When the teaser was over, I was prepared for yet another wacky McKay episode, with perhaps a liberal dose of Sheppard to complete the deal. After all, that’s usually how such stories play out, based on past experience. Instead, I found myself noticing something that had been absent from the series for far too long: character exploration.
This probably sounds odd, given the premise of the episode, but this finally provides a follow-up to the third season episode “Sunday”. In that episode, it was revealed that McKay was dating a fellow scientist named Katie. That little detail seemed to disappear back into the woodwork (along with McKay’s reaction to Beckett’s death), but this episode brings that relationship back. it’s a nice touch, because McKay is humanized by his desire to be worthy of Katie’s affections.
Also, without the burden of memory, McKay becomes someone a bit more interesting. He still has the same set of mannerisms, but the arrogance dissolves, leaving only his good intentions intact. So while the episode ostensibly centers on McKay for most of the episode, it’s not the same McKay. In other words, we get to see more of the true McKay, past the façade of his brilliance.
The story itself is simple, but the structure of the episode makes it far more entertaining. The writers manage to convey the otherworldly sense of losing memory. The story may be simple, but from the characters’ perspective, the familiar is rendered alien and hostile. Seeing the situation through the eyes of the characters gives us a taste of that perspective, and that’s one of the true highlights.
So far, the producers seem to be living up to their promise. The first few episodes delved into Weir’s character and explored new aspects of Sheppard, McKay, and Carter. Ronon had a solid character piece, one that actually managed to make sense. Dr. Keller received a good amount of time in the spotlight. Sheppard’s solo story was a bit disappointing, but this episode continued to humanize McKay. Character is getting more emphasis, so now it’s a matter of introducing some plot arcs to go along with the other improvements.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2007
All rights reserved
Link: http://www.criticalmyth.com
This probably sounds odd, given the premise of the episode, but this finally provides a follow-up to the third season episode “Sunday”. In that episode, it was revealed that McKay was dating a fellow scientist named Katie. That little detail seemed to disappear back into the woodwork (along with McKay’s reaction to Beckett’s death), but this episode brings that relationship back. it’s a nice touch, because McKay is humanized by his desire to be worthy of Katie’s affections.
Also, without the burden of memory, McKay becomes someone a bit more interesting. He still has the same set of mannerisms, but the arrogance dissolves, leaving only his good intentions intact. So while the episode ostensibly centers on McKay for most of the episode, it’s not the same McKay. In other words, we get to see more of the true McKay, past the façade of his brilliance.
The story itself is simple, but the structure of the episode makes it far more entertaining. The writers manage to convey the otherworldly sense of losing memory. The story may be simple, but from the characters’ perspective, the familiar is rendered alien and hostile. Seeing the situation through the eyes of the characters gives us a taste of that perspective, and that’s one of the true highlights.
So far, the producers seem to be living up to their promise. The first few episodes delved into Weir’s character and explored new aspects of Sheppard, McKay, and Carter. Ronon had a solid character piece, one that actually managed to make sense. Dr. Keller received a good amount of time in the spotlight. Sheppard’s solo story was a bit disappointing, but this episode continued to humanize McKay. Character is getting more emphasis, so now it’s a matter of introducing some plot arcs to go along with the other improvements.
John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2007
All rights reserved
Link: http://www.criticalmyth.com
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