Hot Zone (113)

[Matt G]

At some point...another ep of Atlantis.

1. Even I'd have beaten Ford at Prime/Not Prime.

2. Technically...who is Shep's XO, technically everyone's under quarentine anyway.

3. First time we hear of Jeannie, cool.

4. Of course we don't know who's responsible for the virus...yet!

I think I'll stick with my original assesment of "meh"

[jelgate]

A virus attacking the people of Atlantis is hardly a new concept in the Stargate story telling. Even the virus being mechanical is hardly a brand new concept. So to make the concept interesting I think this episode will either suceed or fail on the character interactions. I think that is why this episode is not a total bore. Sheppherd's munity was interesting and I wish it wasn't largely dropped after this episode. Sheppherd's difficulty with following orders was not really adressed later in the show which I find disappointing. It would have been more interesting to see future developments. That conflict between the military and Weir's authority is what drives this episode. Lets be honest the solution the was predicitible once you what the virus was. I was not really surprised of the solution.

[ZRFTS]

Hot Zone

That has got to be the cheesiest episode title in SGA history. Anyways, it's just another day in Atlantis and as such, something has to happen; hence the existence of a virus that threatens everybody in Atlantis. Virus plots are nothing new for Stargate, in fact they're the most common plot there is so obviously the writers need to do something to make it different, and they do...

By changing some of the stuff up, they manage to make the virus somewhat fresh and interesting; I was particularly intrigued by the origins of the virus, I mean something of that magnitude must of been created for whatever reason right? The fact that it exists furthers the questions surrounding the virus. The symptoms are nothing new but they do fit the mood that Atlantis has, it's somewhat creepy and violent in itself and it somewhat taps into the paranoia that lies into people. These things help to set their virus plot apart from the thousands of other virus plots that Stargate has done but one thing still remains common, that it's a virus. Even when they find a way to get rid of it, it's something that's expected and been done the world over except in this case, it's done in an Atlantian way.

Just a virus.

But people don't watch this show just for the sci-fi plots, they watch it for the characters and Atlantis in general and this is where the episode manages to satisfy. Shephard's pseudo-mutiny is interesting in itself; it's just one of the things that supposedly defines his character, the lack of command he shows for certain people... you wish they would of done more with it but I guess the virus had to get more focus; the mutiny coupled with the virus could of lead to some pretty good stuff but instead we're left to wonder what could of been. Teyla is good as well and her comments sort of support Shephard's plot but the wonder lies with the kung-fu training fight she has with Shephard; I believe this is the first time we see such a fight and that would go on to start one of the things Atlantis would be known for. Training is something that's common and entertaining to watch, not only does it provide some form of action but it also works to grow the characters and provides us a situation in which we get to know them; it isn't anything important or essential but that's what makes it work so well, it's just something they do on a common basis.

Most of the stuff regarding the quarantine was done decently and the interaction between those around (Beckett being the most known) and the infected are done in a satisfactory manner. What they're doing is nothing special but it is made more involving by the mystery of the thing and the dank environment which they're placed in; anybody will like the scenes where they analyze the times, examine the samples, use technobabble, search through the databases and somebody will find some common ground in the people who die because of the virus. Rodney continues his character growth though there are some times where he regresses back to his old self, it's somewhat nice to see him in a position of death and in a position of science; sure, he's somewhat cocky but he's also worrisome at the same time and this is evident in his scene where he states out his last thoughts; makes him seem almost human. I notice the SGA crew is trying to associate him with death by having people die all around him, I don't know if it's clever or not but it does seem like something intriguing and whether or not it will have a meaningful impact on his character will result in the times that come.

Rodney, slowly growing...

This episode also continues our exploration of Atlantis by integrating the virus in the city; it's always appreciated when we learn more about the city and this time we learn about it's protocols regarding this stuff and how it treats certain people in regards to protocol. Viruses may be common but in this case it was helpful in helping us to learn more about Atlantis, there's only so much that we know about the city you know... You may think that the character interaction and some other cool stuff makes it a better episode then it is but it still manages to be average nonetheless... I guess the problem is that there wasn't much incentive for them to be truly creative; we get a solution that seems expected, we get interactions that are less then inspired and even Weir seems to be going through the motions somewhat. I don't know if it would of truly helped if they were creative, I mean there's only so much you can do with a virus but then again, there are things that even we (or the writers) haven't thought of so I don't know...

This is just an average outing for SGA, not good, not bad, just okay. You'll be decently entertained but you won't think of it as anything more then what it is; another day with the Atlantis crew involving a virus and some satisfactory character interaction.

5.0/10

[Baron Of Hell]

I liked the episode but thought Shep wanting to leave the gym was odd. Going to the command center would have done nothing to help the situation. Also didn't like the doctor guy trying to leave. Sure I could see him wanting to go somewhere isolated but he ran to a populated area.

[garhkal]

I think he did that as he was wanting to always be 'in the action'

[myowndrownedworld]

I really liked this episode. It didn't have the most original plot to be done to make it special, but i liked how tense it was and it kind had that "hanging off my seat" feeling. It is a good strong standalone and perhaps worth revisiting and putting it among one of my fav episodes from Atlantis so far.

[zbir]

I'm just rewatching Hot Zone. I like it very much (the Shep/Weir fight; how Rodney and the others deal with the situation - all great acting, IMO); I guess (reading other comments) I'm just easy to entertain.
But I wonder, why did Rodney see the visions if he wasn't to die? Weren't the visions the sign of the anevrism?

[j7n]

Cutting a "lovely" woman's head up with saw and shooting a teammate with an assault rifle... And neither Sheppand nor Carson Beckett had any reflections about doing that. If I was working in Atlantis, I'd be scared of the military rulers just as much as the Wraith.

I liked how Lietenant Ford got provoked into angry responses twice, when he stopped being a dumb soldier. He's a very lovable character, especially when wearing the "cap" hat.

The story was serious and it would have been an appropriate time for a major character to die with respect in it.

[thekillman]

i don't see why the scientist wasn't shot on sight when he tried to escape. Just lame.

[mrscopterdoc]

The only good thing about this episode was the fact they were exploring Atlantis finally!

I agree, I can never get enough of them exploring the city.

[Janet Fraiser]

The city is another character, and I love episodes that make its inhabitants explore it more. I see some mixed responses to this episode, but I really like it for the most part.

This is the first time we see a serious fight between Weir and Sheppard, and I think it finally highlights how different the command dynamic is between them and those in a military operation back at the SGC. Even O'Neill wasn't this argumentative; he didn't act like he could walk all over Hammond whenever he disagreed with a decision. As much as I want to yell at Sheppard, I enjoy the heightened tension. I only wish that he'd regretted humiliating Elizabeth, but then, I guess that's his character. At least for now.

On another note, one thing that's been nagging at me since the beginning of the season is how McKay seems to wave off Carson and his medical expertise as if he knows little to nothing. Actually, it might have less to do with McKay and more to do with how Carson is written and/or portrayed. In Thirty-Eight Minutes, Carson prefaces a "stupid question" by saying he's only a medical doctor, and his reaction to Grodin's clear answer is a look of utter confusion, signaling to Weir that she has to clarify for him. There's also been at least one line about Carson being only a medical doctor, as opposed to a scientist.

I get that certain characters function to ask the questions that the audience is thinking of (like O'Neill), but why the medical doctor? In this episode, McKay seems to have a better working knowledge of the brain than Carson, and he continually dismisses all of Carson's answers, which honestly seem too conveniently simple or short-sighted for someone in his position to come up with.

Heck, listening to the commentary for this episode, even Martin Gero (I think) admitted that McKay knew a lot about different subjects - more than he probably should, given his specific expertise. McKay says, "I'm no M.D.," to which Rainbow responds in the commentary, "Sure sounds like an M.D." Martin and Rainbow jokingly say that it's "really terrifying how much knowledge McKay has about every subject," and Martin says that it's difficult to write a genius character... etc.

I mean... Why couldn't Carson have noticed the anomaly that everyone's visions were the same? Why was McKay the one to explain how normal hallucinations worked? It just felt very odd. At this point, I almost feel like McKay is being written to have enough knowledge to be the base's CMO if he can 'outdo' Carson like this.

Perhaps it *does* have more to do with McKay and the need to make him smarter than everyone else in the show.

Oh, well. We won't have to deal with Carson's incompetence for long. Just a few more seasons...

[garhkal]

IMO the reason we never saw Oneill being as argumentative, was cause it was an all mil op at SG1, where SGA was a civilian ran one.

[Janet Fraiser]

IMO the reason we never saw Oneill being as argumentative, was cause it was an all mil op at SG1, where SGA was a civilian ran one.

Yeah, which is why I'm happy SGA is a civilian operation. It makes things more interesting, and the differences in the types of decisions Weir and Sheppard would make are more apparent, causing more problems.

I see similarities between O'Neill and Sheppard, but I think Sheppard is more prone to arguing with people in general. I tend to think the black mark on his record is brought up several times just to remind everyone of how much of a loose cannon he could potentially be, even if he thinks he's acting for the right reasons.

[garhkal]

Just rewatched this ep, and i am still stumped about something.
When Shep first set off the EMP in rodney's lab, shouldn't his radio comms have fried?
And shouldn't then have EVERYONE'S radios have fried after setting off the naquida generator/nuke??

[Hiccups]

That's an intelligent question--too intelligent for me I'm afraid. I was just happy the ep had a lot of Zelenka in it.