Michael (218)

[MarshAngel]

This (above quote) is the essential reason this episode did not work for me. Forget the ethics (for the moment). Michael was a wraith with "amnesia" and therefore, spoke, acted and reacted like a human?

Memory may be important but nothing is stronger than instinct. His language and mannerisms were all human, (he did walk a little funny, but that may just have been the actor) I think he even said "see ya", to Rodney. Even Teyla doesn't say "see ya".

Imagine if when he was fighting with Teyla he had slammed his hand against her chest instead of choking her. It would have been embarrassing and shocking (and would have added another dimension to Ronan freaking out). Or if instead of just recognizing the language on Rodney's computer he had spoken some of the words.

Since wraith have telepathic abilities and seem to use them to communicate it may have been interesting to see him accidently begin to speak to Teyla telepathically on instinct. Or have itchy hands, or ask if his hair has always been this short, or question what floss is, or have trouble using cutlery... anything that might have actually differentiated him from the rest of the Atlantis team. Something that would have made it believable for him to be so accepting of the fact that he used to be a wraith.

BTW - I don't think he had a very wraith like reaction to finding out that they had tampered with his DNA, or human like reaction for that matter. Sheppard freaked out a hell of a lot more when he found out he was turning into a bug.

I'm watching it now and I'm having the same issues. He just happens to understand the CD drive and he can read English? It's too easy and unrealistic. Even humans from another planet should have had more problems than he has.

[Daniel's_twin]

I liked this ep to an extreme. Yes, there were plot holes (I'm not gonna list them, you guys seem to revel in that) , but if you overlook them (yes, you can do that) it's teriffic!

I don't really have much to say in particular. Teyla was phenomenal, and now that we have seen that she can be directly influenced by the Wraith, will she be considered more of a liability then before? Ronan has gotten a better part then he has for a little while, and Beckett was nicely pulled off. I liked his calander.

I'm not gonna rave, but this was another solid episode of Atlantis that I feel deserves 5 out of 5 stars, tying it with SG-1 for me. Keep the solid stories coming (and no more Kirking!! without it, it's wonderful!)

[spg_1983]

So let me make sure I have this straight, we die of diseases everyday, we cant even cure the common ****ING cold, yet super becket can convert a wraiths DNA into a humans overnight?!?! GGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Mind implodes at the utter stupidity of the show* God before I just disliked this show, but now I actively hate this show, it sucks in every convievable way. I firmly believe that the PTB are actively TRYING to make the worst show possible. Stargate Atlantis is quite easily the ****iest show ever made. This episode goes well beyond the monkey **** approach to writing. To write stories of this epic levels of **** one has to be actively trying. So for that I actually have to give the writers a hand, before now Atlantis sucked because the writers didn;t seem to care and just wrote any gibberish that came to mind, but now they have woven a tapestry of such pure **** with a skill Michealangelo would admire. It takes a real artist to create something this epicly bad. Atlantis writers? My hat is off and my nose plugged to you! Bravo!!

[Erin]

McKay almost gave it all away when he first talked to Michael haha. McKay such a bad actor!

Anyway this episode was so heartrenching! I felt so bad for Michael. I was hoping they could successfully get him back.

[Daniel's_twin]

McKay almost gave it all away when he first talked to Michael haha. McKay such a bad actor!

Anyway this episode was so heartrenching! I felt so bad for Michael. I was hoping they could successfully get him back.

It was tragic when he reverted back, wasn't it? And he fought himself for a while before he was about to feed on Teyla, like he was trying to hold onto a last shred of humanity.

[mckaychick]

Omg i just got done watching it and i thought it was great!!!!YEah mckay did almost give it away but it was still brilliant. I was sooo happy to see conner triner again, he is such a great actor.

[vaberella]

I liked it...thought it was a good ep..not perfect but good.

Elia was different she was raised by humans, and while I agree that mannerisms are easily picked up nothing is stronger than instinct. I watched the episode again a couple of nights ago and I noticed that when Michael knocked Teyla down he did sort of have his hand on her chest, I wish they had played that up more.

The higher leveled wraith do have more "human" mannerisms but not human from Earth,(ie. see ya) it was too natural. I would have prefered for his demeanor to be more hesitant and forced. Sort of a "I know I'm supposed to do this, or say this, but it really doesn't feel natural."

If you watch the season finale (small spoilers below) ....

... you'll see how different Michael speaks, it's very formal (similar to Teyla). I think it would have been interesting for him to have spoken that way in this episode. He complained to Heightmeyer about feeling different, about something feeling off, but these feelings were never really demonstrated through his interactions with other people. He got a long so well with everyone (except Ronan), that it seemed weird to me that he was so sure something was wrong. But hey that's just me.

Falcon Horus: To me the fact that his mind was wiped completely is even more of a reason for him to occasionally "wraith out". Instinct is all he had left.

cheers,

b.

First off...my point is that Eliya could be taught...then any Wraith could be taught and I have this feelign their far more humanistic than we give them credit for.

Now my question is...how long has he been around on the base? It would have to be a couple of weeks...if not a few months at the least. When your in sleep what do we know of the subconcious mind can pick up during R.E.M.

I'm no doctor, but isn't that a plausiability. I can see John may have probably spoken to Carson while they were examining him. Or any of the other crew of Atlantis, besides Ronon and Teyla. And again their tone, the pitch, things like that...arent' they easily transferrable.

It's like hwen your sleeping and you wake up singing a tune or in your sleep your having a dream with a tune in it, you wake up and it was playing in the background while your sleeping.

I don't think taht was far fetched. As for reading....continuity always plays a role, and I didn't think he could read all that much---but again you watch and you learn. People who use lets say a computer you can watch and remember what they do. I mean my 2 year old cousin was looking at her mother like she had another head, when she saw her pressing the wrong buttons and actually said, 'No, mummy it's like this.' Again I don't think Michael was just there for like a week and everythign came to pass...there had to be a significant amount of time..and he hprobably had session after session....picking up nuances and approaches.

Again---something to wonder is if Michael is like 'ALL' humans, I think we're throwing in our own people perceptions within his diagnosis. Do we know he uses his brain capacity as everyone else? The Wraith are mentally advanced---meaning their powers of control people with mental illusions and mentally requesting information. We as humans can't do that, how do we know how much Wraith was still passed on.

This is why I strongly believe Teyla was sent...to sort of open that connection and needle around his mind. She probably sent nothing..but then again Teyla is a novice with mental abilities and she doesn't really have much to play on, does she?

So again....I think in really arguing the point though is if we have a timeline (I admit BSG is much better at doing that for us) and if we had PhD's in neurology....even if that....since the human mind it self is still a mystery let alone the mind of a Wraith, then a mind of a Wraith once it becomes human. Speculation is great...but again I'm getting the feeling that we're definitely throwing in a lot of our basic, if not non-existent knowledge on the effects of the drug, R.E.M., time, abilities, and what not....

[Red Tigress]

This episode was definently freaky. I said "Oh, [insert word of choice here]!!" on more than one occasion. But I liked it, overall.I was really surprised at Teyla though. With Ronon, I was just like "Yeah, way to go!"

[vaberella]

This episode was definently freaky. I said "Oh, [insert word of choice here]!!" on more than one occasion. But I liked it, overall.I was really surprised at Teyla though. With Ronon, I was just like "Yeah, way to go!"

What are you surprised about by Teyla? I was far more surprised by Weir and the mistake that will cause a series of more infinitely far more irrepairable mistakes!
VB

[MarshAngel]

I liked it...thought it was a good ep..not perfect but good.


So again....I think in really arguing the point though is if we have a timeline (I admit BSG is much better at doing that for us) and if we had PhD's in neurology....even if that....since the human mind it self is still a mystery let alone the mind of a Wraith, then a mind of a Wraith once it becomes human. Speculation is great...but again I'm getting the feeling that we're definitely throwing in a lot of our basic, if not non-existent knowledge on the effects of the drug, R.E.M., time, abilities, and what not....

That's really reaching to explain it all away and if the writing is good we shouldn't have to try to come up with an explanation of anything the writers didn't intend to leave a mystery and there's no mystery here just plot holes they didn't bother to cover and mistakes the make over and over again.

If he's been around for a significant length of time, picking up these human characteristics we should know that, see that, otherwise it's fair to assume it never happened. There should have been an adjustment period to clear it up.

The episode may still be entertaining if you ignore the glaringly obvious but it's unfortunate that we should have to at all.

Episode after episode now the writers wash right over the details in favor of the overall plot. Details matter though.

[PG15]

So let me make sure I have this straight, we die of diseases everyday, we cant even cure the common ****ING cold, yet super becket can convert a wraiths DNA into a humans overnight?!?! GGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Mind implodes at the utter stupidity of the show* God before I just disliked this show, but now I actively hate this show, it sucks in every convievable way. I firmly believe that the PTB are actively TRYING to make the worst show possible. Stargate Atlantis is quite easily the ****iest show ever made. This episode goes well beyond the monkey **** approach to writing. To write stories of this epic levels of **** one has to be actively trying. So for that I actually have to give the writers a hand, before now Atlantis sucked because the writers didn;t seem to care and just wrote any gibberish that came to mind, but now they have woven a tapestry of such pure **** with a skill Michealangelo would admire. It takes a real artist to create something this epicly bad. Atlantis writers? My hat is off and my nose plugged to you! Bravo!!

Umm....

Oh forget it.

[Weir'sRedShirt]

So let me make sure I have this straight, we die of diseases everyday, we cant even cure the common ****ING cold, yet super becket can convert a wraiths DNA into a humans overnight?!?! GGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Mind implodes at the utter stupidity of the show* God before I just disliked this show, but now I actively hate this show, it sucks in every convievable way. I firmly believe that the PTB are actively TRYING to make the worst show possible. Stargate Atlantis is quite easily the ****iest show ever made. This episode goes well beyond the monkey **** approach to writing. To write stories of this epic levels of **** one has to be actively trying. So for that I actually have to give the writers a hand, before now Atlantis sucked because the writers didn;t seem to care and just wrote any gibberish that came to mind, but now they have woven a tapestry of such pure **** with a skill Michealangelo would admire. It takes a real artist to create something this epicly bad. Atlantis writers? My hat is off and my nose plugged to you! Bravo!!

But... um... if you didn't like anything about it, why are you in here? This isn't a discussion; you just ranted.

Anyway... personally, I was glad for "Michael". Beckett, I'm glad to see, if growing past just a doctor; both in "Michael" and "Critical Mass" TPTB concentrate on him and his moral beliefs. Beckett's and Weir's blame-scene was crucial, I think, to building proof of at least a firm friendship between to the two. Weir's character was the most interesting to watch- you'd think she'd have a problem with the experiments, but the most open one about the immortality of them is Teyla; in fact, Weir allows them to happen. Huh.

Ronon... I usually don't trust his judgement. He considers nearly anything a threat, and as one who hadn't read any spoilers for "Michael", I thought at first that he was being overly-protective of Teyla, to a point of him having possessive feelings over her, but in the end, he was right, which surprised me, I think almost pleasantly. It's good to know that maybe the way he thinks will be considered more within upcoming episodes. At the end, about the new 'defensive strategy', maybe Ronon will have a say in that.

Just my two-cents ramble.

[spg_1983]

But... um... if you didn't like anything about it, why are you in here? This isn't a discussion; you just ranted.

This is the episode thread where one gives their opinion of the episode, I gave my opinion.

[CalmStorm]

Never thought I would say this.....but....Ronon was the only one that had any sense at all in this episode.

[Weir'sRedShirt]

This is the episode thread where one gives their opinion of the episode, I gave my opinion.

Okay. I just didn't think the ********'s were neccessary.

Never thought I would say this.....but....Ronon was the only one that had any sense at all in this episode.

Agreed. Weird feeling, trusting Ronon over everyone else.