Re: The Siege, Part 2 (120)
The Siege (Part 2)
I'll start with a line lifted from the review I did with the previous episode "However, I feel like this is just a taste of the awesome things that are to come next episode..." People were really expecting things that had built up to pay off for themselves in the second part, all that promise, all that potential, all that amazement that lied in Part 2 well for those fans; all of your wildest wishes and dreams are fulfilled and then some.
This episode is more action orientated then the previous part, which means that you're going to get stuff like Wraith attacking, our heroes roaming around with guns and tons of confrontation and tensity. The action is one of the most defining things about this parts, it's well shot, well lighted and competently handled; it's such an experience to finally see the Wraith attacking the city, for so long we've been hinted at their power what with their hive ships and their superior numbers and to finally see what they're truly capable off just bring a tear to anybodies eye and they don't waste the moment either. They keep things tense and flowing through the times where they're fighting the Wraith, everybody firing at the Wraith manage to actually be guys firing at the Wraith, yelling hoping with all their determination that they're take down something and actually live to see another day; much of their scenes reminds you of what the military would do in this situation and that's what makes these scenes work, you can fire and have space battles and explosions all you want but it won't matter unless the people are into it and there's tons of reason for you to get invested.
Tons-o-action!
They even manage to remain tense the times during the moments where there's nothing attacking at all. In my opinion I thought those scenes were done better then Part 1 since the threat is actually looming on them, one example would have to be Rodney who utilizes every capable part of his brain despite the fact that he hasn't had any sleep; he's working hard, exhausting every solution so they don't have to resort to final measures, the edge that he shows can be attributed more to his lack of sleep then to his annoying and that edge perfectly showcases the rush that Atlantis feels. again, no one wants to have to resort to final measures and the fact that people are willing to forgo anything just so they can help is something that the episode shows so well and let's not forget about the fact about being subsequently forced into a corner; just like the people on Atlantis, when you think they have a solution that works, that fails and they're forced to take alternate measures. This thing is in my opinion the thing that makes the saga what it is and it's an especially impressive theme because it provides a subjective analysis into what appears to be the brute force of the enemy and the determination of the defenders who protect Atlantis, regardless of the faults they run into, making it into something more.
The Earth guys who gate to Atlantis are alright and they certainly support the action filled theme of this episode and the entire saga. Everett is an okay guy, the more I saw him the more I got to like him as he showcased a sense of determinism mixed in with a bit of compassion that made him somewhat unique, however he does showcase a bit of unclearness; in some scenes he's portrayed as a military leader confident in the capabilities of his crew and the technology that he has to take on the threat (for good reason), in others he's a no-talking hard headed military commander who won't tolerate anything and in other's he's a sympathetic person. I get that he's here specifically for this episode but there should be more consistency among his character. It's nice to see for the first time an abundance of Earth technology inside Atlantis; as they spread themselves around Atlantis and they prepare themselves for the Wraith attack, they provide that bit of awesomeness that's solely specific for this part, the weapons are a visual masterpiece that combines sci-fi with realism and all those earth guys roaming around Atlantis just contributes to the epic feel of this episode. It also provides viewers with some glimmer of hope that they'll make it through, reflecting on the theme of the saga.
Truly awesome.
Out of all the performances in the episode, I think Dr. Weir's is the best out of all of them. I think that the actor behind her has been training up to this ever so-essential moment where she has to prove herself to the entire viewing audience, and her training has done her well. She steps her game up in many of the scenes, showing that she isn't going to be taken lightly; her offense gives her a edge that has previously been unseen in many of the episodes and though there are many times where she steps to the side, she still shows that bark that makes her interesting. She even gets put into a situation of vulnerability that both showcases her determination and her amazing speech skills; involving the Genii, Chris Britton (from "Babar: The Movie") plays Penum in what appears to be a decent role that utilizes the best of his acting skills, (shame this would be his only appearance) his performance gives Dr. Weir something to showcase her anger and determination across and show what makes Dr. Weir in the first place; the speech that she makes is quite possibly one of the best speeches she will ever make sorely for the reason that despite the obvious situation she's in, she still finds the urge to spit the voice of reason and try to make her position clear; it's clear to everyone else that Dr. Weir's performance in this episode is the best it will ever be and it proves to us that she is the one to play Dr. Weir
However, it's not all perfect; there are parts where the action tends to drag on a bit, losing much of the momentum the episode has built up. I love action as much as the next guy but generally having tons of explosions, flashing lights, firing random and yelling can get boring after a while; it's like Hollywood thinks that placing tons of action on the screen is going to excite the audience and while it does exactly that for most people, it can also bore the audience to death. I understand that this is part of the experience but they need to realize that throwing everything on the screen doesn't work most of the time. There's a visual transition where it jumps from room to room and while it's cool for a while, it quickly becomes annoying and gimmicky. It does help in knowing where they are but they they use it, it's almost like something to make the episode look cool, not really an important plot element. Beckett reverts to his self in the pilot and while I do understand why he doesn't want to sit in the chair, he makes such an annoying deal about it; it's one of the things that made me think of him as a minor character to begin with and to see all that character growth exchanged for some bits on the chair is saddening but with this moment gives me hope that the writers will use this to grow Beckett even further...
Still awesome...
This part improves on Part 1 by giving you what you expect from an event episode like this, action, character interactions and just plain epicness and what is shown on the screen will bring a tear to your eye. There are some weak spots but this season closer is one of the best episodes of the season and the stakes are raised even further you realize something obvious, that this is not the end; no it's only the beginning of the end. People (who will be taken back by the surprise) will have to wait months to see what happens to our heroes but hopefully, it will all be worth it.
10/10
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Originally Posted by Lieutenant Sparrow
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