FAN REVIEWS: 'The Shrine'

[GateWorld]

ATLANTIS SEASON FIVE THE SHRINE EPISODE NUMBER - 506 Rodney McKay is stricken with a mental affliction that robs him of his knowledge and memories, causing him to revert to a childlike state. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE > SPOILERS! PHOTOS! AND MORE!

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[entil2001]

This has been a difficult week for fans of “Stargate Atlantis”. Despite all the various conspiracy theories, it appears that it was business as usual. The show is getting older and more expensive, and the ratings (still the measure of success for most network endeavors) have been low. With the show on the cusp of traditional syndication, it’s cheaper for a network to commission the studio for a new series than foot the bill for a beloved but barely successful show.

For some time, I’ve been less than impressed with “Stargate Atlantis”. I thought the first season was quite good, with the perfect mix of plot and character, stand-alone and serialized elements. Quite frankly, I think it began to fall apart when the producers realized that certain characters were more beloved than others, and began tailoring their storytelling accordingly. I’m not sure the writers have ever been able to find that initial balance again.

That doesn’t mean that the writers have been incapable of producing powerful episodes. This episode is a perfect example of how good the series can be. It’s hobbled a bit by the realization that McKay will obviously survive and the status quo will barely change, but the dreaded “reset button” doesn’t always have to ruin a story.

The story works because it’s not really about McKay and his fate. Hewlett pulls off one hell of a powerful performance, and he deserves some serious awards for it, but his situation reveals more about those around him. In particular, I felt that this episode was all about McKay’s relationship with Keller. Every decision she makes is based on her desire to save his life within the bounds of her ability. It makes her seem intractable, but she’s simply desperate.

The same desperation takes Ronon out of his usual comfort zone. Ronon seems just a bit out of character throughout the episode, but I think it’s intentional. Ronon is struggling to find a way to save his friend, and once he considers a solution, any delay is unfounded. It makes sense, though, that Rodney’s teammates on Sheppard’s squad would be the first to take that leap of faith.

I could continue to rave about this episode, but it speaks best for itself. If there is one episode this season that has lived up to the promise of “Stargate Atlantis”. Fans will no doubt find it ironic that such an episode would air just after the cancellation announcement, as they need only point to the most recently aired episode as evidence that the show is still capable of powerful storytelling! If nothing else, it proves that the show has no intention of going down quietly.


John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: http://www.criticalmyth.com

[Rachel500]

In many ways The Shrine is an excellent episode: a story focused on how the characters deal with the decline and imminent death of one of their own while using the unique setting of the Stargate universe to provide the reason and solution for the predicament. It is a well-written piece that allows most of the cast to stretch their acting wings and, while not perfect, it is imbued with emotion at every turn. The downside is that this story has been told before in Atlantis; the details may have changed but Rodney McKay facing death is old news.

Back in Season 3, The Tao of Rodney was a fantastic episode that focused on McKay making peace with himself and his friends before he died. The Shrine changes the details on every level but the core of the story is the same: how McKay and his friends face his death. The echo of that past story does take something nebulous away from this – an emotional connection between the audience and McKay’s plight. The audience has been here before and ultimately McKay’s survival is never in doubt. For this viewer, it means that while I observe the emotion the story is filled with, I’m not connected enough for it to pull at my heart-strings, so the scene where Jeannie visits with her brother for the first time and his condition causes her to cry, hurrying from the room is well done by both David and Kate Hewlett but doesn’t raise a tear in this viewer nor do the poignant video diaries showing an ever declining McKay.

The video diary is a good device providing a narrative all of its own, showing the progression of the condition and how it slowly strips away that which is most important to McKay: his mind. The simplicity of the close up shot of McKay, the repetition of the details which he increasingly fails to remember, really drives home the sheer horror of the condition and how devastating it is for McKay. The video segments allow the audience to become a voyeuristic witness to the loss of McKay’s dignity and importantly, his very identity as by the end he claims he is no longer Doctor McKay but simply Rodney McKay; it’s uncomfortable yet compelling.

Hewlett really excels in these diary recordings and they provide a great stage for him to demonstrate his range as an actor and the complexity of McKay. More, the whole episode allows Hewlett once again to really unpeel the layers on McKay showing every aspect from the whining hypochondriac through to McKay the friend who confides his fear of losing himself to the flash of the argumentative and brilliant arrogance that is McKay the genius scientist. Just as in The Tao of Rodney, Hewlett has a gift for showing all these sides to McKay yet reconciling them into the one character.

He is not the only actor to excel though; Joe Flanigan does an excellent job. The scene of McKay and Sheppard on the pier, drinking beer and talking about McKay’s fears is so well done and is conceptually brilliant. Here at last is the underlying and deep friendship between the two men beyond all the surface conflict that the audience suspected existed. There is something in the way both men play the scene from the moment McKay wakes Sheppard in his quarters to the laughter at ‘You’re a good friend, Arthur’ that hints that this isn’t the first time that the two have sat on a pier in the darkness and shared both beer and fears. The scene is likely to be appreciated as a classic for a long time to come.

Jewel Staite also puts in a good performance. Her mix of guilt and medical dedication provide an interesting angle. Keller comes into her own in this story; she stands her ground at last. For the first time Keller came across as a credible CMO; tough, dedicated and caring. I admit that as I find Keller as a character a more believable romantic partner for McKay than a CMO, the suggestion of the two progressing with feelings doesn’t overly bother me although one drink and a fruit cup dinner date translating into McKay declaring love is a bit a stretch.

Sadly, it’s Jason Momoa and Rachel Luttrell who don’t get enough material to make an impact which given this is a Pegasus problem with a Pegasus solution they really should have had more screen time. Momoa does a fine job with what he’s given; the story of his grandfather is well done as his determination to take McKay to the Shrine but the wig is horrendous and a distraction from the acting. It just isn’t natural and Momoa seems to be fighting it at every turn. Luttrell is badly underused. She has no more to do than hover in the background and look sad. As a result she comes across as completely disconnected with events. The only time she seems part of the story is the motherly temperature check on McKay as they cling to the top of the Stargate (where that pull back to the wide-shot of the valley is fabulous.)

Outside of the main plot, Robert Picardo continues to delight as Woolsey. There is something joyous in his bureaucratic focus with his discussion on whether he had time to get breakfast just being very funny. His confiding his experience of his father’s disease was nice back-story. What is also good is that there is the sense still that Woolsey and Sheppard still don’t agree on everything: the length of time for the reports and the MALP.

Overall, this is a great story and Brad Wright deserves huge applause as its writer. It is different from The Tao of Rodney taking the inverse view – what if McKay gets stupid rather than more intelligent. It’s also incredibly intelligent and thought-provoking with scenes that definitely resonate on a human level with the audience - is it more important to say goodbye or to continue to fight for a cure being one example. It’s just a huge shame that the similar concept of McKay facing death was already done in The Tao of Rodney. The Shrine is a much better story and if I hadn’t had my heart-strings pulled with McKay facing death already, I’m sure there would have been tears shed.