FAN REVIEWS: No Man's Land

GateWorld · #1 July 14th, 2006, 06:16 PM

ATLANTIS SEASON THREE
NO MAN'S LAND
EPISODE NUMBER - 301

The team desperately attempts to stop two Wraith hive ships from reaching Earth. Sheppard must rely on an old foe to rescue McKay and Ronon.

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TJuk · #2 July 24th, 2006, 06:25 PM

Like the little boy who cried wolf one too many times, 'Allies' overused 'Oh no, is Sheppard's dead??' left me with more a ‘whatever' feeling then the furniture chewing anticipation of a really good cliff-hanger. It was all a little too reminiscent of 'The Siege', a hodgepodge of previous plot tactics. So I wasn’t holding my breath for 'No Man's Land' and was refreshingly entertained.

The episode quickly picks up the pace with a better sense of ensemble cast use and rounded scripting, though a little predictable. We already knew Sheppard would be lurking somewhere ready to rescue McKay and Ronon on cue, ‘somehow’ pulling another cool and heroic stunt. The addition of Michael did serve to shake things up a bit, his sense of betrayal and isolation from his own race right on the mark thanks to Connor Trinneer's performance. But overall its plot was still typical of Atlantis increasing lack of originality. With season 2 full of enjoyable but over formulaic and predictable scripts, it's eventually going to wear thin. The execution is what lifted the script, with fantastic special effects, top notch direction and great performances from both its regular and guest cast. And while the plotlines have been thin on the ground, scripts are always packed with snappy dialogue and cracking one-liners. McKay’s 'Good job I remembered DOS' comment whilst trying to use the wraith ship's systems will bring a knowing 'in joke' chuckle to all the computer geeks out there.

This episode also FINALLY addressed a major issue from last season, giving Weir the kind of story the character has desperately been in need of. So many big decisions have been made with little or no sense of personal cost, the focus on events rather then the characters themselves. No normal thinking and feeling human being, leader or otherwise takes such huge decisions lightly. Weir practically holds the future of an entire species in her hands and the ultimate burden of conscience for the questionable and highly controversial ethics behind the use of Beckett's retrovirus.

I also felt that Weir’s justification of her leadership decisions almost seemed as much a defense of the character itself, as it was part of the story. And as much as I had to swallow down my distaste of crossover (I like many of my fellow SGA fans, don’t watch SG1) I did find Elizabeth’s defense of her actions and defiance in the face of such frustrating bureaucracy to have an intensity not often reached by b-plots. Speaking of frustrating bureaucrats, how Woolsey will fit into the SGA dynamic is an interesting question? SG1’s strength has been to find things to route it in reality, with its strong ties to the US military. SGA hasn’t had that and in my opinion, doesn’t need it. You base your series in a city right out of legend itself, why ground it? Why tie it to Earth (something which took the wind right out of its sails last season)? Why add the annoying bureaucracy? Yes, for this one episode it was great (especially with the addition of Beau Bridges who is always a class act) but future episodes? All I can say is that I hope it won’t distract from the REAL themes and core characters of this series.

Another issue I had was the lack of Beckett, this is the season premiere and he is a series regular after all but the good doctor has never truly been treated as such and unlike the likes of McKay, is still generally bound by his job description. Teyla also seemed to get shoved aside and her inclusion as background in scenes left me a little confused. It feels like she is being left in charge when Weir returns to Earth (an impression I also got in last seasons 'Intruder') but while Atlantis is civilian led and Teyla is a leader in her own right, having her as boss while Elizabeth is away seems unrealistic.

To sum it up, visually outstanding and storywise, a good solid start to the season but the show still has a long way to go to regain its earlier magic. 7/10.

The Doctor · #3 July 31st, 2006, 04:27 PM

The first thing I did after watching the season two finale Allies was shout and curse at the screen. This lasted on and off for a good fifteen minutes and then I had to accept the fact that I would have to wait several months for the resolution of this awesome cliffhanger. Needless to say my expectations for No Man’s Land were high, but I wasn’t dissapointed in the least. Both cast and crew seem to have pulled out all the stops to create a fantastic episode, maybe the best one to date.

I’m glad the first thing the writers did was show us what happened to Sheppard. Like last year there was a bit of a cliffhanger around him, but anyone with half a brain knew immediately after watching Allies that he had hitched a ride on one of the Hives. Flashing back to see events from Allies in Sheppards perpective (kind of similar to the first minutes of SG1’s Flesh and Blood isn’t it?) was a very nice move and the dogfight between the 302’s and the Darts was beautifully done. Once in hyperspace Sheppard uttered a trademark ‘Okay, this is new’ and from there one out Joe Flanigan played his character with all the talent and finesse we’ve come to expect from him. And didn’t that shot of the Hive up close look great?

After this high speed action sequence and the opening credits, the episode settled into a slower, more comfortable pace. Although a great deal happened in just 43 minutes, it never felt rushed or uncomfortable.

Every character did what they do best, Sheppard fights back with all he’s got, Dr. Weir cuts straight through all the bureacracy and makes the difficult decisions, McKay is the ever so optimistic scientist accompanied with the Ronon, as cheery as ever. The only character that had pretty much nothing to do, less even than several guest stars, was Teyla. She served absolutely no purpose in the episode and it seems she was only there because she’s a main character.

It’s also nice to see that what the team did to Michael last season as it’s effects in this episode and the near future. Michael doesn’t fit in with the Wraith anymore and probably isn’t terribly welcome on Atlantis either. His betrayal of the Wraith and helping Sheppard blow up the hyperdrive and capturing the Hive ship could have felt a little contrived. But Connor Trinneer did sell his motivations and with the Wraith infighting in the back of my mind, I am willing to believe them. Trinneer’s performance as Michael wasn’t as good as it was in the episode Michael, but considering he had less to work with, he did a good job overall.

McKay and Ronon trying to escape and later disable the Hive ship was very nice to look at. They really seem to be developing a certain chemistry and you can see there’s is a mutual respect between them (although neither of them will probably admit to this in the near future). In any case, both David Hewlett and Jason Momoa played their roles very nicely, with Hewlett being just the better actor (but that’s usually the case in my opinion).
Tori Higginson also really sold her character, as she was dealing with Woolsey and the IOA bureaucrates at the one hand and the tough decision to send both Daedalus and Orion after the Wraith on the other.

Back in the action, the fight between the Deadalus, Orion and the two Hive ships looked absolutely stunning. The distant shot of Deadalus opening up on the one Hive showed us just how much bigger the Hives are and exactly what the Deadalus crew is up against. The Orion’s fight with the second Hive was also done very nicely. We got to see some more details on the ship and we were shown just how formidable the Lantean ships were. The drone attack was also beautifully done, following the single drone among many dodging Darts and making its way to the Hive. The subsequent dinstance shot of the Hive blowing up was very reminiscent of SG1’s season seven finale The Lost City. This, of course, makes great sense and offers a nice feeling of continiuty between the shows.

The Orion being destroyed was probably a necessary evil, because giving the team a fully functional Lantean warship (after repairs) would have been over the top. And in this way we don’t get the feeling we can handle the Wraith with too much ease, we also lost badly.

So what do we have now? A crippled Deadalus, a seriously damaged Hive ship and hundreds (if not thousands) of dewraithified humans with the knowledge that Atlantis remains buried in their subconscience. And let’s not forget Michael, who’s allegiance seems as shady as ever. All this and everything that led to this situation makes that this viewer was glued to the edge of his seat throughout the entire episode, not wanting to have to wait a whole week for the next one.

Overall, No Man’s Land is a great episode that creates about as much problems as in solves. The episode is very nicely writen, the acting is top notch and it opens up several new problems for the team. I give it 9 dewraithified humans out of a possible 10.

Rachel500 · #4 October 23rd, 2006, 02:48 PM

‘No Man’s Land’ looks promising as a thrilling season opener given its set-up in Allies but it fails to live up to its potential because of a lack of sympathy toward the main characters created by the overall arc and a lack of dramatic tension inherent in the story and overall direction. It is only saved from total disaster by the quality acting, great individual moments and special effects.

The main plot revolves around the Wraith ships heading towards Earth having fooled the Atlantis team. It is the continuation, and arguably the climax, of the Wraith retro-virus arc that has plagued the show. There is a satisfying sense that cosmic justice has been enacted on the Atlantis team for their decision to pursue the morally dubious path of biological warfare. The team have received their just desserts in being betrayed and the story needs to provoke sympathy for the team in order that the audience cares about their fate and roots for their success. To this end, the main plot relies on two of Atlantis’s most popular characters to carry it; Sheppard and McKay.

Sheppard as a hero battling against the odds does evoke admiration especially his daring attempt to take out the hyper-drive engines of both Wraith vessels. The special effects are fantastic in demonstrating the scale of the task facing the lone pilot and when his 302 is badly hit there is an audible intake of breath. But that moment of drama is immediately ruined when he survives without a scratch. Indeed, any tension that might have been built by Sheppard being the lone hero is undermined very quickly because of his alliance with Michael.

Michael is a sympathetic character because his alienation from his own kind is a direct consequence of his experience at the hands of the Atlantis team. However, the team’s lack of sympathy for Michael while understandable doesn’t help elicit sympathy for them. He is what he is because of them and it would have been good to see them assume some responsibility for that. Still, Michael is truly a character that lives in ‘No Man’s Land’ with his ultimate categorisation as friend or foe ambiguous. But the story misses an opportunity to fully capitalise on that ambiguity. Michael’s loyalties, whether he was truly helping the team or setting them up again to win favour with the Queen, could have added tension but his shown motivation, a deep need for survival, provides none.

Added to this, he becomes the straight man for Sheppard undermining what little tension exists in teaming the two of them up. While the sharp one-liners are funny and in character for Sheppard, it suggests that the situation is not that serious thus diluting the tension. Unfortunately, McKay and Ronan are also used for comic relief. The humour endemic in McKay’s musings and Ronan as an increasingly irritated straight man also eliminate any tension around the fate of the captured duo. The tension of the story would have been better served had one pairing been used for humour and the other to provide a serious contrast.

At least, the space battles provide some much needed excitement. The special effects are superb and the Orion’s destruction a harsh reminder of the cost of their choice. However, the aftermath of the main battle is another damp squib. The life support problem is suitably dramatic but with the ultimate solution being the retro-virus, it ruins any sympathy built thus far and, as it requires the team to wait around listlessly, the slight dramatic tension built from the moment of discovery and McKay’s power walk through the corridors with Zelenka is completely lost. The take-over of the Wraith ship is anti-climatic and the unaffected Queen attack cliché. Only the quality of the acting and the special effects save the main plot from complete ignominy.

The main plot does at least reunite a sub-section of the Atlantis team but the entire story fails overall to provide a sense of that team as a whole. The presumed loss of team-mates is summarily dealt with and there are few moments of caring between the main characters about each other. This is underscored by the criminal under-use of Teyla and Beckett – possibly a direct result of the sub-plot of Weir’s recall to Earth.

It only further erodes tension despite more quality acting. The scenes at the SGC lack urgency and fear given the danger the planet is facing. It feels like another day at the office and Earth never feels like it is in peril. Indeed, every element introduced to add tension fails miserably. The first, whether Weir will retain her leadership, is undermined as she is visibly supported by Woolsey and, particularly, Landry. Landry’s pep-talk to Weir leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling (if only it had been with Beckett or Teyla) but it doesn’t create tension.

The second, the IOA’s prevarication over Weir’s plan, goes nowhere in order to show Weir acting as a leader. Weir being taken to task elicits sympathy and provides justification that the course of action in allying with the Queen had wider support; that they are not wholly responsible but are taking responsibility while others are not. A fine idea that buys sympathy but it is at the cost once again of tension.

Overall, thanks to the quality acting and special effects, the episode still manages to be enjoyable but given the subject matter perhaps this is the underlying issue: it needed to be less amusing and much more weighty fare. Had there been less humour; had Weir’s leadership really hung in the balance; had the team truly escaped cosmic justice for their morally ambiguous decision by the skin of their teeth yet at a suitably high cost…maybe then there would have been tension and sympathy; and maybe then there would have been a story worthy of the season opener.

Homer 120 · #5 June 15th, 2007, 10:43 AM

Season three kicks off with the second of a three part episode!

NO MAN'S LAND (2)

Well this episode is more of a crossover with the team leader going off to meet with the IOA and John MacKay and Ronan trapped on the wrath hive ship seeking the help of Michale an unlikely alliance is formed.

The charactor interactions in this episode where fun to watch MacKay and Ronan for example as they try to escape seeing John seeking help with a wrath was strange for a lack of a better way of putting it.

All in all i give this episode a rating 7 out of 10

Good but not the best.