FAN REVIEWS: 'First Contact'

[GateWorld]

ATLANTIS SEASON FIVE FIRST CONTACT EPISODE NUMBER - 510 Daniel Jackson visits the city of Atlantis to research an Ancient scientist who once lived there. The Daedalus welcomes a Wraith ally for a special project. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE > SPOILERS! PHOTOS! AND MORE!

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[entil2001]

I’m not sure that announcing the cancellation so early in the season was a good idea. The production was already too far along to make any major changes to the material as a whole, and it’s left me with a distinct “lame duck” impression of the season arc. Whatever they throw at me, I have no confidence that it will find resolution before the end. It’s inevitable that the first couple “Atlantis” movies, just like the “SG-1” DVD films before them, will be devoted to wrapping up loose ends.

It’s not that this episode was lacking in the thrills of discovery and adventure; it was one of the best episodes of the season thus far. The guest appearance by Daniel Jackson made perfect sense under the circumstances, and the interplay between Jackson and McKay was genius. And the writers certainly developed a credible threat, upending some of the ongoing plot threads in some unexpected ways.

I liked the new enemy, even if I had been hoping that the aliens from “The Daedalus Variations” would have made another appearance. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that this new threat is actually an old threat in new clothing, so to speak, based on Daniel’s realization at the end of this episode. At the very least, it could serve to bring some of the disparate elements of the Pegasus Galaxy together if they were an evolution of a known quantity.

It was interesting to note that a weapon that hadn’t been used for millennia was so familiar to Todd. Was it something so catastrophic to the Wraith that they passed down stories about it? He even knew it by name! Granted, it was necessary for Todd to recognize the weapon and its probable source for the plot to work, but it seemed a bit too convenient.

Far better was the conversation between Todd and Dr. Keller regarding the gene therapy and its effect on the Wraith. Todd is very candid about his intentions for the experiment, but more so regarding his misgivings. I thought his point was rather well made. After thousands of years of culture built around the culling of humans, it’s no simple thing to alter their feeding habits. This touches back on elements of “The Queen”; Team Atlantis is so focused on what’s good for them and humanity that they utterly overlook the perspective of the Wraith.

I found that far more compelling than the usual mid-season finale fireworks, and it’s too bad that the focus is always on the action instead of character. Todd’s turn against the humans had nothing to do with philosophy, despite all the foreshadowing. Leaving out the new enemy and the supposed death of Radek and Sheppard (which will never happen) might have been less explosive, but imagine a scenario where Todd’s decision to take control of the Daedalus was based on his inevitable conclusion that the Wraith would never change and that the alliance was hopeless. Played right, it could have been far more effective, and it’s a shade less than perfect as a result.

In the end, despite the Jackson/McKay show and the exciting chaos of the final act, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the show was still suffering from its “lame duck” status. I keep looking for more, because I know each episode leaves us with less.


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

[EdenSG]

When Stargate decides to do a big action grand scifi episode, it usually doesn't disappoint. “First Contact” was no exception. “First Contact” embodied that classic Stargate feel, lots of action, fast paced plot, great acting and writing, and of course a new alien race.

A very appealing aspect of the story is that it involved new discoveries about the city of Atlantis, Janus the ostracized Atlantean scientist and the Pegasus galaxy while tying in with the ongoing story of the Wraith/Ancient war. The writers did a great job of weaving these many threads of plot and mythology together into a cohesive and tight story. It gives so much more depth and interest to the entire mythology of Atlantis and the goings on in the Pegasus.

This episode took on the task of juggling three different storylines and did well as the writers managed to bring all three storylines to a tense and exciting cliffhanger. The episode also looked at three of the main characters, offering a different perspective of each; Rodney McKay and Daniel Jackson were working together, Richard Woolsey taking the lead on meeting with and negotiating a deal with Todd the Wraith and seeing Sheppard in command of Atlantis.

The pairing of the characters McKay and Daniel turned out to be a great combination. The writing was sharp and the actors were in good form. They played off of each other brilliantly and worked very well together. Doing crossovers from other shows can often be a risky proposition if the reason that the character is brought in is not plausible. But the fact that Daniel come over to investigate something truly unique to Atlantis history instead of just to solve an Earth related problem helped make this crossover work.

The scenes between Todd and Woolsey were well done. Todd is such a great character; he has brought a lot of depth and interest to the Wraith. Having him and Woolsey meet to negotiate was an interesting choice. There could not be two characters who are more opposite and totally clueless on how to respond to each other. Poor Woolsey trying to play the ultimate diplomat and give his speech, he seemed so uncomfortable. Poor Todd, he had no idea what to make of Woolsey or his speech. Both Robert Picardo and Christopher Heyerdahl did a great job in this scene.

Seeing Sheppard in command of Atlantis was a rare treat. Sheppard has been left in command before, but always as part of backstory, and not actually viewed. Joe Flanagin is a terrific actor and does a great job of finding the right balance for Sheppard as the laid back, easy going commander who can quickly turnaround into a tough, quick witted and brave leader when needed. His conversation with Woolsey in the beginning not only set the tone for his command style but was a bit of foreshadowing. When Woolsey told Sheppard, “don’t blow her up,” and Sheppard responded, “no promises” it was both a humorous moment but also left the viewer wondering what was going to blow up. The expression on Flanagin’s face when he delivered the line and then Picardo’s expression when he turned were both priceless and really made the scene.

One on the more intriguing things in this episode was that it provided several game changing and potential game changing moments. A game changing moment is when Todd realized the Attero device had been activated and assumed the Atlantis expedition had betrayed him. This in effect resets the relationship Todd has not only with the humans but personally with Sheppard – it will be interesting to see where the writers take this.

One of these potential moments was the purpose of the negotiation – offering the Wraith a drug that would negate the need for them to feed on humans and the effect it would have. One would think of this as a positive thing for all residents of the Pegasus Galaxy; no more war, no more living in fear. However, in one of the best and most thought provoking lines in recent Stargate history it was also presented as a very personal perspective of the effects of this drug. When Keller pointed out to Todd, “But it's for your benefit too; If you don't have to rely on human feeding, the war would be over,” he responded, “But then, what would we do, who would we be?”

The new aliens presented a high tech, unique look. Their entrance into Atlantis, though low tech compared to beaming technology, was none the less dramatic. The fact that they struck quickly, decisively, all without ever saying a word gave them a very menacing persona and created a great deal on tension in those scenes as well as the scenes when they were with the captures Rodney and Daniel.

“First Contact” was a first rate science fiction action and adventure story. It tied different elements of stargate mythology into a cohesive, tight story that provided an entertaining episode that offers the promise of some game changing events in the Pegasus Galaxy. It will be interesting to see how these elements play out in the conclusion, “The Lost Tribe.”

[Rachel500]

There is so much right about First Contact that it is difficult to explain my dissatisfaction with the episode. The story is tightly constructed and works well as a set-up, the actors perform with gusto and the production sparkles from music to costume, make-up to special effects. So what’s wrong with it? Well, I was bored.

The truth is that there are only so many different scenarios which can play out within the same universe. Stories are told and retold. If the retelling is imaginative and captivating, it should never feel like deja vu and should never be boring. It’s bad for the show and the franchise if their audience becomes bored – look at what happened to Star Trek. The important question then is why was I bored?

I think the problem is that this is the first of a two-part story, and the beginning of this initial episode feels very much like it falls purely into ‘set-up’ mode with the main action starting some twenty-five minutes in. There is a lot of talking; a lot of explanation; a lot of walking and talking whether in Atlantis or on the Daedalus. Was it all really necessary? If this was a book, I could understand the time spent setting out the various plots but this is TV and in all honesty that first twenty-five minutes is somewhat interesting at its best, and yes, boring at its worst.

Perhaps it was felt that the hook of one of the franchise’s most loved characters, Daniel Jackson, his interaction with McKay and the search for a secret lab – exploring the city- would grab the audience but for me it doesn’t work. There is no question that the dialogue is sharp and delivered excellently by Michael Shanks and David Hewlett throughout. There is a subtle dance in the back and forth (loved the ‘go with me on this’ moments) that not only plays out in this early part but later (equally enjoyed the Rod/Danny notes, the ‘you could have told me’ stuff) but for me the combination lacks a certain chemistry.

The best bits to do with McKay and Daniel were the zoom in and out of the various city structures (excellent special effects), and there was a nice nod to the relationship triangle established in the previous episode when Ronon joins Keller on her mission and she calls goodbye to McKay in passing. But the highlight of the opening had nothing to do with McKay and Daniel; it was Woolsey’s speech to Sheppard on why Sheppard was being left in charge and the final two lines of ‘try not to blow her up’; ‘no promises’ (beautiful timing by Joe Flanigan and reaction by Robert Picardo).

Maybe this whole opening section really grabbed some of the audience, but not me. Personally, I was with Todd; let’s get the meaningless pleasantries out of the way and get started already. What I will say is that when it got started; it got started. The raid on Atlantis by the new aliens is a great section; cool new toys, tense, dramatic – it really got the heart racing and that sense of not really knowing what was happening and having no control that Sheppard feels reaches out from the screen. Great acting by Flanigan, great direction by Andy Mikita, great special effects, costuming and design. That whole sequence did keep my attention even if the start had left me feeing disconnected.

The sense of urgency in the Atlantis scenes, as Sheppard scrambles to find a way to go after the two kidnapped men, as the rescue mission is put in place injects some pace into the episode after this. And it’s just as well because the scenes with McKay and Daniel continue to be mostly standing around and talking and the ‘action’ on the Daedalus is also mostly talking until the end.

There is a lovely section where McKay and Daniel working out what happened is contrasted with the Atlantis team working out what happened. The seamless back and forth does mean that the exposition for the audience is told in an interesting way. However, despite my appreciation for the direction here, while I appreciate the characters had to work out what had happened, given that the audience had already seen the aliens discover the signal coming on in their own secret lab and invading Atlantis for the corresponding device, it does feel like repetition.

What does really grab the audience is the final act; from the destruction of the hive ships to Todd’s takeover on the Daedalus to McKay and Daniel getting stunned again and the problems with the Atlantis Stargate, it’s a roller-coaster of action and build-up. There is a sense of danger for our heroes; McKay and Daniel are left at the mercy of their captors, Ronon and Keller at Todd’s. The Stargate exploding and the tower glowing just is an incredible effect. While the answer to the question of whether Sheppard will have survived the explosion is never in doubt, the cliff-hanger does provide the necessary set-up to make the audience want to know what happens next.

There are also other enjoyable elements; Todd’s discussion with Keller on the future of the Wraith is thought-provoking and as a long term fan there is a feel-good fuzziness to seeing Daniel finally getting to explore Atlantis and the new aliens are certainly intriguing. There was a great moment where the audience just sees Daniel start to think about his captors which just is classic Daniel.

In the final analysis, it is difficult to completely judge this episode when the second half of the story is yet to be told. On its own, the episode is still very accomplished; tightly written, good direction, well-acted and it sparkles from top to bottom in terms of production values. For the second half, I’m hoping McKay and Daniel will get to do more than talk; I’m hoping Teyla will be doing more than hanging around in the background; I’m hoping that the story’s climax will be worth the amount of time that was spent in build-up, and importantly, I’m hoping I won’t be bored.