The Brotherhood (116)

[Quinn Mallory]

Another awesome episode. The ending definitely sets things up (most likely) for the season finale.

The religious implication of the ZPM was just too much for the New Brotherhood to pass up that easily. I wonder if Alena (sp?) was ready to give it before McKay gave too much details.

A minor nitpick about the puzzle. Did they just implicitly decide to place the corner squares in increasing numerical values? In this simple puzzle of making a 3x3 square with 9 numbers valued 1 through 9 and to get it to add up to 15 horizontally, vertically, and diagonally: the solution can be rotated to produce different solutions. I would have to guess that the most natural way is to put 2 at upper left and then 4 at upper right and 6 and 8 and lower left and right respectively.

I have mentioned in the thread for the episode the Hot Zone about just how many people do the expedition have that possess the Ancient gene. We know that McKay can pilot the PJ from The Defiant One. So it is surprising to me (although a nice use of Dr. Beckett...always good to see him) that they don't have more than 3 pilots (including Sheppard and it's down to 2 after this episode). I would have thought more people would have been given the gene therapy and with the 40+% success rate, they would be able to train more guys.

Q

[Tok'Ra Hostess]

I would have thought more people would have been given the gene therapy and with the 40+% success rate, they would be able to train more guys.

Q

With their luck the 40% success rate is probably mostly amongst the scientists, and we know what a bunch of babies they are.

"Dammit, John, I'm a doctor/astrophyicist/exobiologist/minerologist/etcerologist, ecterologist... not a pilot!"

Whereas any buck private assigned to the mop brigade who has the gene would be saying, "<insert TOP GUN-type gung-ho line, here>."

[fair_nymph]

I get the impression that they haven't been doing much gene therapy, which I think is foolish/odd. It would be so useful in so many ways to have more gene-enabled personnel. Maybe they are concerned about safety? But then they tried on one of their most valuable persons...i.e. McKay.

Very odd if you ask me...

[Funkmeister]

I loved Beckett's appearance in this episode: "I'm a doctor, not a fighter pilot!"

[JackDaniels]

Well its been a few days since I saw this episode but I will admit that I loved it. I am really starting to like the Genii. They are a good enemy and not because they are all evil, but because they are trying to fight for their survival just like the Atlantis crew.

I also liked the episode because of the split in the action. It was interesting with them looking for the 9 pieces of the puzzle and also the threat of Wraith attack on Atlantis. I already love Dr Beckett so he was just great in this episode, but Dr Zelenka is becoming funnier the more we see of him. I was giggling when he mentioned that he'd picked something up like three days ago but didn't know what it was, but now they've only got 3 hours before the wraith dart is there! Bless him.

Again there was very little room for Ford, he seems to be falling into the trap of being shot/taken hostage/or just being left to do nothing. It's definitley obvious why he's not gonna be full time next year.

When the episode started I wasn't sure where it was going to go, though McKay's nervousness when John informed him that Allina had a thing for him. I was interested throughout the episode though i thought the ending (with Allina saying that she was part of the new brotherhood and that they were keeping the ZPM was a little weak and highly ungrateful!) Though the story serves a purpose, it was the Atlantis part of the episode that will obviously become the most relevant for later episodes.

All in all a good episode, though sadly not quite the standard of its predecessors (nothing had lived up to the Eye yet!)

[Madeleine]

I love things where there's a puzzle to solve and I love Atlantis whenever Rodney and Shep are in the same place at the same time, so this ep was practically a sure thing from the start

[smallgirl]

This episode had some weaknesses, for the most part the ending because yet again another lame reason had to be come up with to explain why they couldn't get from the planet what they wanted. It's like all the other previous off world episodes where they meet a new group of people who can provide something that would help protect them from/ or defeat the wraith and then at the last minute it doesn't happen. The build up is usually really good when they are trying to procure whatever it is and then you get a weak solution. All the reasons make sense in their own way but when you've had several of them it gets repetitive. I realised it wasn't going to happen as soon as Rodney told Alena that they'd only been on Atlantis for a few months and you just knew she wouldn't consider them worthy enough to receive the 'Potentia'.

Anyway the strengths far outway the weaknesses. As I said the buildup can be quite good and it was particularly effective in this episode. We had humour with McKay and Sheppard banter again, I can't get enough of that. Then extra fun because McKay was so clueless in the romance dept. I really enjoyed watching McKay solving the puzzle and then Sheppard helping at the end. Like JackDaniels, I very much enjoy the Genii as an enemy, Kolya isn't a one note bad guy. I was very pleased that Sheppard didn't kill him because I want him to stick around. Ford didn't have much to do but at least he got to kick some bad guy ass - I was cheering at that point. Teyla frankly had even less to do, and that's pretty much power for the course as well. She was nifty with a knife at one point but that was about it.

Back on Atlantis, Zelenka was amazing. He as a recurring character is more interesting to watch than Ford and Teyla combined. First there was him moaning at the computer guy about letting food and drink near the computers etc, including a funny little rant, probably containing expletives, in his own language. Secondly the whole thing when he was walking with Weir and he told her " you are the loop". That has to be my favourite line of the episode. That and him losing track of what he was doing and her saying he could carry on walking with her but didn't he have something he should be doing and he got all embarassed. Then there was the excitement with the Wraith dart and poor Carson having to turn into a fighter pilot. It was an episode packed with incident of all types and a big powerful punch at the end because we now know the Wraith are on their way and very close.

[Matt G]

OK people...

1. Well first I was thinking 'Don't take the pi$$ TPTB' when Ford went down so easily but then he turned out to be faking it.

2. I was well rooting for Beckett to down the Wraith dart. Unlucky mate.

3. Ah...we bump into the Pegasus's galaxy's resident pi$$ing contest merchants again. Ah well, they'll get taken out for good some other time.

4. And talking about pi$$ing contests...*helps Major T and aschen strangle Allina*

5. Zelenka was generally cool here.

6. Did McKay saw that they'd only been around for one month?

[Buzz Lightyear]

I have mentioned in the thread for the episode the Hot Zone about just how many people do the expedition have that possess the Ancient gene. We know that McKay can pilot the PJ from The Defiant One. So it is surprising to me (although a nice use of Dr. Beckett...always good to see him) that they don't have more than 3 pilots (including Sheppard and it's down to 2 after this episode). I would have thought more people would have been given the gene therapy and with the 40+% success rate, they would be able to train more guys.

Actually, we've known that McKay can pilot jumpers since 1x06, "Childhood's End". It is a bit odd why more ATA gene-enabled military aren't available at this point. I can't see many folks being reluctant to try gene therapy once they know McKay took it and was fine. You would think that all Atlantis expedition members would be eager to take advantage of anything that allowed them to access more Ancient technology.

[Cronus]

For some the gene doesn't work remember. Even so I'd have thought they'd have made sure they had fighter pilots with the gene when the went.

Also, in this episode they learn they have long range scanners, so why don't they just scan for ZPMs?

[Wass]

For some the gene doesn't work remember. Even so I'd have thought they'd have made sure they had fighter pilots with the gene when the went.

Also, in this episode they learn they have long range scanners, so why don't they just scan for ZPMs?

Maybe because they don’t know how to scan for a ZPM.

[Cronus]

Maybe because they don’t know how to scan for a ZPM.

McKay has figured so much other stuff out I'm sure thats not beyond him. I suppose it would make for a poor story plot though; 43 minutes of watching McKay scanning deep space.

[ShadowMaat]

McKay has figured so much other stuff out I'm sure thats not beyond him. I suppose it would make for a poor story plot though; 43 minutes of watching McKay scanning deep space.

I'd watch. Better be mostly shots of McKay, though.

[Cronus]

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad if him and Zelenka had some kind of race about who could scan the most space. Of course, you'd have Shep out in a puddle jumper trying to beat the to it.

[Major Tyler]

I think they should have tried to convince Chaya to pay the New Brotherhood a little visit and demand that the Potentia be reliquished to the Terrans on Atlantis. She wouldn't have to use her powers or break any Ascended rules to do it. Sure she might have to fly around and put on a light show, but that
s a little different. Maybe the Ancients would demand that she never see Sheppard again as punishment, but with the Wraith on the way, it would be a fair trade.

If the Brotherhood demanded a "great reward" Chaya could say that they forfeited their reward when they did not give Sheppard the ZPM in the first place. She could also say the Atlantis surviving to fight the Wraith in the future is the reward. That'll teach 'em!