Misbegotten (302)

[Scyld]

Spoiler:

[Charlton Heston]You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, #### you! God #### you all to hell![/Charlton Heston]

There goes another cool new ship, the episode after we get it.

I suppose it was inevitable, however.

[Merlin7]

I absolutely loved it. From the fact that they showed our characters *showing* emotion and a connection to one another, to the shocking choices, to the constant surprising twists.

Why did they do that to Michael a second time, though? I'm curious to the reasoning there. I guess because he knew about them and that was a risk. They couldn't let him leave, couldn't keep him a prisoner indefinitely, so, change him.

Yes, the ethics of what they are doing (having to do) is dark, but it is about 'them or us'. I don't have a hard time seeing them taking this line. There isn't any possibility of a peaceful solution. There isn't any co-existing with the wraith.

And those wraith made into temporary humans are still wraith.

Heh. Don't read the email I sent you. Cause you apparently so the really exciting ep and I got the crap one.

[ShadowMaat]

First, WAAAHHHH! No Lorne! Damn IMDB for spitting out false info YET AGAIN!

As for the rest of the ep... This highlights a lot of what's wrong with the show for me. The staggering arrogance (and stupidity) of the Atlantis team to try and pull off the same trick TWICE is absolutely mind-blowing. Trying to convince an ALIEN SPECIES that it's really human... there are no words for the depths of brainlessness displayed. Ye gods, did someone take an ice cream scoop to their skulls or what? No wonder the converted Wraith rebelled!

Shep acted like an utter jackass to the Converted. Sure, he's had bad dealings with the wraith and he's undoubtedly biased, but I should think it'd be in Atlantis's best interests to do everything they can to get the Converteds settled. Treating them like a nuisance and brushing off their concerns is not a way to build trust.

And what the fracking hell was the deal with drugging Michael AGAIN? What, they didn't learn their lesson the last time? Stupid, stupid, STOOPID. "Easiest way to get rid of him" sure, but easy doesn't always mean best and it certainly doesn't mean effective. He'd been on the drug before and started to remember anyway. Whatever "improvements" Carson might have made to the formula, it was still the same drug and if Michael has started building an immunity... well, I guess we all saw what happened. *sigh* STOOPID.

I have rarely hated the Atlantis crew more than I hated them in this ep. The sheer pretension of the entire groupmind makes Rodney look like Caspar Milquetoast. And so much for the forlorn hope that they might all have regrown a few brain cells between seasons. If anything, they lost whatever dying cells they may have had. STOOPID!!!! It would have been fitting if they HAD all died on the Wraith hiveship. The show's IQ would have skyrocketed.

And Woolsey... Who the hell WAS that man and what did he do with the REAL Woolsey? When did Mr. Weasel suddenly become a GOOD guy? Actually, that's a real question 'cos I stopped watching SG-1, so if he really IS good, I wouldn't know it. Last time I saw him he was still a bookish little jackhole. Either way it came off as awfully convenient and I don't particularly like this fawming, simpering little twit we've got now. I'd rather see Weir's command in jeopardy. I want to see a power struggle. I want some by-gods tension and a chance that things won't come up roses all the time for Dr. Perfect.

You know what else bugs me? Some of those poor, misguided Converteds actually believed the Atlantis team was there to help. That "I don't understand..." scene was almost heartbreaking. Almost. But of course, we can't dwell on that when there's much more exciting things to be seen with Our Intrepid Heroes, scrambling to save the universe from the Wraith scourge and cover their asses once again after being so overwhelmingly STOOPID. AGAIN!! *headdesk*

The ep wasn't a TOTAL loss, though.

Kleinman once again got a chance to be on his feet and generally looking adorable.

TPTB finally remembered who Carson was and I think Paul did an absolutely brilliant job with what he was given. I have issues with Carson going along with the plans at all, but barring that his emotional reactions were spot on.

Caldwell continues to show a surprising (to me) depth of character. Kudos to Mitch on a job well done. I really hope his character doesn't get killed off. He's finally starting to get interesting. Unfortunately, that's often a dangerous (and fatal) sign...

As a whole, however, I really wish I hadn't watched this self-important steaming pile to stupid. The lack of Kavan's name in the opening credits should have served as warning to turn the TV off (or switch to Psych- although I still have to catch up on the first two eps). Unfortunately, I just figured I'd missed seeing his name. *sigh*

I will DEFINITELY be skipping next week's ep. I won't go within fifty channels of THAT.

[IWantToBelieve]

I am quite pleased that the Atlantis team didn't make a decision that saved the day. Leading the way for the team to head back home triumphant, victorious and justified. Where a grand feast would await them as they sing boastful songs of their joyus and glorious victory in battle.

Wait, this isn't Star Trek.

Still, it is glad to see the the team making dark choices. Making the only choice they could make under the circumstances. Choices that will have dark consequences in time. I love the fact that the team played the cards that were dealt to them.

Spoiler:

Except the hand that was dealt when the team decided to revert Micheal back to human.

This is the turning point in Micheal's charater. And it's where the Atalntis team officially went wrong. Their paranoia and mistrust may have made an enemy out of Micheal. For as much as anyone knew, Micheal may have actually made himself out to be a close ally. But the team's choice changed this forever. For worse.

It's where the team could have made a better decision. But they didn't. In my opinion, it was the wrong choice. And that's intrigueing to witness. The wrong decision was made and now the team may have to deal with the consequences of that decision forever. Micheal couldn't live in both worlds. Half Wraith, but once human. He was ostricized by the other Wraith. And now, Micheal has the impetus to fully reclaim his rightful place within the hive - against the Atlantis team.

It's nice to see the team make a wrong decision that will have lasting consequences.

And Woosley's presence was incredible as well. It is refreshing to see there's always a third side to a two-sided coin.

So what would you have suggested they do to Michael? Set him free, knowing that they exist. So when he got into trouble, he could hook up with another Hive and bribe them to do what he needed in return he'd give them Atlantis, and Earth? Or, should they have kept him locked up?

And what about feeding...cause as a wraith, he would've needed a human to eat.

Of the two options, the one that made the most sense was take a chance on giving Michael an opportunity to live, hoping the retrovirus would be more effective this time. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

Should it have been created in the first place? Probably not, and that is where the real wrong decision lay. But it would be a boring show if everything they did was right and perfect and clean.

[npattis]

I definately liked the Caldwell/Woosey scene.

[IWantToBelieve]

Heh. Don't read the email I sent you. Cause you apparently so the really exciting ep and I got the crap one.

No, we just have different tastes lately. I was thrilled to get the character moments and after last week, didn't mind the action taking place off screen. It delivered for me, totally.

[Osiris-RA]

Atlantis. Good episode. I love Micheal even more this time around. If possible, I'm liking the show more for the sheer reason that I'm feeling more and more sorry for the Wraith because the humans are so dang stupid and deserve everything they get. Like the Battlestar Galactica people, actually.

First of all, it was wrong of them in the first place to assume that they could mess around with DNA and make their enemies human, and second, it was incredibly moronic of them to de-wraith-ify the Wraiths, then put them in a prison camp and treat them like they're still Wraith. Micheal had it right. He wasn't accepted by the Wraith and he wasn't accepted by the humans. Sheppard and the rest of the military's treatment of the Wraith was so obviously hostile, that the next logical step for the Wraiths to take was figure out why they're missing time. If the humans had at least pretended to like them and treated them like an unfortunate quarantine situation, maybe they wouldn't have toddled off into the woods and stopped taking their human pills! I mean, what's wrong with these humans? They want the Wraith to stop attacking them - ok. They want peace, alrighty. So they change them into humans against their will, then expect to go on treating them like crap and the Wraith aren't supposed to notice??

If the humans going to act like that, maybe they should have just killed them all and be down a couple dozen Wraiths. They're so obviously scornful of these Not!Humans that it doesn't seem like they should waste their time pretending to be all humane towards them.

There's gotta be a better way to win a fight against the Wraith without becoming a hypocrite and a moron along the way. But hey, I like the story so far. While I hope that they do someone find a way to cream the Wraith...one just can't help rooting for the Wraith when the humans do something dumb like what they did.

LONG LIVE MICHEAL!!!

[LoneStar1836]

Why would they just dump Michael on a planet with all these other human Wraith? You’d thing they would have more of a connection to Michael and thus they would keep him on Atlantis and try to integrate him again. I mean they are getting a second chance here to learn from past mistakes but they’d just rather abandon him on some planet and forget about him. Course obviously they didn't learn from past mistakes by making the choice to convert him again....

I kind of wanted Michael the Wraith to be an ally rather than an enemy and was hoping that they could keep him around but oh well…. I’m sure he survived and took the nice little nuclear bomb with him so we’ll be seeing both of them again.

And stupid Sheppard. He should have taken more time to answer that guy’s questions. By just brushing him off like that it just created more suspicion….

Whatever. The episode was ok. Nothing impressive.

[ladysarah]

Do the writers want us to hate the characters in this show?

Because, I don't get it.

[npattis]

Do the writers want us to hate the characters in this show?

Because, I don't get it.

I keep asking that myself.

[markaudette]

Like I siad above, it's the shades of grey within the decision-making process that I really love. If I were put in that situation, I would have a msall crisis on my hands. I wouldn't know what to do.

1. Let sleeping dogs lie. Micheal may have aligned himself with Atlantis, in as far as an ex-Wraith could.

2. Give Micheal the retrovirus again and turn him back into a man. And eliminate him as a threat forever. Thinking of it now, I would have most likely made this choice.

But those shades of grey. That third side to a two-sided coin - kill Micheal. Just murder him. Shepard seemd like he wouldn't be very hesitant to make that decision. And Ronan would have killed Micheal within the blink of an eye.

But Weir made the right decision. And it had unfortunate consequences.

It reminds me of one of the finest episodes of Deep Space Nine. An episode called "In the Pale Moonlight" where Sisko fabricates a couple of facts to bring the Romulans into the Dominion war. A dark decision that may have terrible consequences. Again, the dark grey area of war. Whether it's a war with the Dominion or the Wraith. Weir made a similar decision to Sisko's delimma. She had to do something. And it was most likely her ownly choice. A choice that will have unfortunate consequences down the road. In my mind - phenomenally wonderful storytelling.

[starfox]

How did I not notice the Life cereal joke from last week's ep until this week's teaser?

I was a little disappointed by the Weir-IOA angle. I can understand why Woolsey made the decision he did; what I didn't like was Elizabeth's over solicitous-ness towards him. She backed down very quickly, and she wasn't cooperating with Woolsey in a "I'm doing the best I can to keep my job" kind of way, she was doing it in a "I've already lost and am going to go along meekly" kind of way. And that's not the kind of behaviour I expect from these characters and this show.

Weir's behaviour at the beginning of the meeting with Sheppard's team was the moment when we really knew that she thought she was out. It was a kind of a "I'm out of here, I love you guys" moment. There was a lovely little Rodney character moment in there, though, with the "What, she's hungry, too?" That and the little smile afterwards were an effective tension diffuser, tactfully steering attention away from emotions by using one of his quirks, but not in an obnoxious way. The fact that Rodney can do it, and consciously do it, show a bit of character growth. Also, it's just a fun Rodney/Elizabeth friendship moment.

Woolsey is such a tool. But he's useful, and it's so much fun to dislike him, until he comes out in your corner in the end.

Sheppard wanting to defend Elizabeth's honor, also a good friendship moment. I refuse to view it in a shippy light, because I know my friends would feel inclined towards violence as well, were someone to question me as Woolsey questions Elizabeth. Besides, it was a cute, fun moment. That's what I like about the friendship between John and Elizabeth; it has a fun, genuine dynamic that makes me believe that these two people have a friendship (I'm still not a John/Elizabeth shipper and probably never will be; I just think they're a lot of fun as friends).

I must be a really horrible person. I must have no soul. Because seeing the Wraith-turned-humans, my first instinct was to say "Why the hell didn't you throw them out the air lock?" Not exactly a humane way to kill, but honestly, what else can you do with these things? If you have half an ounce of common sense, you know you can't rehabilitate them, why not just toss 'em and go? But that would have been gruesome and inhumane and would have given us no A-plot for this episode.

Michael's not dead. He's chilling with Ford out in the void between scripts, waiting until he and the plot devices he brings with are needed.

Michael and Ford. Now there's an interesting parallel. Wraith moving towards human and human moving towards Wraith; neither more than a step away from his original form, and neither able to be trusted by the people of the Atlantis expedition. Putting them in a room together would be such a fun psychological study. At least, until they tried to kill each other.

Teyla flew a ship! Yeah, I don't know why I'm so happy about that, except that it just shows her to be even more of an adaptable, competent team member, and competence is the essence of cool.

Rodney deferred to her expertise! He said, "Well I have no clue. Teyla, what do you think?" Rodney admitting he has no clue and then immediately asking someone else's opinion? It shows that he has to a certain extent begun to rely on Teyla's knowledge and skills, which says something about the team development, especially as we almost never see these two interact onscreen. Plus, the Rodney/Teyla shipper within me just loves it.

"Colonel, where the hell are you?"
Daedalus to the rescue. Yes, that gag's getting old, but I am beginning to genuinely like Caldwell. Especially his metaphorical flipping of the bird at Woolsey earlier in the ep.

Which reminds me; was I the only one a little startled by the passage of time? I mean, I know Elizabeth said that the Asgard ship would shave some time off the journey, but my initial reaction on seeing the Caldwell-Woolsey scene was "Wait, when did the Daedalus get in, and who did the redecorating?" It was a bit difficult to reconcile the fact that I saw Woolsey on Earth in his last scene, and there was no visual to indicate that he'd traveled to Pegasus. Maybe that's just me, though.

Carson. Carson, Carson, Carson. So true to his doctorly nature, and yet willing to overcome his fear of the chair and defend Atlantis. I also adored the scene where Michael was talking about his capacity for open-ness and empathy, and Carson's reaction was basically, 'yeah, kinda diminishing there.' That definitely goes in my file of Carson character development moments. So far he's been betrayed by enzymed-Ford, and had his treatments rejected by Michael twice, not to mention twenty to thirty of the other Wraith on the planet. This is definitely going to strip away a bit of his idealism, which in some respects is a good thing. After all, it's like Michael said: They all saw how Michael felt after the first treatments, what did they think was going to happen?


So basically, not my favorite episode plot-wise, but I'm still high enough on the rush of a new season to forgive that. Michael being the one to plan the rebellion did surprise me, though in hindsight, it shouldn't have. There's a good job of character development here and it's not a bad episode, but once my new-season-high wears off, I'm expecting much better plots.

[Osiris-RA]

Do the writers want us to hate the characters in this show?

Because, I don't get it.

Obviously. With Lt. Col Stupid leading the party.

[FoolishPleasure]

At first I thought this was a good episode, but on closer inspection, lots of plot holes.

The real good stuff: Beckett.

Everything else:

Its always good to see Woolsey and he was very good in this episode, except for that last scene where the writers hit the "reset" button and Woolsey swept everything under the rug and everything was hunky dory. Come on - they played games with living creatures - created humans and then just wanted to dump them in some backwater where they may or may not survive and then wash their hands of the whole affair. Can't believe I was actually rooting for the Wraith to blow our team away.

Poor Michael. They should have tried to work with him in the beginning. Atlantis doesn't want him, the Wraith don't want him, we "made" him and should have tried to come up with a place to live or help him in some way - he DID save everyone's butts last week. Instead they just reinject him and stick him on a remote world with no escape and 200 other men (and no women). I'd be ticked off too.

Sheppard. Sigh. Last week he is all goofy and flirty. This week he is snotty and mean. I really felt bad when Wraith Nathan tried to ask him questions. That snarky attitude is what started Nathan on the path of doubt. I guess I'm just tired of Sheppard these days as the writers just don't know how to write consistently for him.

Ooooh, Teyla has all the powers of a Wraith Queen flying a monsterous hive ship! Yeah. I believe that. Sorry writers, that was just a wee bit too much to stomach. I just find her way too much like Lyta in the old B5.

One last thing - Michael now has a nuke! When will he return? When will he use it? OMG! That is so cool! Um. . wait. . .BSG already did this scenario last season. Oh well, on to next week.

[Mitchell82]

As a whole, however, I really wish I hadn't watched this self-important steaming pile to stupid. The lack of Kavan's name in the opening credits should have served as warning to turn the TV off (or switch to Psych- although I still have to catch up on the first two eps). Unfortunately, I just figured I'd missed seeing his name. *sigh*

I will DEFINITELY be skipping next week's ep. I won't go within fifty channels of THAT.

I'm sorry you didn't really enjoy this episode I found it really enjoyable and overall a very good episode. Hopefully you won't give up on the season. I'm sorry that you won't even give next weeks episode a try. I'm looking foward to it I think it will be really interesting. Hopefully you will enjoy more of season 3. Any way I thought it was a great episode and had no problem with Sheps plan to nuke the planet, he had no other option really. Overall grreat ep and looking forward to next week!