more for subtle creepiness as they led up to the jump scares. Carson has something of a quiet desperation compared with Rodney's loud exasperation at dangerous situations, so I can see why they switched out the cast like they did. But the new characters aren't the most endearing, we don't really get to know them, and they seem more like tropes than people: the fighter who only lives for battle, constantly overconfident. Then you've got all those horror tropes of shambling zombie-like foes, creepy mist (which somehow has technology-defeating properties - the excuse for why they can't use their torches or radios), people being dragged from behind into darkness or fog. And the biggest one of all: people failing to adhere to common sense and instead heading out into the danger and darkness when they should have stayed together inside!

Why did Alison go out, she didn't need to? And how did the villager know what would open all those pods, he seemed like a simple, backwards sort of guy! It was lovely to see Nicole DeBoer, most famous to Trekkers for her single season stint as Ezri Dax in 'DS9,' following in the footsteps of several other Trek faces to appear on the series (and the franchise in general). With McKay left behind she's used to give Carson a bit of closeness as he gets giggly over this likeminded soul, much to their babysitter soldier's disgust. I kept waiting for something to happen to her, especially when Sheppard found her alone outside - I was expecting her to have somehow become one of the 'infected' and burst out in monster mode, like when she chose to hang back at the end. But nothing happened, so maybe she'll come back. Maybe Beckett will, we just don't know as his role isn't very clear now, other than the fact he can pop in to Atlantis any time. Which is nice, but I'm not sure what his purpose is any more.

'DS9' also did an episode called 'Whispers,' but it was a lot better. Rather than straight up visual horror it was more about paranoia, which is scarier. They certainly succeeded here with an oppressive atmosphere and all the creeping around was well shot, with the abandoned equipment of the village looming out of the mist, the low lighting and the camera being cranked up high. Trouble is, it really seemed like they were trying to do something that the series isn't, and other than the stylishness of the shooting, there didn't seem to be much point. It was also very militaristic, which isn't one of the things I find most interesting about the series (I'm always much more on the scientists' side, discovering things and getting them out of jams). It's not that I disliked the girl group, they just weren't there to be developed as people, no one really learned anything, it was just a series of actions, without even the sense of buildup and release that the longer form of a film can do. When they find the other lab with yet more open pods that would have been the cue for a film to take it to the next level, but they quickly get attacked, blast them, and then we're back on Atlantis again, Carson packing like déjà vu (I imagine they'd have filmed the bookend scenes together, too, as that would be sensible). As a result, as much as I found it somewhat gripping in places, there wasn't anything else to, shall we say, grip onto. And talking of grips, I never believe in humanoid shapes crawling up or down walls and ceilings because the surface wouldn't hold the weight and the human body isn't designed to move in that manner. Even taking into account it's supposed to be unnatural, it doesn't quite come across as real to me, especially at speed! Also, when I saw the gas mask I immediately expected a Genii connection, but no. Fairly entertaining, then, especially on a dark afternoon, but nothing else.

**

The Shrine

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Shrine)

'Absolute Clarity' would have been a better title, in honour of the touching story Wolsey told about his Alzheimers-stricken Father, as 'The Shrine' gave it a completely different impression. You could say the whole episode was a waste of time, as other than Rodney admitting where he stands to our Dr. Keller, nothing of importance happens. Except that it is important because it shows how close this little band has grown - I can't imagine them putting themselves at such risk so Rodney could have one day of normal brain function back in Season 1. Ronon wasn't even known then and it was his knowledge that enabled them to find this 'shrine' that can somehow temporarily heal loss of brain function, but here they're willing to do whatever is necessary to see that their friend gets a moment to say his goodbyes. He doesn't take it in the way they intended, however, considering it a kind of torture when he'd been living in this increasingly muffled shadow world of inability to process or remember things, and now suddenly they bring him to and tell him he's not cured, he's going to die. I quite liked that he was horrified by the whole situation as that really is the McKay we know, he's not just going to sit down and have a last meal and talk of old times before dropping dead!

There was a short moment at the beginning when I really wondered if they might kill him off... until I remembered he appears in an episode of the next series, 'Universe,' and they wouldn't be stupid enough to kill off the best character on the series. What it does do is gives David Hewlett a chance to stretch, and instead of merely alternating between complaining and arrogantly solving the latest problem, he shows the mental degeneration of someone losing their mind, and it is affecting. Once I realised he wasn't going to die it could have become a mere nuts and bolts 'adventure' of getting him to this location (typically, the planet upon which this special place rests is occupied by a large Wraith force), before pulling off a handy solution and then he's cured. I actually really liked the way they dealt with it - they could have pushed things up a notch and had Wraith bearing down on their position, Ronon and Teyla having to hold them off while Keller performs her precarious operation, but it would have taken away from the already dramatic premise. I thought I was watching 'ER' at one point when Keller's opening up part of his skull, except they don't usually have creepy alien parasites burrowing out of a man's wound, which was a bit much, though as I said, a logical development and a way to complement Keller's battlefield surgery!

What works most about the episode is the closeness you sense between these friends and it really came across as classic 'Stargate': there's even a moment when we see the four (McKay, Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla), walk towards the 'gate like SG-1 used to do, though sadly there was no shot of them all going through together like we always saw as the final shot of the opening titles on 'SG-1,' which would have been even better. But it was a great concept to have a 'gate trapped underwater by a melted glacier, so they're all perched atop the 'gate itself (a nice shot pulling back to reveal water all around), and sending in MALPs, and that feeling of a small team's camaraderie... it all took me back. Wolsey has more sympathetic play again, either in the humour or in the story I mentioned, and really we haven't actually seen the old Wolsey, he's been extremely accommodating, which may have lost something of his abrasive character. It doesn't help that I'm also currently watching 'Voyager' so I'm seeing Robert Picardo as the genial later seasons Doctor in that series, and while he is different here, maybe he's playing it a bit too friendly so far and perhaps we need to see him exert his authority a bit more, make himself less cuddly, just as Carter didn't get on with Ronon right away, or Teal'c didn't get on with Ronon right away, or... well just about anyone doesn't get on with Ronon right away...

But I loved how devoted Ronon was to his friend, and despite their differences that's what they've become - McKay is so different to all of them (I'd have liked a scene with Zelenka where he bests him in some small way and is embarrassed about it, and maybe Rodney notices, but you can't have everything), and to see him reduced so much to dependence and loss of all his intellect and ability it reminded me of 'Riddles' an episode of 'Voyager' where Tuvok loses his mind and becomes childlike, although that was a bit more touching as Trek tended to be. But they certainly got the friendships right as they each try to come to terms with McKay's deteriorating condition, and we see recordings of different points in his illness, and then his sister comes into it, too. I can't help feeling such a large creature would have done more physical damage to his brain if it was crawling around in there, and from the graphic I thought it'd be much spindlier and easier to accept as something that would only have light contact with the brain, but as a whole the story was on the right side of quality for the series, though I can imagine it being difficult to watch in later years if you know anyone who suffers from losing mental control.

***

Ghost In The Machine

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Ghost In The Machine)

This would have had so much more weight to it if they'd brought back Torri Higginson as Dr. Weir. Instead, we have 'Fran' back from the previous season, the Replicator Rodney built because of some reason I can't remember (it wasn't one of the more memorable episodes, though apparently I like it, and a big part of that was because they brought back Weir in a surprise ending), the template for this body now used by Weir's consciousness as a host in a convoluted way of bringing the character back and then getting rid of her for good this time. Except that a person floating in space, especially a Replicator, is hardly a sign of permanent deletion (as evidenced by Lore from 'TNG,' who came back and is apparently due to return again in 'Picard'). It gives you hope that we might get one last appearance from Weir (maybe give her Higginson's face again?), before the season and series ends forever. On the other hand maybe this was it, perhaps they couldn't get Higginson back this time, unlike last season when they did? It's a real shame, although I can see there'd be more confusion over whether this really was Elizabeth, and yet she's lied to her former friends when she said she didn't think the others of this splinter group of Replicators would be able to track her down.

It was a good mystery, although my initial belief was that the ghost of the title, this power surge that takes over a Jumper when they're on their way home, would turn out to be some kind of alien intelligence. Then when Weir communicates by text on the computer screen back at base it took an entirely new direction to what I expected, and in some ways a welcome one. I was hoping this would somehow bring her back into the fold... that is until Rodney gave her a synthesised voice that didn't sound like the actress who played her, and if they couldn't get Torri to record a few audio lines it was unlikely she'd be making a bodily appearance, though I still held out hope that it might be a last nice surprise. Instead things turn out quite differently. First it's thanks to the hardline response of Wolsey, whom we see call the bluff of these Replicators that are about to drown the city, a side we haven't seen of him before, and then Ronon, who never for a moment trusts these beings and keeps his scowl on them all the time as they work to create human bodies as a permanent solution for their goal to ascend into the higher dimension or whatever it was that 'SG-1' introduced.

When Rodney says at the end that it shows whether this really had been Weir, I wasn't quite sure how to read that. I would assume he meant it proves it was her because she appears to sacrifice herself to get all the Replicators out of their hair by going along with Atlantis' plan to send them into space, rather than the planet they think they're going to where they'll ostensibly be given the chance to build the bodies (apparently it's quite easy, just takes a lot of time!). She had to go through first in order to convince her brethren that it was safe and not a trick to deceive them, with one of the group communicating with her and she giving them the all clear, then they follow her out and find themselves trapped in space. So yes, I suppose it must have been Weir as that's what she'd do. I can also see why, in the absence of Higginson, they chose to use Fran, since she'd been a positive example of a Replicator, though that could still have been a trick to play with our expectations. It's been an odd time with both Weir and Beckett having died (and I thought Chorison sounded a bit like Carson, so was half expecting a twist there of some kind!), then coming back, so I didn't quite know how to take it and you are wondering all the way through if she's genuine or not, and I suppose the story works from that perspective. And at least it had some bearing on things when initially I thought it was going to be a completely separate episode, like last time, without many ramifications. That could have been fine as it's nice to go off on an adventure, but if this is the final ever part Weir had to play in the series then that's a sad resolution. I'm still waiting to see if Ford's tiny popup cameo at the start of the season foreshadowed his return, and obviously we've already had Beckett, so who else is left?

**

The Daedalus Variations

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Daedalus Variations)

A somewhat inconsequential adventure that would appear to have no bearing on anything. That's not a bad thing in itself, I enjoy a good sci-fi tale and not everything has to connect to an ongoing story or even the core mythology, but having said that it was much more like the kind of story you'd do in a first season when you haven't got the characters completely down pat - you send them off on a mission together where things go awry and see how they react. The four people on this mission are Sheppard, McKay, Ronon and Teyla, and other than Rodney they're all fairly redundant. It's true they have some shooting to do and then have to take out some boarders attacking the ship they're on, but it's McKay who's the only one that can really extricate them from their predicament. So it's much more like an early episode where he has to solve one problem after another and the others glance askance at each other before telling him there's no time. There isn't much more to it than that, truth be told. It's not like we learn anything new about anyone or a new bond is formed between people that didn't know each other so well. I'd also say that it took them an inordinate amount of time to even posit the theory this Daedalus might be from an alternate universe and I was on that quite early - if you're waiting for the writers to catch up to what the audience already suspects then that doesn't bode well for a story.

They already knew before boarding that their Daedalus was safely in the Milky Way, and as so often happens in the 'Stargate' franchise, I'm tentatively expecting a new spin on a sci-fi tale, only to find it's back to the basics with little variation. Sometimes they come up with good stuff, but in this case it was a simple A-to-B journey, albeit with the expected escalation of their problems to cause Rodney more pain. I always love a dark, abandoned ship and there was a good sense of mystery to begin with - is it going to be an alien experiment gone wrong, an invasion of something nasty, or some other twist I hadn't thought of? But the mystery and the creepiness doesn't last long before we're flipping into alternate universe after alternate universe, though obviously there's not a lot of variation as it's not like they leave the ship, so it's just a slightly different issue in each jump: no planet, aliens attacking Atlantis, too close to a star... Sheppard gets to pay himself compliments when they run across the reality with the Borg drone aliens (perfect fodder for Ronon to grapple with), on the way back and F-302s save them from the alien craft's assault, and there's a reminder this is Teyla's first mission back for real, but other than that there's not a lot going on. Wolsey and Keller don't even appear, so it's left up to the B team of Lorne and Zelenka to ponder what's happened to their team, though they don't seem too concerned about it. I'd have thought Lorne would have got Wolsey down there right away.

I will give them credit for the CGI, both the battle scenes as little alien fighters duck and weave under the belly of the Daedalus looked lovely, and the red sun wasn't bad either. It's not a bad episode, either, perfectly inoffensive and gives us a chance to see our characters doing what they do again, but equally it's not doing anything they haven't done before, and probably better. It's a little like they squandered the possibilities which, like the alternate universes, are diminishing with each passing episode so that you want there to be more meaningful scenes for these characters instead of merely solving a technical problem or fending off an attack. Character has always been at the heart of 'Stargate' and if they forget that then they're failing to use their greatest asset. It's one of those that would work fine if you're unused to science fiction, but when you're well versed in the concepts simply repeating one isn't enough to make it truly worthwhile. Perhaps it was a budget-saving episode? If so, the writing needed sharpness. (Though I did enjoy seeing a sign on the supply boxes saying, 'Do Not Ring Transport,' in case we forgot that's the term they always used to use).

**

Broken Ties

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (Broken Ties)

Not too sure about this one. I was a little confused about certain things, like why Ronon went mad and cut off the Wraith's hand, then fought Tyre, his ex-Satedan, ex-buddy. And was Tyre always part of the plan, that he'd try and get into this Wraith's good graces? I missed how Lorne and the others were set free and I assumed Ronon had actually been too strong to succumb to the Wraith's brainwashing and drug addiction, and yet he did fight Tyre and he did have to be brought back stunned, and he did have to be held in restraints until the cold turkey process had succeeded. I felt the episode was quite easy to guess in its progression, specifically with Tyre. I really didn't like all that Satedan matey stuff, a follow-on to the episode in the previous season where Ronon met up with his old friends and they turned out to be Wraith worshippers, so I wasn't thrilled to meet up with Tyre again. It was a bit too easy for him to capture Ronon, though he did know him well and was desperate, making him more cunning I suppose. But the fact he was going to die somehow, and probably ultimately sacrificing himself for all that he'd done wrong, wasn't hard to speculate. And obviously when he's there telling them where to lay charges on the Wraith's base and then he ends up holding the detonator, of course he was going to go out in a blaze of glory - for one thing he probably didn't fancy facing a recovered Ronon in the near future!

The episode didn't surprise in other ways, either, with my belief they're mellowing Wolsey so that he can surprise the team by being adamant on some point at some time and making them all shocked at his reversion to the old Wolsey. At the moment they're going out of their way to portray him as much more sensitive, open to suggestion, with a sympathetic side (he misses his dog; he relaxes by wearing a suit and tie!), and the comedy (he doesn't know how to open the briefing room door; he gets left holding the baby - literally), so I can only assume they're priming him to stab his team in the back by not backing them up or coming down like a ton of bricks when they least expect it - that is, after all, how to do something dramatic. I just felt they were laying it on a bit strong. The other plot is about Teyla and whether she's ready to commit to being back on Sheppard's team despite having a baby to contend with and look after. She has the advantage of a stay-at-home Dad for the child, at least, but she feels the maternal instinct strongly. She can't have it both ways and just show up for duty when it suits, Sheppard was very right, but she eventually realises her professionalism and Kanaan reassures her that it'll be okay. It was something that needed to be addressed, and it was somewhat interesting, but the sum of the episode didn't really match expectations.

There were other problems in the episode aside from the confused direction in how the story was told - like redundant scenes where characters talk about how they're going to find Ronon, they don't know, and then Lorne arrives to tell them they know where he is. And The Wraith look really weak now when Tyre can just show up and take a couple of the grunts out with a few sword swipes, or Sheppard can hold them off with a couple of hand guns (where did he get those - wouldn't they have removed all the equipment before putting them in the cells?). It's not that it wasn't stylishly put together, the fights and battles were fine, and it wasn't that the characters were ill-used, there was simply some undefined something that was missing in a small way and I don't feel I've yet settled into this season, even though I went almost straight from Season 4 to this without my usual annual break to review something else. So I don't know, I'm glad Teyla will be back properly and that Ronon will, too. I'm glad Wolsey hasn't proven to be the prize turkey everyone thought he would be (yet). But I'm yet to like the stories they've done so far to any great extent (even if the season opener was pretty good, it was more about settling the previous season's story). I expect a big part of it is that my favourite character Rodney is far from essential for this particular plot and there wasn't a great sense of travel, they just appear in various places and then they're back on Atlantis, and sometimes you need an impression of different places being far away. I'm not even quite sure what the motivation of that Wraith was to capture Ronon and torture him into servitude - to attack Atlantis? In which case wouldn't he have pulled all the information out of Ronon as soon as he could to test his loyalty? And Ronon didn't want his captured friends killed, which made me think he was only playing along...

**

The Seed

DVD, Stargate Atlantis S5 (The Seed)

It features a nice ending where there's a little joking (Ronon's lost his voice, will anyone notice the difference!), and a little recognition from Wolsey, the new head of Atlantis about how difficult it is to stick to the rule book when you're faced with bizarre situations like this one, and that was probably the highlight of the episode, a humbling, real moment for the new commander. But you have to acknowledge this is an episode that has been done repeatedly. I think the earliest example (at least in this franchise, there are plenty of equivalent stories in Trek, such as 'Nothing Human' on 'Voyager' or 'Vox Sola' on 'Enterprise'), was 'Bane,' a Season 2 episode of 'SG-1' where Teal'c gets taken over by some alien organism. They even reference another, more recent example in Sheppard being taken over by a bug, and I'm sure there was at least one story where the SGC got locked down by alien webbing, though I don't recall the name. So it's same old, same old as far as 'Stargate' is concerned: a sci-fi trope that's been done and done and there really isn't anything new brought to the table this time.

You could say it's a chance for this new mix of characters to integrate, or go through an experience together, which will hopefully make it a little easier for them to accept Wolsey as their superior, because there did seem to be some animosity or coldness towards him, as is understandable given that he's never been terribly helpful to our people in the past, and also that he's replaced a much-loved commander. I see the need for that integration, and with the scene at the end it suggests Wolsey has learned something, and he isn't an idiot in the episode, he does err on the side of trusting his people, despite some level of frostiness or aggression from them. So often in the episode he's confronted with the option of doing what he thinks is best, following procedures, and allows himself to be swayed, so there's hope for a good working relationship here. It would seem their idea of isolation is a strange one, as once Keller's problem has become apparent and the others who were in Michael's base are known to be infected, they still seem to meet and talk to each other, or leave quarantine entirely! You'd also expect there would be some kind of process if a member of the team doesn't show up for shift, as Keller didn't, or that they might draft in medical assistance from Earth - what is the situation, by the way? I guess we've lost the Midway station so we can't 'gate back and forth any more, because I did find it strange Wolsey arrived via Daedalus, so that must be the answer.

It's wonderful that the finding of Michael's database in the previous episode meant they could cure, to some degree, the suspended animation Dr. Beckett. I hoped he'd be back, but I'm surprised they brought him into it so quickly, even if he is shuttled off back to Earth at episode's end. He's happy to plunge right in and try to help Keller, which is exactly when you'd expect a team to be sent from home. Anyway, it's handy that he was there and it's good to see him wading into a medical situation again like he's never been away. And what a situation - I felt it was extremely unfeeling to leave poor Jennifer alone in that room when they shut down the power. There was a horror element to the story, with this tentacled entity, which they suggest is the birth of a Hive ship, taking over Keller, then the isolation room, and beyond, but it wasn't that horrible except for when she's left to herself in this room covered in tendrils. It's bad enough that someone would have to go there, but to be the person it was happening to must surely have been terrifying and very lonely so I felt they should never have left her alone for a moment. The closest we come to physical horror is when Zelenka is attacked, or when Ronon is strangled, but in both those occasions they had gone seeking trouble so it still wasn't that horrific.

There also seemed to be a disconnect in what they could do to it, as initially Beckett can't even take off one tiny tendril without putting Keller into arrest, but then later Teyla's boldly spraying bullets to rescue Zelenka and it has no negative effect on Keller. It could be said that by that time she was so far gone that the entity had merged with her so unless the whole thing was dealt with she wasn't going to be harmed any more, but there needed to be some explanation for that, I felt. As usual, Ronon is the brave volunteer who wants to go in and take the vital injection to her, but it's Sheppard who ends up succeeding, and then it's all over, simple as that. Ultimately it's a fairly inconsequential bottle episode. As I noted, it serves to show Wolsey what it's going to be like trying to walk the line between following the rules and appreciating the experience and skills of those under him, and puts a shared experience behind them all, and I hope it does lead to more understanding, though of course there's going to be much conflict as it is (just as there was between certain characters when Carter came in and took charge). It'll be interesting how they deal with Beckett, whether he returns to play a significant part in the season and what the overarching story will be, and how Wolsey will integrate, if he will, but for now this was a relatively generic example of the series.

**